97 Cobra....drove it, not impressed

[96.shadow.4.6]

There is a 97 cobra for sale near my house so i went over and test drove it...its a private seller so he was cool about it.....first off as soon as he started it...it pinged down near the tire/fenderwell.....that automatically scared me....then we took it for a test drive and to be honest it didnt put me back into my seat like my 96 gt does??? whats going on? i have a 96 convertible gt and its pretty much stock other than the k&n filter and flows. My tranny is bad and vibrates as i accelerate...and still i felt a stronger pull...can anyone explain this to me? why does the cobra feel slower?

 

[txredgt]

There is a 97 cobra for sale near my house so i went over and test drove it...its a private seller so he was cool about it.....first off as soon as he started it...it pinged down near the tire/fenderwell.....that automatically scared me....then we took it for a test drive and to be honest it didnt put me back into my seat like my 96 gt does??? whats going on? i have a 96 convertible gt and its pretty much stock other than the k&n filter and flows. My tranny is bad and vibrates as i accelerate...and still i felt a stronger pull...can anyone explain this to me? why does the cobra feel slower?

Engine has quite a few issues if it pulls harder than your basically stock GT.. I would guess compression would also be an issue. I am no expert but something air/fuel/spark is not right at all.

 

[96.shadow.4.6]

Okay im confused

my engine or the cobra engine? which one has compression issues? as i stated my car feels like it pulls alot harder than that cobra

 

[EPIK]

No offense, but if your 96 GT feels faster than a 97 Cobra, either someone slipped a built high compression 2V in your car, or the 97 Cobra has major issues.

The Cobra should have a 100 hp advantage, & a 20-30 tq advantage over your GT.

Also, you really have to get the 96-98 Cobra's up in the high RPM's to really feel the power potential, down low they aren't very impressive.

 

[txredgt]

I was saying that the Cobra motor has issues. If your seriously interested in the car take it to a reputable shop and have them do a compression test as well as a general go-through. Maybe your car could be geared though and not know about it? Doubtful but figured I would ask.

 

[96.shadow.4.6]

im not sure what my car has

as bad as it sounds im actually clueless about my cars engine. i havent changed anything on the car since i bought it. but to be honest ive raced 99+ gts and hung...which gets me to think previous owner did pi swap? and i went to a gear shop and they told me i had 3.27 but they were probably trying to get me into getting 4.10s when i really had 3.73s....but like i said i honestly thought that was how my gt was supposed to perform...never driven any other mustang so i dont know the difference between pi and non pi. btw im at 2200 rpm @ 70mph

 

[BurningRubber]

How many RPM's did you take the Cobra to? If it wasn't 6k plus you aren't gonna feel ****.

 

[96.shadow.4.6]

i was redlining that *****...lol...idk maybe i couldnt that cobra correctly....im all confused

 

[96.shadow.4.6]

i was redlining that *****...lol...idk maybe i couldnt drive that cobra correctly....im all confused

 

[Dark04GT]

I would get it dyno'ed or take it to the track. The only two ways I know to tell for sure (besides calling the previous owner) if it has a PI cam without ripping things apart.

 

[slayerripkdc]

It is possible that the cobra is fake and it is just a non pi 4.6? Take some engine pics. Might be a fobra, who knows?

 

[96.shadow.4.6]

nope its a cobra for sure...big 32v v8 under that hood i checked it out pretty good...and about my gt i should get it dynoed but all there is around here is import car shops and none of the american muscle shops have dynos

 

[fast97gt]

2200 rpms, auto, and 70mph, sounds like 355s-373s. Definitly a big change there, but is all it took to feel the difference, I turned down a 98gt s/c with 8psi cause my car trapped an 1/8th mile 4mph slower and I had a .2 second quicker 60ft. Yea he got down thrack before I did but I'm buying it.

 

[96.shadow.4.6]

i have a 5 spd would there be a difference in the rpms if it were auto?

 

[txredgt]

i have a 5 spd would there be a difference in the rpms if it were auto?

Yep.. Different trans are geared differently. Even T45 and 3650's have slightly different ratios I think. When ppl put what RPM they are when they change the gears should only be a guide and not an exact science as every car is very similar but still unique. Auto's and 5spds are pretty different just like 5 spd and 6 spds are.

 

[Winters98GT]

For a 96-98 4v to "put you back in your seat", you need gears and traction. It is a higher reving motor.

 

[CatmanJJ]

Probably needs a tune up, a DOHC 4V should pretty much embarrass a non-PI GT once you get past 1 and 2nd gear.

Def get it checked out by a mechanic if you're really interested in it.

Like others said gears really do wonders for 4v motors I hear.

 

[COBRA90GT]

Do you know if that cobra was stock or was it modded?

Bet that cobra still had the factory 3.27s out back. It would make for a noticeable difference after coming from your ride, which appears to have some mods, as well as gears (?).

 

[96.shadow.4.6]

yea it was definately stock....even the airbox lol....exhaust was stock too.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Strange, my cobra impresses me every time I drive it...