{"id":62434,"date":"2019-05-24T08:48:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-24T15:48:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/?p=62434"},"modified":"2019-05-24T08:48:30","modified_gmt":"2019-05-24T15:48:30","slug":"ford-helps-get-your-mustang-gt-track-ready","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/ford-helps-get-your-mustang-gt-track-ready\/","title":{"rendered":"Ford Helps Get Your Mustang GT Track Ready"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ford<\/p>\n

The temptation to allow your Mustang GT to \u201cstretch its legs just this one time\u201d is pretty high, what with all that easily-delivered power, plus handling that\u2019s not too shabby either. The problem is the flashing lights that aren\u2019t cameras taking your picture as you cross the finish line first. They\u2019re the lights that tell you your insurance rates are going up again. Ford Performance wants to help you turn those speeding tickets into time slips.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t count the number of people who looked at me with obvious envy when I told them that I used to race cars I built when I was younger. \u201cWow! You\u2019re so dang lucky! I\u2019ve always wanted to try it out and see if it was something I wanted to pursue, but\u2026\u2026 (insert one lame excuse or another).\u201d Wrong answer, my friends.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you don\u2019t understand the rules, ask someone to explain them. Another excuse I\u2019ve heard is the expense. Sure, it gets expensive if you want to move up the ranks. Track fees, tires, brakes – all that also adds up quicker when you race. Still, get on Google and search for \u201cTest & Tune\u201d and autocross events held in parking lots near you. The SCCA also holds Track Night in America<\/a> at tracks around the country from late spring through summer. Track Night in America especially negates almost every possible excuse except maybe not being able to save\/come up with the entry fee. They have experiences for skill levels ranging from the new driver to advanced drivers honing their road course skills.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As it is, your Mustang is already a pretty good track piece. You can make fairly large gains in your speed just by honing your driving skills. What do you do, though, once you\u2019ve gotten every millisecond or MPH out of it? Ford Performance makes that decision easy: Upgrade it.<\/p>\n

Mustangs equipped with the Performance Pack have the Super 8.8 Torsen Differential<\/a> that allows them to put all their power to the ground where it belongs. This differential will really help your launches.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t think you\u2019ve got enough power to play with as your car is right now, consider one of the three Ford Performance Power Packs. Power Pack 1<\/a> is a high-flow air filter and a new tune for the ECU. Power Pack 2<\/a> is a cold air intake, larger throttle body, and a new tune. Power Pack 3 adds the monster GT350 intake manifold.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If the racing bug has really bitten you hard, you can always install the Mustang GT\u2019s supercharger. That\u2019ll let you honestly tell everyone you\u2019ve got a 700 HP Mustang. Once you\u2019ve gone there you may as well go the rest of the way and install the Ford Performance Half Shaft Upgrade Kit so those extra ponies in your Pony don\u2019t snap the stock half shafts.<\/p>\n

\"Ford<\/p>\n

Short bursts of straight-line are fine for many, but there are people out there who like to put all of their own and their Mustang\u2019s capabilities to the test in a safe and managed environment. This is autocross. Think of it as a road race, like Watkins Glen or Mid-Ohio, without the professional atmosphere and price. These are the events I mentioned above that are held in large parking lots.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Autocross events are a great first step to \u201ctest the waters,\u201d so to speak. Maybe the \u201clocal\u201d race track is a few hours by car. Autocross is a great way to decide if you want to make that long drive to see what your car can do on a professionally-prepared and \u2013maintained track.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ford Performance has handling upgrade parts that will take you to the next level (in some cases literally; certain mods can change the category in which you compete in.). Tighten up your steering control with a set of Street Lowering Springs<\/a> and a GT350R Strut Tower Brace<\/a>. Those with Magneride-equipped Mustangs can release of their Mustang\u2019s handling abilities with the Magneride Handling Pack<\/a>, which replaces both sway bars and all four springs and updates the Vehicle Dynamics Module software.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Some of the more staid and laid back car gatherings can be too stuffy, not even allowing you to crank up the engine and let \u2018er rip. This isn\u2019t the case at track events. The growl of a V8 is a welcome sound, and not only will Ford\u2019s Cat Back Sport Exhaust System<\/a> make your exhaust note the envy of everyone, it\u2019ll also give you noticeable performance improvements. Keeping all those extra ponies in control is easy with the Front Brake Upgrade Kit with 6-piston Brembo calipers and 15-inch vented rotors.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ford offers the Ford Performance Racing School and the GT350 Track Attack School for new Mustang owners at no cost. You get yourself to the campus in Utah and Ford takes care of the car, the fuel and the instruction.<\/p>\n

\"Ford
Image courtesy Ford Performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My buddy Greg has a 2013 Mustang GT, and he says the level of instruction at the Ford Performance Racing School is the best he\u2019s been to so far: \u201cThe facility is awesome and tests every facet of your driving ability. The instructors are always there and ready to answer questions and give advice. I\u2019m definitely going back as soon as I can!\u201d<\/p>\n

Matt is someone I met through Facebook who has attended the Ford Fast Attack School because he bought a Mustang GT last year. He and his wife decided to make his free day of instruction one stop on a tour of race tracks in the US Northwest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was actually expecting to head right to the track and start driving, but that didn\u2019t happen,” he said. “We spent quite a bit of time in the class first, getting instruction on how to sit in the car, how to use the transmission and how to drive heel-toe like professionals. I\u2019m really glad I brought a note pad with me – otherwise I\u2019d have had a hard time understanding and remembering everything they taught us in the classroom. I\u2019m a much better driver because of that time we spent.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The temptation to allow your Mustang GT to \u201cstretch its legs just this one time\u201d is pretty high. The problem is the flashing lights that aren\u2019t cameras taking your picture as you cross the finish line first.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":62435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3465,11,3470,3699,5029,5401],"tags":[159,2,43,1074,892,41,1632,5588,1297,5863],"class_list":["post-62434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-drag-racing","category-how-tos","category-news","category-other-racing","category-racing","category-racing-tips","tag-autocross","tag-drag-racing","tag-ford","tag-mike-aguilar","tag-mustang","tag-news","tag-racing","tag-racing-tips","tag-scca","tag-track-night-in-america"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/Lead-min-3.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p42YSK-gf0","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62434"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62434\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62445,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62434\/revisions\/62445"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.racingjunk.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}