FIRST DRIVE I FORD PERFORMANCE SHELBY GT 350
Targeted Tires
→ While Michelin has a long association with Ford
Performance, dating back to the inception of the
second-gen Ford GT racing program, the 2019 Shelby
GT350 marks the first application of its FP Spec
Tires, which are specifically tuned for Ford Perfor-
mance Vehicles and wear an “FP” designation on their
sidewall.
For this application, Ford Performance and
Michelin engineers collaborated to create a tire that
was both faster on the track and safer in the raid.
The idea was to close the gap with the dry-traction-
focused GT350R, while retaining everyday usability
under varying conditions.
Built just for the GT350, the tires feature a unique
tread pattern and compound meant to better har-
ness that Voodoo power under acceleration and rein
it in under braking. Interestingly, the rubber is the
product of Bi-Compound Technology, which fuses an
endurance racing-style compound on the outer tread
with a more rigid elastomer on the inner tread.
The result is said to be faster on wet and dry track
surfaces, while delivering increased longevity thanks
to a combination of Michelin’s Variable Contact Patch
3.0 tech with a racing-styling reinforced shoulder.
“The tires changed from Pilot Super Sports to Cup
2s, but it’s important to know that not all Cup 2s are
made the same. The tread design, depth, compound,
and construction are all different from the GT350R
Cup 2, which is far more dry-performance and lap-
time focused than the 2019 GT350 Cup 2 that is
more in line with the wet performance and all-around
street focus of the outgoing Pilot Super Sport,” says
FIA World Endurance Ford GT and IMSA Mustang GT4
driver Billy Johnson. “In fact, the new GT350 Cup 2
is not only faster on track than the outgoing GT350
PSS, but is as good if not better in terms of wet grip
and hydroplaning resistance! Overall the new GT350
Cup 2 is better all around for a daily driver, and there
should be no concern or need to swap them out in a
daily driver that will see rain.”
The sort of all-around performance offered by
the Pilot Sport Cup 2 FP tires is definitely desirable in
a street car. That kind of targeted development won’t
stop with this tire, however. Look for more Michelin
FP tires to appear on future Ford Performance ma-
chines, like the 2020 Shelby GT500.To balance the aerodynamics on the latest GT350,
engineers borrowed from the parts bin of its two
cousins, the GT350R and the forthcoming GT500.
The smaller front grille block-off from the R-model
reduces front-end lift to balance the increased
downforce from the rear spoiler/wing created via
Computer Fluid Dynamics and on-track develop-
ment work done on the top-dog GT500 that drew
from experience with the Mustang GT4 road-race
machine.54 OCTOBER 2019 WWW.MUSTANG-360.COM
tire, and the result is the first
in a series of FP Spec Tires
specifically designed for
Ford Performance vehicles:
Pilot Sport Cup 2 FP tires,
which measure 295/35ZR19
up front and 315/30R19 out
back. They are mounted
on new aluminum wheels
measuring 19x10.5 and 19x11
inches respectively.
“We knew we couldn’t
move it really anywhere
until we changed the
tire,” Carl Widmann, chief
engineer at Ford Perfor-
mance, says. “And so for the
tire technology we called
Michelin and said, ‘OK,
here’s what we want to do.’
They said, ‘Well, of course
we can do really quick
turnaround because of our
partnership.’”
Those FP Spec tires
deliver more grip in a variety
of conditions (see sidebar),
but making the most of that
traction required a refinedaerodynamics package.
Thanks to development
already done on the GT350R
and the forthcoming Shelby
GT500, engineers used
the smaller R-model grille
opening and paired it with
a spoiler/wing hybrid,
affectionately dubbed “the
Swing,” to balance the down-
force and lift.
“From the aero perspec-
tive, the inclusion of the
Swing—which was devel-
oped for the GT500 and
put on the GT350—gives us
even more,” says Derek Bier,
Vehicle Engineering Man-
ager at Ford Performance.
“So we don’t get penalized
for the added downforce for
the track-oriented customer,
we can give them the Gurney
and we’d get all of that, and
for someone who is going to
drive on the boulevard and
cruise, we can give them the
Swing and its normal state.”
You won’t feel the aero