This is the Build Thread for 14' Mustang GT Track Pack. Reply below.
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I was thinking about the 295 options but my biggest concern is that they cost more than the 305/315s that you could put on the 11" wide wheels. I feel like I should try to get the 11 inch wheels to work at that point.Les,
If you are convinced to stay with 19x10s why not just use your regular rims for routine driving and slap on a set of Yokohama A052s in 295/30/19s or maybe go with a 295/35/19 Falken R660s. They both have a different benefit, each is within the rim range and you simply have to have more rubber down in CAM C. Sure you will still be undertired compared to many, but this way you won't have to run on bicycle tires. Just a thought and I never once said you really should get 19x11s , ha.
Now you could look at 18x10s too, so you would have a few more choices.
Thanks. I definitely need some more camber. I am struggling to figure out what I want to do with the suspension. I really want it to be street compliant so I was thinking about throwing some camber plates on it along with some Koni Yellows but if I'm going to be running smaller diameter tires, I may want to lower it some more. I figured maybe coilovers may be a good option since I'd have the ability to adjust the ride height but not sure how the ride quality would be on the street compared to the stock style stuff.Great looking car and welcome. Consider putting camber plates towards the top of your mod list. They are a legit money saver, as your expensive new tires will last a lot longer. Look at your picture 1 of 5, you are just chewing up the outside shoulder of your front tires. And your car will turn, So. Much. Better. win-win
I see what you mean by the gate-to-gate driving. I think I tend to struggle with that a lot since I try to maximize my acceleration whenever I can but it does compromise my line. I guess I need to focus on maintaining my speed a little better rather than maximizing acceleration.Pretty good run. You're looking ahead well. Overall, I think you might be doing a bit too much of what I call "gate-to-gate" driving. You're not getting the optimal arc on corner entry & exit in some places because you're headed straight to the cones from the last set of cones. Don't treat the gate as the target, treat it as a place you pass through as you travel your ideal line on the course.
When you walk the course, don't just think about how close to a particular cone you want to put your car, think about what direction you want your car pointed as it passes that cone. That may mean taking a wider entry in some corners, which may also mean taking a different line exiting the previous element, and you want to figure all that out during the course walk.
Case in point - the right-hander after the first slalom, about 0:17 in the video. You put the passenger door pretty close to the last cone in the slalom, then drive straight to that 90-right, having to brake hard & coast through a tight turn, and you wait until about 0:20 to get back on the throttle. I would have rotated the car another 10-15 deg. to the left on the second-to-last cone of that slalom (0:15) "back-siding" it, ignored the last slalom cone and gotten the car about 6-8 feet further left on entry to the 90-right (maybe the passenger seat is lined up with the outside line of cones when I'm 40 feet from the corner), I could start turning the car right much earlier, and have it mostly rotated and be on the throttle by the time I'm passing that apex cone. What had been a tight turn for you becomes a moderately fast sweeper for me. Carry that idea through that whole set of "stair steps" that are the next 3 corners. I might be driving a little more distance, but I'm carrying much more speed, so the overall time is less.
Smooth is fast.
I am torn on what to do with the wheel and tire set up. I'm just not quite sure what I want to do. I know widest will give the best times but I do like the practicality of the 275/35/19 combo that you get with 19x10s since its easy mode and I just have to switch wheels. No extended studs, no spacers, and tires are a few hundred bucks cheaper per set which is important to me at the moment. Another thing I've been considering is whether or not the tire will be pinched if I try to go wide as possible and if that'll affect the way the car handles negatively. The 275 RT660 I'm looking at looks to be closer to a 285 on most other tires which would be pretty close to the perfect size on a 10 inch wide wheel. The 295 RT660 would be closer to a 305 on most other tires and would be pinched on a 19x10.Dave_W has given you some good info and one little last tip, when you get those new tires and wheels ( especially the tires ), make sure you get something bigger than 275s ---- 295s at least. If you are running the CAM Series Class , bite the bullet , get the ARP studs ( backorder everywhere now ) and put more meat on the ground with wider wheels.
