Stang Review by Fbody guy? Why not =)

SkarodoM · 10-25-2001, 09:07 AM

Perhaps? What have I to say after spending some time driving around in it?

1st, car is a 2002 GT 'vert, 5spd.. mineral grey, all options....

Power, only 3XXmiles on it, and to be safe I'm only running it up to 4000rpm. Initially from a smooth takeoff it feels like most family sedans, smooth.. electric.. not very muscular. Once it gets a lil over 3k it started to pull much harder. The lil mod motor doesn't FEEL like it has much lowend at all, its begging for some gear. Feels to me like 4k-6k is where I need to be

. This is of course coming from someone used to much.. much more, so the way I perceive it may be sliiiightly skewed.

Controls.. eh.. I like them, everything is nicely upholstered (for a 26k car =) ), everything's within easy reach... everything I went for anyway. The shifter.. I don't like it (I'm used to my pro5.0). Aside from it obviously being a mushy stock unit, its too far away dammit! I have short legs (30" inseam) and adjusting the seat so I could comfortably put my clutch foot on the floor STILL had me too far back, IMO anyway. I believe a profiveoh like I have in the 'maro would yield a huge improvement in throw, feel and driver confidence. Especially when I'm stretching to solidly hit 3rd. The clutch.. perhaps I'm used to my aftermarket one, which I have adjusted so that from fully engaged to fully disengaged is the top ~2" of pedal travel. When I shift my car, I simply tap it. In the stang, stock (fbodies may be like this stock, I honestly don't remember) the clutch engages right off the floor. Not a big deal, and a good thing I suppose since I was getting as close to the shifter as I could

.

Handling.. mmm, it isn't bad, but its noticeably taller and more narrow than my z.. which is low and wide. I haven't pushed it very hard, I'd rather not wad it up. Honestly it feels vague, but I DO like the IRS. Around the very tight and ROUGH corners it feels planted. Whether I want to take the bad (wheelhop) along with IRS' good points.. I dunno what id choose.

Comfort. This damn thing is a caddy compared to my car lol. The ride is killer, the seating position etc are all very.. casual. I like it ALOT, tho they chose to sacrifice some feel for ride quality (understandable, they're businessmen), I'd have to do a lil suspension modifications

. Honestly the interior makes me sad when I lookit my car. Obviously its new, but I've seen rattles etc. from new fbodies I've been in. Right now the stang interior is taught, smooth and quiet... we'll see if it stays this way or what I suppose. One thing that I'm really REALLY jealous of... the BRAKES. They're not like the ones on the old mans C5, but they make me feel even more like I'm throwing a rock tied to the back of my car out my window to slow me in the Z. They're nice and sensitive.. pedal is firm, but only needs a light touch for normal stopping. It makes the Z feel like it doesn't have power brakes comparatively

.

Eh.. other misc BS...

I like the looks, a lot. Those grey torque thrust looking wheels are the sh*t, and the mineral grey.. mmmm I catch myself looking turning around to look at it. Sucks, makes my black Z look sick. Of course the old dog is battle hardened and has a bite like a motherf*cker.. so I grin a lil when I think about how incognito the Z really is... so long as its not running or in the evening when the gauges are readily viewable.

Overall? If I had to buy a new car.. I'd buy one of the stangs b4 I bought another fbody. I don't buy new cars however, it'd be one of the 1999-2000 with the "windsor" modular instead of the "romeo" of the 2001's and up. I think it'd make a killer daily driver. The damn thing is begging to have a gear thrown in it... full exh (mmmm love that sound), shifter, a lil boost... It'd be a killer daily driver

. Its not as focused as the new fbodies, but I can easily see why it outsells em 3:1. Do I want the Z to be mustangized in 04/5 so they appeal to everyone? Helllllll NO, I love my rattly, brutish piece.

Thats my long-winded pseudo-review of a new stang from a fbody guys POV. keep in mind... its prolly somewhat understated regarding performance & controls b/c I'm used to SO much more power & shifter/clutch etc. thats very.. defined

awright.. ill stop talkin now

-Phil

bigwhitecobra · 10-25-2001, 10:57 AM

You should get one. Then you will be fully converted.

"Luke, I am your father"

"Come to the dark side"

Later man.

tireburner163 · 10-25-2001, 11:24 AM

GT's don't come with the IRS. That a solid axle your ridin on.

------------------
THE SLO PONY
1992 Ford Mustand LX. 2.3 liter four-banger, auto. Future mods: V-8 swap.

Fly it loud, Fly it proud!!!

If it ain't broke, you ain't tryin hard enough

exgmguy · 10-25-2001, 04:06 PM

Ford exhaust has always sounded sweet. I hate the way LS1's sound. But, hey if Drag radials and a sure shift are all it takes to run a 12 in a near stock car I can live with the exhaust!

