Safely driving a Cobra

[itstock]

45% of these accidents could be avoided by not hitting the gas around turns.

45% of these accidents could be avoided by not showing off by doing burn outs.

The other 10% are a mix of everything, from simply not respecting the car, going around turns to fast, to avoiding objects in the road, and everything in between.

You avoid the first two items listed and your chances of crashing are dramatically decreased. It's the same theory for just about every other high horsepower (and especially light weight) car.

[Tom Wells]

What itstock said!

Plus: don't ever allow yourself to be goaded into showing what your car can do alongside another car on the street. Unless you make me one of your beneficiaries

Tom

[rodneym]

All good suggestions, BUT ALSO...


Try not to be easily goaded. Don't let your ego get in the way. And if anyone ever gets you to play, make triple sure of your traffic surroundings, geography (trees, curbs, etc), and definately no passengers, period. It's one thing to gun it and have fun with a friend or loved one, but when that d-bag in a "Ferrarighini" tries to get you to play, only do it alone, in safe conditions and know your (and the car's) limits.

Remember, all they have to do is step on the pedal. A lot of crazier things can happen when doing that in a Cobra.

Sorry Tom Wells! I didn't see your post. Great minds, huh?

[vatdevil]

Autocross....there's a number of SCCA clubs in your state. You'll get good instruction and autocross is a blast. Don't be intimidated by those Hondas, Subarus, and Mazdas, they are fast.

[SunDude]

Simple:

Don't underestimate your Cobra's potential to bite.

Don't overestimate your driving skill.

[BOBOCobra]

I read these types of threads with interest. No disrespect intended but so much of this is just common sense. I have told my kids since they could listen that a weed eater will kill you if you don't use it right. Getting behind the wheel of any car and goofing off is a stupid thing to do. If you need signs and placards and reminders you should really do a gut check. This car is so much fun to drive, it should be a medical therapy write-off deduction because the world goes away when I am driving. I don't see the rice burners and idiots trying to goad me, but they see us (except I have found it interesting that Camaro and Vett guys will rarely look over at a stop light). Other than some street dyno tuning BY MYSELF its stupid to take chances, in any car.

[WardL]

I've done autocross to improve my Cobra driving skills. My #1 Rule is ZERO ALCOHOL tolerance. I know my limits on that issue.....

[Paul F]

New Jersey- you should be practicing in an open, snow covered parking lot with the daily driver. It's a lot safer and easier on the car to get it out of control and learn how to get it back in control on snow. it's lots of fun too. I did this a lot when I was a teenager. Then I went out to remote snow covered roads and would go about 50mph and then lock up the brakes or start a spin or drift and then get it back out. That helps you learn to react automatically to spins and drifts with out the danger of wrecking the car or tearing up tires.

Then tear up the tires with the Cobra in a dry parking lot. Too late this year, but try it next year.

[RallySnake]

I agree with all the comments here and have used them all. However, I personally learned the most from running SCCA Solo 2's. Every time I ran, I had to analyze what was wrong and how to fix it. I had to work out a lot of problems with my car to get it to handle at all. I tried a bunch of junkyard anti-swaybars on the front and rear until the car was balanced enough so I could maintain 4 wheel drifts. I burned up a lot of Mickey Thompson street tires before finally buying a set of Hoosier race tires. After I got the car balanced with those, I won a Regional Championship event in B/SP. After a couple of years of Solo2's, I got a little tired of driving hours to and from the tracks to make a few 1 minute runs. So, I started running rallies. Now two of us can enjoy the car for hours instead of minutes and it's just as competitive. The tires last for years instead of months, too.

However, whenever I buy a new type of tire, I go back and run a Solo 2 to learn their limits and to work with tire pressures to get neutral handling.

RS

[mdross1]

The very best thing you can do is make sure your car is in good mechanical condition then learn it's limits either at a track or on a stretch of road where you can get away with it. You never want to learn in panic situations.

[Bill Bess]

Well ! It's very simple.... make sure the car is in safe condition and don't be stupid when you get behind the wheel.
Stupid is trying to impress yourself, or somebody riding with you or next to you in another car.
Stupid will get you dead!

[genolan]

Thanks All
I had the car inspected in great detail for safety issues and plan on burning up the parking lot this weekend followed by a driving lesson at Pocono Speedway in Aug. They suggested I start with my 2008 Corvette to get a feel then bring the Cobra. I do have the original 7 year old Goodyear's and have started the hunt for new tires (235/45/17 front and 315/35/17 rear). Mickey Thompson or Nittros?

[PSB]

If you really, honestly believe that a Cobra is as safe as a Honda Civic, you really shouldn't be driving a Cobra...JMHO

[Snake2998]

Cobras have a very bad habit of exploiting an over heavy accelerator foot by breaking traction and then regaining it when facing in exactly the wrong direction.

From what I have learnt from friends and acquaintances who have demolished all sorts of street furniture with their Cobras, (some 5 to date over 23 years) this is what happened in most of their accidents - fortunately the worst injury was a passengers broken leg and all the cars were salvageable.

So the moral is no stomping on the accelerator on the street, and if it does break traction come off the power gently so she doesn't regain traction suddenly whilst pointing at something hard - and practice in a safe place until it all becomes second nature. Oh, and it's the last car you want to show off in - posing's much safer and gets just as much attention. Also just blipping the throttle in Neutral will garner as much attention as showing off.