SVT Cobra verses Mach 1... ?

I've had my Cobra for a month now and my comment would be it is a civilized daily driver that can flex it's muscle on demand. The suspension makes for a bit of a bumpy ride, but it's the nature of any sport performance vehicle. I suggest taking one on a test drive. If you can find on 03, dealer incentives make it a no brainer decision between Mach 1 and Cobra.

Ray

The Mach has a similar suspension and brake set up as the Bullitt, a nice step up from the GT. The Cobra suspension is not quite top of the line as improvements can still be made, but it is much better than the GT provides. I've had the Cobra almost two months and the only complaint I have is the nose dive and squirlyness of the rear under hard braking, otherwise it is a smoother, more comfortable, and much more responsive ride than the GT.

I just traded an 01 GT (automatic) for an 03 Cobra 10th Anniversary. The Cobra is much tighter, solid and more comfortable than my GT by a wide margin - and I really liked my GT! I would recommend you try one.

Jeff

Thanks for the responses so far. I personally feel that the GT handles and rides amazingly well... I don't need a car that handles or rides any better, though of course if the SVT is indeed "better", that's certainly fine with me. As long as it doesn't provide a much "stiffer" ride, but according to the last two responses, the common description seems to be "comfortable ride", so that sounds good to me. As for the first response that states "bumpy ride", well, I wonder how much more "bumpier" it is than a GT... some people feel a GT has a "bumpy" ride, but to me I'd say it is a perfect blend of comfort and performance.... yes, a little bumpy, but still comfortable and tolerable for a daily driver. Of course some guys out there hot-rod their suspensions for all-out racing with super stiff springs, lower the car, use super low profile tires, etc., and such a car will surely run like crap on the street even though it may be great for competition. All I know is I think my GT is perfect... I would not change the handling one bit... so if the Cobra is actually "more comfortable", then it sounds like I'd dig the Cobra's suspension.

Now onto the engine and power... I'd like to hear more comments regarding the engine, in terms of noise and smoothness. How is the supercharger? Do you get a peaky edgy response, or would you say the engine is smooth across the rpm range? How would you describe the torque band? How about noise... does the supercharger make a racket, or...? My guess is that the Cobra makes a load of low-end power... yes? My one big complaint with my GT is that the engine, while making a decent amount of low end torque compared to most typical new cars, still does not make enough low end to provide a truly thrilling ride. Ok, my last car was a 455 Pontiac, so I suppose there is almost nothing new out there now that can make toque like a 455, so I need to get realistic... however, the GT just doesn't have any real kick in the

2k-3k rpm range. The engine accelerates very "smoothly", which in one regard is nice, but it lacks serious guts... can't seem to get that "rocket launch" feeling, it's just a little too tame, there's no kick. The 455 was downright scary... that was a VERY fun ride. So... just wondering how the Cobra fits in here. I see the road test results on the Cobra... Cobra is apparently very fast, so my guess is that it does indeed provide a fun "rocket-launch" feeling when you want it to... but how about over-all drivability? Like say you're cruising along at 45 mph in 4th or 5th gear (2,200 rpm or so) on some hilly winding back roads, and you start to squeeze the accelerator pedal down a bit.... does the car give you that feeling of serious torque and acceleration that makes your balls feel funny, or is it kinda dead and needs to be downshifted? My GT for instance feels dead in this scenario and must be downshifted, and even then it still doesn't seem to make enough power, where as my 455 in this scenario would make your hair stand up, and you'd need to be careful not to spin the rear wheels and lose control.

Of course I'd try to get my hands on a Cobra to test drive before buying one, but I am still interested in the group's opinions. Often a short test drive at a dealer is not nearly enough time to really get a true feel of a car... plus I doubt the salesperson will appreciate it if I redline it through the gears.

thanks

Great questions. Wish I had the experiences to answer them!

What did the 455 "Poncho" reside in BTW ??

One of the most powerful, thrilling STOCK cars I ever ridden in was my friend's '71' GTO w/455 HO! It was the epitome of the RAW low RPM Torque that made the muscle cars of that era Legendary! And that was BEFORE he tuned it up!

I'd give me "bling" bling" to own a 71 GTO w/455 HO! ;>) ;>)

ERIC

89 5.0 LX Vert, Cobra long block, 2.5" O/R H-pipe, 2.73s w/Locker 40 Series Deltas and some kinda Wild Assed Cam!

Check out the Ford Engine Heaven!

The difference is almost "Night and Day", I could never go back to a GT now. The ride is smoother, the IRS keeps the rear planted, and the seats... I didn't have that much of a problem with the GT seats untill after I got the Cobra.

The Cobra engine "feels" like a big block and put's out way more than the advertised 390 horses. It has an almost flat torque curve, these are rear wheel #'s, from about 300 lb.ft. at 2200 rpm, a 350 peak at 4200, to around

300 again at 6000. The RWHP climbs steadily, due to the flat torque curve, from around 100 hp at 2100 rpm to over 350 hp at redline. The dyno graph I'm looking at shows the HP climbing in just about a straight line and at a 35* to 40* angle, so the HP is not peaky at all. Both the GT and Cobra trans have a 1:1 4th so you can guess the acceleration difference the Cobra has with the 3.55 rear and 150 more horses on tap.

