How fast will a Gen 2 Coyote powered Mk4 go?

[tbl100]

I was just asked how fast will my car go? Not that I will ever attempt to push it to its limits, far from it, but the question begged to be asked. Just how fast will my car go?

Gen 2 Coyote, TKO600, IRS w/3:55 center section, sway bars front and rear, power steering, Wilwood brakes in all four corners.

Any serious thoughts? What have people done with similar configurations?

Thank you as always,
Tim

[Gordon Levy]

Depends on what 5th gear your trans has. If it's a .64 5th you will probably run out of power to push it through the air around 155-160. If you have a .82 and may pull all the way to 7000 revs you should see 175ish

[tbl100]

Depends on what 5th gear your trans has. If it's a .64 5th you will probably run out of power to push it through the air around 155-160. If you have a .82 and may pull all the way to 7000 revs you should see 175ish

Thank you for the great reply. I'm not sure what 5th gear is. I ordered my engine and transmission from Factory Five and they never give you the actual Mfg. P/N for anything. I'll have to look into this. Thanks again.


Update:
Just looked up the P/N off my transmission (TCET5008) so 5th gear is 0.64

[KDubU]

Seeing that the roadster is not the most aerodynamic, likely you would experience some scary surprises at 150mph. I still cannot believe the one that went 198mph but know it was modified to keep it on the ground, eg suspension and such. I think that was a Superformance but could be wrong.

[rich grsc]

Way faster than you'll want to drive it is my answer. Without aero mods, it gets intense above 120.

[nuhale]

I don't want to find out... Haven't had mine on the road (legally) yet but have rode with some other builders and hit over the (###) mark and a bit nerve wrecking.

[NAZ]

Fast enough to kill you. And quick enough to go from zero to stupid in seconds. Be careful.

[Al_C]

Way faster than you'll want to drive it is my answer.

I agree! I have too much time and money invested to try to find out. I've gone as fast as I was comfortable, and the accelerator seemed to have a lot of travel left in it...

[Papa]

I haven't pushed mine anywhere near it's limits, but have reached mine with no problem at all. Sitting just a few inches off the ground in an open car with little to protect you when things go really bad; I've hit ~90 mph and that felt way more intense than 120 mph in my M550i that I hit without even a hint of drama. The cool thing about driving the roadster is that you don't have to drive 100+ mph to prove it's fast; its reputation precedes it and most chippy drivers around you won't even pretend to challenge you. Those that do just look like idiots when they charge off and you just roll away from the light without so much as a hint of caring if he is faster.

Edit: As this thread has continued, I was curious of my actual top speed and since I have the GPS gauges, I could actually just recall that data. Not sure when or where this number was reached...

https://thefactoryfiveforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=133580&d=1597411499

[JohnK]

Way faster than you'll want to drive it is my answer. Without aero mods, it gets intense above 120.

This gives you a real appreciation for how bonkers the guys that raced these cars must have been. By all accounts, a MkIV has a better chassis, better suspension and better brakes than an original Cobra. If it's getting intense at 120, imagine what it must have been like going 155-160 in a Cobra. :eek:

[BradCraig]

I haven't pushed mine anywhere near it's limits, but have reached mine with no problem at all. Sitting just a few inches off the ground in an open car with little to protect you when things go really bad; I've hit ~90 mph and that felt way more intense than 120 mph in my M550i that I hit without even a hint of drama. The cool thing about driving the roadster is that you don't have to drive 100+ mph to prove it's fast; it's reputation precedes it and most chippy drivers around you won't even pretend to challenge you. Those that do just look like idiots when they charge off and you just roll away from the light without so much as a hint of caring if he is faster.

Right, the result of things going bad at speed have one result in these cars

[Jeff Kleiner]

... I still cannot believe the one that went 198mph but know it was modified to keep it on the ground, eg suspension and such. I think that was a Superformance but could be wrong.

If you're thinking of our late friend Dick Smith that was in an original, CSX 3035, in the late 1960s. By most accounts aside from a very healthy FE with an abundance of horsepower the car was not modified much beyond what was typical of the Cobra race cars of the day...well, some say that there was a portion of the seat hollowed out to accommodate Dick's "churchbells" ;) Here it is in it's later years after Dick retired it from active competition but still put it on the track regularly:

http://wasaac.org/dsmith/dsmith07.jpg

Gordon did a restoration on 3035 for Dick a number of years ago and then after Dick's passing Mark Dougherty became the car's caretaker for a few years; maybe they'll see this and share some of what they know and discovered about the car.

