How Much Can the 03 Cobra's Really Handle!!!

CatmanJJ said:

Eleventy Billion.

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maybe even a little more!!

they can handle what you want easy.

According to one of the MM&FF issues, I read in an article that some of the engineers think the stock block can handle up to 1000hp max. 500 - 600rwhp is childsplay for an 03+ Cobra, with a proper tune up.

More like eleventy trazillion...

Now what the stock diff support can handle, there's another story .

But man I love the 03-04 Cobras .

yup i read in a hotrod magazine they can handle 1000 hp easily.
And yeah i get hotrod magazine instead of MMff or 5.0 mustang mag. I gotta know what the enemy is cooking up too ya know!

I understand the IRS will crap out long before the block....

Some of you guys are mis-informed. The 03/04's are hit or miss. The weak point is the pistons, and crappy tight piston to wall clearance. Although forged, some of us have been experiancing piston expansion under long WOT pulls, which ends up quickly wearing the teflon coating off the piston skirts and seizing the pistons in the bores. This has also been causing cracked ring lands. This even happens in the 450-480 rwhp range. Alot of us though(me included) are running at the 600 rwhp level with no problems, as long as you don't beat the living piss out of the car. Alot of it has to do with the tune. These cars need to be tuned RICH! Rich as in 11.5-11.8 a/f region. Also, the crap cooling system needs to be addressed. The "engineers" designed the cooling system in this motor to be run at the stock 390 hp range. Even then the thermostat needs to be changed to a true 180 degree one just for safe measure. It's true that at the time (2003-2004) it was one of the best motors ford has ever produced in a production vehicle, but alot was left on the table. From my time in the terminator world, this motor WILL NOT live for long at anything over the 600 rwhp level. Period.

Yeah I have seen the piston expansion first hand. A friend blew his turbo motor, when he pulled the heads off it looked like egg shaped pistons. He also had a cracked ringland.

what confused me about his question is he asked about the block. the block is good for 1000 or more, it is the pistons you have to watch.

01Steeda said:

what confused me about his question is he asked about the block. the block is good for 1000 or more, it is the pistons you have to watch.

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it's an Iron block. the thing is tough. The crank and rods are decent. Pistons and all bolts minus the rod bolts are crap.

my friend had 700 RWHP and ran it for about a year. then he added a 150 shot and it lasted about another 3 months before it died.

Even still 600hp on stock internals is a thing of beauty! Wouldn't exactly call the pistons crap, at least there forged, better than what I have.

Everything in the bottom end has been forged by the hammer of THOR....lol Those things can push alot of ponies. I just want to keep mine somewhere round 500hp, good enough for me. Just to keep the Vettes of my a**... I might up-grade once the new Camaro's come out so i can play wit them a bit. CHEVY'S look the best in the dark and in the rear view mirror.........