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S550 2017 Grabber Blue Mustang GT Build Thread Profile - S550 Mustangs

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343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
I'm curious, is there a reason you didn't purchase from Vorshlag? Do they not ship to Europe?
Hope you get this resolved 👍
Ohlins is an European manufacturer so they have tons of dealers across Europe and I'm not paying import tax that way which a good 30% which mean that buying from European dealer is a good deal cheaper and less hassle. I don't know what my next steps are but I hope Ohlins will give a suggestion on what to do next. The shop that did the install refuse to work on the car after they cut the control arms. I'm not sure what my next steps are but it's very disappointing experience. Probably will install back the PP1 suspension and just sell the car as at that point I'm sick of dealing with lack of parts and servicing in my poor country for that car.
 
466
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
Ohlins is an European manufacturer so they have tons of dealers across Europe and I'm not paying import tax that way which a good 30% which mean that buying from European dealer is a good deal cheaper and less hassle. I don't know what my next steps are but I hope Ohlins will give a suggestion on what to do next. The shop that did the install refuse to work on the car after they cut the control arms. I'm not sure what my next steps are but it's very disappointing experience. Probably will install back the PP1 suspension and just sell the car as at that point I'm sick of dealing with lack of parts and servicing in my poor country for that car.
I’m assuming no junk yards there or way to ship there. I got mine from Parts Farm here when I was doing the bearing install (I did this so I didn’t have any down time by taking the ones off the car to have a shop press them in). $43 per side.
I would be surprised if Ohlins didn’t just give you the rears. Or the part to fox the issue.
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
I’m assuming no junk yards there or way to ship there. I got mine from Parts Farm here when I was doing the bearing install (I did this so I didn’t have any down time by taking the ones off the car to have a shop press them in). $43 per side.
I would be surprised if Ohlins didn’t just give you the rears. Or the part to fox the issue.
No issue on Ohlins part to be fair. It's just so that the rear control arms are different between 2015 cars and 2017 cars. And I chose the wrong performance shop to do the install and grind out the control arms. Now I will need to ether find new control arms or find a better shop to fix this issue. I'm just posting it so you guys are aware that there two different versions on the Ohlins kit for different years.
 
539
687
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
SoCal
Ohlins is an European manufacturer so they have tons of dealers across Europe and I'm not paying import tax that way which a good 30% which mean that buying from European dealer is a good deal cheaper and less hassle. I don't know what my next steps are but I hope Ohlins will give a suggestion on what to do next. The shop that did the install refuse to work on the car after they cut the control arms. I'm not sure what my next steps are but it's very disappointing experience. Probably will install back the PP1 suspension and just sell the car as at that point I'm sick of dealing with lack of parts and servicing in my poor country for that car.
Good point - didn't think about Ohlins being based in Europe.

Could you swap out your kit for the correct kit? Maybe Ohlins will do an even trade.
As for the control arms being enlarged too much...you could find new control arms and get a Dremel and grind them out yourself. Might take some time but if you do it, you'll know it was done correctly. I believe Vorshlag's instructions show how to grind them too
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
Good point - didn't think about Ohlins being based in Europe.

Could you swap out your kit for the correct kit? Maybe Ohlins will do an even trade.
As for the control arms being enlarged too much...you could find new control arms and get a Dremel and grind them out yourself. Might take some time but if you do it, you'll know it was done correctly. I believe Vorshlag's instructions show how to grind them too
I'm in contact with Ohlins on the matter but even with the correct kit I guess it will not work because the control arms are grind out so I guess will need at minimum new control arms to start from scratch. That provided that my 200-300 km's driving like that didn't broke something else like the struts for example.
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
A day in the Shop - 03.06.2022

After almost a month of waiting this arrived:IMG_9762.jpeg

A set of 4x305/30/19 Nankang AR-1.
So I wanted to see how this will look on the car as I have an American Muscle Fest (this time is a drag event) coming up on the weekend.
IMG_9768.jpeg

The Fronts are SM-10 ET26 and the Rears are ET52 so I wanted to see if Apex are correct that this fit on the front without issue with OEM Lug Nuts and OEM Studs:

IMG_9770.jpeg

We needed to add -3 degrees of camber and it took a while to get there but this is how it looked after the camber:

IMG_9779.jpeg

The final result in it's full glory:

IMG_9781.jpeg

So I'm happy to report that the combo of Ohlins R&T, Steeda Camber Plates, Apex SM-10 19x11 ET26 and Nankang AR-1 305/30/19 works perfect together. And I got -3.20 degree of front camber without opening up the top hats. Which is mighty impressive.


