Mustang Evolution Forum banner

Can a late-gen S197 be made to handle like an S550?

7K views 13 replies 6 participants last post by  5LHO 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

I currently own a 2012 Premium GT. I absolutely love it. By far, my favorite car I've ever owned. However, stock-for-stock, it can't hold a candle to the new S550 GTs in terms of handling. The S550 is WAY more composed over bumpy roads and around turns, whereas sometimes my S197 feels like it's going to fly off the road over bumps (like going through an intersection at 40 MPH, feels like back of the car is going to take flight). It seems good through turns though, but not as good as the S550.

So my question is this: can the late-gen 2012 GT be made to handle the 2015 GT? What can I upgrade to make it less crazy over bumps and corner better? Or should I Just buy a 2015?

Let me know guys ---- I know there are TONS of you guys on here, who know way more than I do about these cars. I'm still basically a newb.

Thanks y'all! :dance:
 
#2 · (Edited)
You bet your @$$ they can:

https://lmr.com/item/MM-RTB51/mustang-maximum-motorsports-road-track-grip-box-11-14

I had one of their road and track boxes on my 1997 Cobra, and if you check out their website, the Cobra with this package could outrun a Ferrari in the figure 8 and slalom courses. I could literally take a right or left hand corner at 25-30 MPH with that Cobra, and the rear end would step out about 10 degrees, and then snap back in place (without snap throttle oversteer, which live axle Mustang’s are famous for). I loved that suspension, and it was still livable for the street, but a compromise for sure.
 
#3 ·
I believe the BMR Watts link would be your way to go. I dont have it on mine but was looking into it. I would also like my car to be able to not only go nice & straight, but also do good in a road course.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G928A using Mustang Evolution mobile app
 
#4 ·
Nope. You can make an S197 DAMN good with a Watts link, good coilovers, LCAs, brackets, etc... and you can make an S550 do the exact same with pretty much lowering springs. It's no contest.

I'm in a mustang racing group on FB and this is the general consensus, that the S197 decked to the brim is amazing, but basically out of the box the S550 can best it with very little work.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, that's what I was afraid of.
Problem is, I LOVE my car. If I deck it out, it should be enough fun for track and autocross...I may not win all my events, but it should be enough to make me competitive I hope.

Was thinking Watts, steeda kit (struts, bars, springs, shocks), rear LCAs and brackets.
 
#6 ·
You'd be amazed how good it is with just quality springs, dampers and tires.

-I'd do quality springs and dampers
-Brake cooling, brake cooling, brake cooling. Even with the Brembos it will be a good idea because newer drivers (yes, myself included) tend to be tentative and "drag the brakes" which puts more heat into them than someone more experienced who trusts the car enough to be very hard ON and then off.
-Good tires. Even something as small as a 255-275 on a 9-9.5" rim will be ok for starting and keeping costs down. Just be mindful of how much heat you'll put into them and how much heat they can take, because if you keep driving hard once t hey're hot you'll kill a set of tires in 1 weekend.

Start there, keep the costs down, and be amazed how good it can be with very little done. Once you're confident and consistent add the Watts and sway bars because they're all adjustable and can be used to fine tune the handling.
 
#7 ·
Ok - will look into those.

VW, in your opinion, do I need caster/camber plates, or will the caster/camber bolt kits work? Looking at the Eibach Pro Kit 1.4" drop springs.
 
#8 ·
Well... It's easy for me to spend your money and say the plates. That being said they are expensive, so people do tend to run the bolts. That being said, in order to get the "cam" shape the bolt needs to offset the knuckle, they are much smaller (thinner) than stock. For a street car this is "ok," but for motorsports use it's kind of frowned upon.

You're going to have to do your own cost / benefit on that one. The nice advantage people like about the plates however, is you can run a lot of camber at the track, then adjust it and run no comber on the streets to save your tire, so there's that too.
 
#9 ·
VW -

Well, since it will see 2-3 autocross events per year, and 1-2 track days, maybe a drag day here and there, I guess the plates are what I will need.

I guess what I should do first is the panhard, springs, and shocks/struts. Then maybe add sway bars a little later.

Do I really need a bumpsteer kit and ball joints do you think ?
 
#11 ·
Nope, not much of an issue on this chassis. And your plan is a good one, i suffer from the same problem of wanting to "fix" too much up front.

The stock suspension is too soft and undriveable, but aside from solid springs and dampers you really just need to take it out and see how it responds to your driving style before you make changes. I prefer a neutral car, and will probably give you advice to set the car up as such, but you may prefer a slightly looser rear to help the car rotate you know. Just see what it's doing and add parts when you want to change some behavior.
 
#12 ·
Nope, I like a neutral car as well.
I'm not Vaughn Gitten Jr. LOL!
 
#13 ·
Just wanna add in the BMR camber bolts are bigger than the other brands. I talked with them a while back when a shop couldn't adjust my car after 1in drop in front. My loss cuz I ended up getting bolts and they still couldn't adjust. By the time I went to another shop my fronts were screwed and now show belts. New shop told me I probably didnt even need the camber bolts and it was super easy to align

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Mustang Evolution mobile app
 
#14 ·
The absolute best thing you can do is get some lighter wheels and stickier tires. Those things alone will make best use of what you have, suspension-wise and work well with anything you add later.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top