dmichaels

I have a good friend who is torn between making a good financial decision and going with a V6 manual 2014 Mustang for a great price or spending quite a bit more and going for a base GT. I think he would be happy in the V6 one, but he drives hard and will be getting out to road courses with me. The V8 has been pretty proven at the track with all the Boss Mustangs and a lot of GT 5.0's running with no real engine issues (stock tuned at least). I have not really seen anyone running the V6's at the track though and my buddy and I were both wondering how the V6's handle road course environments. Probably a tough question as most people who aim to track a Mustang are probably going with the V8's, but I figured it was worth asking

Joeywhat

I'm curious as well, I'll be taking mine out to some road courses starting late this year or early next year.

JoeMidnight

i plan on going to cayuga at some point likely next summer. just need to find a few more locals to join in on the fun. the more we can get together, the cheaper it is. The last time i went, i paid around $70 and had the track for 4 hours...

the5

As long as he gets a Manual he will be fine.

The V6 Cars are very stout. They are lighter so technically better for a road course, Just make sure your buddy gets the V6 Performance pack or at least the 3.31 Gears and he will be set.

Fawls

They do very well especially on the shorter tracks...


http://v6mustangperformance.com/foru...ewtopic&t=1070

dmichaels

We're more interested in how the engine/tranny would hold up longer term with high g-loads (assume we'll both run slicks at some point, so sustained >1.2g's in various corners). Any engine cooling and oil cooling issues? Obviously larger radiator and external oil cooler would solve problems if they exist, but the preference is to avoid that...

Read through that other writeup, sounds like the guy was a supercharged V6? No apparent cooling issues he wrote about that I saw, although I doubt he was monitoring oil temps or cylinder head temps, but the engine would have put itself in limp mode I would think if any limits were reached

Appreciate the initial input - that Road America review gave some insight, but it was definitely written by a very excited guy who had limited track experience. Nothing wrong with that, just not a lot of technical information that I am personally interested in. I'm sure I've made quite a few posts in past years that were similar - first couple track outings get the blood pumping

Regarding the comments on the performance pack and gears - what gearing does the V6 base (with manual tranny) come with? And I assume the transmission gear ratios are different if 3.31's are the performance pack vs 3.73's that are with the GT TP. Is there a speed in gear chart for the V6 like we have for the GT? That would be really helpful

Thx

killaz05

Well I Autocross mine every month from short tracks to longer tracks. I have no problem with my v6 keeping up or holding up. As long as you are proactive in helping keep the engine happy then it should last a long while. I change my oil every 5000 miles with Royal Purple and I got an oil separator to help. Next on my list of goodies is an oil cooler from the F150 v6 engine. The brakes are more than fine for stock but you will want to upgrade them to something better that the aftermarket has to offer. Tires are where the difference between the GT and v6 really stands out at least on the track. The little 17s on the v6 have little grip compared to most aftermarket offerings.


As far as gears, the base comes with 2.73 in the rear and I plan on upgrading to 3.73 gears which would also help greatly during track use.


Below is one of my first runs in autocross. It's a lot of fun but you get better each time you go. The car even sounds good for stock exhaust haha.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v...54127654088243

tukatz

You can create your own speed in gear chart with Excel. You'll need to know your gear ratios, your differential ratio, and your tire circumference. You can get this last item from tirerack.com. Look up the specs for your tire and you should see rotations per mile. Divide that number into 5,280 and you'll have the circumference in feet. To find the speed per 1,000 RPM in a given gear the formula is

1,000 divided by the gear ratio, divided by the differential ratio, multiplied by the tire circumference, multiplied by 60, divided by 5,280.

Here is an example for MPH per 1,000 RPM in first gear for my 2014 V6 automatic.

1,000 / 4.170 = 239.81 / 2.73 = 87.84 * 7.1159 = 625.06 * 60 = 37,503.6 / 5,280 = 7.1

Automatic 5.0

Not sure about long term but a couple of friends run a course in Lousiana and they said the new V6 Mustangs hold there own very well out there. One guest showed up with his car and blew the engine or something so he went and rented a Mustang V6 since he had already paid for the track time and the tires were nearly bald by the time he got through with it.

dmichaels

Agreed, could do that, figured there might be a chart already put together like the GT 3.31 vs 3.55 vs 3.73's. Maybe I'll get bored this weekend and make something similar for the V6 setup

dmichaels

Thanks for the info on your experiences, that's pretty helpful...

