What do you hate about your GT500?

Nbrac27

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Whats up guys!

I'm in the market currently for an 11/12 GT500, and am curious for those of you who own them, what do you hate about them?

For example. Prior to owning my terminator I thought there wasn't going to be a single thing I didn't like it about it (I mean, I come from the Subaru STI world, and considering all EJ motors want to do is explode anything else would be a blessing..)

Then I discovered that some people were on their um-teenth alternator and already had their next one sitting on the shelf ready.. the IRS is basically made of glass and if you blow on it the wrong way it shatters into oblivion.. and god forbid you try to put in a new headunit without tearing out the ENTIRE sound system and replacing everything to make it sound any better..

So what are the common issues with the GT500s that aggravate you all that own them?
 

Nbrac27

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I mean if thats the only thing you hated about it, that's a good sign!

That does suck though, will you be getting into another one?
 

1Kona_Venom

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I've had no issues with my car. 43k miles
But I also do maintenance and upgrades to stay ahead of stuff
I've had 2..... '12 and '11
 

Nbrac27

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Okay so what about from a modification standpoint? Are there like certain milestone power points where things need to start getting upgraded? Or like meaning what is a safe limit before things start breaking?

I know for my old STI it was 350whp before you had to start worrying about the motor.

For my Terminator the stock blower could really only produce in the mid 500's if it was ported with full bolt ons.

What is the GT500s limits before major upgrades?
 

biminiLX

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-Gear whine from 8.8 if you drag race. If you don’t launch on a sticky tire it’ll be fine.
-remote mount shifter/1-2 gear lock out (my ‘14 wasn’t bad at all but early guys have issues, usually ‘11-12 actually)
-restrictive stock blower, you’ll need a TVS upgrade for any real power
All I have, more positives than negatives by far.
-J
 

Catmonkey

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All my negatives have been upgraded. I can't say I hated those aspects that were upgraded. You don't have to go quite as far as I have to make these cars more fun. Stock was a reasonable compromise at a decent price point. A few things I think Ford could have done was a better supercharger, like the 13-14, although I put on my first TVS at 1,200 miles. The intercooler system is largely a carry over from the Terminator. I think they could have done a better job making it better, although it was intended for much lower boost than most of us are running. However, I see what looks like the same intercooler tubes on cut-aways on the 2020. I think Ford should have let Tremec make the transmission more durable at the sake of being quieter.
 

Booky

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My Recaro seats were tight and uncomfortable for me and
as -J pointed out, the 1-2 gear lock out is frustrating and a TVS upgrade is a must.
 

Nbrac27

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So it sounds like there really isnt that much in a sense of irratating little issues with the car?

I'm currently in a toss up, I'm between the 11/12 GT500 and a 16-18 Camaro SS.

But I'm leaning much more towards the shelby.
 

RBB

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I hate the cheap, tacky looking interior, but that’s about it. There were some good points in the other replies, but pretty much everything you would hate about a stock Shelby can be easily taken care of if your budget allows it.
 

1Kona_Venom

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Okay so what about from a modification standpoint? Are there like certain milestone power points where things need to start getting upgraded? Or like meaning what is a safe limit before things start breaking?

I know for my old STI it was 350whp before you had to start worrying about the motor.

For my Terminator the stock blower could really only produce in the mid 500's if it was ported with full bolt ons.

What is the GT500s limits before major upgrades?


I came off 2 Cobras with 650rwhp via VMP. A stock 11-12 Shelby was a fkn pig.
I'm more than safe at 700/660 on 93 Octane.
To go from stock to 700...budget $8-$9,000 on an '11 or '12

and if your really serious about buying a Shelby, PM me and I can work you out a good deal
 
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PM-Performance

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Depends on your goals and what you expect from it.

Biggest issue are of you want a car to run full tilt,
Remote mount shifter can be an issue
Gear whine can get annoying
Heat soak is the biggest issue with these cars.
They are big heavy cars too. Coming from an SN95, it’s a big car, but it’s really comfortable

If you just want a cool car to drive for ice cream, it’s negligible.
If you want a car that you can make tons of power and race it, you gotta work a little harder than people make it seem to be
 

lkempf

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I've owned my 11 for 8 years and the biggest problem I've had with the car was the 1-2 gear lockout. I upgraded he fluid and put in a MGW Gen 2 and it has mostly gone away. Honestly I would prefer an automatic. Considered selling it for a 18+ GT with an auto but it will never be Shelby. Everybody has GT's but not many have Shelby's. I wouldn't mind having all of electronic gadgets on the newer ones like line lock, and launch control. Just my opinions.
 

Handlebar Moustache

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Heat soak is the biggest issue with these cars.

I agree. If you live in a hot climate, cooling upgrades should probably make it to your list.

Minor issues:

-stock brake pads dust easily and soil the wheels quickly. Wash the car and take one ride...wheels are dirty. Easily fixed with a pad upgrade.

-There is no spare tire. Same situation for most cars of this caliber I guess. NBD.

-To me, it can be hard to relax in a car with relatively expensive components. The 5.4/5.8 motor isn’t cheap...and that fact is always in the back of your mind when you think about approaching certain limits (RPM, power levels, tuning envelope, boost levels, etc). I hate to admit it, but I had the most fun in cars with literally a third of the power out of cheap components (pushrod 5.0/T-5 fox bodies). I can afford the Shelby I currently drive and if I blew it up, I’d be fine. But I’d cry myself to sleep out of principle. So I have the car tuned very conservative and I never approach those limits. Approaching the limits is what makes it fun though. I don’t think I can go 2020 GT500. $20k+ motor AND another $20k for the DCT? No thanks. I’ll stay below $50k all in. The point, I guess, is that even after the initial purchase, you always have to be willing to pay if you want to play (more so with the Shelbys than with other/more mass produced performance cars). Just my thoughts... I’m sure plenty of guys would say to nut up and send it.


Sent from my iPhone using the svtperformance.com mobile app
 

lOOKnGO

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I have a list that will detour most buyers!

Gray valve stem caps
No gas cap
Hood prop on wrong side
People think you like to talk about cars
To much power for bumper to bumper traffic.

Good luck in your quest!
 

850SNCobra

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I don't think the 11-12 models have this problem but the door panels in the 07-09's are a complete pain in the ass when the door panel vinyl/leather starts sagging or peeling.
 

merkyworks

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My 12 is my only car so obviously I daily it, all the mods I have done are in my sig. The car does have some few quirks but what car doesn't, biggest that comes to mind is the clunky trans. Going full out the trans shits like a champ, I don't suffer from 1-2 lockout like others but when just cruising around gear changes can be notchy. Only time I don't like driving the car is stop and go/bumper to bumper traffic cause its a manual and not an auto. I've toyed with the idea of by a 18+GT 10sp auto car with twin turbos and on 93 octane 700 whp should be doable. But at the end of the day it's just another GT live so many others on the road, maybe I've drank the Shelby kool-aid for to long but there's just something special about a GT500.
 

HKusp

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I have an '09 and as was stated previously, heat soak is the biggest problem, followed closely by the occasional 1-2 shift issue. When the weather is warm and the car is warm, it get's down on power pretty quickly due to the heat soak. Upgrade the heat exchanger (H/E) and the pump. VMP makes a nice H/E with dual vans and get the '13-'14 H/E pump and all will be good in that department. Supposedly 700 rear wheel is "safe" on a stock block all day, and it's a matter of how much money you want to spend on the accompanying parts to get there. Coming over from the Terminator and Subaru world, you already have a grasp of that I suspect.
 

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