The Mustang Forum for Track & Racing Enthusiasts

Taking your Mustang to an open track/HPDE event for the first time? Do you race competitively? This forum is for you! Log in to remove most ads.

  • Welcome to the Ford Mustang forum built for owners of the Mustang GT350, BOSS 302, GT500, and all other S550, S197, SN95, Fox Body and older Mustangs set up for open track days, road racing, and/or autocross. Join our forum, interact with others, share your build, and help us strengthen this community!

S550 Biggsy’s Track Build Build Thread Profile - S550 Mustangs

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

6,360
8,180
good job on the Exedy clutch, and running these things out of fuel is a bad thing, I think, (and I'm far from an expert on this) that the ECM tries to "make up" for lack of fuel and kind of fakes itself out. Over a bit of time, it seems to figure it out, this is not the first I've heard of this. Just a thought, has that front splitter extension caused any issues with the rear wing as far as balance goes? normally, you'd want to replace those in pairs.
 
465
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
I have done the same as you several times. Got blacked flagged for tons of smoke once. never saw a check engine light. Filled it up with gas and was good to go.
This is positive feedback. I really don't think anything is wrong being that I have 100+ miles on it since and the issue has not been replicated.
good job on the Exedy clutch, and running these things out of fuel is a bad thing, I think, (and I'm far from an expert on this) that the ECM tries to "make up" for lack of fuel and kind of fakes itself out. Over a bit of time, it seems to figure it out, this is not the first I've heard of this. Just a thought, has that front splitter extension caused any issues with the rear wing as far as balance goes? normally, you'd want to replace those in pairs.
wow this gives me a good feeling then pertaining to the smoke and the light. After 10 days and no issues, I'm sure all is fine.

To be honest when I bought the car, I was in love with the 350R spoiler so within 2 months of ownership I bought the spoiler. I didnt know such thing like HPDE existed so I was doing things based off of what I was reading/seeing online. Before I knew anything really about car balancing with aero, I bought the splitter extension. I realized shortly after that the car isnt even low enough for it to serve a purpose. The extension has a crack in it and I already planned to take it off soon. Once I get more seat time and faster, I will change out the spoiler as well to balance the car. Owning the car and "track life" has taught me a lot of what is actually necessary.
 
6,360
8,180
This is positive feedback. I really don't think anything is wrong being that I have 100+ miles on it since and the issue has not been replicated.

wow this gives me a good feeling then pertaining to the smoke and the light. After 10 days and no issues, I'm sure all is fine.

To be honest when I bought the car, I was in love with the 350R spoiler so within 2 months of ownership I bought the spoiler. I didnt know such thing like HPDE existed so I was doing things based off of what I was reading/seeing online. Before I knew anything really about car balancing with aero, I bought the splitter extension. I realized shortly after that the car isnt even low enough for it to serve a purpose. The extension has a crack in it and I already planned to take it off soon. Once I get more seat time and faster, I will change out the spoiler as well to balance the car. Owning the car and "track life" has taught me a lot of what is actually necessary.


well this website is a great place to gather information, with regards to the height issue, the old S197 platform used to run a ton of ride height, (and a lot of suspension movement) to handle properly, Rh is not necessarily a factor in getting the splitter to work properly. AJ Hartmen, is a big aero guy on here and actually fabricates the parts, he could fill you in on any of those questions.

xKKY2jJl.jpg
 
465
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
Weekday bits…

I am a Raceseng fan (5 or so knobs) but couldn’t justify the 150+ for a track knob. I watched one of @honeybadger youtube videos and ordered a 5x Racing weighted knob for only $45. Great quality all around.

26127EB0-03C3-4A83-965D-7E8FDB00C070.jpeg

15944A68-1E3C-40C9-B592-144DCE425B96.jpeg


also after my last track outing I placed an order for tow hooks. Got the Vorshlag rear that I plan to powder coat. Have the front from ZL1 Addons coming in soon. Hopefully they’ll be just for looks and that I never have to use them lol.

8F811126-FD26-48D0-AFAD-8DB752FF10B6.jpeg

To help with ergonomics, I am ordering a clutch pedal extension by SR Performance since theirs is aluminum. That should allow me to put my seat all the way back and press the pedal all the way down comfortably
 
Last edited:
741
1,075
TX
I am a Raceseng fan (5 or so knobs) but couldn’t justify the 150+ for a track knob. I watched one of @honeybadger youtube videos and ordered a 5x Racing weighted knob for only $45. Great quality all around.

