What to do...
 

I have a question for you guys. I have a 2001 cobra and don't know what to do next. I have a mac h pipe and magnaflow catback. The next thing I am going to do is wheels. From there on out i am stumped. what are some bolt on's that will give me good results.

LT's!

4.10s and a tune.

LT's, 4.30's (its a damn 4v!), and a tune.

work on that IRS. Beef it up with Maximum Motorsports IRS goodies. You'll be glad you did. I was.

i like this idea, also the gears, but what good are 4.30's gonna do me? What about gas mileage how is that affected, and also what exactly do gears do gain wise, is it merely the feeling or does it actually improve performance... also gear install, can i do that on my own?

What gears do is help you get into your powerband quicker by rotating the wheels less per revolution of the driveshaft... so yeah they do increase acceleration. And gear install is a very tricky thing. It comes highly recomended that you have a shop professionally install them... a shop who is used to doing them preferably! Your gas mileage will not be effected usually, unless you do alot of highway driving (because you will now be at a higher rpm, duh) or feel like romping on the ar more with your new gears lol.

So basically they don't increase power only the feeling of more power?

My dad owns a classic car shop i imagine he would have no trouble with the install, its just a matter of getting him to work on a ford and not a chevy.

What about TB and Plenum, CAI, what do each of these things do for you.

Also tune, what does this entail, do you have to have a professional do it or can you do it yourself, explain the process and the things a tune can do for you... thanks for all your help to a newbie

essentially yes...the gears dont increase power but the do imporve performance...according to MattJ, he gained .5 secs w/ 3.90's in the 1/4 mile...

TB,Plenums, and CAI only increase your air intake but you wont really feel much performance compared to gears

as for tunes, you can get a custom dyno tune by a professoinal tuner, get a mail order tune, or u can change the limited number of parameters that the handheld tuner gives you. if u were to change say gears and tiresizes, then u would use the tuner yourself to change it..if u were to get cams or like say a supercharger, then u would need to go to a professional to get it tuned.

does that help?

gears 4.30's or higher if its staying n/a. 4v's need the gear to get going.

Plenums are only for the GTs. Get a throttle body - i think the upgrade for a cobra is a twin 65mm, JLT CAI/RAI, underdrive pulleys, 4.10 gear, and a SCT Xcal 2 with a mail order tune from modularpowerhouse.

Thanks i will look into these things

coming from personal experience...skip the TB for now its a waste of money for the power you get....JLT CAI or RAI, Gears (4.30 minimum), March fluid damper pulley, definitely look into IRS upgrades (billetflow brace, beefy x-member, bushings),

that should get you started in the right direction