Which Mustang GT?

I really like the ‘15 and newer GT. If I were to get a slightly used one and plan to autocross it locally in FS which configuration should I get? Should I get one with performance pack? How about Recaro seat? Any particular year that’s better or I should avoid?

Thanks guys.

The recaro seats are going to help you drive better.  I plan to install a used set in my challenge sn95 shortly after the challenge.  I’d get a PP car for the better brakes and gearing too.  A PP2 car with recaros if you don’t mind spendy....  but that’s approaching bullitt or gt350 pricing.

If you want a performance bargain and have smooth surfaces a 12 or 13 boss would be awesome too.  

Keep in mind the PP gearing runs redlines in 2nd at or before 60. On fast courses this will mean smashing the limiter and staying there, or making the 2-3-2 gear changes. 

z31maniac said:

Keep in mind the PP gearing runs redlines in 2nd at or before 60. On fast courses this will mean smashing the limiter and staying there, or making the 2-3-2 gear changes. 

I'm friends with a guy who runs an F/Street 2015 GT, and the gearing is a big gripe of his. He spends a lot of time bouncing between 2nd and 3rd with the Performance Pack gearing. Not helping is the fact that a lot of the good 200tw tires were even shorter than stock, making the gearing effectively shorter. Also, between the weight and relative lack of front camber, these cars will chew up front tires fast if it is driven competitively. He corded at least one pair of front RE71Rs, maybe 2 pairs.  

NickD said:

z31maniac said:

Keep in mind the PP gearing runs redlines in 2nd at or before 60. On fast courses this will mean smashing the limiter and staying there, or making the 2-3-2 gear changes. 

I'm friends with a guy who runs an F/Street 2015 GT, and the gearing is a big gripe of his. He spends a lot of time bouncing between 2nd and 3rd with the Performance Pack gearing. Not helping is the fact that a lot of the good 200tw tires were even shorter than stock, making the gearing effectively shorter. Also, between the weight and relative lack of front camber, these cars will chew up front tires fast if it is driven competitively. He corded at least one pair of front RE71Rs, maybe 2 pairs.  

Yep, the PP gearing is really too short for a car with that much HP.

If people are complaining about the gearing, can I whisper 'automatic' in your ear?  Faster up and down shift and it's a 1/2 second quicker to 60 and in the 1/4 mile.  

Adrian_Thompson said:

If people are complaining about the gearing, can I whisper 'automatic' in your ear?  Faster up and down shift and it's a 1/2 second quicker to 60 and in the 1/4 mile.  

That's only relevant on the '18+, since the '15-'17 doesn't have the super slick 10 spd auto.

Thanks for all the info guys. Sounds like PP isn’t ideal for autocross due to the short gearing. I think I might’ve heard that issue before. Is it possible to get Recaro in a ‘15 or newer Mustang GT without PP? 

Check your fit in the Recaro seats.  

In reply to z31maniac :

I think the PP gearing makes the car really annoying to drive on the street. Constant shifts. No thanks! 

Also, I know the visibility is better than a Camaro but it's still not great, especially if you're trying to park front in. Not my favorite street car!

Dave M said:

In reply to z31maniac :

I think the PP gearing makes the car really annoying to drive on the street. Constant shifts. No thanks! 

Also, I know the visibility is better than a Camaro but it's still not great, especially if you're trying to park front in. Not my favorite street car!

It does. It was the same gearing in my '13 Mustang GT, when they still called it the Track Pack. If you nailed it up an onramp, the car would still "bark" 4th gear at 100mph.

The flip side to that is, the car has more than enough power to skip gears when driving tamely around town.

One more vote against PP cars, they have GT350-like levels of grip without the GT350 oiling system upgrades and in stock form will cause oil starvation on the street. Any base Mustang on sticky tires will eventually wipe out bearings, so plan for adding a baffled pan for autocross/track use on 200TW tires.

z31maniac said:

Adrian_Thompson said:

If people are complaining about the gearing, can I whisper 'automatic' in your ear?  Faster up and down shift and it's a 1/2 second quicker to 60 and in the 1/4 mile.  

That's only relevant on the '18+, since the '15-'17 doesn't have the super slick 10 spd auto.

Fair point I hadn't thought about.  Still, if it were me I'd still go two pedal because.....well because auto's are no longer an impediment to fun or performance.  I am so so far out of autocross these days, do any National level people drive auto's in stock classes these days?  I know a lot of people thought C4 Vette's and various Slomaro's were better suited to AX with two rather than three pedals.  

The two piece drive shafts can sometimes be a problem in the Mustangs when abused. Check YouTube and Google for info on this. One piece replacements are expensive.

Can someone publish a Mustang Buyers Guide Chart?  

$1001 - $2500 - Buy This 

$2501 - $5000 - Buy This

$5000 - $8000 - Buy This 

And so on up to say $100K

Just came to say, buy the mustang if that's what you really want, but the E92M M3 and 6th gen camaro are faster and also in FS.

pinchvalve said:

Can someone publish a Mustang Buyers Guide Chart?  

$1001 - $2500 - Buy This 

$2501 - $5000 - Buy This

$5000 - $8000 - Buy This 

And so on up to say $100K

Take your budget. 

Buy the newest and least abused one you can find. 

You're welcome.

In reply to z31maniac :

Also, don't spend $100k on a Mustang.

pinchvalve said:

Can someone publish a Mustang Buyers Guide Chart?  

$1001 - $2500 - Buy This 

$2501 - $5000 - Buy This

$5000 - $8000 - Buy This 

And so on up to say $100K

1-2.5k. SN95 GT

2.5k to 5k clean SN95 GT ratty SN95 Cobra or well used ratty 05 GT

5-8k high mileage 05-09 GT

15k 11 or 12 GT

25k 12 or 13 boss 302

30k perf pack s550 and learn to shift apparently

50k gt350

I'd add the New Edge (99-04) GT into the 2.5-5k bracket, as well.

Do any of the mustangs have the ability to get more camber? Gt350?

In reply to rustybugkiller :

Adding camber and caster is easy via aftermarket solutions for any Mustang.  

rustybugkiller said:

Do any of the mustangs have the ability to get more camber? Gt350?

Crash bolts or camber plates. 

Like every other car with a MacStrut setup up front. 

AnthonyGS said:

pinchvalve said:

Can someone publish a Mustang Buyers Guide Chart?  

$1001 - $2500 - Buy This 

$2501 - $5000 - Buy This

$5000 - $8000 - Buy This 

And so on up to say $100K

 

1-2.5k. SN95 GT

2.5k to 5k clean SN95 GT ratty SN95 Cobra or well used ratty 05 GT

5-8k high mileage 05-09 GT

15k 11 or 12 GT

25k 12 or 13 boss 302

30k perf pack s550 and learn to shift apparently

50k gt350

 

I've seen some low mileage GT350s knocking around in the low 40s........but I've read of lots of blow-by/oil consumption issues, want to say there was something else as well.

Car and Driver did a long term GT350 and the amount of oil they had to add was shocking.  Their car was going through a quart every 800ish miles and Ford told them that a quart every 600 miles was normal.

That's not normal for me and I'd be very unhappy that my brand new car was consuming oil at that rate when new.