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Ford Mustang Driveshaft Fails at 135 mph

Automotive producers have certain safety protocols that could be too intrusive and become bothering without an actual benefit, but most of the times, their rules are not made to be broken and we have a video that stands as a perfect example to demonstrate this.
The clip shows a 2011 Ford Mustang V6, whose owner decided to remove the 112 mph (180 km/h) top speed limiter, took the car out for a spin and accelerated up to 135 mph (217 km/h) on a public road (the video’s description claims that it happened on a “closed” road but this doesn’t seem to be the case).

You can hear some suspect noises, after which the drive shaft of the car fails and starts a riot under the car’s floor. We won’t spend too much time mentioning that the driver shouldn’t have used a public road and took one hand off the wheel to film himself - we’ll focus on the “tuning” instead.

Contacted by autoblog, Ford said that the V6 Mustang is “the ultimate in fuel economy and performance”. Translation: the driveshaft wasn’t built for maximum torsional rigidity, using a lightweight one-piece construction instead in order to also keep the fuel consumption as low as possible, so it couldn’t take the full 305 hp, 280 lb-ft of the V6 engine.

In the same statement, Ford explains that customers who are seeking higher speed should go for the Mustang GT, which not only offers a 412 hp V8, but comes with a two-piece driveshaft and offers multiple rear axle options (the V6 comes with a 2.73 rear axle ration). noting that the GT is limited to 145 mph (233 km/h).

To be honest, we understand the frustration of driving a 300 hp sports car that comes with a top speed of 112 mph, but for this kind of situations you have to turn to proven aftermarket companies and keep the testing part for the track. As for Ford's explanation, it might keep the company out of court, but it still brings shame to the Mustang name.
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About the author: Andrei Tutu
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In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist.
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