Which Spring For Course Racing
- Thread starter shb5007
- Start date
The brand makes no difference what so ever.
Do you have coil overs or regular springs?
Do you have coil overs or regular springs?
Racing?? Really?? .........Or track events??
If you are racing and you don't have a totally gutted extensively lightened car with coil overs and 14" front brakes you are going to get curb stomped by the competition.
03/04 Cobras are really not competitive in any of the classes that they are assigned to, that I have seen.
I suggest you forget about racing one and just have fun with it at track events or time trials. They are very fun cars to track if you can keep them from over heating.
Without 14" brakes be prepared to buy lots of brake pads, and rotors.(and even with them lots of tires and fuel)
Just run it the way it is at at least 4 or 5 events before you spend a bunch of money on it. I'm still on stock springs and shocks and still have a ball when I go out.
Unless you have previous race experience it will take you that long to get to the point where you are driving anywhere near the car limit anyway.
If you have a need to one of the fastest guys in your run group, you are going to have problems. In the beginning it's much more about the driver and his/her skill than the equipment.
Jimmy speaks the truth.
That said, H&R race springs are ok if you are going to run a street tire....something 140tw or harder.
H&R race springs are woefully inadequate for an 03-04 full weight Cobra on track rubber. They are too soft, and way too low.....even with MM urethane isos. Once you go to a sticky tire, you will be bottoming the suspension in high G turns, not to mention turns where there are pavement transitions on road course ovals.
I have posted this pic a few times on here. I'm sure the others are bored of it. This is HR Race springs on MM isos, and fresh V710's...
That said, H&R race springs are ok if you are going to run a street tire....something 140tw or harder.
H&R race springs are woefully inadequate for an 03-04 full weight Cobra on track rubber. They are too soft, and way too low.....even with MM urethane isos. Once you go to a sticky tire, you will be bottoming the suspension in high G turns, not to mention turns where there are pavement transitions on road course ovals.
I have posted this pic a few times on here. I'm sure the others are bored of it. This is HR Race springs on MM isos, and fresh V710's...
Jimmy speaks the truth.
That said, H&R race springs are ok if you are going to run a street tire....something 140tw or harder.
H&R race springs are woefully inadequate for an 03-04 full weight Cobra on track rubber. They are too soft, and way too low.....even with MM urethane isos. Once you go to a sticky tire, you will be bottoming the suspension in high G turns, not to mention turns where there are pavement transitions on road course ovals.
I have posted this pic a few times on here. I'm sure the others are bored of it. This is HR Race springs on MM isos, and fresh V710's...
Oh...wow...thanks for all the good info everyone.
Sorry, I did mean to say just fun events...not actually racing. :sleeping:
I will definitely keep my stock shocks and springs for a while.
So are there any stiffer springs available? or are coil-overs the only logical choice for racing tires?
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Are you going to run the Focus? That would be a fun car to start with.
I have a '90GT with an IRS, so I am running Terminator H&R race springs. They are the stiffest you will find for an IRS that H&R sells, or any other brands for conventional springs that I have seen. My car is lighter at around 3350lbs vs a Terminator, and I still see a lot of lean in photos of my car. I have debated on trying some H&R super race springs on the front, or going to a bigger sway bar. In either event I plant to get rid of another 100lbs which should in essence create the feeling of a stiffer spring. More than likely I will try a Steeda front bar, which is 15% stiffer than stock and 4lbs lighter. I don't think the struts I have can handle stiffer springs, and I don't want to buy new ones yet.
In any event I don't think that H&R race springs are good racing spring. However they are better than the stock ones. If you really plan to run the Cobra at a pace to compete with Vettes, Porsches and such that are well driven, I would go with a coil over kit. Minimum 400lbs front, 600lbs rear.
I have a '90GT with an IRS, so I am running Terminator H&R race springs. They are the stiffest you will find for an IRS that H&R sells, or any other brands for conventional springs that I have seen. My car is lighter at around 3350lbs vs a Terminator, and I still see a lot of lean in photos of my car. I have debated on trying some H&R super race springs on the front, or going to a bigger sway bar. In either event I plant to get rid of another 100lbs which should in essence create the feeling of a stiffer spring. More than likely I will try a Steeda front bar, which is 15% stiffer than stock and 4lbs lighter. I don't think the struts I have can handle stiffer springs, and I don't want to buy new ones yet.
In any event I don't think that H&R race springs are good racing spring. However they are better than the stock ones. If you really plan to run the Cobra at a pace to compete with Vettes, Porsches and such that are well driven, I would go with a coil over kit. Minimum 400lbs front, 600lbs rear.
I also ran H&R Race Springs on my 99 Cobra. They worked great on track for years until I stepped up to R-Comps (100 treadwear and lower tires). As Troy and other stated, at that point they begin to show that they are not quite stiff enough for hard, hard track duty.
Stick with the stock springs until you get to the point of NEEDING to go to coilovers. And although you will not like staying with the stock 4x4 look, don't spend the money unless you find a justification to spend it.
-Kevin
Stick with the stock springs until you get to the point of NEEDING to go to coilovers. And although you will not like staying with the stock 4x4 look, don't spend the money unless you find a justification to spend it.
-Kevin
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