Great article! I like knowing the nitty-gritty of how the LCAs affect the Mustang's handling. My V-6 Perf. Pack. has GT500 LCAs but even those look like they are made of stamped steel. I'm not sure what the difference is compared to regular Mustang LCAs besides silver paint. Different length? No voids in the bushings, maybe?
ultraclyde wrote: Nice build so far. I'm planning more upgrades for my 05 over the next year, so I had a few questions - Like the Nurburgrings, I'm hoping to get the machined version, but why did you go 8" wide instead of 9.5" with a 275 tire? I'm running 255s on my factory 17" wheels now, and I thought all the new pony's had 8.5" wide rims from the factory... How's the highway ride with the Ultralight springs? I'm finally ready to drop the ride height, but I want to preserve the GT car nature and keep enough comfort for long hauls. Is the Whiteline watts link adjustable like the Fays unit? Any thoughts on one vs the other besides unsprung weight? I need to take the time to read the link you just posted, looks like good info. Thanks!
The factory non-track-pack 18" wheels are 18x8, running a 235/50ZR18 Pirelli P-Zero-Nero all-season tire. At the time, the only wheels I could find were 18x8 in those TSWs. You can also get them in 18x9, but I haven't been able to find 18x9.5 in the correct offset and backspacing. It isn't that big of a deal that my rims are only 8" wide, as they're my daily wheels. I'm saving up for some 18x10" wheels like these to run lower treadwear tires specifically for competition.
The ultralites ride just fine on the highway; they really aren't that stiff. The Maximum Motorsports caster/camber plates do add a small amount of NVH, however.
Yes, the Whiteline watts linkage is adjustable. I prefer a differential-mounted unit because, in my opinion, it is easier to adjust because there are fewer variables or "degrees of freedom." RexSeven has my old Fays2 unit (that I never installed), and he likes it. Differential-mount watts linkages also allow more room for sway bars and wider tires.
RexSeven wrote: Great article! I like knowing the nitty-gritty of how the LCAs affect the Mustang's handling. My V-6 Perf. Pack. has GT500 LCAs but even those look like they are made of stamped steel. I'm not sure what the difference is compared to regular Mustang LCAs besides silver paint. Different length? No voids in the bushings, maybe?
I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between V6, GT, and GT500 LCAs. Can you take some up-close pictures next time the wheels are off?
Also, these were the factory 18" wheels on my car. They were a $500 "upgrade."
I hate chrome.
ahh, it's the factory 19s that are 8.5 wide. Ditto on the chrome, I specifically opted for the dark gray torque thrust style 17s on mine as the factory 18s were bright aluminum and heinous....but no wider.
Sky_Render wrote:RexSeven wrote: Great article! I like knowing the nitty-gritty of how the LCAs affect the Mustang's handling. My V-6 Perf. Pack. has GT500 LCAs but even those look like they are made of stamped steel. I'm not sure what the difference is compared to regular Mustang LCAs besides silver paint. Different length? No voids in the bushings, maybe?I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between V6, GT, and GT500 LCAs. Can you take some up-close pictures next time the wheels are off?
http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/M5538A/Mustang-GT500-Style-Rear-Lower-Control-Arm-Pair
Higher durometer bushing according to LMR. Other than that and silver paint, I don't see much difference between the normal and GT500 LCA.
RexSeven wrote:Sky_Render wrote:http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/M5538A/Mustang-GT500-Style-Rear-Lower-Control-Arm-Pair Higher durometer bushing according to LMR. Other than that and silver paint, I don't see much difference between the normal and GT500 LCA.RexSeven wrote: Great article! I like knowing the nitty-gritty of how the LCAs affect the Mustang's handling. My V-6 Perf. Pack. has GT500 LCAs but even those look like they are made of stamped steel. I'm not sure what the difference is compared to regular Mustang LCAs besides silver paint. Different length? No voids in the bushings, maybe?I'm not entirely sure what the difference is between V6, GT, and GT500 LCAs. Can you take some up-close pictures next time the wheels are off?
Those bushings look the EXACT SAME as my stock ones...
ultraclyde wrote: ahh, it's the factory 19s that are 8.5 wide. Ditto on the chrome, I specifically opted for the dark gray torque thrust style 17s on mine as the factory 18s were bright aluminum and heinous....but no wider.
That must be the California Special's then?
The Track Pack GT's are 19x9 with 255/40/19 PIrelli P-Zero Max Performance Summer tire.
I really want to step up 19x10s with 285/35/19s.......but it also needs a drop for that (which it does anyway thanks to the crazy stock fender gap).
And I just can't justify the money for all that when I have the Miata for track work.
For stock though, I think the car does well. It rides fantastic on the soft, cushy stock stuff..............didn't even realize I was bombing down the highway on the way to lunch yesterday at 95 until I looked at the Speedo. 
GT/CS / V-6 Perf. Pack. wheels are 19x8.5". Same style, different colors on the 2013s.
Interesting, it's too bad the 19x9s on my car are so freakin' heavy!
31lbs!
I don't think the 19x8.5s are much lighter. Someone quoted 25.5lb each on a Mustang-only forum I go to. They look heavier than that. For comparison, the same size TSW Nurburgring wheel weighs 21.4lb, according to their website.
At some point I will get an approximate weight by weighing one of the wheels and subtracting the tire weight. If/when I do I will post it in my car's build thread.
The 18x8 TSW Nurburgrings I have on the car right now weigh just under 19 lbs each.
So I've spent almost 2 whole autocross seasons on (relatively) narrow NT555s. These are a 300-treadwear summer tire and are relatively narrow for my platform, measuring in at "only" 255 mm.