I work construction in Dearborn and see a lot of new Cobras around. They look damn sweet coming at you around a curve!

------------------
1988 Mustang GT
11.8 @ 123 (7/14/01)
11.5 @ 120 (9/14/01)
1992 BadAzz Wrangler
1993 Explorer

See my car at: www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?179

SkarodoM · 10-25-2001, 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tireburner163:
GT's don't come with the IRS. That a solid axle your ridin on.

? mmmm i was told IRS, encrusting. i suppose the overall cushyness of it made it feel smoother through the overly rough stuff

solid es bueno

NO SLO PK · 10-25-2001, 11:06 PM

FWIW, I enjoyed reading your post. I would be interested in knowing what your impression would be after driving a new 320 hp Cobra with IRS. It probably wouldn't be as fast as a new SS, but I'm sure the refinement would be much better with the Cobra.

If the brakes on the GT are very good, then brakes on the Cobra are awesome.

Btw, I drove a buddy's '97 Z28 and was expecting just a little more acceleration by the seat of the pants feel. I'm sure a new SS or T/A would be more impressive.

L8r

------------------
Russ L
'91 LX
Procharger, 3 row intercooler, extrude honed Cobra intake, Mac full Length Headers, 30# inj., 73mm C&L, 75mm tb, E303 cam, 289 rods, ported E7 heads, MSD, T-Rex w/255 lph Walbro, 5 lug conversion, Cobra R wheels, 3.27 gears and Moser Axles.

joe4speed · 10-26-2001, 12:37 PM

good review, I like the ss and Ram-air T/A's too...

------------------
Joe! 1988 GT, 167,000 miles!!! 13.58@105mph Check out my listing! Click here! Or my website:www.joe4speed.com
99 Ninja ZX-6R:10.32@135mph!
1993 Olds Eighty Eight LSS 16.40@88.8mph

exgmguy · 10-27-2001, 02:39 PM

You expected more oomph from that '97 because it was an LT1.

------------------
1988 Mustang GT
11.8 @ 123 (7/14/01)
11.5 @ 120 (9/14/01)
1992 BadAzz Wrangler
1993 Explorer

See my car at: www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?179

10-25-2001, 09:07 AM	#1
SkarodoM Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 199	Stang Review by Fbody guy? Why not =) Perhaps? What have I to say after spending some time driving around in it? 1st, car is a 2002 GT 'vert, 5spd.. mineral grey, all options.... Power, only 3XXmiles on it, and to be safe I'm only running it up to 4000rpm. Initially from a smooth takeoff it feels like most family sedans, smooth.. electric.. not very muscular. Once it gets a lil over 3k it started to pull much harder. The lil mod motor doesn't FEEL like it has much lowend at all, its begging for some gear. Feels to me like 4k-6k is where I need to be . This is of course coming from someone used to much.. much more, so the way I perceive it may be sliiiightly skewed. Controls.. eh.. I like them, everything is nicely upholstered (for a 26k car =) ), everything's within easy reach... everything I went for anyway. The shifter.. I don't like it (I'm used to my pro5.0). Aside from it obviously being a mushy stock unit, its too far away dammit! I have short legs (30" inseam) and adjusting the seat so I could comfortably put my clutch foot on the floor STILL had me too far back, IMO anyway. I believe a profiveoh like I have in the 'maro would yield a huge improvement in throw, feel and driver confidence. Especially when I'm stretching to solidly hit 3rd. The clutch.. perhaps I'm used to my aftermarket one, which I have adjusted so that from fully engaged to fully disengaged is the top ~2" of pedal travel. When I shift my car, I simply tap it. In the stang, stock (fbodies may be like this stock, I honestly don't remember) the clutch engages right off the floor. Not a big deal, and a good thing I suppose since I was getting as close to the shifter as I could . Handling.. mmm, it isn't bad, but its noticeably taller and more narrow than my z.. which is low and wide. I haven't pushed it very hard, I'd rather not wad it up. Honestly it feels vague, but I DO like the IRS. Around the very tight and ROUGH corners it feels planted. Whether I want to take the bad (wheelhop) along with IRS' good points.. I dunno what id choose. Comfort. This damn thing is a caddy compared to my car lol. The ride is killer, the seating position etc are all very.. casual. I like it ALOT, tho they chose to sacrifice some feel for ride quality (understandable, they're businessmen), I'd have to do a lil suspension modifications . Honestly the interior makes me sad when I lookit my car. Obviously its new, but I've seen rattles etc. from new fbodies I've been in. Right now the stang interior is taught, smooth and quiet... we'll see if it stays this way or what I suppose. One thing that I'm really REALLY jealous of... the BRAKES. They're not like the ones on the old mans C5, but they make me feel even more like I'm throwing a rock tied to the back of my car out my window to slow me in the Z. They're nice and sensitive.. pedal is firm, but only needs a light touch for normal stopping. It makes the Z feel like it doesn't have power brakes comparatively . Eh.. other misc BS... I like the looks, a lot. Those grey torque thrust looking wheels are the sht, and the mineral grey.. mmmm I catch myself looking turning around to look at it. Sucks, makes my black Z look sick. Of course the old dog is battle hardened and has a bite like a motherfcker**.. so I grin a lil when I think about how incognito the Z really is... so long as its not running or in the evening when the gauges are readily viewable. Overall? If I had to buy a new car.. I'd buy one of the stangs b4 I bought another fbody. I don't buy new cars however, it'd be one of the 1999-2000 with the "windsor" modular instead of the "romeo" of the 2001's and up. I think it'd make a killer daily driver. The damn thing is begging to have a gear thrown in it... full exh (mmmm love that sound), shifter, a lil boost... It'd be a killer daily driver . Its not as focused as the new fbodies, but I can easily see why it outsells em 3:1. Do I want the Z to be mustangized in 04/5 so they appeal to everyone? Helllllll NO, I love my rattly, brutish piece. Thats my long-winded pseudo-review of a new stang from a fbody guys POV. keep in mind... its prolly somewhat understated regarding performance & controls b/c I'm used to SO much more power & shifter/clutch etc. thats very.. defined awright.. ill stop talkin now -Phil

