Cobra Safety and HP

[meat]

Originally posted by BANDIT 1 I keep forgetting you guys have tested ALL Cobra manufacturers cars with all engine combinations and have determined that a "new replica Cobra, regardless of the modern pieces is LESS stable than a original".

Nope. I have never been in a JCF Cobra. Beyond that, I've driven quite a few Cobras over the years and years and years I've been involved with them. Originals and replicas. And yes, I have determined that a new replica Cobra and an original Cobra are both inherently unstable, in that they are short wheelbase, high horsepower cars.

I did not say what you seem to want to think I said. You made an incorrect assumption, although I clearly stated what I meant using no word that was over ten letters long. I would expect you to be able to understand what I wrote with no more than a sixth grade education. I do not believe that that is too much to ask.

Originally posted by BANDIT 1 Oh. yea, you guys caught me. I have people line up at the curb and then I show them how I can control my car "driving dangerously" and not hit them. Have you guys been following me, you know so much about my intentions and everything?

No. I have not followed you, nor would I do so either intentionally or unintentionally. I have simply read your posts, and it occurs to me that you're not exactly very level headed. You've already said you'd light up the tires at 45 mph on a public road, and you're paranoid enough to think that people are stalking you in your car. Give the descriptions of your exploits, how you would react, and what you think people are doing around you, I would say that you're an excellent candidate for the title "accident waiting to happen."

Your pal,
Meat.

[meat]

Originally posted by BANDIT 1 As far as myself, if I am cruising on a two lane hiway in the middle of nowhere and there are no cars around. Damn right I'll take her from 70 - 100 mph for several car lengths and then back off, so what?

Using an original Cobra as a baseline, it can go 0-100 in 10.4 seconds. So you, accelerating from 60 to 100, should take about 6 seconds. During that time, you've going from traveling 5,280 feet in a minute to traveling 8,800 feet in a minute. During those six seconds you're going to cover a pretty good distance. A child with a ball, a deer, a rabbit, or any number of things could jump out in front of your public exhibition of speed during your non-professional driver on open road stunt. You could hit a rock, take a nail, have a blow out or any other thing that doesn't occur on a racetrack.

That's cool.

A Cobra goes 0-100-0 in 15 seconds. That's on a closed course, with a driver who knows that he's going to be stopping from 0, so he's ready for it.

You aren't that good. The instant that you think you are, Mr. "Everyone Is Stalking Me," you're dead, and we get to start a thread up about you...I won't be one of the people who include the word "condolence" in my post.

Your pal,
Meat.

[REAL 1]

I agree with Meat again.

[agro1]

Bunch of whiny little biatches around here - you guys ever thought of just using a little self control and good judgement with your 500 + hp ???

[Mr.Fixit]

All you guys who say you have NEVER stood on the throttle of your hot rods are full of it. If you never take advantage of the power, even just on the freeway on-ramp, or while passing a car, or a country road when nobody is around; then why spend all the money on expensive heads, stroker cranks, roller rockers, H-beam rods, etc? Why not just take a bone stock junkyard motor, add a really lumpy cam, and shiny valve covers and put around at idle all day. Somebody gets in trouble and all the sudden it's soapbox time and out come the preachers.

I do not at all condone street racing. It has killed many an innocent motorist, one just recently here in socal. Driver in that race is being charged with murder I believe, he hit a 70 year old lady. If you want to race, go to the track.

[Back in Black]

[Turk]

Fast cars belong on the track. Fast fingers belong here.

Around here where I live, most of the accidents happening, and waiting to happen, the street racing, late evening cruises that end up with police confiscating cars and making arrests seem to revolve around cars in the 150-250 HP range. Honda Civics and alike.
So it really is NOT the HP , but where and how we use it, and how much of it we use.

Is it really possible to do a 45 mph burnout? At 45 mph, is it still a burnout or just acceleration?

I thought burnout was something you did to got your tires turning while the vehicle is making almost no forward progress.

TURK

[REAL 1]

Spirited driving is not "street racing" ala' burnouts, excessive speed and competition on the street.

Stay within the speed limit or the range of whats allowed by the local police and use common sense.

I agree with Argo now.

I'm not a b!tch. Whiney, mabye. But definitely not a b!tch!

[Chuck Nickloy]

I thought a burn out is a 60's - 70's vintage hippie type with no brains left

[agro1]

Best place to do burnouts is in the garage. Move the truck and take up both spaces - get'er right in the middle and smoke'em - 550 hp at 5000rpms in an enclosed space makes an amazing racket.

Evan - I've come to just accept why and what you use your car for and have no problem at all with it - Your honest about, I respect that. The rest of the wimps need to get some sack and hit the skidpad already.

I've never claimed to be a professional raceer - those guys do that day in day out. If I had the opportunity, so would I. But there is no amount of hp that I would ever shy away from - I can manhandle my SPF w/550hp around skidpad and keep the backend hung out the entire time. THAT is where you do that kind of sh!t, not on the street. People that race on the street are just trying to make up for skills they don't have and trying to be something they're not - professional racers. Don't get me wrong, every on-ramp and I am WFO...I do it for my own pleasure and have nothing to prove.

[flipper35]

Some kid's (physically or mentally) will race anything they can get to move. I am sure two people with Honda Insights would race if they had the chance.

