[98FireyGT!]

Just when I had thought I got everything dialed in on my car...

I find something else is wrong.

Problem is though, I don't know where to start. All I know is it should be going faster.

Heres my problem: I was on the freeway late at night, decided to open it up, and it pulled up to about 90-95 mph, then just ran out of breath. The car is bone stock save for a K&N filter and 12* timing on 91 octane gas.

My RPM's were at 3500 in 4th, I downshifted to 3rd to see if there was any breath left there, and the rpms went to about 4500 but it didn't sem to be pulling any more or less.

This WAS all going up a hill, so I don't know how much or if at all that would really affect the cars performance, but it should keep pulling beyond 95mph, right?

Any idea of where to start would be great.

edit: I'm also running 18 inch rims with 245-45-18 tires on the rear. So my speed was actually a little faster but still negligble of a difference.

[Bullitt95]

Originally Posted by 98FireyGT This WAS all going up a hill, so I don't know how much or if at all that would really affect the cars performance, but it should keep pulling beyond 95mph, right?

Not necessarily. It depends on how steep is the incline. Driving into a headwind and being at a high elevation would also work against you.

[98FireyGT!]

Well I took it out on level ground tonight and did some pulls with it again, I got it to pull up to about 110 before I chickened out, my car kept hitting the ruts in the road and jerking around and at that speed I didn't want to end up plastered into the median. It still had a bit left to it though, which makes me a happy camper now.

So now all I've got left to get this car finished is to figure out why it refuses to drive in a straight line. I put a new steering rack in it and got it aligned but it's still way off and every time I hit a pothole/bump/rut it send the car flying one way or the other and it takes quite a bit of determination to hold it straight at any speed.

I was told the car was lowered but looking at it I would have to say its really minor if it's lowered at all...I can stick my entire hand on edge in between the fender and wheel. At that level I shouldn't need a bumpsteer kit or anything should I?

[Bullitt95]

It sounds like you have a major case of bumpsteer.
Did you have new bushings installed with the new rack? If not, old worn steering rack bushings will cause bumpsteer. If the suspension has been lowered by more than 1" you'll definitely need a bumpsteer kit (Steeda).

[sickfox]

Also get some MAF cleaner and clean it. Mine rannlike a new car afterwards. To where before hand I thought I had a limiter set.

[ReverendDexter]

The tramlining (following the ruts) is due to alignment, tire tread, and/or tire width.

Insofar as the power, well, you have a mostly stock NPI 2v, and SN95s seem to hit an aerodynamic wall around 100mph. I could hear the way the windflow changed around the Cobra when I went from ~85 to about 95.

[KV007]

really? my 98 gt is mainly stock and i have 4.10s and was still pullling in 5th gear like no other at 4K rpm at 125mph

[ReverendDexter]

Yeah, you have 4.10s. That's a lot more effective torque at the ground than stock 3.27s.

Don't get me wrong, the Cobra was still pulling past 110 (I only ever pushed it to about 115), but you can feel it slow down when you hit around 100.

[Chris951]

Wow 125 at 4k rpms in 5th? Ok kind of off topic, but I was racing an rt charger a couple months ago in my 88 with 4.10's and i was at 4500rpms... i dodnt even know how fast i was going because my speedo cable was broke and it sat at zero all the time lol. i must have been going over 125 then? My hood looked like it was gonna fly up haha

[98FireyGT!]

Originally Posted by ReverendDexter The tramlining (following the ruts) is due to alignment, tire tread, and/or tire width. Insofar as the power, well, you have a mostly stock NPI 2v, and SN95s seem to hit an aerodynamic wall around 100mph. I could hear the way the windflow changed around the Cobra when I went from ~85 to about 95.

Yeah I need an alignment really bad and new tires up front, just out of money at the moment.

As for the NPI, I don't have that car anymore, now I have a mostly stock 94 GT, 5.0. I wrecked the 98 right after I had bought the PI swap stuff and never got a chance to install it.