An '03 Cobra is in the garage

Originally posted by TTA89


Bone stock there is no other truck that will touch it.
[/B]

I think a syclone would give it a big run for its money in the twisties and come close in the 1/4mile
 
Originally posted by jon_we4
I think a syclone would give it a big run for its money in the twisties and come close in the 1/4mile


Maybe, but you can't buy new ones anymore and with them starting to age I wouldnt want to daily drive one anymore.

And what did GM do with those? Oh ya... They quit making them ;)
 
posted by gndude
Warranty is the hold-up for the SS over the Ford huh? Add a underdrive pulley and other items to that Ford and try to get warranty work done - it won't happen. I can only imagine how many of these SVT based cars/trucks have been denied warranty work because of mods ( talked to any Cobra owners trying to get clutch work done under warranty recently?)
C'mon...you can only "imagine", do you have any solid proof or facts to back this comment? I keep up on what's happening with the '03 Cobras, and the issue with the clutches is what you'd expect. Run a 400rwhp+ car on sticky tires and you can expect any factory clutch to have problems. Some of the problems related to the stock clutch stem from owners not following the proper adjustment procedure, some occur in fresh cars not even broken-in, and some occur in cars make nearly 500rwhp. Only a fool would expect the stock clutch to last on a 3600lb. car making 450-500rwhp and launching on sticky tires. There's a reason that manufacturers don't warranty clutches.
Have you raced a Silverado SS yet? You might want to look at the specs. and possible add-ons to that SS. Right off the showroom floor they are producing just about the same power as the Lightning ( GM always underrates HP ). Add a few go-fast parts or get wild and add a Whipple/Vortec and your lightning is in the rear view mirror.
Wow...a heavily modded SS with an aftermarket blower might run with a bone stock L. BTW-It's a certainty that the blower will void the aforementioned warranty on that $40k+ truck. And the SS is not making the same rwhp as an L, in fact, it's probably a good ~50+rwhp/rwtq behind the L in a truck weighing more than an L. FYI, in a recent Motor Trend test, the lower powered, heavier F150 Harley-Davidson edition thumped the SS.
Ignoring the performance aspect - who's truck will be worth more in 3 years - the SS or Ford.
Better check the resale values on L's before trying that argument. Even '99-'00 trucks are still fetching $25-27k, '01's are bringing $28k+. You can guess that the SS will have similar residual value, but it's just that...a guess.
The bottom line is the L is a better performance truck, period. The SS works well if you want a lower performance truck will looks and more utilitarian-type applications (although I honestly doubt I'll ever see a $40k SS with a bed full of furniture or mulch or a trailer behind it).
The new L is rumored to have nearly 500hp in Ford's all new F150 package. Ford will pull a few links further ahead of GM when that hits the street.
S.
 
I'm a diehard Chevy guy, even have the tattoo to prove it, but I drive a Lightning because GM doesn't have the stones anymore to build a better vehicle. I have a stone stock 99, and ran a new WS6 T/A and managed to catch him from a roll and hang with him till we both let off. Lightnings are holding value very well, and they are rare, not like the Chevy trucks.

A syclone? Yeah, they're fast, but they have a 500 lb. towing capacity. If I wanted a fast car I would buy a fast car. My Lightning tows the GN just fine, and dusts 90% of the "fast" cars in my town. If GM builds something that even resembles a comparible vehicle, I'm all over it, I hate to see ford win, but face it: GM sucks right now. Every concept vehicle they design ends up getting nuetered when it goes to production. Then they kill the ones who actually perform. Idiots. Wish I could afford a new cobra.
 
Originally posted by turbosam6
A syclone? Yeah, they're fast, but they have a 500 lb. towing capacity.
Last I knew they had 0 towing capacity. My Typhoon had a decal on the interior part of the gate that said something like "This vehicle is not engineered or built for towing". I believe the 500 lb. capacity is it's "payload" capacity. I have seen class II hitches on them but I know in the owner's manual it says NOT to tow anything.
 
brand loyalty...

i've been a die hard mopar guy for as long as i've known what a car is...

with that said,yes i have a big block plymouth in the garage and a dodge truck(beater:D),but when it comes to daily driver i bought my gn.why?because i wanted a midsize rwd car with a buncha balls,decent handling and decent economy.if mopar offered anything remotely like that i'd own one:rolleyes: .

my point?if i had the cash for a new driver i'd have to decide between the lightning or the cobra:D.i'm with mikey,if the brand you like offers either crap or $70k supercars you go with the next best thing.at this point it's the ford,hands down.

later,sean
 
To get this back on track...

Congrats! I have actually been pondering getting one myself. Would have to sell my rather slow 99, but it IS tempting. :)
 
They are very badass, but if I had one it would have to have an AOD and a solid rear axle:)
 
Thumbs up to Lightenings and 03 Cobras. I am VERY tempted to get a Cobra myself. I would have to sell the Gn though...hmm.
 
