S550 @carbon.cinematic S550 Ecoboost Time Attack Build Thread Profile - S550 Mustangs

[bronco100]

This is the Build Thread for @carbon.cinematic S550 Ecoboost Time Attack. Reply below.

 

[bronco100]

Just getting started out here! I picked up a 2018 Ford Mustang Ecoboost with the 6 speed manual and I'm building it to compete in Gridlife Track Battle. Please follow on Instagram for some fun content and updates @carbon.cinematic. Here, I'll stick to a little bit more of the technical side of things.

As far as I know, no one has yet to build a S550 Ecoboost for time attack (and not very many GT's either). Not sure why. I know there's at least one S550 Ecoboost competing in Gridlife Touring Cup (wheel to wheel), there's quite a few that have done very well in autocross, and there's even some making 800hp on the drag strip (yep on the 2.3l). So I think there will be a few uncharted areas that I will get into as I further build the car. Given the relative lack of participation in time attack, I think aero might be the trickiest area. I'm just waiting for @AJ Hartman to bring "Project Crusher" into reality.

I took it to the Pikes Peak International Raceway last week for a initial shakedown test. It outperformed my expectations, but still I found many areas where improvement is needed. A quick breakdown of good and bad things I noticed on track day #1:

GOOD:

• Power, acceleration - coming from the E36 platform, it's a big jump up. I thought that turbo lag would be a big issue but it was very much not.
• Braking - the brakes definitely need upgraded to be more aggressive but having a very good ABS system was confidence inspiring.
• Stability/handling - Is it only the V8's that yearn for the crowds? I was surprised at how well it handled on completely stock setup.
• Steering - in the "Sport" steering mode, it feels quite responsive with a good amount of input from the car.

MEDIOCRE:

• The cloth seats in the base Mustang aren't bad but they struggle to hold me in place during high-G cornering.
• Shifter - I don't like that 3rd and 4th gear are *slightly* off center to the right. Also the shifter is too short. But apparently the way the linkage is setup on the Mustang, you can't have a taller shifter without having a longer throw. Which isn't the case for something like the Ford Focus RS, where you can get a very tall shifter that has a shorter throw. Must be nice!

BAD:

• Weight - Coming in at 3,440lbs (I put it on a scale), it's fairly light compared to a modern sports car (such as the new M3), or compared to a Mustang GT. However, it still felt quite heavy to me coming from a 2400lbs car. I think I should be able to at least get it under 3300lbs soon. If I can get it to 3,268, that's the same as a Porsche GT3RS so I'll be happy with that I need to improve the weight distribution as well so that it's not as front heavy. The theoretical easiest way to start with this is relocate the battery to the rear. Of course that's a bit of a pain.
• Heel/toe - I feel like the placement of the pedals is not fantastic for heel-toe downshifting. I really wish it had the option to auto downshift rev-match. I guess we didn't have that technology in 2018? I'll probably get an auto-blip module, or figure out how to swap in whatever components they use in the newer Mustangs that have the downshift rev-match.
• Cooling - the car could only go a couple laps without needing a cooldown. The turbo side gets extremely hot, water temps reached 240F, AIT was 60F over ambient, and oil temps were near the yellow. Luckily I have Mishimoto as a sponsor, so some fixes for that are incoming...
• Redline - it's so odd to me that this car redlines at 6500. I want to look further into what is limiting that. The ancient turbo 4's such as the SR20, K24, or 4G63 redline well into the mid 7k's or even the low 8k's. Why does the modern Ecoboost engine fall short there?

That's all for now!

 

[biggsy]

Looking forward to reading about your journey. I don’t have much to add but for heel toe, SRP makes great pedals to help with that

SRP Racing Pedals

SRP Sullivan Racing Products, Inc. custom aluminum racing pedals made in the United States since 1995.

www.srpracing.com

 

[AJ Hartman]

Just getting started out here! I picked up a 2018 Ford Mustang Ecoboost with the 6 speed manual and I'm building it to compete in Gridlife Track Battle. Please follow on Instagram for some fun content and updates @carbon.cinematic. Here, I'll stick to a little bit more of the technical side of things.

