Ford Mustang Dark Horse Track Test and Data Review
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- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- The Ford Mustang Dark Horse has plenty of power-a total of 500 ponies, to be exact-but how does it actually do on track? Find out as our test driver J.G. Pasterjak took one around the Grassroots Motorsports official test track, the Florida International Rally & Motorsport Park (FIRM).
#ford #mustang #tracktest #GrassrootsMotorsports
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Learn more about our official test track The Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park:
gorally.com/
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Hosted by: J.G. Pasterjak, Production Manager and Test Driver
Video editing by: Chris Tropea, Associate Editor
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Needs more negative camber. What are the current as driven camber specs? I find this so much the problem with 'track ready' oem cars. Lots of big specs but then no camber to let the full contact patch work. From the BRZ to the STO out of the box camber limited leading to understeer and or prematurly destroyed outer edges on the tires.
Absolutely true. It's rare we see an OEM alignment that measures out at more than about .1º of negative camber. Most cars we see are 0º, and some (coughWRXcough) even had measurable positive camber in the front. Even the best wheel and tire package is going to be hamstrung if it's only using the outside edges of the rubber.
We've had a lot of debates over this as part of our testing, and we ultimately decided that leaving the cars as delivered is our only sustainable path. Some manufacturers freak out if you do anything more complex than putting gas in their loaners, and even if we could adjust something, where do we stop?
Great, honest review! ❤
How does it compare vs. a Camaro SS 1LE and a Mach 1?
Would love to see this compared to a standard GT350
The optional Handling Pack is a HUGE upgrade over the base Darkhorse. The 305/315mm Trofeo RS tires are comparable in grip to the Yokohama A052 tire - we've done 3 back-to-back tests showing this on our 2024 Darkhorse. But the RS tires only come with 4/32" of tread depth and they wear VERY quickly. We have been running both the A052 and RS on our car and the Yokohamas last 2-3 times longer.
Also, the 6-speed Tremec transmission is very very good - the rev matching option is exceptionally good. I know you guys don't get to choose what comes in the press fleet, but for anyone ordering one of these, get the 6-speed and Optional Handling Pack. Cheers!
We know there's a few Handling Package Dark Horses in press fleets around the country (including one in Texas, so if you see it let us know). We've asked Ford to hopefully re-allocate one to the southeast before they leave the fleets. We'll see if we can make it happen.
Hard to imagine A052s lasting longer than anything... doesn't the handling pack also get camber plates?
@@MaxPwr176 - they do have "camber plates" but the range of adjustment is very small, and they are extremely difficult to adjust.
Pic: photos.smugmug.com/Projects/Vorshlag-2024-Darkhorse/i-2kcCBJK/0/DSQ4hBN7rfM6hpKfgvZjL8xgCPsq99LZ6NZ678sbn/X2/IMG_6067-X2.jpg
We put Vorshlag plates on almost immediately (and it was worth 1.2 sec on our 1.7 mile MSR Cresson course)
The 6 speed is significantly slower in a dig or roll where most people are using it. Plus if you look at circuit track times it's a 10th of a second difference.
@@charleswhite5482 - well the 10 speed has some problems on some tracks, like what GRM experienced here (hanging in gear or shifting mid-corner). The 10 speed auto also MASSIVELY OVERHEAT in the S550 chassis, so I suspect the S650s might have the same issues. I'll deal with the slower "roll" times and shift the gears on the amazing Tremec 6 speed manual with perfect rev matched downshifting, thank you very much. :)
This is why Manual Transmissions are so wonderful… they shift exactly when I want them to!!!
Thank you for being so great sharing the track with all of us at SCIC from Embry Riddle! We would love to see y'all again!
What a great and fair review of the non-HP Darkie! I bought this exact same setup, color and all, except I snagged the MT and had the Whipple put on by Ford all at once.
How is your total mileage with the whipple, Im getting a non HP dark horse with the tremec, since the hp isnt offered in my country, and also i want to add a whipple, but since im taking this car on road trips i wonder how far can it go before needing more gas.
It was so great to see you guys out there that car is definitely a diamond in the rough !
Kinda like the Mach 1. You're probably better off buying your own tires and wheels if you really want to use it for the track for the cost of a handling pack.
Needs more screens. MOAR! Hell, might as well just give drivers VR goggles.
I'd like to see a comparison between the two Dark Horses. Let's see if that performance pack is worth 6k.
The biggest problem with these cars I feel is the weight. They hide it a lot with technology. Everything improves when the car is lighter.
Thanks for spending the day with us! Hope to see you guys again soon
4000lb Mustang is great for ............tire and brake pad companies........
