Said BYE to the 5.0, hello ST1 ...

[2011V6Stang]

Yup, that's right.

I've been a Mustang GT guy since 1982, have owned 7 of them over the years. Got a new 5.0 last year, it was a great car.

But the bottom line was it had more hp than I wanted/needed. I was constantly maintaining a vigil on the accelerator (still ended up getting a ticket anyways).

I needed something a little tamer, but still had "pep" to it.

So a few days ago I traded in my 5.0 for a Focus ST1. Yeah, the V8 rumble is gone. But now I have a few more doors and much better mpg. For me, I feel the trade off is worth it.

So far, so good!

 

[SID297]

Interesting trade. What do you think of the ST so far?

 

[Naturesmistake]

I too am curious. So far I'm loving my 5.0 but I'd like a tamer DD as well (when the funds allow cus there is no waaaay I'm giving this baby up) and was curious about the focus. I think I'm going to test drive one when I get a chance, but I'd love to hear about what you miss and what you like better with your new ST. Congrats btw. My one gripe with the ST is the lack of paddle shifters or select shift... For me in heavy bay area traffic, a clutch on a daily would suck. An automatic manual is a great compromise.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Did that intentionally eh? Man...I sold my 5.0 for the ST because we are increasing the size of the family and I needed room for another car seat, not because I wanted too. lol.

The ST is a great little car, and a near perfect blend of fun and practicality, but good grief is it slow. Having said that, I'm not sure I'd want it much faster because the torque steer is bad enough as is...if you are passing someone on a back country road you better be holding onto that wheel or you'll be in a tree before you know it.

The money saved in car payment, insurance, and gas is appreciated, but I still miss the 5.0. I never could get enough of how that car sounded.

 

[2011V6Stang]

Interesting trade. What do you think of the ST so far?

Love it.

For a FWD vehicle, 252 hp is just fine and fits the car well. It also feels like it handles better than my base 5.0 did, and so far I'm getting ~22mpg (compared to ~12 mpg with the 5.0).

I too am curious. So far I'm loving my 5.0 but I'd like a tamer DD as well ... but I'd love to hear about what you miss and what you like better with your new ST. Congrats btw. My one gripe with the ST is the lack of paddle shifters or select shift... For me in heavy bay area traffic, a clutch on a daily would suck. An automatic manual is a great compromise.

Based on just a short time with the ST:

- GT sounded better
- ST handles better
- 5.0 looked great
- ST also a good looker (albeit not in a "pony car" way)
- GT was also a 6 speed manual w/o paddles, so no change there
- shorter nose/smaller ST body makes for better close quarter maneuvering
- fuel savings
- and fuel savings
- did I say fuel savings? (LOL)

... I sold my 5.0 for the ST because we are increasing the size of the family ... not because I wanted too. lol.

Yes, I Wanted To, because:
5.0 + faster acceleration = me being on a first name basis with a traffic attorney

So for me, the ST is less "problematic".

The ST is a great little car ... but good grief is it slow.

Maybe "slow" compared to a new 5.0, but definitely not a slow car by any means. In 1985 my new GT had 210 hp and ran high 14's, in 1995 my new Cobra had 240 hp and ran mid 14's. Compare that to a 252 hp Focus that runs mid 14's. ;-)

I'm not sure I'd want it much faster ... if you are passing someone on a back country road you better be holding onto that wheel or you'll be in a tree before you know it.

Same thing will happen passing in a 5.0 if that 400+ hp isn't firmly planted.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Yes, I Wanted To, because:
5.0 + faster acceleration = me being on a first name basis with a traffic attorney

So for me, the ST is less "problematic".



Maybe "slow" compared to a new 5.0, but definitely not a slow car by any means. In 1985 my new GT had 210 hp and ran high 14's, in 1995 my new Cobra had 240 hp and ran mid 14's. Compare that to a 252 hp Focus that runs mid 14's. ;-)



Same thing will happen passing in a 5.0 if that 400+ hp isn't firmly planted.

LOL. I never had any issues, but I don't tend to drive fast either. Even in the cobra's I never drove very fast..I got over getting constant speeding tickets in HS.

I suppose the slow is relative, but this is the 3rd step down for me in a row. I went from a 600+rwhp 03 cobra, to the 2011GT, and now to the ST. I thought the 2011 Mustang was a dog when I first got it, but I eventually got used to it. I'm hoping the same will happen with the ST.