As far as I know, no one has yet to build a S550 Ecoboost for time attack (and not very many GT's either). Not sure why. I know there's at least one S550 Ecoboost competing in Gridlife Touring Cup (wheel to wheel), there's quite a few that have done very well in autocross, and there's even some making 800hp on the drag strip (yep on the 2.3l). So I think there will be a few uncharted areas that I will get into as I further build the car. Given the relative lack of participation in time attack, I think aero might be the trickiest area. I'm just waiting for @AJ Hartman to bring "Project Crusher" into reality.

I took it to the Pikes Peak International Raceway last week for a initial shakedown test. It outperformed my expectations, but still I found many areas where improvement is needed. A quick breakdown of good and bad things I noticed on track day #1:

GOOD:

• Power, acceleration - coming from the E36 platform, it's a big jump up. I thought that turbo lag would be a big issue but it was very much not.
• Braking - the brakes definitely need upgraded to be more aggressive but having a very good ABS system was confidence inspiring.
• Stability/handling - Is it only the V8's that yearn for the crowds? I was surprised at how well it handled on completely stock setup.
• Steering - in the "Sport" steering mode, it feels quite responsive with a good amount of input from the car.

MEDIOCRE:

• The cloth seats in the base Mustang aren't bad but they struggle to hold me in place during high-G cornering.
• Shifter - I don't like that 3rd and 4th gear are *slightly* off center to the right. Also the shifter is too short. But apparently the way the linkage is setup on the Mustang, you can't have a taller shifter without having a longer throw. Which isn't the case for something like the Ford Focus RS, where you can get a very tall shifter that has a shorter throw. Must be nice!

BAD:

• Weight - Coming in at 3,440lbs (I put it on a scale), it's fairly light compared to a modern sports car (such as the new M3), or compared to a Mustang GT. However, it still felt quite heavy to me coming from a 2400lbs car. I think I should be able to at least get it under 3300lbs soon. If I can get it to 3,268, that's the same as a Porsche GT3RS so I'll be happy with that I need to improve the weight distribution as well so that it's not as front heavy. The theoretical easiest way to start with this is relocate the battery to the rear. Of course that's a bit of a pain.
• Heel/toe - I feel like the placement of the pedals is not fantastic for heel-toe downshifting. I really wish it had the option to auto downshift rev-match. I guess we didn't have that technology in 2018? I'll probably get an auto-blip module, or figure out how to swap in whatever components they use in the newer Mustangs that have the downshift rev-match.
• Cooling - the car could only go a couple laps without needing a cooldown. The turbo side gets extremely hot, water temps reached 240F, AIT was 60F over ambient, and oil temps were near the yellow. Luckily I have Mishimoto as a sponsor, so some fixes for that are incoming...
• Redline - it's so odd to me that this car redlines at 6500. I want to look further into what is limiting that. The ancient turbo 4's such as the SR20, K24, or 4G63 redline well into the mid 7k's or even the low 8k's. Why does the modern Ecoboost engine fall short there?

That's all for now!

View attachment 88227

Project Crusher never really came to fruition as a whole, but just about every part from that project is available. Shoot me a dm with any specific questions. We have a bunch of aero options for your car and can customize others depending how crazy you want to get and what class you plan to run in.

 

[Scootsmcgreggor]

Enjoy the journey! These chassis are heavy and as a result need a lot of power IMO, and if on higher speed tracks need good top end. That's where Ecoboost's are challenged, even with a bigger turbo and cams they generally still lose ~50hp from peak to redline. I was always short shifting mine, even with the NX2 turbo. But the balance and turn in was much better than the coyote, so they are a fun track car. If I were doing an ecoboost over again I'd think of it as a momentum car and focus solely on suspension, weight, and aero. Question is when you max those out for your class, will there be enough power or the right delivery curve to be competitive. I'll be following along!

 

[blacksheep-1]

Those little 4 bangers run extremely well. Phoenix Performance won back to back national championships with them until the SCCA legislated them out of existence

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Where were you running in Colorado? It doesn't appear to be in Byers ( Hi Plains Raceway ) or Pueblo, so just curious. I guess the only letter ( N) besides Colorado being spelled out is throwing me off. I know there is a little course in Aspen, which would work, but I would think there would be big hills in the background.

