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

[biggsy]

+1 on the Motul DCTF in the MT82. Works better than anything else I've tried. The last recommendation I saw on Ford's service website was to use their DCTF in the MT82. The Motul product meets the Ford DCTF fluid standard. I've got 2 full seasons on the last trans rebuild using Motul DCTF and it seems to be hanging in there so far.

After a few years on BG, I switched to Amsoil last fall. Haven’t been too impressed by it. Will try Motul for my next event

 

[bnight]

After a few years on BG, I switched to Amsoil last fall. Haven’t been too impressed by it. Will try Motul for my next event

I try to change my Trans and diff fluids at every 10 000 km's or so to keep them fresh or like ones a season. The diff fluid is getting more abuse for sure.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

bnight,
Just my suggestion, but I would suggest to you and others to change your rear diff fluid more often than once a year or every
10,000 Kilometers/6200 miles if quite a bit of the time is on track. Since one mod many think they need is a diff cooler that is a clue that the fluid gets hot and it might be an area to address. Surprisingly I am not one who thinks it is an absolute necessity, but changing the fluid more often really is beneficial. Engineers from Dodge and Ford who have been friends over the past 30+ years have suggested changing the rear end fluid after 4 - 8 hours of track use. That is likely easier to figure than miles, but fluid is such an inexpensive cost , overall, that why not change it a bit more on the stressed areas?

Just my thoughts from Engineers who were the guys doing the testing on the performance machines of both makes and when one considers that the manual for the Boss 302S suggests 4 hours between fluid changes it give one the idea this is likely a good idea for optimal protection.

I do have one guy who thinks drivers who aren't really driving at the car's potential maybe could go 8 hours of tracking before a change, but the majority believe a shorter period is the safest. Similar to changing brake fluid after every weekend for aggressive drivers or likely no longer than 2.

 

[bnight]

bnight,
Just my suggestion, but I would suggest to you and others to change your rear diff fluid more often than once a year or every
10,000 Kilometers/6200 miles if quite a bit of the time is on track. Since one mod many think they need is a diff cooler that is a clue that the fluid gets hot and it might be an area to address. Surprisingly I am not one who thinks it is an absolute necessity, but changing the fluid more often really is beneficial. Engineers from Dodge and Ford who have been friends over the past 30+ years have suggested changing the rear end fluid after 4 - 8 hours of track use. That is likely easier to figure than miles, but fluid is such an inexpensive cost , overall, that why not change it a bit more on the stressed areas?

Just my thoughts from Engineers who were the guys doing the testing on the performance machines of both makes and when one considers that the manual for the Boss 302S suggests 4 hours between fluid changes it give one the idea this is likely a good idea for optimal protection.

I do have one guy who thinks drivers who aren't really driving at the car's potential maybe could go 8 hours of tracking before a change, but the majority believe a shorter period is the safest. Similar to changing brake fluid after every weekend for aggressive drivers or likely no longer than 2.

22 laps yesterday which at 70 sec laps mean that I have like 25 minutes of track time on Saturday my season track time is less than 4 hours to be fair which mean that averaging with KM's is better for me. And my diff is working great I can tell you that after 4 seasons and 431 laps. First time I'm hearing I need to change my brake fluid after every weekend though. I change it when I feel the clutch is not engaging as it should.

 

[biggsy]

Never really thought about changing my diff fluid but after reading Bill’s previous posts(like he echoed above) in other threads, I have added to my list every 3rd track day or so.

What brake fluid are you using? When I was using Motul, I bled the system after every event. $20 bottles and 20 minutes of my time would be worth it if it meant I had a firm brake pedal. Since switching to SRF I do it every other track day or every third day. Full flush once a year.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Biggsy is so correct on brake fluid and I also bleed after every system after each weekend --------Motul 600. If you only have around 4 hours total time on the track, but it is over 4 seasons you should be changing for time alone. Fluids age and you have likely had them quite hot over those 431 miles. Sorry to hear you were only able to get in around an hour of track time each year, I assumed you were able to track more in your Country.

