2003 Mustang Cobra vs S2000

Okay, a 400hp car for $30K is something to be happy with. In fact, comparing power/price is the opposite of rice... what brand of glue are you sniffing man, cuz I have got to get me some of that! :p j/k

I think Ford has done a great job offering factory forced induction, even if it is superchargers. Don't forget, lots of people have taken the Lightning, and raised to boost till they had 450hp... Also, quite a few people have replaced the blower with turbos, and hit as high as 700hp...

Ofcourse power/price is not a rice way to look at things, but to use it as part of a debate why the Cobra is better then the Vette when it has less power but a smaller price tag is quite ricey IMO.

Originally posted by R1-rider
Ofcourse power/price is not a rice way to look at things, but to use it as part of a debate why the Cobra is better then the Vette when it has less power but a smaller price tag is quite ricey IMO.
It's not called being ricey, it's called VALUE:rolleyes:

The Cobra gives much better bang for the buck! The Corvette has a better ride, and gets better gas mileage. End of story, they're even.

For all I could care the Cobra could very well be a better value then the Corvette, TO YOU. Value changes with the thickness of your wallet, and changes with personal taste. I don't look at cars with the price tag involved, I look at cars in performance first views. And looking at performance first, the Cobra is no where near the refinement of the Corvette.

And again, read my posts thoroughly until you understand them. Rating a car from a price/power standpoint is not ricey, but saying that the Cobra is better then the Vette because it has a better price/power ratio is just retarded.

Well, the Corvette definately has the advantage in high speed driving, because of it's vastly superior handling, and better aerodynamics...

I think price is a major factor for a lot of people. I know that I can't afford either of them, but I think the Cobra is a better deal for performance...

The Corvette is still a better car, because it is that much more refined, as well as an excellent performer. With the LS6 parts available over the counter at GM dealerships, the Corvette has as much basic tuner potential as the Cobra, and still remains that much more refined.

Both cars are better for certain things, so we can't say one is better than the other. It's like comparing the Cobra to the S2000.

Im more of an import fan but, with out a doubt i would bet on the Cobra and i fell bad for the 15 ppl that voted on the honda cause it would lose!
:flipa: sorry

On a strip or a highway, yeah. Take it to a twisty mountain road and see which one wins though... Which is more is a matter of opinion :rolleyes:

Man, I'm getting mileage out of that rolleyes smilie!

o whoops which is better? probably the Cobra you could modify it more easily that the S2000 which needs a turbo ......... no two turbos..........and the V6 from the NSX :D

The S2000 needs the spoon S2000 engine! Whhiiiiing!

yea it need the spoon engine:devil:

I don't really like hondas, and I am partial to Fords more than Chevy or Chrysler, but I would pick the S2000 because it handles so well... I love sports cars more than I love powerful cars... but I love powerful sports cars even more

:devil:

Originally posted by TerminalVelocity
Here is my question, which is better, and -WHY-. So much as "I prefer how it looks" works for me, but dont just say "its faster, because its honda" That dosent work for me, especally sence the numbers say its slower.
This is a difficult poll.

Everyone & their mother has a Mustang (I know the cobra is different but from a distance they look the same). I'm normally the one who picks the different-looking car... I'd choose an Ultima GTR over a Corvette just because I wanted to be different.

HOWEVER... in a race I'd rather be in the cobra than the S2k!:smoker2:

For a straight drag yeah... probably also on a road course. I think I'd have more fun in the S2000 on a windy road than I would in the Cobra anywhere else... That's why it gets my vote.

even though the S2000 is pimp shit, i think id pick the cobra.

From 5.0 Mustang and Superfords:

'03 Cobra Update (pg. 187 November issue):

"There has been a slight variation in dyno numbers reported by new owners who have taken delivery of '03 Cobras. The numbers range from 345 to 385 RWHP."

"An air filter and a pulley change have already netted one '03 Cobra owner a 12.28/115 pass on stock tires."

"With an air filter, X-pipe, and Dynomax after-cat, the car cranked 403 RWHP. It also did 160 mph the day Joe brought it home."

