Got my GT......feels soft...susp mods??

[dealmaker]

Well after a few hundred miles in my new FGT I am getting to grip with the way it goes round corners! (Including a few VERY sideways moments!!)

Compared to my current Murcielago and 997GT3RS and my old Carrera GT it clearly feels a LOT softer, not as "pinned down" - and seems to pitch and roll more than I am used to - it feels a bit "tippy" and it almost feels like there is a slight mismatch between the compression and rebound on the front and rear dampers such that there is a slight yaw on turn in.

Aside from all this the car does ride high at the front on standard settings.

So I want to get a firmer and flatter cornering capability and I certainly don't mind sacrificing some ride comfort to attain that. I'm sure dropping it a couple of inches at the front and half an inch or so at the rear would in itself make a big difference.

So what's the consensus of opinion on the best suspension mods to get the best from the car and make it handle more like it ought to??

Also whats the thinking on the best tyres for the car (assuming you have to go up to at least 20" rims) as the standard ones leave a lot to be desired!

Thanks!

 

[BlackICE]

Penskes from Alex at T&A are what most owners use to update the suspension. As for the tires, many are happy with the Michelin PS2 for the 20" wheels, although they are almost 1" smaller in diameter. Also many are happy with the Bridgestone Scuderia rear tires that were OEM on the Enzo on the stock wheel.

 

[dealmaker]

BlackICE,

Thanks. IS there an agreed" ideal" wheel tire size combo that hits all the buttons? (see a lot of the TT cars are running with larger HRE wheels?..but don't know what size?)

I might as well change the rims/tires to get the best out of the suspension!

 

[BlackICE]

The best tire combo for max performance without any thought to road hazards or wet pavement would be Hoosier R6s on the stock size rims. PS2, Scuderia and Goodyears are have their own plus and minuses for as a street tire.

 

[mousecatcher]

wow, i've never heard the FGT suspension called "soft"!

 

[TallCarGuy]

Mousecatcher,

I have been in a number of Porsche serious performance cars, GT3, Carrera GT and by comparison to the GT they ride much harder. That said, I do not believe the ultimate grip in a corner is significantly different. With equal tires the cornering "Gs" will be very close. Those that really long for a real race cars feel will appreciate the Porsche style suspension, while I myself prefer the more well rounded style of the GT.

I like the fact that I could, and have, comfortably spent twenty one hours straight behind the wheel of the Ford GT and still have a car that laps the track with the best street cars out there. I really don't believe that the GT3 or the Carrera GT would be able to handle a really long drive comfortably. They are great cars, they're just not what I was looking for when I bought my GT.

Richard Hille
The GT School

ps - Heck even my Silver State Classic winning Camaro rides a lot more comfortably than the Porsches above, and that's at average speeds over 198 mph for 90 miles....

 

[OzGT]

Dealmaker, hit the tech section and do a search, there's more than enough suspension talk there, especially on the Penskes. I have the 2-ways in mine along with HRE 20/19 with PS2s and the car is superb, everything I want.

 

[JCSB]

Dealmaker, hit the tech section and do a search, there's more than enough suspension talk there, especially on the Penskes. I have the 2-ways in mine along with HRE 20/19 with PS2s and the car is superb, everything I want.

Did you do the mods at the same time. I have the 20/19 wheel and tires going on and have been debating about the shocks.

John

 

[Shadowman]

Mousecatcher,

I have been in a number of Porsche serious performance cars, GT3, Carrera GT and by comparison to the GT they ride much harder. That said, I do not believe the ultimate grip in a corner is significantly different. With equal tires the cornering "Gs" will be very close. Those that really long for a real race cars feel will appreciate the Porsche style suspension, while I myself prefer the more well rounded style of the GT.

I like the fact that I could, and have, comfortably spent twenty one hours straight behind the wheel of the Ford GT and still have a car that laps the track with the best street cars out there. I really don't believe that the GT3 or the Carrera GT would be able to handle a really long drive comfortably. They are great cars, they're just not what I was looking for when I bought my GT.

Richard Hille
The GT School

ps - Heck even my Silver State Classic winning Camaro rides a lot more comfortably than the Porsches above, and that's at average speeds over 198 mph for 90 miles....

You are speaking to the man with all the toys so his comments were based on his personal experience with all of them.

Takes care

Shadowman

 

[Neilda]

wow, i've never heard the FGT suspension called "soft"!

I have to say that when I first got my GT it felt very 'wallowy' compared to the Lamborghini (for example), definitely not as stiff and it didn't inspire confidence within fast undulating corners.

However as a compromise, and I think the suspension set up is a compromise, it's ideal for my normal driving/road use. The Lambo was snatchy and uncomfortable (in comparison) but far more capable with a barnacle-like grip.

I've driven mine a thousand miles in a single journey and felt as fresh as a daisy, there's not too many cars can give as comfortable a ride when matched with such performance.

