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Upgrades im doing to my 1998 Cobra (Reviews please)

7K views 49 replies 18 participants last post by  acidtonic 
#1 ·
Hey guys I got a pretty much stock 1998 SVT Cobra. It has Cooper ZR1 Tires on the front, and i forget whats on the rear but there decent. I Just recently had a Zoom Racing clutch put into it double sided kevlar. I have a question about it, It vibrates while letting it out does anybody know why is that normal? And I'm going to be putting a Pro shifter 5.0 short throw, and a SCT Tuner(preloaded). SLP Loudmouth 1 Catback, SLP Shorty X Pipe(catted), SLP Coated long tube headers, JLT CAI. Anybody have any of these or friends with these mods if so let me know what you think and if i'll see a huge gain.


~Joe
 
#4 ·
Also, If I just get a SLP catback it said it should make 15-20 rwhp gains, and then a JLT CAI which makes 20 rwhp and a tune after all that which should be around 30 since stock it gets 22rwhp and thats on 91 and i only run 93. my car has 305 hp i should have around 370rwhp right? and would i be able to squeak the tires in 3rd or 4th? going like 40-50? I also have a double sided kevlar racing clutch that grabs HARD.
 
#13 ·
Doesn't my car already have 305rwhp?

what do you want your car to do...
auto x
drag.
drift
or just nice street drivin
or somthin else. ?

that will help people help you out
I'm just going to be street driving but I wanna have a fast car that can toast any of my friends and a good ammount of people that pull up next to me.

As long as its truly a strong clutch then its normal. Could also come from a shop who didnt turn the flywheel and just threw the clutch in.

My shop pulled that **** saying it "looked good and didnt need to turn" until I said on the spot, "do it again the right way or the next clutch is on you."

They decided the next clutch would be on them if it failed early. Got it in writing.

Needless to say it chattered once the car warmed up, and was a bitch to drive in traffic. A few months later it started overheating and blew into many pieces at almost redline.

Never again. I got super lucky and had no damage to anything. Had a different shop put a new one in and even had them directly bill the other shop instead of hiding it.

Now unless its really cold when I have clutch problems I change them myself and do it the right way.
Idk if my shop flipped the flywheel I believe i remember them saying they did. Actually yes they did, because they said one side was toasted so they smoothed it and rotated it.

I have every damn bolt-on possible on my 96 and some with a tune. On a pretty muggy and rainy day it made around 270RWHP. The car also burns oil like a maniac so that had to hurt performance.


I wouldn't count for all of that doing more than 300RWHP especially if yours has quite a few miles on the block. If you try hard enough you'll get it in the 12's for sure. My best run with the motor sucking oil and gas was a 13.23. I know for sure it would have tipped the 12's.
Word. So how do you have 270rwhp if you have 305rwhp stock? Engine and piston wear?
 
#10 ·
As long as its truly a strong clutch then its normal. Could also come from a shop who didnt turn the flywheel and just threw the clutch in.

My shop pulled that **** saying it "looked good and didnt need to turn" until I said on the spot, "do it again the right way or the next clutch is on you."

They decided the next clutch would be on them if it failed early. Got it in writing.

Needless to say it chattered once the car warmed up, and was a bitch to drive in traffic. A few months later it started overheating and blew into many pieces at almost redline.

Never again. I got super lucky and had no damage to anything. Had a different shop put a new one in and even had them directly bill the other shop instead of hiding it.

Now unless its really cold when I have clutch problems I change them myself and do it the right way.
 
#11 ·
I have every damn bolt-on possible on my 96 and some with a tune. On a pretty muggy and rainy day it made around 270RWHP. The car also burns oil like a maniac so that had to hurt performance.


I wouldn't count for all of that doing more than 300RWHP especially if yours has quite a few miles on the block. If you try hard enough you'll get it in the 12's for sure. My best run with the motor sucking oil and gas was a 13.23. I know for sure it would have tipped the 12's.
 
#14 ·
the factory ratings are taken at the flywheel not at the rear wheels. the trans, driveshaft, and rear axle all take away some power to turn. i hear you get big gains by reducing rotating mass on the drivetrain. try a set of gears (4.10 or better) you will be happy :cool:
 
#15 ·
Yeah 305 flywheel is only around 260-270rwhp stock.

Being 11-13 years old there is a lot of variance from one guys car to the next in terms of aging and wear & tear.

Some might make 270rwhp stock while another bolts on a few different things and hits 265rwhp. Only way to know is to go dyno her.
 
#18 ·
i have the jlt RAI, SLP LM1 exhaust minus the headers and a i love them. When you mash it you deffinately know you have a big intake. it breaths deep. the exhaust is increbidle sounding. loud and mean. i reccomend the catless mid pipe and catback exhaust. Either loudmouth system is great.
 
