The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

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Hi Guys,
My name is Salil. I picked up a GT350R a few weeks ago after searching/obsessing for nearly two years. I've got a few years of road racing and autocross experience. I've never owned a Mustang before and so far I am absolutely loving this car. I hope to pick the hive brain regarding setup and parts.

GT350R.jpg
 
Hi Salil, you sure picked a great one for your first Mustang! What cars did you road race?
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,156
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
Welcome!
 
I never introduced myself here, whoops!

I'm Ken, I have a decent amount of autocross experience and a little bit of HPDE experience. I have literal TONS of simulator experience though so I've progressed fairly quickly with the real world driving.

I've gone through a few cars in autocross/track use (some cars/bikes before this as well, but never did anything besides cruise around/commute):
- '92 GTI 16V (heavily modded now, 2.1L stroker, giant cams, Megasquirt ECU that I tuned, etc etc. I still have this and it's my beater/daily/toy)
- '13 BRZ (daily driver turned into autocross/track toy after the GTI proved to be unreliable. sold)
- '16 Focus RS (daily/autocross car that I took to VIR once and decided that was a big waste of money as a track car. sold)
- '17 GT350 (picked it up used w/ 2700-ish miles and a new engine, daily/autocross/track toy)

I'm planning on keeping the GT350 long-term, it's a blast and it's what I really wanted when I bought the FoRS but the markups were ridiculous at that time and I didn't think I could swing the jump in price. Buying used made it affordable and now I just need to fund my silly track costs :)
 
Welcome! As you already know...this IS the place for all things track mustang!

ummmm...ANOTHER used 350 with a new engine? Whaaaahappened...

What actually happened, I don't know... The dealer told me "the piston skirt punched a hole in the head" which is laughable.

I assume it was an oil burner and ran out of oil and ate itself, that seems more likely, I think.
 

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,156
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
What actually happened, I don't know... The dealer told me "the piston skirt punched a hole in the head" which is laughable.

I assume it was an oil burner and ran out of oil and ate itself, that seems more likely, I think.
These are known for shattering the oil pump gears and oil starving the enging causing catastrophic failure.....so, there's that.
 
These are known for shattering the oil pump gears and oil starving the enging causing catastrophic failure.....so, there's that.

I've seen no actual proof of the OPG failure being a really big deal yet. The big issues I've seen are oil usage (leading to engine failure) and the oil filter falling off. Other odd stories here and there about bearing failures and rarely OPG failures. Lots of conjecture that the early engine failures were OPG issues but I've not seen any proof. It's just one of those things, I guess.

So far my current engine has been good. When the oil nears the end of its life I start using more, but consumption is manageable and I've got 7k+ miles on the car since I bought it
 
Welcome Salil! Nice ride -- and you're only one state away -- you should consider:
https://trackmustangsonline.com/thr...sept-14-16-2018-track-mustangs-ontrack.13170/

This event looks like a blast, but I am scheduled to run another track the following weekend and it will be tough to get the consecutive weekends off.

Re: how many tires I can fit in a GT350...that's an excellent question. I plan to run One Lap of America in the car in May, so I am banking on at least two.
 
215
210
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
SoCal
Willow Springs 5.jpg
Hello everyone, I thought it was time to say hi after lurking a bit and posting a couple of times. Needless to say, I was bit by the "track bug" and wouldn't be here if I wasn't!

I used to race dirt bikes in Baja when I was younger and had been looking for a way to work into 4 wheels for some fun. I've always liked Mustangs, but I hadn't owned one since 91. Anyways, after reading the first reviews of the new S550 platform I bought a 2016 GTPP manual. It's not a dedicated track car, but it's not my daily driver either. I've been striving for a good compromise of track performance that is livable for the street.

After attending my first track event I started diving in with the mods. I installed RideTech II coilovers, Steeda sway bars with adjustable end links, MGW shifter, a CF driveshaft, BMR cradle lockout, and a host of other BMR and Steeda goodies for the rear suspension. I then attended a few more track events and have started again with the mods.

The car is up on stands in the garage right now while I have installed an APR front splitter, GT350 Track Pack rear spoiler, and longer ARP front studs for my new 19x11 BC Forged track wheels. I picked up a set of new (though a few years old) 305/30R19 Continental ContiForce Contacts for only $500. Track wheels where a given after I had worn out my stock Pirellis at the track.

I'm in the process right now of installing Steeda's front lateral links and tension links with the extended ball joints to reduce roll center height. The tension links have the spherical bearings as well. A bumpsteer kit is going in also.

I haven't done anything with the motor other than installing a Mishimoto intake tube and Solo catback exhaust. I figured it was wiser to work on getting through the corners first before I worry about power. I do see a flex fuel tune in my future though and I have modified the front grille for the Velossa Tech Big Mouth. I think the stock air box with a high flow air filter will work better for me with a tune at the track rather than going with an open CAI.

I've been busy trying to learn about the physics of tuning a car for handling and now I'm looking into alignment stuff. Hopefully I can learn a lot more from the experts and experience here.
 
Last edited:

Fabman

Dances with Racecars
6,519
8,156
Exp. Type
W2W Racing
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Pleasanton: 1/2 way between Sonoma and Laguna Seca
View attachment 3134
Hello everyone, I thought it was time to say hi after lurking a bit and posting a couple of times. Needless to say, I was bit by the "track bug" and wouldn't be here if I wasn't!

I used to race dirt bikes in Baja when I was younger and had been looking for a way to work into 4 wheels for some fun. I've always liked Mustangs, but I hadn't owned one since 91. Anyways, after reading the first reviews of the new S550 platform I bought a 2016 GTPP manual. It's not a dedicated track car, but it's not my daily driver either. I've been striving for a good compromise of track performance that is livable for the street.

After attending my first track event I started diving in with the mods. I installed RideTech II coilovers, Steeda sway bars with adjustable end links, MGW shifter, a CF driveshaft, BMR cradle lockout, and a host of other BMR and Steeda goodies for the rear suspension. I then attended a few more track events and have started again with the mods.

The car is up on stands in the garage right now while I have installed an APR front splitter, GT350 Track Pack rear spoiler, and longer ARP front studs for my new 19x11 BC Forged track wheels. I picked up a set of new (though a few years old) 305/30R19 Continental ContiForce Contacts for only $500. Track wheels where a given after I had worn out my stock Pirellis at the track.

I'm in the process right now of installing Steeda's front lateral links and tension links with the extended ball joints to reduce roll center height. The tension links have the spherical bearings as well. A bumpsteer kit is going in also.

I haven't done anything with the motor other than installing a Mishimoto intake tube and Solo catback exhaust. I figured it was wiser to work on getting through the corners first before I worry about power. I do see a flex fuel tune in my future though and I have modified the front grille for the Velossa Tech Big Mouth. I think the stock air box with a high flow air filter will work better for me with a tune at the track rather than going with an open CAI.

I've been busy trying to learn about the physics of tuning a car for handling and now I'm looking into alignment stuff. Hopefully I can learn a lot more from the experts and experience here.
You've come to the right place....looking forward to updates on your build. :D
 

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