a few ?'s on the 97 Cobra's

lazerred94stang · Apr 29, 2005

I currently own a 94 Mustang Gt 5.0. The tranny is slipping and was rebuilt about 20k miles ago and the car is stock other than cold air intake and exhaust. So naturally i am thinking about an upgrade. In my neighborhood there is a 97 Cobra for sale at a dealership with 60,000 miles on it. I am really not to knowledgable on the 4.6 engine in 97 they had dual overhead cams correct? Was that rated at 305hp? I friend of mine says a friend of his has a 97 Cobra convertable and according to the owner is piss slow and he has a bunch of mods on it. Also i was reading that all sorts of people on this site were having problems with the tremec trannys in those. I realize things are going to break and wear down on cars when you drive them hard every once in a while. Basically i am looking for a car that is quick that i can put a few minor mods on and be able to run in the high 13's low 14's in the 1/4 at the track but still be my daily driver. I am looking for some peoples opinions on this.

Thank you for your time and thoughts

missouri_guy197 · Apr 30, 2005

A stock 96-98 Cobra should run 13.8-13.9 out of the box...lightly modded with sticky tires should run anywhere from the low-mid 13's...

wythors · Apr 30, 2005

The Cobra motor is a lot higher revving than a 5.0 with less torque down low. My 93 feels a lot quicker off the line than our 96, but the Cobra kicks ass once it gets wound up.

lazerred94stang · May 1, 2005

thanks for the imput i am going to look at the 97 Cobra at the dealership on Monday

hersheyman · May 1, 2005

With 60k miles on the clock, the tranny could be worn out, just depends on how it has been driven. Mine was rebuilt with only around 30k miles on it. You just never know. Oh and I don't consider my 97 Cobra slow with minor mods. It's not the fastest, but would beat the pud out of my old slightly modded 86 5.0 I had.

greenham64 · May 2, 2005

Alrighty, as far as the speed goes, no these cars are not slow. They can easily clip high 13's stock maybe k&N or such. As a daily driver i love mine. If you aren't on the gas they put around town like it's nothing. They don't have all the low end torque of a 5.0 so if you leave a stop light quick you aren't going to light up the tires you're just going to go. You will really feel the power these cars have around 4k rpms. The 96-98 cobras had IMRC's, which i believe stands for intake runner manifold control(correct me if i'm wrong here). Anyways below 3250 rpms, the engine is running on 1 intake valve and 2 exhaust valves. Above stated rpms, it opens up the second intake valve and that's where the motor gets it's power. The closed valve was fords way of trying to preserve low on torque on the 'B' headed dohc 4.6. Also the blocks are awsome, the crank is forged, other than that just standard internals. On to the tranny, the tranny is a Borg-Warner T-45 actually, BG was later bought by tremec. The t-45 is not a bad tranny overall, they just had a tendency to wear out synchros and have notchy gear shifts. Also when test driving it is normal to have a little noise and possibly a random clunk in the drive line, this can be fixed by rev matching the shifts better. Other than that I love my car and with no mods other than a filter it will whoop 98% of the cars on the road.

lazerred94stang · May 2, 2005

thanks for all the info....I am going to check out the car tonight. Hopefully i can whoop 98% also.

97poonstang · May 2, 2005

your first mod should be at least 4.10 or 4.56 gears ....and then you will get off the line like a rocket!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

97cobra281 · May 2, 2005

You will not be disappointed with the cobra. See my sig for details of my car. I've got more looks mods than gofast mods. and still muster'd up a 13.8x 105mph 1/4 mile, on stock rims/tires. I'm looking to possibly sell my car and upgrade. My car now has 56k miles on it and runs like new. I can probly give you a better deal than the dealer. email me fordracer281@yahoo.com if your interested. Jay

lazerred94stang · May 3, 2005

I went to the dealership today to check out the Cobra. You guys are right i am hooked. Man that car was mean, really pulls hard. It is in really nice shape also no dings or dents really clean. I has an aftermarket clutch and Flowmaster mufflers which sounds pretty smooth. It shifts smooth. I think i could some up the whole car as smooth. Its white with 62,000 miles. The only thing that bothers me is the price they are asking for it 10,999 and it is non negotiable. What do you guys think is that a fair price? The tires that are on it are crap. So brand i have not even heard of. Other than that i love the car.

missouri_guy197 · May 3, 2005

Seems about right for a car with those miles...

NADA lists it as $11,025 low/$12,500 average retail

Kelly Blue Book lists it as $11,915

And Edmunds.com lists it as $9,500

I'd see if they'll come down to at least to $10,500 if not $10k...

lazerred94stang · May 3, 2005

hey man thanks for all the price quotes. i didn't even think of those websites.

1996COBRA · May 3, 2005

You might be able to find a private owner selling one cheaper, but ithink that's a fair price. As someone else said, the T45 in it is not a tremec, but it does have some problems. I would say it is the weakest link on the car. Hopefully you dont encounter the problems most of us do.

You said you wanted to have a low14-high13 sec, daily driver. Well, if you buy it that's what you got. Get sticky tires, a shifter and have fun.

-Sergio

lazerred94stang · May 3, 2005

thanks man

chrisbudl1 · May 3, 2005

I paid 12 for my 97. It was the only one around, and I had to have it.

lazerred94stang · May 4, 2005

Well on saturday it sounds like i will be the proud owner of a white 1997 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra. I never thought i would own a 4.6l, i am a 5.0 guy all this 4.6 stuff is new to me. It will be interesting and fun. The payments are low enough and the insurance is actually really cheap. Also a low down payment so i can buy some new tires for it. So you guys all recommend Nitto's it seems like, were is a good place to shop for them online?

Thanks for all your help with this tough decision for me

greenham64 · May 9, 2005

congrats and enjoy!

lazerred94stang · May 9, 2005

Oh i am enjoying. All i have to say is wow. Awesome car. Today I painted the brake calipers red. Man they look great. I have been spending a ton on the car already. I have a guage pod and 2 autometer gauges coming this week. I bought some 4.10 gears for it also. Probably wont get the gears in for a while till i get used to the car.

chrisbudl1 · May 9, 2005

The gears don't take long at all to get used to. first is really short. You could basically start off in second all day long, and beat alot of cars, since you won't have to shift. I did that to a wrx the other day, that was fun. you will want to shift into 6th gear, which most of us don't have, for a while, but other than that, plan on some sticky tires.

01TrueBlueCobra · May 10, 2005

If you want nittos try contacing discount tire or tirerack. The first thing you want to do is put some 4.10's in. These Cobras need the gear. With a JLT CAI, underdrive pullies, midpipe,catback and a shifter you should have a great ride. Also some suspension mods like subframe connectors, upper/lower control arms, shocks, and springs. Keep in mind your midpipe has 6 cats, thats the first thing I would replace

a few ?'s on the 97 Cobra's

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