Saleen S281E vs 03 Cobra, who in their right mind would buy a saleen!

[Poisonous Mods]

2V. from Saleen ( in the hands of the few ). but its also the driver. Dyno numbers do reflect what u can get on the track & or the potential of the what u can get.
4V. 03Cobras the way right now.

Saleen messed up when they dis-conntinued the 351w.

 

[Poisonous Mods]

2V. from Saleen ( in the hands of the few ). but its also the driver. Dyno numbers do reflect what u can get on the track & or the potential of the what u can get.
4V. 03Cobras the way right now.

Saleen messed up when they dis-conntinued the 351w.

 

[hj16]

are you stupid? quarter mile times are directly reldated to the dyno. provided you have traction, more power=lower et...i

wrong. Horsepower means jack shit in the 1/4. John Edwards' 2V GT is proof of this. When he ran 11.99 in his Auto he only had 286rwhp/286rwtq. While on the other hand a stock 360+rwhp Cobra runs mid 12s. Gear ratios are what make good 1/4 times, not raw power.

i was just saying that u take a cobra and with a kenne bell exhaust and nittos ($40,000),

I can see that you are a true ricer at heart. "Well I can take my car and add this, this, and this and I'll beat your car. And I would've payed 10K less." We are talking stock for stock. Sure you could slap on a KB and access. for 6K, and to make it fair, I'll slap on a T76 turbo for 6K. There, thats fair. But nobody cares about modded vs. stock. I could even find some beater 5.0 and spend 10K on it run 10s and I'd be about 22K richer than your Cobra. But I'm sure that you dont care, you might think its errelevant. And thats my point. Who Cares?

who would pay that much for a car that has a motor that is almost "maxed out"? just pointing out that its a lot easier to make big power with 4v heads

So a 2V engine tops out at 445bhp? Wow thats weird cause I could swear I've seen some 600+rwhp 2V GTs running around. Hell, we even have one on our site. Jimmy V's 2V GT is putting out 600~rwhp.

Each car has their up and downsides. But the E is the superior Mustang in this comparison. Stock for Stock.

 

[11secCobra]

i bet that auto GT had a big ass stall, and im sure he had some sticky tires...whereas a cobra has just about ZERO traction

who races their car completely stock? didnt think so...

im sure it took a whole hell of a lot of money to get that much power out of a 2v, whereas it takes a smaller pulley, and a 125 shot to do that on an 03 cobra

 

[jhwalker]

Originally posted by NastyWS6
I would buy the Saleen if money wasn't an object just because of the re-sale value being a lot higher. But since It is I will be buying a regular 03 Cobra

WS6 -- when are you buying? As one of the most prolific posters, it's time!
JW

 

[bunk22]

As long as we are magazine racing, wouldn't the mph in the quarter be more indictative of the power of a car? I've yet to see a stock 281E best the mph of a stock 03 Cobra. I've seen a bit quicker 1/4 time on slicks though. I still think there is more potential in the DOHC of the Cobra over the SOHC of the E. The E needs that more effecient supercharger to be competitve with the Cobra. I for one would definitely take a Cobra over a Saleen, unless of course they were still making the 500hp S351 :coolman:

 

[Alabama Snake]

Originally posted by norcal_cobra
I briefly considered the Saleen and Roush. I didn't want a way overpriced maxed out 2-valve GT. These cars are a really "bad buy" to me. Instead I opted for the 03 Cobra with high mod potential for low investment[/QUOTE

I'm at my dealer waiting to pick up my wife's car, killing time in the showroom. They have a great looking black '03 sitting there with a 34.5K sticker. Next to it is a Saleen, not sure what level, supercharged 2V, for 42.5K

Let's see......8K more, at LEAST 40 HP less, 2V engine, 5 speed trans......which should I buy?

