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My GT500 with it's new wheels and tires

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Hi folks:
Here are some photographs of my 2008 GT500. I'm building this thing to basically be a track car that I can still sorta-kinda drive on the road. We put a TVS supercharger in it, a boost a pump, fancy expensive injectors, a big JLT CAI- a giant heat exchanger, ST coilovers, new UCAs and LCAs and a Fays2 watts link. These are its new "street" wheel and tire combo. I did some 18x10 GT500 American Muscle knock-offs and Nitto NT01 275/40/18 at all four corners. Everything fits without rubbing and the difference between what was on the car before is pretty amazing. Previously the car had a street/strip set-up with NT05 drag tires on the back and Michelin Pilot Sport AVS on the front on the stock staggered wheel set up. I'm building this car to be the best handling GT500 I can- and these tires might be a bit much as daily drivers- but I am in San Diego and they really do feel amazing.

it's getting its interior gutted and a cage and some corbeau FX1 seats installed very soon. I put a Momo Drift steering wheel in it which I thought would be a bit small- but actually feels great. (I haven't had the patience to wire the horn up though- which is probably a good thing for me!). I've got a Barton shifter ready to be installed too.

I know that GT500s are not ideal road race cars- but we've got the thing dyno tuned to put out about 575 horsepower to the wheels, and while the thing is a pig- it is a lot of fun to drive and really handles great despite it's size. Hats off to Sam Strano for turning me on to the ST Coil-Overs. These things are awesome, came with camber plates, and are basically KWs with bit less resistance to corrosion. As I am in San Diego- that isn't a big deal at all. The car actually is far more solid and taut and comfortable than it was stock. I've always driven cars that I have been happy to compromise comfort for a visceral feel. I do need the thing to be super reliable for daily driving though in terms of not breaking down. The folks at JBA here in San Diego did all the installation and tuning- and with the heat exchanger and the cooler running TVS supercharger- this car actually runs much much cooler than it did stock.

I'm bolting on a FiveStar NASCAR late model 70' 8 inch clear spoiler to the trunk lid today. I'm hoping it will give me a bit more grip on the rear and it'll look pretty stock car/trans-am tough too. In reality it'll probably just kill the gas mileage and slow the car down on the straights but meh- that's ok if it improves the grip in corners and looks cool!

I have a set of silver 18x11 CF5 wheels coming for the car too that will serve as its serious track set up. I was able to score some Hoosier made Conti 305/685R18 G5000 slicks for those wheels. I think they'll be a great tire for my purposes. They're Hoosier's Daytona specific tire- so they have super stiff sidewalls and supposedly wear like iron. Given how much of a pig this car is- I think they're going to work out great. I'm not interested in the last 100th of a second in lap times- this car will never be competitive in any class of racing- but as a track toy that I can also drive to work everyday- I could not be happier.

I'd love you guys' advice on what I should do going forward to make the ultimate race car for the road. I'm for sure inspired by a lot of what I have seen here. My dream is to do everything with this car. I think it would be great to drive to Pike's Peak and race it for example- as well as doing some of those fastest street car races where you drive to different tracks and then compete in drag races, autocross, time trials, and road races.

I bought this car for under $20,000 and have already put that much into it- because I've bought some dumb stuff, I don't have a garage to do my own work, etc- but it is slowly becoming the vision of what I wanted in a car. I would rather be driving my mustang than any other car in the world. I test drove a new GT350 the other day- and honestly i like my car better. I even think it handles better!

Anyway thanks guys for the warm welcome and let me know what to do! If there are any cool events I could take part in here in San Diego county let me know.

Given what I have going on so far is there anything I am missing? Does the car need something that I've forgotten about?

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Welcome to TMO. What are you doing to upgrade the brakes? I’m not a fan it your tire setup and you’re going to want st least 305’s out back and NT01’s are going to me better than 05’s. Run the same tires front and rear.
 
For now all I’ve done to the brakes is better fluid, stainless lines, and hawk pads. The stock GT500 brembos aren’t the worst with stainless lines and better pads.

The NT01s are 275/40s because I wanted to run a square set up. It actually doesn’t feel like it needs more tire and I’m not sure they’d fit honestly. My slicks are 305s but they’re on 18x11 rims.

