DarrylS76 said:

Man that world challenge suspension sounds hooked up ! Stock shocks tho huh ? Kinda surprising. Not sure i know what trailing arms are exactly? Im looking for the best handling not too too harsh on the street . Then maybe 5 or 6 track days a year being im lucky to live 10 minutes from Summit point raceway. Half the reason why i got the car

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@DarrylS76 the one thing the world challenge s197 didn’t have was stock shocks. Just the opposite, very high end Penske I believe. I think @blacksheep-1 is saying the rest of the car wasn’t too exotic, but the dampers were.

Anyhow, your easy button setup is eibach or FP or similar springs, 1-1.5” lowering plus Koni or Bilstein dampers, camber plates, 35 mm adjustable front bar, small or no rear bar, and 11” square wheels with good tires. Go hassle Porsches for cheap. Have fun.

EDIT, rear trailing arms are the horizontal longitudinal arms on the left and right side of the rear axle that secure the axle to the body of the car. They can be upgraded but kind of down the list in terms of ROI.

O ok I read it wrong i see it now Penske shocks . I imagine that s as top notch as it comes . So you think i could hassle 911s and Vettes with my 2014 with a really hooked up suspension? What about making it lighter too ? I see alot of nice builds on here but no one has mentioned anything about making it lighter

DarrylS76 said:

O ok I read it wrong i see it now Penske shocks . I imagine that s as top notch as it comes . So you think i could hassle 911s and Vettes with my 2014 with a really hooked up suspension? What about making it lighter too ? I see alot of nice builds on here but no one has mentioned anything about making it lighter

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This is @Mad Hatter. Here's his build.

DarrylS76 said:

O ok I read it wrong i see it now Penske shocks . I imagine that s as top notch as it comes . So you think i could hassle 911s and Vettes with my 2014 with a really hooked up suspension? What about making it lighter too ? I see alot of nice builds on here but no one has mentioned anything about making it lighter

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Short answer, with an equivalent driver, No, I don't see us giving Vettes or Porsches many sleepless nights.

There is a weight thread. Add lightness.

TeeLew said:

Short answer, with an equivalent driver, No, I don't see us giving Vettes or Porsches many sleepless nights.

There is a weight thread. Add lightness.

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Except the GTD right only 300k huh would be nice

DarrylS76 said:

Except the GTD right only 300k huh would be nice

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At that point, we're talking about the driver wayyyyyy more than the car.

The GTD is 5-700# too heavy. This is where the next big chunk of speed will come with that car. There's a whole bunch of really cool stuff on that car that's ballast.

BackInBlack said:

This is @Mad Hatter. Here's his build.

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This is a sweet video thanks for sending it over

TeeLew said:

At that point, we're talking about the driver wayyyyyy more than the car.

The GTD is 5-700# too heavy. This is where the next big chunk of speed will come with that car. There's a whole bunch of really cool stuff on that car that's ballast.

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Kinda off topic but I was curious I found a great deal on some 20 inch velgen wheels I hear that 18 or 19 is preferred for the track and best handling but for 500 bucks I would love them. What's your take on riding on 20s in a s197?

My decision on wheel size is always based on tire availability. Can you get the tires you want in 20" diameter? For many years, 18" had the widest choice of performance tires & used race slicks, but 19" has gained popularity.

Agree with Dave, and I have used 18s or 19s on all my Mustangs and even downsized to 19s on my current car. The best way for many is to go to an autocross or track event and study what the super fast drivers are on. Do your due diligence reading tire tests but also see what is kicking butt by observing. I am always amazed how folks will buy a tire based on super cheap price and then spend tons of their bucks on suspension pieces that may or may not be needed. The next time at the track they get wasted by a driver in a stock car with the gold standard for rubber and they find themselves confused.

DarrylS76 said:

O ok I read it wrong i see it now Penske shocks . I imagine that s as top notch as it comes . So you think i could hassle 911s and Vettes with my 2014 with a really hooked up suspension? What about making it lighter too ? I see alot of nice builds on here but no one has mentioned anything about making it lighter

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Yes, the Penskes were the key, not just that but the hours spent on the shock dyno getting them to work, plus the drivers, I've watched AJ make as little as 15 pound spring changes to get the car working.

DarrylS76 said:

Kinda off topic but I was curious I found a great deal on some 20 inch velgen wheels I hear that 18 or 19 is preferred for the track and best handling but for 500 bucks I would love them. What's your take on riding on 20s in a s197?

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I agree with Dave. Almost every GT slick on the planet is for an 18" wheel, so 18's are a no-brainer in my book. My car came with 19's, but for track duty, I'm a fan of an 18" wheel.

I like to have some sidewall to work with as a driver. Very low profile 'rubber band' tires aren't particularly great to drive because they have less forgiving break-away characteristics.

