Quarter mile times for Cobra?

[pcoghlan]

I am thinking of bringing my GD to the local track to put down a single pass. I would be interested in what time it would deliver. More out of curiosity than anything.

Has anyone else done this and what times did you manage? It would be useful to post other factors, engine, trans, tyres etc.

Oh, and anything you wish you knew that you would have changed before you attempted it?!

Thanks,
Paul

[CobraDan]

Cobras turn from the high 13 to low 10 in the quarter mile but if you turn those times because you are in a roadster and have no full roll cage they will not let you run more than once. In drag racing if you go all out prepare to break things on regular visits to the track plus spending money trying to go faster.

[pcoghlan]

Thanks Dan. Yes, I spoke to some friends that use the local track and they said to spend a couple of passes practicing the launch and once you have it down do one full run. The likelihood is that this will result in the car being categorized as too fast and requiring a cage or some other mod.

I am expecting 11s based upon a same spec car back in the UK but time will tell!

Paul

[RICK LAKE]

pcoghlan Paul, WHY??? It proves nothing, you are abusing the car, you could loose control going down the track and hit the wall. This has happened. Your insurance with not cover racing. Your car don't have a full rollcage. Some track have a 12.5 1/4 limit without alot of safety protection. They do throw you out of the track and say never come back. I have seen cobra run 14.0 to 9.83 at 138 mph. This is a stock body car, street driven with a jag rearend. I have seen 6' wheel bars on a Viper power cobra and watch them get bent on a run. Car and driver where OK. Your car with street tires will run about a 12.5 to a 13.7. It depends on the launch of the car and weather you idle off the line or BONZA off. Traction is another thing. Slicks you hook and leave, street tires you slide all over the place and can't hookup. Cobra where not ment for 1/4 mile racing with Jag rearends, Solid axles are better. IMO the car doesn't need or deserve the added stupid abuse. Rick L.

[pcoghlan]

Rick, each to their own. I have raced cars on the quarter mile previously and would like to know where the GD fits into the scheme of things.

I don't personally consider it much more to be "stupid abuse" than to drive it on a road circuit at high speed where I would suggest, depending on the track, you are even more likely to spin it out and hit a wall. As I say, each to their own.

This thread was simply asking for input on times, not responses to indicate this is stupid abuse. If this isn't, as we say in the UK "your cup of tea", no need to reply. No offense intended.

Thanks,
Paul

[Clois Harlan]

I have consistantly turned mid to high 11"s in a quarter. Here is what I have:

427 C.O. bored .015 over
TRW 11.0 :1 compression and race fuel 110 oct
Blue Thunder Intake w/ Holley 750 DP HP
Edelbrock Heads with a little work and roller rockers
Comp Cams 254/250 607 lift
3.50 : 1 Limited Slip Diff
Top Loader Wide Ratio Trans
Goodyear 26 X 10" X 15 Blue Streak Slicks

I hope that helps. By the way it is still tough to hook up with the slicks I have gotten wheel spin when shifting to second and third gears. A little pucker factor!

As far as drag racing is concerned I would agree with you regarding the abuse that takes place in that few seconds. I don't drag anymore but I do enjoy thrashing around a road course which is another form of abuse but I still like it and look forward to track days.

[trularin]

Hey Paul, you only live once.

Do what you want to do.

If this is one of those "things" that you are wondering about, then go do it. Clear the plate and move on to the next item of interest.

It is only for you and you are the only one it needs to satisfy...unless you are Clois.

Just my $0.02 worth.

[Clois Harlan]

Now Dave you know I am just trying to put forth the facts so a honest comparison can be made.

Clois

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by trularin

Hey Paul, you only live once.

Do what you want to do.

If this is one of those "things" that you are wondering about, then go do it. Clear the plate and move on to the next item of interest.

I agree 100%. I want to strap on an anteater nose and take my ERA to Bonneville just to see what that .64 fifth gear will really get me. I *know* she'll go over 150, but I don't know whether she'll get close to 170. I'd like to do it though when I'm a bit older, just in case I make a mistake. I'm serious, too ... no BS.

[legenmetals]

I took mine to the local 1/8 mile track and had a blast. This car has a 427 center oiler,dual fours with Jag rear end.The tires used were T/A's. I took it easy because I was forwarned about going to fast. My car turned conservative times in the mid 8 second range at 86 m.p.h.. Not real fast but had fun and learned more about my car.

