TDC
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2015
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- Location
- Long Island
- Vehicle(s)
- 2016 GT350, 2019 Challenger Scat Pack Widebody, 2019 Corvette Grand Sport
- Thread starter
- #1
After 4-1/2 years of an excellent ownership experience I traded in Shelby for a great deal on a leftover C7 Grand Sport manual.
Purchased Shelby in September 2015 and she was delivered in December. Main intent for the GT350 was 90% cruise and 10% track but over the last few years the ratio reversed to 90% track and 10% cruise; she is intoxicatingly fun on track. I will miss the 8250rpm howl and the refined quiet ride to and from the track. She never needed oil and never left me stranded.
Why move on? The warranty was coming due, there was a desire to move towards something lighter more nimble and a larger selection of used/aftermarket parts. Made a short list of cars and balanced $$$ vs. performance and the excellent deals on C7’s Grand Sports was too compelling to pass up.
Quick comparisons
ENGINE
Sound - VooDoo is an easy win vs the factory exhaust C7. I’ve heard long tube C7’s at the track and they sound excellent but looking to retain factory warranty so I’ll stick with the factory manifolds.
Torque - Lighter weight coupled with broad low torque curve makes the C7 a pleasure at near legal speeds. The GT350 torque curve never bothered me around town but for anyone whose primary purpose is street driving I could see the appeal of the LT1 vs the VooDoo.
Overall the pairing of the LT1 torque, low weight, and gear ratios make the C7 “feel” faster but having been on track with my 350 against many C7’s I know the cars accelerate about the same.
TRANS
Shifter - GT350 factory shifter is much better than the C7. Easy to direct it into each gear. The C7 has a rubbery feel and the 7-speed forces 3rd and 5th too close together. I’ll need to get muscle memory dialed in to prevent a money shift under acceleration on track from 4th to 3rd
Ratios - Prefer the pairing of the C7 torque and ratios for street driving.
Clutch take up- both cars have little feel for initial bite
STEERING
Feel - the GT350’s steering wheel is way more comfortable. However the C7 steering overall feels more direct with an immediacy that is not as present in the 350 but that’s not a surprise considering less weight, lower CG and smaller diameter wheel. Both have similar feel of the road surface through the steering wheel.
RIDE
Noise - the 350 is waaay more pleasant on long drives. Less noise intrusion and less drone when at low rpm
Suspension - both drive comfortably over bumps. The C7 GS has magnetic shocks so I was pleasantly surprised by its composure over sharp bumps.
INTERIOR and VIEW
Gauge cluster - center tach with speed readout for the C7 is nicer day will help with judging how well I execute corner exits.
Seats - I had the sofa seats on the GT350. The C7 standard GT seats hug better and are just as comfortable. I will miss the A/C seats on hot track days though.
Front View - C7 has a more commanding view and is easy to place the front corners
Side and Rear view - GT350 is the easy winner here. Left rear quarter view from the C7 doesn’t exist.
GT350 ownership was a wonderful experience and I have met many great people through this forum and expect to hang around to see all of the great experiences others are having (track days, road trips, sharing their car with family). I’ll always consider myself to be a part of this Mustang community and maybe one day in the future I’ll own one of these great cars again. For now I want to continue experiencing this wave of extremely fun, fast and track capable cars and build a bunch of great memories.
Stay safe and wish everyone the best during these trying times.
Purchased Shelby in September 2015 and she was delivered in December. Main intent for the GT350 was 90% cruise and 10% track but over the last few years the ratio reversed to 90% track and 10% cruise; she is intoxicatingly fun on track. I will miss the 8250rpm howl and the refined quiet ride to and from the track. She never needed oil and never left me stranded.
Why move on? The warranty was coming due, there was a desire to move towards something lighter more nimble and a larger selection of used/aftermarket parts. Made a short list of cars and balanced $$$ vs. performance and the excellent deals on C7’s Grand Sports was too compelling to pass up.
Quick comparisons
ENGINE
Sound - VooDoo is an easy win vs the factory exhaust C7. I’ve heard long tube C7’s at the track and they sound excellent but looking to retain factory warranty so I’ll stick with the factory manifolds.
Torque - Lighter weight coupled with broad low torque curve makes the C7 a pleasure at near legal speeds. The GT350 torque curve never bothered me around town but for anyone whose primary purpose is street driving I could see the appeal of the LT1 vs the VooDoo.
Overall the pairing of the LT1 torque, low weight, and gear ratios make the C7 “feel” faster but having been on track with my 350 against many C7’s I know the cars accelerate about the same.
TRANS
Shifter - GT350 factory shifter is much better than the C7. Easy to direct it into each gear. The C7 has a rubbery feel and the 7-speed forces 3rd and 5th too close together. I’ll need to get muscle memory dialed in to prevent a money shift under acceleration on track from 4th to 3rd
Ratios - Prefer the pairing of the C7 torque and ratios for street driving.
Clutch take up- both cars have little feel for initial bite
STEERING
Feel - the GT350’s steering wheel is way more comfortable. However the C7 steering overall feels more direct with an immediacy that is not as present in the 350 but that’s not a surprise considering less weight, lower CG and smaller diameter wheel. Both have similar feel of the road surface through the steering wheel.
RIDE
Noise - the 350 is waaay more pleasant on long drives. Less noise intrusion and less drone when at low rpm
Suspension - both drive comfortably over bumps. The C7 GS has magnetic shocks so I was pleasantly surprised by its composure over sharp bumps.
INTERIOR and VIEW
Gauge cluster - center tach with speed readout for the C7 is nicer day will help with judging how well I execute corner exits.
Seats - I had the sofa seats on the GT350. The C7 standard GT seats hug better and are just as comfortable. I will miss the A/C seats on hot track days though.
Front View - C7 has a more commanding view and is easy to place the front corners
Side and Rear view - GT350 is the easy winner here. Left rear quarter view from the C7 doesn’t exist.
GT350 ownership was a wonderful experience and I have met many great people through this forum and expect to hang around to see all of the great experiences others are having (track days, road trips, sharing their car with family). I’ll always consider myself to be a part of this Mustang community and maybe one day in the future I’ll own one of these great cars again. For now I want to continue experiencing this wave of extremely fun, fast and track capable cars and build a bunch of great memories.
Stay safe and wish everyone the best during these trying times.
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