playdoh43

only one word is needed to describe the experience.
Brutal
from the moment I stepped on the gas, the car throws me back against the seat and starts the process of eating up the road ahead of me with such strong conviction... the experience is just so brutal. pure power is like an ether that you can never have enough of, i was on cloud 9.

Then after I got out of the car, I more than ever realized that theres always someone faster out there. driving the cobra makes me appreciate the RX8 more than ever before. The rx8 is the direct opposite of the cobra. The way you feel connected as if the car is an extension of your body, the nice fit and finish in the interior, the light weight nimbleness. The smoothness of the engine... These are things that the cobra could only wish that is has. After driving that monster cobra tonight, and knowing that theres always someone faster out there, I realize the lack of acceleration with the rx8 is such a small thing compared to everything that it does so well

IZoomZoomI

My friend has a supercharged cobra that pushes similar hp, it's a beast but hardly balanced. For what it was meant to do it sure gets the job done and done right.

Off topic hows the dude on your sig, I swear I never seen him in db.

280RX-8

Brutal is right. What a difference. That Cobra is like a 280 lb. brawler that picks you up and throws you through a wall, whereas the RX-8 is like a nimble, skilled fighter who hits you 9 times before you even know you're in a fight. Some (but not all) ppl like muscle cars b/c they are insecure. My mom calls them " ***** Cars". Anything that doesn't slam you in your seat is for sissies. Believe me, living in TX, I KNOW. They should change the name of the city I live in to "Camaroton" or "Mustangville". Or hicks driving primer pieces of crap with no mufflers.

Now of course, that's not why I think everyone drives musclecars. I think they're cool. I love seeing wheelies. But my example is a lot of what I see, not just in my town, either.

Chrisbert

That slammed in the seat feeling comes initially from the torque. Its hard to get around the physics of displacement. You are correct, they do what they are designed to do well.

RoyalPain

I am planning on getting an 07 cobra GT500 Shelby and there is no way in hell I am letting go of my 8. I will drive the shelby for the straight aways and the 8 for the pure enjoyment of the ride.

Steiner

Funny timing on this thread! I can totally relate. I brought my car into a local muffler shop yesterday for them to install an exhaust I ordered. As I pull up there's a white '03 SVT Cobra already on the lift. The guy was waiting inside so I asked him about his car...Kenny Bell SC, new CPU, massive FMIC, cams, and now a header back exhaust...his second aftermarket exhaust in 2 years. Apparently the other one didn't have enough flow for the new cams. He said he'll be well over 500whp with the exhaust if he's not already. Once his car was done they fired it up...holy crap it was mean sounding. So they pull my car in and the guy says wanna take a ride while you're waiting. I was like umm hell f-ing yeah. I've been in a 600whp '68 Skylark before, but that thing weighed more than 4000lbs unlaiden. In a word, this Mustang was punishing. Getting on the freeway, we got up to 120mph at about 50% throttle in half the time it takes my Evo to hit 80mph at WOT!

He also chirped the tires effortlessly when shifting to 3rd and 4th gear. Ridiculous. He's not done yet either. He's getting news pistons and heads and wants to bump up the boost...again. He said a bunch of other stuff about the car when we we're driving but it was so fricken loud with the exhaust and the supercharger whining and everything in the car rattling that I missed a bunch of stuff. Fastest car I've ever been in though. Who cares about handling when you can outrun a street bike. G'damn!

BlueEyes

You and your mom sound stupid.

playdoh43

whao, nice story, those SVTs are cheap as hell to mod just like EVOs (a friend of mine in DC has a blue one with 500+whp that runs 11s ), my friend is thinking about ditching the SC and going turbo to get around 600whp. did you get to drive it? one thing i noticed was how heavy the clutch is. Its 4-5 times heavier than my G35c's clutch, it really takes a lot of effort just to step on it. The shifter is really rough too. Its truly an excersize in futility when one tries to shift. If i own that car, id imagine my left calf muscle would be much bigger than my right calf in a couple of months :p.

adrian-1

I'm also keeping my eye on the new GT500.

I just finished installing a smaller pulley on my roommate's '03 Cobra this past weekend and man that thing is fast.
He was running 13.2's stock with just an x-pipe. He's now running 12.7's on stock tires. Next mod is drag radials.

What makes me sick is that the aftermarket is so huge for mustangs! I couldn't believe the half second increase in his times was for less than $500! About 75hp increase. A smaller pulley to boost up to 14psi (was 8psi), a handheld to reflash his computer (plus check/clear codes), 8 colder spark plugs, plus new belt.

Now compare it to the fairly new/ no aftermarket parts RX8....
$3000 60hp increase turbo, $50 ea colder plugs x 2, $1700 interceptor X EMS (? on hp increase yet), $200 Canscan for code reading/clearing= $5000 for an estimated 100hp increase.

adrian-1

Yup, that clutch pedal is super hard. I thought something was wrong with it when I first drove it.

Steiner

I didn't get a chance to drive it unfortunately. He didn't offer and I didn't ask. I'm still hearing that SC whine in my head. Simply awesome!