Congrats on the Cobra Raven & Son

Nice choice of performance vehicle I like em' but I wouldn't give up my GN for one. I did however get rid of my Chevy Silverado for my 2002 Lightning....and I do it ten times over. So far I haven't done anything to up horsepower/torque and I've run 13.07 @ 104.3mph in the Lightning. I don't think Syclones and Typhoons were that fast stock. On top of that with the Snuglid bed cover and stereo system I've added approx. 150ish pounds to it. I am loyal to performance not brands.

Raven, the kick in the but about that Cobra is that even if he gets it down the 1/4 faster than his GN did, it still won't feel as fast as the GN did.;)
 
Originally posted by gndude
Yeah, kinda like the fish that got away. Don't know what track you hang around, but I'm not seeing stock Cobras turning in 120 traps on street tires?
The Track I hang at is Raceway Park...In Old Bridge NJ....He probably had a pulley on the car and a K&N...But it was really Quiet,Definitely didn't have an exhaust...Its pretty common Knowledge that most of the lightening's trap around 105.....Take away about 1400 pounds and keep the same HorsePower...What Do you think Its capable of??I was At the track when Evan Smith Tested the Cobra for FF&MM....HE went 12.13 Bone Stock..Then Jimmy..(FRom JDM)..Lightening Guys should all Know Who that is..;) Put the stock Lightening pulley on it..And they just removed the Air Filter,11.90@121...On Eagle F1's....I see lots of mid 13 second z-06's here also...Guess thats all they are good for..:p
 
ya its a bit true GM is a bit lame as of late, but you gotta give them some credit for past offerings. think about the 80's and 90's, ford had nothing for the performance minded buyer except mustange. Gm had many greats like corvette,camaro, trans am, impala ss, cyclone, typhoon, turbo TA, GN, t-type, GNX, fiero gt, iroc-z, monte ss, 442. i know they all werent super fast but it shows a trend towards the performace minded buyer. Fords had the mustange forever and recently the lightning, big deal. its cool they are fast now but in a few years i have no doubt that the general will be swinging right back. all these come full circle. i must be one of those narrow minded brand loyalists. i drive a Maxima for a daily driver.
 
I've always been a GM fan and will always be loyal. I would kill to own a Z06 but it's way out of my price range. With that said, it's too hard to ignore the Cobra's performance. A car that can trap in the low 120s with <$500 in mods is awesome and with a warranty to boot. I've been looking at the 60's and they're not bad at all. Definately not bad enough to warrant pulling the IRS for a solid axle. I plan on getting one as soon as I can afford it. I can honestly say I wouldn't trade the GN for one though. I don't know what the attraction is but I wanted a GN since I was a freshman in highschool and no other car gives me the same feeling.
 
Anyone who thinks the new SS is worthy of comparison to a Lightning needs to click their heels and repeat "There's no place like home" a few times. :rolleyes: Even though the Lightning didn't do much for me and I sold mine, I have to say the Ford camp is the place to be right now. You gotta be a diehard with a capital "D" to even admit you're a GM loyalist as of late. I hope the Cobra does whoop it up on the Z06 with a few bolt-ons. Then maybe GM will get their heads outta their a$$es and Lutz will worry about something other than trying to turn Pontiac into the North American equivalent of BMW. :rolleyes: GM is a shining example of corporate beaurocracy (sp?) and infighting at it's worst...nothing gets accomplished.

OK rant off and back to the topic. Congrats on the new Cobra in the household Raven. Sounds like the car to have if you're looking for something new and reliable. Good thing I beefed the GN up significantly over the winter or I'd likely be in the SVT showroom the first time I came across one of these cars. heh.
 
Incredible car

Thanks for all the great responses and of course, the debate will never end. However, in all fairness to Ford, they have done their homework and know how to market a product that sells well. The Mustang is an excellent example of that and the Cobra is the pinnacle of good horsemanship.

My son's car is incredible. It is quieter than the SS he traded for it (road noise wise), has gobs of torque and will absolutely obliterate the rear tires (275's) at will. I love my GN but if I were to ever replace it, I would definitely take a long, hard look at the Cobra to do so. Or the Lightning. Both are outstanding vehicles and no matter how much many of us would like to ignore or deny the truth, GM has nothing in an equivalent price range with anywhere near the performance of those two vehicles ('03 Cobra & the '03 Lightning) at this time - period. Concept cars are nothing more than pipe dreams at GM. Even Chrysler is kicking GM's ass in a serious, serious way.

And that is ridiculous on GM's part.
 
I have never really been a Ford guy, but the Lightning and Cobra are both great. I would love to have one of each. The guy that I bought my TTA from just bought a Cobra. (ohhh THAT'S why he sold the car!)

I have seen some early reports of the new hot rod Dodge truck with the Viper motor. 505 ci.....505 hp....505 lb.ft......you get the idea. Sounds like fun. Chevy's got a long way to go to catch up.
 
Top