Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General 2000 cobra independent rear suspension?

I have heard that the 2000 and newer Mustang
Cobras have independent rear suspension similar to a Porsche. Is that true? Are they available with a automatic transmission? Has anyone here test driven one? :rolleyes:

Gee, they had IRS in 1999 Cobras and no automatics. No, it is not a Porsche design, it's all Ford. The differential is from the Lincoln Mk 8.

The 99 Cobra was the first Mustang w/ the independant rear suspension. the 2000 Cobra R, the 2001 Cobra, and the upcoming 2003 Cobra all have variations of the same basic IRS. No Cobras have ever some from the factory w/ and automatic trans.
I have spent considerable time in all of the different Cobras that have the IRS. What do you want to know about them?

Are there many problems associated with the new independent rear suspension? Do the independent rear suspensions handle very well when compared to the Porsches? How dependable are the new Cobras? When accelerating hard do they have a lot of torque steer like the older mustangs? Are they the kind of car that are easy and fun to drive on winding roads?

I have owned a 1988 Porsche 928 S-4 that had the 5.0L and automatic transmission. I prefer to drive American cars though. How expensive would it be to convert a Mustang Cobra to automatic? Would it even be possible or practical with all of the sensors that today?s newer cars have?
:rolleyes:

I forgot to mention that the automatic tranny :rolleyes: was why I liked the Porsche. I got to keep the Porsche 2 years for free. I repaired the car for a used car dealer and he refused to pay for the parts and labor. He got a little upset and screamed ?GOD O MIGHTY? when I told him the total cost for parts and labor. I told him ?NO Pay NO Car?. I had a disclaimer signed by him so legally he could not take the car until he paid me. Actually I had 5 of those disclaimer estimates signed because Porsche parts are so expensive. I was going to buy the Porsche from him until I found out it had a Salvage title. I offered him half the book value and he refused my offer. Anyway with the disclaimer he could not hold me responsible for test drives, fire, theft, and acts of nature or anything beyond my control. I test drove that car every two weeks for 2 years.

well, I don't have a lot of time right now, so I will just say that I will provide my in-depth thoughts on this rear suspension later on, after I get home from work.

As to converting a cobra to an automatic trans, personally I would advise against it; but it could be done, though more than likely it would end up being a hack-job, especially considering you would want it to be a daily driver type vehicle, rather than a drag racer. This would warrant a modern electronically controlled trans that is capable of supporting the power output of the Cobra engine. (not too tough to find a beefy enough one for a 99 or 01 I guess, but good luck on an 03)
another thing to consider with that, is that the Cobra PCMs have no provision (at least software wise) to control an electronic auto trans, so either custom programming or a custom trans controller would be required.

Rara, what is the invoice on the 03 Cobra, and what is the A-plan price approximately?

Thanks,
Eric

MSRP on an 03 Cobra coupe is $34,750, I believe that includes any gas guzzler tax too.

I don't know what the a-plan price is at this time (nor am I sure I could post it if I could) but I doubt that many dealers will jump at the chance to sell an 03 on a-plan.

That is interesting. Is the Cobra the only Mustang made with independent rear suspension? I like the newer Mustang Body style but since I get stuck in stop and go bumper to bumper traffic a lot, I prefer a automatic transmission.


Thanks,

e-7

Get a new T-bird or Lincoln LS. Very nice automatic and IRS, too.