Poll: Luxury vs. Performance

My Dad's Shelby GT500 is the heaviest of the bunch. It has all the toys, but a HUGE FRICKING MOTOR AND BOOST to smoke all 3 of my Mustangs!! The ride in the car feels like you are flying. It is smooth and quiet. My 96 Cobra has all new front suspension and it rides like a POS compared to his GT500.

I would never sacrifice options for performance if you can have both.

I'd have to say the most performance I could get while remaining comfortable AND reliable.

I've always approached my street cars in this way. It is something I drive everyday. Temps range from 0 degrees to 100 degrees in Connecticut and I need to know I can drive the car in any of those conditions.

I'm all for swapping cams but I need something that will add power and allow me to drive normally. I'd give up a few HP for smoothness. Same with suspension - something that isn't going to rattle the teeth out of my head but I do prefer a stiffer/tighter suspension. Same goes with exhaust - I love the sound and performance but I don't want it so loud I can't hear myself think...

And I guess there are different degrees of "comfortable" as well.

And I guess that's why I prefer the LX (5.0L) over the GT - all the performance with slightly less "extras" (body kit).

With all that being said, I'm buying my father's convertible. It's already set up pretty well and I will be upgrading a couple pieces, but...it's a convertible and will have different duties than my hatch did. Not much sense doing weight saving measures if you're already starting with a convertible. Ported and polished GT40 (tubular) intake and ported and polished GT40 heads, but with a stock cam for driveability. I'll definitely upgrade the brakes (rear disc kit, possibly bigger kit for front) and suspension (possibly go with B springs), and a 3G alternator....but that's it.

I'm performance geared. I do like comfort also. I bought the mustang for a power/handling project. I am doing an a/c delete and don't use the heat very much since it's stored winters, the mustang and contour aren't daily drivers. I plan on the mustang being the beast and if gets really hot out, i'll go out for a late in the day/ night cruises or just hop in the contour and flip on a/c and carve some corners.

I agree with everyone: you need BOTH! I have built a strictly "performance" car where functionality was key, I ended up selling it after driving it a couple of years as the bone jarring ride and lack of comfort features ended up turning me off it. This made me decide to take a different approach with my hatch and the outcome has been twice as enjoyable. I've had the hatch longer and still don't plan on selling it.

Ill sacrafice a little in the ride for performance and handling. But dont take my Stereo (full, im talking subs and all), my AC, or any of my power options.

The cars that impress me the most are full weight street machines that can still bring the pain.

My car see way more street time then track time, so I would say race oriented but gotta have the radio and full interior...and spare tire, for now!

As you get older, your priorities definitely shift. A/C and sound deadening will definitely be going back in my car sometime soon. I'm sure in a few more years I'll want a 'softer' ride than I have now, and will be spending some more money there as well.

I enjoy a bit of both.

If I'm into racing that much, I can find a car to completely strip and just have a straight up drag car.

I'm somewhere down the middle. I defenitely don't need much as far as luxury but I've never been into stripping interior parts or removing the A/C. My '90 is a blast to drive but after driving 2 or 3 days straight gets old. The rough ride is really my main gripe but the A/C doesn't work either. That thing is a freakin' oven during the summer. Even at night. Driving with the windows down only creates a vent to bring more heat up through the trannny tunnel. I get back into my '92, with it's stockish suspension, ice cold A/C (and even a working heater!), less cabin noise, less fumes, and that thing feels like a Lexus. lol Still, after a few days I get bored to death with the car.

Admittedly, the suspension on my '90 is a bit hacky. Cut stock springs and no insolators (BAD IDEA). I plan to add new isolators and Steeda springs which should help alot. Eventually I'll get around to having the A/C re-charged. Once I get these things taken care of I'll probably get back to driving the '90 alot more.

I like a little bit of both. I took my smog pump out and am considering taking out my a/c because it doesnt work, but yet i still have a stereo and a heavy vert.

im the bare bones guy...for a few reasons.
a) im young and this will be my first race car- i think that if im going to make a car for racing, id like it solely for that purpose. ill have a dd and a racecar that will probly never see publc roads.

b)im a roadcourse kinda guy and i dont think theres TOO aweful many of us involved in mustangs...i want every extra pound out... being a racecar, it wont need anything but hp and balance.

c)i had another reason...but i forgot....to be continued...maybe.

I gotta have a radio, bu that is about it. After college ad I'm on my own I can afford to have a nicer new car. During HS right now though it is safe to say I have the fastest car at my school and I like it. I grew up in this car and I don't care about the ride being stiff and I hardly even recognize the squeaks anymore. COme summer time I will be crawling over door bars from a 6 pt roll bar to get in and out and I still think it will be fine for my DD

mansonozz said:

Be comfortable or you'll end being sick of the car, not enjoying being in it, and selling it.

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This is the best advice.

I've pulled and put crap in and out of my car.

Removing any of these from a street car is dumb, i know about some of them from experience: power steering, a/c, rear seats, sound deadener, radio.
I don't like an interior that has been messed with much either. Less is more, get some nice seats and leave it at that.

I also feel that stripping out anything listed above totally devalues the car.

Don't much care for the idea of adding performance parts to a car that has issues either. Everyone complains about their a/c not working, but the same people go buy performance parts before fixing it.
I was guilty of this when i was younger, now i realize, i was a dumass.

grey5.0beast said:

I gotta have a radio, bu that is about it. After college ad I'm on my own I can afford to have a nicer new car. During HS right now though it is safe to say I have the fastest car at my school and I like it. I grew up in this car and I don't care about the ride being stiff and I hardly even recognize the squeaks anymore. COme summer time I will be crawling over door bars from a 6 pt roll bar to get in and out and I still think it will be fine for my DD

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were young it dont bother us as much as i love my fox, It would be nice to have a 4 cyl 5 speed beater to drive during bad weather and winter months...

there are 4 V8 cars at school. and a few 4.0's mustang.... my goal is to have the fastest car at my school by my senior year, I want a low 13 sec vert by mid 09.

since its winter i listen to the radio alot when i drive...after spring/summer comes along and the top is able to go down then ill be hearing the stang more