Is the ten speed and no handling package a gym rat who mainly works chest and arms? :)
The paddle shifters on an automatic are NOT MEANT FOR PERFECTION! They're meant to play around with...
Put that car in Track or drag mode and leave the paddles alone and you begin to see what the automatic vastly out-performs the manual in 0-60-1/8mi-1/4mi times, the 3.51 Tremec on The Darkhorse and GT Performance pack is an incredible work of art along with the computer on the automatic, people picking on the automatic because they wanna shift the automatic are missing the point by a mile and are the same "purists" that have been around since automatics made their debut...
The automatic is almost an entire second faster in a 0-60 test... that's a win.. not a mehhh, but it don't shift fast.. no you dont shift fast lmao
Zero doubts that this auto would perform exceptionally in a straight line situation where shift timing could be determined by load and gear instead of track position. Unfortunately, for a fast track lap, shifting at the right time and being able to trust your shifting hardware and software is pretty paramount. The benchmark for our testing is a road course track lap, and this wasn't a great top for that job. Which is a bummer, because there's LOTS of perfectly awesome automatics out there (like the 8HP in the Supra and many BMWs) that are extremely well suited to track use.
LOVE my Auto... great
First time viewer. I'm wonder why an automatic transmission for a performance Mustang your using on the track and why no track pack. My other question is what's the mileage on your Dark Horse tester? If you're principle usage is making quarter mile passes. I feel an Automatic transmission is the better selection. For track use. A manual transmission helps you keep this high revving Mustang in it's power band especially entering and exiting corners. You might be interested in knowing that of the new S650 Mustang GT's and Dark Horses's sold. Only 27% were sold with a manual transmissions. Considering all brands of cars sold in the US. Only 1.7% had a manual transmission. Reasons are from not knowing how to drive a manual transmission vehicle to the convenience of not having to shift in heavy traffic.
Still trying to beat the SS 1LE.....................for more money. lol
And the GM A10 in an SS 1LE is perfect on track.
Did you do any laps with the transmission in sport or race mode?
I’m curious if the driving dynamics would be better with the computer taking control of the shifting.
We tried a bunch of different combos. From commuter mode to full manual. All had their issues unfortunately. The big issue seemed to be in all cases that the trans didn't like to shift while doing any sort of cornering, and it hated downshifts entering corners. It wanted to downshift when you rolled the power back on heading for the apex, which meant you had to time the throttle input earlier o you had torque to balance the car through mid-corner.
I don't care about either of these cars, but this is a great analysis. Thanks for sharing!
Even a dull battle axe is still a battle axe.
Exactly. It's got it's faults, but it's not without its charm.
Is there any chance of you getting a track-package equipped Mustang to test?
We've asked. There are some in press fleets around the country, so hopefully they cn re-allocate one before they all go home to Dearborn.
I bought mine just how this one is set up but I weight in at 3,894lbs, that's 100lbs lighter than yours. Got mine like this because I'm getting the Carbon fiber front splitter and rear wing from anderson composite and upgrading the wheels through Ford is cheap.
Interesting. I wonder where the extra 100lbs came from?
How much fuel in the tank and if all the fluids are at recommended level maybe
Great review!
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you back when we get our hands on a handling package tester.
I would like to see a comparison with a handling package.
You and us both. We're hoping we can get one to our test track before they cycle out of press fleets.
It’s unfortunate the steering is so bad on all mustangs. I bet even the $250k one won’t fix that 😢
It's 325 base + options
I'll respectfully disagree on the steering. Our old S197 project car had shockingly good steering, particularly in fast transitions. Modern Mustangs-once they get some camber and a bit of toe out up front-are pretty responsive and have good feedback IMO.
How did the transmission cooling hold up?
We saw no issues, but it should be noted we tend to run fairly short sessions when we're testing new cars. OEM tires on heavy cars with no camber overheat quickly so running multiple back to back flyers usually just grinds up rubber for no real gain.
@@Grassrootsmotorsports thanks!
Happy to see the comparison to the CTR.
There was a moment in time where I wanted the S550 Mach1 with handling package, I don't regret not getting one. Having 4 doors fits my needs so much better
V8s are intoxicating, but the CTR is also a great "one car for everything" solution. No regrets needed for that choice.
@Grassrootsmotorsports I agree. The lure of "this might be my last chance to get a new NA MT RWD V8" was strong, but end of the day I couldn't stomach a $70k Mustang, let alone the track insurance on one. Also couldn't imagine buckling a rear facing car seat.
I refused to pay the Type R Tax, so Elantra N filling both roles most satisfactorily, and possibly even better in some ways (on track heat management, DS>BS). No regerts.