List of tips for new owners- did I miss anything?

Centerpunch,

Great post! I'd add the following (all of which are from direct experience):

11) The engines on these cars don't burn oil.

12) If you don't use your car for about three weeks and you don't plug your battery into a trickle charger your battery will be dead.

13) Don't spend too much time looking for storage space. There isn't any. However there is a mesh storage slot at the front of each seat (near the floor).

14) There is one storage space in the front of the car however do not put anything in it that will melt. It will melt.

15) Ford says the car is 550 hp. They all come from the factory with more than 550 hp. It's just a matter of how much more. Once again be careful out there!

16) If you close your eyes and feel the soft rubber part around the gear shift it feels like a woman's body part.

17) If you have a seventy year old widow as a neighbor she will tell you that the sound your car makes when you start it “makes her whole body tingle as if she were twenty again.”

18) Get a smaller pulley. It's worth every penny of what it will cost.

19) Do not ride with SLF360 in any of his cars. Ever. You will soil your pants.

20) If you ever find yourself in the city of Le Mans, France on a highway and a Porsche 996 Turbo S pulls onto the road directly in front of you, sees you and accelerates hard, put your right foot to the floor and shift quickly. Make sure to wave when you go past him.

21) Pray to God that the people who built this wonderful car are healthy, happy and truly understand what a joy they have bestowed upon all of us. May God bless them all!

I think that about does it.

Rob

Both of you guys - GREAT POSTS! - I can only add - on closing the clamshell - the guys at Saleen showed me that if you place your hand in the middle of the stripes just above the vents and gently but firmly push down like you are closing a door - it just positively, evenly shuts! No muss, No fuss. What a revelation! :biggrin

NOTE: this is from an old post!

NOTE: this is from an old post!

Yeah,

These guys are giving you good advice.

Some of "Jay's Laws":

1. Never "thrash" (drive hard) on a cold engine. Always wait until the water temperature is >160 F (in other word, approaches equalibrium). The moving components within the engine expand at different rates and therefore their proper clearances aren't established until then. Your GT engine has forged pistons which must be up to operating temperature before the proper piston to cylinder wall clearance is established.

2. The tranny will shift with some difficulty until warm, especially into second gear. Be gentle on it, as with time (about 2,000 miles or so) it will begin to shift more smoothly. Shift from 1st to 3rd (bypassing 2nd) or double-clutch if needed.

3. Stop-and-go city driving is a better way to break in a GT (this is my opinion, based on the transmission issues). Shift through all of the gears whenever possible which also operates the engine at many different RPM's.

4. Resist the urge to get too wild and crazy, give it some time to generate a good feel for the car. You have a lot of power here. Most GT disasters occur during that "got to get in it quick and see what this baby can do" moment. This ain't no Yugo...

5. Be extra careful when backing up, due to very limited visibility. The front spoiler also needs consideration. The rear diffuser hangs fairly low, so be careful when going through nasty road bumps (I got nicked on day two...).

6. I make my auto detailer purchase cleaning supplies to be used on my car only (buffing wheels, polishing clothes. etc.). I wash them myself. I don't want someone else's dirty laundry being used on my car!

7. At the tire shop, I have my own personal replaceable plastic parts for their tire changing machine that are to be used only on my wheels. I paid for these parts and they swap them out temporarily for use on my car. Sure, it cost more, but I like to keep things clean.

8. Cold tires and cold and/or wet pavement can be a dangerous combo. Remember Roberto Guerrero in the beginning lap of the Indy 500, years ago? Your car has enough power to reproduce that maneuver!

Spend some time reviewing the numerous postings on this forum as we are fortunate to have an excellent owner's group!

Jay,
http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=34

www.gtsaver.com

16) If you close your eyes and feel the soft rubber part around the gear shift it feels like a woman's body part.

17) If you have a seventy year old widow as a neighbor she will tell you that the sound your car makes when you start it “makes her whole body tingle as if she were twenty again.”


These two seem linked somehow.... :lol

Neil

I have the wrong widow 2 doors away. All she does is bitch about the noise.

Dave

Neighbours can be a pain in the rear or a total delight.

We only have one neighbour - and they recently moved out, a new family has moved in and already we're hating it!

It's not that we don't like them or anything, we haven't even met them. It's just because they're 'new'!!

In my experience it's best to close the forward 'trunk' by putting your hand directly over the catch and pressing down in one smooth, gentle motion. This would place your hand at the front of the NACA duct, instead of between the duct and the windshield wiper.

Also as mentioned before warn EVERY passenger regarding the door when they get in AND out of the car. I've got some friends that have a bad impression of the car due to banged noggins...

One other suggestion. You may find that both doors are difficult to close. I have tried a myriad of adjustments with no success. What does work,however, is to slightly crack the windows if possible. Doors close "like butter." One more testament to build quality. :thumbsup

I would add dropping the front hood as well. I tried the press down; and at worst it can deform sides or edges over time, as on some of these there is no click. Leaving the cover in there makes it harder to colse as well for me.

One brief add to Jay's advise:

]1. Never "thrash" (drive hard) on a cold engine. Always wait until the water temperature is >160 F (in other word, approaches equalibrium). The moving components within the engine expand at different rates and therefore their proper clearances aren't established until then. Your GT engine has forged pistons which must be up to operating temperature before the proper piston to cylinder wall clearance is established.

Although the 160 degree water temp is probably adequate, when the temp gauge reaches 160 degrees, the oil temp is barely even warm to the touch. The dry sump system holds a lot of oil, so maybe a little additional time would be a good idea.

One of my brand X cars (also dry sump with same oil quantity) has both water and oil temp gauges. When the water temp gauge shows full operating temp, the oil temp gauge needle is still resting on the left peg. The car's manual suggests low rpm only until oil temp is at full operating temp.

Just something to think about.

Great list guys!! :cheers
I hope to pick mine up this aft. :banana Probably won't drive it yet because winter is setting in quickly here in the great white north! Canuckville. :frown
Cold roads and cold tires don't mix especially with this much juice at the rear. :eek My neighbour put his away before Haloween.
Hope to post some pics later.

My contributions:

-- 17.5 gallon gas tank is smaller than many. Watching the gas gauge gives a false impression of poor gas mileage. In fact, mileage is good but you do need to be careful when you are below 1/4 tank and there are long distances between gas stations.

-- double declutching gets you smoothly into second gear on cold mornings

A couple more:

The area around the rear license plate gets HOT! If you have a habit of mounting plastic license plate frames on your car, break it. Or upgrade it to metal license plate frames.

If you're below about 6 foot, two inches tall (and depending on the angle you like to keep your torso at) you will likely end up with a sizable space between the seat and the rear bulkhead. Beyond the canvas pockets that are back there you can actually squeeze various small items like a coat, water botter or the GTSAVER jack adapters (I'm 6 feet even, and I regularly keep all three back there). If your passenger is even smaller you now have room for a purse or small carry-on behind her (or his? :eek ) chair. (As Seinfeld said, "It's European!")