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Test drove a 2012 GT500..have a question about rear end


cormy
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While taking a drive off the lot of what I assume is a performance package gt500, the rear wheels were so easy to spin. Even in 3rd gear driving moderately then stomping on it the tires broke free at an alarming rate. May have happened in 4th as well. I get wheel spin with my 08 but nothing like this.

 

The temp was around 50f, dry conditions.

 

Car has the original Good years that were really worn down (rear only) :cool:

 

Question is, are these vehicles this tail happy as norm? Or was it the fact of worn tires? Lower rear gear ratio?

Edited by cormy
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Yep. Warmer temps will help (50 is right at the threshold) but new different tires will help more.Treadware could be a big contributor in this case. It's hard to get the tires warm enough at 50 since the ambient temp of the pavement will really make them stay hard as hockey pucks. Since you'd replace them anyway the Michelin Pilot tires seem to be about the best these days. I'm sure they are available in the correct size for the GT500.

Edited by twobjshelbys
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Welcome to a short-geared supercharged V8, especially if it happened to be on those hockey pucks they call Goodyear F-1 G: 2s which are one of the world's most miserable tires until they've been heated up by a decent amount of spirited driving, even on days when roads already are good and warm.

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Ok so if the tires are so bad (which I agree) then why oh why do they come on the car?

 

Many have asked the same question. The same tire came on the Ford GT and people who used them say they were OK for track use after they warmed up. The problem is that until ambient temps are in the 70's they are hard as rocks. Your operators manual warns of this.

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If Shelby had his name on a vehilcle, they came with Goodyears as he was the southwest distributor. Now that he is gone, that is no longer the case with Ford or the SA shop. The selection of which Goodyear performance tire is probably a decision between bean counters and designers. I expect that they didn't see the GT500 as the primary daily driver, but the warm weather boulevard cruiser. Wrong assumption, obviously.

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The car may have had a pulley and tune also that wasn't evident but usually adds about 75 hp to the stock 550. I did that to my 2011 and it made it a new car to me. Also when I went to Michelins Pilots from the stock Goodyear's, the increase in traction was almost like losing 100 hp due to the "lesser" amount of wheel spin ... relatively speaking of course. :cool:

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If Shelby had his name on a vehilcle, they came with Goodyears as he was the southwest distributor. Now that he is gone, that is no longer the case with Ford or the SA shop. The selection of which Goodyear performance tire is probably a decision between bean counters and designers. I expect that they didn't see the GT500 as the primary daily driver, but the warm weather boulevard cruiser. Wrong assumption, obviously.

 

If that is the case, I am surprised the "in-house built" Super Snakes since 2007 had Pirelli's (255/275 P-Zero's) installed up until recently (2013) with the wheel change and now they are Michelin's?

 

 

 

 

 

R

Edited by Robert M
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If that is the case, I am surprised the "in-house built" Super Snakes since 2007 had Pirelli's (255/275 P-Zero's) installed up until recently (2013) with the wheel change and now they are Michelin's?

 

 

 

 

 

R

Well that can't be the case. The 2006 Shelby GTH came with Pirelli's, the 2007 Shelby GTH came with BF Goodrich, the 2007-08 Shelby GT came with BF Goodrich. The first Goodyear tire to show up on the new generation of Shelby vehicles was in 2008 when Goodyear produced a tire specifically for the KR.

 

As already mentioned the newer Super Snakes, Shelby GT's, Focus, Raptor all have used other tire brands than Goodyear.

 

Steve

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  • 2 weeks later...

As Sean pointed out you said the Original Goodyear's were really worn down.....the F1's in general have not been known to be great or even good in temperatures below 45 degrees.

 

As Steve pointed out, there have been my suppliers for various Shelby post title builds also, and for a very good reason.

 

As much as you have complained about your previous 07 GT500 on here, you are probably better off not purchasing another used one and then coming on here to complain.

 

Alex

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One thing you have to keep in mind, is that these cars are no joke. They don't perform well on paper, because they make too much power, a legit 600hp, and they need R spec tires to make use of the power. So, in the end, you really own a race car that you are trying to drive on the street.

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Well that can't be the case. The 2006 Shelby GTH came with Pirelli's, the 2007 Shelby GTH came with BF Goodrich, the 2007-08 Shelby GT came with BF Goodrich. The first Goodyear tire to show up on the new generation of Shelby vehicles was in 2008 when Goodyear produced a tire specifically for the KR.

 

As already mentioned the newer Super Snakes, Shelby GT's, Focus, Raptor all have used other tire brands than Goodyear.

 

Steve

 

The 06, 07 and 08s all came with standard Ford Mustang rims with factory rubber. Shelby didn't touch those rims/tires. They were standard issue Ford.

 

Tom

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