Just test drove an 03 Cobra

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Maybe it was out of curiosity, maybe it was out of jubilance because I just accepted a nice job offer today, and maybe I would have considered a trade had I been able to profit from it... but I just had to give this '03 Cobra a look today as I drove by.

I was afraid. I was afraid that I might like it more than my car, and get the silly urge to make a trade. Well, I can honestly say that I have put those fears to rest.

According to the butt dyno, I am quite a bit faster. Although, I know it would likely be a very close race, it sure didn't feel like that. I can snap my head back a lot more violently in my car than I could in the Cobra. I really, really want to line up next to a stock '03 at the tree and go at it. Still being a youngin', I crave that violent thrill of acceleration. I know the other youngsters (and the young at heart) on this board know where I am coming from. The Cobra delivered a much more tame highway sprint to triple digits. It was a lot closer to a BMW 540i than it was to a muscle car.

It almost reminded me of the two drives I took in the 911 Turbo and Corvette Z06. I know that numbers-wise the two cars are very close... but it just didn't feel that way. The 911 was much smoother and more refined, while the Vette was raw violence. Same thing here.

On top of this, there is still that annoying shifter location, and the ride hight of a mid-size sedan. Then there was the noise. How the hell could a car with stock manifolds, catalytic converters, and a simple cat-back, drone more in the cabin at 70 mph cruise than a car with long tube headers and off-road y-pipe???? I don't know, but for sure that car was louder at highway cruise than mine is.

Well, this has been long enough. Long story short, the f-body is still superior. So what if it takes a few mods not to be seeing the Cobra's tailights? Go to work and make it happen, you are driving the better car

[ws6drbob]

Yeah but it only takes a few mods and the cobras see 11's

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Originally posted by ws6drbob
Yeah but it only takes a few mods and the cobras see 11's

I am now a "couple" mods away from the 11's too. (Although my couple are gonna be quite a bit more expensive )

[KnightFire]

Originally posted by Jay 02 TA ws6
I am now a "couple" mods away from the 11's too. (Although my couple are gonna be quite a bit more expensive )

Funny how that always seems to be the case isn't it?






KnightFire

[ws6drbob]

I am sure you guys already know but i have heard on a couple of forums that it only takes about 3 mods to get a 03 cobra running 11's. Lightning pully, chip, and something else i believe.

[Craig 94 TA GT]

Well, it does have a blower....
If we threw a blower on Jay's T/A....1 mod....it will be scores faster than the heavily modded slobra

[TrAnS Am 98]

how was the interior? was it comfy or crammed?

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

I agree with most of Jay's assessment of the Cobra. It is on an old chassis and a body style that is not for everyone. But, it has a forged engine, comes stock with a blower, factory blower tuning, and a warranty. And a pulley and exhaust DOES turn it into a really fast car. Engine-wise, they did a good job and I wish the LT1 engine was built like that. Mine's been pretty strong so far, but that's thanks to careful tuning. LS1 guys - Ya'll got pretty darn good engines too... And naturally fast.

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Originally posted by TrAnS Am 98
how was the interior? was it comfy or crammed?

The suede insets of the seats were my favorite part of the car. Very nice. The seats had great lateral support, but the interior definitely was cramped. Except for the shifter, which you had to reach to an obscure location for...

[FireFinder20]

Pulley, stickey tires, that's it.

Evan Smith from Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords was at E-Town back in 02, right before the Cobra was released and went 12.0 on the F1s! everything was stock except the pulley.

I belong to a Mustang club and I gotta tell ya, we have a good share of 11 sec Cobras...it's great to see any street car do that for as little as the Cobra costs.

But, that shifter is in the weirdest spot...

I like my F-Body just fine. I'll go play with the Cobras after I finish the 383

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

Supernova, thought you might have some input into this thread, so I bumped it...

...it's just an assessment, so dont' take any offense, we're all friends here anyway

[Supernova]

03 Cobra guy here, thought I'd chime in...

Pretty much everyone here is right on. As far as power goes, they should run high 12s stock. Chip, pulley, exhaust and a cold air kit will get you 450+ rwhp and even more rwtq. Not too bad considering the cost of the mods. If you want to have a little more fun, you can ditch the stock blower for a twin-screw blower (Kenne Bell, etc) and put down ridiculous power. I think the KB Blowzilla combo is good for ~600 rwhp. Pretty ridiculous! Of course, you've got to pay to play.

I happen to like the interior. Looks-wise I think the design is more pleasing to the eye than the F-body (previous car was a 95 Camaro). If you're used to the F-body driving position, it'll take some getting used to the Cobra. You sit almost like you would in a regular car. The electroluminescent gauges in the Cobra are awesome! The seats are great--personally I think they're the best auto seats I've ever sat in. The suede really helps to hold you in place. The biggest downside to the interior is that the stick is WAY too far forward. The inside might feel cramped to taller drivers, and the back seat is even more of a joke than the F-body. I've ridden in the back of my friend's Mustang, and I need to tilt my head to the side so I don't hit the roof.

I was originally going to get an 02 SS, but GM deciding to kill the F-body made me shop around--and I couldn't be happier with the Cobra.

[Camaro4-2]

The interior isn't bad in the cobra's...I never personally driven or sat in a cobra, I know its a horrible comparison but I drove my buddys V6 Mustang and I didn't like the comfort at all...the sifter felt wierd spot..the way i had to sit wasn't very pleasing...The v6 felt like a piece of crap but then again my v6 fbod never felt the same since i got the WS6...

[thomas]

These new cobra's are supercharged with about 400hp right? Well what would happen if they put a supercharger on an 02 ls1? Wouldnt that be a fair comparison? Supercharged verse Supercharged. Id bet the ls1 would get better gas miliage too. From what I understand( aint much ) but the cobra's are faster stock but I've heard of stock ls1's dipping into the high 12's. Isnt that what they run stock? Even if the ls1 is a few 10ths slower its only a few 10th with now power adder. Dont supercharged ls1's run at least low 12's?

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Originally posted by thomas
These new cobra's are supercharged with about 400hp right? Well what would happen if they put a supercharger on an 02 ls1? Wouldnt that be a fair comparison? Supercharged verse Supercharged. Id bet the ls1 would get better gas miliage too. From what I understand( aint much ) but the cobra's are faster stock but I've heard of stock ls1's dipping into the high 12's. Isnt that what they run stock? Even if the ls1 is a few 10ths slower its only a few 10th with now power adder. Dont supercharged ls1's run at least low 12's?

I agree, Thomas. I have gotten flak about this position before, but I will say it agian. The Mustang guys can brag all they want about the power the Cobras make, but the fact remains that they are comparing a supercharged engine to an N/A Engine. Regardless of the fact that it is stock vs. stock, it is still like comparing apples to oranges. Put a supercharger on an LS1 and then compare the two. I think the numbers would be quite different. Besides that, the interior is just plain nasty in my opinion. It's like a cross between sitting in a Honda Accord and shifting a pickup truck, just not "sports car" enough for me. But....to each his own. They are fast, no doubt. But there is also no doubt in my mind that the F-bod is still superior. Just my $0.02