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GT350 true performances

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Looking for a new toy - and the GT350 only seems natural to me - especially after the MY 2017 upgrades - but I have been a bit skeptical (or disapointed?) about its performance after seraching a bit.

Lap time or track capabilities
Motor Trend seems reasonably reliable with a quite capable and neutral Randy Pobst
On their 2016 best car shootout the GT350R does Laguna in 1:36;11 (on ultra wide Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2)
The Porsche 911 Carrera S does Laguna Seca in 1:36:44 (on Michelin Super Sport)
Same driver same day. And it's an "R"!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4f4q52J9qY

Top Speed
Hennessey Performance test top speed at 169mph ish which equals to 270kmh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQZh8O3535g
A new Focus RS top speed testshows 273kmh which is roughly the very same ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6ktwFGpbMQ
I reckon it takes the RS more time but still...

your views?
 

TMSBOSS

Spending my pension on car parts and track fees.
7,529
5,245
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Illinois
All depends on what you want from a car.

Traditional 4 seater sporty car or Euro style econo car made sporty car. Neither are bad choices.

There is a very extensive write up here on the RS. Many of the short falls for track usage are mentioned. From what I remember, the majority of the issues mentioned dealt with cooling and brakes. Sounded like the Boss, in a way.

Many GT-350 owners have shamed Porsche owners on track. Cars are similar and it usually comes down to driver experience.
 
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A 911 Carrera S is $140K if you get performance options.

What you should really be sad about is that a Camaro ZL1 at $62K will beat a GT350R lap time on almost any track and annihilate it on a drag strip, and a Corvette Grand Sport which can be had for $60K (http://kerbeck.com/new-corvette-inventory/?body[0]=1YW07&action=filter&sort=msrp&order=ASC) will beat the GT350R by a good margin on *any* road course given equal tire. If you aren't satisfied with a Corvette Grand Sport and only 460HP, you can get a brand new Z06 for $74K. (http://www.koonschevybuickgmc.com/new/Chevrolet/2017-Chevrolet-Corvette-vienna-virginia-725b70de0a0e0adf4ae7cb91f686b2dc.htm).

Compare those prices to the actual price you'll pay for a GT350R.
 
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coboss said:
A 911 Carrera S is $140K if you get performance options.

What you should really be sad about is that a Camaro ZL1 at $62K will beat a GT350R lap time on almost any track and annihilate it on a drag strip, and a Corvette Grand Sport which can be had for $60K (http://kerbeck.com/new-corvette-inventory/?body[0]=1YW07&action=filter&sort=msrp&order=ASC) will beat the GT350R by a good margin on *any* road course given equal tire. If you aren't satisfied with a Corvette Grand Sport and only 460HP, you can get a brand new Z06 for $74K. (http://www.koonschevybuickgmc.com/new/Chevrolet/2017-Chevrolet-Corvette-vienna-virginia-725b70de0a0e0adf4ae7cb91f686b2dc.htm).

Compare those prices to the actual price you'll pay for a GT350R.

Yep, it is pretty easy to find any model Corvette for 8 - 11K under MSRP.
 
Thank you all for your comments which all made much sense.

But to be fair, I should have been more precise: The situation in Europe is a bit biaised by the prices we pay for US imported cars...
Especially lately. The government is clearly fighting emissions and large displacement powerful engines.
A brand new Carrera S would roughly be the same price as a GT350R. If not lower.
And so is the new Z06 which is logical (which overheats on tracks until GM finally release their cooling kit btw).

The non R is less pricey but it's close to what the ZL1 is expected to be...
I suspect good deals are on their way for MY2016 GT350's as quite a lot were imported but several have not sold...
But who would do without the magnetic dampers etc when buying new now?

Lastly, with all respect due, I think the econo idea is a wrong approach as the very basic concept of the Mustang is precisely to start with an econo car and make a racing affordable version of it.
And that is what you get :) No difference here between a Focus or a Shelby.
And yes some Porsche drivers are not fast ones ( ) but I refer to performances from the very same driver.

Maybe it is the syndrome of the old fart thinking "before was better" :)
My fully track modified 2009 Z06 did cost me just short of 100K with everything.
Would go to 300kmh and run circles around any Porsche except for the really few bad & quickest GT3RS on slicks.

I kind of liked the idea of a Mustang being faster than your usual track animals.
It certainly was not the case with the Boss (despite being a really fun car).
Is this happening with the GT350(R)? That is my point.
 
The new 911 Carrera S is faster than the 991.1 GT3. Cars are getting so fast that I don't worry about what the fastest car is. IMO the GT350 is a significant step up in performance from the Boss. While it may not be 10 seconds faster per lap it's how it does it that matters. I've been on track with multiple GT3's and the only place they are faster is exiting corners. And I think the reason for that is the transmission and not the handling. Is the GT350 as nice or better than a Porsche GT3? Probably not but I bet they are just as much fun to drive. Buy a GT350 track pack and add lightweight wheels with sticky tires and your favorite brake pads and you're good to go. 8)

@Black Boss
@Moto
@mattlqx
@fuhrius
 
As Rick points out, there's no question that the 350 is a significant step up from the Boss. I love the Boss, but it needed a lot of mods to make it a competitive track car. Put safety stuff and pads on the 350 and your ready to go. It's significantly faster and easier to drive fast than the Boss.

The good news is that there are lots of choices for other track cars and the fact that the 350 is so close to the other cars discussed in this thread just makes track time more enjoyable. European pricing distorts the picture, but in the US the price/performance comparison between the 350, and GT3/4 makes the choice pretty clear. It only gets better if you do lots of track days and figure in consumables -- pads/rotors/caliper parts etc.
 
Thank you folks :)
Yes consumables is a very good point indeed.
Another specific point - for Europe - is you don't see any Mustangs on tracks...
Might change a little with the S550 but not happening yet.
And I don't really want to add "another Porsche" to the crowd.
It gets kind of boring despite them being fantastic cars.
Cheers,
 
1,022
99
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
10-20 Years
Texas
The GT350 is great because you can track it just like you bought it off the showroom floor. Drive it to the track if you'd like in comfort with your Apple Car Play and then drive it home when you're done :)

As Rick said also, get your favorite set of sticky tires, some more aggressive brake pads and you're keeping up with the fastest cars out there...driver dependent of course. At lease I know Rick is keeping up with the fast cars 8)

PS...anyone going to try the new PS4S?
 
A question for the trak rats:
What are the lap time improvement you saw by switching from your track Boss to the GT350?
Given they were on similar tires...
No exact scientific comparison but roughly...???
 

Dig-It

Kevin
237
8
VA
At the end of my first 80-minutes (4 x 20-minute sessions) with the GT350R on VIR's Full Course, I had beaten my personal best time for the track with my four year old modified BOSS by 2.1-seconds. This was on the exact same Hoosier R7s I used four months earlier on the my BOSS.
 

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