[Martinjlm]

Originally Posted by Msquared

Some additional points:

• I think Randy said the Mach1 weighs 3750lb, but that's about 100lb lighter than it really weighs (Motortrend got 3844lbs for a 10sp Mach 1 with handling package). The 1LE really is around 3750lb, so it's roughly 100lbs lighter.
• The Mustang didn't have a good alignment done yet. I'm not sure how much negative camber they can get front and rear, but I think they're like the last GT350s with adjustable camber plates and they can quite a bit - maybe even more than the SS 1LE. It can go faster than it did in this test.
• I couldn't tell for sure if he really got "all nannies off mode" in the 1LE or not. I saw the Stabilitrak Off indicator light was lit, which is good. But I couldn't see if the TCS Off indicator was also lit? Randy said he felt some TCS kick in, which makes me think it wasn't all the way off.
• I wasn't clear about the tire sizes on the Camaro. He said they were the same as on the Mach 1 (305 and 315/30/19), but Michelin does make the Sport Cup 2 in stock 1LE sizes. If he used 305/315 combo, were the front wheels still 10" wide like the stock 1LE? If so, I doubt that would cause oversteer. It would have been ideal to use the stock sizes, but that takes extra bankroll to set up the test like that. Regardless, I'm glad he used the same type of tire on both cars. Nothing is more frustrating to me than a track test where the cars are wearing different kinds of tires! That's totally pointless.
• My guess is that the Camaro had Powerstop z26 pads because the previous owner didn't like the uber-dusty OE pads. The Powerstop are fine on the street and probably also autocross, but they will fade on a road course after multiple laps.

In the end, I think the takeaway is that these cars are close enough to be considered pretty equal on track. As some of you note, for the price difference that's pretty impressive. Remember, with the 10sp and Handling Package that Mach 1 in the test has, it's a minimum $58k MSRP. Subtract the upcharge for the 10sp auto (which is similar for both cars) and the Mach 1 is still more than $10k costlier than the 1LE. And the 1LE warranty covers track usage, which I doubt the Mustang's warranty does.

Very good points all the way around Msquared. I am surprised Randy couldn’t tell if all the nannies were turned off or not. He sorta owns a 1LE. Unless the steps to turn them off are different from the 2.0T 1LE to the SS 1LE it would seem like he woulda known.

As for tire size, I thought the 1LE was on 20” Cup 2, so I’m assuming 10” front 11” rear. They could have used a 285/305 stagger. I may need to go back to the video to see if they gave the widths. I know I heard him say the 1LE was on 20”.

It would have been nice to have them run fresh vs fresh, but I can get enough out of this competition to satisfy my curiosity. Stock brake pads on the 1LE and more negative camber on the Mach I would probably net similar results. The price difference plus other content differences (HUD, PDR) would still lean me towards the 1LE.