Have fun with the build , there have been some autocrossers have solid success with the 4 Popper also, so I am sure you will get plenty of others to jump in like AJ with ideas and help.

 

[AJ Hartman]

Now you got me thinking if a 2.3 EB would be a good option for something like ST4 or GLTC.

 

[bronco100]

Where were you running in Colorado? It doesn't appear to be in Byers ( Hi Plains Raceway ) or Pueblo, so just curious. I guess the only letter ( N) besides Colorado being spelled out is throwing me off. I know there is a little course in Aspen, which would work, but I would think there would be big hills in the background.

Have fun with the build , there have been some autocrossers have solid success with the 4 Popper also, so I am sure you will get plenty of others to jump in like AJ with ideas and help.

Pikes Peak International Raceway, of course. The lettering of the city says "FOUNTAIN" which is a small town just south of Colorado Springs.

 

[JP X]

Just getting started out here! I picked up a 2018 Ford Mustang Ecoboost with the 6 speed manual and I'm building it to compete in Gridlife Track Battle. Please follow on Instagram for some fun content and updates @carbon.cinematic. Here, I'll stick to a little bit more of the technical side of things.

As far as I know, no one has yet to build a S550 Ecoboost for time attack (and not very many GT's either). Not sure why. I know there's at least one S550 Ecoboost competing in Gridlife Touring Cup (wheel to wheel), there's quite a few that have done very well in autocross, and there's even some making 800hp on the drag strip (yep on the 2.3l). So I think there will be a few uncharted areas that I will get into as I further build the car. Given the relative lack of participation in time attack, I think aero might be the trickiest area. I'm just waiting for @AJ Hartman to bring "Project Crusher" into reality.

I took it to the Pikes Peak International Raceway last week for a initial shakedown test. It outperformed my expectations, but still I found many areas where improvement is needed. A quick breakdown of good and bad things I noticed on track day #1:

GOOD:

• Power, acceleration - coming from the E36 platform, it's a big jump up. I thought that turbo lag would be a big issue but it was very much not.
• Braking - the brakes definitely need upgraded to be more aggressive but having a very good ABS system was confidence inspiring.
• Stability/handling - Is it only the V8's that yearn for the crowds? I was surprised at how well it handled on completely stock setup.
• Steering - in the "Sport" steering mode, it feels quite responsive with a good amount of input from the car.

MEDIOCRE:

• The cloth seats in the base Mustang aren't bad but they struggle to hold me in place during high-G cornering.
• Shifter - I don't like that 3rd and 4th gear are *slightly* off center to the right. Also the shifter is too short. But apparently the way the linkage is setup on the Mustang, you can't have a taller shifter without having a longer throw. Which isn't the case for something like the Ford Focus RS, where you can get a very tall shifter that has a shorter throw. Must be nice!

BAD:

• Weight - Coming in at 3,440lbs (I put it on a scale), it's fairly light compared to a modern sports car (such as the new M3), or compared to a Mustang GT. However, it still felt quite heavy to me coming from a 2400lbs car. I think I should be able to at least get it under 3300lbs soon. If I can get it to 3,268, that's the same as a Porsche GT3RS so I'll be happy with that I need to improve the weight distribution as well so that it's not as front heavy. The theoretical easiest way to start with this is relocate the battery to the rear. Of course that's a bit of a pain.
• Heel/toe - I feel like the placement of the pedals is not fantastic for heel-toe downshifting. I really wish it had the option to auto downshift rev-match. I guess we didn't have that technology in 2018? I'll probably get an auto-blip module, or figure out how to swap in whatever components they use in the newer Mustangs that have the downshift rev-match.
• Cooling - the car could only go a couple laps without needing a cooldown. The turbo side gets extremely hot, water temps reached 240F, AIT was 60F over ambient, and oil temps were near the yellow. Luckily I have Mishimoto as a sponsor, so some fixes for that are incoming...
• Redline - it's so odd to me that this car redlines at 6500. I want to look further into what is limiting that. The ancient turbo 4's such as the SR20, K24, or 4G63 redline well into the mid 7k's or even the low 8k's. Why does the modern Ecoboost engine fall short there?

