To the Road Course (Buttonwillow track) with the 2024 Mustang GT - Overheating and Clutch Issues Aplenty!

[JohnO]

Via search I read that the PP includes an engine oil cooler.

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[Mod Mustang Racing]

Outside temp that day what? In the mid 80s?

88-90 Degrees Most of the day, interestingly it even got hot in the early morning session also.

 

[Dave2013M3]

Is this a performance package Mustang? I never heard of an S550 PP1 car doing this other than the rear diff overheating.

 

[Ewheels]

Following for future content.
Glad to see someone taking it to the track already.

I'm assuming the '24 GT PP has the same "oil cooler" that the S550's have....the water-to-oil cooler that's really there for emissions to bring the oil to operating temp quickly.

 

[Dave2013M3]

Yikes i didn't realize it was a 2 minute lap. Thats not good. Typically was taking S550s about 15 minutes to hit limp mode if i recall.

The limp mode was for the rear diffy, this sounds like engine oil over heating.

 

[Hack]

People ask why choose a Dark Horse over a GT, and it's because if you want to go to a road course stock, the DH will not overheat. If you plan to mod it, i think either are fine, but goes to show a DH is not just a GT with a badge.

That remains to be seen. We will know more once people with the DH model start doing some track driving.

Just another way the PP is a complete letdown from ford... the 1LE package on the SS Camaro gives you all that plus a tremec.

That's all great, but then you have a Camaro with the dumb skip shift and direct injection only engine. Yuck. I'd rather have a car with a good engine and only have to swap in some coolers.

 

[Dub347sbf]

That remains to be seen. We will know more once people with the DH model start doing some track driving.

Eh, the journalists ran them all day long at Charlotte with no issues, as told by the journalist themselves. Additionally, this was a huge selling point of the Mach 1, which has already been proven to run HDPE days with no overheating diffs etc, and this is a direct evolution of that car. I don't think there should be any worry there. You can come back and tell me i told you so if im wrong. Its literally the difference between the DH and the GT.

 

[Upacurb]

Eh, the journalists ran them all day long at Charlotte with no issues, as told by the journalist themselves. Additionally, this was a huge selling point of the Mach 1, which has already been proven to run HDPE days with no overheating diffs etc, and this is a direct evolution of that car. I don't think there should be any worry there. You can come back and tell me i told you so if im wrong. Its literally the difference between the DH and the GT.

Agree 100% - given the history of the GT350s and Mach 1s - I think there is 0% chance the DH has any problems at all-

As others pointed out earlier- this is why you pay more for a DH- its not a drag car...its a track car same as the Mach 1 and GT350 before it

 

[Stangerous]

MMR takes the 24' GT to Buttonwillow Raceway for the Speed Ventures Mustang Time Trial Challenge (competition for fastest lap)

We should start by saying that normal driving the car is just fine.

At the track however our base GT (that lacks a bumper mounted oil cooler like the darkhorse) overheated instantly on every lap. The Track is about 2 mins long, each session the car started the lap at normal operating temp and about 3/4 lap oil temp was in the red and the car is limited to 4500rpm (and possibly other ecu limiters).

Next issue is the clutch/transmission, again, normal driving is just fine, but at the track, the clutch pedal would stick to the floor at least once per lap and sometime would not come up but the car seemed to be in neutral (but wasnt) , this may be a throwout bearing issue or Ford has added some drivetrain protections.

We will have the overheating sorted out shortly and will offer the oil cooler kits later this week on the website in the 24' section. The clutch/trans issue might take some more time to figure out so stay tuned on that.

Our Mods so far:
MMR/MCS Coil Overs
MMR Adjustable Camber Plates
MMR Adjustable SwayBar End Links
Ford GT350R Extended front Studs
MMR Extended rear Studs
Currently on GT350R Carbon Fiber wheels

Stay Tuned for More Updates

So, for 60k plus we have a decent DD.

 

[Hack]

Eh, the journalists ran them all day long at Charlotte with no issues, as told by the journalist themselves. Additionally, this was a huge selling point of the Mach 1, which has already been proven to run HDPE days with no overheating diffs etc, and this is a direct evolution of that car. I don't think there should be any worry there. You can come back and tell me i told you so if im wrong. Its literally the difference between the DH and the GT.

If the journalists really got to drive the cars hard, then maybe the DH is good. The reviews I saw of the DH it seemed like the journalists mostly got pretty limited time with the DH. I saw one where it was getting dark during the review even because they didn't have enough time. I think it's the one Carlos Lagos did.

Can you link to a few of the reviews where the journalists said they ran all day at Charlotte?

 

[FlyNavy86]

From the manual for GT and EcoBoost:

If all cars are as bad as MMRs I’ll cancel my order. Hopefully they just have a lemon.

 

[Rate_of_Twist]

Whelp, I guess I’m out. Dear @Ford Motor Company this is yet again another disappointment in an already pretty long string of disappointments that has been the S650… You have made it impossible at every step of this release to hand you money to get in line for a car.

 

[slowjim]

i would hold off until this is verified by other owners... keep in mind these companies have a vested interest in selling aftermarket parts.

 

[spedy7]

One point that may be in Ford's favor - how many miles are already on the car? Freshly built engines are tighter in tolerance and thus get a little warmer than one that has been broken in or has a lot of miles on it. I haven't built a modern engine (and I know modern cars have better machine tolerances), but the older cam-in-block engines will run a little warmer until clearances loosen and rings seat. High(er) engine temps+hot ambient temps+track time - you're bound to overheat something.

Otherwise, this does suck for those that want a V8 sports car for the track without having to fork over $70k+ markup for a Dark Horse. Makes me wonder how the EB with HPP will do, since I'd consider one in the future as a daily.

 

[bnightstar]

People ask why choose a Dark Horse over a GT, and it's because if you want to go to a road course stock, the DH will not overheat. If you plan to mod it, i think either are fine, but goes to show a DH is not just a GT with a badge.

I highly doubt the will not overheat part. Stock Mach 1 was doing same CHT temps as my GT when pushed. So if you push for more laps eventually you will reach limp mode hanse the reason why Dark Horse R has all the coolers replaced. A lot of mods are needed to keep a Coyote cold on track.

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