It makes a nice whistle sound, the exhaust is corked up pretty good from the factory which makes it easier to hear. The factory GT exhaust is louder than the Cobra, nothing that a cat-back can't fix.

I actually havn't really played at 45mph enough to answer that, but I can assure you that it is very responsive with 300+ lb.ft of torque from 2200 to redline. I know that you can down shift from 6th to 3rd at highway speeds and just rocket away from just about anything else on the road.

I still have trouble in the Cobra "feeling" when to shift before red-line, I end up on the rev-limiter alot. I had an '89 GT, the 5.0 can't breathe anywhere near red-line so feeling when to shift was easy. Traded up to a '98 GT and although the torque curve moved up and the red-line was higher it still felt alot like the 5.0. I then moved to the '00 GT and again, more HP but still a drop right before red-line you could feel. The Cobra just pulls hard all the way to the red-line with the stock pulley. You had said "The

455 was

someone before that the Cobra is "scary fast".

No problem. You should lurk over at

and see if there is anyone in your area that could hook you up with a ride.

My wife calls it the carnival ride, when the blower spools up. She swore it pressed her back in the seat so hard she got masscara on the inside of her glassess.

comfortable

That's what I'm talking about! Great description! :>)

For now for your GT, I'd HIGHLY recommend installing a Chip, 80mm MAF from

Dennis and Jerry are Second to none when it comes to tuning Fords!

ERIC

89 5.0 LX Vert, Cobra long block, 2.5" O/R H-pipe, 2.73s w/Locker 40 Series Deltas and some kinda Wild Assed Cam!

Check out the Ford Engine Heaven!

I had no intention of buying a car until I test drove a cobra. I was immediately hooked. I went and test drove a Mach I before I bought the cobra to make sure that I wanted to spend the extra money. I bought the cobra and still love it. A friend of mine had a 99 cobra with a few mods, and bought an 03 without test driving it. He has been dissapointed in the performance (had his expectations too high). I would definately reccomend a test drive, but can say that I love mine. I also test drove a WRX, and the torque difference is amazing. The cobra is ready to go whenever you are.

Remove NO-SPAM from email address when replying

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Hey, can anyone post the typical 1/4 mile e.t. and 0-60mph time for a STOCK

2003 Cobra? Unless I am incorrect, I thought I had read that the Cobra could run the quarter in under 13 seconds, and run a 0-60 in low 5's or high 4's, something like that. Is this correct? If so, how could anyone be disappointed with this kinda of performance??? It ain't a motorcycle after all, and costs under $40k. Unless perhaps your friend was disappointed with the overall drivability of the car/engine, which is something that I am personally concerned about, and why I made my initial post here about it. But it seems that most people are saying the Cobra has great manners and runs fine, etc. Yes, I will ultimately need to test drive one first before buying.

I sure wish I knew what Ford was going to do for 2005... I really like the idea of a larger displacement engine... that would be so mint if a 5.4 makes its way into a sub $35k car, or better yet, into a sub $30k car. A 5.4 with the DOHC heads would probably make enough streetable power to make anyone happy. It would have high horsepower, but a nice amount of extra low end torque as well.

I don't know the exchange rate for blings to dollars, but here's one in Hemmings.com for $30K.

$30K is awfully high. But here's the particulars: "1971 Pontiac GTO, 455 H/O, M-22 4-speed, 3.55 12-bolt posi, all numbers match, 42,686 documented miles, collector's dream. Chrome is all original and very good, garaged, runs very strong."

If that 43K original miles claim is true, this just might be worth it. M-22, posi, 455 H.O., that was a rare combination of options for a '71 (by which point insurance costs had strangled the muscle car market). Problem is, you don't dare drive a car that old with that few miles, or anyway it would be wrong to do so.

180 Out TS 28

I think a stock cobra "with traction" will run 0-60 around 4.5 sec and 1/4 at a low 13 around 108-110 mph. I've never been to the track and most of the times posted over at svtperformance.com are modified cars. I also believe the modified cars; CAI, MAF, TB, pulley, chip, tune, high-flow cats, cat-back, and drag radials are breaking into the high 11's. A KB screw blower on top of that will definately get you in the 11's and can get you to

600 RWHP with a good tune.

Ain't going to happen. The last rumor for the '06 Cobra, not '05, is use the same supercharged 4.6 but up the HP from 390 to 420. (which is what the '03 really puts out anyway)

Anyone want to buy a "bling Bling" for $30k so I can buy that GTO ?? ;>)

$30k for that car would be worth it to me! Try and find another one like it.

Screw that! Life it TOO SHORT! :>)

What kind of expectations did your friend have of 03 Cobras ??

Where can one (on the Net) view the differences (head-to-head) between these

2 models ??

lets you select up to 5 vehicles for comparison.

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Try this link to a side by side comparison:

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GT is rumored to have a 3 valve 4.6 at 290 - 300 horses. Haven't heard anything about a special edition.