mrc728

Traded in my 13 DIB GT, for a 17 AG GT350 and could be happier.

m05fastbackGT

Very nice change and upgrade indeed, as I'd also be just as happy... Congrats

Glenn

Nice congrats

FromZto5

Congrats MRC - I responded to your IG post asking what you did.

Sounds like you did trade her in. So in your post above, did you mean COULDN'T be happier or COULD be happier? lol...

Dealership took your trade, with mods and all? I know yours was modded too right? What mods did you have on her?

edit: please tell me you had them clearbra (ppf) it before you drove her off the lot?

Rog13GTCS

Nice upgrade!

Stage_3

Nice upgrade indeed! Congrats and enjoy. Awesome car.
Was this car in the showroom or did you have them order it for you?

mrc728

Thanks all!, lol couldn't be happier is what I meant.
I did trade in the blue one with mods still on the car. My plan originally was to return to stock. Sold a few things, but left on the air ride and wheels/tires.
Dealer ended up giving me $28800 on the trade. I was shocked they would give so much. I suppose it was better for them to give more on the trade than to come down on their ADM(ended up at 3k over sticker)
Did not order it, however this is how I would have. Found it on ford.com and visited the dealership before it was delivered. Talked some numbers on Saturday 7/23, it was delivered 7/26 and went back on 7/30 to pick her up.

FromZto5- no clear bra yet. Any specific brand you would recommend? Also, any other tips for keeping her protected and perfect.

TripleBlack14

Congrats....excellent color choice. A GT350 is the only coupe I'd give up my GT convertible for.

Driving impressions requested.

FromZto5

That's pretty decent for the trade. Other than the air ride, what other "major" mods did you have on her? I didn't think you had a blower on there, did you?

So how's the overall ownership of the Shelby compared to your GT? I guess let me ask it this way: Is the new Shelby (in your opinion) "better", I would hope, than your GT? If so - by what margin? If the GT was, say, a 7 or 8 out of 10 for you, is the Shelby a 9 or 10? I'm curious What I'm after is, when it comes to decision making for me for my car, is it truly worth upgrading to a car like that or should I wait longer, etc....

Now about your clearbra (PPF). Did you drive her home from the dealership that way? Did you use blue tape to cover her up on the drive back? I hope you did or that you did not incur any chips on the ride back! If you did, you'll want to get those chips fixed (professionally) before you get it PPF'd. Otherwise, not only will the chips be highly visible, but the film will "bubble" at those spots, because the chip is a divot and the film will not seal on that spot.

I see you're in Indiana. My brother is in Indy, and there are quite a few installers in the area. Make sure you do your research on WHO does the best install. PPF is largely about the installer and their skill, more so than the film itself. As for the film, most definitely stick with Xpel, hands down. Opt for the FULL hood and FULL fenders. Looking back, I should have paid a little more to get the full treatment versus partial. Next time I will.

If you're in Wichita anytime soon, go with Wichita Clearbra. Otherwise, like I said, any GOOD installer in Indy will be fine.

Here's my thread on my recent Xpel.

https://themustangsource.com/forums/...a-tint-542132/

1 Alibi 2

Congrats on the upgrade..................sorry to hear about the ADM !!!
.

kylerohde

Between the MagneRide and the flat plane crank motor, that car is so far beyond any Mustang before it, personally, that there's hardly any comparison. But that's just me - some guys would probably rather have the 2013-14 GT500.

Congrats on the purchase - I'm so jealous!

FromZto5

I hear ya Kyle. No doubt. I just wanted to hear it directly from someone who just freshly owned an S197 and just switched to the hyper S550, so was really curious what he thought of the two.

But yes, I am banking on his new ride to be better, but wanted to know how MUCH better

kcoTiger

The only thing I've heard from someone who's driven both (and they drove the 350R), was that there is no power, no punch to the back of the seat after having driven a '13 GT500. It's a great car, it's got a wonderful suspension underneath it but for the $, it's not what the Shelby is. This person, after driving it, decided to wait until they come out with a more powerful offering, hopefully an S550 GT500 in the future.

