i know a guy that X-es a roush 427R. he personally admits that it is almost too heavy to handle it. as far as the sport's car category, i wouldn't put either the mustang or the rx8 in that category. sport's car, in my mind, is two seats and a steering wheel. both have the raw feeling and great handling that i would consider a sport's car to have, but, aesthetically, i wouldn't consider them in that group.

 

My only argument is that the Mustang is not a sports car, it's a muscle or "pony" car, though it could be. As Vince points out, in stock form the rear is too trigger happy for the AutoX course. They don't usually do that well for the ability they have for acceleration. They just can't get all that power to the ground in the twisties.
Even the recent mags that are touting the 2010 say having an indie rear end could take it to the next level. Dump in an old Jag rear, redistribute F-R weight ratio a bit and with some help from Mr. Shelby & Co. (650hp or so) they might have a true Corvette beater and relative to super car prices, an automotive bargain.

And Vince, the Mustang is a solid axle RWD car. Your Bu is FWD. Apples and oranges, my friend.

 

While it's not the most technologically advanced, the solid rear axle 4-link rear suspension works quite well. Many people do drag race these cars, and having the ability to easily swap out gearsets is something a large part of the Mustang community look for.

That article isn't just a guy saying it's good. They had a brand new car that they had hardly tested and came out to race against established teams/vehicles and won (FYI....I'm quite positive that most of the vehicles they were racing against had IRS.).

That's not talking the talk.....that's walking the walk.

I'm sure Ferrari's and Lamborghini's don't do that well in AutoX either. AutoX is the great equalizer for smaller/lighter cars vs higher HP/heavier cars. (Take a MiniCooper for example.)

Put those same cars on a larger track against each other and see how well they do.

FYI....Shelby GT500 pulls 0.91g so it obviously corners quite well, and with Brembo brakes at all (4) corners (14" rotors up front) it's got the stop to go with the GO. Sure the weight distribution isn't ideal (58F/42R) but I've driven many Mustangs, including the GT500 and I tell you they've got serious fun factor when it comes to driving.

Sorry for the highjack MAZDASALESMAN - and don't get me wrong - I think the RX-8 is a nice little car. But if I'm looking for a 2+2 Sports Coupe (better definition of the vehicle segment) - I'd be buying a Mustang.

 

He's so defensive about his Fords isn't he?
I think we have established that the Mustang is universally loved for one reason or another. I wouldn't mind having one myself and the last one I drove was an '05 GT, 5sp.

As far as mazdasalesman concerned about threadjacking... no need to worry. He is out of the house and will stay that way.

 

With over 11% unemployment here in Michigan (highest in the country I believe) these times are tough in the industry and I admit to bleeding Ford blue....my family's livelihood depends on it.

mazdasalesman turned out to be epeen huh?

 

We think so, either that or he was a friend, relative or coworker. In any case, he left a nice little "message" for me after I banned him when he came back on as analease. That lasted about 10 mins, then I banned him again!
He was coming onto the women of this forum via PMs and they did not appreciate it. After seeing a few of them I certainly didn't blame them and asked him to stop. The first thing he did was do it again!
I didn't trust him from his first reply (the "game" post)... and anyone that comes on asking us to help him sell cars puts me on alert anyway. Even if he was sincere about his intentions, he was a one hit wonder at best.

 

Just want to point something out...all of the Stangs wearing Shelby or Roush badges are almost always gold (except the latest GT500, which STILL had the same basic suspension despite the 200 extra HP. I think Shelby wants people to die). The Roush Mustang, THAT I would have over a Z06 - 85% of the track performance, but 200% more drivability. Who could drive a Z06 every day?

Well, rephrase...I would take a Roush Mustang any day. But that's not a stock Mustang GT, it's what the car can do when the company behind it is serious, IMO.

Oh, no, I know that Rich. I was just trying to convey that even a cheap car like mine was fitted with it. Why cheap out by going live-axle on a muscle car? It just makes things worse when you try to go around a corner...unless you're a drifter. Then I guess you're in heaven.

 

Geez, there must be something in the wind these days as we have one of these recurring trolls showing up on the board that I help moderate. It seems that both of us have been the target of a post or two with some very choice words in them.

 

I understand that IRS is better from a purely handling standpoint - however muscle cars have typically been tail happy, and historically have always been solid axle. You can still get excellent handling out of a solid axle if it's set-up properly as evidenced by the road course success the Mustang had from it's 2005 debut season & later.

A RWD IRS is also much more expensive to implement than what is in your Malibu (no driveline going through it, doesn't have to deal with torque, etc.) Have you noticed the price tags of those IRS Roush Mustangs? There are reasons for that - IRS is one of them. You say it's what can be done when the company is serious - I say it's what can be done when you've got a much larger budget, sales price and profit margin to work with. Big difference in cost between a $26K GT Mustang and a $50+K Roush.

You sacrifice some "drag-ability" with IRS. More difficult to change gearing, fewer aftermarket parts available to strengthen the rear end, etc. That is something that is taken into consideration with the Mustang. Unfortunately you can't please everyone all the time. Drag racing is a HUGE part of the Mustang heritage (and muscle cars in general), with entire classes of racing devoted to Mustangs.

You can keep it solid axle for the masses that want it, then have the Roush's, Saleen's etc of the world develop their own supercars off of them at much higher price tags. (Cars that for the performance offered, are some of the best high performance deals going.)

Have you driven a new Mustang at it's limits? I have. It has a very controllable feel....and it you push it too far, the rear does come out, but it's still in control. All of the professional write-ups I see are very positive about the handling of the Mustang.

 

Yep....that's the epeen.