 

[TMSBOSS]

For the maintenance brake bleed, after each event, I need the fluid looking at the color. The fluid in the caliper will darken when Exposed to high temps. I attach a motive brake bleed bottle and watch the color through the hose. 3-4 pumps usually cleans the fluid up.

 

[bnight]

What brake fluid are you using? When I was using Motul, I bled the system after every event. $20 bottles and 20 minutes of my time would be worth it if it meant I had a firm brake pedal. Since switching to SRF I do it every other track day or every third day. Full flush once a year.

Biggsy is so correct on brake fluid and I also bleed after every system after each weekend --------Motul 600. If you only have around 4 hours total time on the track, but it is over 4 seasons you should be changing for time alone. Fluids age and you have likely had them quite hot over those 431 miles. Sorry to hear you were only able to get in around an hour of track time each year, I assumed you were able to track more in your Country.

I use Motul 660 and I change to fresh fluid every few events or so. As I said I do this when I start feeling that my shifts are not perfect which usually indicate air in the system. I put fresh Motul 660 in the car in November 2022 just before putting it in winter storage. And the fluid was doing great on the track. Overall everything was doing great as it was good cold weather.

Regarding track time last season I only manage to do like 20 or so laps just because my brake pads were not able to keep up with the car performance R10 are not good enough for Nankang Level of grip. But this was in September so I just decided to not drive more that season. And my pre summer events were limited to only Serres because I spend 3 months getting the suspension, tires and wheels at order. This season I hope to be able to get a lot more laps as I have 5 events planed on Dracon, probably 1 event on Serres and hopefully a few days at Nurburgring in September. I hope the car will hold well.

 

[bnight]

Free Day Dracon - 05.05.2023

So a lot of things happen after the Dracon Cup in March. First I finally ordered new rotors for the car. Decided to go with OEM rotors as they were super cheap so installed new OEM rotors and put new Motul RBF700 in the car this made the clutch pedal soft again which was super nice and I started bedding in the new rotors.

Interestingly during driving the car decided to develop annoying vibration on 5th over 3000 rpm but only on 5th I was puzzled on what was going on here. Ether way I decided is not a big deal.

Something else that I did was to take the car to the Dyno to see how my engine is doing and to get a starting number for the upcoming performance increases which are long overdue and really needed. So when to the dyno and when we were strapping the car we find out I have an exhaust leak on both mufflers I guess this is a sign .



Looks like motor is good torque is in N-m.

My friend with the Lexus ISF actually sold the car and bought a new Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0 with PDK.



So naturally we needed to know what laptime this car can do in it's stock form which also include a PZero tires. He bought the car hoping to get a shot at better lap times than the Mustang. So when he said that he is going to the track I naturally decided to go with him. We set the date on 05.05.2023 I rotated my front right with my rear left and put my Apex wheels on and was ready for the track. It was a lovely drive following this beautiful yellow Porshe on the highway to the track. Also no 5th gear vibration I guess my OEM tires are out of balance or bend will need to check them.

We want to the track not knowing if it's going to be wet or dry because the weather is very unstable at the moment. It was amazing weather dry and sunny and we were the only two cars on the track so early so we manage to enjoy a lot of track free laps. I did a 24 laps in 3 sessions but even though the air was 64F I manage to see CHT temps up to 231F temps so naturally the car was pulling timing (I really need to fix my cooling issues). The brakes were doing fine but I still was feeling some brake fade if I push the car in 3 or 4 laps in a row but this could be same issue I had on Dracon (not bedded brake pads). My rear brakes are also dragging so this will be fixed before next event and could be contributing to the brakes overheating.

The lap times were another thing that was very interesting first session out the Mustang did 1:06.47 which was a new PB for me ether way I really want to push the car to that 1:05 barrier At the moment fastest car in my class is 1:04.4. The car was showing a predictable of 1:06.1 in my fastest lap but my last 2 corners totally destroyed the lap and I did a best lap of the day of 1:06.39 so close yet so far. The positive is that out of the 24 laps 9 were 1:06 laps so the hero run from the last time out is not only beaten but the car is very consistent 1:06 car.