[vettestr]

Paul,
I think making a few soft launches and motoring down the track is sound advise. Lets you learn where the return lanes are and gives you some mental landmarks. Most tracks have more than enough run off and a couple of turn offs but you need to know where they are. You do not have to lock the brakes up to hit the first one you see. A soft run allows you to get comfortable with track protocol of crossing into the other lane to enter the return lanes.

Do not worry about getting a perfect light on your reaction time, clock does not start until you do but a perfect light is good for bragging rights. 2nd and maybe 3rd gear tend to get a little slippery so be ready for it. If she does start to get away from you get out of it rather than driving through it until very comfortable with the cars abilities and yours. At the end of your pass just kick her out of gear rather than using compression to slow you a bit. That is hard on the rods at high RPM and if oil rushes forward in pan away from the oil pick up no load is better on the engine. It also allows suspension to transition from accelerating to slowing more gracefully.

I made my living drag racing many years ago and loved it, still love it but I eat a lot better now. LOL!! In the end other than the launch and you can always ease up a bit on it the car is not abused any more than grabbing gears on a road course in my opinion. ENJOY and be safe.

[Double Venom]

I assume Rick is talking about my "Double Venom", V10 powered, not quite 6' wheelie bars but I certainbly did bend them!

You do NOT need a cage for any thing at 11.0 seconds or slower although most places (NHRA and IHRA) will rquire a 4-point in the 11 second range, including regular safety equipment and Arm Restraints!

Classic Roadsters Cobra
curb weight 2310 lbs
Stock viper V-10, custom exhaust
M/T street slicks
9" Ford rear end 3.55
T56 tranny-never got out of third on the track ='s:
11.00 @ 133/138
Whee-O!
Two differenmt dynos- three runs two different states....
427 RWHP--Ironic huh?

DV

[twobjshelbys]

When I took my supercharged '08 Shelby GT to Bandimere (Morrison, CO) for my very first drag run ever I ran a 13.6 with a horrible .8 R/T. The lady that handed me my timeslip said "do you want the good news or the bad news first". I thought I'd done something that was way out of protocol and explained that this was my first time ever on the track. She explained that I had claimed 14.0 on the estimated time and that I ran better than that (in bracket racing you have to be close to but not under your time to stay in). So she explained that since I had a convertible (top up didn't matter) I had to go get a helmet and fire jacket. The guy at their little stand further explained that when I ran under 13.0 that I would have to get a functional 6-point roll bar. So that would also apply to the Cobra at Bandimere. I'm not too sure I want to take the chance of spinning it out up against the concrete Jersey barriers... My Mustang couldn't hook with street tires on launch, so I think I'll pass in the future. Not worth it. If I want to pursue dragging I'll buy my friends 2003 SVT Cobra Mustang.

It might be fun to go and just practice getting .001 close to 14.1. There were guys there that night that did just that... You know dang well they could go much faster but their control was awesome. I even saw one guy tap on the brake to slow down just before the 1/4 marker. He was .005 off his time.

Good Luck!

[RedBarchetta]

It's all about low 60ft times. Getting out of the box clean is the key to a fast ET. After that it's more about just rowing through the gears and not missing any. Oh, and getting grip (i.e. drag radials). I personally would not take one of these cars to a drag strip on pure street tires...you're just asking for it.

Most cars here are all solidly in the 12's (even with a bad driver...the power to weight ratio is just too forgiving to run any slower unless you are really bad). Several others are solidly in the 11's. Very few are capable and built to dip into the 10's. It takes a good 60 ft time and decent skills to wrestle any car into the 10's. And HP.

-Dean

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by RedBarchetta

It's all about low 60ft times. Getting out of the box clean is the key to a fast ET. After that it's more about just rowing through the gears and not missing any. Oh, and getting grip (i.e. drag radials). I personally would not take one of these cars to a drag strip on pure street tires...you're just asking for it.

Most cars here are all solidly in the 12's (even with a bad driver...the power to weight ratio is just too forgiving to run any slower unless you are really bad). Several others are solidly in the 11's. Very few are capable and built to dip into the 10's. It takes a good 60 ft time and decent skills to wrestle any car into the 10's. And HP.