280RX-8

Oh, right. How often do you hear "midlife crisis," Corvette," Viper," and "woman half his age" in the same sentence? And who designed all these vehicles and who mostly drives them? I didn't lump everybody with a pony car under that umbrella, anyway, AND I said that I liked the cars!
Just because I can see the correlation between things doesn't mean I'm stupid, and as for my mom, well, I'm sure she's been around the block just a few more times than you have, and she happens to be highly educated. She was a radar tech in the Air Force for 20 years, so she was always working with far more men than women, so I think she's got a pretty good handle on how we think. It was she who taught me to treat women with respect, instead of inferiors and sex objects.

Japan8

Cool it boys! Or do I have to get my mom to come in here and make you two sit in time out? :D

Japan8

No joke. Try driving one in DC rush hour traffic. That's why anytime someone complains about driving a manual in traffic I call them a sissy. Really... if I could do it in a V8 Mustang, you sure as hell can do it in Toyota/Honda/Mazda, etc.

280RX-8

Cool it shall remain, I used no insults and engaged in no jackassery. I wanted to make myself clear.
Anyway, those Mustangs do have pretty stout clutch pedals. In traffic my clutch never really bothered me, but it really sucked after a leg workout or a long hard run at the track. My friend used to drive a MT truck to school, and not only was the clutch heavy, the transmission apparently hated to go into first.
Do you still drive a Mustang? What year? I was pretty set on an 8, but lately I have been having some doubts, and one car I considered(for a minute) was the 2005 Mustang GT. I love torque, but not enough to become Mustang Driver #643. I like being unique, and as I said, those cars are ubiquitous in this town. I thought about a Civic Si, but that's not exactly rare, either.I'm about 80% sure about the Mazda, but I'm still pondering.
Also, Japan8, we know what you think of Ford & Chevy V8's; what about the "Hemi?"

280RX-8

[The shifter is really rough, too. Its truly an excersize in futility when one tries to shift. If i own that car, id imagine my left calf muscle would be much bigger than my right calf in a couple of months :p.[/QUOTE]


I bet being smashed against the seat didn't help, either

playdoh43

on the contrary, being smashed against the seats is the best part :p

BlueEyes

Sorry, sorry. Stereotypes are cool. All black people steal, all mexicans are lazy, jewish people are cheap etc. etc. Now I sound as smart as you and like I have been around the block as many times as your mom.

280RX-8

Whatever you say. I already said that I didn't " lump everybody with a pony car under that umbrella." How many times am I gonna have to repeat this? Not once did I use the word ALL.
So I guess b/c for every 4 or 5 black ppl dressed in baggy clothes, jerseys, etc. that I see, I only see 1or 2 that aren't that means that I think ALL black ppl dress that way and I'm stereotyping. Says you. I guess that means b/c I'm muscular and into exercise it means I'm an idiot and a steroid monkey. BTW I'm half-black, a quarter mexican, and a quarter white. If none of the behaviors existed in signifigant numbers, then neither would some of the stereotypes. Does that justify them? Of course not.

280RX-8

Oh yeah, it's awesome, but it doesn't make it any easier to shift. Being able to break the tires loose in third gear sure is fun, though.

Overport

A friend of mine just blew (almost) his '04 Cobra. It'd modded to hell and back, and with his 150 shot of nitrous (on stock injectors...dumba$$) he suddenly cannot get it to run after feeding from the bottle about seven times. On pump gas (92 octane), he makes 724hp to the rear wheels after nitrous...so, about 540hp to the wheels before hitting the bottle. He hasn't ran the car on the dyno yet with VP C16 race fuel (note: the car isnt running now)...but I suspect about a 50hp increase. He was running consistant mid-11's at LVMS...and he isn't the greatest driver. With a Professional at the wheel it could easily run 10's. He uses MT Slicks in the rear and skinny's in the front.

Not sure which clutch he has, but its so stiff...that I have to work out my legs (literally) before driving it. He installed a new short-throw from B&M, so shifting is a much easier task. There's nothing I hate more than a stock Mustang shifter! If he doesnt get the car running soon though he's going to part it out and sell it privately, then use the cash to buy a G35 and then slap a ProCharger on it. I'll keep you updated.

BTW, this kid is a Senior (like me) in High School. 18 years old.

And he's sponsored...by "Daddy's R Us".

Overport

Chill out. I reccomend you dont speak at all in racial ways.

Family insults are not tolerated, in direct violation of the forum rules.

BlueEyes

I'm sorry you can't see the sarcasm in that, which was clearly directed at silly sterotypes being thrown around by others and justified by "having been around the block". It's probably you're young age, being that you're only a senior in hs. <<Hey look, another stupid sterotype, aren't they great.

Overport

I heard the sarcasm...its the principle of the matter. Lets get back to topic, shall we?

vrpirata

Hey I'm Mexican, well, yes I'm lazy, so lazy that I studied all the way to my Masters so I didn't have to work hard :D :p