But I thought this was a power to weight ratio thread, and to be honest I had my test drive in a 250hp 302 Cobra. It was quicker than my big block Coronet. I think we get de-sensitized (sp?) to how fast these cars are. Drive a 3 cyl. Chevy Sprint all day and a ZX3 Focus feels fast. Drive a Cobra all weekend and your butt becomes recalibrated.

I am just as guilty, my new block will be 485hp/530tq. I could have spend less than $1000 more and had close to 600hp (at the expense of torque). Can I use the new found power on the street? No, I have a hard time with the 406hp I have now. With DOT road race tires on the track I should be able to put my foot down on the straights.

Also on the street you don't get much heat in your tires. I almost balled mine up trying to get ahead of the Jeep next to me to merge. Cold road, cold tires and I almost t-boned the Jeep from beside him at 60mph when I got on it. I used to be scared of the car and got complacent and it almost bit me. I did learn that the street isn't a predictable, consistent place with safety run-offs.

I've done other really stupid stuff in all sorts of vehicles and without them. I think I have matured enough to limit the really stupid stuff and I agree with Richard about no needing any more power on the street, but a dual use car is a comprimise anyway.

[scottj]

I’m in agreement with Mr. Hudgins… now. A few years ago I was not. I was one of the people Richard gave advise to with regard to realistic HP for my car. I was also one of the people who’s mind he couldn’t change. After all, I had years of experience racing motorcycles on both dirt and pavement, plus years of experience in high-perf street cars and motorcycles.

My mind finally did change when I switched from racing on two wheels to racing on four. Prior to that what I had learned on the street about car control was only enough to make me dangerous.

The racecar that I learned in, and am still learning in, has a 2.6:1 weight to power ratio and a 4:1 steering ratio (1 turn lock to lock). To say it has been a steep learning curve is a gigantic understatement. But after attending numerous chassis schools, driving schools, and most importantly a lot of seat time, I’m getting there. That said, you would think that my Cobra, with more weight and less power (4:1 weight to power ratio) would be easier to control when driven on the edge, but it is not.

IMO the increased responsiveness and higher grip afforded by modern suspensions and tires don’t necessarily make the car more stable. I think if anything, when driven at the edge they demand quicker reactions on the driver’s part.

The more seat time I get in the racecar, the more embarrassed I am of the Cobra when judged by other racers. In fact I haven’t met a racer yet who thinks it was a good idea to put that much power in it. Guys on the street are sure impressed though… whoopee.

Scott

[Edley Rondinone]

About a "burnout"- Got pulled over by the cops. He asked for my papers. Told him I only had a pipe! He wasnt amused!!!

[Edley Rondinone]

Meat, Hate to nitpick, but isnt it even remotely possible to have a blowout on the track? On the other hand, there ARE hazards on a track, such as oil, coolant, debris from another car, etc.

[meat]

Originally posted by Edley Rondinone


Meat, Hate to nitpick, but isnt it even remotely possible to have a blowout on the track? On the other hand, there ARE hazards on a track, such as oil, coolant, debris from another car, etc.

Oh, hey, go ahead and nitpick. But I'd have to ask: When there's fluid on the track do they ever stop the run? Do they sand it down? Do they clean it? If there's debris on the track, do they stop the run? Do they remove the debris?

Maybe I'm wrong, but I haven't ever seen a corner worker stopping a race on a public street because there's debris or fluid on the road.

Your pal,
Meat.

[Edley Rondinone]

I think we have all seen Nascars especially that come out of a turn and WHAM!! into the wall, without touching other cars. I can imagine if something broke, or....

[BANDIT 1]

Originally posted by meat


The original cars and the majority of the replicas are all unstable; they're a short wheelbase car with too much horsepower. Newer suspension technology, newer tires really doesn't fit into the equation other than the newer cars car far less forgiving, and will turn on you much faster than the original cars will. You'll be able to get closer to the edge - and have far less time to recover - with a newer Cobra with stickier tires and bigger wheels.

When an original Cobra would start getting nervous, it would practically write you a letter and seal it with a kiss to let you know that it was coming close to getting squirrely. A replica - even with fast reflexes - can lose traction faster than the blink of an eye, and spin you off into a ditch (or a "bluff"). And - to quote Maxwell Smart - "When you wake up, you'll be dead."

Mr. Meat:

I guess with my 6th grade education I read your statement incorrectly. Please would someone explain what Mr. Meat said in his statement.

[CSX 4039]

Originally posted by Edley Rondinone


Meat, Hate to nitpick, but isnt it even remotely possible to have a blowout on the track? On the other hand, there ARE hazards on a track, such as oil, coolant, debris from another car, etc.

When was the last time you saw an innocent young child crossing a race track with cars at speed?

[HIQ]

I believe we all must fight tempation when driving fine cars. To me, I have a STRONG belief that I will NOT street race or drive in a manner that endangers others. Not to say I don't speed when passing someone or open it up a bit on a clear open road.

The issue is not Horsepower but Self Control. My Dad has a Yellow Z06 Vette and I am amazed how many people try to "start something" with me on the rare days I get a chance to drive it. Get in the car knowing you won't race and amazingly you won't - even when provoked. Jump in the car to see what happens and trouble will find you.

I would guess most of us have families and obligations more important than proving ourselves to every Camaro and Mustang that comes along looking for trouble.

Enjoy the drive!

[casaleenie]

Originally posted by BANDIT 1


Mr. Meat:

I guess with my 6th grade education I read your statement incorrectly. Please would someone explain what Mr. Meat said in his statement.

6th grade........You're kidding, right???