A brief history:


When you think of the cars from Shelby American, perhaps one of the first ones that come to mind is the powerful 427 Cobra . With the thousands of replicas having been built it is easily the most recognizable car Shelby American produced. Twenty one early 427 Cobras were full competition cars and at $9,000.00 sales were slow, so the remaining thirty one 427 Cobras were converted to S/C specs and sold as street cars. The 427 S/C was nothing less than a detuned race car for street use. When you look at the few drivers who were consistently successful in racing 427 Cobras, the names Ed Lowther and Harold Keck come to mind, but they were on the East coast. On the West coast, we had Dick Smith. Dick Smith approached a local Fresno based radio station to purchase a new S/C and with the help from Shelby American's Lew Spencer a deal was made. In 1967, Smith won the A- production championship in CSX3035 and while racing the car at Daytona was clocked at 198mph, pretty impressive since the 427 Cobra had the aerodynamics of a brick. In 1968, Smith took first place in the Northern Pacific Division and went to the ARRC runoffs at Daytona, unfortunately engine gremlins caused an engine failure, one of Smith's very few DNF'S. Smith continued to fully enjoy CSX3035 with the advent of historic/vintage racing in the late 1970's. CSX3035 was a regular fixture on the West coast SAAC Conventions as well, the red 427 Cobra, with its tubular nerf bars and "198" on its side was easy to spot. Next to, if not in CSX3035 was the ever joyful, easy going, Smith . At SAAC 30, Dick Smith, announced he was retiring racing CSX3035, its always hard to keep good racers down, and a short time later Smith was racing and promoting the Factory Five 427 Cobra. Dick Smith will be missed...

Jeff

[Papa]

This guy now has the record in a Cobra:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdzkWICkFmY

[edwardb]

Doesn't really answer the question. But sort of on topic. Last year our club was able to secure a tour and laps at the Ford proving ground in Romeo, Michigan. A rare treat. Ford wrote it up here. Our Mk4 is in several of the pictures. https://performance.ford.com/enthusiasts/quick-look/2019/08/glcc-ford-proving-grounds.html. We did some laps on their road course. Pretty low key. Then got to run some laps on their 5-mile banked course. We were officially limited to 100 mph with pace cars in the front and back of the pack. Plus we had to stay in our assigned lanes, trying different levels of banking. My Coyote powered Mk4 easily did the 100 mph and "may have" gone a bit faster a couple time closing up gaps. Hey, it happens! At those speeds, it was rock solid. No different than 70 mph or whatever on the expressway. But then again was a smooth track and rated for something around 200 mph as I recall. I wouldn't be comfortable driving too much faster, but certainly proved the car is solid in low triple digits. Also wouldn't ever get close to that speed on public streets.

[Rdone585]

Wow I can't imagine going that fast in one of these cars. I've come close to 150 on the straight at Road America. I've seen higher than 145 but turn one is coming up so fast that I don't dare stare at the speedo. I was with another C*bra owner who was helping me get my car on a trailer with a broken fuel pump and a policeman shows up to help. He asked how fast will these go and he said something like, "not as fast as your radios, so why try to find out".

[Richard Oben]

In a legal speed test, flying mile, in a controlled environment. Two guys I know, both in Cobra replicas each went about 142. One car a healthy 331 powered FFR spec racer, the other a more than healthy 428 in a Mid States. So without major aero mods and major, major HP increase, the answer is about 142.

[Traveller]

This guy now has the record in a Cobra:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdzkWICkFmY

I just stumbled upon a segment on this guy and his record attempt on a show on Amazon Prime Video. It's called MegaSpeed, season 1, episode 4, titled Mojave Mile. The show isn't very good in my opinion, but it was interesting to see an original cobra going for 200MPH.

[Jeff Kleiner]

Running at Gateway International during RunN'Gun several years ago I tried 3 different combinations; with no air dam I hit right at 6,000 RPM and an indicated 130 MPH crossing the start finish line in 4th gear (3.55 rear gear). With the air dam on I was about 5,800 RPM and indicated 125ish in 4th. I tried making the shift to 5th after coming off the turn 4 banking and the car slowed down...my little motor couldn't push through the air in the high gear and wound up crossing the line at about 118@~3,500 RPM. The air dam slowed the car down but planted the front end MUCH better. I only made a few laps without it. I'd probably push a little faster if I had the power or RPMs to do it...but not much!

Jeff

[tbl100]

Fast enough to kill you. And quick enough to go from zero to stupid in seconds. Be careful.

Amen to that.

