Best Daily Drive: FRS, Mustang or 370z?

[Nezz]

Originally Posted by fatoni

at 100 mph its a lot more about power to drag rather than power to weight. i think if anything its the small size/low cod and the low resistance tires. if you put sporty tires on the frs, the mpg is going to drop.

I was more thinking speed adjustments on the freeway, down to 70 then back up, where weight was concerned.

Sportier tyres should give more noise (definitely more cabin noise) but shouldn't have a -huge- impact on MPG. Perhaps 2 or 3 max-- The car has an excellent aerodynamic profile and aerodynamic drag forms a much larger portion of drag than rolling resistance.

[chappys4life]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

Sell private party or buy a supercharger. The Mustang will take more of a resale value hit in the long run.

No forced induction for me one of the main selling points for me on the fr-s was the warranty, trying to sell it now. Looking like I may have a 3-5k hit in the fr-s already.

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by chappys4life

No forced induction for me one of the main selling points for me on the fr-s was the warranty, trying to sell it now. Looking like I may have a 3-5k hit in the fr-s already.

OK, header, intake, exhaust, tune and E85 or methanol/water injection. Then you'll hit about 200WHP.

[chappys4life]

header & tune would kill the warranty.

[Sonolin]

Originally Posted by chappys4life

header & tune would kill the warranty.

Depends on your dealer.

Mine said as long as the install is right the stock powertrain would be covered, no matter what mods are installed.

I take that with a grain of salt, but doubt my dealer would give me shit about headers + tune. Just an e85 tune will get you past 180whp and be very unlikely to cause problems with your dealer.

If you want the most power stock, without any worries, I'd probably go with the Mustang though.

EDIT: Or, think of it this way - you have a brand new Toyota/Subaru that's likely to last you well past the 6 year extended warranty stock. And much funner than a Camry. Maybe take the car to the track if you don't want to trade in? I'm planning to do so soon and I've heard people get a lot less giddy about power after they feel this car at the track - I'm sure its a blast.

[chappys4life]

My dealer said tune or headers would void the warranty. It is more fun than a camry but I have never owned a camry or plan to. Is that the sales pitch for a fr-s, hey its more fun than a camry.

[EAGLE5]

Clearly you got the wrong car for yourself. I suggest a brand new 911 Turbo.

[Sonolin]

Originally Posted by chappys4life

My dealer said tune or headers would void the warranty. It is more fun than a camry but I have never owned a camry or plan to. Is that the sales pitch for a fr-s, hey its more fun than a camry.

Its marketed as a lightweight fun to drive sports car. That's what it is.

[Ryeong86]

If the mustang looked like this when the FR-S came out, it would be a very very very hard choice....

[CSI:86]

Originally Posted by Ryeong86

If the mustang looked like this when the FR-S came out, it would be a very very very hard choice....

Not very very very hard. It's easy Ford will never make a car designed like that.

[Ryeong86]

Originally Posted by CSI:86

Not very very very hard. It's easy Ford will never make a car designed like that.

I know... but can't a man dream?

[smbstyle]

I've owned two Mustangs (03 Mach 1 and 03 Cobra), driven a 2012 on a test drive and took a 2013 on track at Sebring, and here are my thoughts.

First off I think the 370z's look stupid, just my opinion, and after the new 370z got matched by a V6 Mustang on the speed limiter for most of the lap in C&D's Lightning Lap, I didn't even consider it.

My 03 Mach 1 and 03 Cobra were good cars for what they were; Muscle cars. I would never DD either, because of the heavy frickin clutch. The Mach 1 sucked for trying to make power out of, so I went with an 03 Cobra.

The 03 Cobra was a great drag racing car, it held up to everything, and I was making 608 rwhp out of it. The brakes were horrible though, the interior was a bit cramped, the shifter was in an uncomfortable position, handled like a boat, but damn would that thing haul ass in a straight line. Had some nice sounds too.