How did the Porsche in his first outing. Turns out this Porsche is very fast we measured 100-200 km's runs in the 9.5 seconds while the Mustang is doing 12.4 seconds. So we knew it will be quick on the straight in fact it clocked 196 km/h while I only manage to did 183 km/h. However the PZero tires combined with the stock brakes were the limiting factor the car is a constant 1:06 car but it only did 1:06.65 before catching a nail in it's front left tire and cutting our day short.
Here is the comparison:


Overall I think it could have been ether's car day but I'm so happy that I can be close to the Porsche's on track with Stock Motor and almost stock weight.

Also this time I manage to successfully get a video out of the best lap though there is a lot to be desired out of the angle of the video, shakiness and sound:

On the way home from the track my clutch pedal got very hard I again have air in the system this is starting to get really annoying.

What is next:

Dracon Cup 2 Round is on 20.05.2023 and I hope to manage to do another free day on 18.05.2023 as I need to clean my driving since the E36 improved it's lap times to 1:05.3 and a friend of mine with his A45 AMG is also in the competition with a new set of Nankang tires he did a best of 1:05.03 on a very old set of Nankang's so he will probably be on 1:04 this time out.

The car is having a few issues that needs addressing:

1. Rear brakes are constantly dragging - will install the new calipers that I got from RockAuto like 10 months ago.
2. Brakes bleeding to get the clutch to where is not hard anymore as when you pump the clutch you can feel the brake pedal going to the floor so Air in the system.
3. Need to fix the exhaust hope my friends in Kraft that fixed it last time will be able to do there magic again.

Long Term (summer 2023) plans:

1. Fix the cooling of the engine this should be number 1 priority. Mishimoto are selling a very nice kit that has a new radiator in it, oil cooler, thermostat, hoses etc that sounds like a good enough solution for now.
2. New Aluminium Driveshaft (I know my driveshaft is broken since April of last year I need to stop postponing this upgrade). Will probably go with Steeda on this one.
3. Finally figure out what to do with the Engine in the car my initial plan was for PP3+Catback (Kooks 3" X-Pipe).

 

[Bill Pemberton]

To be fair to your friend P Zeroes are as lousy on a Cayman GTS as they have been on a Mustang. Solid runs by you and you have the right to be quite pleased.
Zero is a perfect name for them and let us know how soon your friend trashes the Pee-rell-eeees and gets some good rubber on the GTS.

 

[bnight]

To be fair to your friend P Zeroes are as lousy on a Cayman GTS as they have been on a Mustang. Solid runs by you and you have the right to be quite pleased.
Zero is a perfect name for them and let us know how soon your friend trashes the Pee-rell-eeees and gets some good rubber on the GTS.

he did pick a nail in one of the front tires so I guess really soon he will be moving to Cup 2 I guess. I'm sure he will be moving up now with the better car and 1:06.65 is really solid time considering how much it took me to get my car to that level. It's remarkable how fast the new cars are. I have a friend with a new G82 M4 and with just a racechip (+105 hp) that car on stock Michelin PS4s did 1:04.8. I just can't see the Dark Horse selling well in Europe anymore.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Interesting thought on the " Darkhorse " from someone in Europe and if you are basing that on the looks, I too was not that impressed by the changes. Pretty typical view when there is a reasonably big model change, but in person the car look quite a bit better. To be honest, if you are talking track performance I feel it will not be affected by that at all , since we Trackrats often fail to realize we are only a small 10-20% of the buying population. In fact after years of selling performance cars, I may be estimating too high. No doubt we are some of the most passionate owners. I will be selling my car soon, and it is funny, even a couple of the Dealers I know are confused why my car is worth more with Cloth Recaro seats, no leather and no NAV. They have no true understanding that is has the rare " Handling Package " and is a GT 350 without Voodoo power. Heck, Dealers could not even order the package for most of 23 and most Dealers were not intend to what the package entailed. There was not a single one available a few months back in a 5 State area in the Midwest, but tell someone on this site that you have a Mach 1 with the " Handling Package " and they all know what it is.

