I bought the rack off of eBay some years ago, it was a take-off of a 2003 Cobra that had been rear-ended. The housing has the correct "ZM" stamp on it, so I snagged it and stashed the rack away until my OEM rack needed replacing. Well, that day was yesterday. The rack fit perfectly, no issues at all with fitment.
I can confirm that it takes less turns lock-to-lock, 2 1/4 as opposed to 2 1/2 for the stock rack. In other words, OEM lock had the top of the steering wheel pointing left or right. Now, the top of the steering wheel points at either the "A" pillar or the rear view mirror. I keep slamming the wheel into the locks, 'cause I keep thinking I have more wheel to turn.
I got the car realigned this morning, and the tech said the steering felt 'squirrely". After driving it myself, I'd say the steering is 'precise'. I have a Maximum Motorsports steering shaft, so there is NO play in the steering. The Cobra rack either has no play or a higher gear ratio, as it only takes a tiny movement of the steering wheel to get the car to drift to one side. If you hold the steering wheel steady, the car stays exactly where you've turned it to. No wandering around the road. Of course, the tires still like to catch grooves in the road but that's not the rack's fault.
However, I have lost some of my turning radius. It's only a little bit, but it's noticeable. Though I suppose this means I can put 17x9's in the front and they won't rub.
Turning the wheel takes a bit more effort than the old rack, though it's far from stiff, and it is a bit easier to turn the wheel back to center. I still need more driving to find out if it's the rack or just air still in the system.
I can confirm that it takes less turns lock-to-lock, 2 1/4 as opposed to 2 1/2 for the stock rack. In other words, OEM lock had the top of the steering wheel pointing left or right. Now, the top of the steering wheel points at either the "A" pillar or the rear view mirror. I keep slamming the wheel into the locks, 'cause I keep thinking I have more wheel to turn.
I got the car realigned this morning, and the tech said the steering felt 'squirrely". After driving it myself, I'd say the steering is 'precise'. I have a Maximum Motorsports steering shaft, so there is NO play in the steering. The Cobra rack either has no play or a higher gear ratio, as it only takes a tiny movement of the steering wheel to get the car to drift to one side. If you hold the steering wheel steady, the car stays exactly where you've turned it to. No wandering around the road. Of course, the tires still like to catch grooves in the road but that's not the rack's fault.
However, I have lost some of my turning radius. It's only a little bit, but it's noticeable. Though I suppose this means I can put 17x9's in the front and they won't rub.
Turning the wheel takes a bit more effort than the old rack, though it's far from stiff, and it is a bit easier to turn the wheel back to center. I still need more driving to find out if it's the rack or just air still in the system.