8.8 diff certainly, but I dont think we will see any sort of plug in IRS/SRA - I would really... really... reallly... be surprised to see it. Especially with the Mustang on a diet and if Ford is trying to keep it an everyman's M3

That reminds me, gotta lube the rear suspension its been squeaking a bit over bumps lately

 

I think many that drag race have an issue with the IRS reliability more than its capability in handling.
Upgraded Half shafts for an IRS are far more expensive than upgrading axles in the 8.8 when it comes to racing.

Hopefully Ford has engineer not just a well throughout IRS that can handle just as good or better than what’s out there but also one that can handle power greatly above stock levels.

 

This basically is true of any type suspension, be it a grandpa axle or IRS: that it be properly engineered for both immediate duty and in the case of performance cars, with a generous margin for inevitable performance upgrades. The live axles in the Mustang's long history haven't always been up to the task either, hence various upgrades over time.

Ford is undoubtedly aware of concern about drag strip durability and surmise they will make darn sure that the IRS is more than stout enough for probably double the stock hp.

 

The IRS will have to be designed at minimum to handle the power of the GT500 and that is 631 ftlbs now.. what it will be in the next model who knows.... plus this isn't the ford of the late 90s early 00s where "good enough" was fine. From everything that has been put out there the engineering team takes great pride in the capabilities of this car. I imagine they will do everything they can to make sure that they (and ford) are not embarrassed in the enthusiast community by IRS components breaking during drag racing on modded cars. It would make sense for ford to make sure that the stock components on the GT can handle whatever power the Ford racing/roush/etc off the shelf supercharger packages can put out.

 

I'm sure there will be aftermarket upgrades available as soon as the car hits the market, too.

 

Exactly. Isn't that what a lot of people do anyway? Race it till she breaks then upgrade?

 

The ford rear end is one thing we could always depend on though.

 

At this point I just don't see how Ford could overlook this detail. Look at the new Camaro ZL1. I think Ford has a hard edge line in competition and I think with their quality continuing to rise, I sure believe they won't fail us. At least to a certain extent. They already know their audience. Mustangs are regularly taken to the strip, supercharged and more. If they do the homework now, it will pay off in dividends.

The Mustang is still appealing to a more road racing crowd these days so it is inevitable that the new cars will be more geared towards them. Ford will also worry most about their bottom line, not as much what you do aftermarket. So with all the upgrades offered from Ford it should be in relative comfort through a wide power band but probably not like 1400 Hp.

The scene is much larger now then it was when they were fooling around with the Cobra. The Average GT is ousting the Cobra like a child's toy. Times are different.

 

Maybe keep the GT with a live axle and the Boss goes IR .who knows?

 

Nahhh, IRS will be standard on all models.

 

 

I won't accept it. It ain't happening!

 

Love a bolt in IRS rear end for my Boss.

 

I can see the Boss going IRS. The GT has gotta stay solid axle though. I won't accept anything else lol.

Look at all the f150 truck motor options. 2 different rear ends in the mustang makes more sense than that.

 

I agree IRS will be standard on all models

 

Boo freakin' hoo!

 

I'm as much SRA as the next guy but it's time to move on.

Ford will do it right. They've learned from the Terminators.

I have faith.

 

No more live axle. IRS for all!

 

I totally agree with this post.

Food for thought: From BA (2002) onwards Falcon has used Control Blade IRS, and that (CB) was originally designed for FWD cars. It was used in the BA Falcon to save weight (45lbs over the previous IRS system used in the AU Falcon).

The CB's only problem is it wears out the diff bushes, very quickly in the high performance Falcons. Replacing these bushes with aftermarket harder materials prolongs life but is a detriment to NVH. The half shafts are pretty stout and don't have many problems hurling a 4000lbs Falcon down the quarter in less that 11 seconds. The point is this CB has NOT been improved or tweaked by Ford/FPV for 10 years, so surely by today's standards Ford US would know how to design something that will handle the GT500's power.

Let's go back a step.

The older AU Falcon ('98-'02) had a superior IRS to BA's but as noted they changed to CB to save weight. There's a 1000hp AU with a Kenne Bell with a standard IRS that's endured a very hard time. Only thing this car broke were Viper Spec T56's. That's a standard Falcon IRS folks from 1998. Dynamically, it was as good if not better than the Control Blade.

Same guy has a 1000hp FG Falcon (latest shape). Again, input shafts on the ZF box keep braking, but the CB IRS with aftermarket bushes have ZERO problems. Both his cars are 10 second cars - sure that's slow by Mustang standards but consider the mass of the Falcon.

To conclude all I can say is don't worry about IRS' toughness if Ford get it right.

 

Im the same way. 10 years ago I didnt want any part of IRS. As I have gotten older I could appreciate a better handling riding car. The only time I regreted a stick axle was over a rough bump in a turn. The whole back end just wants to jump out sometimes. We gotta move forward. I just hope they get it right the first time.