The Darkhorse will appeal to those who like the name , and yes the looks, but you are correct about the serious track enthusiasts, they may not be that interested in the beast.

Considering your friend with the Cayman GTS , he has to know that regardless of the Pee-rell-eeezz he needs to work on his driving skills, since he weighs a ton less than you, has the advantage of the PDK, and has almost the same horsepower. You have to feel pretty dang good hanging with him and I imagine other drivers at your track constantly notice how fast you are with the GT!

 

[bnight]

I will be selling my car soon, and it is funny, even a couple of the Dealers I know are confused why my car is worth more with Cloth Recaro seats, no leather and no NAV. They have no true understanding that is has the rare " Handling Package " and is a GT 350 without Voodoo power. Heck, Dealers could not even order the package for most of 23 and most Dealers were not intend to what the package entailed. There was not a single one available a few months back in a 5 State area in the Midwest, but tell someone on this site that you have a Mach 1 with the " Handling Package " and they all know what it is.

The Darkhorse will appeal to those who like the name , and yes the looks, but you correct about the serious track enthusiasts, they may not be that interested in the beast.

Considering your friend with the Cayman GTS , he has to know that regardless of the Pee-rell-eeezz he needs to work on his driving skills, since he weighs a ton less than you, has the advantage of the PDK, and has almost the same horsepower. You have to feel pretty dang good hanging with him and I imagine other drivers at your track constantly notice how fast you are with the GT!

In Europe we will not get the Handling Pack same as the Mach 1. We might not get the 500 hp motor ether because I doubt Ford will license both power plants for Europe as this is money. Then there is pricing the Mach 1 was 70 000 euro car and I can see a dark Horse been more than that maybe 75 000 euro. At that price point you can get the new BMW M2 which probably without options will be cheaper than the Dark Horse. My feeling is that the M2 will offer more track performance than the Dark Horse out of the gate. And then if you spend more you have all the M3/M4's that are considerable faster than that.

Time Attack here as you can see from my posts is really dominated by BMW mostly the old M2's and M4's because this are 700 whp monsters. With that been said I think the issue with the S650 selling in Europe will be mostly the BMW's aggressive pricing of the M2 though M2 is a different car.

I'm happy to be able to run similar lap times as a stock Cayman GTS or a stock G80 M3/M4 and this is noticeable on track but still in my class I'm like 2 second off pace the M4 with the 5.9 seconds 100-200 is doing 1:04.4 the E36 2.0T is doing 1:05.3, my friend with the A45 AMG is doing 1:05.0. I'm still only doing 1:06.4 or so which with driving I probably could get down to 1:05.9 but still I need to find another 1.5-2 seconds if I want to be as fast as them and this is before the new M3/M4's come up and start modding because on a normal tire they are 1:04.8's if they switch to 100TW tires and get into my class they will probably be around 1:02 lap times and I don't know how I can make the Mustang do such lap times at least not while staying N/A. Currently I'm the only N/A car in the whole field in this class. May Cayman GTS friend is not in the same class because of tires TW he is in the pure Street Class which there is a good chance he will dominate with the Cayman easy.

 

[Bill Pemberton]

I find Porsche curious in one aspect, they spend a lot of time with some Manufacturers getting Porsche specific tires and they definitely know which ones work the best , yet it is not unusual for a Cayman GTS to come to the US with Pirellis, Dunlops or Michelins. The Michelin is the tire everyone hopes for , but there is absolutely no real choice of tire except on a very few machines --like a GT4RS. If your friend stays in a stock Class, he should go to another stock tire when the Pirellis fall apart ( that could be soon, ha ) as he may go even quicker. I run against some of the similar cars you do on the track so you are doing a very, very good job staying ahead of some M3s and even a GTS. That takes skill, in my mind, as your car is so much heavier!