[tbl100]

Running at Gateway International during RunN'Gun several years ago I tried 3 different combinations; with no air dam I hit right at 6,000 RPM and an indicated 130 MPH crossing the start finish line in 4th gear (3.55 rear gear). With the air dam on I was about 5,800 RPM and indicated 125ish in 4th. I tried making the shift to 5th after coming off the turn 4 banking and the car slowed down...my little motor couldn't push through the air in the high gear and wound up crossing the line at about 118@~3,500 RPM. The air dam slowed the car down but planted the front end MUCH better. I only made a few laps without it. I'd probably push a little faster if I had the power or RPMs to do it...but not much!

Jeff

wow, cool. I'll probably never track my car. I'm a very conservative driver. I built this car for the fun and wanted to learn. Sound like you have a lot of fun with tracking your car. Enjoy. Thanks for the feedback. Great information.

[Avalanche325]

I am doing an SCCA Track Night in America at Daytona in 8 days. Not sure how much I'm going to push it. I usually run pretty hard at track days, but there is a lot of concrete wall on the high banks, so I am thinking of a self imposed 130mph speed limit. I have seen 140mph for just a second before and she was still pulling. I am mainly worried about the front getting light. I don't have any aero mods on my car.

[tbl100]

I am doing an SCCA Track Night in America at Daytona in 8 days. Not sure how much I'm going to push it. I usually run pretty hard at track days, but there is a lot of concrete wall on the high banks, so I am thinking of a self imposed 130mph speed limit. I have seen 140mph for just a second before and she was still pulling. I am mainly worried about the front getting light. I don't have any aero mods on my car.

Exciting. Have fun and be safe. Enjoy.

[FFRSpec72]

I am doing an SCCA Track Night in America at Daytona in 8 days. Not sure how much I'm going to push it. I usually run pretty hard at track days, but there is a lot of concrete wall on the high banks, so I am thinking of a self imposed 130mph speed limit. I have seen 140mph for just a second before and she was still pulling. I am mainly worried about the front getting light. I don't have any aero mods on my car.

I have been up to 152 in my challenege car, you have to have lots of HP and close ratio trans to get past 130 give the strights on most tracks are not that long, we have one stright in Spokane WA that is almost a mile long

[Railroad]

I ran mine to 7000 rpm at wot in 3rd gear for a tuning pull. I think I had 26 lb of air in the tires and it seemed a little squirrelly. I lowered the pressure to 24, but have not had to do any more high rpm runs.

[GoDadGo]

I have been up to 152 in my challenge car, you have to have lots of HP and close-ratio trans to get past 130 give the straights on most tracks are not that long, we have one straight in Spokane WA that is almost a mile long

Tony,

You need to teach me to drive my car at speed.

4,000 RPM's in 6th gear equates to 165.26 MPH.
That's about 65.26 MPH faster than I like to go.

25.9" tire with a 3.73 geared rear end with nice tight ratios in the gearbox makes for more speed than I can handle. at the present time:
2.68/1st...1.80/2nd...1.29/3rd...1.00/4th....75/5th....50/6th

Want proof that I need help driving, then see the video below:
https://youtu.be/U4wZ8SmsXAY

Steve

[scottiec]

at summit point, with my old motor, I did 129 with plenty of room for braking. Car felt good. I am sure my dart 363's 100 extra wheel horsepower will add a few mph

[FFRSpec72]

Tony,

You need to teach me to drive my car at speed.

4,000 RPM's in 6th gear equates to 165.26 MPH.
That's about 65.26 MPH faster than I like to go.

25.9" tire with a 3.73 geared rear end with nice tight ratios in the gearbox makes for more speed than I can handle. at the present time:
2.68/1st...1.80/2nd...1.29/3rd...1.00/4th....75/5th....50/6th

Want proof that I need help driving, then see the video below:
https://youtu.be/U4wZ8SmsXAY

Steve

Steve, I see the guy keep giving you the more GAS sign but don't hear your foot reaction! Nice driving though ! I did not see any one hand driving either and no shifting

I can take a Gen 2 Coyote on the straight and on acceleration coming out of the corner, but they do handle better that the MkII Challenge Car though.

[FFRSpec72]

at summit point, with my old motor, I did 129 with plenty of room for braking. Car felt good. I am sure my dart 363's 100 extra wheel horsepower will add a few mph

Depends on the gearing, I run 3:55 rear moser with G-Force 2.42, 1.53, 1.23. 1.00, .80

[Papa]

Tony,

You need to teach me to drive my car at speed.

4,000 RPM's in 6th gear equates to 165.26 MPH.
That's about 65.26 MPH faster than I like to go.