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10-25-2001, 10:57 AM	#2
bigwhitecobra Huh? Whatcha said? Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Fayetteville, NC Posts: 1,073	You should get one. Then you will be fully converted. "Luke, I am your father" "Come to the dark side" Later man.

10-25-2001, 11:24 AM	#3
tireburner163 It's a lot like a race car Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Meridian, MS Posts: 4,130	GT's don't come with the IRS. That a solid axle your ridin on. ------------------ THE SLO PONY 1992 Ford Mustand LX. 2.3 liter four-banger, auto. Future mods: V-8 swap. Fly it loud, Fly it proud!!! If it ain't broke, you ain't tryin hard enough

10-25-2001, 04:06 PM	#4
exgmguy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: Utica, Michigan Posts: 2,631	Ford exhaust has always sounded sweet. I hate the way LS1's sound. But, hey if Drag radials and a sure shift are all it takes to run a 12 in a near stock car I can live with the exhaust! I work construction in Dearborn and see a lot of new Cobras around. They look damn sweet coming at you around a curve! ------------------ 1988 Mustang GT 11.8 @ 123 (7/14/01) 11.5 @ 120 (9/14/01) 1992 BadAzz Wrangler 1993 Explorer See my car at: www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?179

10-25-2001, 11:06 PM	#6
NO SLO PK Registered Member Join Date: Mar 1999 Location: Arcadia, CA, USA Posts: 731	FWIW, I enjoyed reading your post. I would be interested in knowing what your impression would be after driving a new 320 hp Cobra with IRS. It probably wouldn't be as fast as a new SS, but I'm sure the refinement would be much better with the Cobra. If the brakes on the GT are very good, then brakes on the Cobra are awesome. Btw, I drove a buddy's '97 Z28 and was expecting just a little more acceleration by the seat of the pants feel. I'm sure a new SS or T/A would be more impressive. L8r ------------------ Russ L '91 LX Procharger, 3 row intercooler, extrude honed Cobra intake, Mac full Length Headers, 30# inj., 73mm C&L, 75mm tb, E303 cam, 289 rods, ported E7 heads, MSD, T-Rex w/255 lph Walbro, 5 lug conversion, Cobra R wheels, 3.27 gears and Moser Axles.

10-26-2001, 12:37 PM	#7
joe4speed He said Member...heh, heh Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Jupiter, Florida U.S.A. Posts: 3,718	good review, I like the ss and Ram-air T/A's too... ------------------ Joe! 1988 GT, 167,000 miles!!! 13.58@105mph Check out my listing! Click here! Or my website:www.joe4speed.com 99 Ninja ZX-6R:10.32@135mph! 1993 Olds Eighty Eight LSS 16.40@88.8mph

10-27-2001, 02:39 PM	#8
exgmguy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 1999 Location: Utica, Michigan Posts: 2,631	You expected more oomph from that '97 because it was an LT1. ------------------ 1988 Mustang GT 11.8 @ 123 (7/14/01) 11.5 @ 120 (9/14/01) 1992 BadAzz Wrangler 1993 Explorer See my car at: www.mustangworks.com/cgi-bin/moi-display.cgi?179