View attachment 67495
Awhhh ya! Love seeing this thing. Doesn't it feel great? Perfect weight and grip is awesome. I was super skeptical until I tried it out in the Miata. Ordered one for the Mustang as soon as we got home from the first track day. Haha
 
465
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
Awhhh ya! Love seeing this thing. Doesn't it feel great? Perfect weight and grip is awesome. I was super skeptical until I tried it out in the Miata. Ordered one for the Mustang as soon as we got home from the first track day. Haha
I was very surprised about the grip. I watched his YouTube video explaining the texture and material (which was kinda cool) but didn’t think it would feel as soft and comfortable. I can’t wait to try it on the track. The weight is really perfect.

wow that shift knob is wild, ,who would'a thunk? The shape is not weird in the hand?

Not at all. Or at least not driving around town. I had the Raceseng Circuit 150 last year and it was somewhat the same but that was a bit taller and heavier. I guess we will see how it is on track in a couple of weeks.
 
465
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
Its been a couple months and I'm procrastinating at work so I might as well provide updates or lack thereof lol.

Had big plans this year with roll bar +seats + harness + apex wheels + Conti ECF but ended up scaling back and putting that money into seat time instead. I rather be on a stock set up and get 12 weekends in than have $10k parts on the car and only get 2 or 3 weekends in. Now I kinda regret selling off my wheels/tires and Quick Fit Pro harness last year but oh well... live and learn. My goal is still to get 12 different events in this year so hope is still alive.

Just ordered MRR M600 19x11 which should be here later today. Picked up 295/30/19 Toyo RRs from the tire shop yesterday. Just need to pick up another set of spacers and Quick fit pro harness and I'll be good to get a track day in now.

Last time on the track, I ran out of gas and didn't have any tow hooks. Fortunately the track was able to provide enough fuel for me to make it out to the pumps. Right after that I purchased tow hooks. I ordered rear Vorshlag tow hook bare and had it powder coated orange to match my soon to be mach 1 orange calipers. For the front I will have a center mount ZL1 Addons tow hook that will also be painted orange.

1649162162479.jpeg

Also, at some point a shop installed camber bolts on my car. I knew the camber numbers I was getting were too good to be true being that the Steeda RCC kit takes some out. The driver side bolt slipped and my Apex wheel was grinding against the strut a good bit. It put a nice ring around the inner barrel.

1649162950646.jpeg

I replaced them with the OEM strut bolts but in the near future I have to see about getting the camber back to -2.5* whether its going back to OEM lateral arms or slotting the top strut hole. I bought Professional Awesome camber slugs to lock in the camber instead of relying on friction, but the camber lock hole is too small for the bolt so it wont work.

1649162769822.jpeg

Recently, I found out the radiator in my Tundra has a leaking hole and one of the leaf springs in broken so that has set things back. I am planning to make it to Pitt Race with Auto Interests end of May as my first event of the year. Hoping to have the truck towing ready by then because I don't want to drive the car up there.

Only plans for the car/driver as of right now are:
Mach 1 calipers with SS lines (Orange will make the car stop faster)
Vorshlag brake cooling fins
Race Louvers Center Vent
Xineeiring Auto blip module
Try out Raybestos ST43(whenever in stock) or new EBC RP-1
Necksgen RevLite2
Better angled front splitter
3.55s
SEAT TIME

Events/tracks I plan to make this year:
VIR- Track Daze or NASA
Summit Point Main - SCCA/NASA/Auto Interests (goal is to get under 1:23 which is 5 sec improvement from last year)
NJMP - Gridlife
Pitt Race- NASA/Auto Interests
 
Last edited:
301
360
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
3-5 Years
Raleigh, NC
Its been a couple months and I'm procrastinating at work so I might as well provide updates or lack thereof lol.

Had big plans this year with roll bar +seats + harness + apex wheels + Conti ECF but ended up scaling back and putting that money into seat time instead. I rather be on a stock set up and get 12 weekends in than have $10k parts on the car and only get 2 or 3 weekends in. Now I kinda regret selling off my wheels/tires and Quick Fit Pro harness last year but oh well... live and learn. My goal is still to get 12 different events in this year so hope is still alive.

Just ordered MRR M600 19x11 which should be here later today. Picked up 295/30/19 Toyo RRs from the tire shop yesterday. Just need to pick up another set of spacers and Quick fit pro harness and I'll be good to get a track day in now.

Last time on the track, I ran out of gas and didn't have any tow hooks. Fortunately the track was able to provide enough fuel for me to make it out to the pumps. Right after that I purchased tow hooks. I ordered rear Vorshlag tow hook bare and had it powder coated orange to match my soon to be mach 1 orange calipers. For the front I will have a center mount ZL1 Addons tow hook that will also be painted orange.

View attachment 74252

Also, at some point a shop installed camber bolts on my car. I knew the camber numbers I was getting were too good to be true being that the Steeda RCC kit takes some out. The driver side bolt slipped and my Apex wheel was grinding against the strut a good bit. It put a nice ring around the inner barrel.