 
301
360
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Raleigh, NC
A day in the Shop - 03.06.2022

After almost a month of waiting this arrived:View attachment 76342

A set of 4x305/30/19 Nankang AR-1.
So I wanted to see how this will look on the car as I have an American Muscle Fest (this time is a drag event) coming up on the weekend.
View attachment 76343

The Fronts are SM-10 ET26 and the Rears are ET52 so I wanted to see if Apex are correct that this fit on the front without issue with OEM Lug Nuts and OEM Studs:

View attachment 76344

We needed to add -3 degrees of camber and it took a while to get there but this is how it looked after the camber:

View attachment 76345

The final result in it's full glory:

View attachment 76347

So I'm happy to report that the combo of Ohlins R&T, Steeda Camber Plates, Apex SM-10 19x11 ET26 and Nankang AR-1 305/30/19 works perfect together. And I got -3.20 degree of front camber without opening up the top hats. Which is mighty impressive.
Have fun, my friend!
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
Free Day - Serres - 08.06.2022

A few months ago a friend asked me if I want to go to Serres with him. He live in Germany and spend a lot of time on the Nurburgring with his Nissan S13 but have an E36 320i that is build for track duty in Bulgaria. So I gladly agreed and started prepping the car. I know that Serres is much faster track than Dracon and so I hoped that it will be the perfect place to test the Ohlins R&T and the new 305/30/19 Nankang AR-1.
Last time on Serres I was on stock suspension and street tires (Hankook K127) in PP1 sizes my alignment was bad and only did 1:38.0.
With that in mind I loaded the car with 3 wheels at the back seats and 1 in the trunk and drove to Greece on 07.06.2022. Had a lovely evening with the other people in the event. We want early to the track and by 09:50 we changed tires and were ready to roll since was a middle of the week the only cars on track was our 4 cars: Me, Honda Civic 5th gen for track, my friends E36 320i and another E46 330i.
There were a few bikes but they were in another session so the track time was split 20 minutes for cars 20 minutes for bikes. Serres was resurfaced last season and this was the first time I was able to see the new tarmac:

IMG_0085.jpeg

I had a blast on the track on the first session my time dropped to 1:34.07. Which by itself was a 4 seconds improvement on my PB. In my next session I manage to drop another whole second to 1:33.19

But the 3rd session was my best for the day at noon (80F) with a new PB of 1:31.87


IMG_0128.jpeg

The Telemetry showed that I have more room for improvement but it started raining a lot in the next session and the motor bikes decided is time for them to go. For us was time to start the Barbecue. After lunch it stopped raining and the track started to dry out. While waiting for the track to dry out we asked the guys on track to let us in for a photo shoot since we were the only ones on the track they agreed. Manage to take that lovely photo of the Stang:

IMG_0126.jpeg

After the track went dry my friend with the E36 320i managed to improve his time to very respectful 1:35.6 and this is his first day at that track. Overall was a lovely day at the track.
 
