First post

[FredG]

Tony.

Truer words were never spoken. I am in the process of selling my car and I am being very sure that person who buy it knows what they are getting into. So far I have done such a good job that I have scared everyone away. After an orientation speech about the car, I take them for a drive and that is the end. One 6 or 7 second straight line blast usually clinches it. I just can't sell the car to anyone before they understand what they are getting into mechanically and performance wise.


Fred

Originally Posted by twobjshelbys

The Cobra is a frame and body designed to move a high powered engine around a track driven by trained professionals. It is not user friendly otherwise.

If you haven't done it you should seek out a high performance driving course. In that class you will learn certain techniques about driving a race car. For example, heel-toe shifting, proper braking techniques, how to handle a skid (if you're lucky enough to have a skid pad).

Most of the Cobra wrecks occur because of oversteer. The original Cobras had no where near the horsepower that people put in them today. There really isn't a good reason to have a 600HP Cobra because that power cannot, under normal skill levels, be transferred to the road through the wheels/tires. Most wrecks occur because of that fact. Oversteer is the result.

The following WILL cause your rear end to break loose.

Accelerating not in a straight line. With cold tires and a cold road, accelerating into a turn can be a deadly maneuver. The simple turn out of your subdivision on to the street can result in a major pucker event. Don't ask me how I know this. Driving class is useful to know what happens and how to recover the skid.

Upshifting suddenly, especially from 2nd to 3rd or 3rd to 4th and then stomping on the accelerator. The simple maneuver you get away with in your Mustang to pass a slow car will kill you in a Cobra. A long time ago I heard of a Cobra accident on I25 near Denver. Witnesses reported the driver changed lanes to pass and spun out... My mechanic friend had done some simple adjustment and asked me to take him to show the car to a friend of his. Early morning, cool temps. Spent 15-20 minutes car talking, got in the car to go back to the shop. Made the left turn onto the major highway - no left turn event. However, and this section of the road had a speed limit of 50, I was shifting from 2nd to 3rd and we both felt the rear tires "skip". Fortunately nothing happened. I let off the throttle which is often NOT the correct response since it can also result in trailing throttle oversteer. Pucker event!

Failing to rev-match on a down shift. Failure to use proper heel-toe rev-matching. The high compression on these engines practically guarantees a compression braking event which breaks the tires loose. The opposite of straight line acceleration. Note, the pedal arrangement and brake/accelerator vertical offsets make heel-toe difficult. The better method is "brake slow, accelerator go".

All of these have a learning curve and you can over time learn what your car and you are capable of but I'll guarantee you you will find a circumstance where what worked yesterday won't work today. I was on my way to work one morning. Chilly AM. Got to the turn onto the street that went to the parking lot and that simple left turn, with no overt actions, resulted in a 360 in the intersection. I'd done that same turn many many times. 7AM, chilly road, maybe a little melting frost, hockey puck tires. Bingo. Pucker event.

Note all of these pucker events. In every single one of them I wasn't doing anything I hadn't done before with the Cobra. And daily with the daily drivers. And the Mustangs, and even the Ford GT. But just these small changes in road condition with almost 600hp at the wheels and a 90" wheelbase and you've got a completely different animal.

Every time you get into your Cobra it whispers a little snakey "I'm going to kill you". Heed the warning.

FYI, for these and other reasons, my next Cobra would have been a much tamer small block 289 car. Love the Cobra, just think the 427 isn't necessarily the best tool for having fun.

DO NOT ASSUME YOUR PREVIOUS SPORTS CAR EXPERIENCE APPLY! THEY DON'T.

PS. We're assuming you're not a driver with Ken Miles experience... If you do know all about this, have fun. Car is a scream.