As for passing...I passed people on back country roads in the 5.0 all the time (people around here like to drive 20 under the limit...it's maddening) and never had an issue. The ST tries to yank the wheel out of my hand, then also tries to "correct" by steering me back into the person I'm passing. It's a little unsettling, but I"m sure I'll get used to it. I haven't had a wrong wheel drive car in a very long time though.

At least I'm motivated to finish fussing with the 92GT now that my 5.0 is gone. I'm still gonna miss that car, but family priorities come first, and it's not like the car I got to replace it sucks. I love the ST, I just don't love it as much as I loved the GT.

 

[2011V6Stang]

LOL. I never had any issues, but I don't tend to drive fast either. Even in the cobra's I never drove very fast..I got over getting constant speeding tickets in HS.

I'm 50+ years old, and throughout my life never saw the point of paying the extra $$ of owning a high performance car ... just to drive it like an an econo box. Now that doesn't mean I drove like a mad man, but I spent a decade and a half at the drag strip, racing, breaking stuff, and having fun. I'm no longer interested in making weekly laps down the 1/4 mile, so to me the 5.0 seems like $$ wasted.

I suppose the slow is relative, but this is the 3rd step down for me in a row. I went from a 600+rwhp 03 cobra, to the 2011GT, and now to the ST. I thought the 2011 Mustang was a dog when I first got it, but I eventually got used to it. I'm hoping the same will happen with the ST.

Your "steps down" meant you made more use of your car. I bet your 600 whp Cobra saw very infrequent use of the gas pedal on a daily basis. Otherwise, you'd now be posting here from your jail cell.

As for passing...I passed people on back country roads in the 5.0 all the time and never had an issue. The ST tries to yank the wheel out of my hand, then also tries to "correct" by steering me back into the person I'm passing. It's a little unsettling, but I"m sure I'll get used to it.

I've found a good rule of thumb is that the more power a car has, the more easily one can lose control of it. Witness all the YT vids of high hp cars going completely out of control just from during a simple burn out or some other seemingly inane thing. Regarding the ST's torque steer, I think you just have to get used to it. Besides all the Stangs I've owned, I also had an 04 SRT-4, an 06 Focus ST, and an 07 Cobalt SS Supercharged. So the ST's characteristics are familiar to me.

I love the ST, I just don't love it as much as I loved the GT.

For certain reasons, I will also miss my 5.0 GT. But in that regard, I will also miss ...

My 69 390 Mach 1 ...
My 69 350 Nova SS ...
My 71 240-Z ...
My 85 GT ...
My 95 Cobra ...
etc ...

LOL

Life goes on, and I along with it!

 

[redline]

welcome to the world of mods for this car .i am shooting for 300 at the tires .so far i have catless downpipe ,cold air, tune. but next week bigger intercooler going and more tuning. will do exhaust but not sure which one yet.

 

[redline]

bone stock the dynoed 238 at tires.

 

[2011V6Stang]

welcome to the world of mods for this car .i am shooting for 300 at the tires .so far i have catless downpipe ,cold air, tune. but next week bigger intercooler going and more tuning. will do exhaust but not sure which one yet.

bone stock the dynoed 238 at tires.

Another 62 hp at the wheels means ~75-80 hp at the crank.

Can the car's transaxle handle it?

 

[FISHTAIL]

I'm 50+ years old, and throughout my life never saw the point of paying the extra $$ of owning a high performance car ... just to drive it like an an econo box. Now that doesn't mean I drove like a mad man, but I spent a decade and a half at the drag strip, racing, breaking stuff, and having fun. I'm no longer interested in making weekly laps down the 1/4 mile, so to me the 5.0 seems like $$ wasted.



Your "steps down" meant you made more use of your car. I bet your 600 whp Cobra saw very infrequent use of the gas pedal on a daily basis. Otherwise, you'd now be posting here from your jail cell.



I've found a good rule of thumb is that the more power a car has, the more easily one can lose control of it. Witness all the YT vids of high hp cars going completely out of control just from during a simple burn out or some other seemingly inane thing. Regarding the ST's torque steer, I think you just have to get used to it. Besides all the Stangs I've owned, I also had an 04 SRT-4, an 06 Focus ST, and an 07 Cobalt SS Supercharged. So the ST's characteristics are familiar to me.



For certain reasons, I will also miss my 5.0 GT. But in that regard, I will also miss ...

My 69 390 Mach 1 ...
My 69 350 Nova SS ...
My 71 240-Z ...
My 85 GT ...
My 95 Cobra ...
etc ...

LOL

Life goes on, and I along with it!

