what mod should i do first

Holik95

New Member
Aug 14, 2005
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Granite City,IL
i just sold my 95 GT:( and bought an 03 Cobra:D . it is bone stock except for flowmasters. i'm new to the mod motors ecspecially the cobra motor. i was wondering what mod i should do first. thanks for any and all help. if it matters the car has 40k miles.
 
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The first mods that will provide the best bang for the buck without requiring any special tuning would be CAI/Cat-back/X-pipe. Those three alone are good for 400RWHP usually. Are the flowmasters just welded in mufflers or is it a complete Flowmaster cat-back? You really want to get a quality high-flow 2.5 inch exhaust system on these cars if you want to make good power.

After that look at getting a good hand-held tuner (Xcal 2). It will allow you to release a few more ponies, but more importantly it will give you a platform in which to transfer custom tunes into your EEC once you decide to go with a smaller SC pulley.

U.M.

Please take 10 minutes and read this 03/04 Cobra FAQ. It will answer 99% of the questions a new Terminator owner may have.

03/04 Cobra FAQ
 
I think the first thing you should do is go completely through the car and clean it very well; inside, outside, and engine bay.

Second you should address any preventitive maintenance items.

Third I think you should get an SCT LiveWire. They are a new product and they ROCK!
 
i just put on a mac straight shot and mac o/r x-pipe. the mufflers are just welded in. i was wandering what pulley i should get the 2.9 or 2.8? the car is a DD if that matters. as for the cat-back i was going to get Bassani.
 
i just put on a mac straight shot and mac o/r x-pipe. the mufflers are just welded in. i was wandering what pulley i should get the 2.9 or 2.8? the car is a DD if that matters. as for the cat-back i was going to get Bassani.
Please tell me you bought just the MAC Straight Shot CAI and not the complete CAI/MAF system! :eek:

Tell me you bought this:

View attachment 415721

And not this:
media.nl


One is good, the other is trouble!

As for the pulley, I'd stick with a 2.93 and a good custom tune. For a non-ported Eaton and a DD car the 2.93 is the best all-around pulley. The Bassani exhaust is a quality product. All the name brand cat-back systems (Bassani, Magnaflow, SLP, etc.) available for the 03/04 Cobra provide approximately the same HP/TQ gains so basically it comes down to price and sound.

U.M.
 
its the staight shot only. by custom tune do you mean the programmer or dyno or both. how much boost will the 2.93 give me? i also have a Steeda boost by-pass kit. thanks for your help.
By custom tune I mean one made by a respectable tuner in the business, not the "built-in" tune which comes pre-installed with your Predator or xCal2. If you plan on putting a pulley on your snake you want to make DAMN SURE the A/F and other factors are right before you go stomping on the loud pedal. Last thing you want is a burned piston or worse. If you want to put a pulley on your car here's what I'd do. Purchase a handheld tuner from a respectable tuner (RWTD, Amazon, Mile High, HBH, etc., etc.) and have them Pre-load a custom tune specifically for your setup in it before they ship it out. Once you receive it you'd install your pulley and then IMMEDIATELY drive to the nearest dyno and get the A/F checked.

As for the 2.93 it will give you an additional 6lbs of boost for a total of 14.2lbs or so.

Send the Steeda boost bypass kit back and get a refund. It's a rip off because your tuner can simply turn off the boost bypass in the custom tune itself at no additional cost.

Please think about posting up any future performance mods BEFORE you buy them. There are enough of us on here who own 03/04 Cobra's that know what works and what
is a ripoff (like that Steeda boost bypass). Our combined experience can save you a lot of time, money, or effort. :nice:

U.M.
 
where is the best place to get a smaller pulley for the sc and the aux idler? and what size belt will i need for the 2.93 pulley? thanks.
Already jumping to the dark side eh? Couldn't resist the power of the PULLEY! :D

View attachment 412387

Most people highly recommend Billet Flow as the source for the best pulleys. http://www.billetflow.com/supercharger_pulleys.htm

If you go with a 2.93 upper and a 100MM aux idler you'll need either a 74-inch or 74.5 inch belt.

Goodyear Gatorback Poly-V Belt
74" P/N: 4080740
74.5" P/N: 4080745

Gates Micro-V Belt
74" P/N: K080740
74.5" P/N: K080745

Who's tuning your car for you?

U.M.

P.S. Don't forget you'll need a "Special" pulley removal & installation tool. Not just ANY will do either! Takes a specific tool to get these pulleys on and off the blower snout. You can rent one from Billet Flow if necessary cause they cost well over $100!
 
2.93 upper and 100mm aux pulley needs a 74.5'' (my setup) Everybody seems to recomend the gates belt (thicker) over the gatorback.

Ditto Meat: Billetflow pullies. No middle man, straight from the manufacturer and very proffesional. They have belts too.

GOOD LUCK!:nice:
 
the only place i know how to get to around here is a place called Turbo Connection in Edwardsville, IL. i live in Granite City, IL. if anyone knows of any place around where i live that would be a better place please let me know. thanks.
 
the only place i know how to get to around here is a place called Turbo Connection in Edwardsville, IL. i live in Granite City, IL. if anyone knows of any place around where i live that would be a better place please let me know. thanks.
Better place for what? Pulley installation? A dyno tune? Do you already have, or plan to purchase a handheld tuner? How will you get the car to the tuner?

U.M.
 
Granite City? I used to live there. The best place to order your parts from is from Pat down at Performance Parts Plus. He usually beats any of these internet store's prices. As far as tuning, Turbo Connection is an excellent choice. Despite what the name says, they do more supercharger work than turbo work. Another idea is to go down to Gateway on their test and tune nights. Usually somebody down there either has what you're looking for or know someone who does.
I recently moved to the Dayton, OH area, so I had to find a new shop to do all of the tuning on mine. Found a place called Precision Autosports. They've been doing a lot of TT cobras.
Well, good luck
 
i just bought a 2.93 upper pulley, 100mm idler and a boost-overlay from Billetflow. I had a friend tell me i had to get the boost gauge recalibrated so the gauge would read right, is this true? Next i'm going to get a tuner from Amazon.
 
From what I understand about the boost gauge overlay, the 0-10 is still in the same location, so you're not really changing the gauge, just extending the range farther over, so I don't see why you would have to have anything done to it. Isn't there a little pin you have to remove or something to allow the needle more range? Other than that, I don't think you have to do anything. Ever check out Pats Performance Parts Plus? I know these guys on here don't incourage street racing, but you ever go over to the industrial parks on Hall Street on a Friday night or early saturday morning? Oughtta check it out sometime. Used to be a blast.
 
I started with a good cold air kit and a 2.9 reichard racing pulley and a tune. With stock exhaust my car made 452/479 and was still as quiet as it was from the factory!!

I skipped the port on the Eaton and went for the new Kenne Belle 2.8 after a few months. The moral of the story is go slow and hang around your local shop to see what works and what doesn't.