Is your Cobra your daily driver? (How's the Cobra clutch for daily driving?)

[JRock]

Kind of a weird question, but I'm kind of a weird buyer. Well, basically I want performance but I want comfort too. A bit of a wuss I guess.

I remember reading reviews of the '03 Cobra mentioning a ridiculously strong clutch pedal effort and of course the slightly awkward shifter position as reasons why they wouldn't consider it a daily driver vehicle.

I was sitting in a Pontiac GTO in a showroom yesterday and worked the clutch pedal a bit with my foot and basically came to the conclusion, "Who the hell would want to deal with this clutch every day?"

If the Cobra's clutch is anywhere near as heavy as that one I'll cross it off my shortlist of possibles for my next car.

I really like what the Cobra offers and it fits my price range, but I definitely don't want a car that's uncomfortable to drive.

I have a FWD beater car ('98 Pontiac Grand Am) for bad weather days, so a RWD daily driver in Maryland will be fine for most of the year. I work with Acuras all the time and Honda manual transmissions are a dream to drive. Effortless clutch and smooth smooth shifting.

I guess I could go down to the local Ford dealer and see for myself, but I was hoping to save a little time and get some owner opinions since you guys drive them if not every day then every week.

Are your Cobras your daily drivers? If so, how do you rate the clutch effort and gearbox? Keep in mind I'm not a body builder so I don't enjoy working out to drive my car (aka I'm a wimp). ;-)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Orange Poison]

Cobra's clutch is heavy as hell....big time.

 

[Juiced-03]

My Cobra has been my daily driver for almost 2 years now. Stock clutch still and grabs like the first day I bought it. It has never been launched at the track or street though, and I never bang gears so that could be why it still bites. But yes the clutch is very stiff, especially in stop and go traffic. It may not be the best daily driver in the world, but it really doesn't bother me anymore. The newer runs have lighter clutch pedals, so really all you have to do is test drive them to get the light pedal version.

 

[vbguy01]

The clutch is heavy duty...but so is the car. Comes with the territory I guess. I drove a friend's Honda and it was ridiculously weak as was the throw. I use mine as a daily driver and love every second of driving it. Best thing I've ever purchased to date.

 

[Zinc03Cobra]

my cobra is my ONLY driver right now. I love it, the clutch feels fine.. Mine seems pretty stiff, but that's fine by me. grabs like a *mo fo* in every gear

 

[LTHL VNM]

the ones i have driven have all been stiff as hell.........but i am a fan of a stiff clutch so it didn't bother me at all.

 

[cobra_4]

I drove mine everyday for about four months before I got my powerstroke. I didn't mind it at all. I took it to the Grand Rod Run last fall and I drove it in bumper to bumper traffic for hours and hours and hours and I never got tired of it. As for shifting smooth mine can be a little bit of a pain to get in gears every now and then but I am gonna fix that with a shifter this fall.

 

[JRock]

Okay so it sounds for me like "Get a leg press machine or get another car" eh? :-D

 

[Ricks2003Cobra]

Clutch is stiff. When worn out , get a Centerforce, it is very easy.

 

[flyn high again]

I've driven mine nearly every day for almost a year now. The only hassle is extended stop and go traffic but any clutch is a pain in Chicago bumper to bumper. The power more than makes up for any clutch pedal shortcomings as far as I'm concerned. Of course, the Cobra is not a car for wusses. I think it was Maxim that had an article where a guy and a girl tested the '03 Cobra. The guy liked it, the girl said it was too much car for her. She said she would feel "safe" with any guy who drove a Terminator.

 

[Ystang99gt]

I drive mine everyday and it is a blast to drive. The clutch at first feels tough but I got used to it immediately. In real bad traffic it could be a little bothersome but once you get out of traffic and just touch the gas (instant boost) its all worth it. Do yourself a favor and test srive the gto and the Cobra i promise after you drive the cobra you'll definitely want one.

 

[TXFLYME1]

I got the chance to drive my friend's Passat-I damn nearly put my foot through the floor board when I hit the clutch. Shifter really sucked too-super light and just plain weak. I wouldn't trade my clutch feel or pro 5.0 for anything!

 

[Chris_H]

Well for what it's worth, I have had my car just under a month now. Already close to 2600 miles. I think this is one of the better feeling clutches I have had. I have an 87' LX with a Car Quest clutch in it of all things, and its pretty heavy. My wife hates it. I let her drive the Cobra the other night for the first time, and she loved the clucth. She is all of 5'1". She drove it for about 15 miles, and had no complaints about it. I don't see it being an issue as a daily driver. If you want power and don't want to deal with the heavy clutch that goes with it, you might consider getting a different car with an automatic. Just my thought.

Chris

 

[Cobra03]

I drive mine everyday and have honestly never even thought about it. No problem for me - I don't even notice it.

My wifes hates it though and will not drvie the car as a result.

 

[jk03cobra]

The clutch is stiff and I love every minute of it. :rockon:

 

[Vaelin]

Daily driver. California Bay area bumper-to-bumper traffic.

It's a heavy clutch, and its a little tiresome at times (over 30 mins of constant start-stop). But then of course, once things open up, it ALL goes away.

 

[j card]

I commute with mine every day - I don't think the clutch is that stiff - I don't even think about it or notice it at all. It ain't a Honda clutch, but a heavy duty car comes with heavy duty parts. The transmission shifting is heavier than others too, but when you're used to it, it's no big deal. I think the only guys that complain about the shifting and clutch effort are the ones that are used to driving weak import stuff.

 

[Venix]

i just got mine 2 weeks ago, and the clutch is real heavy, but i would not have it any other way. My leg was soar for a few days, but u get used to it real fast. I dont like having the car for a daily driver, but it is fun when u see a lil Z28 on the road that wants to play. I got a vert too...i decided that if its my daily car, i might a well enjoy the weather. James

 

[03DSGSVT]

Well, a couple of things, not to um.... Well, my wife daily drives the Cobra... :coolman:, I drive the beater tow rig Bronco.

She loves the car, but hated my 93 coupe with the FMS King Cobra clutch in it. (Way stiff!)

The clutch is definitely the stiffest one in a Mustang I have driven, and keep in mind the GTO probably has the identical transmission/clutch that the Cobra has... (T-56.)

Also

I work with Acuras all the time and Honda manual transmissions are a dream to drive. Effortless clutch and smooth smooth shifting.

Keep in mind too the transmission in the Cobra is more of a race type transmission, so it will be a bit notchier than say a Honda, or Acura.

Heck, I installed an aftermarket one in mine, and it is even notchier now!! Woo hoo! Just personal preference.

Another car you may consider is the Mach one. You will get the performance of a Cobra (N/A), and you can get an Automatic...
If you are interested in a 5pd only, then the clutch will be lighter in the Mach, but it too can be a bit notchy...

 

[Silver10thAConv]

I drive my Cobra daily, in fact, it's my work car. I've put over 10K miles on it in the last 6 months. The clutch is the heaviest of any Mustang I've owned but you don't notice it unless your in heavy stop and go traffic. It's not too bad. My little 5' tall girl friend doesn't mind it. She loves to drive my car. Any small annoyances these cars have you forget the first time you do a 1st -3rd gear full throttle blast. Test drive one. You'll see what I(we) mean.