Raced an 03 Mustang Cobra

**JVOJR** · 09-02-2008, 06:37 PM

I am new to the web site so I don't know if there is a race section yet. But I had a little 1/4 mile race and back again with an 03 Cobra(2 races total). The owner of the Cobra was a friend of mine and just bought it on EBAY. I lost both ways by at least a car and a half. My SS is stock except for the exhaust and the Cobra was completely stock. I hate long posts but I will give more details if asked. I didn't think I would loose. I love my SS and thought it was really fast. I was disapointed. My friend was totally psyched. I drove his car and took the RPM's to almost 7000. I didn't know they revved that high. My RPM's cut out around 6000-6200?

My question is what cam, lifters, springs, pushrods, and rockers would enable me to get to 7000 rpm's and back down again without blowing up? I think I could've won if I had more rev. Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Jack

**Eric1987** · 09-02-2008, 07:04 PM

Dude that cobra has a blower on it. You're ALL motor. I'd be very happy if I kept up like that. They have around 430 HP. They were underrated by ford. With a cam you should be able to get around 6800 depending on which. You'd be able to take him then too. If you really were that close.

**67CamaroRSSS** · 09-02-2008, 08:09 PM

I'm not sure I'd want to rev the stock bottom end much beyond 6600.

And a word from the wise: No matter how fast you are there is somebody out there who is faster than you.

**01' Sevan Series TA** · 09-02-2008, 08:25 PM

And a word from the wise: No matter how fast you are there is somebody out there who is faster than you.[/QUOTE]

**predator** · 09-03-2008, 04:00 AM

Don't feel bad... Termy's are nasty cars when stock... and with just a pulley/exhaust/tune they can push over 400 to the ground...

-me

**BKHgto04** · 09-03-2008, 08:26 AM

Yeah man don't feel bad.Sounds like you ran him pretty well. I have a buddy with an 03 Termy and with an upper pulley,BBK TB,CAI,tune and aftermarket intercooler he was putting down 461 to the ground. And that was with only abou 10 pounds of boost. He just swapped the lower pulley and waiting on a tune and should break 500 with 15+ pounds.

**JVOJR** · 09-04-2008, 08:24 AM

Originally Posted by 67CamaroRSSS

And a word from the wise: No matter how fast you are there is somebody out there who is faster than you.

I can't believe you said that. No duh. I am not new to owning quick cars or racing on a track (or other). This is my first 02 SS. The first run we launched on a 5mph roll and he pulled ahead slightly at first and by 100mph he was a car and half in front. The second run was from a stop and I dropped the clutch at about 2500-3000rpms. My tires weren't hooking for about a second or two, however I was in front for the first 150-200 feet but after that he pulled into the lead and then in front of my car. I asked him if he had traction and he said his tires were fine and then said, "you're supossed to launch in second gear, right?" That got me anoid. He started in second gear and I still lost. When I drove the cobra it did't plant me in the seat the way the SS does and you sit high up: not low like the SS. The cobra does not feel as fast as the SS.
Jack

**predator** · 09-04-2008, 08:54 AM

Originally Posted by JVOJR

When I drove the cobra it did't plant me in the seat the way the SS does and you sit high up: not low like the SS. The cobra does not feel as fast as the SS.
Jack

Ok so i dont quite understand how you didnt feel planted in the seat of the cobra, but i will say that I am completely behind you on the feel... That is exactly y my sig doesnt say im a proud termy owner.

Shifter location, Seats, and poor quality interior are the only reasons im not in a termy...

And seriously... Termys are NASTY... Most people have to spray to have a chance against a properly driven one... It takes serious cash to whip a mildly modded one without giggle gas and if they have done heads or (god forgive) and KB or whipple your gonna have a real embarasment on your hands unless you are packing some punch...

-me

**lakai** · 09-04-2008, 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by predator

Ok so i dont quite understand how you didnt feel planted in the seat of the cobra, but i will say that I am completely behind you on the feel... That is exactly y my sig doesnt say im a proud termy owner.

Shifter location, Seats, and poor quality interior are the only reasons im not in a termy...

And seriously... Termys are NASTY... Most people have to spray to have a chance against a properly driven one... It takes serious cash to whip a mildly modded one without giggle gas and if they have done heads or (god forgive) and KB or whipple your gonna have a real embarasment on your hands unless you are packing some punch...

-me

maybe he raced an 01 with a 03 front end and rear spoiler.

**JHayesLS1** · 09-04-2008, 12:27 PM

Yeah I was at a car meet with my buddy in his stock SRT-4 (just got it a month ago) and he was like I'm gonna run this Cobra into the ground and he knew he had a KB and tune and exhaust and badass written all over it but he decided to go anyways from a roll. Of course he had no idea what KB was so I was a good friend and let him learn the hard way. Needless to say he is off his SRT-4 high horse haha

**nhraformula** · 09-04-2008, 06:28 PM

wait till he learns to drive that cobra.
those cars are badass.