Heres a dyno vid and exhaust vid of my Cobra:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DixwfY7jBko&list=UUI7_3qVwegS7kgSt8P_D3Yw"]Kenne Bell 2.2L Dyno - YouTube[/ame]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlIpjFhrbUg&list=UUI7_3qVwegS7kgSt8P_D3Yw"]New Exhaust - Mac O/R H pipe and Magnaflow Catback - YouTube[/ame]


Once I moved from MD to FL, I got out of drag racing and into auto-X, then road course track days, then into SCCA club racing. After learning to drive around corners rather than in a straight line, I had much more of an appreciation for good handling cars rather than just raw HP. I had a stock M3, lightly modified CTS-V, and a Miata SCCA race car, which were all incredible cars, and handled great.

When I had my CTS-V, I was considering selling it for a new Mustang, and test drove a 2012 5.0 with the Brembo package. After driving it, I just did not like how long the hood was, and even though it was lighter on paper than my CTS-V, it actually just felt like it was bigger and heavier, so I gave up on that idea.

Then, when the 2013's came out, I loved the front and rear end designs, and saw they had a "track pack", and then was even considering a Boss 302 because it was supposed to be an out of the box track car. I had the opportunity to take a 2013 V6 out on track, and my god I absolutely hated it. Don't get me wrong, it had some power, but the steering feedback was absolutely horrendous, even on the "sport" steering setting. You would turn the wheel, wait two seconds, then the car would turn. Like my 03 Cobra and Mach 1, it just felt like a boat around corners. Not only that, but the interior was still kinda crappy; the center console area is annoying on your arm for long drives, just the material and location rubs your arm raw, seats are horrible, unless you have the Recaro seats, and it just feels cramped. I honestly did not like it at all on the street or on track, but it was neat to look at. After driving it for the weekend I gave up on wanting a 2013 GT track pack or Boss 302.

I then had the opportunity to test drive a BRZ, and was sold the second I went around the offramp. Steering feedback is on par with Porsche IMO, zero body roll, very low center of gravity, it was just rewarding to drive, and put a smile on my face.

Going from a 608hp Cobra, then to a CTS-V, and then a 1.8 Miata, I actually enjoyed the Miata more than either car, and I did not miss the power. I can always add HP if I want it, but I couldn't make the CTS-V or Cobra handle the way the Miata does, and can't cut 1,000 lbs out of either car either.

Video of my CTS-V:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYMDgpS4T94&list=UUI7_3qVwegS7kgSt8P_D3Yw& index=32"]CTS-V chasing a 997 GT3 at Sebring - YouTube[/ame]

Video of my Miata:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sw1TZBleLDs&list=UUI7_3qVwegS7kgSt8P_D3Yw& index=12"]Sebring 2:45 Lap in a Miata - YouTube[/ame]

[SVTSHC]

Originally Posted by FRiSson

Just my personal take on the Mustang vs FR-Z. When you sit in the Mustang, you feel surrounded by a lot of mass. You sit low and the dash rises up in front of you like a cresting wave. The result is that you feel like you are driving a powerful torpedo, but that you feel somewhat isolated from the outside by the high beltline and heavy feel of the car. By contrast, the FR-Z is lighter and significantly smaller. The world seems closer and more accessible, and the taut steering and road feel reinforces that connectedness. So it comes down to how you want to feel in your car. I chose the FR-S because acceleration is less interesting to me than the feel of driving in a responsive, connected machine.

This is probably the first piece of feedback regarding the two I've ever seen anyone post that I wholeheartedly agree with. I love the stang, love it, but it makes me feel like I'm in a straight jacket strapped to a rocket. So the whole time I'm like , but not in an entirely comfortable way. Hoping that come 2015 they'll drop the panels some.

[CSI:86]

Originally Posted by Ryeong86

I know... but can't a man dream?

I dream about it too but the likelihood of Ford releasing JUST like that is the chance of Subaru releasing the next gen WRX like this, when it goes in production next year.

http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibti...oncept-car.jpg