Bolt on power for 1996 cobra
 

Here is the list of things that i have done so far or that are in the mail:
MAC straight shot cold air w/80mm housing
underdrive pulleys
accel 300+ coils and wires
ngk plugs
synthetic oil change
b&m shifter
24lb injectors
MAC long tube headers
mil eliminators
MAC x-pipe w/o cats and 3" system
switch to twin 65mm throttle body
xcalibrator 2 flash tuner to accomadate all these things

does anyone see any complications with this setup or can anyone recommend anything that would work better with this type of combination of parts. And i know everyone has probabbly heard this 100's of times but what sort of HP and TQ output am i looking at with this combo.

Thanks from a newbie for any help

Re: Bolt on power for 1996 cobra
 

Where are the 4.10 gears?

All the HP in the world is made better if you can use it correctly...

What type and size of tires are you running?
You need to get that power to the ground too, so some sticky drag radials may be a good purchase...

As far as your previous mods...

I would guess an improvement of 20 rwhp... just a conservative guess though...

Re: Bolt on power for 1996 cobra
 

i will be running kumho ecsta-mx's, 265/35-18's in the front and 295/35-18's in the rear and will be lowering the car 1.5-2". I've had lots of people into muscle cars tell me that the first thing they would do is change the gearing to no less than 3.55's and as much as 4.10's but i would rather spend money on getting more real power out of the engine than just the feel of more power through the use of gears although in the end i will change them to the 3.55's or the 4.10's but i don't want my highway mileage going right out the window or my tires going up in smoke too often either. This is also my first rear wheel drive car with any amount of power so it's a learning experience that would only be more difficult with a set of 4.10's in there.

On the subject of bolt ons do you really think that a full exhaust from headers through w/x pipe and no cats along with a cold air intake and bigger MAF and injectors, bigger throttle body, UD pulleys and a SCT programming module will only give another 20 rwhp? Where would you say would be the next best place to get more power while staying naturally aspirated? Heads, cam, intake, valve job?

Re: Bolt on power for 1996 cobra
 

I guess it all comes down to what you want out of your car...

To a true muscle-car guy, its not just how much horsepower you make, its how much you use on the ground...

Its really easy to throw around horsepower numbers until you take your car to the track and get wiped by a car that makes less power but is set up correctly...

Time slips don't lie...

In my opinion, sport ratioed gears, a good shifter, and some sticky street tires are some of the first mods a gear-head can make.
If you're serious about cars, you're going to have to learn how to drive it at some point...

A 96 Cobra is not a torque monster down low... that's where you need the help along with getting the engine into it's power-band.

20rwhp is conservative (As I stated) but you don't add mods up per horsepower and go:
pulleys (5hp) + exhaust (10hp) + programmer (10hp) +throttle body (5hp) + x-pipe (10hp)
Doesn't that make 40hp?

This is not how it works... some mods complement each other... but I've also seen some mods when used together... actually rob performance numbers. I've seen some trade HP for torque, others torque for HP...

Also remember that flywheel horsepower does not equal horsepower at the rear wheels. Expect to take around a 12-15% drivetrain loss on a standard transmission car...

Remember that peak numbers aren't your goal... its usable power over a broad power curve throughout your RPM range...

Some mods may not effect your peak numbers that much, but they may have good effects of flattening your curve a bit, giving you more power more of the time...

Some mods have nothing to do with horsepower but help in overall performance such as upper and lower control arms or sub-frame connectors...

I highly suggest you get your car dynoed to get some base numbers to work with.

To be honest, your next steps should be to:
A. Get your car dynoed
B. Get some good drag radials
C. If there is a local drag strip, concentrate on getting a solid launch down

Once you are familiar about where your car is strong and where it needs work, you can make an informed decision on which purchases to make...