I just picked up my new Sonic Blue 281 SC!
it is awesome. After test driving a 281 NA last month and looking at how clean the lines were, I was afraid the spoiler may be to much. While at the dealership they unloaded another Sonic Blue 281 NA and we set them next to each other & compared the look. The NA still has a great look on the rear deck (nice line going from front to back then swooping up at the tail), but looking at the deck without the spoiler next to the SC, it makes the NA look like it is missing something. After all that I will tell you the car is still so good looking that it overcomes the brakes.
The only issue I could see right away is the upgraded brakes. Unfortunately, Saleen only upgrades the front brakes, so the front calipers are black with the Saleen name on them. When you look at the vehicle from the side (Chrome wheel upgrade package) the front discs and calipers look awesome, but the back brakes (silver ford stock calipers) look weak and it gives the car a slightly unfinished look. I actually questioned the dealer if it was a mistake and we looked the specs back up & saw the upgade was for the front only (i must have read through those specs a 1000 times & don't know how I missed that. Dealer agreed to paint them black at first service.
After the dealer cleaned up some finishing issues and advised me to have the gear shift inspected at 5K miles (apparently there is a bolt that is coming loose & needs to be looked at from time to time causing sloppy shifting) we took it for a test ride. The car is awesome & heads were turning everywhere! While on the drive we discovered two other issues, one is a noise from the exhaust system rattling and the other was as you got up to speeds over 50 the was a banging noise on the right rear tire. After stopping and inspecting twice we discovered it was the chrome saleen cap for the valve stem clicking against the rim. I will tell you that the dealer fixed both issues immediately finished my paperwork & i was off & running!
Had to go straight to the office and can"t wait to drive it home, this car is a beauty. the last mustang I had was a 1969 with a 351 W in it. That was in 1981 & coincidentally i had painted it a very close match to the Sonic Blue. Amazingly, my production number is 695. I cant get much closer to my 1969 than that!
By the way Rolling Hills Ford just took delivery on 3 or 4 more 281's today and they are great when it comes to treating customers properly.
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Awesome! Besides the rattle in the exhaust how does it sound. Is it loud or quiet. How does the brake upgrade feel? Did they grab much more than the stock brakes on the N/A you test drove. Again Congratulations!
The SC is unmistakable as you begin to accelerate, then you can hear the throatie rumble of the exhaust. I haven't been on the breaks hard, i want to give them time to seat properly as I break in the car.
based on everyone who has come by to look at it or that I have run into, I could sell dozens of these or a convertible version on the spot.
I dont know about worthless, i thought i was doing pretty good posting the info I did considering I just received the car, the first chance i have to take pix I will.
Congrats on the car! Sonic blue was my second choice, but the wife already has a blue car so we decided to go with the grey. No regrets but I bet the blue looks sharp. Do you know exactly what they did to the exhaust? It seems like I have kinda a clunk-rattle when I hit bumps but I wasn't sure if there was anything to do about it. Do the dealers all get updates on the known issues like the bolt coming loose from the shifter?
I also don't agree with David_K. I enjoyed your thread very much. It would be nice to see pics but not necessary. I tried to post some pics my buddy took and emailed back to me but this site keeps telling me the files too large. Can anyone tell me how I can adjust so I can post 'em.
apparently the exhaust system is giving them trouble in a number of vehicles. They said that they lowered the exhaust tips slightly but cautioned me that it may not be the final solution. They told me that they have had other vehicles with similar problems and that they are having to replace the mufflers on one vehicle. Late tonight when i drove my 281sc i did hear a noise coming from the back of the car that i thought was the exhaust system rattling. it was not a loud distinct sound so i am not sure yet, but will look out for it further.
i continue to take it easy (break in) but that is difficult. The saleen owner's book supplement suggests not to exceed 4000 rpm the 1st 500 miles then not to exceed 5000 rpm until 1000 miles. You can still have some fun with the 4000 rpm. While having fun i noticed the play in the hood at certain speeds, it is almost disconcerting seeing that hood want to rip up even with the new venting incorporated. If anyone has suggestions with out mentioning pins through the hood, I will appreciate it.
side note
the GM of the dealership actually called me this evening to make sure everything was ok and wanted to know how fast the car was. Great customer service & they are as excited as anyone when it comes to getting these.
Replace the metal caps with plastic chrome ones or they will continue to touch the wheel. I'm suprised you actually heard it? The exhaust noise issue has just started to get back to Irvine. It is only an adjustment that can be easily made by the dealer when we get a dealer fix card out.
Enjoy. You are only making 4 lbs of boost to achieve 400 crank hp. Just wait to see what the new blower can really do.
I know everyone had to wait an additional month for delivery. Congrats again.
I got it
