Traction?

[CobraboyDR]

I’ve got an 289 FIA with a 306 putting out 330 RWHP and 320 TQ. Tires are FRT 245/45 17s. RR 275/40 17s. I’ve yet been to 1/4 mile the car, but I can light them up when I want to no problem. I can also accelerate like a rocket sled without any tire spin, depending on what I do with my feet.

(On my soapbox)

I am constantly amazed about how many people don't understand what horsepower and torque really are.

Anything over 400hp in a 2300lb. car is nearly absurd and makes these cars more than a handful to operate on the streets safely. Especially in damp, wet or cold tire conditions.

I know, I know, some people can do it. Some can launch on dragstrips and go straight. Most can't. And overall it is not nearly as enjoyable to drive a Cobra with huge power vs. one that is under 400hp. It's like shooting a .50 Desert Eagle vs. a slick 9mm.

Carroll Shelby himself has stated a 289 slab side was much more fun to drive than any 427 was, and they had what? 271-320hp, depending?

You can't put enough tire on a 450+hp 2300lb Cobra to ensure traction.

My SPF had a 525hp/535tq side oiler in it, and weight 2450lbs wet. I had to make sure it was lined up straight before slamming the skinny pedal, less my rear view mirror became the front. Yes, fun, but I knew I had to be much, much more careful lest a bad outcome would certainly result. Too much throttle or too little clutch and squirrelly didn't define it.

My first Cobra, a 2350lb. CMC, had a 350hp 351w. Bubba, lemme tell you: it was stinkin' fast, and actually more fun to drive hard because I didn't have to worry much about being overpowered when I didn't want it. And my butt dyno couldn't tell all that much difference, friends and wives and girlfriends couldn't notice a big difference, and folks sharing the road couldn't tell, and priests still prayed they'd survive when I got it on.

We built an SPF for a guy who wanted a 570hp/600tq 460 crate motor in it and could not be persuaded otherwise. Besides being literally impossible to change spark plugs without raising the engine, It was also nearly impossible to adequately control that car, and last I heard he scared the bejeezus out of himself with the wifely babe as co-pilot, and it ended up just sitting in his garage.

We built an SPF for a guy with a 375hp 351w crate motor from Ford. An absolute blast to drive. There is nothing like a 6-7000rpm screamer. Loved it.

We built a nice SPF roadster, no side pipes, scoop or rollbar, with a strong 375hp 428PI, lots of torque. Very, very pleasant car to drive on the street, with more grunt than a sane man would want when you added some serious throttle.

IMO, the "sweet spot" for power in one of these cars is 350-400hp from a small block, a .64OD Tremec and 3.73 gears. They are light cars so gobs of torque isn't necessary to launch. They'll wind past 6000rpm. The 3.73 give a fantastic stoplight-to-stoplight performance, and the .64OD allows relaxed highway cruising at speed.

The only problem is the original 427's had FE's in them, and the small blocks seem a little out of place in a 427 replica.

(Off soapbox)