 

[dealmaker]

I have to say that when I first got my GT it felt very 'wallowy' compared to the Lamborghini (for example), definitely not as stiff and it didn't inspire confidence within fast undulating corners.

However as a compromise, and I think the suspension set up is a compromise, it's ideal for my normal driving/road use. The Lambo was snatchy and uncomfortable (in comparison) but far more capable with a barnacle-like grip.

I've driven mine a thousand miles in a single journey and felt as fresh as a daisy, there's not too many cars can give as comfortable a ride when matched with such performance.

If it was just the "softness" then I could work around that - it's the unsettling YAW movement that I find disconcerting and it is that I would like to erradicate.

 

[Neilda]

If it was just the "softness" then I could work around that - it's the unsettling YAW movement that I find disconcerting and it is that I would like to eradicate.

Yes, I know what you mean... sub 80 around country lanes it feels fine, it's the big sweepers on freeway type roads where the car feels unsettled at speed.

It's got to be the stiffest and one of the nicest chassis on the planet, so the suspension is the issue.

I have to say I can live with mine - it's about the right balance for spirited driving on country roads, if I was hacking it around Goodwood regularly, I'd need something doing.

If you're ever in Surrey, come and say 'boo!'.

N

 

[Fubar]

I agree, even with the Penske setup on mine I found that the back-end would come-up to fast under hard braking (on the factory penske settings). This was easily adjusted with some tweeking of the rebound settings. I have not had a proper track day to test the results.

As a side note, I have been very happy with the Bridgestones on my car for street use . I plan to get a set of Hoosiers for track days. Look here for more info on tires

http://www.fordgtforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12372

 

[atspeed]

I very recently had Shadowman do a bit of a makeover on my car and part of it was switching to the Penske two ways and new springs (what I would call a "standard" Penske upgrade). I have not done any tweaking from the "neutral" settings for both compression and rebound as yet, but I can report that the car feels much more "connected" to the ground than before -- and I had 10k miles on the car before the change. The car was also lowered 1" at the front and 5/8" at the rear. The net result is that it is more confidence inspiring because you do get a better feel for what each corner is doing at any time. I think this has a lot to do with eliminating the rubber bushings that the OEM parts mounted through to the frame. The "neutral" settings do make the car a bit harsher over rough sections, but not annoyingly so unless you drive very regularly on very bad roads I imagine. And it still seems to just soak up the road for hours on longer trips. Time will tell. I look forward to taking the car out at the track soon and then making adjustments for that environment.

 

[Viper]

I know what you mean Dealmaker.

Though I love the GT because it's so compliant over our aweful british roads.

For us here it could mean a call to Dave Jones at Roush.

I don't know how Porsche do it but I can regularly do european jaunts in the 7RS with it's totally sorted suspension without fear of fatigue or irritation. A wicked car.

 

[dealmaker]

I know what you mean Dealmaker.

Though I love the GT because it's so compliant over our aweful british roads.

For us here it could mean a call to Dave Jones at Roush.

I don't know how Porsche do it but I can regularly do european jaunts in the 7RS with it's totally sorted suspension without fear of fatigue or irritation. A wicked car.

Viper,

Yes the Gt3rs is just so good on the marginal roads around here - despite the fact that it is more track biased than the FGT.

The limited suspension travel of the Carrera GT meant that the GT3RS and even indeed the Murcielago are faster "point to point" than the Carrera GT..on the other hand the FGT is so soft that you seem to "squirm" from one bend to another and never seem to get the car settled ..........consequently the Murcielago and GT3rs would pull out a significant lead simply because you can lean on them so much harder, in total confidence because the feeback is so clear.

I've already spoken to Dave and he's suggested a KW kit as fitted to the Mirage 720's etc. - think it's about £2950 plus fitting?......I'd like to ensure we can drop the front by a good couple of inches before we proceed.

How do you find the CDC bumper delete kit? Did Dave fit it?

 

[Viper]

Had the guy at my workshop fit the delete kit under my supervision.......more involved than it would appear at first glance.
I was under the impression that KW could be lowered a couple of inches.

Mine needs doing too.....chased a Black GT round brands that had a KW set up and bigger brakes together with 650 horses and I had trouble. Damn quick.

 

[OzGT]

Did you do the mods at the same time. I have the 20/19 wheel and tires going on and have been debating about the shocks.

John

Nope. Had shocks first, then bought wheels some months later.

 

[mousecatcher]

Yes the Gt3rs is just so good on the marginal roads around here - despite the fact that it is more track biased than the FGT.

surprised to hear that. i will have to try one someday.

 

[HeritageBruce]

I have Moton Motorsports on mine and with the Bridgestone RE050A's (OEM tires on the Enzo), the car is very very very very planted and breadaway is very progressive. But the car is still 3500 pounds plus minus a few steak dinners so it isn't going to have as good transiant response as the GT series P cars, or even my Viper ACR, not even if I have the Motons on full stiff. But the car makes up for it in all other parts of the road/track. Do a search on RE050 and you will see lots of driving impressions.