99-02 Cobra compression

IIRC, it's the same as the '96-98 Cobras....

Find the SVT website... it should tell you.... either that or do a search for '99 or '01 cobra specs (note - no regular Cobras in '00 and no Cobras at all in '02)

JS

JS, yeah I know Cobra R in 00... didn't know there were no Cobras in 02 though... I'll try to find the SVT site. Thanks! I still think I'm leaning towards an 03 Cobra.

-Mike

Somewhere around 10:1. Not really blower friendly, but many people do it. You'll need a good tune and don't get greedy with the boost.

03 Cobra has forged pistons right? Do any other cobras of earlier years that u know of?

-Mike

Only the '03 is forged. '96-'01 were all hypereutectic.

Not only that, the '03 is down to about 8.5:1 compression IIRC. It's low. Blower-friendly.

Mike, the only blown Cobra you want to look at is the '03-04 (at least until '06). Everything else isn't very happy with artificial aspiration.

If you really want a blown car and don't want to fork over the money for an '03-04 Cobra, get a '99-up GT and strap a blower on it. Call it a day. Less initial investment, better chance of keeping the cast iron together, and almost the same thrill factor. Same thing applies though... putting a blower on anything is going to increase stress. Can you live with the 320hp of a '99 or an '01 Cobra, or do you want to push 400hp out of a GT? Get much more than that and you're looking at rebuilding anything under an '03-04 Cobra anyway to handle the power. GTs are cast hyperutectic pistons too, only the compression ratio is a more blower-friendly 9.5:1.

Think about the power range you want, then pick the car that will allow you to achieve this range cheapest. Also think into the future to where you might want it to be some day, then find your car. 350hp is fine, get an older Cobra and do some bolt ons. 500hp? Get a newer Cobra and do the bolt ons.

JS

if there is anyway you can swing that 03 cobra, my .02 would be to do it

i was on the fence wether to keep my 96 and upgrade, but i went for it and i am happy (and broke) =) it took me a while tho to get used to the car. i put a catback and cai on it and dynoed at 433/397 sae

my situation is a daily driver, but like some other posts said you could put that kb blower on a gt and get incredible power

good luck with whatever you choose

'96-'01, the 32V Modular 4.6 uses 9.85:1 compression, hyerpeutectic rods and pistons. '03-'04 4.6 32V Modular 4.6 uses 8.5:1, forged pistons and Manley H-beam forged rods.

You can get about 450 rwhp reliably out of the of the hypereutectic 32V motors with a good, conservative tune and low boost (8 to 10 psi). There are plenty of these running high miles now. However, these are still somewhat fragile so it's wise to start saving for the rebuild anyway :). I'd say the motor is long term solid right around 400 rwhp.

Even the '03+ motor is not bullet proof. Folks have burned these down but the tunes are way more agressive and the boost much higher :). If you don't get greedy with these you can run reliably around 480 rwhp with the stock Eaton or replace the Eaton and run 550 rwhp. Mine has been trouble-free at (SAE) 465 rwhp / 502 rwtq for some time now and she's at 18000 mile on the clock.

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things

Thanks, Dan. That's real good info ;). I REALLY am going to start saving up for an 03 Cobra now... it's official. I'm going to try to have at least $10k~12k saved up by next year this time.. maybe more. I"m not trying to buy the car w/ cash, but I want to have a lot of it paid. I love every aspect of the 03 Cobra... the looks.. the power... the sound could be a bit more aggressive, but I still like it. gah.. I must have one ;D

-Mike

Cool :)! As for sound. The exhaust system on the '03/'04 Cobra is a cork, that's why it's so quiet. There's anywhere between 15 to 30 rwhp trapped in the exhaust (mid-pipe + cat-back) on these cars, which is rediculous for just an exhaust swap :). It was nice of SVT to detune that way ;).

My suggestion is to find an '04 when you get the money together. There are some interior trim differences but mainly it has all the revised PCM software updates in place. This is worth the price bump.

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things

Wonder how much the insurance increase would be for an 04 instead of an

03... and what sort of PCM software upgrades? Didn't know there were any.

-Mike

Dan, what are the PCM updates ? Will they install this on an 03 if you ask ?

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Insurance, I dunno :). That's between you and your carrier. I have USAA, one of the most expensive, and I went from a '99 Cobra to new '03 and the bump was $5 a month. YMMV :).