That's all for now!

View attachment 88227

My daughter drove our 2019 base model EB (upgraded to GT rear brakes and G-Loc R10’s all around) at VIR in June. The car went into Thermal Management mode a number of times. I upgraded to the Mishimoto radiator and intercooler prior to Summit Point 2 weeks ago. No problem with Thermal Management but the oil got to “warm“ (didn’t get to hot). So the Mishimoto oil cooler will be the next add.…unless I decide to go a different route since this is my son’s daily driver. I might trade her Mazda in on a BRZ or GR86 that the kids can dual-purpose. Not sure how much money I want to throw at a car they will track at 2 events per year.

 

[bronco100]

My daughter drove our 2019 base model EB (upgraded to GT rear brakes and G-Loc R10’s all around) at VIR in June. The car went into Thermal Management mode a number of times. I upgraded to the Mishimoto radiator and intercooler prior to Summit Point 2 weeks ago. No problem with Thermal Management but the oil got to “warm“ (didn’t get to hot). So the Mishimoto oil cooler will be the next add.…unless I decide to go a different route since this is my son’s daily driver. I might trade her Mazda in on a BRZ or GR86 that the kids can dual-purpose. Not sure how much money I want to throw at a car they will track at 2 events per year.

How can you tell if it's in thermal management mode?

Also, bad news on the Mishimoto oil cooler for EB's, they are out of stock for the next 2 months. How that happens, I'm not sure...

 

[JP X]

How can you tell if it's in thermal management mode?

Also, bad news on the Mishimoto oil cooler for EB's, they are out of stock for the next 2 months. How that happens, I'm not sure...

She said that it displayed that message on the information screen between the gauges.
LMR has the intercooler and radiator in stock.

 

[bronco100]

Lots of plastic junk going into the garbage. This is only about half of it. I also got rid of things like the random foam filler pieces in the top of the fender and the inside door jam area.

 

[bronco100]

New wheels and tires - 18x9.5 Rotiform RSE silver wheels with 275/35/18 Falken RT615K+ tires. There's a lot of other great wheel options out there but I went with what is in-stock now (which is not a lot), and what is somewhat budget friendly. Plus I like to support US based companies, even if some of their cast wheels are made elsewhere (shame on you, Rotiform).

Had to get hubcentric rings and narrower lug nuts. The lug nuts for these cars are quite hard to find, so make sure you order what you need ahead. Advance and Autozone only carry like 4 lug nuts in stock (yes, total). The location that had the most had 3 sets of 4, so 12 lugs nuts total. I finally found an O'Reilly's with one set of 20. Of course they're still too long to fit my wheel center cap covers, but they hold the wheel on at least.

 

[TMSBOSS]

OP Mustang has a smaller lug nut made for our cars. Check out their site.

 

[KazarS197]

New wheels and tires - 18x9.5 Rotiform RSE silver wheels with 275/35/18 Falken RT615K+ tires. There's a lot of other great wheel options out there but I went with what is in-stock now (which is not a lot), and what is somewhat budget friendly. Plus I like to support US based companies, even if some of their cast wheels are made elsewhere (shame on you, Rotiform).

Had to get hubcentric rings and narrower lug nuts. The lug nuts for these cars are quite hard to find, so make sure you order what you need ahead. Advance and Autozone only carry like 4 lug nuts in stock (yes, total). The location that had the most had 3 sets of 4, so 12 lugs nuts total. I finally found an O'Reilly's with one set of 20. Of course they're still too long to fit my wheel center cap covers, but they hold the wheel on at least.

View attachment 89068

View attachment 89069View attachment 89070

Nice wheels and long life stickies!!! Not being smart in any way - I can't find much big brake info on rotiform. Will larger front calipers clear the spokes and barrel? Was there a rational for going with cast vs flow form? If you decide on different wheels in the future Apex is a vendor here and treat us very well. Apex's have huge brake clearance, are hubcentric so you don't have to play with the rings, are flow form , have a great warranty ( don't ask how I know ha) 1/2 price replacement even if it is the drivers fault and a similar price point (flow form). The only downside is they have limited designs but have multiple colors. Keep the photos coming! I like black cars!