"Launching at 2,000 rpm with a bog, and granny shifting at 6,200 rpm, the car responded with a 13.11-second e.t. at 109.85...A harder launch, slipping the clutch, would have gotten us in the 1.90-second short time and 12.70s at more than 111mph-BONE STOCK."

There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. (So to speak :))

Oh, and I just watched a video last night of an S2000 on a windy mountain track SLIPPING off the side of the road to fly off a hill. How's that for handling? Oh, and it was dry. :)

you must send me this video, or post it, I soooo wanna see that :D

There's no accounting for idiots who can't drive a S2000!

Hey, if I could get the same level of power and torque in an S2000, or the same level of braking and handling in a Cobra, I'd be set for either one... but since it's a comprimise, I would rather have the handling and braking, with decent power.

This would be the principle of my RX7 project. Not to comprimise one little teensy bit.

Comparing the S2000's dyno chart to the Cobra's, I would have to say the Blue Oval is mighty appealing if you want a decent car.

http://www.gildea.com/albums/S2000/S2000dyno.jpg

http://www.rpmoutlet.com/images/03cobradyno.gif

carefull, to them you just proved its better because their dyno pic is bigger:p

Originally posted by TerminalVelocity
carefull, to them you just proved its better because their dyno pic is bigger:p

Nice :D

Originally posted by TerminalVelocity
carefull, to them you just proved its better because their dyno pic is bigger:p

There it goes the cobra can't even get a decent sized dyno pic. That proves everything.:D

i have to honestly say as a 2003 cobra owner that this is one of the greatest cars i have ever driven. With a few mods, new exhuast, x-pipe, and a supercharger pulley swap, my car is pumping out near 500 hp. This car is absolutelt incredible. And all this for less than $36,000. this my friends can not be beat.

Originally posted by jg2072
i have to honestly say as a 2003 cobra owner that this is one of the greatest cars i have ever driven. With a few mods, new exhuast, x-pipe, and a supercharger pulley swap, my car is pumping out near 500 hp. This car is absolutelt incredible. And all this for less than $36,000. this my friends can not be beat.

I would have to agree with you on that. I think its the best performing car for the money.

What color 2003?

Post pics, I wanna see it...

my rsx actually beat a 94 cobra in a quarter mile.

Wow, that was relevant!

I'd like to see the RSX vs the Cobra on a high speed handling course :D

God save the queen, and RWD too!

your right... god save the queen, talk about relevency. the rsx-s would get creamed by a cobra but with really expensive modding it can compete. the guy i know who owns the racing shop in st cloud used to work for audi and knows about putting twin turbo's in 4 cylinder engines. quite fasinating. i dont know about a 2003 cobra my rsx would probably get its ass kicked.

Originally posted by CaptainRSX
my rsx actually beat a 94 cobra in a quarter mile.


Since where off the topic, what did your car run?

Remember......He can beat NSX's while squeezing... NSX's run in the mid 13's to low 14's depending on year.

I beat a 2003 cobra, I blew past him like he wasnt going for it!

(ricer mode)

I saw a 2003 cobra, tryed to get him to go for it on the freeway, he didnt, so I just drove past

(truth)

:D

u cant even compare a 03 snake with a s2000, imports cars are in their own league. look at the stats of a 03 cobra vs. a s2000 that should tell u enough right there.

ummm...vauge at best

elobrate

The race? Of course the cobra would win.
The stares from every other driver on the road. S2000 wins.

I like that I have to rev the car, it's actually more like I get to rev it.

Just think if the Cobra's engine could spin as fast as the S2000's engine and breath just as will up there. It would make extreme power like the S, but on a larger scale, because of displacement. Mustangs are set up to run out of torque. You get it sooner, but you lose it sooner.
Also it seems like they could have done better than those times with the specs, but I don't know:D

yawn i seen a vid of the S2000 racing a cobra the S2000 won and the guys in the cobra felt dumb

Actually, the DOHC Cobra version of the modular 4.6 revs quite happily, it has lots of torque because it's a good sized motor with a supercharger.