Your older than I am, and I agree to a point. Your right regarding the cobra, it spent a whole bunch of time chilling in stop and go traffic burning gas. The main reason I sold that car though was because my wife was afraid of it. She wouldn't let me use it to take my son to car shows, and if I can't take my little boy with me to stuff in the car, then IMO, there is no reason to own it.

The 5.0 was actually pretty much the perfect daily for me until we decided to expand the family. It was slower than the cobra obviously, but far more civilized. My kid LOVED the car, I loved it, my wife liked it, and I could fit two full shopping carts worth of target crap in the trunk. It just couldn't fit a child seat behind the drivers seat with me in a comfortable driving position. Granted, I rarely spent much time on the throttle in that car either (at least on the floor) but I liked having the power there. I don't know what it is, but even if I almost never stand on the car, I just like having a car that accelerates at a good clip at part throttle. I didn't even typically floor it when passing people with that car (or the cobra) because I didn't need too..I could get by them fast enough at part throttle, and if I saw a car coming, or the person I was passing woke up and sped up, I had some reserve to finish the pass if I needed to.

Having said that, it's not that I dislike the ST, because nothing could be further from the truth. I really like the car. It's fun, it's reasonably practical, and I can fit the family in it (although this last bit isn't all that important..we have a 2011 Explorer for trips, I just needed room for 2 car seats). The gas mileage increase is nice, but for me isn't a big deal..I averaged 21-22mpg in the 5.0 and I'm getting 25-26 in the focus. Combine that with how much I drive and the savings is minimal.

The only thing about this whole bit that makes me shake my head is that when I bought the 5.0 I was actually in the market for a late model 4 door M3. Had I got that car...I'd still have it. But with the new house purchase I just couldn't justify maintaining that higher car payment this time around...thus the focus.


I've also got a short list of cars I miss, but your list is already cooler than mine so i won't bother posting..lol.:beer:

 

[VADEi2]

I picked up my ST2 last month. I really like the car. I ordered the cobb intake as I want to hear that turbo sound. Power is good and it's plenty for now. I'm almost done with my 99 single turbo cobra and this is my daily. On the focus so far I've changed the RMM with the CPE kit. So far so good.

 

[redline]

Another 62 hp at the wheels means ~75-80 hp at the crank.

Can the car's transaxle handle it?

yeah i put the steeda rmm on the car to keep from wheel hop so far good .i noticed more vibration but that is the trade off.

 

[2011V6Stang]

... The 5.0 was actually pretty much the perfect daily for me until we decided to expand the family.

Sure, the 5.0 might be more "civilized" when compared to a 600hp + car. But with a 0-60 of 4.6 sec, the 5.0 can get you into trouble with the law VERY quickly unless you're dogging it most of the time.

I just figured that I'd have a better chance at maintaining more rational speeds with the ST. I hope so ... :shrug:

The gas mileage increase is nice, but for me isn't a big deal..I averaged 21-22mpg in the 5.0 and I'm getting 25-26 in the focus. Combine that with how much I drive and the savings is minimal.

Before I traded her in, my 5.0 was showing 12 mpg. I'm currently getting 20 mpg with the ST, so that's a net savings of $112 month in fuel costs. Add to that a $144 drop in car payment, and I'm saving a total of $256 month.

That's a rather substantial savings!

I've also got a short list of cars I miss, but your list is already cooler than mine so i won't bother posting..lol.:beer:

Ahhh, the money I've wasted ... err I mean spent ... on cars.

Of all the cars I've owned, I wish I had the 69 390 Mach 1 back. I bought it in 1977 for $1,000, today, well restored S codes are going for $35,000 (kicks self).

LOL

yeah i put the steeda rmm on the car to keep from wheel hop so far good .i noticed more vibration but that is the trade off.

Back in 04, I put an aftermarket upper motor mount in my new SRT-4. As I remember, it didn't help much with wheel hop and increased NVH to an uncomfortable level.

Makes me somewhat hesitant to installing one on the ST. So, it really stopped the wheel hop?

 

[blowns281]

I just bought an st1 myself. Couldn't get rid of the mustang though.

 

[FISHTAIL]

Sure, the 5.0 might be more "civilized" when compared to a 600hp + car. But with a 0-60 of 4.6 sec, the 5.0 can get you into trouble with the law VERY quickly unless you're dogging it most of the time.

I just figured that I'd have a better chance at maintaining more rational speeds with the ST. I hope so ... :shrug:



Before I traded her in, my 5.0 was showing 12 mpg. I'm currently getting 20 mpg with the ST, so that's a net savings of $112 month in fuel costs. Add to that a $144 drop in car payment, and I'm saving a total of $256 month.