You may have needed to breath the throttle a tiny bit before initiating the left for that cone, or you could try to be "earlier" in the whole slalom so you were already pointed in that direction. Even if you had to breath the throttle, you'd lose maybe 2 tenths but could make up 7-8 tenths in that right-hander by carrying more speed.To get the car closer to that second-to-last slalom cone and better set up for the 90 degree turn, would I have needed to give up some speed/acceleration?
Totally agree. I had several other wheels in mind but I kept coming back to the apex ones. They’re hard to beat for the price and I am very happy with them even though I swore I wouldn’t do black hahaLooks like fun! The EC-7’s are a nice wheel.
it’s amazing how much more grip you get with a better tire and wheel.
I was doing track events for about 5 years before I stepped up to a wider wheel and tire.
We all do what we can to have fun with our pony’s
Fellow S197 autocrosser here. I'm running the Apex SM-10s square setup of 19x10 with Pilot Sport 4S square 285/35. I love my setup, you can't go wrong with Apex. Nice choice on the EC-7s. You're looking good on the circuit. Like others have said, I would go ARP extended studs as soon as possible. If nothing else, just for the strength of the studs and the peace of mind. I haven't heard of many stock studs snapping on the S197 chassis, but have seen it on other cars and it's cheap insurance. Plus you're able to run spacers or a wider wheel in the future.Totally agree. I had several other wheels in mind but I kept coming back to the apex ones. They’re hard to beat for the price and I am very happy with them even though I swore I wouldn’t do black haha
Appreciate it! I'm glad to hear that about the open end lugs being fine on the street. I am definitely going to have to look at getting the ARP studs in the near future. I actually had one of my stock rear studs snap off when I was trying to put on my new wheels (my dealership cross-threaded a lug nut on last visit). I probably should've went ARP then and there but I'm cheap so I sourced another stock one instead hahaFellow S197 autocrosser here. I'm running the Apex SM-10s square setup of 19x10 with Pilot Sport 4S square 285/35. I love my setup, you can't go wrong with Apex. Nice choice on the EC-7s. You're looking good on the circuit. Like others have said, I would go ARP extended studs as soon as possible. If nothing else, just for the strength of the studs and the peace of mind. I haven't heard of many stock studs snapping on the S197 chassis, but have seen it on other cars and it's cheap insurance. Plus you're able to run spacers or a wider wheel in the future.
With a daily driver, extended studs are nothing to worry about. I daily drive my car as well (because why not, it's so much fun) and I have MSI open end lug nuts. No problems, always stay torqued and no issues with road debris or anything else. It's just like having OEM studs.
I'm stoked to follow this thread and see your journey!
Thanks. I did feel less rushed driving this course surprisingly. I think I probably rush myself sometimes trying to extract every last tenth of a second possible and that clearly just doesn't work in some areas. I feel like the new tires being so responsive compared to my old ones also made it much easier to hold a line.Nice run and congratulations on your move up the results. Much better on being smooth and not driving gate-to-gate. Good setup through the left-hander into the slalom at the far end. Did you generally feel more relaxed / less rushed driving this course compared to the last event? Even though you were faster, I'm thinking the smoother lines probably felt easier to drive.
The bump stops may not be the cause of traction issues. I ran Steeda sport springs on my car for a few years. I like the ride and they eliminated wheel hop under hard acceleration but the car either hooked or spun. A set of relo brackets on the rear of the lower trailing arms solved the problem. If you look at the lower arms they will slop upward from front to back. This allows the rear axle to travel upward under hard acceleration pivoting on the front mounting point decreasing traction.I think I may invest in some shorter rear bump stops as well. I'm no expert on suspension but I was reading a little about lowered S197s on here and it occurred to me when I lowered my car a few years ago with the Steeda Sports, the bump stops weren't shortened. The car kinda bounces all over the place on bumps under acceleration (I know its a live axle but still). And maybe my rear end traction coming out of corners is affected some if I'm riding on the bumpstops? Since it would be technically increasing the spring rate the more you lay into the throttle? I might be wrong but they're probably worth changing anyway.