As for the earlier Troll, :rolleyes:

After an extensive amount of time behind an S2000, I can't say no to the 9K rpm or the fantastic handling. there is just something about revving that high that gets my blood flowing!

If you love Ferrari engines, you can't help but love the S2000 engine (F20C?)... It's like a Ferrari, but moreso! Not as much low end torque, but what do you want for $40K! I love German cars, but let's see it's German competitors, the boxster and the Z3! Spend a little more, and you can get a Z3 2.8, or an M roadster, or a Boxster S, but those cost more, and you could have a supercharged S2000, making 350 hp, and with a suspension setup from Mugen...

Then again, Porsche made a car far better than the S2000 years ago, with the 968. I could get a 968 for $15K-$20K, with $20K left to blow on wheels, a turbo conversion(500+hp anyone?), custom leather interior(seats, dash/console, headline, door skins etc), lightweigh fiberglass/polycarbon parts, even a boat!

What more could you want?

www.968.net

The last issue of Popular Mechanics had a couple of Articles. One was the Z06 vs the Viper. In that article the Z06 posted a time of 12.85 in the 1/4 mile. Another article compared three GT's models, the SVT, BMW and Mazeratti. In that article the SVT posted a 1/4 in 12.84.

I did notice that the final drive ratio on the SVT was slightly more aggresive than the Z06. This might account for the SVT posting a .01 lower 1/4 mile.

My pick is the SVT. So much so, that I bought one. Previously I preferred GM products, but after reading about the SVT in Road & Track, and the performance you get for the buck, I went out and bought one.

that doesn't make sense...they printed the z06 had a 1/4 mile time of 12.85? i've seen stock plain jane vettes run 12.9's. the z06 (atleast the 02 and later) should run mid to low 12's.

i don't think s2000's look that good at all. there are a few noticeable different features on the 03 cobra. they changed the front ground effects, the rear spoiler, the rear of the car looks completely different, the hood has functional air scoops...yeah there's a few different things aobut it. one rolled by me the other day...it wasn't hard to tell at all.

i was readin either mm&ff or 5.0 and they printed the rwhp on the 03 cobras range from 360-385 so it's def. underrated by ford. i doubt because of the '99 cobra fiasco, though. probably more for insurance reasons. it's been done before.

on a side note, hello :) this is my first post here

Welcome to Automotive Forums! :D

I think stock C5s running 12.9s would probably be on DOT drag tires, if not slicks. I think with slicks a good driver could get a 12.5 out of a hardtop(they're a little lighter than the coupe, hence all Z06 models being hardtops).

The problem is as always putting down the power. The Z06 has more hp than the Cobra, and is much lighter, but the Cobra should have more torque(I believe, not sure), because it's a blown engine. Let's not forget, the LS6 in the Z06 has already been tuned to get that 405hp, whereas the Cobra engine just needs a pulley swap to up the boost to 14 lbs, and run on high octane.

My uncle races in the H production class at SCCA racing events, and he owns a Z06. And while we were at Mid Ohio I convinced him to run his Z06 on the drag to see what it would pull in. The only modification he has is flowmasters. He pulled ina 12.44 on his first run.

The SVT only can pull a .90 on the skidpad, and you think it can beat a 1G car. The SVT weighs more, has a worse skidpad, lower HP AND torque, doesn't have the f/r weight balance the vette has, and you think it is better?

You guys are so quick to jump to numbers when comparing the S2000 to the SVT, but how about we compare the Vette to the SVT. These are both American muscle cars, so they are grouped in the same category, not with the S2000.

Vette = 405HP/400ftlbs 3200lbs
SVT = 390HP/390ftlbs 3700lbs
And we dont even need to talk about which one is more electronically advanced.

you're right, when you look at the rated numbers from the factory, it's hard to compare. However, check out what stock 03 snakes dyno at...you'd be suprised. The rwhp is closer to what Ford has advertised they have at the crank. Chevrolet underrated one of their stingrays at an rpm that wasn't producing the max power for that engine. That's what Ford has done with the cobra.