**JVOJR** · 09-04-2008, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by lakai

maybe he raced an 01 with a 03 front end and rear spoiler.

That's ridiculous.

2000 nhra edition formula
a few bolt ons, 379 rwhp
11.96 @113.25

What bolt ons got you to 11.96?

**nhraformula** · 09-04-2008, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by JVOJR

That's ridiculous.

2000 nhra edition formula
a few bolt ons, 379 rwhp
11.96 @113.25

What bolt ons got you to 11.96?

cam, stall, ls6 intake, volant cai, long tubes, hooker catback, drag radials and tuning.

**TempleU_WS6** · 09-04-2008, 07:42 PM

Dont feel bad. Cobras are sick but that comes with the extra cost over an F-body. We can be just as fast and probably spend less if not about the same as they did.

**drummer52910** · 09-04-2008, 07:57 PM

Dont feel bad. Cobras are sick but that comes with the extra cost over an F-body. We can be just as fast and probably spend less if not about the same as they did.

Id have to disagree with this. And no im not biased because i have owned two LS1 cars before my cobra, and enjoyed them just as much. The reason i bought the cobra though is because too make some serious power with my camaro i would have had too build everything to handle it. New rear end, stronger tranny, new internals etc. With the cobra its just so much simpler.

**nhraformula** · 09-05-2008, 03:47 AM

Originally Posted by TempleU_WS6

Dont feel bad. Cobras are sick but that comes with the extra cost over an F-body. We can be just as fast and probably spend less if not about the same as they did.

you can easily add close to 100 rwhp without going internal on the cobra and it wont cost a lot.
getting 100rwhp is going to be somewhat expensive for a f-body

**N20LT4** · 09-05-2008, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by drummer52910

Id have to disagree with this. And no im not biased because i have owned two LS1 cars before my cobra, and enjoyed them just as much. The reason i bought the cobra though is because too make some serious power with my camaro i would have had too build everything to handle it. New rear end, stronger tranny, new internals etc. With the cobra its just so much simpler.

Like the guy above you said, you can purchase an LS1 Z28, Formula or T/A, do a complete build with a power adder, and make just as much (and probably more) power than a Cobra with a KB or Whipple and supporting mods. My brother is the perfect example of that.

Originally Posted by nhraformula

you can easily add close to 100 rwhp without going internal on the cobra and it wont cost a lot.
getting 100rwhp is going to be somewhat expensive for a f-body

It's funny how I hear people say that all the time: It won't cost a lot. Figure in the price of the whole car (Cobra) along with those bolt-ons, compared to what you could get an F-body for now days. From that aspect the whole picture looks completely different.

**dpinson** · 09-05-2008, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by drummer52910

Id have to disagree with this. And no im not biased because i have owned two LS1 cars before my cobra, and enjoyed them just as much. The reason i bought the cobra though is because too make some serious power with my camaro i would have had too build everything to handle it. New rear end, stronger tranny, new internals etc. With the cobra its just so much simpler.

SO MUCH SIMPLER HUH?you still need to build the rear end up and the top end of your motor will cost 2-3 times as much to upgrade

but i guess the motor will support quite a bit of power but the clutch and rear are just as weak as an f-bodies maybe weaker considering it took slicks to break my stuff and my brother's cobra did it on street tires

**JVOJR** · 09-05-2008, 08:00 AM

I owned an 03 Grand Prix GTP. I bought it because of the supercharger. It was a lot easier to make more power on a GTP than a non-sc GT. A smaller pulley, headers, rockers, downpipe, cai, new computer, and some other misc stuff made that car very quick. 350z's, EVO's, STi's, non-sc mustangs, and a bunch of others were very surprised to see my tail lights. My guess is you could easily do the same to a cobra but probably not for the $2400 it cost to mod the GTP. The cobra's a bit more sophisticated. I also avg'd 27-28 mpg in the GTP. The SS is nearly the same. My friend's cobra doesn't get close to that. He gets around 250 miles from a tank of gas, somewhere around 17 mpg. My plan is to mod the valvetrain a bit to safely shift at 7k rpm and, once I research it a little more, a few other supporting mods. I could use a few tips on what works best as a good starting point though.
Jack

**drummer52910** · 09-05-2008, 11:21 AM

SO MUCH SIMPLER HUH?you still need to build the rear end up and the top end of your motor will cost 2-3 times as much to upgrade

but i guess the motor will support quite a bit of power but the clutch and rear are just as weak as an f-bodies maybe weaker considering it took slicks to break my stuff and my brother's cobra did it on street tires
__________________

Yes much simpler. And yes the cobras 8.8" rear end is much stronger than the 7.5" 10-bolt found in f-bodies. Why would i waste time building the top end of my motor? The Kenne Bell 2.6 kit is desingned for stock motors, and makes 700 reliable peak HP. Thats plenty to satisfy me. Nothing against building a reliable 700 HP LS1, i just didnt want to do all the work necessary to support it.