Several '03 Cobras have exhibited a stall when the clutch is pushed in (at any vehicle speed) and the motor is allowed to fall to idle. Some do this more than others. Mine did this during the first return to idle after a cold start since day one. Once the motor was warm mine may have done it once or twice, I can't remember. Just a note, my '99 stalled hot occasionally, too. Anyway, several folks have complained and there is a PCM flash that alters/creates, I believe, a more agressive two step settling process when the motor falls to idle. The flash is actually being distributed, as of now, as a Special Service Memo (SSM) and not a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB). This is one reason why it's not widely known.

Now, personally, I don't believe that all that many cars were exhibiting the issue. I am also not completely confident that this was fixed on all '04's. However, it's worth it to get the latest if possible just in case. It's one less potential trip to the dealer.

Also, I've noted that SVT made some alterations to the AFR map on some later models ('03 10th Anniversary and '04). I saw a stock '03 10th Anniversary dyno'd and it's stock AFR curve was damn nice compared to mine :). This would be worth a reflash to me if I didn't already have this problem fixed on my own ;).

Having said all this, Ford service will flash upgrade an '03 with no problem if that's the route you need to go for cost.

A side note, most of the chip vendors have fixed the stall in their codes. I have a Diablo Sport chip that I sent back for reburn for more boost. My cold stall vanished when I got the chip back. They admit that when I got the chip originally the fix wasn't on it, now it's there and it seems to work. So, there are alternatives :).

Dan

2003 Cobra converitble With some stuff and things

See my reply to memset. Yes, a dealer will put the flash upgrade on if an owner asks for it.

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things

what does YMMV mean? and... to the rest of your post... lordy that's informative ;D. I never had a stall issue on my 98 GT... although it DID used to surge when I was going off the interstate (exiting off i guess) and stepped on the clutch & apply the brake.. it'd surge from about 400~900rpm. Then I installed a cold air kit & the problem went away... not sure why, but I am not complaining. Btw... funds aren't going to allow an 04 Cobra I'm sure. I'm gonna hafta go the 03 route & I'd actually like to get a chip as well. Diablo chips are good? Any particular pros/cons?

-Mike

okay. Have not had a single stall so far.I Did notice it hovers around

1K rpm first for a second or so, then falls down to around 600. Any way you can find the version ? I think you can see it when you hold down the odo-reset button while switching key to on. Then repeatedly press the odo button to cycle thru all the codes....

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Yeah, I think that the stall is a small percentage of cars. It's getting exagerated press because there's a concentration of owners experiencing stalls on a couple of the bigger '03 Cobra web forums. Mine stalled in the mornings but I rarely let the car coast at idle while driving so I may have hidden some of the problem from myself. No biggy now since the last chip reburn solved it completely.

My computer code is QUD2. The diagnostic mode on the gauge cluster displays the ROM version for the cluster itself, not the PCM, as far as I know.

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things

400~900rpm.

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary :).

Any chip is simply as good as the tuner who burned it :). Some of the best tuners for '03 Cobras, however, are using Diablo Sport chips. My chip is from Rick at Amazon Racing

He and his wife are nice folks, very friendly, and very helpful. His first tune worked great for me and the second is just as good. JDM, Johnny Lightning Performance, and Pauls High Performance are some other good tuners who make good Diablo chips.

Talk to your tuner. Ask questions. Set some goals in terms of the level of performance you are after and plan your mods. You can do all the basic bolt-ons for exhaust and intake without needing a chip immediately. If you can, find a dyno in your area and get friendly with the operator. Having a dyno you can use makes modding much easier and safer on these cars. The stock tune is redicuously conservative and therefore very non-optimal. You can chip without touching the boost level to smooth the stock tune out. The max performance with all the bolt-ons and a chip is around 400 to 420 rwhp (that around 471 to 494 bhp). BTW, the cars were underrated at 390 bhp. The average stock dyno for the '03 is around 425 bhp.

You will want a chip the moment you increase the boost. There's a small crowd that is running much higher boost and no tune alteration and I think they are burn-outs waiting to happen. To each there own :)

Dan

2003 Cobra convertible With some stuff and things

no kidding. Just check out www.dynoperformance. You can see people who dyno their car with increased boost and chip mods. Usually results in incorrect A/F ratio's. That is baaaad. Detonation waiting to happen. Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying