Hi, just had a simple question (I think)... I just traded in my wrangler for my third pony. I picked up a 03 cobra (I am so in love with it... 10'th ann. package and it only had 2000 miles on it!!!!!!!! ) ANYWAY... my question is this... I have been reading on several boards, and I keep seeing the 03/04 cobra refered to as the "terminator" whats the meaning with that?? why the terminator and where is that comming from??? Thanks in advance
oh yeah, one other question for you... while at the dealer this weekend, I also test drove a 03 gt with flowmasters, short throw ect.... what is the best performance/loudest mufflers for the 03 cobra that I should get... the gt sounded better then my new cobra does, so I want to get aftermarket exhaust for it... is flowmaster the way to go or borla or what is the best bang for the buck?? thanks again
as far as i know the "TERMINATOR" handle came from the ford engineers that were developing the 03 in the early stages. basically they knew that they were building a beast that could kill anything on the road, and the were right
Welcome aboard. Sadly, you'll quickly learn that "performance" and "loudest mufflers" don't belong in the same sentence, in fact many people consider it to be an oxymoron. Just ask any of the 03/04 owners (or search the Terminator forum over on svtperformance.com). Here's why, most of the louder chambered style mufflers (ie. Flowmaster, MAC) do not deliver as much performance gain as a straight-through type muffler (ie. Magnaflow, Bassani, etc). Additionally, the name "Terminator" was supposedly Ford's internal codename for the '03 Cobra...it's a very fitting codename, because a mildly modded 03/04s will destroy most vehicles at the track.
Since your terminator question is answered i'll address the second, I agree with the above posts about the exhaust and sound however the bassani borla or magnaflow cat backs sound awesome, and not all that quiet, then if you want or nrrd more sound finish off the exhaust with an x pipe and some headers this should yeild a mean sounding (as well as fast as hell) Cobra. P.S those cars sound awesome with the bassani full setup just a little pricey.
You would be pleased with my setup: Magnaflow catback. JDM/Kook long tube headers, h-pipe with high-flow cats. (going without cats isn't recommended.....it turns a nice loud sound into a really raspy, nasty loud sound, same with the x-pipe....sounds just plain crappy. get an h-pipe) There isn't an emissions legal system out there that makes more power on the 03 and it sounds killer with the headers.......much like an old 5 liter =) Last time I went to the track everyone came to me after my first run to say how killer my exhaust sounds.
Go with the Borla catback on the stock H-pipe. It fits perfect - install is simple. It sounds nasty as hell, no headers needed. Also, you can't beat the looks. My tech says it's the best-looking/sounding/fitting catback he's installed.
Borla and Magnaflow are functionally the same and sound similar. Borls without headers (I've heard it) does not sound near as sweet as headers with magnaflows. I imagine headers with borla would sound similarly sweet.
Everybody has their own opinion on what exhaust sounds the best, so I'll give you mine. I absolutely love the Bassani. I have the mid-length headers, X-pipe with cats, and cat back. The whole thing is modular, so you can buy one peice at a time (actually the x-pipe is whats modular) You can slide of your cats if you want to and install a straight pipe that comes with the kit, and if you decide to buy the mid length headers you are able to shorten the X-pipe so the headers fit right on. Also the headers come in seperate peices (each tube bolts onto the engine seperately and a collector fits over the whole thing on the end) making it the easiest headers I have ever seen to install. They also sound great, and the cat-back has removable baffles to quiet the system down, or you can slide them out to make it sound really loud.
