Quote:
Originally Posted by SEVEN-OH JOE
Displayed for at least the 3rd time in this thread.
Longer - Wider - Lower
So how do they make it BIGGER, and substantially lighter, and price it at mid-$20s? I guess the big diet won't be so big, after all.
|
More use of aluminum for one. I know the front fenders are now aluminum, as well as a lot of the suspension components. (including the new IRS) With so much aluminum used in the IRS, it might not be as heavy as you think. It remains to be seen where other light weight materials are used. Also worth noting...While the S550 might have gotten wider, (nothing drastic to make a big difference) the actual amount of sheet metal has been reduced by a sizeable amount. That's why it
appears smaller.
While on the topic of size, the S550 is not really longer. If you consider 3mm longer than that's silly. How many strands of hair do you think that is? Lol!
I'll also point out that the roof line is substantially lower than the S197, so while it might have gotten a little wider in the right areas, (the rear) it also shrunk drastically in others.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that Ford has designed and optimized the S550 chassis with weight reduction and ultra high steel strength in mind. It's widely reported that Ford is working with Boron steel now, and that stuff is amazing.
Check the link below. There is no doubt the S550 is a lighter and stronger platform than the old S197 one.
https://media.ford.com/content/fordm...Safe/Boron.pdf
Other things that were mentioned was that the transmission was reworked with a lighter casing.
For what it's worth, I don't believe for one second we will see the amount of weight loss that was originally reported, but I do believe that we will see a lighter Mustang. How much lighter is all speculation at this point. I know Ford worked really hard looking at every area of the car to cut weight, and have made it a priority to lose weight on all it's car's across the board. I seriously doubt that they are gonna come out with a heavier Mustang than the S197 and I think there are still quite a few surprises left.