:idea:

 

[Snake Eyes]

It is time for every one to chill, lets look at this logically. The Cobra is cheaper and has greater potential. The Saleen is more collectable and would be a better drag car out of the box. I am willing to bet the cobra would beat it on a road course but there is no proof either way. If you put 1/4 the difference between the two in to the cobra the cobra wins all performance events. And those that are talking about building up a fox are not comparing apples to apples here. We are talking about SN95+ dally driver friendly, well mannered street car, not a fox with a stroker and slicks. I think the Cobra is a great car and yes I do think Saleen is in trouble his cars are over priced and he is loosing market share. But if I had 281E kinda bank burnin a hole in my pocket I wouldn't be buying a Mustang period. Oh I would have one in the garage too but I would have my eye on a GT40, a Viper, or something even more exotic, cause if you are going for collect-ability and prestige you can do a lot better for the cash than a Saleen. Cause when you get right down to it a Saleen is not much more than an Uber GT, and a Cobra is that in a different way. We are all driving Fairmonts here folks! Pick your flavor and have fun!

Cheers,

Kyle

 

[Sin]

Put my money on the Termiantor...for all its worth.

 

[99SVTcobraVERT]

lets see... more top end aero. just the name that brings chills,nice a** catback factory,factory x pipe, bad a** 18x9's maybe even 18x10's, live axle, p7000 orp zero's. nice nice nice racecraft suspension. 200mph speedo, #'d 1/5th or better less than 03 cobra's made,twin screw lysholm s/c... 375bhp which i have not seen on dyno YET with the twin screw, so we dont know if its under rated.... 375 coming in at 5800rpm, 415 torque coming in at 3500rpm. hmm whats not to like ? sticker to sticker is 375 vs 390. which bs sticker to bs sticker is 15bhp difference not 40. 03 cobra makes 359-378rwhp from what ive seen on here. im guessing the 03 saleen will make 330's EASY and all day long, prob evn 340's with the twin screw. maybe more we have yet to see....

 

[Cobra10thaniv]

Well seems everyone looks at the sticker rather than what a saleen actually sell for. We had bought a saleen many! thousand under sticker and I have seen others at the dealership that are 2 years old still there and they take cuts of 13,000 bucks, so If u dont blieve me look at your dupont registry. So Saleens are affordable, thats how our family picked up a 2000 Saleen rather than a GT. Now I love the Cobra so I bought the 03 aniversery model. The old ones before with out the supercharger, easy would have bought anther Saleen to park next to the old one. Matter of fact I almost did just because of the cost was so0000 cheap they wanted to get rid of the older models.

But now look everything the cobra has. My wife knows how much I like the looks of the Saleen, but she was right just buy that dang cobra! Everthing is there, If you really want the looks the pick up a kit. Mechanically the cobra was buit for the power plus six speed , IRS wich Saleen doesnt. When these cars are old wich ones will be worth most? I think the cobra just a little extra ins I bought the convert with 10th aniv option. There both great only thing is I wish i knew how to lower the cobra to the Saleen level with out going to a lighter spring and ride problems when i look at the saleen wow just right ride hight.

 

[ssssnake]

Originally posted by Poisonous Mods
Well see NOS point of view. Saleen has the plates reading "only in the hands of the few" or some shit like that. Its about right. Spend that kind of cash? Humm no its like a Vette or very closely related to a Vipers Range.

My 03. Mods & Mods & lots of it. Plus its fun to see what u can do with the parts u decide to Mod on & at the end its still cheaper.

I'ts that saying "power in the hands of a few" is what's pissed my husband off about Saleen. The Mustang's selling point is that it's affordable. So here's my theory: $$$$$$$$ or Cobra

I'll keep my blue lady thank you.

 

[Blade]

Originally posted by Poisonous Mods

Saleen messed up when they dis-conntinued the 351w.

I thought they discontinued it bcz Ford quit making the motor? Something about EPA standards? :shrug:

Originally posted by Alabama Snake
Let's see......8K more, at LEAST 40 HP less, 2V engine, 5 speed trans......which should I buy?

:idea:

Actually the S281E has a T56, not a 5 spd. Also, the price on the "E" has more than a 445bhp 2V (a highly evolved 2V with forged internals) involved. As I mentioned, it comes with the 6spd, but it also has Recaro seats, big brakes (4 piston I believe), and just about everything else in the Saleen catalog. I am not saying it's a better deal -- that is a matter of personal opinion. I am just trying to point out that in addition to the exclusivity of Saleens (as has been mentioned), you are getting a Mustang with every Saleen option.

