1/4 mile. 87 stock vette who would win?
 

LANE 1
Factory Five Cobra. 84 351w HO engine. Vic Jr Intake, 650 carb, MSD ignition, MAC headers, J pipe, Stock heads and cam. TKO 600 tranny. 3:55 rear end. Rear tires are 12" wide each. 17" rims. Weight 2200 pounds.

LANE 2
Stock 87 convertible Vette. I think it listed at 240 HP 345 TQ. 3,200 pounds. It is listed at doing the 1/4 in 15.11 seconds at 93.8 miles per hour.

The only way the vette would win is if the cobra was pushing it!!

Is this a trick question?

estimate for the Cobra? 13 seconds?

Why yes, this has GOTTA be a trick question!!! :)

12 second Cobra, BECAUSE, of the 12 inch wide 17" wheel/tire combo.
Same setup with BF Goodrich TA's on 15" wheels,,,, 13 second 1/4 mile.

When it comes to Cobras, it's all about the traction, not the horse power.

I have heard some people say that there is no such thing as a stupid question.

I question that.

Traction and 60' times are good points and a real key. But I'd put my money on the 'Vette IF its lane had an 80mph tail wind and the FFR was running BFG stones for tires.

I like to say: . . . "There is no such thing as a stupid question, . . . . ONLY STUPID PEOPLE" :LOL:


.

Geesh..........
If the Cobra was a 302 stock EFI OR carbed, I wonder..........Ya-right! I have turned many 12's with a stock 302, occasionally maybe even a few 13's!

I could never get my Excaliber, stock 302, T5, 3.50 gear with EXCELLENT 16" rubber for traction,,,, out of the low 14's. :)

But yeah, pretty much any "normal" Cobra with a very mild 302 will run in the low 13's, high 12's. TRAP SPEED is a whole different issue. That's the number that separates the big blocks from the small blocks.

Stock 289 in mine with "decent" cam, good rubber & about the same rear gears. Can't imagine losing to a stock vette even when I had the Holley 650 DP on her.

Hard to say without knowing what that "351 high output" is putting out and what tires he is running. Even then guessing would be theoretical. The Cobra could be 3/4 second late catching the light and granny shift. I saw a 427 side oiler with a bad tune put out low 200 rwhp. All I know for sure is I would win. Cheers.

Nice Avatar, Double Venom

Maurice Lawrence, ex Screaming Eagle

Maurice,
Didn't even know it was showing up!
ABN-Sir!

Some of those 85 to 90 Corvettes were actually quicker than 230 to 245 HP would indicate. I had a new 85 for awhile and it was a torque monster off the line for those days. But the best quarter mile time I ever saw reported for a stock one was 14.1 and 14.5 was probably more representative of most. A 15.11 sounds pretty doggy for one (or the driver) - possibly a loaded auto trans car with a stock suspension and higher speed rear. Not much doubt that you should be safe.

That 15.11 if I remember right was either motortrend or motorweek. This particular vette only has 30,000 miles so it hasn't been driven much. I think I have the other driver on reaction time.

I never really raced my Factory Five. I just got challenged and figure I would ask the experts on this forum before I tried it.

The HO 351W engine from Ford wasn't as High Output as many thought it was. Don't quote me on this but I believe it only gave the engine an extra 10 in the TQ department from a slightly different cam.

The biggest challenge, when running a Cobra, is the "hole shot". I would recommend something like 1,500-2,000 rpm for the launch. Tire spin is your biggest enemy. You might even consider a short shift to 2nd, get out of 1st early, get some traction.

Almost no doubt, other than a screwup, you can take the Vette.

Myself, I'd find a vacant street somewhere and practice my launch technique and rpm. If possible, let the clutch out until all driveline slack is taken up. Thats really hard to do, but it could make the difference between twisting an axle or a driveshaft or snapping a gear. At the very least let your clutch come out as much as possible without moving the car, practice that also. DO NOT "side step" the clutch. A couple of things might happen. Engine stall or major tire slip being the primary (not to mention breaking stuff). :)

If the fuel/air ratio is on the lean side, it's not uncommon to launch and then just as quickly the car stalls/bogs, then it catches and the tires break loose. In such a case, EASE OUT of the hole, don't worry about your 60 ft time. The most important thing is to get the car moving out smoothly so you can hammer down as soon as possible. If he gets the hole shot on you, NO WORRIES, you WILL catch him. Giving him the hole shot will also give him "hope", false hope, as all to soon, he will be crushed like a bug when you go by and blow his doors off. :)