I need cobra advice

ponyexpress302 · Feb 1, 2004

I've sold my 1993 GT and am planning on buying a cobra this spring. What year between 1994 and 1998 is better? 5.0 or 4.6 dohc is the question. Any insight on this??

Beast97Cobra · Feb 2, 2004

I would swing for the 97-98 cobra. One they are newer and likely to have less miles and two they can be had rather cheap now a days. 10-14K on avaerage depending on miles and condition. In my opinion it boils down to whether you want to mod the car heavily and how fast you want to go. The Cobra's are quick already and are easy to do minor bolt ons for. Going under the hood is more expensive with the 4.6 and the parts selection is not quite as good. Hope I helped. You want a quick 300 HP daily driver and you are happy with minor stuff (gears, entry power adder, etc) - Cobra. You want a mean street/strip brawler with all the trimmings then the 5.0 gets you there cheaper.

ponyexpress302 · Feb 2, 2004

Im definitely on a limited budget mod-wise until i get out of college in a few years. So would $12,000 give or take get me a faster car now with around or less than 50k miles by going with the 5.0 or 4.6 dohc? does the difference in stock horsepower carry over to actual road performance?

sinisterblack98 · Feb 3, 2004

'96-'98 had the 4.6, for the money it's a helluva car in stock form, and they were quicker. From what I understand, the 5.0 Cobras were underrated from the factory (HP). Throw a S/C on a 4.6 and it's all you'll need, while you sort out the traction, plus the cars are newer!

On the other side of the coin, the 5.0s are much cheaper to obtain and the choices for mods and engine parts is awesome.

spanky442 · Feb 3, 2004

Forget those. I would go for the 1993 Cobra. Yeah its still the fox body but it will get you more attention then you would from a newer one. I have a 1993 Cobra and a 1997 Cobra. I love them both, but the 1993 I will never part with. The 1997 is nice but it gets lost in the crowd. I have taken both to car shows and I have to fight people off the 1993. Only problem is that it is hard to find one now with low miles for without paying big $$. The 1997 feels like a Caddy compared to the 1993. Its is smoother, quieter and has more creature comforts. But the 1993 feels like a mustang should. I put and x-pipe, flowmasters, bosch platnums and a k&n and its is running low 13's. Faster than my 1997 which is stock. The 1994-1995 I have noticed with mechanical and reliability issues so I would stay away. If you decide to stay with the sn95 body then go with the 4.6 97-up because in 96 there where some overheating issues.

gunsfan · Feb 4, 2004

spanky442 said:
I love them both, but the 1993 I will never part with. The 1997 is nice but it gets lost in the crowd. QUOTE]

I really like the '93 Cobra's as well, but also like the 96-98 models alot. Perhaps among serious Cobra/Mustang enthusiasts the '93 would garner more attention, but for everyday driving, mine certainly does not get lost in the crowd. Maybe I don't have that many Cobra's/Mustangs in the area? After all I do live in Metro West Boston, the land of Yuppies, Volvo's and BMW's...

And the '96 overheating issue is not a huge deal, unless you live in Arizona or the extreme Southeast...

ponyexpress302 · Feb 4, 2004

Im kinda leaning toward 96-98 cobra but whats holding me back is the drift Im getting about serious lack of low end torque and it not being unusual for people putting 4.10s in their daily drivers. Im definitely used to the 5.0 and Im all about low end torque, so in your opinion would the better top end of the 4.6 dohc make up the fun factor of the lost low end?? OR is the 5.0 feel just not replaceable by a 4.6?

5.0's 4 ever · Feb 4, 2004

Put some gears in the 4.6, you will have the low end pull just like the 5.0 but a better top end. You can still get decent mileage with gears in a cobra. I get 16mpg city and 21mpg highway, that is with 4.30 gears.

98cobrancali · Feb 4, 2004

you wont notice any lack of low end torque from one of these cars, coming from the 5.0, my car made 260+ from start of dyno at 2500, all the way to the end, much more than a stock 5.0, by the way i think 4.10's are a perfect daily driver gear, i have them but want 4.30's maybe 4.56

shadowland2000 · Feb 5, 2004

I went from a 92 GT to a 2001 cobra. I can tell you the rumors are true, you will notice a huge loss in low end torque until you get to around 3000 rpm.

doogz · Feb 5, 2004

ponyexpress302 said:
Im kinda leaning toward 96-98 cobra but whats holding me back is the drift Im getting about serious lack of low end torque and it not being unusual for people putting 4.10s in their daily drivers. Im definitely used to the 5.0 and Im all about low end torque, so in your opinion would the better top end of the 4.6 dohc make up the fun factor of the lost low end?? OR is the 5.0 feel just not replaceable by a 4.6?