 

[StangD281]

Originally posted by hj16
wrong. Horsepower means jack shit in the 1/4. John Edwards' 2V GT is proof of this. When he ran 11.99 in his Auto he only had 286rwhp/286rwtq. While on the other hand a stock 360+rwhp Cobra runs mid 12s. Gear ratios are what make good 1/4 times, not raw power.

I can see that you are a true ricer at heart. "Well I can take my car and add this, this, and this and I'll beat your car. And I would've payed 10K less." We are talking stock for stock. Sure you could slap on a KB and access. for 6K, and to make it fair, I'll slap on a T76 turbo for 6K. There, thats fair. But nobody cares about modded vs. stock. I could even find some beater 5.0 and spend 10K on it run 10s and I'd be about 22K richer than your Cobra. But I'm sure that you dont care, you might think its errelevant. And thats my point. Who Cares?

So a 2V engine tops out at 445bhp? Wow thats weird cause I could swear I've seen some 600+rwhp 2V GTs running around. Hell, we even have one on our site. Jimmy V's 2V GT is putting out 600~rwhp.

Each car has their up and downsides. But the E is the superior Mustang in this comparison. Stock for Stock.

:thumbsup:

 

[hj16]

i bet that auto GT had a big ass stall, and im sure he had some sticky tires...whereas a cobra has just about ZERO traction

Correct, but you said that 1/4 times are directly related to the dyno. So you're contradicting yourself now?
Zero traction in an 03? Learn how to drive it. Its called slipping the clutch not dropping it.

who races their car completely stock? didnt think so...

More people than you think obviously. I myself cant wait to start modding, but I'm gonna wait and squeeze out the lowest ET I can from a stock 03. And once again. modded vs, stock = nobody cares.

im sure it took a whole hell of a lot of money to get that much power out of a 2v

Lets see: Jimmy's (power adding) mod list-

ATI F-1 16psi
3-Core Intercooler
Bullitt Intake
Fox Lake Heads
8.5:1 compression
3" MAC exhaust
Custom Tune

It all equals 640rwhp through an Auto. And the power is there all the time, unlike your 03 with a 125shot. And you cant say that weight is a factor either as his GT weighs 3,700lbs.

whereas it takes a smaller pulley, and a 125 shot to do that on an 03 cobra

:lol: :lol: Good luck with that.

 

[99SVTcobraVERT]

blade he was comparing it to a s281sc not the E. so it does indeed have a 5spd. and also is prob comparing in his mind to the roots sh*tty series III eaton, compared to the much more efficent lyshold twin screw they use now. you want to talk about under rated? they slap on more efficent blower, bigger fan equipped intercooler and only increase power from 365 to 375 this year? 10hp for twin screw and new i/c that gets rid of even more btu's? i dont think so... wait till we can see on on dyno before we start saying how slow it may or may not be...

 

[99SVTcobraVERT]

125 shot? is anyone even spraying that big on 03 cobra with small pulley????????????????????????????????????????? not being smart a** just curious, that seems like a little much.. 125 wet shot would add a whole lot more than 125 to the tires on blown car...

 

[shanker]

Saleen and Roush are niche products for a specific type of buyer. If you dont want one dont buy one but it's foolish to bag on someone who does buy one. BTW Roush does QC work for Ford and also does some engineering SVT for so you've got a little Roush in your Cobra which isnt a bad thing. Some people wonder why a Stage 3 Roush costs @$50K. Well it's because they spent $6M in research before they ever built a car. They have to recoupe that cost somehow dont they? If you want a premium car you'll pay a premium price. I think it's a more than fair price for what it is. BTW the Roush recoded computer can tell if you accidentally put 87 octane in and automatically adjust the A|F ratio to compensate. Thats how much research went into the car.


Buy what you like and make no excuses:burnout:

 

[RossSVT]

Let's see $63 K plus for a Saleen S281E, $33,000 for a Cobra?

Yeah you should get all of the suff everyone is listing and more! Just not that significant of a difference for the extra $30K or so. Now what type of mod's could you do with lets say half of that? And what would the performance be?

 

[jonas]

if u really want the saleen looks blow 2 g and get the saleen kit painted and installed on your cobra.

I would like to quote my dealer when he says theres 2 kinds of "premium mustang buyers, posers and the guys who choose the new cobra" of course we were comparing the non sc saleen and cobra which are just a grand or so apart. (base saleen with no options mind you)