horsepower

[ender2664]

How much are most people running? I am deciding on an engine and am not sure how much power to put in given how light it is and have the car still be able to hook up.

[wkooiman]

Any decent V8 should be plenty of power to overpower the wheels.

My suggestion: Don't shoot for any specific HP. Choose an engine family, and build it to do what you want it to do. If you build it for too much HP, you get all of the hassles that go with it - louder, reliability issues, sensitive to timing/gas, etc. If this is a parade car/garage queen, so what? If you intend to drive it, turn it down to 8. You will enjoy the car more.

The camshaft is the heart of the engine. Of all the engines I have had, I enjoyed the CompCams 282S the most. It has a small lope, plus the solid lifter sound. It makes big power, but it still works well on the street. I recently tried a 294S, and it felt like a race car. If it were a race car, so what, but this was in a car I intend on driving a lot.

[Maricopa]

500. All Cobras have 500hp.

[ender2664]

500hp seems like to much power for a car this light. I feel like you wouldn't even be able to push the gas pedal down all the way in the first few gears :/

[Maricopa]

Doesn't matter, has to be 500.

[ender2664]

Thank you for wasting everyone's time with your useless posting.

[Maricopa]

It's really no trouble at all, but in my defense I had no idea you were such a humourless turd. Now you can resume your thread where you will get all the same answers that have been posted here 1,000 times and was easily covered in a simple search.

Cheers.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Maricopa

It's really no trouble at all, but in my defense I had no idea you were such a humourless turd... )

Ender2664 -- I'm one of the few people on this forum that doesn't lie about his car's horsepower. I put out just under 500 HP at the flywheel. I can never use it all on the street. I can't even hit WOT for more than a second or two. Just testing my engine to make sure my secondaries open properly is dangerous. If you're going to be driving predominantly on the street, I think 350 to 400 at the flywheel is an honest, truthful answer as to how much you need. Even that amount will kill you in a heartbeat....

[ender2664]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Ender2664 -- I'm one of the few people on this forum that doesn't lie about his car's horsepower. I put out just under 500 HP at the flywheel. I can never use it all on the street. I can't even hit WOT for more than a second or two. Just testing my engine to make sure my secondaries open properly is dangerous. If you're going to be driving predominantly on the street, I think 350 to 400 at the flywheel is an honest, truthful answer as to how much you need. Even that amount will kill you in a heartbeat....

thank you, I appreciate the information. I was thinking with the weight being so low that a 400hp motor would have this thing running low 11s all day long, and that is more than enough for me!

[mikeinatlanta]

I have about 700. Its purpose is to get me close enough to know how much nitrous I'll need. My money is on needing a 200 shot.

Edit: I have a daily driver. I want a car so over the top dangerous that simply inserting the key into my garage door causes an adrenaline rush.

[1795]

When I was first shopping for a cobra I rode in a Antique's and Collectibles car that had a 351 Windsor in it with 375 horsepower and it had plenty of power to do what ever you wanted Of course that did not stop me from purchasingn ERA with about 500 hp

[Sailfish]

I have a Roush small block (342) that was dyno'd at 450 hp. The car is very easy to drive in traffic and has no overheating issues. However, when you step on the loud peddle, be sure you're aiming where you want to go. Would I like to have more power----yes. Would it be wise to have more power-----no. For my needs and capabilities, 450 is more than adequate. As followup to a previous post------I wouldn't necessarily focus on how much power to shoot for, but instead on the engine type and reliability. Believe me, any competent v8 will give you enough power, but over time you'll want more!!

[Large Arbor]

I hear Foreigners song today about Reving it on the Redline and they mention 400 horses under the hood and that song is older. Its amazing to me the crazy amount of HP being produced today. My ERA puts out over 510 and it seems just right. I too have not yet hit the bottom of the pedal. I keep getting a little closer though. Its shear adrenaline rushing...

Phil

[Three Peaks]

Enders, I responded in the other thread and I'll repeat here what I've said. It seems you're over your head a bit with this Cobra lust.
From your questions and responses, I would suggest you consider installing a 302 with around 275-325 hp until you get the hang of controlling that in a light, short wheel base car like a Cobra. By time you get the hang of that, you may have learned enough about engines and driving a Cobra that a specific horsepower isn't any more than a bragging contest. By then you'll know what you can/can't control and bump up from there.

Lots of guys can easily kill themselves with 300 hp, while others are perfectly able and experienced enough with these cars to handle 500+ horsepower. I don't think you are in the latter group, IMHO.

Bob

[undy]

600 hp from a KC all aluminum 482' side-oiler and... a set of M/T drag radials to use every last tasty drop of it too!!

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by undy

600 hp from a KC all aluminum 482' side-oiler and... a set of M/T drag radials to use every last tasty drop of it too!!

Uhhh, and didn't that "last drop" put you in to the grass off the highway not too long ago?

[CBattaglia]

If you are worried about too much power its probably the wrong car for you. It's built to have an insane power to weight ratio. It's dangerous, cause it's supposed to be.

Maybe a jag is more your speed?

[undy]

Originally Posted by patrickt

Uhhh, and didn't that "last drop" put you in to the grass off the highway not too long ago?

Yep, spastic throttle modulator.

[Joe's Garage]

I think some are missing the point, ender2664 is probably happy with his pecker size so no need to compensate with unusable HP
Joe

[dallas_]

Originally Posted by ender2664

How much are most people running? I am deciding on an engine and am not sure how much power to put in given how light it is and have the car still be able to hook up.

It doesn't matter what most people are running. There are plenty of guys who bought Cobra's with excess horsepower who only drive their cars a few hundred miles then sell them.

Decide what you want to do with your car and get the power that will do what you want the car to do. For street driving 300 hp is way more than enough.

Spend a bit of time with the search feature and you will get the answers to nearly every question you could think to ask about these cars. And hopefully you aren't easily offended. There are a few guys here who like to tease a bit.