I think consumable expenses at track are a real consideration. if you are burning through tires, fuel and pads twice as fast as a Z Especially with sky high fuel prices and increasing cost of tires. I don't see average Mustang buyer being someone who isn't going to be concerned about running expenses. Just a realistic consideration for An active track day driver.

The extra weight the porky Mustang GT packs mostly up front is an issue for tire wear and overall handling. I do know a guy who works on ford suspension team and he even admits the v6 mustang with same suspension package as GT handles much better and turns suprizingly fast lap times on Ford test track.

Just watch lap times at VIR Grand Am race as Mustangs start to overheat their tires as time goes on in the race. Their lap times will degrade and other cars will be closer to them.

Well I traded the Z in for a new candy apple GT yesterday and honestly it just boils down to tradeoffs. I will say though, the Ford seems to be the better put together car imo. No high frequency ringing from the ECU, the feel of the transmission is superior (and not nearly as noisy), and he engine sounds and feels fantastic. I prefer the look of the Z no question, and I'm going to miss the HID's, and not seeing another copy of my car every 15 minutes but the mustang really impressed me.

It feels like a tank compared to the Z, and even though the handling is comparable between the two, the Z just feels a lot racier and confidence inspiring. I'll be looking forward to getting the Stang out on the track for some road racing in the coming months and I'll report back.

Another Z falls victim to the 5.0 :(

Congrats on the new car though :tup:

you are really pushing it. while the mustang will consumer more of everything, but the z is no mr.lean. i dont know how the mustang does on track, but 370 is only good for 6 to 7mpg. the 285 30 19 or 18s arent cheap.

Also have to throw in the oil cooler too.

Which was a bitch the first time I took it out and didn't have it.

Congrats on the Stang, yet another 5.0 convert:tup:

Couldnt agree more though, although the handling is supposedly comparable, my Z definitely felt more nimble. The lack of low end on the Z killed it for me honestly, and the fact that with my job, back seats are a necessity. Couldnt think of a more perfect replacement honestly. I will say that I do miss the wow factor of the Z, there wasnt a day that went by that I didnt stare back at it lovingly as I walked away, in the looks department, it definitely had my Stang beat.

BTW, check my sig, intake/tune/exhaust will put you around the 420whp mark, not bad I say! Throw on some slicks and skinnies and its good for 11.7's all day.

We talk shyt to each other all the time.

http://a3.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._3441242_n.jpg

Yeah if you had the performance of the mustang and the looks of the Z, it would be about the perfect car.

Gonna sell my exhaust on from the Z later on this week and maybe throw a catback and intake or something.

the lines of the Z are very sexy, but the 5.0 has grown on me...it looks so sleek and muscular, but honeslty looks are purely subjective, ive had more people tell me i look better in this car than the Z. And that they like this car better. but again subjective...the one and ONLY thing I miss from the Z at this point is the rarity of it....

Will a Z with your typical bolt ons (exhaust, intakes) surpass a new 5.0 in the straights?

No

A Twin Turbo'd Z will probably walk on it slowly in the top end, but i'm sitting comfortably at 417whp with less than a grand in mods. These things are firmly into the 11's with basic bolt-ons, its crazy how freakishly beast the new 5.0 engine is.

:icon18::icon17:

so true.

I'll agree with you there, looking straight on from the front, the Stang just looks beastly, like its flexing and wants to smash your face, but I love the sleek lines of the Z, it just looks sporty and sexy. Definitely got more stares on the road than the Stang but I wouldnt trade this beast for anything, well, maybe a GT-R or a GT350 or a Boss, or a 2013 GT500, ok you get the picture.

Yeah, the Mustang's definitely faster in the straights. The only way a Z is winning with just bolt-ons is probably a combination of driver error and lack of traction in the Mustang (at least that's what I assume).