I am running the same tires front and rear and I like the way the NT01s grip. I’m not feeling I need 305s- these things look really fat and push outside the wheel wells as is! Do you run a square 305 set up? What tire and what wheel?

Like I said- my track set up is hoosier/Conti 305/685R18s on 11” wheels. I’ve got the tires and am waiting for the CF5 wheels to show.
 

Wingrider

'11 GT500, 99% Track Car. Lots of mods & I coach
Pull the fog lights and put on the BOSS 302 brake duct kit. Head to Depot or Lowes and get some 4" to 3" metal duct adapters and use those to go from the back of the fog lamps into the orange ducting hose. You may have to remove (if it's not gone by now anyway) the windshield washer fluid container. Not a complicated job but one that pays off. Said by another GT500 track guy that's been here and done that.
 
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I put the FRPP cooling kit on my 2011 GT500. It's a must with heavy track use. I just bought an extra lower grille and cut holes with a hole saw and Dremel (keeping the original if I want to go back to stock). Bezels were on eBay for a reasonable price. Not a work of art, but got it to fit and barely noticeable walking around the car. I put small piece of wire mesh to keep the rock, twigs, lizard bones, etc out of the tube.

I was looking at the 6-piston Brembo upgrade, but it really limits wheel choices (I run 18x19.5 TSW on track days). Many 18" don't fit or are VERY tight with 6-piston options.

20180711_234436741_iOS_zpskqhjnatr.png
 
Thanks guys! That’s great advice. I’m pretty invested in 18” wheels so I think the Brembos are our.
Getting some more air flow to the brakes especially up front will certainly help.
 
Pull the fog lights and put on the BOSS 302 brake duct kit. Head to Depot or Lowes and get some 4" to 3" metal duct adapters and use those to go from the back of the fog lamps into the orange ducting hose. You may have to remove (if it's not gone by now anyway) the windshield washer fluid container. Not a complicated job but one that pays off. Said by another GT500 track guy that's been here and done that.
Follow Windrider's lead on this. His GT500 is well sorted out and VERY fast. Wingrider, you're using 18" wheels, which brake kit did you install and how are they working?

Good luck.
 

Wingrider

'11 GT500, 99% Track Car. Lots of mods & I coach
I put the FRPP cooling kit on my 2011 GT500. It's a must with heavy track use. I just bought an extra lower grille and cut holes with a hole saw and Dremel (keeping the original if I want to go back to stock). Bezels were on eBay for a reasonable price. Not a work of art, but got it to fit and barely noticeable walking around the car. I put small piece of wire mesh to keep the rock, twigs, lizard bones, etc out of the tube.

I was looking at the 6-piston Brembo upgrade, but it really limits wheel choices (I run 18x19.5 TSW on track days). Many 18" don't fit or are VERY tight with 6-piston options.

20180711_234436741_iOS_zpskqhjnatr.png
Yeah, I did that too but if you are tracking the car hard, it's not a lot of air getting into those ducts. I didn't put in those bezels because they further reduce the inlet size. eventually I moved to the 13-14 lower grill and just stuffed the hoses into the left and right slots. Eventually I needed more air getting in the nose so I moved to using the fog light housings for inlets.
 

Wingrider

'11 GT500, 99% Track Car. Lots of mods & I coach
Follow Windrider's lead on this. His GT500 is well sorted out and VERY fast. Wingrider, you're using 18" wheels, which brake kit did you install and how are they working?

Good luck.
Sorry for the delay gang. Life got real but I'm back around now. I have the StopTech ST40 4 piston trophy brake kit running the racing SR34 pads. The rotors are the 355x35 slotted discs as suggested/installed by Cortex Racing. I like them a lot. Stop great right away (cold) and when they heat up- wow do they work.

I confess I made the mistake of taking the discs off to try and have them cleaned them up a little, but the shop did one and didn't want to do the other. He asked why I was doing it as they seemed fine. I felt a tiny wave / wear mark and should have just left them alone. I thought a little clean up couldn't hurt but I over thought all of this. They were working great. I have a new set of just the bare discs coming tomorrow and I'll just set the current rotors aside as spares. Live and learn.

I agonized over the 6 piston ST set up with the 380 rotors but it would have locked me out of the 18" wheel option. Filip felt the 4 piston / 35 rotors are just a tad stronger and a couple other things like being what went on the Spec Mustangs so I went with this one vs the other. Still think I made the right decision.
 

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