z-dotcom

Currently I have a 06 WRX and granted it was fun while it was on the road (currently needs a clutch) and I went low 12's for less then $500 I wanna upgrade. Was seriously contemplating buying a Cobra since they have un godley potential. Only thing Im worried about is a couple of the local guys (One with a 03 Vert and one with a 04 Hardbody) Seem to constantly brake shit and have random problems. Like overhearting, rear end clunk, fueling problems, ignition problems clutch cable braking etc. Im curious as to know how other owners are fairing, are these cars semi reliable I mean hell I know its a ford but Im just curious as if these are common problems with these cars or the two guys I know are just dumb asses. Input would be appreciated! Also when I do go and possibly buy one are there specific things I need to look out for? Is one year better then the other? Or if anyone has a link to a page or a forum with alot of info would be awesome as well.

rydnlow1120

Search feature. It's a great car, but 10,000 people a day on this forum talk about them. All your answers are here already.

z-dotcom

.............Um.......lol I was kinda just looking for input on guys who own one and have had any kind of reliability issues at all and what they were. I know its a "mustang" I could care less, I just want a car that I can get 600whp + out of with out doing any internal work. Also I want TQ, and Supras cost too damn much. But yeah guess Ill search around some more it just seems in every thread on other forums its all mixed reviews.

Brock Obama

That's your best bet.

I had to push start my hunk of fuck today. Srsly.

jroush06

I dont, you suck Rich!

To get to the 600hp mark your probably gonna have to go with a whipple or KB set up to get to that much hp. But you can just say screw it and throw on a bottle or turbos, works either way.

On the stock eaton (being ported of course), pulleys, good tune, 60lb injectors, MAF, CAI, clutch and a few other little things, you can probably get 530-540hp.

Go on SVT performance, under market place. Hell you can just buy one that alreay has 600hp+.

Joker.

Only difference is he is still N/A making close to 500 if i remember right? Svt cobras are FI. So only to make it fair put FI on the z06.

ryanherington

Only the 03 and 04 Cobras are FI and all Cobras are SVT.

shawn22

It only makes it fair to make the Cobra's 7 liters then.

Stop comparing apples to oranges.

Cobra > bsa Corvette.

Lord Humongous

Ok...

07FG2 is a fucking tard. My POS "Mustang" could rape you all day, everyday.

You can get a low mileage 03-04 Cobra for the low to mid $20s right now. You'll pay more for "limited" models with colors like Mystichome or Comp. Orange or 10th Anniversary Models like mine.

I have an 03 Cobra with about 60K miles and I haven't had near the problems your friends have had.

Here are my mods -

JLT RAI Intake
Accufab plenum and throttle body
Ported Eaton Blower
2.76 inch pulley
Ed Clark SCT Tune
MAC Catback exhaust
Maximum Motorsports bushing kit for the IRS
IRS Brace kit
KB Boost a pump

I have a set of the MM subframe connectors that are getting installed when I get home along with new rear a-arms and possibly a bigger crank pulley

The only issues I've had were:

1. Alternator went out in Jan, but I think it's been going bad for quite a while. The ALT light has blinked on and off for about 2 years and it finally kicked it on my way to work one morning

2. Bearing went bad in the supercharger snout. Ford wanted to replace the entire blower to the tune of about $2k but I got a replacement ported blower from Steigmeier for $500 and then sent them my core. I actually think the bearing was my fault. I put a new belt on it and I think it was a bit tight.

3. Electric radiator fan went bad in Sept.

I've been running 470whp for about 3 years now with only those issues. Since the blower was replaced, I also installed a KB Boost a Pump and and now I'm just shy of 500whp. I ran of fuel around 5K rpms and need to get 60lb injectors to fix it. Once there, I should easily be over 500whp and then if I want to, I can either install a KB or Whipple with no other mods.

As for your friends...I think they're dumbasses.

Overheating - I've never overheated except when the fan went bad. This includes running 12+hours at 75-80 in the south during the summer. I think your friends problems are possibly because they replaced the radiator/intercooler fluid and didn't correctly drain and burp the cooling system.

Rear End Clunk - Common problem with IRS equipped Cobras. It's due to the IRS shifting in relation to the driveshaft when the suspension is compressed. It's due to the poor design of the IRS.

Ignition Issues - I've never had any except where I had to re-gap my plugs when I bumped up the power. I had 2 plugs that were blowing out under boost. Re-gapped them and now no issues.

Fueling issues - The stock fuel system is good to just about 500whp. Some people get more and some get less before they run out of fuel. Good rule of thumb seems to be that once you get a ported blower and you're near 500whp then you'll need
a. KB Boost a pump
b. 60lb injectors

Once you move up to a KB or Whipple, you should be good with the mods above but once you're north of 650whp or so then you'll need to replace the fuel pump with a duel system from the Ford GT or the Focus

Clutch Cable - That's just shit luck.


It's funny, but people bitch that Fords are pieces of shit but I see a lot more threads on here where people have imports with problems then domestics.

The only issue that they came with from the factory was the infamous "tick" from the lifters in the head. There's no real issue except it's annoying.

As for links:

www.modularfords.com
www.svtperformance.com

Corey

Ok. Stay on topic.