98GT vs 99 Cobra

[PonyPride]

I currently have a 1998 gt, and im at the point where i could refinance my loan and end up paying only about $10 more a month for a 1999 cobra. I have had the gt for a little over a year and have always wanted a little more out of it, performance wise, it seems to be sort of a dog up against camaros and birds. I have never driven a cobra, is there really that noticeable of a difference performance wise?

[blue00gt]

You're talking about roughly 100hp difference stock for stock. You better believe it's noticable!

[slick4_6]

I was in the same situation. I had a 97 GT. Traded for a 99 Cobra and never have regreted it. Big difference. I say go fot it. If you dont and you ever ride in a Cobra you will regret it.

[PonyPride]

What are some of the major differences?, The interrior looks almost identical. Is the transmission the same as the gt? (5 spd)

[Dark_5.0]

There is NO comparison 215 HP vs 320 HP. Th cobras are very nice inside and out. Not to mention the nearly 2 second ET difference stock vs stock.

[95mustanggt]

Originally posted by PonyPride
What are some of the major differences?, The interrior looks almost identical. Is the transmission the same as the gt? (5 spd)

4.6L SOHC vs. 4.6L DOHC
16 valves vs. 32 Valves
Solid Rear Axle vs. IRS
225 HP vs. 320 HP

Go for it.

[slow98]

laugh all you want put i toasted a 99 cobra at the local 8th mile 3 times in row and ive got very few mods, now i do know they rev alot higher and maybe this guy couldnt drive but i was kinda thinkin he would toast me, i seriously doubt a 2 second 1/4 mile difference even stock for stock from 98gt to 99 cobra

[blue00gt]

You can doubt all you want but if you put a stock 98GT and a stock 99 Cobra on the track with equal drivers the GT gets slaughtered. I have raced my buddy's '99 Cobra with my '00 GT and got pulled by a few cars up to 100. My car smokes stock '96-'98 GT's.

I definitely agree with Blue. In '99 GT's and Cobra's got big hp gaines, 260 hp for GT and 320 hp for Cobra. With equal drivers the '99+ cars are going to beat the pre-99 cars.

Now about the 8th of a mile race. Torque is going to play a much bigger roll in the 8th of a mile race than a quarter mile race, where hp is going to really play a difference once the cars start to wind out in 3rd and 4rth gears. All late model Mustangs, say from '89 all the way to '02 had about the same torque rating, all about 300 ft-lbs (5.0's and 4.6's, 2v's and 4v's). The pre-'99's had about 300 ft-lb (Cobra and GT's) and the post '99's the same deal, GT's with 300 and Cobra's maxed at I think 317 for the '99's.

I can give you my own experiences. One of the first times to the track (1/8th) in my pure stock '00 (260 hp) GT I raced an '89 GT (225 hp, basically stock) and I got beat. My car was practically brand new with about 5k miles on it and the guy I raced had about 120k on his 5.0, and he just barely beat me. This was my first time drag racing at a track and spun my wheels through most of 1st and second. However, I had a much higher end speed, even though his ET was faster. I can't remember the details, but he beat me by like .02 seconds, but I was going about 6-7 mph faster. End speed is a good judge of hp, not ET or who won the race.

[Dark_5.0]

Originally posted by slow98
laugh all you want put i toasted a 99 cobra at the local 8th mile 3 times in row and ive got very few mods, now i do know they rev alot higher and maybe this guy couldnt drive but i was kinda thinkin he would toast me, i seriously doubt a 2 second 1/4 mile difference even stock for stock from 98gt to 99 cobra

The average 96-98 GT pulls 15.3-15.4's stock...and the 99+ cobras run mid 13's stock.

The guy you beat at the track could not drive to save his life.

I beat the 96-98 GT's by 10-13 cars in the 1/4, I also smoke 99+ GT's by 6 tenths. and I am about 9-1 against LS-1's since I bought my cobra. It isnt the fastest thing out there for sure but a 96-98 GT vs a 99+ cobra is a mismatch.

Although the last time I took my cobra to the track there was another guy in a 01' cobra that was only running 14.5's. He was a fat slob and was getting 2.4 60ft's. Driver is everything.

Dark_5.0 is brutal! Now I know why he is not called Happy_5.0, or Smiley_5.0!

[PonyPride]

Is there really any diff between the 99 and the 01 cobras? and also how much do you think i could sell my 1998 blue gt for, its mostly stock and has 55k miles, and in good condition. i live in WI

[slow98]

did i not say 8th dark, did i say my car was stock no, just has a few mods, read befor you reply,1/4 yes they will toast a 96-98 dont forget 98 have 10 more stock horses than 96-97 not that it matter a stock 99 cobra is not to put 2 seconds on a 96 to 98 with equal drivers, maybe 1.5 at the most,i pull 1.9-2.0 60 ft time all day long on street tires so yeah he probably was an undermatched driver for me but 100 more horses and 300 more lbs of weight is not gonna make a 2 second difference in the 1/4 mile with equally matched drivers.

[Red Mustang Gt 46]

I love my 98 GT but if you can get a COBRA, buy one. Besides, the 03's are driving prices down on the 99 & 01.

Kids, two other Fords, a house, and a nagging wife keep me from the COBRA!

PonyPride - The '99's and '01 Cobras should be the same, 320 HP. However, the '99's are infamous for the problem Ford had with them putting out their claimed 320 hp. 99's were recalled to have the issue corrected. In fact they stopped making them in '00 to fix the problem and re-released them in '01. So technically they should be the same car, just make sure if you buy a '99 it's been back to the shop for the recall.