Went to the track

Numbers numbers... give us some numbers. What did the Mach 1 and Cobra run? How did your car run and what do you have?

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

The Mach 1 ran pretty consistantly at 12.5 throought the day. the cobra were stock to supercharged and their nuymbers were usually between

Uhhh what? Long tube headers, off-road H pipe, steeda clutch quadrant, K&N air filter... that didn't boost your HP to 400 horses. I _highly_ doubt that. An 03 GT stock has 260HP. You didn't gain 140HP from those mods. Gears don't add HP. With 400HP you'd be having much better than 14.16@98MPH anyway.. but whatever. Interesting other cars & numbers.

-Mike

Ahem, "k&n (this gave me 400 hp)" sounds kinda humorous to me. Get it?

__ John C. '03 Cobra Convt.

GO PATRIOTS!

lol ok. I damn near bitch slapped ya for that. ;D

What year GT do you have? There are several things you can do other than adding a nitrous kit.

-Mike

My thoughts?

What you really need are a set of subframe connectors (to help keep from twisting the car up) and a set of drag radial tires (to get you to stick to the track). Follow the manufacturer's recommendations on how to launch with your new tires at first until you have time to experiment.

Your car, bone stock, should be able to pull 14.1 or so, according to its manual and some of the tests. My '97 Cobra, stock, should run 13.99 (and I've run consistent 13.87s with just drag radials and a Tri-Ax in the heat).

With 3.73's and the aforementioned mods, you should be down into the

13.5-13.8 range easily.

Mind you, I'm not criticizing you one bit, but I would take the time to practice if you're serious about drag racing before you go for the lower numbers. Get consistent and learn to cut a good light, etc. Your mistakes now won't be nearly as critical. If you put the squeeze to your GT now, before you really have a good idea of how to drive the car, you have a much greater potential for hurting yourself or your car.. or boht.

I'm still a beginner in my own right, but I've already had my Cobra so far sideways that the tower guys thought I would be the next guardrail club member after hitting 2nd threw me almost completely sideways. It was then that I realized that drag radials are a great idea and knowing how to handle the car in that situation really comes in handy.

Just my suggestions. A nitrous-injected GT sure would be fun to ride down the track in.. just be sure you're ready to be that fast. Bring an approved helmet too.. 13.99 and lower requires one at most tracks.

JS

14.16@98MPH

This is great advice! Let me add to it. Seems everyone starts throwing money at their cars before they can drive it, and before they optimize what they have.

Just bought a new car?

First, get really familiar with your car--experiment with launch rpm, shift points, and power or speed shifting.

Second, optimize what you have--everything from tune-up parts/clean fluids (if needed), to tire pressures, to timing, to cleaning out the glove box/console/back-seat area/trunk, and removing the jack & spare.

Then start throwing money at it. But buy durability items first. Quality shifter, trans cooler, shift kit, and bigger/better fuel pump.

Then, then, you should buy the good power-adder stuff.

Patrick '93 Cobra '83 LTD

Both are excellent advice I think. Although I wasn't the original thread starter, I appreciate the feedback as well.

-Mike

Thanks, and I agree completely. I see too many people out there that just want the biggest and baddest toy on the block, regardless of if they're a public safety hazard in them.

Again, great advice as well. The durability and safety items should be first and foremost. Shifter will help you hit the gears better and pick up some speed in the process, but it'll be better for the transmission and more comfortable to use. Subs will keep the car from twisting like a pretzel if you launch the car often with slicks and maybe help keep it straighter in a launch gone bad. Things like that are often overlooked in the quest for more power.

I think Buzz Haze is a great example of what can be done on stock power. Though he's stripped his car down quite a bit, it shows that you can really turn some impressive times on the power that you have currently available.

12.90 in a stock-engined 5.0 notchback, no power adders whatsoever. He's optimized his setup - suspension, chassis, braking, weight, and then he took the time to learn to really drive the car. He's doing with 225hp and an optimized setup (weight reduction helping a lot) what an inexperienced driver in a 390hp 2003 Cobra would be lucky to hit. To give up 165hp and still win would be a thrill, but think of how the Cobra driver would feel. Which person would you rather be?

If the OP is serious about racing, he'll get the cage installed before he gets into the 13.90's. I think the car is quite capable of it, and it's probably ready for a cage now. This can be tied into the subframes if I remember correctly and will go a long way in protecting you in a crash. Don't skimp on the safety equipment to save money for the go-fast parts. It'll do no good if you're no longer breathing.

I definately agree with Patrick on this matter though. Learn your car - well. Learn every nuance... try different things with weight distribution, tire pressures, timing. Keep a log of weather conditions, keep records of your 60' times (as this is the most important 60' of the entire 1320).

One other note...

Thanks for keeping it where it belongs. We've all opened our cars up on the highway now and again, but street racing is dangerous. I know it will always be done, and it will always be stupid. I've done it before myself, and I look back and realize how easy it would have been to severely injure myself or someone else. Keep it on the track. When people want to run me now I tell them that Test + Tune night is Thursday and to meet me there. If I feel confident enough, I'll tell 'em to bring $100 or so to make it interesting. Funny how I never have any takers on that from the Honda crowd around here.

I congratulate you for realizing that racing should be done in a designated area with the proper safety precautions.

JS