This is no ‘67! 2015 GT Auto premium, Ruby Red

Nice write up and pics also.
Guess maybe I can't go to Mont Tremblant as my car is way over
85 :) I believe at Laguna Seca they have restrictions, guys would flip the quiet
button in a few spots then back on after they passed the mics LOL.
I think mine hits 105 if I remember right.
 
A little story from the weeds.

Observant readers would have caught at the start that I put the new wheels on for the trip to Toronto because I needed them to clear the Brembo brakes I was having put on.

Well I had those brakes and took them with me.
I came back with them in the trunk.
I joked that I was going to sag my new springs with all that extra weight.

What happened is that in an effort to save a bit of money I bought the brakes from the dealership to benefit from my employee discount.
They are, after all, the brakes that are OE on the PP and PP2 Mustangs as well as the Bullitts, so dealerships have access to sell them.
So I bought them and saved several hundred dollars from the Ford Performance after market bundle.

Once the car was on the hoist, the Dasilva guys made small work of replacing everything.
Then I got a call asking where the four pins were that hold the pads in the callipers.
Two are used per side.
Rotors were on. Callipers were on. The tech had the pas in hand and ready to go in.

You see, the parts guys at the dealership are not used to selling this stuff for after market purposes.
They overlooked ordering those pins.
At the dealership, they would have reused the old pins unless the tech specified they were needed upon ordering other parts.
They are not included in the box with the front pads like i thought they were.

Initially no problem. Joe Dasilva was going to give me the ones off his own car and replace them from a local dealer order in a day or two.

Obstacle number 2. There were none in Canada. Back ordered from the States with no delivery date available.
Dasilva could not have his car out of commission for indeterminate time. He drives it almost daily.

Second solution. I return everything to dealer on my return and buy a Ford Performance kit locally from one of two warehouses in Toronto that sell that stuff across Canada.

Obstacle number 3. Neither of the warehouses has a kit on hand and they can’t get any one overnight.

Trivial fact: the pins cost around $150.00 a piece. Once you add this cost to the price I had paid, the difference to the Ford Performance kit now shrinks to only a couple hundred dollars.
That’s why It appeared that I was saving a ton.
And that is with my employee discount. Regular price, there is probably no savings.
It was too good to be true.

Lesson: when doing after market stuff, buy the kits or bundles from the aftermarket vendors.
The dealerships don’t do this on a daily basis and are not the best source.
They deal in replacing OE parts with other OE parts.

So I made lemonade with my lemons.
The stock brakes on the GT’s are still good brakes.
On par with the four piston Brembos from the S197 Shelbys and Bosses that are a popular aftermarket upgrade.
The pistons on the callipers look at least as big if not bigger than those Brembos.
So do the rotors.
I kept the OE brakes and added Goodridge SS lines as well as JLT brake cooling ducts and replaced the fluid with Motul Dot 4 synthetic.
All this in order to manage heat on the track.

I did take everything back to the dealer upon return and did not pay anything.
I will wear the stuff I have out now.
No doubt the Brembos are a marked improvement over OE.
They have 6 pistons as opposed to 4.
Their larger rotors can take more heat due to their larger diameter.
On the track, rotor diameter is like having a larger water bucket to carry water.
As a larger bucket can carry more water, larger rotors can tollerate more heat.

Note: as good as the Brembos are on track some people find that they “bite” in normal driving conditions.
Very sensitive and not easy to get used to for some.
This is not a concern for me.

Pics bellow of the Brembo callipers I had ready to go on the car.
Also the removed fog lights which provide the perfect opening for the cooling ducts.
As well as a shot of the said OE front calliper.
The missing fog lights also not a concern for me.
I don’t drive at night anyway if I can help it at all.
 
Question that came up during fall run this past weekend.

Roger asked me why I go so far to get work done on my car?

I answered very plainly, if you have a tooth ache, you go to the dentist right? Well I’m of the mindset that if I want to do work on my Mustang, I believe in going to the Mustang specialists.

This issue with the brakes is an example of what can go wrong when you deal with non specialized shops.

My experience has been that after going to Dasilva’s for a dozen years with three different cars, I have yet to be disappointed or have something go wrong.
I mean no check engine lights on any of the three cars after several mods and retunes.
No bolt, stud or part has come loose or needed further work or attention.
Complete piece of mind.
Plus they are friendly, cordial, professional and honest to deal with.
There may be a cost financially and time-wise to go that far but foe me it’s totally worth it and I enjoy the time away for a couple days.
It’s a road trip for me. Similar, I imagine, to the spring run to Pete’s in New Hampshire for some on this forum.
Where I live makes it handier for me than others further east.

This post is not intended as advertisement for the shop I deal with.
I just figured since one fellow forum member asked the question this past weekend, others possibly have the same question.
I thought I would answer it openly.

See pic bellow of the interior.
Black leather, power heated and cooled seats.
Voice activated navigation.
Lots of creature comforts for cruising with wife.
 
I've never had any work done at DaSilva, but the name certainly carries some weight and there's a definite reputation for a job done right and a job done well. Sometimes its worth the time invested and a couple of extra dollars to get the peace of mind.

Good job rolling with it, frustrating with the pin issues, but as you said, lemons & lemonade.
 
Thanks. The lemonade bit came easily.
What else could I do? You roll with the hand you're dealt.

