03-04 cobra vs. 03-04 mach 1 vs. 99 cobra

03-04 Cobra has lower compression, & forged internals to handle boost. It also has a 6 speed trans while the Mach & older Cobra's have a 5 speed. The 03-04 Cobra's have an iron block as opposed to the 99-01 Cobra's & 03-04 Machs aluminum block. The aluminum block has been known to be stronger & also about 70lbs lighter....

The downside of the 99-04 Cobra's imo is the added weight of the IRS rear end, & that IRS sucks for drag racing. The IRS does have a much better ride quality on rough roads though over the solid rear axle of the Machs & 96-98 Cobra's....

The 98 Cobra you mentioned is a bad@ss car, but it is a totally different engine than the 99-01 Cobra's, 03-04 Cobras, & the 03-04 Machs.... The 03-04 Machs & Cobra's share the same cylinder heads wich are slightly better than the 99-01 Cobra's, & waaayyy better then the 96-98 Cobra's.


The machs & Cobra's have different styling cues from one another, it just depends what you like.

If you want a car with a blower for sure, the more expensive 03-04 Cobra is your best bet, because it already comes blown, plus it has the drivetrain built to handle it.... A Mach with a blower is bad@$$, but it wont last as long as the Cobra due to crappy internals & higher compression.....


Hopefully this info helps...There is much more to it, you just need to figure out what route you wanna go, & do some research.....

First of all:
Tumbler Port heads>C heads>B heads

03/04 Cobra TP heads
03/04 Mach 1 TP heads
99/01 Cobra C heads
96-98 Cobra B heads

03/04 Cobra has a Cobra Iron block, Manley H beam rods, forged crank and pistons all good for a whole lot of power (i dunno, 700+). Eaton blower and lower compression @ 8:5:1, also has IRS.

03/04 Mach 1's have the same forged crank if manual, cast if not. Same heads, that's where the similarities end. Aluminum block, 10:1 compression (not really good for forced induction)

99/01 C heads, WAP (mostly) aluminum block. 99's need the "fix" from the dealer to put out the power they were supposed to.

96-98 Cobras B heads, with stronger Teksid aluminum block.

Don't be fooled by the 390 figure of the Cobra though. That's underrated to stay under 400 which was corvette territory for insurance companies. And with simple bolt on's the car is lethal - definit "cheap" potential after initial investment.

Edit: Epik, you think a cobra's iron block is weaker than a WAP block?

CobraRed_96_GT said:

F

Edit: Epik, you think a cobra's iron block is weaker than a WAP block?

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I thought I read somewhere that the iron blocks are weaker than the teksid & the 03-04 Mach 1 blocks???? I thought the Aluminum blocks had a 6 bolt main & the Iron were a 4 bolt main???

Anyhow, the aluminum blocks are definitely strong enough to handle what a whippled Cobra would put out, not to mention its alot of weight off the front end.... I think Ford should have did a forged version of the Mach 1 or Teksid block in the 03-04 Cobra's & ditched the IRS.... Thats my 2 cents at least....

Yeah, i love how the IRS makes you feel like you are riding in a Lincoln on rough roads, but have you ever felt the wheel hop in the car or watched them at the track, the hop is ridiculous!!!

EPIK said:

I thought I read somewhere that the iron blocks are weaker than the teksid & the 03-04 Mach 1 blocks????

Anyhow, the aluminum blocks are definitely strong enough to handle what a whippled Cobra would put out, not to mention its alot of weight off the front end.... I think Ford should have did a forged version of the Mach 1 or Teksid block in the 03-04 Cobra's & ditched the IRS.... Thats my 2 cents at least....

Yeah, i love how the IRS makes you feel like you are riding in a Lincoln on rough roads, but have you ever felt the wheel hop in the car or watched them at the track, the hop is ridiculous!!!

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Never felt it, but seen it. Yeah the cobra's iron block isn't the same block as a GT's which is rated at 600hp. But i agree, they should have kept the Teksid process going with the entire cobra line-up. As for Solid vs IRS - people would complain either way. Look at the GT500 - i hear complaints all the time about its horse-drawn carriage suspension; but at the same time people gripe about the weight. And it doesn't put traction down as it is - magazine's bested with like a 12.9.

CobraRed_96_GT said:

First of all:
Tumbler Port heads>C heads>B heads

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Actually the "B" heads have been known for being the best heads for power adder cars.

FYI: The fastest Mod Motor car in the world is running "B" heads.

John Mihovetz with a 6.35 @ 221 MPH.

I agree with you about the iron block. It is definitely stronger then the aluminum block.

For the stock 03-04 Cobra blocks HP. Here is a video of a "Bone Stock" Cobra motor making over 1000 RWHP through an auto!
YouTube - Fast Mark at APS Autoworks Part 2

Here is the dyno sheet.

^ HOLY SMOKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You mean B heads are best to port? Because I'm talking in stock condition.

CobraRed_96_GT said:

You mean B heads are best to port? Because I'm talking in stock condition.

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Correct!

04sleeper said:

Correct!

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Right, well I'm going under the assumption he's not going to buy a cobra and the port the heads.

LaserSVT said:

Yesterday, 10:32 AM
03/04 Cobras have IRS and a six speed as well. Machs are live axle and are quite different inside. Different seats and gauges and the bezel around the shifter. Auto Machs have the lesser 6 bolt non forged crank. 99/01 Cobras are alot more like a Machs but have an IRS as well. The 96-98 Cobra is a different animal all together. Has prolly the best engine block Ford ever had the balls to put out. Called the Teksid block they are aluminum and very very strong. Alot of Terminator owners strive to get a Teksid block for their cars. The 98 will be the Aero body SN95 as opposed to the New Edge which is the 99+ version.
That being said if you plan on SC then the 03/04 Cobra is the car to get. 700 rwhp without tearing into the engine is a nice thing Dont get me wrong, the Mach1 is a bad ass but the Terminator is its daddy.
Hope it helps

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What he said only rumor has it that Teksid blocks may have made their way into 99/01 Cobras