301
360
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Raleigh, NC
Free Day - Serres - 08.06.2022

A few months ago a friend asked me if I want to go to Serres with him. He live in Germany and spend a lot of time on the Nurburgring with his Nissan S13 but have an E36 320i that is build for track duty in Bulgaria. So I gladly agreed and started prepping the car. I know that Serres is much faster track than Dracon and so I hoped that it will be the perfect place to test the Ohlins R&T and the new 305/30/19 Nankang AR-1.
Last time on Serres I was on stock suspension and street tires (Hankook K127) in PP1 sizes my alignment was bad and only did 1:38.0.
With that in mind I loaded the car with 3 wheels at the back seats and 1 in the trunk and drove to Greece on 07.06.2022. Had a lovely evening with the other people in the event. We want early to the track and by 09:50 we changed tires and were ready to roll since was a middle of the week the only cars on track was our 4 cars: Me, Honda Civic 5th gen for track, my friends E36 320i and another E46 330i.
There were a few bikes but they were in another session so the track time was split 20 minutes for cars 20 minutes for bikes. Serres was resurfaced last season and this was the first time I was able to see the new tarmac:

View attachment 76474

I had a blast on the track on the first session my time dropped to 1:34.07. Which by itself was a 4 seconds improvement on my PB. In my next session I manage to drop another whole second to 1:33.19

But the 3rd session was my best for the day at noon (80F) with a new PB of 1:31.87


View attachment 76475

The Telemetry showed that I have more room for improvement but it started raining a lot in the next session and the motor bikes decided is time for them to go. For us was time to start the Barbecue. After lunch it stopped raining and the track started to dry out. While waiting for the track to dry out we asked the guys on track to let us in for a photo shoot since we were the only ones on the track they agreed. Manage to take that lovely photo of the Stang:

View attachment 76476

After the track went dry my friend with the E36 320i managed to improve his time to very respectful 1:35.6 and this is his first day at that track. Overall was a lovely day at the track.
Haha...I'm such a stupid American. I looked at your track graphic thinking "how in the hell did he hit 201 mph?" 🤣
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
What are your impression of 305/30/19 Nankang AR-1?
I have 19 x 11 Apex wheels that i need new rubber and was looking at these AR1. So what are your thought on these?
Considering I only drove cheap china semi-slicks till now (Zestino) or OEM PZero's and Hankook K127 on track I can say that this are much better than all 3 options listed.

On the track this AR1's had 0.5g more grip than my Zestino 07RS 275/35 (140TW) that is a lot more grip sure some of it may be a lot more camber -3.2 vs -2.5 and the new suspension blue is AR1 red is Zestino:

IMG_0213.jpeg

However a few things this on the street are very loud at least compired to everything else. Also they are not good in the wet as well. Regarding wear they seems to be soft so they will wear fast I guess front left after 8 fast laps:

IMG_0087.jpeg

But overall I'm happy because the extra grip will surely add to new PB's on my local tracks. Already 3 seconds faster than Magazine tested lap at Serres with factory Mustang and my driving is far from the driver at the stock car lap. Also AR1 are relatively cheap for 305/30 in fact was the cheapest option available to me in Europe which was the reason I got them. So I suggest you give them a shot.
 
114
164
Exp. Level
5-10 Years
Australia
That's good to hear, I'm not concerned about the noise issues as it will be loud in the car anyway. Is the grip level increase as they warm up or is it the same from the start?
They are about half the price of the Hoosier that I can get there.
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
That's good to hear, I'm not concerned about the noise issues as it will be loud in the car anyway. Is the grip level increase as they warm up or is it the same from the start?
They are about half the price of the Hoosier that I can get there.
I only have 1 day on them with around 10-15 laps so far and 500-600 km of road driving for initial heat cycle. Overall the grip is consistent so far. And I improved laps every session during that 1 day. But the car is totally new to me with new coilovers, clutch and wheels and tires so It's hard to say it was just tires. Will have more feedback in September. But if they are half the price you can't go wrong have in mind that according to lap times even though they are 100TW lap times should be closer to 200TW tires. According to other people that drove them they are slower than Yoko A052 for example but A052 don't have 305/30/19. The other tire I don't have access to but is all the rage currently is the Goodyear 3R and it dominate the lap times currently.
 

