Of course, but then you are into modded vs. stock and you enter a gray area. The bottom line is the 5.0 is an excellent platform for street/track/strip.

 

This is my point really. And an E46 is a great car, a great one, but it is certainly out powered by the Mustang.

Yes, it is a gray area, but in the context of the conversation I was having, it was said to me that it would take a lot more modification, or just a lot of modification to the Mustang to make it as compatible on the track as say one of the German pedigree's. Basically the feed back I was getting was that you'd be wasting your time and money on a Mustang and modifying it to be a track car. I don't believe this is true, I think that it's money well spent and money that is going a long way actually. I am not taking anything away from any great cars, I just think it is going to really take a long time for people to realize the Mustang is now in the running of some much higher breeds.

 

THAT wouldn't surprise me, one bit. I think those mods there are the core to making the Stang more enjoyable and significantly faster on the track. That panhard bar is a stupid idea in the first place, and the stock suspension (even on the Brembo 'track-pack') is just not as good as a relatively cheap set of shocks and springs.

just wish I had a 5.0

The M3 boys are much closer to their limits in the first place -- the Mustang can be easily further massaged/prodded to go faster. And their parts are way pricey, too. You can also do all the work yourself on a Mustang (bleeding knuckles and aching back aside...)

 

I've driven many cars on track and off, and to say the mustang hasn't earned its rightful place in motorsports and road racing is just silly:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XvfSJa1VBM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29-Xdzij7lg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UianaK8b6c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhYG0axawVY

Also, see this photo:

 

I've "only" done 8 track days and 2 seasons of autocross, but even I know not to judge any car with blanket statements like the BMW guy did... I've seen a wide variety of cars running both slow and fast. It depends so much on the driver, and what's been done to the car (and what they had to start with).

As was stated above, a good driver in an "okay" car will usually be faster around the track than a bad driver in any car.

 

If you ask me, any car is a good track car.

 

Buzzzzz, not quite, kemo sabe:



Unless you mean the 24 hours of Lemons:

 

Hold on, you had an AMG event guy say that the Mustang was too big to be a good track car? Is he aware of the irony? You should be required to have a boating license to operate any AMG car - it's ridiculous how heavy those things are. Even the C63 is ~4000lbs. Look up the weight of the SL series for a good laugh. How can they be a good track car when they eat through brake pads and tires like a fat kid does jelly donuts? I don't like generalizing across brands but the new Audis, Mercedes and BMWs are just getting far too bloated. It seems only Porsche is still "keeping it real" with the GT3.

I think the real magic behind the new 5.0 GT is the motor. It just blows away the competition in every category. The stock suspension setup is the only thing really lacking. All you need is a set of good dampers, springs, brake pads and tires and you will have a very formidable track car for a very reasonable price. Certainly enough to embarrass any E92 M3, as they're already quite close in performance stock for stock. They'll have to spend twice the money to be able to keep up.

This is all coming from a guy with a highly modified E46 M3, which I recently turned into a full-time track car. The new Mustang is just an awesome track car. It's on a whole other level for price-to-performance.

 

Please see signature.

 

Comparing a mustang to an m3 is one thing, M3's and 911 are great cars if you spend the cash, but a 370z? Yesterdays vibrating engine, a rough ride and no room in the Z car, a garden tractor for midgets. Although a nice looking one. give me a 5.0 any day.

 

Rather insulting to midgets, and garden tractors for that matter...

 

Having owned one, I am fully aware of the issues. Harsh engine above 6,000 RPM? Yes. No room and rough ride? That's debatable. My Brembo 5.0 is actually harsher on a highway ride than my old Z was.

The 370 is a great car if you are willing to look past a few of its quirks. Add an oil cooler and upgrade your brake pads and fluid and you've got a very nice track day machine for under $40k. It might not be as quick as the 5.0, but it's a precision handler and I loved it for that. Don't regret the 18 months I owned one at all.

Though there's a reason I'm in a 5.0 now.

 

Ok, the ONE exception.

 

But just think, you roll it, crush the roof, and NO ONE notices the difference!

 

 

I love when the stuck up BMW and Porsche drivers talk like that to me and then I lap them on an open track day (I make sure to turn all the lights on when I come up behind them).

When we get back into the pits and I ask what happened, some won’t even speak to me


Funny story, I was at Mid-Ohio and an owner or a E92 M3 was in my run group (before I had my license, so this is a HPDE group) and we were making small talk before the class room session. He asked which car was mine, I told him. He proceeded to lecture me about how I had bought the wrong car and I f was going to buy a $40K sticker Mustang why didn’t I just go the other little bit and buy a base M3, since it was the "obvious choice". To which I responded I didn’t feel the extra $20k was justified and that my car will run the same or faster lap times, cost less and gets the ladies attention just as well
He coped an attitude and then class started. When we got on track I started behind him by 4 cars, I was by him in 2 laps and 7 laps later I could see him at the other end of the back straight. I put on the headlights and the fog lights to let him know I was coming to lap him (Keep in mind HPDE is NOT a competitive class) when I got up behind him he would not wave me by (required at the HPDE level I was at the time). I used the horn twice after being stuck behind him for 3 laps!!! The corner workers were giving him the passing flag at every station.

When we got into the next class room session, the instructors asked about any problems last session, so I told this story, he agreed with me and told the BMW driver the next time he would be black flagged and commented to the class that just because you paid a lot of money for your car, doesn’t mean your car or you are fast. I was on cloud 9.

 

Now that's an awesome story!

 

to anyone that may think the Mustang is not a good track platform, My Team has a few pieces of hardware to make you think otherwise, but the primary reason to think that is this:
Koni Challenge is the closest to showroom stock racing your gonna find with everything from Ford's to GM's, Subaru's, BMW's, Porche's etc.



This is the car that won the championship, notice where the BMW is

 

Hey Shaun, I noticed on your Mustang of the Month lisitng you run the Hoosier A6 instead of the R6. I assume this is due to the short track stints? How do they hold up, and do they get greasy towards the end? Have you compared them to the R6 at all?

I've seen some slightly used ones at half price:

http://www.johnbtires.com/category.php?category=1#45

 

Because I am in TT I might run 1-3 HARD laps then let the tires cool for 2 laps or so and then go back at it, that’s how I can get away with using the A6 on such a heavy car.

The R6 is a Great tire and I recommend it over a A6 for everything except Time Trial usage.

The A6's don’t last, they wear more than an R6 at a considerable rate when they get hot and stay there.