My 80,000 mile review

A little wordy, so to summarize, the car is a beast and a joy to drive!!!!!!

Good Afternoon all. I bought my 2012 Kona Blue Premium GT in 2014. The car had about 20,000 miles on and I got it for a steal for out the door at 25,000. As stated it is Kona Blue with the saddle interior. As a performance guy I did want recaro seats and the Brembo package but those options with the premium options I desired would’ve put the car out of my budget. I figured it'd be easier to add the performance stuff the car was missing vice adding the premium features (recaros, lower rear end ratio, brembos etc could be added latter)

From day one the car lived up to my expectations, the coyote revs like a beast it is very Audi V8 like very similar in feel and sound to the V8 in the R8 and B6 RS4. The transmission was pretty good too. I didn’t mind the notchiness as it was a box designed to handle 390 lb torque. The clutch was as expected for a car that had so much power. The let down was the suspension and the brakes. The suspension was too soft and this is the same for all S197s accept the BOSS in my opinion. Even the GT500s are under dampened and sprung. The brakes offered ok initial braking for daily driving but anything close to enthusiastic driving would have the pedal sink to the floor in no time. These issues weren’t really surprising, it’s hard to hit the price point the car was aimed at. You can tell all the money was spent in the engine and suspension DESIGHN if not it implementation.

Mods. The first mods I added were Koni yellows and Ford Racing K Springs. The K springs lower the car 1.5" at both ends and the yellows give you a nice firm sporty ride and race car firmness and adjusability for the track with a life time warranty. What a transformation, no more looking at the sun when accelerating, no more nose dive braking, and nice flat handling. With the yellows you can dial in whatever characteristic you want, under/oversteer, and the K springs lowered the car perfectly while providing the control the car needed and was apparently designed for (I say apparently because the stock geometries appear to be really good) it’s just the supporting parts are too soft. I went with camber bolts to get the car's alignment in spec. They suck. I went to JM castor and camber plates. They make no noise and allow a wide range of settings for camber and castor. A must for lowered cars. An adjustable panhard bar was added to get the rear centered and that’s how the car was for about two years. In my opinion this is what the track should've been. It is a firm ride but its expected. The Brembo/track Pack cars have springs and shocks that are about 5% stiffer than stock, as a package I don’t think a Brembo package car is worth the increased price. At least the track pack cars have allot more upgrades, but I digress.

Last year I added BMR Boxed Lower control arms, and whiteline lower control arm relocation brackets to get the rear geometry back in spec, and eibach adjustable sway bars. WOW the eibachs transformed the car. The car is a beast now, very stable, immediate turn in, and very predictable. What a difference a great set of sway bars make. I got the kit that has just the adjustable front bar as I don’t like how the rear adjustable is attached directly to the shocks. The rear bar is a little fat and makes the car more prone to oversteer but if you don’t like that you can dial it out with the shocks and front bar if you desire. On the auto X the car is an animal, turns in with authority, and very predictable and flat handling. The lower control arms and mount put the rea end back in spec and eliminate any and all wheel hop. The car was now driving waaaay over its brakes.

Just this past month I added 2015+ 6piston calipers, with GT500 rotors and SS lines. WOW these things stop the car NOW with no fading!!! The car is ridiculously fun to drive. How I wanted it to be. It was fun before, now it is a beast in the best way possible.

Only a few disappointments with the car. The hood rust is a big issue, one so big I’ll never give ford money again. I’ll buy a used GT350 or 500 from someone one day but I’ll never directly support Ford again. It showed up at 50,000 miles (their rust warranty is 60,000) and ford wouldn’t fix it. Unacceptable. The only other issue I had was the buttons on the steering wheel, some broke and the paint wore off. I’ve replaced them with the 2013/2014 style maybe they are more durable. We shall see.

The durability of the car is amazing. I’m hard on my brakes and the stock pads had plenty of meat left on them when I installed the 6 pistons and the clutch is still original after 80,000 miles. Great job guys but Ford needs to stand behind their product better. No issues with the trans either.

Whats next? Well Ive ordered the Barton Hybrid 3 after that I dont know. Maybe the BOSS/GT500 rear diffuser, maybe the BOSS Street Spliiter, maybe a tune, maybe a blower, or the CJ Intake with cams etc. Its been fun. I dont know whats next!