 

[Bill Pemberton]

Bronco 100, no offense but as Kazar noticed we are a bit confused if you are actually planning on doing Time Trials or Time Attack , or if like many on here you are out to have a good time and mainly run HPDEs. The tires you are running are a strong ticket for folks doing Endurance racing or HPDEs , because they last a long time, but if your long term goal is to do Time Trials you likely need to look into wider wheels and stickier tires , unless you can get your car into NASA's TT4 class , where skinny tires are mandated. Good luck, but don't hesitate asking questions before purchasing as there are guys on here that have been doing Time Trials, autocrossing , etc. for close to 4 decades and we can help you get stuff and not make the mistakes we did.

 

[bronco100]

Nice wheels and long life stickies!!! Not being smart in any way - I can't find much big brake info on rotiform. Will larger front calipers clear the spokes and barrel? Was there a rational for going with cast vs flow form? If you decide on different wheels in the future Apex is a vendor here and treat us very well. Apex's have huge brake clearance, are hubcentric so you don't have to play with the rings, are flow form , have a great warranty ( don't ask how I know ha) 1/2 price replacement even if it is the drivers fault and a similar price point (flow form). The only downside is they have limited designs but have multiple colors. Keep the photos coming! I like black cars!

Since they are 18" wheels, the GT calipers should fit well. I'll find out for sure soon! I doubt a true BBK would fit them though. As far as cast vs flow form, I don't think Rotiform makes any flow form wheels. And I definitely want to get a set of Apex VS-5RS forged wheels at some point, but I was working with Fitment Industries to get my setup and almost all of the Apex wheels were out of stock there. I know I could order through Apex directly but they don't offer the service of shipping them with tires mounted. I think they used to, and even then they only offered Nitto's in a few sizes, if I recall.

 

[bronco100]

Bronco 100, no offense but as Kazar noticed we are a bit confused if you are actually planning on doing Time Trials or Time Attack , or if like many on here you are out to have a good time and mainly run HPDEs. The tires you are running are a strong ticket for folks doing Endurance racing or HPDEs , because they last a long time, but if your long term goal is to do Time Trials you likely need to look into wider wheels and stickier tires , unless you can get your car into NASA's TT4 class , where skinny tires are mandated. Good luck, but don't hesitate asking questions before purchasing as there are guys on here that have been doing Time Trials, autocrossing , etc. for close to 4 decades and we can help you get stuff and not make the mistakes we did.

I do a bit of everything, typically not HPDE anymore though. I'll be doing SCCA time trials this weekend and autocross next weekend. But yeah this wheel/tire package is essentially a test'n'tune setup as the general track season is coming to a close (Winter is coming...). I just wanted to quickly get off the stock 235/55/17 all-seasons. I highly doubt I'm going to get anything much wider than I have now, I think my 9.5" wide wheels should be sufficiently wide, but if I get Apex wheels I may go 18x10. The Gridlife class I'll be competing in has a maximum tire width of 285, and anything wider than that would be somewhat pointless anyway, as they'd become harder to warm up, they'd be heavier, and I'd start to run into fitment issues as well. Eventually I'll get a custom aero package be forced to move up in classes, and thus be able to take advantage of a wider tire if I want. That's not in the works yet though. Before next season, I'll likely get some sets of Falken RT660's as I've found them to be my favorite for putting down fast laps. Also, thanks for the offer to help me get this stuff - if you or anyone has a contact at Apex or Falken, please hook me up!

 

[KazarS197]

Since they are 18" wheels, the GT calipers should fit well. I'll find out for sure soon! I doubt a true BBK would fit them though. As far as cast vs flow form, I don't think Rotiform makes any flow form wheels. And I definitely want to get a set of Apex VS-5RS forged wheels at some point, but I was working with Fitment Industries to get my setup and almost all of the Apex wheels were out of stock there. I know I could order through Apex directly but they don't offer the service of shipping them with tires mounted. I think they used to, and even then they only offered Nitto's in a few sizes, if I recall.

Geterdone! There's a 3 day weekend coming up. I can't see any reason why everything can't be ordered, delivered and installed buy Tuesday! Ha.