This is from 5.0 Mustangs and Super Fords:
"On the Dyno
You’ve probably skipped ahead to the dyno sheets by now, but here’s the full story with all the gory details.
Without so much as a how-do-you-do, we tied down the bone-stock Cobra on the PHP Dynojet and were collectively impressed when we saw peaks of 360.7 hp and 358.7 lb-ft of torque displayed after our first pull. It’s worth noting the figures we’re quoting here are the absolute peaks recorded by the dyno. These usually occurred in between the 100-rpm reporting points shown in our charted printouts. Assuming a typical 17-percent loss through the drivetrain, this rear-wheel power equates to somewhere well north of 425 ponies at the flywheel from a factory-stock 281 cubic inches! And that torquey impression we noted on the drive over from Detroit to PHP’s Jackson, Michigan, headquarters was confirmed by the dyno’s revelation—more than 300 lb-ft are available from as low as 1,700 all the way up past 6,000 rpm—in short, a broad and satisfying torque curve in anybody’s book. "

LINK to the article (http://www.50mustangandsuperfords.com/editorial/article.jsp?id=92678&viewtype=text)

:)

Although I plan on buying a cobra because of the price for the HP and I want something different with a warranty I just have to say.......It's really sad that Ford had to supercharge their FASTEST production car just to be able to beat the Z28's and SS's and keep up with the corvettes that are bone stock and pushrod engines to boot. Lets try another comparison just for fairness in class. lets take the supercharged cobra and put it up against a supercharged SS. Who do you think will win. I dont think there will be any question. I'm not saying the car sucks or I wouldnt be buying one but i think thats a fair comparison. As for the price/HP value it is the best for the money but you would be better off getting an 01 or 02 and putting your own supercharger on it unless you WANT new.

oh yea and i have to remark on one of your replies about rear wheel HP on the cobra. How is my ZR1 getting 20 to 30 RWH LESS than the cobra supposidly but my car is faster stock or atleast as fast. Not too bad for a 13 year old car either

The arguement for that train of thought then is that the supercharged LS1 won't have a valid warranty, because unless you're tight with a GM dealer who doesn't give a care, you're out of luck if you have problems. Kudos to Ford for their efforts, I just wish the F-bodies were still being produced as well :( .

I think for my next car I'm going to get one of these...

http://www.micro-op.com.au/execls1/hrt427a.jpg
http://www.micro-op.com.au/execls1/hrt427b.jpg
http://www.micro-op.com.au/execls1/hrt427c.jpg
http://www.micro-op.com.au/execls1/hrt427d.jpg
http://www.micro-op.com.au/execls1/hrt427e.jpg

http://www.hsv.com.au/vy/showcars/showcar.asp

The HRT 427, based on the Holden Monaro/Pontiac GTO platform with a C5R engine. Upgraded suspension and brakes over it's counterparts to handle the 580 hp, time to start saving and import one...

The GTO looks good, but it so needs the hood scoops. That pisses me off more then anything because that was signature on the GTO's.

:( I want a 427, I wonder if it would be even possible to fit that thing in my Firebird.

so far, the only picture of the gto i've seen made it look like it's body was based off of the grand am. although, a 6spd trans and an ls1 sure are sweet :D. i can't wait for dodge to come out with the charger...you can get the r/t with the Hemi. i think the charger, so long as they don't make it retarded looking, would be the only thing that would make me want something other than a mustang. it's too bad the f-bodies had to go though. it was cool having the camaro as like an arch-rival...oh well.

i can't wait for dodge to come out with the charger
Best keep dreaming Dodge doesn't exactly seem interested in making the Charger again. Yeah there was a concept but that didn't go too far. I have a feeling they are going to make something though with that new Hemi.