#21 ·
I think you over-clutched the car. I put a Maccleod stage I in my car, and couldn't be happier with it. Clutch is definitely one of those places where more is NOT better; you need to match it to what you have.

With as many miles as are on that car, I would definitely sea-foam it if you haven't already. '96-'98s have two intake ports and only one carries fuel. The dry port carbons up like a mofo, and the ONLY way to clean it outside of disassembly is seafoam through the PCV (don't waste your time putting it in the fuel or crankcase).

You're on track with the aftermarket shifter, I'd also look at getting rid of the stock plastic clutch quadrant and replace it with an aluminum one that comes with a firewall adjuster. I'm partial to Maximum Motorsports, but there's a few other companies that sell similar kits.

I can't recommend full-length subframe connectors enough. Get a set, get them welded-in, and don't look back. I'd do this before anything besides the shifter. Any performance driving you want to do will greatly benefit from a stiffer chassis; again I suggest Maximum Motorsports, but others make good units, too.

+1 to ForestGRN, knowing your goals will certainly help regarding suggestions for mods.
 
#22 ·
since it seems like right now you just want to do some street racing against your friends put in a set of 4.10's in the rear end. i did that in high school and i was surprised at how much quicker my car was at accelerating i seriously blow most cars out of the water. keep in mind doing this will lower your overall top speed...
 
#23 ·
keep in mind doing this will lower your overall top speed...
Top speed is limited by wind resistance not gearing. By lowering the rear gears you are actually increasing top speed because you'll have more grunt to overcome the wind.

Gear only lowers top speed when the car is able to reach full redline in the highest gear. With pretty much every car the wind will stop you first :)
 
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#28 ·
I can only speak for 4.10s as that is what I own. I love it. If I was to start over with my car, I would have gotten these before the exhaust and intake. If you plan on doing any FI in the future though, I would stay away from the 4.56's and 4.30's. 4.10 or 3.73 would be the best route IMO.
 
#30 ·
Damn dude. 4.30's would be crazy you would think. I went with the 4.10's knowing that it would be blown eventually. 3.73's N/A even for a short period of time just seemed like a waste of money to me.
 
#36 ·
Either way you will outrun most all GT's with the same mods and more (minus F/I)..at least mine does..its a 97 with 70,000 miles on it..but it has been taken very good care of as my uncle owned it since new before selling it to me with 60,000 on it..and yes guys thats OFF the spray..we wont even go there otherwise lol
 
#37 ·
I had FRPP 4.10s in my old 98 GT. Had roush cold air, full stainless bassani exhaust with X pipe and catback, plus a tune.

It was a total torque king but it seemed to go nowhere and revving was pointless. I was beating other non pi GTs though and sticking with the 99-04s.

First time I drove the Cobra I was instantly disappointed. Seriously. I was driving around the parking lot after just getting in with the seller and I gave it some gas (just a quick blip) in 1st and was like BOOOO!

Granted it still had stock 3.27s and the car was literally untouched with under 30K on the clock. It wasnt until the first time I got past 3000rpm that I even remotely considered buying the car.

Butt-Dyno felt like the Cobra was a dog, but damn after 3K rpm it just blew the doors off anything I ever felt in the GT. Even stock the Cobra would completely destroy that modded GT though.

The gears helped and I'd say it was a great mod, but for a non pi it really makes them feel like stump pullers. Worked well for my first V8 mustang though.

I'd still rather make more power with less gear. It's fun to shift once in a race while the other guy shifts 3 times and still win... I go 0-48 in 1st, then 48-82 in 2nd. I'm sure gears would help but with all the weight reduction I'm doing torque is not as useful as horsepower. I can floor it on street tires without any traction problems and run a high 12.
 
#38 · (Edited)
I had a 98 GT with the essentials (CAI, H-PIPE, EXHAUST, 3:73 and a very mild cam) and my buddy has a 95 5.0. He was the first one to tell me about the p.i heads and all that good stuff..well I was looking around and decided to sell my 98 and buy the 04 GT that I have now instead of doing all the head work..I was blown away by the power increase between the too..my 04 would rip that 98 a new one..This summer I bought my 97 Cobra from my uncle (CAI, X/P, Exhaust and 4:30 gears) and from the first time I drove it I knew why everyone loves the cobra..Up til around 40 or so MPH my 04 will stay with it but once you drop into 3rd gear its bye bye GT's, 350Z, 370Z, EVO's, STI's, SRT4's, SRT8's, Z28/SS Camaros, GTO's lol..not that I have had any experiences with any of those cars hehe..
 
#39 ·
Yeah the top end is awesome. I love how streetable they are too in slippery conditions if you dont rev it out.

I just bought some MM upper/lower arms and they are sitting here in my office. I hate MI winters.... cant wait to put those on the stang.
 
#40 ·
Yeah mine does better than my GT in the rain believe it or not..Dude I dont think anyones winter is that great this year..its BURRRRRRR COLD!!
 
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