Originally Posted by rhumb

Perhaps a better way to look at it is that an IRS can offer a much broader handling envelope than a live axle, which is ultimately limited by their daunting unsprung weight. As mentioned, on very ideal smooth roads/tracks/strips, even a go-cart suspension can be made to turn in hero numbers, as can a live axle with stiff tuning and sticky tires (exhibit one: Boss Mustang). Drag racing is a poor measure of any suspension's capabilities as something off a John Deere would more than suffice in the 1320, where a suspension basically only has to not do anything wrong, if not anything particularly well, i.e., hold still, hold straight and hold together. A quick peak at a top fuel dragster will show what an ultimate drag race suspension looks like, basically, there isn't any.

It's in the rough and tumble of real world driving that a live axle's track prowess can quickly deteriorate, limiting whatever Nth degree you can safely and effectively drive at. Sure, you can dial your progress WAY back in a live axle car to maintain safe progress, but isn't this just the opposite of what a performance car ought to be striving for, increasing the speed at which safe, confidant and capable progress can be made? While Ford has apparently done remarkable things with the SRA, it still ultimately is fighting against its competitors with one hand tied behind its back suspension-wise. This is not even to mention ride comfort, which, with a live axle, becomes a much narrower either/or option than with an IRS, where you can have your ride comfort cake AND eat up the competition at the track too -- without jarring your main squeeze senseless driving to that new club on date night.

Fortunately for the Stang, its lighter weight and svelter size helps make up for the live axle's inherent weaknesses against its ample and portly foes, as does a superior level of overall tuning prowess Ford has been exhibiting, doing more with less than the technically more capable Chevy/Dodge designs. However, the boys (and girls?) over at Chevy and Dodge R&D don't seem to be sitting around surfing the Web but are actively sharpening their handling knives to do further battle with the Stang. The 2011 Challenger has had some significant suspension tuning upgrades and you can be sure the Bow-Tie guys will certainly have upgrades for the Camaro by 2012, as hinted at by the ZL-1.

As for the Stang, it will almost certainly clomp along with the lively axle until the next full redesign. Apparently, in a short-sighted MBA- rather than engineering-inspired effort to pinch pennies with the S-197 by swapping out the intended IRS for presumably cheaper live axle, enough re-engineering had to be done that the near born IRS design was no longer a simple drop in. The irony of all this is that apparently, at the end of the day, all this delay and re-engineering ended up actually raising the cost of the SRA some $100/car ABOVE what sticking with the original IRS would have cost, negating any price advantage and leaving the Stang with a less capable, overall, rear suspension design in the end. I don't think Ford make that same mistake twice.

Originally Posted by Twin Turbo

Nice 3D rendering. I like the darker lights

Originally Posted by xlover

pretty please no fake scoops

Originally Posted by xlover

pretty please no fake scoops

Originally Posted by 2 Go Snake

Just saw the spy photo on mustangsdaily. They had a picture of what looked like a GT500 Cobrajet. What a wicked hood scoop on that car. Trend setting hood scoop ? New 2013 GT500 hood scoop ?