94-95 vs. 96-98 Help!

[JBH]

I have decided to buy a Cobra for the weekends and I have a few questions. Obviously I can get a 94-95 cheaper than a 96-98 but will I have to spend a lot of money in mods to get the power up to the level of the 96-98 motor? Are there any differences in the cars other than motors? Are the brakes and suspension the same in all of the cars? How much HP did the 94-95 cars have?
Thanks

 

[E. Green Cobra]

I think youll find that the 94-95's are much easier to mod- I believe they had about 240hp and mayb e 280-300 tq. The 5.0's have a huge after market, with heads,intake,and exhaust-you would be right up there, or better then, a 96-98 cobra. Plus theres always that blown 392 swap hehe. My personal preference would be for that modern Cammer- I like em-and with gears and a blower they rock.

 

[Scream'nCobra]

The 96-98 cobras are faster from the factory but you can do so much more to a 5.0. My personal choice would be the 94-95. It all depends on what you want from your cobra. As Green Cobra said, the 5.0 aftermarket is huge. The 94-95 cobras have 240 hp and 285 rwt. They may not be as fast when stock, but with a few mods and $$$, these cars will be everything you want. For appearances, the only differences are the hood, front bumper, rear bumper (mustang or cobra), rear spoiler, and rims. The 94-95's have an LED light in the spoiler opposed to the trunk light and both of them say "mustang" on the back instead of "cobra". There are differences in the suspensions but i dont know them off hand. I hope i could help...it may be obvious which way i am pointing you but i think you would be happy with either one.

 

[blackfang]

The 93-95 Cobra was a little underrated as well. They had more like 260ish hp. However that is what i have heard from several 93-95 owners.

 

[JBH]

My intentions are to stay n/a. Even though it won't be driven everyday I would like it to be able to be driven everyday. Basically if I save $2000 or more by buying a 5.0 Cobra, can I put $2000 into a 5.0 and exceed the factory performance level of the 4 cam motor. If anyone knows the differences in brakes, trannys, and suspension I would really like to know the differences. I am a novice and I would really like to make a smart decision because I plan to keep it for quite a while. Between here and the corral I have been lurking for about a year and now that I have the money to buy one the decision on which year seems harder than I had anticipated. From what I can tell with what Cobra's are going for, I can get a lower milage 94-95 or a higher mileage 96-97.

 

[Scream'nCobra]

http://www.gearheadracing.com/Reference/CobraSpecs.htm

This site has all the specs of Cobras from 93-03, including the R's. All of the information is accurate, except for the performance specs. Disregard the performance specs. Hopefully this is what you are looking for. If you plan on staying n/a, then you will be able to push more hp out of a 5.0.

 

[JBH]

Great link! Thanks, that is what I needed. Are the 94-95 front calipers also PBR dual piston? I have seen some Cobra calipers that are black with "Cobra" on the side. Not sure what year they are on but will the fit a 94-95?

 

[Scream'nCobra]

Im not exactly sure if the 94-95 front calipers are PBR dual piston, but the cobra calipers that are black with white "Cobra" on the side of them are 94-95. Well, i know they are on the 95 cobra b/c i have them on mine. The 94 has the same calipers, and i assume that they have "cobra" written on them. Glad the site could help!