I just ordered the ground control set up with yellow koni's last week, front springs at 380 lbs and rears at 200 lbs. That was recommended by ground control for a streetable set up on my 2011. I am taking off the the ford racing set up. The car was too low and was dragging the front and rear on speed bumps. The new package is worth it just for the adjustability of ride height. I will let everyone know how they turn out once I get them installed.

Nice man.Maybe I should look into the ground control? I have.\nAn ordered thing yet but I need to like very soon.Because I have a track event coming up that I would love to do i'm basically trying to decide now on Cony's or bill Stein's, and then I guess my Springs, but I'd be really curious to know how you like this set up.I was gonna do ford racing also

stevbd said:

@DarrylS76 the one thing the world challenge s197 didn’t have was stock shocks. Just the opposite, very high end Penske I believe. I think @blacksheep-1 is saying the rest of the car wasn’t too exotic, but the dampers were.

Anyhow, your easy button setup is eibach or FP or similar springs, 1-1.5” lowering plus Koni or Bilstein dampers, camber plates, 35 mm adjustable front bar, small or no rear bar, and 11” square wheels with good tires. Go hassle Porsches for cheap. Have fun.

EDIT, rear trailing arms are the horizontal longitudinal arms on the left and right side of the rear axle that secure the axle to the body of the car. They can be upgraded but kind of down the list in terms of ROI.

Click to expand...

What camber plates would you recommend? Also if it were your car knowing I want somewhat comfortable ride but great on the track what spring ? I saw some used steeds springs cheap

I ran Steeda Sport springs on my 2011 with Koni Oranges for a few years with Steeda camber plates. They were better all around than the stock springs/dampers. The car was composed on the track without being harsh on the street. I wanted to try something different when the Koni Oranges needed replacing and went to Steeda Comp Springs with Koni Yellows and Vorshlag Camber plates. I like linear rate springs and the Comps are just a little stiffer than the Sports. Either are a good set up for a dual use car.

DarrylS76 said:

What camber plates would you recommend? Also if it were your car knowing I want somewhat comfortable ride but great on the track what spring ? I saw some used steeds springs cheap

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This is a good starting point for comparing spring and sway bar rates. https://trackmustangsonline.com/threads/s197-spring-and-sway-bar-rates.13152/

I haven’t used enough different setups to really be able to give a good comparison type of answer. Personally I used FRPP springs combined with Bilstein sports and vorshlag CC plates for a lot of years on what was very much a dual duty car, and I liked it a lot. The most dramatic improvements imo were from the far better dampers compared to stock, plus of course the cc plates. Camber plates are a game changer on track.

@TeeLew maybe old Porsches? I agree that all things being equal of course a Porsche or vette is lighter and faster. But all things are rarely equal….. and in my defense, I only said “hassle,” not dominate! @Mad Hatter is my hero when it comes to hassling pcars.

S550AZ said:

I just ordered the ground control set up with yellow koni's last week, front springs at 380 lbs and rears at 200 lbs. That was recommended by ground control for a streetable set up on my 2011. I am taking off the the ford racing set up. The car was too low and was dragging the front and rear on speed bumps. The new package is worth it just for the adjustability of ride height. I will let everyone know how they turn out once I get them installed.

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Wanna sell the old FR setup?

stevbd said:

@TeeLew maybe old Porsches? I agree that all things being equal of course a Porsche or vette is lighter and faster. But all things are rarely equal….. and in my defense, I only said “hassle,” not dominate! @Mad Hatter is my hero when it comes to hassling pcars.

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Well, I said, "equivalent drivers." I know a lot Corvette and Porsche guys who have faster cars than me. That doesn't mean they get around the track quicker.

B

TeeLew said:

Well, I said, "equivalent drivers." I know a lot Corvette and Porsche guys who have faster cars than me. That doesn't mean they get around the track quicker.

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For sure. It was a trip when my friend and his dad used to track their e30 m3 s at summit point. They were instructors for the BMW car club of America and could drive like no other.ccc

stevbd said:

This is a good starting point for comparing spring and sway bar rates. https://trackmustangsonline.com/threads/s197-spring-and-sway-bar-rates.13152/

I haven’t used enough different setups to really be able to give a good comparison type of answer. Personally I used FRPP springs combined with Bilstein sports and vorshlag CC plates for a lot of years on what was very much a dual duty car, and I liked it a lot. The most dramatic improvements imo were from the far better dampers compared to stock, plus of course the cc plates. Camber plates are a game changer on track.

@TeeLew maybe old Porsches? I agree that all things being equal of course a Porsche or vette is lighter and faster. But all things are rarely equal….. and in my defense, I only said “hassle,” not dominate! @Mad Hatter is my hero when it comes to hassling pcars.

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Well, now that I missed out on the 20% sale on Cony's.Maybe I'll go with the bill stein's and the ford racing spring. I need a nice set of eighteen inch , tire and wheel too. Maybe some costs friendly 18x11 if you recommend any ?