Can you build a better Mustang?

[zoeSMG]

How about a mustang made out of thousands of little hotwheels mustangs ???

HAHAHAH! We were talking about that in the office. It would be a meta-mustang! Please please do it....I KNOW it would get posted.

[Juggs]

a lot of guys who autocross and road race and what have you buy the IRS set up's out of the cobras and put them on their cars (even the old 79-93 foxes) when the cobra guys swap them out for solid axles.

Truth be told the mustang gets a bad rap for the solid axle but most mustang enthusiasts would rather have it that way. It doesn't handle that bad from the factory and there are TONS of options to get it to handle amazingly even with a solid axle in back.

[ThisBlood147]

Truth be told the mustang gets a bad rap for the solid axle but most mustang enthusiasts would rather have it that way. It doesn't handle that bad from the factory and there are TONS of options to get it to handle amazingly even with a solid axle in back.

+1 I can vouch for that. With nothing more than lowering springs and some stiffer suspension components my stick axled horsecart is no joke in the turns. Any kind of driving that one would have to do on surface streets to breach the capabilities of a live axle car like mine with an IRS car of similar weight/specs would be a foolish endeavor all together. Sure, the Mustang is not an auto-x car......but it will go well and then some on a road course with just some minor suspension tweaks. Only thing an IRS on the current Mustang would have produced was: A.) better ride quality....and B.) a heavier, slightly more expensive Mustang. Any performance increase would have been minimal over what Ford has done with this live axle setup IMO.

Now, that said: I am not opposed to Ford developing a properly engineered IRS Mustang in the future. In fact, I'm hoping they do. But for the time being, the solid axle is not hurting the current Mustang's performance as much as most of you think it is. Sure, the new Camaro will have one. But considering it will weigh in just shy of 2 tons.........I don't see the benefit. I'll take a lighter live axled car over a heavy IRS car anyday.

[LeonOfTheDead]

I don't think the weight of the Camaro is only due to the suspension.
I remember reading, somewhere a long time ago, perhaps just after the Mustang was unveiled, that getting rid of the solid axle would have resulted in a 2000/3000 $ more expensive Mustang.
no word about the additional weight, but I think it would be that much higher.
that said, I'm fine with the solid axle, I don't think the car actually needs something more.

[ThisBlood147]

I don't think the weight of the Camaro is only due to the suspension.

No, it's mostly because of its heavier chassis, bigger brakes, and drivetrain. The base model is a fair bit lighter than the more performance-minded SS (3700 lbs vs 3900 lbs).