The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

My first track day in the Mustang thread . . . prep and impressions

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Just thought I'd blog alittle. Car is a 14 GT/TP. I'm an experienced driver.

Mods:
Brake ducts
DTC 60s
Typ200
SVE Drifts
Hoosier R6 scrubs (6 cycles) 285/30-18 (they were cheap!)

Prep:
See my other posts re: duct install. Pads ended up easy cause the car only has 1500 miles, so the rear pistons did not have to be retracted (fronts either). Fluid change with Motive bleeder (oddly, I didn't have an 11mm wrench so I didn't get the inboard driver's side front bled cause I didn't want to chew up the screw). Test drive was good. Loaded wheels (1 trunk, 2 back seat, 1 front seat). Helmet, head sock, gloves, shoes--check.

Time to kick the tires and light the fire!

Note to self (needs):

Tire totes
11mm wrench
13/64 deep impact
Remove rear plates
 
You've got all the basics covered. When's the first track day? Hopefully it's with a Porsche club so you'll have lots of cars to pass. ;D
 
Tomorrow. Private members' track day with a few of my old racing buddies in their GTS3 cars (2 993s and an E46M). If I can get within 5 secs of their times, I'll be happy. As for the other members, I'm sure there'll be some high dollar stuff going slow! ;D
 

Grant 302

basic and well known psychic
Just a suggestion for your next bleed, pump your clutch about 50 times to cycle out the fluid once the reservoir is full of new fluid. Since they're on a shared fluid system, you want to get as much old fluid out as you can. Apply vacuum to the reservoir as a last step if you have a vacuum pump.

Good luck and looking forward to your updates!
 

dmichaels

Papa Smurf
547
30
CT
Hope it goes well. Good call putting in the brake ducts, you'll need them. Interested to hear your thoughts after the event. The TP GT's do quite well
 
Great day at the track with some great friends! In summary, I am extremely surprised at how easy it is to drive this car fast. It's BMW-like! So grippy, so well balanced, so composed.

Then handling: unlike other very good street cars I've driven on the track (GTI, Boxster S), there was no "wait til the weight shifts, then the car takes a set". The car transitioned very well. It didn't not feel as heavy as it is, and it does not feel as soft as a street car should. I could easily rotate it with either pedal. Very good turn in. A bit of mid corner understeer if you come in too hot, but certainly nothing that couldn't be easily corrected. It reminded me of my Miata--if you aren't getting to the apex, just turn the wheel more and there's more grip to get you there. At exit, the rear just wanted to hunker down and go! I was hoping it would be good enough that I would be satisfied without a new suspension, and it is. But now I'm wondering, "how good could this be with just a modest upgrade!"

The Go: I will never want for power. Never had an issue with getting the power down. Square set up is a non-issue--dunno if the TP is set up better by Ford because they send it out the door with a square set up, or if its just a function of good throttle control, but I can only remember counter steering one time out of a corner and I wasn't careful with the throttle.

The stop: Wow! I will admit this was the one element I didn't try to exploit. Never an hint of fade (the tires would go away before the brakes would). I never got to the limit of how deep I could take it, but I was easily taking it deeper than a car that big and fast should go. Dive is crazy--that alone is reason to get the suspension.

Didn't have any of the issues discussed here. Did miss a couple of shifts but I would blame myself before I'd blame the car. If I was deliberate and smooth, it was a non-issue.

In the end, I was turning laps as fast as my buddy's E46M (admittedly, it needs a better set up). The P-cars were about 4 secs faster. Only timed one session and easily hit a 1:38.2 with a passenger. There was a Boss out there later. I suspect on stock rubber with a less experienced driver turning 148-50.

Love it, love it, love it!
 

ArizonaBOSS

Because racecar.
Moderator
8,730
2,734
Arizona, USA
Nice review and cool pics...I have been the "show up with everything "Tetrised" in to the car guy for a long while, at least until this upcoming track weekend.

Glad to hear you liked the Mustang and weren't left pining for your old BMW :)

Those 285/30s have a TINY sidewall, wow
 

Grant 302

basic and well known psychic
Nice to hear you're loving the car. Interested in what you plan to improve along the way.

And yeah, the 285/30s look *ridiculous* with the stock ride height!
 
The first step was brakes, and that went very well. I'll probably thow on some solid lines. Pedal feel was good, but alittle better feel and alot more protection from rupture is always a good thing.

I'll keep researching. I like the sound of the Koni/steeda/strano bars, combo that has been recommended. I'm not looking for lap times, so I'm not looking for a car that wants to be driven on the edge. I want to maintain streetability and predictability on track. Its an easy car to drive fast, and I don't want to screw that up!
 
My buddy in the BMW posted up some video. Nice to have friends in fast race cars push you all around the track while you try to learn a new car! Finally had to tell them to cool it!

Not my best driving! Where I'm good in my BMW, I'm real fast in the stang. Where I'm bad in the Bimmer, I look like a novice in this car!!

https://vimeo.com/76268413
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top