Hey all,

A Mustang noob here!

I've been facinated with Mustangs all my life ever since my uncle gave me a really fast ride in his 69 Mach 1 back in 1981.

I finally bought my first Mustang in July 2012. A 2005 GT Premium with 29K miles. I love having some power when hit the gas! And I'm the envy of high school kids around town... haha!! At 36 years old I finally have a cool car.

Anyway I digress...

I have a couple of questions about my 'stang:

1) Do the 2010-2013 Mustangs have as much road noise as the 2005-2009s? When I am on concrete it seems really loud. Just wondering if I should to trade for a newer model. My 98 Camry with 280,000 miles is quieter... But, not nearly as cool (especially with one hubcap missing)! hehe...

2) My Mustang drifts a little to the left when driving above 50 MPH. I took it back to the dealership and they put in new lower control arms and did the an alignment. It was better but it still drifts with the steering wheel in the natural spot. The shop manager took me for a ride in my car and explained to me that where I turn the steering wheel is where the car goes... Really? wow! The alignment looks true on paper but I wonder if my Ford shop is giving me a runaround and just plain dumb.

- At 30k miles has anyone else had to put in new lower front control arms?
- and do you think that I should get the alignment done again somewhere else?
- has anyone else had a problem getting their Mustang aligned properly?


Anyway, I love my Mustang. I've put it away for the winter and miss it dearly aready. It wasn't driven in winter before. And I'm not going to drive it on the salty snowy Minnesota roads in winter.

I love reading all your posts about Mustangs and look forward to connecting with you here in the Mustang community!!

TTYL
Thanks!

Luke

 

1) No, they are a lot more refined. I haven't driven a '13, but I'd imagine they added even more sound proofing, from what I've heard/read.

2) I can't say for sure but I'd definitely have another shop align it. It's possible that something else suspension wise is out of whack, and even though it looks good on paper, on the road it shows up. Another thing could be tire wear. Are you on the stock tires? If so, you're about due for some new ones; if not, it could still be a tire balance issue.

I'd say a 2011+ would be a worthy upgrade. Personally, I'd be happy with a 2010, but I don't have an '05 GT to trade in. welcome to TMS though!

 

The most obvious example I've seen is a blanket between the firewall and the engine bay, prior to 2010 (I guess) Mustangs just had a nekkid firewall to let all that sweet engine noise through!

The common concensus is that the car is following the crown in the road, in a hydraulic system it cannot really be tuned out, but as I understand it in a car equipped with EPAS (Electronic Power Assisted Steering) or whatever Ford calls it, the pull assoicated with the crown in the road can be tuned out (dont know if Ford implemented that yet so a 2011+ owner will have to chime in).

This has been a problem, the rear bushing seems to be the culprit, the GT500 control arms feature a higher durometer bushing IIRC and are not as subject to failure

Any time you have suspension work done its a good idea to have the alignment checked to make sure everything is properly aligned, its cheap insurance compared to having to replace a much more expensive tire due to increased wear - once a tire has been damaged by an improperly aligned vehicle there is no way to correct the wear on the tire, moving it to another position or flipping it on the rim does little if anything to slow that bad wear.

 

Thanks for the info Bob and Patrick!

I remember the Ford shop saying something about the rear bushings on the control arms being worn.

I think everything is balanced and the tires look properly worn. They don't look worn out but then again maybe they are getting close. I'll check them too.
I took my 2002 F-150 to a Tires Plus and they aligned it pretty well. I think I'll take it there.

I noticed on Americanmuscle.com they have noise deadening materials... Thought that was kinda funny.

I did throw myself in the path of temptation this weekend and went out and test drove a 2013 GT. And yes, it did indeed have significantly less road noise. It had the select shift automatic. I must say it was very nice. I was at almost 90 MPH by the time got to the end of the onramp, before I even realized it! Very fun car to drive! With my bank sending me loan offers at less than 2% it is verrrry tempting!

Thanks again for your input!