This is the Build Thread for 2025 Dark Horse HP 6-speed. Reply below.

Well get a set of really sticky rubber and that will drop your times in a big hurry. I noticed you mentioned you found a 25 Darkhorse , but also listed as a 24 so let us know for sure, enquiring minds want to know, ha.

It's a 25. For some reason when I put the car into the website, it flagged an error for 25 and said 24 was the newest I could list. Not sure what the issue is there, but it is a 25.

Eventually I might get some really sticky rubber, but for the time being, I'm continuing to improve just with more seat time. I just ordered my second set of Falken Azenis RT660+ tires, I liked the first set quite a bit and they seem to have a good balance on price, performance, and longevity for where I am at the moment skill wise.

Bill Pemberton said:

Well get a set of really sticky rubber and that will drop your times in a big hurry. I noticed you mentioned you found a 25 Darkhorse , but also listed as a 24 so let us know for sure, enquiring minds want to know, ha.

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He already has Pirelli Trofeo RS, 180 tw. What are you suggesting he get to best those tires?

TheTed said:

Eventually I might get some really sticky rubber, but for the time being, I'm continuing to improve just with more seat time. I just ordered my second set of Falken Azenis RT660+ tires, I liked the first set quite a bit and they seem to have a good balance on price, performance, and longevity for where I am at the moment skill wise.

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Oh.

Nevermind.

Wouldn't these be slower than the OEM tires Ford installed with the handling package on your Dark Horse?

Also, your lap times are well above average for that track already (5th on the list here).

Junkyard Dog said:

Oh.

Nevermind.

Wouldn't these be slower than the OEM tires Ford installed with the handling package on your Dark Horse?

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The Trofeos didn't last long, and when I did the math on them it came out to something around $700/hour. In looking at other options out there, I decided to try the Falkens. My times keep on improving as I get to know the car/track better, and while I suspect the Trofeos are faster, the Falkens are lasting much longer and costing significantly less, probably 1/3 the hourly cost. For now anyway, this is a double win - I'm not really competing with anyone but myself.

Junkyard Dog said:

Also, your lap times are well above average for that track already (5th on the list here).

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Yes, I noticed that, but there's still room for improvement. I think the car is capable of upper 2:40s range as is (stock) at OIR, maybe closer to mid. Doing a 2:52 flat, I don't feel I'm doing things perfectly, plus that was a hot and humid day and I was running the windows closed and AC on. Literally started that day saying "There's no way I'm setting any personal best." I was wrong.

The Catalyst 2 said my optimal lap was about 1 second faster, but every time I set a new personal record it usually tells me that.

By well above, I meant you are faster than the average here. I suppose I should have said well below average, as in less time than average, but that sounds wrong, so . . .

TheTed said:

The Trofeos didn't last long, and when I did the math on them it came out to something around $700/hour. In looking at other options out there, I decided to try the Falkens. My times keep on improving as I get to know the car/track better, and while I suspect the Trofeos are faster, the Falkens are lasting much longer and costing significantly less, probably 1/3 the hourly cost. For now anyway, this is a double win - I'm not really competing with anyone but myself.



Yes, I noticed that, but there's still room for improvement. I think the car is capable of upper 2:40s range as is (stock) at OIR, maybe closer to mid. Doing a 2:52 flat, I don't feel I'm doing things perfectly, plus that was a hot and humid day and I was running the windows closed and AC on. Literally started that day saying "There's no way I'm setting any personal best." I was wrong.

The Catalyst 2 said my optimal lap was about 1 second faster, but every time I set a new personal record it usually tells me that.

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My organization does not allow the windows to be rolled up.

What have you done, if anything, about front and rear camber?

My bad Junkyard, forgot that they run Trofeo RSs, but I like his idea running the Falkens and when they wear out he can get some of the faster 200 TWR rubber and spend $1000 less than those Pirellis. Showing my biases, not a fan of the Brand at all with Pilot Sport Cup 2s or a Goodyear F1 3Rs being superior, imho, and less money. Toss on a set of RE71RZs and I would not be surprised, in the least, if they were not equal or faster than the Trofeos. Regardless, " The Ted " is spending his money mainly on seat time now and I commend that.

Pilot Sport Cup 2R - I have not run them, but every time I see a test of them they post one good lap and fall off.

