Those who track your Dark Horse - what changes have you made?

[Rocky400]

I've done multiple track days, and curious to see what other things people have found made an improvement on performance. Due for new tires soon and still running stock pads. These would be first on my list for updates. Also wondering what brake fluid and engine oil options would be optimal over stock.

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[Junkyard Dog]

Nothing. The Pirelli Trofeo RS tires are excellent on the track. The brakes are awesome and haul down this heavy beast in an amazingly short distance.

The first thing I would change is camber settings. Not really a modification, but the tires were basically melting on the outside couple inches, so there was nowhere near enough camber.

Brake fluid is great. Ford installs a high temperature DOT 4 with a 509° boiling point, higher than many aftermarket "high temperature" fluids.

Engine oil is great (I use the Ford Motorcraft full synthetic 5W-30).

The brake pads performed really well. I do not know the manufacturer. I would consider an upgrade to Ferodo, but (a) Ferodo does not make a pad for the S650 Dark Horse yet, and (b) I have not encountered any problem with the stock pad yet.

I'd be really curious to hear from you what shortcomings you have encountered.

What tires are you considering? Are you looking for something faster than the Trofeo RS or something that lasts longer or something less expensive, or?

 

[Junkyard Dog]

Oh, and if you haven't found it yet:
trackmustangsonline.com

 

[RLE55]

I don't have a DH, but did road race for 12 years with NASA.
My input. Look at Hawk Performance Brake Pads, they're IMO the best for road racing.
As for oil, OEM MC Full Syn. is good for what you are doing. I ran Mobil 1 Full Syn., just because. These are performance engines, not highly modified race engines not needing racing oil.
Consider differential oil changes at least once a year, things get very hot back there.
Maybe look at better brake fluid. I used StopTech STR-660 for its high boiling points. My BBK's at the time would reach 1200+ degrees.
Consider 2 sets of tires. Set for street, set for track, if possible. I ran OEM Cooper Zeon RS3's for quite a while before my first set of road racing tires, Nitto NT01s.

 

[Ninjak]

LOl, I am not a good example....I have changed a lot of things. When I do get a session in on this setup, I think it will not disappoint.

I'm running GLoc pads all the way around, and I have Goodyear F1 Supercar 3Rs. The Warhorse is not a daily, so no issues with the setup; also, I do not go out in the rain, so there is that.

 

[Rocky400]

Nothing. The Pirelli Trofeo RS tires are excellent on the track. The brakes are awesome and haul down this heavy beast in an amazingly short distance.

The first thing I would change is camber settings. Not really a modification, but the tires were basically melting on the outside couple inches, so there was nowhere near enough camber.

Brake fluid is great. Ford installs a high temperature DOT 4 with a 509° boiling point, higher than many aftermarket "high temperature" fluids.

Engine oil is great (I use the Ford Motorcraft full synthetic 5W-30).

The brake pads performed really well. I do not know the manufacturer. I would consider an upgrade to Ferodo, but (a) Ferodo does not make a pad for the S650 Dark Horse yet, and (b) I have not encountered any problem with the stock pad yet.

I'd be really curious to hear from you what shortcomings you have encountered.

What tires are you considering? Are you looking for something faster than the Trofeo RS or something that lasts longer or something less expensive, or?

Honestly I don't have any shortcomings I can really gripe about, the car is fantastic on track but I was curious if people found things to make it "better" so to speak.

I did grab some camber plates, looking to do lowering springs and intend to install everything at once. I've had the same problem with the outside of the tires melting away. The feedback I got from others said they experienced the same with Pirelli's specifically, and switched to something else. I wouldn't be opposed to trying a tire that lasts a bit longer but still offers decent grip. But if camber adjustment resolved the melting issue for you, I may give it a swing before using different tires.

For oil I am still using Motorcraft 5W-30 also.

I agree with the stock pads; I feel very comfortable braking deep into corners. I didn't order a HP Dark Horse but I swapped out the stock spoiler for the HP. Having the additional downforce was noticeable with braking into turns. The stock pads are heavy on dust, but wanted to see if there were comparable or better options. I'll keep an eye out for Ferodo in the future.

 

[Rocky400]

I don't have a DH, but did road race for 12 years with NASA.
My input. Look at Hawk Performance Brake Pads, they're IMO the best for road racing.
As for oil, OEM MC Full Syn. is good for what you are doing. I ran Mobil 1 Full Syn., just because. These are performance engines, not highly modified race engines not needing racing oil.
Consider differential oil changes at least once a year, things get very hot back there.
Maybe look at better brake fluid. I used StopTech STR-660 for its high boiling points. My BBK's at the time would reach 1200+ degrees.
Consider 2 sets of tires. Set for street, set for track, if possible. I ran OEM Cooper Zeon RS3's for quite a while before my first set of road racing tires, Nitto NT01s.

Nice to see there is a consistent consensus on OEM motor oil. I've been using it for each change. I've done a rear diff fluid change in Dec of last year so figured I'd keep up with doing that annually.

Most of my track time is done in FL. I've not had any issues with brake fluid temps, just had a curiosity on what options might have been better over stock; thank you for that info.

I thought about a second set of tires but not sure if I really need them? I daily a 06 Mustang GT & F150 so really the DH is out on the weekend or the track. I think in the last 6 months I've put maybe 500 street miles on it.

 

[Rocky400]

LOl, I am not a good example....I have changed a lot of things. When I do get a session in on this setup, I think it will not disappoint.

I'm running GLoc pads all the way around, and I have Goodyear F1 Supercar 3Rs. The Warhorse is not a daily, so no issues with the setup; also, I do not go out in the rain, so there is that.

Friend of mine running a 22 GT500 also uses Goodyear F1 tires. It's not a daily for me, I have other vehicle options if I absolutely need to drive in bad weather so not a concern there. Those puppies seem to wear out fast though. How many track days are you getting out of them?

 

[GhastlyTT]

I autocross mine regularly. RE71RS on square 19x11 Steeda Tridents grip incredibly for that. Hope to get to Virginia International Raceway soon but looking for a trailer first. Mods in signature.

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