It depends. I started off in the mustang world as a passenger. My buddy has a 12 sec 5.0 with 4.10's. I always thought the gears were overkill but his main focus was taking it to the track and some weekend playing. I always loved that low-end tq around the street.

The DOHC and its 7k redline seems more refined. There isn't an explosion of power when you step on it, but every RPM climbs exceedingly quicker than the last. The power comes on smoothly, but puts you in your seat for a longer period of time. The HP/TQ peaks come on much later in the powerband compared to the 5.0's so comparing 4.30's in a DOHC and 4.30's in a 5.0 is apples/oranges. 4.30's make it more 5.0-ish off the line and in the mid-range and still let it have the DOHC pull in the top end. Drive one with stock gears and you will not like it, but drive one with 4.30's and it'll feel more like a 5.0.

spanky442 · Feb 5, 2004

the 5.0 definately has more low end, with my stock 93 Cobra I will beat any stock 4.6 Cobra off the line. You get that instant pull which feels awesome but by the time the the 4.6 hits 2nd or 3rd you're done. I think about 3000 rpm is when the 4.6 starts to really move and last til 7k. The 5.0 revs out much quicker. The 5.0 feels snapper and is more thrilling at times but with the right gears in a 4.6 you may balance that better making it fun all around.

54life · Feb 5, 2004

I say even go with the 99 if possible....the car is absolutely awesome. I will never get rid of mine. If you can't afford a 99 then go with the 98 as it is the newest of the bunch. Screw the 5.0. With the 4.6 you have way more power and the looks and comfort to go along with it. You'll always be "what if'ing" yourself if you get the 5.0. That my personal opinion. I am about to throw a procharger on mine so the "so called" lack of torque will be non-existant. Besides it will be a task in itself to find a lower mileage 5.0. If you are in college and on a low budget then you dont want something that will be breaking down consistantly. Just my 2 cents

ponyexpress302 · Feb 5, 2004

thanks for all the input - the question i have now is, if im going to be looking for a 96-98 cobra (probably cant afford anything newer than that) what gear ratio should i look for/ put in the one i buy considering im going to be on the highway in the summer? 4.10s seem to be about the average, but someone said they really liked 3.90s and others said they wanted 4.30s even 4.56s - so considering highway driving isnt rare for me and im not a big fan of crusing for long periods of time at insane rpms, but i still want some serious low end pull around the neighborhood, what gear is best?

chrisbudl1 · Feb 5, 2004

Just a question, isn't torque the reason I need wider wheels and tires? Not to mention control arms, and suspension upgrades. My stock 97 will roast the factory tires at will. Not to mention the numerous dual (S) streaks of rubber it will leave all the way through first and part of second gear. I really want some gears, but this car needs some serious help in the grip department stock. I'd go 4.6 4v. As a bonus this thing revs forever!

98cobrancali · Feb 5, 2004

think about it this way, at 85 in 5th gear with 4.10's im about 31 or 3200 rpms, pretty high in a 5.0, but 4.30 add 200 rpm, 3.90 minus 200 rpm, with a redline of 6800, 3 grand isnt nothing, plus you will still get 20+ mpg, my last vegas trip i got about 25mpg averaging 85mph, for 220 miles with my 4:10's, like I said before i think 4:10's are perfect daily driver gear, if your scared of 4.10's go 3.90, if you want to drag some go 4.30, if you want to all out drag 4.56 or lower, i said 4.30 or 4.56 cause i want to race, love my 4.10's but i am dying to go lower

ponyexpress302 · Feb 5, 2004

good point about traction- considering ill be on street tires, with minor if any suspension mods, what gear ratio would keep my tires from becoming smoke clouds?

Got N2O · Feb 7, 2004

stock ones...

The 4.6 might be a little softer on the bottom end, but it's an awesome car. I'd go for a '98 since they dyno'ed and ET'd a little quicker in most cases (a computer tweak for '98 from what I've read). I'd trade my 5.0 for my wife's cobra in a heartbeat. My car's quicker, but damn hers is fun to drive!

JETSOLVER · Feb 8, 2004

Go with the SN 95 preferably the 98. What you may not know about yet is that it is a very capable GT car and in the meantime(until your earning power kicks in)you can make simple cost effective changes to the car without spending the $ on the motor. If you find a clean one you will really appreciate what SVT did to a cheap entry level car and when you run the gears at 7000 the first time the rush will keep you attached for a good long time to come. Remember that car was pretty fully sorted from stem to stern and without exception the last of a platform(96-98 vs.99-up) will be as tight as it gets.

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