The F1 3R seems to hold on lap after lap.

The Trofeo RS are expensive. I was hoping that that the newer Trofeo Track made right here in Georgia would have price reductions, but the price seems to be going up instead of down. They are priced similarly to some favorites like the Hoosier A7, R7, and R8, though. The Trofeo Track is faster than the old R7 but very comparable to the new R8, which is ever so slightly faster in testing on Tire Rack's BMW test vehicle.

Junkyard Dog said:

By well above, I meant you are faster than the average here. I suppose I should have said well below average, as in less time than average, but that sounds wrong, so . . .

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I understood and appreciated what you were saying. My point was just that I see where I can get that time improved by improving myself before improving the car. And right now I'm in a position of having times that are "not slow" (to quote some others at the track).

Junkyard Dog said:

My organization does not allow the windows to be rolled up.

What have you done, if anything, about front and rear camber?

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I've driven with organizations both ways. Normally I'll run the windows down regardless, but I've also experimented with the windows up depending on conditions. In this case I was wanting the AC on to 1) see how the car behaved with heat management 2) help mitigate fatigue throughout the day.

Camber I have maxed out to what's possible within the factory adjustment. It's about -2.8 in front and about -1.8 in back. I've considered making modifications to allow for more camber.

Junkyard Dog said:

Pilot Sport Cup 2R - I have not run them, but every time I see a test of them they post one good lap and fall off.

The F1 3R seems to hold on lap after lap.

The Trofeo RS are expensive. I was hoping that that the newer Trofeo Track made right here in Georgia would have price reductions, but the price seems to be going up instead of down. They are priced similarly to some favorites like the Hoosier A7, R7, and R8, though. The Trofeo Track is faster than the old R7 but very comparable to the new R8, which is ever so slightly faster in testing on Tire Rack's BMW test vehicle.

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The stock DH HP sizes the Trofeo Track are the only ones I've found for outright slicks. I've considered changing to a squared up tire size that gives me more options, but sticking to the stock staggered sizes for now. That's also part of why I have the Falkens. I probably would've gone with RE-71 or something else, but the Falkens look to be the best compromise in what's available at this point for me. There are some others I'm eyeing, and of course the options are always changing.

At some point, I would like to buy a set of slicks and see what it can do once I've gotten myself more improved.

Some discussion on windows up, from another thread here:

And another discussing using a/c on track:

Junkyard Dog said:

Some discussion on windows up, from another thread here:

Coming to a track day near you - windows up and no helmet

So, I was at a car club track day about two weeks ago run by a driver training academy that has, in the fifteen years since I first met them, grown from a handful of super-qualified drivers teaching racers how to race into a North America-wide training organization that runs factory track events...

trackmustangsonline.com

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That's an interesting read (or re-read, I think I've seen it before). Ultimately, it's normally been dictated to me what is required by the organization/track running the event. I run a 4-point harness with a HANS (although I'm thinking I may replace the one I have) with a helmet.

Junkyard Dog said:

And another discussing using a/c on track:

First HPDE today and the car started running hot??? Ac was on

Hi Guys:I have a 2020 Musta g GT. Not a PP car. Anyway, went to an HPDE evebt today at Sebring and had a blast. For some reason, the track guy told me told me to leave my ac on. It was on at like 62. The car has a CAI, Roush Tune to go with it and and X Pipe and is otherwise stock. The...

trackmustangsonline.com

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So another reason why I've run the windows up and AC on is wanting to see what the system will do (I'm an engineer, so always watching the system). At my last track day, temps got up to the mid 90s and probably around 50% humidity there. Max CHT I saw was 242F, oil temp around 280F. The AC stayed on most of the time. It definitely did not shut off at WOT or strictly based on high RPMs. My thought is that it may have shut it off when CHT/oil temp got above a certain number, and then it turned it back on when the temp came back down.

It felt like there were some times when the engine was pulling some horsepower and I suspect that roughly coincided with when it also was shutting off the AC due to temps, but it never entered limp mode or gave me any warnings. Overall, I'm pretty happy with the Dark Horse's cooling package given that performance.

With that said, I'm considering some hood venting to improve airflow and cooling. That's probably another thread (or one that already exists on here).