I'm still in the market to purchase another Mustang and I'm very much considering a Cobra. Can anyone tell me what Ford changed on the 1999 vs the 98 and back Cobra that produced an extra 15hp and 17tq? From illustrations, the only obvious difference to the engine is the intake manifold. Was that how they gained the power? Thanks again for the help!
They went from a live rear axle to IRS rear, they changed the intake, I believe they changed the heads a lil 2, and different cams. The 99 is heavier then the 98 due to the IRS, so it need that extra hp to keep up
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305 versus 320 HP. 2001 was basically the same as 1999. The real good years are the 2003/2004 with the supercharger. A few simple mods (pulley, etc) will put you reliable in the 550 HP range. Very heavy though with the block now being iron. The IRS can be made to work but requires mods or you will get wheel hop. Another alternative is the Mach 1 that has the Cobra engine but a factory stick axle.
Ok, thanks for the detailed info! It'll make looking for a GT/Cobra that much better.
One other question, can I put the 6 speed from the s/c cobra in the 97? I'm guessing since they're both a 4.6L block it'll just bolt up... maybe with a different bellhousing. Thanks again!
305 versus 320 HP. 2001 was basically the same as 1999. The real good years are the 2003/2004 with the supercharger. A few simple mods (pulley, etc) will put you reliable in the 550 HP range. Very heavy though with the block now being iron. The IRS can be made to work but requires mods or you will get wheel hop. Another alternative is the Mach 1 that has the Cobra engine but a factory stick axle.
The difference between the 1998 and the 1999 is the intake and revised heads (which the intake at first actually decreased power in the 99's)
99 and 01 have a few minor differences. the rear bumper on the 99 says "mustang" and it says "cobra" on the '01. The 99/01's come with a 28 spline IRS. The IRS are not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. In my 04 cobra i put a set of drag radials on it and i never had wheel hop again but bushing do help too. As for the 03/04's you can get them fairly cheap now and are the best performance bang for the buck mustang. some you can find for as low as $20,000 and with 400hp thats a deal. But a simple pulley swap and a few bolt-ons will not get you 550hp, CAI, Catback,tune, and a pulley will get you around 450-460 whp. the Iron block only added about 100 pounds to the car. It's the mixture of the block and supercharger that makes the engine so heavy.
I think I remember hearing about that one. So basically if I'm out shopping for a Cobra and I find a 99, I need to make sure the recall has been performed otherwise I could be in for some disappointment...
Now this raises another question: Can the 1999 Cobra intake (recall version) be used on the 1998 and older to gain some extra HP over the 305 advertised?
I think I remember hearing about that one. So basically if I'm out shopping for a Cobra and I find a 99, I need to make sure the recall has been performed otherwise I could be in for some disappointment...
Now this raises another question: Can the 1999 Cobra intake (recall version) be used on the 1998 and older to gain some extra HP over the 305 advertised?
Yeah I pretty sure almost all the 99's got redone so you shouldn't half to worry about it.
As for the intake question no, The 98 heads will not match up with a 99/01 intake because of a different port design. If you do a 99 head swap on a 98 would be the only way i think.
The '96 - '98 intake is actually far better than the '99 - '01 intake. Ford changed it strictly as a cost reduction. The one-piece manifold was cheaper to produce and install than the far more complex earler manifold. The newer intake actually lowered horsepower, which Ford made up for partly by giving the '99 - '01 Cobras a much freer flowing factory exhaust than the quieter '96 - '98 Cobras. Because of this you gain a lot more horsepower by adding a full aftermarket catback system to a '96 - '98 than you do by adding a full catback to a '99 - '01.
The '96 - '98 intakes had dual intake runners for each cylinder (one short and one long) with butterfly valves in plates mounted between the intake and the heads. Air entered the cylinders through the longer runners only up to 3200 rpms, when the butterflies opened and allowed air to enter the cylinders through both openings at higher rpms. The '96 Cobras had the butterfly valves mounted in machined aluminum plates, then Ford changed the plates to molded plastic as a cost reduction.
People are often afraid of the first year of production, thinking to wait until the second year when the "bugs" have been worked out. But more often all engineering effort leading up to the first year is spent in developing the car, and all efforts after the first year are spent in cost reducing it.
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2008 Shelby GT500 torch red with black stripes + sequentials
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if you go cobra 99 is not the way to go, they actually revised a few things for 01, thats why the 01 is quicker than the 99, the 98 is also quicker than the 99, ford f*cked up in that year only, but most people think they did it to the 01 also but they didnt thats why they skipped a year because too many people were complaining that the 98 was quicker than the 99, so they focused on the R for 2000 and came back strong for 01, and you can get one for cheap, the acv is about 12g's, but the terminator (03-04) is the one, dont go to a dealership though because they still sell for almost 30 grand
Previously mentioned in this forum is that for cost reduction purposes the 96-97 cobras are the best until 2003 because parts that were cheaper to manufacture and assemble were used instead of ford boasting about some of their parts being made by the guys who provide ferrari their parts. Something like that, do a search, and I'm selling my 96 btw with 34k miles on it if you're interested.
1998 Mustang vs 1999 Mustang Cobra 
