Putting Sizzle in the Snake!
If you haven't gotten a chance to drive the new Shelby GT500, you need to! What a car! As far as brute force goes….I think the GT500 tops the chart from the factory! We all have read about the cars that have been pushed into the nearly un-drivable horse power range, we have also have heard that Ford is going to do a KR versions (King of the Road) which will put down an estimated 565 HP, then there is Shelby who claims to have a 600+ hp package complete with a Shelby signature. If Horse Power is “car cocaine”, then there are plenty of pushers on the street! Well, we at MRT have had our hand on more than a few of these cars ourselves, as I am sure you would expect, we have a slightly different philosophy that we follow when putting the Sizzle in the Snake.
First of all, I ask the question same question to “Street Performance” customers that come into our shop asking for us to prepare them a 600 HP street car....The question I ask is; Have you ever driven a true 600 HP car on the street? If the answer is yes, then we can get down to business on how to achieve this objective responsibly. If the answer is no, then we need to do a reality check, which usually goes like this: At 600 HP your car becomes a land missile! It will want to accelerate faster than your tires can handle, it will need to have brakes that can stop the mass of the car in a safe distance, it will need a suspension that can carry speed through corners....it is a hand full of fun! But if put into the wrong hands it will likely hurt someone. Now we want our readers and customers to have as much fun as they can stand with their cars for a long long time, we don’t want people being hurt in there cars! We kept this in mind when we put our GT500 kit together. Let’s look at what we did and why.
First is the sound...I am sorry but the stock exhaust has got to go! MRT designs high quality, high performance exhaust system for Mustangs...not Chevy’s, not Toyota’s, Just Mustangs! We have a special formula that produces a high performance muscle car sound that works with your stock emission control system. Sound quality is a very important sound attribute for every Mustang and the GT500 is no exception, the sound needs to be deep, tough and sound like a muscle car. That is why we set out to produce a High-flow H-Pipe and tough stainless steel axle back system for the GT500. The result, WOW, now this is a tough sounding car!!!
Second is the handling...The GT500 is very comfortable right out of the shoot, but when we start to push the performance, we need a little bit more feel of the road. We have configured a coil over suspension package that is firm but not harsh and adds an extreme amount of control to the handling and hard launches off the line. Yes, this suspension kit also allows the car to be lowered to your specification.
Third, now that the exhaust is opened up and the breathing well, we need to free up some induction air flow and finish it with an optimized tune. We have chosen to leave the pulleys alone on this ride. We found that we didn’t need to stress the engine to get more power than the tires can handle.
Fourth, we put a new rocker molding on the side of the car, this rocker molding finishes the lines of the car with a clean fluent look. Quarter window louvers and rear window louvers are added to match the customer’s personal taste.
Last but not least, we maximize value! We get the job done for in the neighborhood of $5,000. Now that is customer focused when you compare kits with less content going for near $12,000. Oh, if you need some one to sign your car as being an original, I will be happy to do so at no extra charge. :)
I am delighted to see that many customers want to do a little touch to their Mustang to make theirs unique. We have Customers add stitching to the seats (most GT500 customers like the Snake...go figure), Interior trim updates, Seat kits, Body Kits, but, Wheels and tires are still a big player. My advice is to pick what you want to accomplish with your Mustang tuning experience and choose a company that will help advise and guide you to the right products for you...not the products that the sales person would like to see on their car. Have fun!
- Scott Hoag
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