The heavily upgraded S650 platform brings many updates, from the interior displays to the Gen IV Coyote V8, but what does the generation change mean for the good ole drag racing? We can answer that question with a 2024 Mustang GT (ten-speed automatic) independent 1/4-mile test for you drag strip enthusiasts.
This 1,320-foot challenge involves a bone stock 2024 Mustang GT 10-speed automatic featuring the optional valved performance exhaust and a 3.55 rear end but without the performance package. However, the factory tires are gone, with the coupe’s 20×9-inch rear wheels now shod in 295/40 Mickey Thompson ET Street SS tires—as their name implies, these are legal on public roads.
The pony, which belongs to YouTuber Stang Mode, only had 790 miles on the clock when it hit the drag strip for what the vlogger calls baseline runs. That means the enthusiasts will use the quarter-mile numbers further down the line when he modifies the ‘Stang, but for now, the figures will raise some eyebrows.
How to drag race a 2024 Ford Mustang
The first thing you want to do is put the car in Drag Strip mode, which preps the hardware, ten-speed automatic transmission included, for the quarter-mile assault.
Next up, you have to hold down the Traction Control button until the “Advancetrack Off” message shows up on the digital dashboard. And, even more so than in the case of the factory tires, a serious burnout is required to bring the rubber up to temperature before the drag strip run. Fortunately, the Line Lock feature—located in Features/My Mustang—is here to help with that by allowing you to lock the front brakes.
2024 Ford Mustang 1/4-mile ET and trap speed
The best numbers Stang Mode recorded with his 2024 Mustang GT 10-speed saw the Ford crossing the 1/4-mile line in 12.3 seconds at 116.8 mph while registering a 2s 60-foot time.
For the record, the said figures mean the S650 Mustang matches its S550 predecessor (2018+ with the Gen III Coyote) at best—the previous Mustang GT 10-speed auto has dipped into the high-11s range when stock, with Stang Mode himself having recorded an 11.9s run in his example, which was nicknamed Mamba. Then again, the new model may need some more time before it can deliver its full potential, with the cooler weather of the upcoming months being one of the top aspects here.
The S650 Mustang is more powerful but also heavier than the S550
So, the S650 Mustang isn’t quicker than its predecessor in the quarter-mile. For one, this conclusion is also true for the stick shift, as Motor Trend found out when drag testing a 2024 Mustang with the six-speed manual. So, what are the reasons for this?
Yes, with its base output of 480 hp and 415 lb-ft of torque, the 2024 Mustang is slightly more powerful than the car it replaces. And multiple dyno runs have proven that the extra power is truly there.
But the seventh-generation ‘Stang is also bulkier than its predecessor. Ford lists a base curb weight of 3,832 lbs for the 2024 Mustang GT Fastback with the ten-speed auto, which means an increase of over 120 lbs over a similarly specced S550 Mustang (once again, the 2018+ model with the Gen III Coyote). And no, you swap maniacs, not this 1,500 hp Cummins diesel-powered “Smokestang” S550 Mustang built by Westen Champlin.
As for that 2.0s 60-foot time, Stang Mode states that while he can’t be sure of the Mickey Thompson tires’ impact, the car got off the line with no drama, hooking up nicely.
He does, however, feel that the ten-speed automatic may be short-shifting, but there’s no data to back this up. While the Drag Strip mode is here specifically to optimize acceleration, the limited mileage of this example might mean the car is holding back a little—after all, the 2024 Mustang owner’s manual does include specific engine break-in procedures, none of which involve drag strip runs at triple-digit mileage.
Now, even if the S650 can’t ace the quarter-mile test compared to the S550 of yesteryear, the sheer fact that we have an N/A Mustang for at least the rest of the decade is worth celebrating. After all, how many of us live our lives one quarter-mile at a time?
Update (24 October, 2023): The S650 Mustang is now in the 9s, with a nitrous-fed 2024 ‘Stang having pulled a 9.5s quarter-mile run, even without an ECU tune.