That's a rather substantial savings!



Ahhh, the money I've wasted ... err I mean spent ... on cars.

Of all the cars I've owned, I wish I had the 69 390 Mach 1 back. I bought it in 1977 for $1,000, today, well restored S codes are going for $35,000 (kicks self).

LOL



Back in 04, I put an aftermarket upper motor mount in my new SRT-4. As I remember, it didn't help much with wheel hop and increased NVH to an uncomfortable level.

Makes me somewhat hesitant to installing one on the ST. So, it really stopped the wheel hop?

I suppose. I've never had much issue though. I've been driving 400+hp cars daily since 03ish. And I've had a 5.0 mustang since shortly after I got my license. All in what you are used too I guess. It's possible to have a fast car without driving like an idiot.

12mpg in the 5.0? Geez...if I was nice to mine I could average over 22 out of a tank. I almost never dipped into the teens unless I spent the evening at the track.

Back to the ST..I've had issues with my stock mount already. I had some wheelspin in the rain the other day and the wheelhop was terrible. I bought an E-focus mount, which from what I read seemed like a good compromise between NVH and wheelhop reduction. I'll post up in the thread about it once I get it installed. Along with a how too for those that might need it. I'm hoping it's a good tradeoff. Not really interested in testing the durability of my fillings.

 

[Defknotzero]

That's cool. Sounds like a nice car.

There are quite a few individuals near me that sold their 5.0's for an ST. So far everyone has been happy.

 

[2011V6Stang]

... All in what you are used too I guess. It's possible to have a fast car without driving like an idiot.

It's not really a question of "driving like an idiot", it's about having CAR A being able to get you into trouble a whole lot faster than CAR B.

12mpg in the 5.0? Geez...if I was nice to mine I could average over 22 out of a tank. I almost never dipped into the teens unless I spent the evening at the track.

Winter Weather Warm Up's + 75% City Driving + Occasional Use of 412 hp = 12 mpg

Back to the ST..I've had issues with my stock mount already. I had some wheelspin in the rain the other day and the wheelhop was terrible. I bought an E-focus mount, which from what I read seemed like a good compromise between NVH and wheelhop reduction. I'll post up in the thread about it once I get it installed.

My SRT-4 and Cobalt SS/SC did the same thing, so the ST's wheel hop was very familiar to me. Let me know how you make out with the new RMM.

... There are quite a few individuals near me that sold their 5.0's for an ST. So far everyone has been happy.

While the 5.0 is a great car, that says a lot about the ST!

 

[faztcobra]

For a FWD vehicle, 252 hp is just fine and fits the car well. It also feels like it handles better than my base 5.0 did, and so far I'm getting ~22mpg (compared to ~12 mpg with the 5.0).

You must have a lead foot. I average 23mpg in my '12 GT (with 3.73 gears) with mixed city/highway driving and that includes somewhat regular triple digit blasts. (When you're at 70-75 already, it only takes a couple seconds to get to 100). I wouldn't mind having a focus as a DD, but it better get close to 40mpg.

Edit...nevermind...saw your response up a post or two about cold weather plus mostly city driving. Still...12mpg. Ugh.

 

[FISHTAIL]

It's not really a question of "driving like an idiot", it's about having CAR A being able to get you into trouble a whole lot faster than CAR B.



Winter Weather Warm Up's + 75% City Driving + Occasional Use of 412 hp = 12 mpg



My SRT-4 and Cobalt SS/SC did the same thing, so the ST's wheel hop was very familiar to me. Let me know how you make out with the new RMM.



While the 5.0 is a great car, that says a lot about the ST!

Yes, but you only get into trouble driving like an idiot, whether or not one does it faster than another is irrelevant. You can spin it however you like, but if you are going fast enough to "get into trouble" your driving like an idiot. Not saying everyone here hasn't done that from time to time, but don't fool yourself, if you are doing that on a public road, your being irresponsible. Doesn't matter how you word it.

That gas mileage is something else..I averaged 21-22mpg in my GT with 3.73's and mostly country road driving where I'd have to stop every 1-2 miles at a stop sign. Not exactly stop and go, but not hwy driving either. The only time I ever saw low mpg numbers like that was after a day at the track.

As for the RMM, the E-focus mount seems to have alleviated much of the wheel hop / shift-bang problem. It's still there, but severely muted. It's absolutely worth the 40 bucks and 45 minutes to buy/install it. Do it, you'll be glad you did.