my dad has recently been considering buying either a cobra or a z06 to drive every now and then but mainly to autocross. i personally like the z06 and chevy better but i want to know everyones opinion on which would be better for the money. i know that the z06 will win stock for stock, but 15 grand is a pretty big difference in the two. please give any opinions you have. like i said, the car needs to be very streetable, and my dad would probably not put more than 3-5 grand into either car after it is purchased. also what are the first mods you would do to either car if you bought them for autocrossing? thanks

 

I would think that the weight difference alone, without considering any other factors like the 'vette's superior suspension , lower center of gravity and better weight distribution, would make the decision. Because of the iron block the Cobra's are 3800lbs (200lbs more than a typical F-body) whereas the Z06 weighs in at relatively svelt 3200 lbs or so.

 

yes i know, i want my dad to get a z06, but is the weight difference and suspension system worth 15 grand?? that is the real question here. i am sure that a new cobra with 15 grand in it would smoke the **** out of a z06.

 

If all he's going to do is autocross then why bother with either?

15k into a 03 Cobra and sure it would smoke the Z06 (in a straight line anyways) but you could put 15k into a Miata (including the price of the car!) and smoke them both.

 

Depends on if he wants to be competitive. Z06 is the car to have in SS. Not sure where the Cobra is (will be) classed but I can almost guarantee it won't be competitive wherever it ends up.

Purchase price is only one factor. How much will the different cars depreciate after whatever amount of time is the most important. Also, what about 0% financing on the Z06 ( I think they have it on 2002 models), etc. All that has to be considered.

I think the Cobra won't autocross very well due to its weight.

George E.

 

It was thought maybe this year the IRS Cobras would do well at autocross nationals. Nope, 3rd gen Camaros destroyed them. Z06 or a Camaro will generally do better than a mustang at autocross. That was part of my decision when I was shopping, considered mustangs and camaros, and seemed camaros were doing much better at autocross.

 

2002 Z06 Corvettes are selling new for 45K and some very low milage cars go in the low 40's. I believe the Cobra is 38K. Sorry but for the extra few grand there is no comparison IMO. The Z06 won the SCCA National Championship over the Viper, Porsche, Ferarri and I doubt you will see any Cobra in that company. And as mentioned, resale will make up most of that difference in price. They can only make a 23yo chassis do so much and for almost 40K, I would not even waste my time. Now for about 28K, let's talk.

 

I would have chosen a Cobra until I caught a fun run ride in one at an Auto-X. It was cool buckling into a 5 point harness in an open car. But when we were done I didn't have the heart to tell him that my Camaro SS with street tires beat his racing tires time by 2 seconds! That would not happen with a Z06. You are comparing a car designed in the 1960's with a 2002 Z06. Not only is the performance, handling and braking better, remind him of all the safety features built into a new Corvette (I'm a Dad, too).

 

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing a Cobra run at another club's autocross. Please. It's still just a Mustang. I drove my STOCK 2002 SS. I was about 3 seconds faster on a 30 second course. I don't consider myself to be a great driver either. I'm a rookie. (Currently points leader for Rookie of the year in my club) Still a rookie though. They are too heavy to be able to compete with the C5's. And the balance of a C5 is so far superior, due to the transaxle in the rear, that there is no practical way to make a Cobra comparable to the Z06. Fortunately, they run in seperate classes. If he wants to beat Camaros, He can try the Cobra but it'll still be a close fight. If he wants to beat just about everybody else, The Z06 is the only choice between the two.

Having said this, a Z06 won't always get the fastest time of day award. If it's a tight, twisty track, the smaller, lighter cars are gonna be right there. The C5 is still a wide large hunk of car to maneuver through a tight course. But put it on a course with longer straight's and HELLO you have a screamer.

Only having the two options you listed, the correct one is the Z06.

 

I'm not an autoXer, but I will hafta say Z06 is prolly one of the best handling cars out there. Its handling capabilities a worthy enough to be put in the Supercar class along with porsches, ferrari's, etc. . . I got a buddy that raced his modded Viper and then raced his near stock Z06, he said the Z06 tore the doors off the Vipers times. . .

Oh and a note on the new 2003 Cobras, I have another friend that just bought his. . . He used to have an '02 Cobra with koni's and other suspension goodies. . . He said his 03 from the factory puts his modded 02 to shame! I don't know how this compares to Z06, considering I never personally drove either of them, but its something to consider. . .

 

-03 cobra is 70's fairmont chassis with 390 horsepower..

-kenny brown sells THREE pairs of sfc's to reinforce the chassis...

-the car has 58/42 weight distribution

Corvette has hydraformed chassis, 52/48 wd, 405 hp and weighs under 3100lbs..

So far I haven't seen any vendors selling subframe connectors for it yet

 

i'm sorry, but there is NO 15k difference between a Z06 and a cobra, you can get a brand new Z for 45k, and an '02 with less than 5k miles for 39-40

 

This is almost easy.
Lateral grip: Z06
Transitioning: Z06
Weight: Z06
F/R balance: Z06
Brakes: Z06
Acceleration: Z06
Suspension: Z06
Price: Cobra

And that is if you leave it stock. You can probably get more power from the Cobra per mod $$$, but you can easily put 17x11 wheels on all 4 corvers of the Vette, and with 315/35/17 rubber compared to the heavier Cobra with 275/40/17's, it won't matter as the Cobra won't be able to put the extra power down.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the new Cobra, but this is the facts.

 

Just ask a guy who won the Corvette, Camaro, Mustang Challenge at Mid America Motorplex. 10 lap sprint race on the road course, drag races down the straight away, etc

Z06

 

I'm not going to disagree about the Z06 ripping a 03 Cobra's head off in AutoXing I've never seen it done, but I'm going to give acceleration, and transitioning to the cobra. . . I've never seen a Z06 hit low 12s on street tires, or 11.8s on sticky tires bone stock. . . I'd hate to admit it but those 03 Cobras are pretty bad. . . a CAI and off road X pipe puts them at about 420rwhp, my buddy did it on his and dynoed it, boy did I leave a streak in my pants when I saw this. . .