-Dean

I was thinking of getting some cheap steel wheels and M/T drag radials for the Mustang and going once more to get under 12, but why? I'm still out of there with this car.

Same for the Cobra - I might do it once just to see, but as the night wore on and everyone contributed more goo to the track, my 0-60' got worse every time as the tires took longer and longer to hook and the rear end got squirrelier. If I could get the Cobra in early I might try it, but on a slick track with the street tires it wouldn't work, and there aren't any cheap steel wheels for M/T drag radials for the Cobra. I might try the road track in Pueblo though.

[Thieleng]

At the Shelby Fest in Las Vegas in 08 I ran my SPF with street tires. This is the first time I ever legally raced a car on a real drag strip (Did the usual stupid stuff in High School). The engine was a Roush 427IR and I ran the quarter at 12.1 with a reaction time of 0.1. Walking on the track my driving shoes would stick to the asphalt and even with that I had a problem hooking up the car from 1st through 3rd gear. The time would have been better but I let up 100 feet from the finish due to confusion on the finish line. Without this error I should have been in the low to medium 11's according to the track officials. I raced with a fire suit and a helmet but I was not sanctioned to have any other safety equipment. This event was kind of a "fun" day to try out the cars and was not an official sanctioned drag race event. I had a ball doing it but I did have a handfull trying to feather the wheel spin to keep the car hooked up, I also did not go through the water to "light up" the tires as I felt it was worthless running street tires. The track timer said my car was the fastest at the event and it did inflate my ego somewhat. I guess the bottom line is that if you can control the beast have some fun but be aware of the nuances of the Cobra as you can get bit.

[smeredith]

I agree with RedB. I ran a 12.9 at Bandemier (high elevation) but it took me 2.8 sec just to go that first 60 feet, Roush 427SR. My friend took a vidio and it looked like I was barely moving off the line. They didn't care about a fire jacket but gave me a hassle on my belts. They said they can't be over two years old. My were a year old by the time they made the boat trip from South Africa and I purchased the car. They are date stamped which I didn't relize till they told me. I don't know if I would do it a lot, but it was fun to see everyone in the stands look up and point.

[twobjshelbys]

Originally Posted by smeredith

I agree with RedB. I ran a 12.9 at Bandemier (high elevation) but it took me 2.8 sec just to go that first 60 feet, Roush 427SR. My friend took a vidio and it looked like I was barely moving off the line. They didn't care about a fire jacket but gave me a hassle on my belts. They said they can't be over two years old. My were a year old by the time they made the boat trip from South Africa and I purchased the car. They are date stamped which I didn't relize till they told me. I don't know if I would do it a lot, but it was fun to see everyone in the stands look up and point.

What did they do when you ran under 13? Did they tell you not to come back until you got a roll bar?

I'm told you can get excused if you tell them you'll go to brackets and not try to set a land speed record any more.

[RedBarchetta]

All I know is that when I do go at some point, I'm going to tell them that I'm going to be happy just to barely dip into the 12's. Then I'm going to go balls out on my first (and only) run, click off an 11.40 or so (about where I should be with this combination) and then get kicked out of the place, waving my timing slip all the way to the exit.

[greg schroeder]

Yeah, the 60ft time is the deal breaker for times. Every .1 + or - diffrence on the 60ft is about .2 at the end of the 1/4 mile for overall time, but the trap speed will change little regardless of how good the start might be. You don't need to beat the crud out of your car to know it's potential times. Just make an easy start and figure from the 60ft time. Most Cobras regardless of power on half way decent tires should be able to do a 1.8 to 2.0 60ft with an easy start. You'll know your usable power for the particular air by what trap speed you have and the weight of your car if you use this calculator. http://www.prosystemsracing.com/calculate.html

So maybe on average nice day a 2700 lb race weight Cobra with 350 corrected wheel HP(basic 500 HP engine) on a 1.8 60ft might be a high 11 @ about 118 mph.

The pass in my signature was a 1.7 60ft starting from idle on Mickey Thompson drag radials 275/60 15, 20 psi, 475 corrected wheel HP. About 2550lb race weith with and the air (DA or density altitude)was about 700 or 800 ft