Mach1/ Cobra

[socomnarc]

Lame question here. But was unable to find anything else
where.

The cobra has IDR suspension I know but The Mach 1 has
a "live" rear suspension. That means its a solid axle like the
GTs right?

If so does that mean the same coilovers that fit a GT will work
with a Mach 1.

Im trying to figure out which car I want to buy. The Mach 1 or Cobra.
So far everything I found for the Cobra is really expensive. (coilovers that is) Which isnt a bad thing but Im trying to buy wheels and Saleen goodies and so on.

Im new.... and dont know what to doooo! (Joe Dirt)

Thanks.. Newbie!

 

[CY98Cobra]

the rears are the same for the the mach 1 and gt's. anything that will fit a gt rear will fit a mach 1.

 

[BlueStripe]

I'm assuming by IDR, you mean IRS (Independant Rear Suspension), and yes you are correct, the Mach1 and the GT both have a solid axle, and the parts that are made for one will work on the other.

What I can't understand is why you've found that coilovers for a Cobra are more expensive that they would be for a Mach1 or GT. When it comes to late model Mustangs, coilovers are designed to fit a specific type of shock body, not any particular model. What brands are you looking at?

 

[socomnarc]

The only set I ve found is from Bilstein/hypercoil set which one of you guys showed me actually. Its 1,600$ and has everything you need. I called them and they say it gives 6 inches of travel with their kit. I know this doesnt mean I can drop the car six inches. but its all Ive seen. Im not a road racer or drag racer.(maybe a little drag racer I just want the wheel cap GONE!!! Mustangs in my opinion sit WAY too high. lookin at the gap it looks like the car could be lowered 4 inches.
If there's something out there that works well I'd like to know.

Another question comes to the rear end of the Cobras and their
3:27<? gears as compared to the 3:55 of the Mach.
How hard and how much would it be to get the Cobra to pull like the Mach does stock?
Like I said I drove both cars and I REALLY like the Mach 1's pull
over the 01 Cobras.
The big difference in buying one or the other is price. The Cobras
are cheaper cuz there older, but the Mach just felt YUMMMY!

Sorry to be such a newbie bitch about the subject but.........You know......I could still be driving my import. .................not!

Thank guys. Mark

 

[lemosley01]

I don't believe coilovers are anymore expensive for a Cobra than a GT but I could be wrong.

As far as getting the Cobra to pull like a ach, then you need new gears (4.10s, 4.30s, etc) and a cam change. Of course, if you're going to do a cam work you might as well go with something more agressive than the Mach comes with. The gears alone will make it pull harder than I Mach 1 I suspect.

Mach 1's feel like they pull much harder because of the gears and the fact that they have a broader torque band due to their cams (I always forget if they've got different heads and I'm too lazy to look it up right now).

 

[BlueStripe]

Originally posted by socomnarc
The only set I ve found is from Bilstein/hypercoil set which one of you guys showed me actually. Its 1,600$ and has everything you need. I called them and they say it gives 6 inches of travel with their kit. I know this doesnt mean I can drop the car six inches. but its all Ive seen. Im not a road racer or drag racer.(maybe a little drag racer I just want the wheel cap GONE!!! Mustangs in my opinion sit WAY too high. lookin at the gap it looks like the car could be lowered 4 inches.
If there's something out there that works well I'd like to know.

Another question comes to the rear end of the Cobras and their
3:27<? gears as compared to the 3:55 of the Mach.
How hard and how much would it be to get the Cobra to pull like the Mach does stock?
Like I said I drove both cars and I REALLY like the Mach 1's pull
over the 01 Cobras.
The big difference in buying one or the other is price. The Cobras
are cheaper cuz there older, but the Mach just felt YUMMMY!

Sorry to be such a newbie bitch about the subject but.........You know......I could still be driving my import. .................not!

Thank guys. Mark

You're going about your approach to lowering all wrong. If you just want to close the gap between the fender and the tire, buy a set of lowering springs for less than $200 and be done with it.

If you want the Cobra to pull like a Mach1, get exhaust and 4.30:1 gears. Don't worry about going into the motor, the gears more than make up for the Cobra's lack of low end. The 3.55s barely make a difference over the 3.27's (I'd know, I've had both in my car), but 4.30s are a blast :-D

 

[lemosley01]

Yeah - I've you're going to get seriously into road-racing or AutoX, then a good set of coilovers like Griggs or Maximum Motorsports might be a good investment.

Money is better spent on lowering springs for your IRS if all your concerned about is the 4x4/scared cat look.

 

[socomnarc]

Well the problem Iv'e had in the past with springs is that it doesnt lower the car far enough, or if theres any wait in the rear
the back tends to sag a bit. Never had a Mustang so I dont know if that holds true?
As far as gears go, do you get crappy gas milelage on the
freeway with the 4:30 or 4:10 gears?