:iagree:

You're going to need FI on the Z. I think even some of the lower whp FI kits on the Z (some of the GTM SC kits) wouldn't be able to pull a bolt-on 5.0, but the TT or Stillen SC guys should be able to do it up top, but I think it would be a fairly close race at least initially.

With my mods I can pull on a C6 Coupe which is a pretty fast car in stock form. Stock I could walk a C5, which my Z could just about hold even with.

Or a Starbucks pit stop. :icon17:

But you're right... traction is very limited for us from a dig. The non Brembo cars have 245 width Pirelli all-seasons that they can roast all the way through 4th gear. The Brembo cars like mine run a Pirelli PZero summer but it's only 255 wide all around. We've got more power than the Z but less contact patch, so a run from a dig is really going to depend on if the driver can hook up.

A co-worker of mine with a new STI tried to get cheeky with me on an off ramp the other day, we had a spirited run up to 80 (which is the speed limit mind you), he drove away upset:tup:

You know how I race. It's why I'm undefeated against Bugattis. :roflpuke2:

I can pull a C6 vette and barely lost to a modded one.
Any boosted 370z will keep up with a basic bolt on 5.0, but once you get into what is a 'bolt on' anything is game.

btw, what are the C6's putting down typically at the wheels?

Sorry, I meant - The performance of the Mustang, the looks of the Z, and a duffle bag with 30k in it.

this is crap! So i have to spend in the neighborhood of $10,000 to toy with 5.0's

I really like the new mustang, and the 5.0 engine is amazing, but lets be realistic here... TT Z's are making 500whp/400tq and weigh 300lbs less than a mustang, "walk on it slowly in the top end" is kind of an understatement. And yes, full bolt ons and a tune a Z can hang with a STOCK 5.0 gt.

Let me tell you what I pull thinking about your car.

neato!!!

:icon18::bowrofl::roflpuke2:

No, a bolt on 370z can keep up with a bone stock 5.0 but then you get into the argument of why not do the same mods to the 5.0 and it is a slippery slope from there.
At the end of the day, each car has its merits with pluses & minuses.

I had full bolt ons on the Z (no tune though), and there isn't a chance in hell it hangs with the Stang.

how many TT owners are running enough boost to make 500whp and 400wtq? Most I've seen are running the safe range of about 450 and 350.

I had a fully bolted Z (tune included) bub, no, I assure you, it could not come close to hanging with my Stang in stock form.

True story.

Meh, don't look at it like that. Like Dreamer was saying the comparing mod game is a slippery slope. No matter what you do there will always be someone faster. You could dump 10k into yours and I could dump 10k into mine and we'd be back where we started, and a Veyron would still smoke us all the way to 250+. :icon17:

The only thing I really care about is whether or not I get a big grin on my face whenever I hit the loud pedal or take to the twisties over the main roads.

:iagree:

Mustang wins there. Hands down. :stirthepot:

It's also very worth noting that there are things about the Z that I'm really going to miss with the Stang. I felt so incredibly in tune with my Z, felt like I could make it do whatever I wanted. I'm still learning the stang, but I'm sitting a foot higher in the air and it just doesn't feel as planted to me. Maybe it will in time, but the Z solidly trumps the stang in this respect.

Did you get the standard GT or the Brembo package?

FWIW even with the Brembo pack the Mustang does like to move around more than the Z, so it takes some getting used to. Stock for stock the Z is more "point and shoot" and you can get away with treating the throttle as an on/off switch for the most part. You have to be a little more careful in the Mustang.

I'm really looking forward to taking to the Dragon with it in two weeks for ZDayZ, especially now that I have a lot of seat time with it.

Yeah, or you could drop like 50k into a car to be faster than pretty much everyone on the street, but spend all your time fixing it, rather than driving it...while collecting thousands of dollars in in tickets.

What I had before:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._1209580_n.jpg

http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._4076543_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._5340105_n.jpg

What I drive now:

http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...0_169265_n.jpg

http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot..._6009461_n.jpg

dont regret my choice one bit!

in the twisties? seriously?

:confused: