My ~700whp M4 vs. 03/04 Redfire Cobra w/ unknown mods

hatchke

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I wish I was out in the Cobra cruising last night instead but ended up running into an unfamiliar redfire Cobra that wanted to play. My personal Cobra would have gotten stomped, but would have been fun haha. Either way had a couple really good runs with him, with this video being the best imo. We tried to go from a lower roll but I have too many traction problems in 3rd only using my street tires at the moment.

My car makes ~700whp with upgraded turbos, full fuel system and associated goodies like big downpipes, exhaust, etc. Weighs just a touch over 3500lbs and I run pretty consistent 6.20-6.30 60-130's in it. I have a new rear setup coming for the car and should probably knock a few tenths off so I can use anti-lag in 3rd, but for all intents and purposes it's a 137-138 trap speed car.

This Cobra was MEAN though and gave me a series of really serious runs, definitely the best i've had in this car. I can't even really guess at his power levels, but it hooked up hard and sounded great. Had Arkansas plates, and kinda hoping he's here on the forum somewhere because that's the most fun i've had in my M.
 

LS WUT

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This one is supposed to be my faster car too! Maybe I need to push the Cobra to a new level, even though I just got it to a good stopping point lol. Turbo time?
:eek: that would be insane haha. I couldn’t even imagine that one. I support the hustle though !
 

hatchke

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:eek: that would be insane haha. I couldn’t even imagine that one. I support the hustle though !

haha we'll see. My bank account is saying "please stop" so it'll be at least a next year project at this rate. It's very firmly on my list of things to do either way,

In the meantime I still have a 3" pulley and need some bigger injectors so I have some projects to tinker with


Very! I think if he was able to really hammer those shifts I don't know how much I would have even pulled. Power for power we were really even.
 

hatchke

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Well done. You have a fast car.
Thanks! Seeing the Cobra move out the first time I wasn't sure how it would turn out lol. Based on the speed of my ~700whp Cobra this other one had to be upper 700's at least. I wish I got to check his setup.

What year is your M4?
It's a base model '15 with a 6mt. It's been a lot of fun and definitely surprises a lot of people.

Its always fun running into random fast car on the street, especially a terminator.

Seriously, I was so excited for him to run up on me. I see so so few terminators around my area, especially ones this well sorted out
 

68gtscode

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Great video, thanks for sharing. It’s awesome to see a couple nice cars engaged in a speed competition out in the wilds! It’s also a testament to the Terminator, still holding its own some 20 years later.
 

hatchke

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Great video, thanks for sharing. It’s awesome to see a couple nice cars engaged in a speed competition out in the wilds! It’s also a testament to the Terminator, still holding its own some 20 years later.

Absolutely, glad to share. I still wish I had been in my Cobra just to measure it up a little bit, but I know he would have walked on it. My '04 is no slouch either, so he's up to something pretty serious haha. It's hard to believe they're that old now, but I've also wanted one ever since I had my '99 GT in the mid-2000's.
 

TurboV3nomVa

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I rode in a friends M4 recently, bone stock but was impressed with it overall. It's not something I would personally own but def a cool platform
 

hatchke

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Do you like driving your M4 more than your Whippled '04 Cobra? Probably, since it's a 2015, faster, and has more tech. You're fortunate to own both. (y)

It's a good question and one i've been thinking about recently.

I was just talking about it to my spouse yesterday when i got back from a quick drive in the Cobra. The M4 is more "impressive" from the outside but I really prefer driving the Cobra. It's a little slower but it's just so much more fun to drive for me. It has this connected raw feeling, and I appreciate it for all it's faults. It rides rough, pops, creaks and still needs some work. It's more approachable and also a car that doesn't have to feel perfect to me to really enjoy it. Power delivery is insane, with the SRA is wants to keep moving straight and makes all the right sounds.

The M4 is quite a bit faster in basically every driving condition (except for a dig, because i'd probably instantly break an axle) super comfortable and very very easy to drive. It's not quite as engaging, and doesn't really grab you. It's a little harder to build a connection with and it's hard to explain, but it never really feels like it likes you. I need to replace the rear-end bushings with some poly stuff, and get some solid traction arms, because the IRS is a little unpredictable at these power levels.

I enjoy the compliant ride, having seat heaters and all the technological advances, but I also very intentionally got a base model. So it doesn't have any lane departure, blind spot detection, or any of that other crap. It's also truly horrific to work on, I can't stand wrenching on this car, while I've dug into almost every aspect of the Cobra and would do so again.

M4 is great for impressing people but I feel like the Cobra embodies me a lot better. It's not pretentious, it doesn't do a lot of things very well but you can tell it's a special vehicle when you're behind the wheel. That's a big part of me needing to get another one after my '03 burned down. I just needed to actually realize that daydream I used to have of having a modified 03/04 Cobra from decades ago at this point.
 

CobraBob

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I'm not surprised by your reply, Mike. It reminds me back when I had my '03 Cobra (ported Eaton) and I compared it to my son-in-law's 2006 Z06 which was making almost the same power (and was more refined) but I much more enjoyed the rawness of my Cobra. So if I owned that Z06 as well, I would say that I more enjoyed driving my Cobra simply because it felt more connected and had a nice rawness.
 

68gtscode

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I have a 68 fastback with an FE… technically it is slow and drives like crap, but it is more fun than a barrel of monkeys driving around. It makes lots of noise and smoke from the back tires, and looks good doing it. Just don’t expect me to race any of the new muscle cars in it… I have a TT coyote for that :)

Apples and oranges I know, but somewhat akin to the OP’s comparison of the M4 vs Terminator?
 

hatchke

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I'm not surprised by your reply, Mike. It reminds me back when I had my '03 Cobra (ported Eaton) and I compared it to my son-in-law's 2006 Z06 which was making almost the same power (and was more refined) but I much more enjoyed the rawness of my Cobra. So if I owned that Z06 as well, I would say that I more enjoyed driving my Cobra simply because it felt more connected and had a nice rawness.

Absolutely, there's just something to it. Especially when you have an affinity for these vehicles. I went through two GT500's a few years ago (07-09's) and while I really liked them I just don't miss them like I know i'd miss a Terminator. GT500's are smoother, more comfortable, easier to drive but it's just not as "good" of a car to me.

I have a 68 fastback with an FE… technically it is slow and drives like crap, but it is more fun than a barrel of monkeys driving around. It makes lots of noise and smoke from the back tires, and looks good doing it. Just don’t expect me to race any of the new muscle cars in it… I have a TT coyote for that :)

Apples and oranges I know, but somewhat akin to the OP’s comparison of the M4 vs Terminator?

Totally in the same vein. A TT coyote checks so many boxes with having insane power, drivability, comfort and technological niceties. I've never driven a '68 but I bet there's just not much like it. I love a simple vehicle that's about making the right noises and providing a special experience while driving. That's a big part of why we all do this stuff right? All chasing something, whether it's the process of a build, trying to be faster or trying to have a good time.
 

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