Noob Cobra Owner.....

[Jetracer1000]

Well a little history first. I mostly was a f-body person, but since GM doesn't make a decent sports car under $35k anymore I knew I had only one choice 2003 COBRA! It killed me, but just sold my 30th Anniversary Camaro SS which I thought had pretty decent power(Around 300+ RWHP). I did work on suspension, comp and full exhaust plus cut-out ect..( the given stuff), but nothing prepared me for what the Cobra had to offer. Two words I use to describe this car is "Scarey Fast". Ok now to the dumb question that only a chick might ask. I ran synthetic through the camaro(Oil, Trans, Rear Diff). Is this a good idea for this car also? Are things like synthetic Slick 50 a good idea? Mobile 1 is the oil of choice for me, but I've never seen a 5W 20 Mobil 1 oil. Maybe I need to spend more time at Auto Zone. Next what are some possible mods I can make that wont kill my warranty. Exhaust is a MUST! I can barely hear it and I want something that can wake the neighbors. My camaro was easy since factory warranty was way gone. Also mods that won't break the bank(First kid due any day now). I know bad choice for a family car, but I'm going to be a dad not dead. Besides thats why she has the 4 door Honda.

Any advice will be appreciated. Oh yeah I was just kidding about the CHICK comment. Well kinda..

 

[COBRA90GT]

Slick 50? Hell no. LOL I would never use that crap. Those oil additives are a waste of money on a new motor, don't even bother with them. Now, if you want to run a synthetic oil, such as Mobil 1, then that would be perfectly acceptable.
As far as mods go, it all depends on how "mod-friendly" your dealership's service department is. Certain dealerships will void your warranty for minor things while others won't mind a few "mild" mods. You'll have to do your research on the dealer you plan on using (word of mouth, talking to the service advisors there, reading up on the 'net, etc, etc). G'luck, congrats, & welcome aboard.

 

[Jetracer1000]

Hmm. Thx for the advice. I'll go to the dealer and see what they say. The good thing is I have 3 of them fairly close to me. I also have a 6yr 100k warranty as a back up just in case. But I think its safe to say off-road H pipe and 4:10 gears are a definate no no for now. Mufflers wise whats the best sounding (LOUD) out there right now? I just picked a K&N for a start, but I have to have something good sounding coming out. Once again suggestions are appreciated.

 

[Evan5469]

Depending on how leniant the dealership is with mods, a shifter might be a good idea. Some good ones out there are made by Pro 5.0 and Steeda.

 

[CobraCruiser]

Use Mobil 1 0w20. It meets all specifications for Fords and Hondas that use 5w20. It is actually made for these cars, as far as I know.

As for other mods, a Pro 5.0 shifter, exhaust, K&N filter, lowering springs and even a gear swap seem to be the mods of choice.

Enjoy the ride!

 

[Uncle Meat]

Well a little history first. I mostly was a f-body person, but since GM doesn't make a decent sports car under $35k anymore I knew I had only one choice 2003 COBRA! It killed me, but just sold my 30th Anniversary Camaro SS which I thought had pretty decent power(Around 300+ RWHP). I did work on suspension, comp and full exhaust plus cut-out ect..( the given stuff), but nothing prepared me for what the Cobra had to offer. Two words I use to describe this car is "Scarey Fast". Ok now to the dumb question that only a chick might ask. I ran synthetic through the camaro(Oil, Trans, Rear Diff). Is this a good idea for this car also? Are things like synthetic Slick 50 a good idea? Mobile 1 is the oil of choice for me, but I've never seen a 5W 20 Mobil 1 oil. Maybe I need to spend more time at Auto Zone. Next what are some possible mods I can make that wont kill my warranty. Exhaust is a MUST! I can barely hear it and I want something that can wake the neighbors. My camaro was easy since factory warranty was way gone. Also mods that won't break the bank(First kid due any day now). I know bad choice for a family car, but I'm going to be a dad not dead. Besides thats why she has the 4 door Honda.

Any advice will be appreciated. Oh yeah I was just kidding about the CHICK comment. Well kinda..

Mobil 1 is a fine choice for oil. I use it along with the Mobil 1 oil filter (M210). I'm also running Mobil 1 synthetic ATF in my T-56. Don't know what part of the country you are from but I suggest you use a 5W30 weight oil. Ford only specified 5W20 because it wanted to maintain it's C.A.F.E. rating as high as possible. These SC'ed motors run pretty damn hot, all you have to do is look through the windshield once and watch the heat pour from those extractors on the hood. The added safety of the 5W30 just gives me peace of mind I guess.

As far as mods, you really need to go talk to your service advisor where you bought the car, or where you plan on having it serviced should the need ever arise. My service advisor flat out told me that my full exhaust (to include catted X-pipe) and CARB certified shorty header was OK. He also said a CAI is no problem. They do not have a problem with my aftermarket shifter or my weld-in SFC's either. My car has been into the dealership for MAJOR warranty repairs on 2 occasions with all of these mods and I never had a problem. Now what he did say was NO PULLEY, NO CHIP. Just hope your service department is as cool as the one I use. Some of them are real dicks, even about minor mods.

You will not believe the difference you'll feel with a simple cat back and CAI added to your stock Cobra. CAI's cost anywhere from $70 for just an open element filter and the adapter braket to mate it to the MAF right on up to $200+ units that utilize the dual fresh air ducts on the front of the Cobra. HP gains are good for all of them, if you are on a budget you can just stick with your drop-in K&N for now. I went with the K&N Air Charger (FIPK), it was inexpensive ($169 www.4filters.com) and provided some of the best gains of all tested in a recent 5.0 article. The right combo of CAI & CB can increase RWHP/RWTQ by as much as 35 or more! Add another 5-7 if you get a new mid-pipe too. If you want loud exhaust there are a couple choices out there. The Borla Stinger or just a set of Magnaflow Magnapak mufflers welded in place of the stockers is gonna be pretty loud. I guess the loudest combo I've heard thus far is an off-road H pipe coupled to a Magnaflow C/B with Magnapak mufflers substituted for the Magnaflow mufflers. WOW! It's all in the ear of the owner though... you need to listen to other combos and find one you like. All of the major CB's for the 03/04 Cobra produce about the same HP/TQ gains so don't worry about that. CB costs are anywhere from $380 to $700+ depending on brand. If you do go with an aftermarket mid-pipe ($300-$400) keep in mind the X and H pipes have markedly different tones to them. Some people say the X pipe sounds more exotic and has a higher pitch to it. Of course going with an "off-road" version of any X or H pipe will make your car VERY loud.

Again, the HP/TQ gains are all relatively close so find some other Cobras to listen to and pick an exhaust combo that sounds good to you!

U.M.

 

[Jetracer1000]

Hey thx for the good advice. Already researching the two exhaust now. BTW nice vids.