MRGTX

Lots of nice things said about the GT Trackpack, some better acceleration numbers posted (4.4 0-60, 12.8 1/4 mile) ...but 1LE wins the day.

newpony

I can see Ford didn't learn anything from the S197 suspension tuning. Stiffs springs with soft shocks.

SINBUSTER007

look who spends the $$$ for advertising in the magazine and you will understand why the camero won....
just sayin...
always has been, always will be

laserred38

I disagree. I think Ford engineers are a bunch of p*ssies. I'm so sick of seeing the Camaro come with wider tires, better brakes, and a more performance oriented setup. Ford seems to think the only people who will buy a hardcore "trackable car" are the people who want it to say Boss 302 on it. And even then, they're too p*ssy to put some wide tires on the Boss.

newpony

So when this same magazine was praising the S197 Mustang and choosing it over the Camaro a year ago…it was because Ford pay more for advertising?

newpony

Couldn't say it better myself.

laserred38

Why this car is being compared to a 1LE is beyond me. I don't get it. The "Performance Package" is what the GT should be...stock. The Track Package, is what the 2013-2014 GT should've been stock.

newpony

I think the comparison is fair. The 1LE is a performance package just like GT's Performance Package albeit not a good one apparently.

laserred38

The 1LE is a much more hardcore package. The regular SS offers equipment levels that are more comparable to the GT PP. Even so, a base GT with PP and Recaros would've been more comparable, even IF the results would have been the same. They literally compared a fully loaded GT to a stripped down 1LE. I guess that's what the aftermarket is for, but I would MUCH rather buy a GT set up from the factory like the 1LE. Without boy racer "let me relive the 60s" Boss 302 graphics plastered all over the side of the car.

Automagically

No one mentions the tires either? I think the numbers show how good both cars are but not once have I seen a Mustang on out of the box Pirellis do much. Yes there are super cars that use Pirelli but on a line built Mustang I think what they get is pure junk. I'd pit Michelin Pilot A/S 3s against the Mustang Summer Pirellis. Either way it still isn't quite apples to apples in this test. The 1LE is the track focused package. Fords PP is just a nice street package. The Boss and SVT cars are the only models that really seem to "get" suspension.

Edit: I guess I'm wrong about the Pirellis but they still aren't a favorite. I'm just interested in how it was as bad as it was in the test. Though it doesn't seem like it lost anything when compared to the old GT but gained refinement.

MRGTX

Have you looked at the list of equipment that comes with the track pack on the new Mustangs? It's pretty impressive. It's a comprehensive package...possibly just lacking in the choices made for the shocks/springs/tires...which also happen to be the most critical components for on track performance.

The Camaro does indeed come with vastly better tires and wheels...but it's Ford's choice to compromise, I suppose.

Then again, it's not like the Mustang comes with crappy tires. How much would it gain with the Camaro's hides? hard to say.

laserred38

They have the same bolt pattern. MT should throw the Camaro wheels and tires on the Mustang and see what happens, just for sh*ts and giggles. Yes I'm aware of what comes on the PP for 2015. From the "floaty ride, wallows through corners" comments the reviewer made, it's clear Ford is up to the same old story on the GT. Even with my Steeda Boss 302 springs and Koni Yellows, my car still has a bit of float in a really tight, bumpy canyon back road (as I found out last night). Yes, I could've adjusted the shocks to be stiffer, since I run them almost full soft for daily driver duty, but I figured they still would've been able to keep up being a more track oriented damper. But no, with them on full soft, every last pound of my car's 3600 was felt.

MRGTX

Cool...I didn't know they had the same bolt pattern...how long has it been that way? It would be interesting but a mod:mod comparison isn't what they were after.

laserred38

Now that I think about it again, I believe the Camaro is 5x120, which is what Dodge, Mercedes and most other European cars have (Tesla too). Still, I think a big part of the way the GT feels (for better or worse) is attributed to the sh*t tires.

Boomer

PP vs TP ?
Wonder if we'll see something labelled a TRACK pack in the future.

Would be VERY interesting to see what different and bigger tires might do.
Add to that list the adjustables like on the 302LS and see if that closes the gap or surpasses it.

It was a matter of 'best performance available' check boxes even if the actual cars don't match up. And in their test, you see the results.

laserred38

That's exactly what I'm saying. And funny that you mention Track Pack, now that it got replaced by the "Performance Pack" which Ford used on the S197 V6s. Maybe you're right, and there will be a more focused Track Pack, compared to the Track Pack that's on my car, which was a joke. I literally ordered the Track Pack solely to have my axle painted from the factory. I'm not happy with the 3.7s in a daily driver, the Torsen whines like crazy and my oil changes are very expensive with 5W-50 lol. I'm almost wishing I just got the Brembo Package and painted my axle myself ugh!

5.M0NSTER

I came pretty close to buying a 1LE last year instead of my Mustang. I did some work on the 1LEs and I'm well aware it is better suited for track days than the Mustang. But there were 2 things that swayed me:
1) 1LE was ~$4000 more than my 2014 GT TP
2) The cost of upkeep on a 4000lb track car (brakes, tires etc.) was going to be too high in a long run

Plus you still can't see a thing from a Camaro anyway

laserred38

I don't want a 1LE, nor do I want a Camaro. I want a Mustang equipped EXACTLY like a 1LE, plus my Glass Roof. Is that too much to ask for? I wouldn't mind a pushrod V8 either, with more low end torque than the Coyote.

rhumb

Interesting and I think their comments on the Stang reflects others I've read -- a bit soft and floaty. As some had mentioned above, I think the response for the 2016 GT should be:

A. 2015 Performance Pack becomes the standard 2016 GT setup.
B. 2016 Performance Pack is developed by the team that tuned the Fiesta and Focus STs as they've pretty much nailed those suspension tune jobs. A bit more tire and shock would be obvious first choices, perhaps a touch more and better balanced roll bars too.

I too think Ford tends to be a bit too timid with the GT suspension tuning and that tendency seems to have carried over to the 2015, even with its far superior suspension/chassis. You could just see the Mustang moving far more up and down than the Camaro with those side-by-side front wheel shots. Sure, make the base EB4 or V6 mellowed out for the secretaries and hair dressers, but make even the base GT a more serious performance ride.

The good news is that the 2015 GT has an excellent platform and suspension to work with. Even though a bit porkier than it should have been, at least you get a rock solid chassis out of the deal. Mainly they just need to get the car buttoned down a bit tighter and perhaps a bit more balanced for and aft to really make the 2016 GT shine.

Hopefully, with results like this and the redone 2016 Camaro on the horizon, Ford won't be nearly so complacent as, say, 10 years ago and will tweak the 2016 appropriately.

Critical Mass

The upscale interior in the Mustang will win out over the Camaro, at least overseas anyway.

They have ragged on American Car's and their cheap interiors forever.

Both are good cars, and it still comes down to a driver's race. With a small amount of money things can change pretty quickly. Shame I don't like the 2015 mustang design or the back end of the Camaro. Both look like crap to me. The 2010 Camaro and the 2014 Mustang gets my seal of approval for appearances.