Completely agree on tire setup - I have a dedicated setup for the track, and my friend would be doing the same if he goes with the V6.

Have you done any oil analysis by chance when you change oil? I have some test data from my car and there is a bunch of data from other GT's and Boss's over on SVT forums, but I don't recall seeing much from V6's... you run 5w20? Or do you go with something thicker for tracking, like the 5w50 the Track Pack GT's and Boss cars use?

What pads have you used for stock brakes (assuming no brembos)? I told my friend he'd likely be fine with the OEM calipers and track pads, brake cooling, and high temp fluid. At least for the first several times out on road courses.

Thanks again - helpful info so far

5.M0NSTER

If your friend is set on getting into track days I'd recommend that he get the GT Track Pack like your car or mine. Like you said, the 5.0s are well proven, and should minimize his chances of damaging engine or tranny components.

I do respect the V6 and it's capabilities. It's a quick and nimble car, but GT Track Pack pack was made with track days in mind. This is why Ford opted to add the oil cooler and larger Boss radiator on the track pack cars. I suppose they saw the need to help with track duty load.

If he really gets into motorsports he'll most likely have to upgrade cooling, brakes etc. I have a feeling the investment into those mods will bring the price close to a cost of the GT. Plus the aftermarket support for GTs is larger. Good brakes alone can be $1-2K or more. And the Brembo's which come on our car are fantastic.

Just my 2 cents.

dmichaels

Completely agree with your input but it comes down to affordability. If he got a GT his budget would be maxed out. V6 pricing allows a payment he can afford and a couple upgrades like wheels/tires for the track, brake pads and cooling. He has a smaller budget than I do unfortunately.

But I agree the GT TP is what is ideal. I think he just needs that big raise to go that route!

killaz05

I still run the 5w20 in the oil but with regards to oil analysis, I have not done any. I have viewed the data people collected for the v8 and just applied the results to the v6 with Royal Purple being the oil brand of choice. I have thought about running thicker oil but I haven't given it a try yet.


I actually haven't had to change my pads yet but I can tell they are needing to be replaced soon. My friend who also runs his v6 got some slotted and drilled rotors from American muscle with the ceramic pads. He has put them to real good use. My plan is to get the boss cooling ducts for the front of my car because they look cool, are functional and since I don't have fog lights why not.

RubyRedMCA_Beast

The 3.7 is a stout motor. It's the same block as what's used in the 3.5 Ecoboost, and that stands up to loads of abuse.

I wouldn't be worried at all about tracking it as long as it's maintained properly.

Joeywhat

I agree, unless you're REALLY running the car hard I don't see there being any issues. Of course tires and brakes will likely need some upgrades to be more effective (and not wear out after a couple laps), but I think it's a very capable car from the factory.

When I start running on the track I'm going to bring my tuner along and do some datalogging while I'm running, just to make sure temps are in check.

kylerohde

Not to mention suspension upgrades to help rid the car of its epic brake dive. I hate that about our cars.

dmichaels

Yeah he'd probably use my take-off brembo suspension for a year or so right off the bat. Better than base at least!

Good additional info - gives me ammunition to push my buddy to finally get a fun car...

Ajcruz1

FWIW, I tracked my six once and it held up nicely. Mines has lots of mods and a tune and never was there any cooling, braking, or engine problems and I ran it pretty hard. Tires/wheels and a few suspensions mods unless he gets the performance pack which has a lot of the GT suspension on it and he should be good to go. I also put on Hawk pads to help improve braking.

the5

As far as brakes go I would-
1. Upgrade the Fluid to Motul 5.1
2. Upgrade the front Rotors and brackets to GT spec, the Calipers are the same and the Rear is the same stock
3. Get GT Non Brembo Performance Brake Pads Such as the Hawk
4. Stainless lines

After that I would defiantly do some springs to lower the COG