I needed something stickier.
Unfortunately, some unexpected things came up, and the budget I thought I would have for a nice set of BFG Rivals and forged 18x10 wheels was drastically reduced.
After scouring the Intarwebs, I found a set of Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires on sale for only $99 each at OnlineTires.com. So I ordered a set. (My amazing girlfriend bought me two of them for Christmas. 
)
The awesome thing about being a bachelor? Stacking racing tires in your kitchen:
These tires are 285/40ZR18 and, as you can see, are pretty frakking wide. They have a treadwear of only 180, which is pretty soft, considering 140 is considered "R-comp" by some.
I really, really wanted those sweet 18x10 Forgestars that Terry Fair sells, but I couldn't afford the price tag. So I ordered a set of 18x10 wheels from American Muscle that look suspiciously like my daily-driven 18x8 TSW Nurburgrings:
W I D E :
And then had them mounted and balanced:
Yes, I realize these are not the most amazing tire out there. I've had two different friends with S197 Mustangs use these same tires before and said they are pretty good. They are certainly better (and wider) than the NT555s I have on there now, and I flat-out couldn't argue with the price. (Those BFG Rivals are going to be over $300 each.)
The nice thing about these is that I can bolt them on the night before an event, drive them to and from the event, and then put my street tires back on. I'm hoping these will last me a couple years.
That there is a good setup at a good price. You did good.
Thank you. A few guys in my autox club said the tires "sucked" or were a "second set of daily drivers" but they're better than what I have now and were all I could afford at this time.
Here's to hoping in a few years I can afford to mount 315 Hoosier A6s on all of them. 
Tires are never large enough or sticky enough!
Wish I could afford to get my mustang out and have fun with it.
okay, what's the offset on those to get the 18x10s on the front? I'd really love to do more tire than my 255s as well, and I've been eyeballing the 9.5 wides, but hey, 10 is better, right?
EDIT: okay, I looked on the AM site, and the 18x10s are all listed as rear only. Have you had any fit issues on the front? Have you got a picture of them installed, I can't wait to see how she looks!
I'm diggin the '13 GT500 style wheels they show...
In reply to ultraclyde:
http://www.americanmuscle.com/charcoal-amr-18x10-0512.html
AM claims they are "rear only" because they stick out past the front fenders a wee bit. Who cares; they're my "race wheels." They don't have TPMS sensors, either.
No pics of them on the Pony yet; it's been miserable here lately and I haven't even put them on the car. They've just been stacked in the garage. Quite a few other people have already run them. They clear Brembos, too.
Autocross seasons starts this Saturday. Get excited!
That meant last weekend was the Mustang's yearly oil change. I snapped a picture showing the size difference of the new Goodyears (on the ground) and the previous Nittos (on the car):
The stock differential is a Ford "TracLock," which is a clutch-type unit. GT500s get an upgraded unit with carbon clutches, and BOSS 302s and track pack cars get a worm-gear Torsen type.
My car is neither of those, so I'm stuck with the stock clutch TracLock LSD. It's not a bad unit at all. But the problem is longevity. Hard drag launches on slicks can kill it quickly. Autocrossing and open tracking on sticky tires can kill it even faster. Fortunately, I run street tires at autocrosses, use second gear almost exclusively during those events, and try not to break the wheels free on sharp corners. Thus far, my stock TracLock has seemed to hold up. Knocks on wood.
Heat is what kills the clutches in these things, and unfortunately, friction is how they operate. And friction creates heat.
In an effort to make my limited slip unit last a little longer while I save money for something more bullet proof, I ordered this:
This is a Ford Racing aluminum differential cover, which comes stock on GT500s. Aluminum conducts heat far better than steel (which is what the stock cover is made of). Furthermore, the fins built into it will act as a heat sink to further reduce gear oil temperatures. There are also drain and fill ports drilled and tapped into the cover to make changing the fluid easier. The kit also came with ARP hardware, because ARP bolts make everything sexier.
Cool! I love simple modifications that serve a purpose and look cool at the same time. Bonus points for getting a Ford-branded product!
Winston wrote: Cool! I love simple modifications that serve a purpose and look cool at the same time. Bonus points for getting a Ford-branded product!
It's hard to see in the photo, but those fins stick out about 2-3" for lots of surface area to conduct heat.
This is a Ford product, but the drain plugs were drilled and tapped by Steeda.
Sky_Render wrote: Also, these were the factory 18" wheels on my car. They were a $500 "upgrade." I *hate* chrome.
I love that color
well done
I've heard it isn't too tough to swap out the clutches in the rear end of those things, but this was coming from someone with a lift, well to be specific Mark Daddio. He had to swap the clutches out on his Brembo equipped GT probably halfway through the season, but he was doing most of the major autox events around the country and the car was on Hoosiers. If you only do local events on streets I doubt you will have a big problem.
Harvey wrote: I've heard it isn't too tough to swap out the clutches in the rear end of those things, but this was coming from someone with a lift, well to be specific Mark Daddio. He had to swap the clutches out on his Brembo equipped GT probably halfway through the season, but he was doing most of the major autox events around the country and the car was on Hoosiers. If you only do local events on streets I doubt you will have a big problem.
You're correct. I could also upgrade to the carbon GT500 clutch pack.
But I don't want a "solution" that requires me to rebuild the diff as a maintenance item. So I'm saving up in the hopes of getting an Eaton TrueTrac or Torsen. I'm leaning towards the Eaton unit, as it is a bit stouter and doesn't detonate if you launch hard at a drag strip.
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