blu,
putting down good times on a smooth track is not the same as overall ride quality on REAL roads.
Sorry, a BASE V6 Mustang with IRS is far better overall than the best mopar suspension updated from the 60's that has had a gazillion dollars thrown at it to improve it. That's pretty much a fact.
So if we really want to compare apples to apples on a track, V8 pony to V8 pony...then it's game over. That's proven as well. And yeah, I wish that was not the case, but it is.
Have you driven one? Have you driven a properly set up A-body with modern compound tires? Because if you put BFG T/A's on a formula-1 car it would handle like crap. If you skip the tires you might as well skip most of the suspension modifications.
My girlfriend had a 2013 V6 Mustang with the premium package, including upgraded suspension. Traction control, adjustable steering assist, all of it. And 300hp too by they way, so, more than a great many V8 cars. I put it through it's paces, and I'm pretty confident my Duster could beat it in an AutoX. Is it a hell of a lot easier to drive the Mustang? Yes, absolutely. Almost anybody could be fast in the new mustang, I would have to work my *** off to best one in my Duster what with my manual steering and brakes. But is it faster? No, I don't think so. Certainly not on every track in every situation. And it didn't ride any better than my Duster does on the street. Which is, by the way, where it spends most of it's time and where I've put over 10k miles on it with it's 1.12" torsion bars. So, no, the claims you are making are not fact. I've driven both of those cars on "real" roads, and pushed them as hard as I feel comfortable doing on "real" roads. The Duster is a heck of a lot more work, absolutely. But it's not slower. And if it weren't for the nice leather seats, A/C and adjustable steering assist in the Mustang it wouldn't be any less comfortable. You can search my threads, I've said the ride quality on my Duster is not significantly different than a new mustang dozens of times. On real roads. My car isn't a track only deal, it's a daily driver. And that Mustang is now gone, because in 40k miles it destroyed it's lower control arm bushings 3 times, replaced under factory warranty because it was a lousy design, and has been since 2011. Monster thread on all the problems and TSB's with those mustangs 2011-2013 Mustang lower control arm noise TSB's. - Page 22 - Ford Mustang Forum
And I have not thrown "gazillions" of dollars at my car. Here's my parts list. I spent LESS than this, because I bought a few of the big items secondhand, but listed all of the new prices. Like the Flaming River 16:1 manual box I use, I paid $300 for it. The Fox shocks I run I paid about that for too, not the current list price. Yes, I added "J" bars, torque boxes, and frame connectors to my car. But I have less than $500 into those because I did all of the installation myself and a good part of the fabrication too.
My Duster-
Front:
1.12" torsion bars from Firm Feel: $355
Bergman Autocraft SPC UCA's:$395
Howe Racing upper ball joints: $130
Moog lower ball joints:$80
QA1 LCA's: $395
Hotchkis Shocks: $475
Hellwig 55905 front bar: $175
Flaming River 16:1 steering box: $610
QA1 tie rod sleeves: $50
Moog tie rods (all): $60
Moog pitman and idler arms: $80
Adjustable PST strut rods:$300
Rear:
Hellwig 6908 rear bar: $180 (this is the Ebody bar I run with my B-body rear axle)
AFCO 20231M springs: $320
AFCO leaf spring sliders: $200
Dr. Diff 1/2" spring offset:$150
Leaf spring perches: $15
Front suspension: 3,105
Rear suspension total: 865
Total: $3,970
Here's the video of the Hotchkis Taxi thoroughly flogging a 2012 3 series BMW. Remember, that's a 4 door Satellite. The video is a little long. You can pretty much just start at the 3minute mark. At 4:30 you can watch the Hotchkis Taxi kicking butt. And at 6:00 min TireRack's professional driver goes into how the Hotckis Taxi is a full second a lap faster than the BMW 3 series with the same tires and the same driver, even though Woody (tirerack's driver) had never driven a "protouring set up car" before the test and has probably turned thousands of laps with that 3 series.
Believe what you would like to believe. New cars can not overcome physics. They are more consistent because of traction control and computer assisted suspension, and they definitely make it easier to get close to the edge of the physical capabilities of their components, but all the equations are applied the same. The new Ford GT uses a torsion bar front suspension. The C7 Corvette uses a transverse leaf spring in the back for crying out loud. Improved a bit since the Model A, but it's still a transverse leaf spring. 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Z51 Suspension Walkaround on Edmunds.com
