JimF65 said:
AMEN, again.
The V6s should have it, because people who buy that want a nice car to drive around. ride and handling on the street should be compliant, calm, and confidence inspiring.
However, I argue that the V8 (GT or otherwise) should have it, too. Any serious performance car should. Other serious performance cars do.
And as for the one who says that owners can "just slap one in aftermarket..." How much money do you think that would cost? wouldn't exactly be in the purchase price of the car, would it? Would void the factory warranty, wouldn't it?
"Just buy a cobra" you say? How about you just buy a live axle? I can't afford a Cobra now, let alone when they cost north of 40k, which is likely.
"The mustang has never had an IRS, and why should it now?" How about: why not now? Technology is there, ready, and cost efficient (see my other posts, they'll explain that) why stay in the iron age with a new car? Every model that lags behind the market, puts the Mustang name further out of the vocabulary of the performance buyer outside of the drag strip. Try to disprove that.
my last point: For those 10 second bracket racers and the like, who argue that they need the simplicity and robustness of a live axle (and are probably correct):
How many of you are going to modify the live axle anyway? with gears, a 4 link setup, or a locker, or at least different springs and dampers? Or void the warranty with power adders, or chassis bracing/cages? You guys are the ones who are going to be dumping money into your racing setup, and that is great. Ford Racing Performance Parts can sell you a live axle kit to install, complete with brackets, 4.10 gears, and a locker or spool, and all the heavy duty 31-spline axles you want. That could even make it's way onto the factory options list, so that you could order it from a showroom.
Why not let the rest of us (the majority, BTW) have our 21st century ride quality and cornering performance?
WHY should someone who wants a truly competent street car for less than 30k have to compromise that, or buy a car other than what they really want, for the desires of a drag racer who is going to be doing costly, aftermarket, factory warranty-voiding mods anyway?
If you are planning on drag racing with a factory stock car, then make due with comes factory, which should be an IRS. Who knows, it might not make much difference for those of you at that level. IRS WILL make a big difference for US on the street. If you drag racers want to do better than stock equipment on the quarter mile, then the first thing you can do is swap in a good Live Axle that is set up the way you like.
Asking the general public to resort to the aftermarket on a new car is bass-ackwards, the racer minority are the ones that should go to the aftermarket, since they will be doing so anyway, for everything else.
