03 cobra
- Thread starter mustangmas
- Start date
-
Sponsors (?)
RB88
New Member
I think he want's to know(from an installation point of view) the differences between the two year models.
ShortThrow50
Member
I guess thats an opinion. I always thought the stock gears sucked major ass in my 03 cobra.
In what way?I guess thats an opinion. I always thought the stock gears sucked major ass in my 03 cobra.
U.M.
To answer your larger question no the Cobra is not going to be similar to the GT when it comes to modding. For example while a GT guy would be considering installing gears a Cobra guy is more likely to consider billetflow diff brace, aluminum diff bushings, and maybe even a diff cooler when considering mods for the diff. The 3.55 is fine for a Terminator. Do some reasearch and be sure and read Cobra Bob's FAQ.
BennyBlown2v
New Member
Some people like more gear...let them be.
The install is the same as far as diff setup goes, you must pay careful attention to pinion preload and backlash though as there is a tendency for the gears to get extremely hot if improperly set due to the lesser amount of fluid, smaller surface area, and material construction (aluminum vs steel) of the differential housing (as Kilgore alluded to with the idea of buying a differential cooler).
The install is the same as far as diff setup goes, you must pay careful attention to pinion preload and backlash though as there is a tendency for the gears to get extremely hot if improperly set due to the lesser amount of fluid, smaller surface area, and material construction (aluminum vs steel) of the differential housing (as Kilgore alluded to with the idea of buying a differential cooler).
...and some people don't understand why the 03/04 Cobra's do not require lower gears. Let us educate.
U.M.
SVT98Snake
New Member
lower gears get bad gas mileage??? I guess that sucks if you like filling up every day
I really don't mind filling up a little more, that the price you pay for performance, if that were the case i'd be driving a geo, but really, i just finish the in stall, was a little bit more difficult than expected, alot more suspention than i was used to but the instalation went fine, i can tell a real difference in the take off, i go through the gears alot quicker, but thats the name of the game, i now would recommend the change.
No offense man, but I find it hard to believe you can "feel" the difference between 3.55's and 3.73's due to them being so close.
With the stock tires on the car (25.6" diameter) and running the stock T56 trans with a 3.55 rear end an '03 Cobra's speed based on engine RPM's looks like this:
1st gear
RPM - MPH
1000 - 8
2000 - 16
3000 - 24
4000 - 32
5000 - 40
6000 - 48
2nd gear
RPM - MPH
1000 - 12
2000 - 24
3000 - 36
4000 - 48
5000 - 60
6000 - 72
3rd gear
RPM - MPH
1000 - 17
2000 - 33
3000 - 50
4000 - 66
5000 - 83
6000 - 99
Now lets run those numbers, but we'll substitute 3.73's for the stock 3.55's:
1st gear
RPM - MPH
1000 - 8
2000 - 15
3000 - 23
4000 - 31
5000 - 38
6000 - 46
2nd gear
RPM - MPH
1000 - 11
2000 - 23
3000 - 34
4000 - 46
5000 - 57
6000 - 69
3rd gear
RPM - MPH
1000 - 16
2000 - 31
3000 - 47
4000 - 63
5000 - 79
6000 - 94
You can see there is very little difference in the speeds achieved for each gear when comparing the two. If you really just HAD to have gears you should have opted for a minimum of 3.90's because the miniscule difference between stock and 3.73's is a waste of time and money IMHO.
U.M.
BennyBlown2v
New Member
Gotta agree with you there, as far as 3.90's being a better choice...
Back to tech, as far as backlash goes you should run EXACTLY .010, any less and there is too much slack, any little and you'll be dealing with one wheel peal, overheated gear sets (warped gears), and quicker fouling of the rear end fluid.
Similar threads