 

[01BlueCOBRA]

the MACH 1's do have diff heads. cant remmber what kind(navagator heads ?)-could be wrong. anyways. i think a good set of GEARS will wake these bad boys up alot. =] my car pulls hard for having stock 3.27's. no traction with 1st and 2nd gear(with GOODYEAR EAGLES.275's) image with GEARS =x.

So, what sets these MACH 1's to come out strong and pull like a mofo. and they only push 260RWHP stock ?? is it the gears ?? and there cams ??

 

[lemosley01]

1) Mach 1's are underrated powerwise. The dyno's tend to back this up.
2) I think you're right on the Navi heads. The head/cam combination they have (which is basically for a truck) gives it a lot of it's lowend grunt. Find a dyno and compare the Mach's torque and the cobra's.
3) The 3.55's and solid axle (making for a slightly lighter car) help too.

 

[BlueStripe]

Originally posted by socomnarc
Well the problem Iv'e had in the past with springs is that it doesnt lower the car far enough, or if theres any wait in the rear
the back tends to sag a bit. Never had a Mustang so I dont know if that holds true?
As far as gears go, do you get crappy gas milelage on the
freeway with the 4:30 or 4:10 gears?

How low are you trying to go??? Not many people want to slam Mustangs, so there aren't any companies that make lowering springs that go much below 2"

You'll get pretty crappy mileage on the highway with gears.

 

[BlueStripe]

Originally posted by lemosley01
1) Mach 1's are underrated powerwise. The dyno's tend to back this up.
2) I think you're right on the Navi heads. The head/cam combination they have (which is basically for a truck) gives it a lot of it's lowend grunt. Find a dyno and compare the Mach's torque and the cobra's.
3) The 3.55's and solid axle (making for a slightly lighter car) help too.

Navigator heads are larger and don't fit a 4.6 without a custom intake, the Mach1 uses '03 Cobra/Aviator heads.

 

[Crackerballer]

When I had my 3.73s on my GT, my gas milage didn't go down too bad, even on my hour drive back and forth on the weekend to my lake house. At like 60 in 5th i was taching 2 grand and a lil change, maybe 2200?

 

[socomnarc]

So in conclusion 3.73s in the cobra work well? (cost? brand?)
Im wasting my money on coilovers.
Anyone got pics of their ride with 2inch drop springs?
So springs it might be. That would free up funds for the gears
and exhaust. Ive got the funds, just need to use them wisely.
Shit the Saleen kit alone is going to cost $3000 said and done
OUCH!
From what Ive seen the Mach 1 does the quarter in 13.1 stock
Im not sure of the Cobras stock time though.......anyone?


On a different note I thought you might like to know I just finished
working on a new Mits Evo, who said he raced a Saleen last Saturday and......................heh well you know.
Although he did say he "kept up with it"

Anyways thanks everyone for your advice.
Im sure Ill be annoying you all with more lame questions again.
Mark.

 

[lemosley01]

Some guys swear by 4.30s, others swear at them. Before you buy gears, I would recommend riding (or driving) a cobra with the gears you are looking at if you can. That should help make up your mind. Gears will run between 140-180 for the set and shims, plus the install, which is expensive on IRS cobras (99+ Cobras). I've heard prices from 250-600 in labor. While your doing that, most people recommend replacing the bearings as well. Ford Motorsports gears are what you want.

I'm going to go with 4.30's myself, but the supercharger is first.

If you lower the car more than about 1.5 inches, you will need to buy caster/camber plates - otherwise the drop is too much and it screws up your suspension geometry.

Honestly, I think 1.5 inches looks good on these cars. Do a search - I know there was a thread with lowered cobras recently. There is also one that was posted a month or two ago on corral.net

 

[01BlueCOBRA]

as for Lowering Springs go. i would go with H&R Springs, they have the H&R SS's that drop about 1.7-2 inches.then you could always change out your shocks/struts with tokico adj. and bring it down a tad. www.stangsuspension.com will help you out. =]

 

[Booya]

First, buy Ford Racing gears. I've heard other brands are noisy. Plus, my 4.10s put the car at 2900 RPMs at 80 MPH, and I always feel like I'm stressing my engine a little on longer drives at this speed. I wouldn't change them if I could though...

Also, my H&R Race springs don't lower my Cobra enough, and I haven't found any springs that lower the cobra more than this 1.6 inches. I've heard of these "Supersports", but they don't exist on H&R's website (for the Cobra) and I haven't been able to find anyone who actually sells them. Even in the stangsuspension.com link in the previous post, they don't have supersports available for the Cobra, only Race or Sport springs (has something to do with the IRS in the rear)... You can see my drop in the link in my sig.

 

[RJM]

H&R sport springs is what you want just lots of places dont call them supersports is all. go to my site http://rjmlimited.com/8302.html and you can see some before and after pics with these springs (btw this is before the springs settled its about 1/2 inch lower now) if you need the part numbers for a hard top or vert I'd be happy to look them up for you.