It would be nice if Pontiac upped the displacement to like a 389 or something. Enough of the 350 jesus they use it in just about everything. Is there some kind of rule that they can't go over 350 cubic inches?

do you think a NSX engine'll fit in a S2000 ???? .............there is no point in that ...........


i dunno i like S2000 i watched that lovely video of one beating a mustang

hmmm...i read an article in motor trend (september 02 issue...vol 9) on page 24-25 that the dodge charger was being released in 2004. The volume Chargers will come with the 3.7 v6, and the 4.7 v8. the R/T model will come with the 5.7 hemi. it's supposed to go head to head with the GTO thats coming out in 04.

I just thought I'd post this, as I found it entertaining...

http://www.tvrsupercars.com

They require you to register, but it's instant and you can use a bogus email address if you want. Go to file downloads, and there is a video clip of a TVR Cerbera 4.2(the slower V8 Cerbera) dusting a 911 Turbo and Dodge Viper among other cars, in a sprint... Very good little clip :D

Considering how much lighter a Cerbera is than most other entry-level supercars, that doesn't surprise me.

Clarification: Entry-level supercar- While seeming contradictory, the term is actually applied to sportscars that exceed their brethern in performance, yet not too far in price or in technology.

Example: Porsche 911- A Porsche 911 is a sportscar. A Porsche 911 Turbo or GT2 is an entry-level supercar. A Porsche 911GT1 Evo road version, is a true supercar.

Yes, on account of the price tag. That's what makes a true supercar :D

I love the Cerbera! There just isn't a more GTish GT!

hmmm...i read an article in motor trend (september 02 issue...vol 9) on page 24-25 that the dodge charger was being released in 2004. The volume Chargers will come with the 3.7 v6, and the 4.7 v8. the R/T model will come with the 5.7 hemi

Motor Trend has a lot of rumors though. But it would be sweet as hell if they made the Charger again. And if they made it, it better not be that stupid 4 door Charger Concept I keep seeing. Thats so stupid to make the big tough muscle car from the 60's a tough 4 door, half beast, half family car. 2 DOOR DODGE, NOT 4 DOOR.

Originally posted by 95yellovett
First off your quarter mile times are way off!A stock 03 Cobra runs
about13.2-13.4,and a S2000 runs 13.9-14.2.And as the speeds
increase so would the Cobra's advantage.That would be the shortest
race in history!
95yellovett(Z07) :flipa: I raced a cobra at the track and with only drag radials and a k&n it went 12.56 at a 111 on the dyno they put 365 hp to the wheels that equates to about 420 at the flywheel, in other words the cobras are under rated from the factory.

I lined up against a yellow 03 cobra at milan drag way in my 92 gt and with nothing more than a K&N and nittos it went 12.56 at a 111. On the dyno cobras put 365hp to the wheels that equates to about 420 at the flywheel. with full length headers and cat back exaust it picks up another 55hp and with a smaller pulley on the charger it picks up another 60 , then you got 480 at the wheels theese cars are bad and the motor is built to handle all that power, Manley H beam rods, steel forged crank 4 bolt main block.

Thats right HELM, 95yellovet is just a sore stick in the mud, because his beloved vet can be walked by stock mustangs now.

I got the stang all the way. yup money's on the stang

Originally posted by DeViL
Motor Trend has a lot of rumors though. But it would be sweet as hell if they made the Charger again. And if they made it, it better not be that stupid 4 door Charger Concept I keep seeing. Thats so stupid to make the big tough muscle car from the 60's a tough 4 door, half beast, half family car. 2 DOOR DODGE, NOT 4 DOOR.

That article made me somewhat happy. I think that they should do exactly what the article says, except all of the models be a four door except the R/T Hemi, coupe all the way! The Charger concept is beautiful even for being a four door, but I would agree, a coupe is MUCH better suiting. As for why the other Charger concept failed, it was an alternative fuel concept, nuff' said.

I hope that Motor Trend isn't blowing smoke up our asses because I have been wanting an SVT Mustang killer from Dodge for about the same price. That will be so great!

Like you said, Motor Trend is known for their rumors. All I know is that Chrysler brought back the RWD platform for a reason and it wasn’t for toting the kids to soccer.