FromZto5

That's a very interesting perspective. See, that's what I was wondering. I don't have a Shelby - as that is still my ultimate car I've always wanted to have - but, I'm putting down about 600 to the wheels, so I was wondering if for me, if I ever wanted to get rid of her/trade her in for a Shelby GT350 - could I bring myself to do it. I was worried that after a test drive of the current Shelby, I'd think "mehhhh...I like my current better". I still would like a 13/14 Shelby if I could.

But what I was hoping to hear from mrc (op) is whether or not the other attributes (suspension, feel, steering, etc.) is a big enough leap from his S197 that he said to himself (convincingly so), ah yes, this Shelby is SO much better than the S197.

kcoTiger

The guy did tell me that the suspension is quite a difference, so the feel of the car is going to be completely different on that alone. He said it will turn better than any other Mustang ever made, but that's a given with the IRS. This was also the R, so it's going to be an amplified version of the 350 that the OP got, but still, the suspension is entirely new in terms of making the car turn a corner. If you're talking about the ride, I can't give you a comparison as his thoughts were directed solely to the performance aspects.

mrc728

I'll put it this way- as many have before. The s197 is more of a muscle car and s550 is a sports car. The gt350s throttle response, steering feel, and overall ride is way more responsive. Interior is more refined and comfortable. One thing I do kind of miss is the ambient lighting and MyColor.
I'll be honest the air ride on the GT kind of ruined it for me. Even with all the adjustments I could never find a happy medium. To bouncy or to stiff. It was perfectly fine on smooth roads which are hard to come by around here. Lol.

As far as power- the 5.0 was by far the fastest most powerful car I had ever driven/owned, and I felt it definitely pushed you in the seat pretty well, even with my estimated 400whp. Never driven or been in a Gt500 so can't imagine 600+ hp. Now I haven't come close to the limits of the gt350s power but the few times I've gotten on it, it definitely pulls way harder than the GT as expected. As of now the 8200 redline just seems out of reach, It keeps going ang going.
My only complaint as of now is the clutch feel, which I've read on all s550s. It has a progressive feel, hard up top then it just gives in, same when releasing, comes out smooth then wants to pop out. The helper spring seems to be the culprit, already ordered the steeda 35lb spring.

Overall
GT-7
Gt350-9.8😆😆

FromZto5

thanks for the insight man! I appreciate it. This is really good to know.

Sports car versus muscle. That has been the argument now, since the S550 debuted. Why can't they make both into one??? lol

As for the air ride, that's shocking. Few folks, esp on IG, have gone with the "bagged" mod, in the hopes of drawing more stares at how far they can tuck their tires behind the fenders. That has always puzzled me. How and why is that supposed to be attractive? Bizarre. Coming from you first hand, it's good to know that it isn't all what it's hyped up to be. Koni's and springs are all one needs.

Thanks again for the input. Congrats again on the car, and yes, I (and all the others) are jealous. Beautiful car.

mrc728

Thanks man!
While I used the sports/ muscle car comparison as well, I will say the 350 is way more muscle than the 5.0. Especially when you put the exhaust in sport mode. 😆

mrc728

Delete

05PRMTX

Congrats! IMO you have bought the holy grail of Mustangs. I've seen a few at shows here in Houston, but haven't been in one yet.

Reading your insight so far has been great. I've seen a few people review these, but its great to hear from a long term S197 owner. I watched Matt Farah of theSmokingTire do both the R and the base. He said the same thing about the redline as you. That is seems never ending and you need some serious space to utilize it. How does it feel in the lower rpms? He mentioned you dont really get the power until the higher RPM range.

Also as Zto5 said above I am surprised to hear that about the air ride. I've considered it too, thinking it would help smooth out some of the rough roads around me.

And I'm extremely jelous!