As mentioned, after having visited them for a dozen years with three different cars, we've become closer than other or most customers likely.
They always receive me well. Always professional, honest and courteous.
They even leave a little slack in their calendar when I book my appointments in case unexpected issues come up.
They know I can't just drop in for a tweak the following week or something like that.
They make sure I am 100% satisfied before I leave.

I describe it like this; there are workers and then there are artists.
Workers do something because their job requires it.
Artist do something because they want to do it and they have passion for what they do.
Well, I describe the crew at DaSilva's as artists of their craft.
 
Evaluation time.

The suspension is the biggest wow. It delivered everything I wanted in spades.
Front end arrow sharp now.
Bounciness or excess rebound in the rear is completely eliminated.
Beautiful stance as well.
The thing is a go cart now, and the ride is still quite good.
Not harsh at all. My wife even noticed the difference from the passenger seat and she had NO complaints at all.
We had been out together for about 100 km before the mods and the trip to PEI.
That gave her enough seat time to make the distinction.

Even with all the hype about the new platform in 2015 and the IRS, base Mustangs don't have good handling from the factory.
I mention it a lot to people who ask or display curiosity but I feel they don't believe me.
I suspect some think I'm exaggerating.
I've used this expression on this forum before: people simply "don't know what they don't know".
I say this objectively and light heartedly. I'm not trying to convince anyone to do something they are not ready for.

I describe it like this to fellow owners who have had power adders done but no suspension work.
You know the standard go to's: CAI, Throttle bodies, Gears, Headers, Tunes, even Forced Induction setups.
I bring them back to the feeling they felt when they drove their car for the first time after getting that power work done...
I tell them to remember that feeling of "WOW", of euphoria they had, "you know the one?", I ask.
The smile on your face. That feeling of "I can't believe the difference..."
When they acknowledge that feeling, then I reveal to them that doing a full and good suspension job will have them relive that same feeling all over again.
The only difference is that it will be over the suspension improvement, not the power improvement.

I think that's the part many people have trouble believing.
And that's fine. If they enjoy their car the way it is, that's the important part as enthusiasts.

There are already a few who have tasted the cool-aid on the forum, and a few who know this from experience.
Max (S197CS) is one of the recent converts and, from all accounts, is very pleased with the suspension work he has done to his very nice Mustang.
I suspect the next one to taste the cool-aid will be Aaron (PEI guy) with his beautiful Coyote powered S197 convertible.
He has all of his suspension build parts sorted out for next spring.
You will have "that feeling" all over again Aaron. Enjoy it.

The CAI and tune delivered as well. Pretty standard and popular mods for several owners.
This one is no different. As mentioned above, the tune was not maximized because I had less than optimal gas in the tank.
However, there is improvement in power and torque, as well as throttle response and shift points with the automatic gearbox.
All expected and all achieved.

The exhaust is only marginally louder than stock because I retained the stock mufflers.
However, the deep rumble of the H pipe is noticeable.
I'm also pleased it allows the engine to breath better with improved flow over the stock resonator.

Despite not getting the Brembo brakes installed, my brakes are now better than before.
Notably the pedal feel and ability to modulate is much improved with the stainless steel lines.

I'm very pleased with all the work done so far...
Although, like the cool-aid analogy above, I pretty much knew what to expect since I had already done all of these mods to my 2006 prior.
I was very pleased then and expected a similar level of satisfaction here.
Goal achieved. Results meet or exceed expectations.
The difference in the suspension never ceases to amaze me.

This should be pretty much it for this thread until next summer.
Thank you for the compliments so far, Max, Fred, Trevor and others.
 
Quite busy since coming back from Fall Run so had no time to read this yet until today. Very interesting stuff Marc, thanks for posting. Everytime I come back from Mustang cruises or read good info. on here my mind gets going................but my bank account keeps me in check....lol !!
Following you back from P.E.I. Marc I can say that your car looks real good and has a nice stance to it, looks real mean from the back especially with the meaty rubber in the rear, nice looking ride !!
 
Thanks Roger.
If my experience can help someone else, I’m happy.

Actually, I spotted the front of your car in my rearview and it looks pretty good.
I know you are not lowered but your ground effects kit makes the front look pretty low and businesslike.
 
Well threw some fuel stabilizer in the tank, pumped up the air in tires and a wax application this past weekend.
All for winter storage.
No cover yet because it will go out and back in few times shortly when I put winter tires on my truck and car.

I’m no wax guru. I do old fashion wax on and wax off with Meguiar’s Ultimate liquid wax.
 
The S550 has less ground clearance than the S197 and has a longer overhang in the front with the splitter.
Both make getting the S550 on a trailer more difficult.

The ramps on my trailer were too steep in stock form.
My 2006 rolls on that way, no problem.

My 2015 won’t make it.
The front lower valance and splitter hit the ramps before the wheels get there.
 
While on the PEI cruise, I concluded that I like the sound my 2015 car makes when it starts cold.
However, it kind of goes silent once warmed up.

So I have these on my wish list for next sumner.
Ford Performance by Borla Touring axle backs.
They are the milder option from FP but will still increase volume a bit.
The Borla touring mufflers are not available as axle-backs, only as part of a cat-back system with resonator.

I did research on the noise restrictions at Mont Tremblant and found on the Porsche of Canada site, instructions to their HPDE participants that the limit is 92 dB.

This information is as recent as this past June, and is a higher level than I first thought, which was 85 dB.
So I’m thinking I’ll still be safe with these, and should get pretty nice and deep sound coupled with the H pipe I installed this past summer.
 
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