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,424
8,349
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
Pretty interesting info from bnight in Bulgaria as it mirrors some of the info coming out from racers in the US. A couple of guys I track with have gone to Nankangs due to cost and they say they are not even as quick at the A052s or the previous RE71s ( no info on the new models just out ). According to them they don't even heat up as fast as the two mentioned TWR tires, but then they do not go off as quickly either. I personally welcome comments on some of the new tires coming out, as we all are experiencing sticker shock with prices on these black air filled donuts. I have a set of the " Gold Standard " Hoosier R7s on my Mach 1, but I will be looking at some other tires in the future due to their cost. I just beat the last price increase when I got them and at almost 2500 for a set it makes it difficult to justify for Time Trials. Fortunately I also have a new set of Pilot Sport Cup 2s and having run them in the past, I found them virtually as quick as the R7 Hoosiers on really hot days or coarse surface tracks. For those not road racing or doing Time Trials , the myriad of choices for tires is being reviewed more and more , since a time a few seconds slower is not really a huge part of the criteria for HPDEs or sponsored track events.

I am not a huge fan of the Toyo RRs for W2W or Time Trials, but they are sure reasonable for those wanting a DOT competition tire and if one has a trailer and extra rims they are another choice -- especially since they have some wide sizes. They are a Spec Tire for all considerations , but they do last and they are quicker than almost all 200 TWR rubber.

Hopefully more and more folks will drop info on this subject and though Grassroots Motorsports had an excellent comparison I firmly believe info from drivers in one's area is the best info out there because tracks do differ quite a bit. The surfaces will vary from region to region , both on age and construction, and I still think that is a huge criteria often overlooked when discussing track times or tire wear.

Lastly get a square set up, because rotation is the best way to get more life out of these expensive commodities.
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
Lastly get a square set up, because rotation is the best way to get more life out of these expensive commodities.
Not only that but it help with understeer in our cars. So a good square set up is a must for track driving. If you are on a budget 19x10 with some 285/35/19's should be the golden standard for our cars. If you want fastest lap times possible 305 and even 315 is a must. Overall I'm really happy with the AR1's because they do shake off a lot of time regarding heat up they have good grip even when cold but it took me 2 4 lap sessions to really get them to temperature and this was on a relatively hot day. The issue that I'm facing now is that I'm cooking the motor before I cook my tires and brakes. So I'm not getting optimal performance out of tires/brakes and if I do I will not get optimal performance out of the engine. I guess is time to look into the cooling of the car but seeing all the issues other S550 owners are going through with cooling is something I don't want to try.
 

JDee

Ancient Racer
1,797
2,001
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
5 miles from Mosport
AR-1 is a hella good value, while they're not the fastest tires I've run on they are pretty good for the money and within a second of the best laps I've done on more expensive tires. It's really important to not exceed the grip window, that's when the wear goes through the roof and the grip drops off dramatically. They take a couple of laps to settle back down after that. Best lap at Mosport has been a 1:34, for comparison a GT4 Mustang would run 1:26 at that track. This is a plated, street legal car with a stock motor.

I have six track days on the set I bought and there is lots of life left in them, I should be able to finish the year with them and that should be 12 track days. I bought six of them, and I rotate them in pairs front to back to spare, as well as left and right. The wear has been very good so far. They're not directional but they do have an inside and outside which is clearly marked on them.

As said by others, they're not good in the wet, I had a pretty big moment with them in the wet in conditions I'd never had trouble with before. I have a set of Nitto 555G2 street tires I take to the track if the weather's looking wettish, they work reasonably well.
 
343
300
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
Bulgaria
AR-1 is a hella good value, while they're not the fastest tires I've run on they are pretty good for the money and within a second of the best laps I've done on more expensive tires. It's really important to not exceed the grip window, that's when the wear goes through the roof and the grip drops off dramatically. They take a couple of laps to settle back down after that. Best lap at Mosport has been a 1:34, for comparison a GT4 Mustang would run 1:26 at that track. This is a plated, street legal car with a stock motor.
Did you manage to beat any Vredestein lap times ? I was very impressed by your review of the Vredestein tires and they are reasonably cheaper than AR-1's. Otherwise if they last as much as you describe which I to be fair highly doubt they will be amazing value for the money.
 

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