[eschaider]

It is possible to deliberately execute a 2nd to 5th shift but when you miss third the interlock system and the shift gate mechanism makes it feel like you hit a wall and there is no penetrating that wall no matter how hard you push on the shift lever, the mechanism just locks. This is the reason no one responded to Patrick's call for second to fifth miss-shifts. I'll bet that we never see anyone respond, who has miss-shifted 2nd to 5th on a power shift — it is all but mechanically impossible.

The breakage that Hauss has experienced, if I am not mistaken, was previously identified by him as occurring after a power shift into 5th OD from 4th gear. Considering how fast these cars are in fourth gear at the top of the engine's safe operating rpm range it brings us back to the why do this question.

If you have not won the speed contest by the top of fourth gear, fifth gear Is not going to do the deed for you! Additionally, you are at least 50 mph over the maximum safe scary speed that people with poor critical thinking skills and worse judgement operate these cars at and you are power shifting 5th overdrive?

It simply does not make sense. Fourth gear in most of these cars and with adequate horsepower is capable of bringing you to just shy of 200 mph. The rest of the car is just not ready for this level of performance. In a Cobra replica this is not just scary, it is suicidal and all but impossible.

Attempting closed course race car speeds in a replica that has not been prepped for that sort of performance is beyond foolish. Don't forget the fear factor at those speeds and the car's predisposition to fly without the proper ground effects to keep it marginally glued to the ground. Of course you also have to stop this missile from 200 mph and that takes some skill and lots of space.

The power shift that is breaking the transmission is not occurring anywhere near 200 mph. In fact I would bet it is occurring at or (most likely) well below 100 mph where it begs the question, why do we need to power shift 5th gear at this speed??? If we are still attempting to win a speed contest (which at that point is foolish) there are far more effective gears to be shifting into than 5th overdrive!!


Ed

p.s. Here's an interesting little side observation, how many of you have tires on your car (fresh or otherwise) that are speed rated for 200 mph?