Why are the '03/'04 Cobras so heavy?

[92StangMan]

I did a quick search and couldn't really find much of an answer, so figured I would ask. After reading through some magazines and looking at the sigs with the raceweight listed, there haven't been any under 3,700lbs. At least the majority are not as I may have overlooked a few.

Why are they so damn heavy? Anyway to get it sub 3,500lbs without whoring up the interior?

 

[Pred_mech]

its the iron block and IRS, and the seats.

 

[stangfreak]

what he said.

 

[Bob Cosby]

The blower and associated stuff doesn't help with the weight either.

You can down to 3500 without getting too crazy, but it will take work, and like all mods, there are compromises to make. For me, I went to a live axle (around 90-100 lbs off), rear seat delete (~35 lb net reduction), and a set of Summit seats (not the race seats, saved about 25-30 lbs). A set of lightweight wheels can net you 50-70 lbs off, and removing the swaybar at the track is another 15 or so. Of course, little things like the spare and running with only a few gallons of gas helps too.

 

[stangfreak]

bob what kind of light weight rims do you recommend?

 

[360R]

4 valve heads, M112 Blower, IRS, Seats.... thats all there is to it...

 

[Bob Cosby]

bob what kind of light weight rims do you recommend?

Shew....numerous options. None will fit over the stock brakes (with the exception of Bogarts - which have what amounts to a spacer welded to the wheel). For my 99, I installed a set of Baer Serious Street brakes, which allowed me to fit a 15x4 Centerline Convo Pro. That's not the lightest wheel out there, but you can retain the stock lugs, as it is a one-piece wheel (that by itself saves weight, as long studs are going to be heavier than short studs).

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[PhillyCobra]

In addition to the iron block, SC, IRS, T56, etc, the basic unibody on these cars was designed way before sophisiticated computer assisted design, resulting in a really heavy chassis for the size of the car. The damned stereo ways a ton, too. Each wheel and tire weighs 52 pounds! Lightest wheel I know of that fits these cars is SSR Competition (18 x 9.5) at 16 pounds, available at TireRack.

 

[CobraBob]

Like Bob mentioned above, probably the biggest weight loss is swapping the IRS for a solid rear. But getting down to 3500 lbs. is going to be a challenge if you intend to drive the car daily.

 

[4.6speed]

I did a quick search and couldn't really find much of an answer, so figured I would ask. After reading through some magazines and looking at the sigs with the raceweight listed, there haven't been any under 3,700lbs. At least the majority are not as I may have overlooked a few.

Why are they so damn heavy? Anyway to get it sub 3,500lbs without whoring up the interior?

Most of the extra weight resides in the big fat leather wrapped steering wheel.

 

[JerseySVT]

Shew....numerous options. None will fit over the stock brakes (with the exception of Bogarts - which have what amounts to a spacer welded to the wheel).

I just got a set of Diamond Racing wheels. 16x10. They fit perfectly over the stock brakes. :beer:

 

[stangfreak]

QUOTE " SSR Competition (18 x 9.5) at 16 pounds"

i have to check those out. 16 lbs are you sure?

 

[akinomka]

ANOTHER SPAMMER BANNED

 

[Bob Cosby]

I just got a set of Diamond Racing wheels. 16x10. They fit perfectly over the stock brakes. :beer:

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. None will fit over the stock FRONT BRAKES. You can put Centerline 15x8s on the rear with no modifications. Besides that, thought I'm not real familier with them, I'm doubting those Diamond Wheels saved you much (if any) weight.

 

[PhillyCobra]

I was a little off on the SSR Competitions-- it's 16 pounds (honest!) for 17 x 8.5 and 17.5 pounds for 18 x 9.5. TireRack has both.

Check out this web site, too:

http://www.wheelweights.net

 

[BenD]

Simple

This is a production car for the most part and if they concentrated on lighter many of us wouldn't be able to afford it, including me. Look at the some of the materials used in the new Z-06 and then look at the price.

Ford's new GT has some of the space age materials!

 

[JerseySVT]

I'm sorry, I should have been more clear. None will fit over the stock FRONT BRAKES. You can put Centerline 15x8s on the rear with no modifications. Besides that, thought I'm not real familier with them, I'm doubting those Diamond Wheels saved you much (if any) weight.

Oh, ok. May bad.

They are actually a lot lighter then stock. I haven't weighed them, but they feel significantly lighter.