Why Mustangs Keep Crashing After Car Shows (Explained)

[89AKurt]

13 hours ago, Pierre Rivard said:

Wonderful thread, great stories and so many great cars featured as the main characters. It got me to revisit my relationships with sports (or sporty) cars. I grew up in Quebec in the late fifties and sixties. Most people owned American cars but there was a growing market for imported cars. As a teen I definitely leaned towards the lighter imports (MG, Triumph, Alfa Romeo etc) and my first nice car was a used Ford Capri 2.8 4 speed. I loved that car. 

I then went to work for GM so light small sports cars were not on the catalog. I eventually bought a 86 z28 with a 5.0/manual transmission. A good car but in all honesty I much preferred driving my friend's VW GTI with the new 16v engine. I did own a few Camaros/Firebirds in the next 30 years and enjoyed them all. My job allowed me to occasionally take pool Corvettes for weekend drives and as much as I marveled at the technology and power I always found them too big and heavy feeling for me. Fast but disconnected is how it felt to me, and definitely too much power for my driving skills.

My wife and I both enjoy driving and as we retired we decided to keep 2 cars. A regular everyday car (currently a Volvo S60 T8) and the second car to be something small and sporty. We had for a few years a Mazda MX5 (Miata). The Miata eventually was replaced by a Mini Cooper SE. A combination of going back to our roots with a small agile car while embracing electrification. A pure delight to drive! 

 

My first forum that I joined was the NAM (North American Motoring) forum, that's when I made up the name 89AKurt (20 years ago?!?!?).  Won several monthly photo contests, had a reputation for sunsets, started on post #18 here.  One dealer loaner car was a blue like that, at first didn't like it, but it sure fit into the Phoenix rural landscape.  Did track time with the '03, what a blast!  My Dorky Cheapskate modification OT is still there, and I'm still doing it.

[WillyBilly]

Hi performance cars in the hands of low performance drivers. Car brand is not important. There just seems to be more videos of Mustangs hitting curbs, and pedestrians than any other car. Does it mean Mustang is the official car of the low performance driver? No! I have owned my fair share of 5.0 mustangs. My first new car was an 85 5.0/5 speed convertible. I can say they were cheaper, and I did all my stupid stuff in them. 40 years later I drive a 4-door sedan capable of running circles around my first 5.0. I drive it differently and I can say I no longer seek out pedestrians or curbs as prey. LOL

[TarheelRick]

 

On 6/6/2025 at 9:56 AM, deuces wild said:

 

Beautiful Mustang. My 2022 5.0 F-150 can get me into trouble, if I don't watch myself. The factory exhaust has a real deep throaty rumble which sounds so good especially when I am pulling my boat up an interstate on-ramp. BTW what is that color called, my F-150 is called 'Race Red'. I have heard the equivalent GM color is called 'Pull Me Over Red'.

 

Edited Monday at 02:55 PM by TarheelRick

[stavanzer]

1922?

[bobss396]

I do see maybe 4 Mustangs for every Camaro on the road. Very few Challengers and Chargers.

[Ace-Garageguy]

23 hours ago, WillyBilly said:

Hi performance cars in the hands of low performance drivers. Car brand is not important...

When I had a Lotus 7, a sub-1000 pound car, I took my new girlfriend for a fast ride. Her ex had a Kawasaki 900, and she wasn't worried.

BUT...her additional exquisitely arranged 120 pounds threw the tiny car's handling off so much I ended up spinning it on a road I was intimately familiar with.

Exceed the coefficient of friction of the tire contact patches and find out. Physics, ya know?

[Pierre Rivard]

19 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

When I had a Lotus 7, a sub-1000 pound car, I took my new girlfriend for a fast ride. Her ex had a Kawasaki 900, and she wasn't worried.

BUT...her additional exquisitely arranged 120 pounds threw the tiny car's handling off so much I ended up spinning it on a road I was intimately familiar with.

Exceed the coefficient of friction of the tire contact patches and find out. Physics, ya know?

Yeah physics.... or you were not quite as focused on your driving? 😉

[johnyrotten]

I've owned a few decently fast cars throughout my life(regal t- type, '65 skylark with a nailhead, and lastly my '05 "big turbo" vw gti to name a few) all in the 11-14 second range. Never wrecked anything until i hit black ice, and ended up becoming intimate with a guardrail in the the biggest turd I've ever owned. My 98 ranger. It only takes one variable to change the outcome. 

[WillyBilly]

4 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

When I had a Lotus 7, a sub-1000 pound car, I took my new girlfriend for a fast ride. Her ex had a Kawasaki 900, and she wasn't worried.

BUT...her additional exquisitely arranged 120 pounds threw the tiny car's handling off so much I ended up spinning it on a road I was intimately familiar with.

Exceed the coefficient of friction of the tire contact patches and find out. Physics, ya know?

Knowing the limits of your car, tires, or brakes is where inexperienced drivers get in trouble.

Tires and brakes are everything. I cringe when someone says they put whatever or, whatever was cheapest for tires or brakes. 

[Tyreman]

On 6/21/2025 at 4:01 PM, TarheelRick said:

 

Beautiful Mustang. My 2022 5.0 F-150 can get me into trouble, if I don't watch myself. The factory exhaust has a real deep throaty rumble which sounds so good especially when I am pulling my boat up an interstate on-ramp. BTW what is that color called, my F-150 is called 'Race Red'. I have heard the equivalent GM color is called 'Pull Me Over Red'.

 

You could call it lipstick Red,i am attracted to your truck it looks wonderful!

[Tyreman]

On 6/22/2025 at 1:27 PM, Ace-Garageguy said:

When I had a Lotus 7, a sub-1000 pound car, I took my new girlfriend for a fast ride. Her ex had a Kawasaki 900, and she wasn't worried.

BUT...her additional exquisitely arranged 120 pounds threw the tiny car's handling off so much I ended up spinning it on a road I was intimately familiar with.

Exceed the coefficient of friction of the tire contact patches and find out. Physics, ya know?

A very poor excuse for your lack of talent Sir...i want the police report as evidence

[Tyreman]

On 6/22/2025 at 1:49 PM, Pierre Rivard said:

Yeah physics.... or you were not quite as focused on your driving? 😉

So not focusing on the road? i get you  thankfully Ace alive to tell the tale...a true Ace able to multitask?

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, Tyreman said:

A very poor excuse for your lack of talent Sir...i want the police report as evidence

Well suh, lack of talent didn't seem to be a part of the equation.

I saved it, did a neat 360, and continued on in the original direction. No impact.

When we got home the only gripe she had was that her lovely ash-blonde hair was so ratted she couldn't comb it out and had to cut a lot of it off. 

It grew back.  

Edited Tuesday at 02:14 AM by Ace-Garageguy

[espo]

On 6/21/2025 at 10:01 AM, TarheelRick said:

 

Beautiful Mustang. My 2022 5.0 F-150 can get me into trouble, if I don't watch myself. The factory exhaust has a real deep throaty rumble which sounds so good especially when I am pulling my boat up an interstate on-ramp. BTW what is that color called, my F-150 is called 'Race Red'. I have heard the equivalent GM color is called 'Pull Me Over Red'.

 

Also, AKA: Arrest me Red.