View attachment 74254

I replaced them with the OEM strut bolts but in the near future I have to see about getting the camber back to -2.5* whether its going back to OEM lateral arms or slotting the top strut hole. I bought Professional Awesome camber slugs to lock in the camber instead of relying on friction, but the camber lock hole is too small for the bolt so it wont work.

View attachment 74253

Recently, I found out the radiator in my Tundra has a leaking hole and one of the leaf springs in broken so that has set things back. I am planning to make it to Pitt Race with Auto Interests end of May as my first event of the year. Hoping to have the truck towing ready by then because I don't want to drive the car up there.

Only plans for the car/driver as of right now are:
Mach 1 calipers with SS lines (Orange will make the car stop faster)
Vorshlag brake cooling fins
Race Louvers Center Vent
Xineeiring Auto blip module
Try out Raybestos ST43(whenever in stock) or new EBC RP-1
Necksgen RevLite2
Better angled front splitter
3.55s
SEAT TIME

Events/tracks I plan to make this year:
VIR- Track Daze or NASA
Summit Point Main - SCCA/NASA/Auto Interests (goal is to get under 1:23 which is 5 sec improvement from last year)
NJMP - Gridlife
Pitt Race- NASA/Auto Interests
Hey Biggsy, I'll be at VIR with Chin June 6, 7. If you can make it, come say hi!
 
465
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
Hey Biggsy, I'll be at VIR with Chin June 6, 7. If you can make it, come say hi!
I doubt I will make it, but Im sure I will see you there one day this year. Do you visit Summit too?
I will come out to Pitt Race and say hi.. Or if you need anything I can help you out. I live 20 min from the track.
I really appreciate it! I've watched several videos trying to learn the track as it seems like a fun track to drive. I will definitely keep you posted when I register. Good luck on getting your car up and running soon.
 
465
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
I’d suggest Cobalt brakes. I switched over from Raybestos after inventory became an issue. They’re superior in every way but cost.
I did consider them when they first announced their products for the platform and then reading your review on M6G I went back to check them out.

But I'm not gonna lie to you Kevin, Im gonna need a lot more skill and time before I can fathom $900 on pads lol. Im still trying to understand proper braking and release. Hopefully one day I can have my own review on them lol
 
741
1,075
TX
I did consider them when they first announced their products for the platform and then reading your review on M6G I went back to check them out.

But I'm not gonna lie to you Kevin, Im gonna need a lot more skill and time before I can fathom $900 on pads lol. Im still trying to understand proper braking and release. Hopefully one day I can have my own review on them lol
I feel ya'. I haven't run them, but I hear folks that are running the lower friction compounds are getting a lot of time from them. Something like an XR3/4 might be a good combo. I'd ask Kyle at Cobalt and see what he says.

Outside of tires, brakes, and safety gear--seat time is king. Good luck with your year!
 
Last edited:

Bill Pemberton

0ld Ford Automotive Racing Terror
8,420
8,346
Exp. Type
Time Attack
Exp. Level
20+ Years
Blair, Nebraska
biggsy, you have a lot of resources here to check on brake pads. Tim at Optimum Performance has been on this site forever ( one of the first sponsors ) and he knows brakes/pads really well, and you have KNS and Cobalt too - plenty of good folks to chat with. I do know Tim has been doing G-Locs forever and he is the numero uno guy to go to for spacers.
 
Last edited:
465
438
Exp. Type
HPDE
Exp. Level
Under 3 Years
MD
Thanks for deciding you needed a bunch of track time. I see a bunch of new guys wanting to do all kinds of mods to their cars instead of sticking to the basics and learning how to drive
I think it was easier to come to terms with for me personally because I'm at the mercy of my bank account and student loans lol. But yes, after being out a few times, I realize nothing can beat more time and instruction.

Would you mind showing us what you have done to make it all work, im in the process of about to do the same thing and would like to see yours. ;)
Lol about that....I kind of put that on the back burner due to my clutch/transmission acting up. I want to do it but since Im still covered under powertrain warranty, I rather Ford pay for the fix when/if my transmission (and associated parts) finally goes. I know it may not void the warranty but one less headache for me to deal with for the time being.

Not sure if you've seen it yet but here is how a member did theirs

biggsy, you have a lot of resources here to check on brake pads. Tim at Optimum Performance has been on this site forever ( one of the first sponsors ) and he knows brakes/pads, and you have KNS and Cobalt too, so all good folks to chat with. I do know Tim has been doing G-Locs forever and he is the numero uno guy to go to for spacers.
You are right about that. I bought my current set of R12/10 from Tim along with other items. Great experience so far and same with KNS and them answering my questions in the past.
 

TMO Supporting Vendors

Top