25.9" tire with a 3.73 geared rear end with nice tight ratios in the gearbox makes for more speed than I can handle. at the present time:
2.68/1st...1.80/2nd...1.29/3rd...1.00/4th....75/5th....50/6th

Want proof that I need help driving, then see the video below:
https://youtu.be/U4wZ8SmsXAY

Steve

Very cool, Steve! I love the ... go faster, go faster ... no way! I got to do a ride-along at PPIR as a gift from my family. I didn't drive the car, but the ride was pretty cool. I was told we topped 150 mph, but have no way to know for sure. The slower cars on the track were the guys & gals doing the full driving experience and they were limited to ~120 mph.


https://youtu.be/d48jWpiBv30

Dave

[GoDadGo]

Steve, I see the guy keep giving you the more GAS sign but don't hear your foot reaction! Nice driving though ! I did not see any one hand driving either and no shifting

I can take a Gen 2 Coyote on the straight and on acceleration coming out of the corner, but they do handle better that the MkII Challenge Car though.

I Was Scared Out Of My Mind Because Turns Looked More Like Launching Ramps!

When you drag race you're done so fast that you don't think about the basic things like crashing, dying, funerals, wife getting a new husband, kids getting a new Go-Dad.

[Railroad]

Tony,

You need to teach me to drive my car at speed.

4,000 RPM's in 6th gear equates to 165.26 MPH.
That's about 65.26 MPH faster than I like to go.

25.9" tire with a 3.73 geared rear end with nice tight ratios in the gearbox makes for more speed than I can handle. at the present time:
2.68/1st...1.80/2nd...1.29/3rd...1.00/4th....75/5th....50/6th

Want proof that I need help driving, then see the video below:
https://youtu.be/U4wZ8SmsXAY

Steve

Go Dad Go, Speed Up!!! Looks like fun.

[FFRSpec72]

Fara Snook !

https://www.rcnmag.com/garage/salt-shakers (https://www.rcnmag.com/garage/salt-shakers)

[Gordon Levy]

I've been 180 in Dick's car, done 175 in a friends Yates cup powered Hitech at Road America, Banged the rev limiter at the top of 5th gear, (.64 5th) at Firebird main some years ago in a Mrk 1 with a 347 and a T trim Vortech. Don't know the speed 3:55 gear 6500 revs
. The twin turbo Supra behind me said I left 2 black marks the entire length of the straight. It's all fun.

[Ducky2009]

I've hit 134 in my NK4, according to my tattletale speedo. Looked at it afterwards, wasn't looking at the time. Handled well and was still pulling strong. I've been a little over 160, but that was a long time ago and don't think I want to go that fast now.

[Dewey McBride]

Seeing that the roadster is not the most aerodynamic, likely you would experience some scary surprises at 150mph. I still cannot believe the one that went 198mph but know it was modified to keep it on the ground, eg suspension and such. I think that was a Superformance but could be wrong.
133571 is this the Superformance you were referring to? This is the Italian Job that hit 201mph. Lots of aero, canards, slick bottom diffuser ect.

[Vspeeds]

Tim,
I don't have a Coyote but a stroked 427 with 3.55 rear end and .64 OD on the TKO600. My GPS speedo says my fastest speed was 145 mph. and I'm sure it would have pulled more speed. I don't know when I went that fast but I do punch it every once in awhile and don't look at the speedo. I know I've done 120 mph with no squirliness concerns. I know its not safe especially since I don't have a roll bar, but even without aero mods the car feels great and under control at 120 mph going straight.

[tbl100]

Wow, there are some seriously fast cars/people out here. Thanks for all the info. It's great fun to here all the stories. Please be safe out there.

[toadster]

223mph yikes!!! go to 5:00 in the video


https://youtu.be/ivStt5gOvOo?t=301

[Norm B]

I have been past 120 in both my car (once) and on a motorcycle on a deserted country road. Both felt the same. Any undulations in the road created some unsettling feelings. The hair on the back of my neck was standing up and the angel of death was whispering in my ear “ one mistake and you’re mine”.
Now I drive much more conservatively.
Currently in Scotland getting my daughter set up for law school. Driving on the left side of the road, shifting a standard with my left hand while navigating narrow roads is as much of a challenge as this old guy is up to.

Norm

[Jim Stabe]

Tony,

You need to teach me to drive my car at speed.

4,000 RPM's in 6th gear equates to 165.26 MPH.
That's about 65.26 MPH faster than I like to go.

25.9" tire with a 3.73 geared rear end with nice tight ratios in the gearbox makes for more speed than I can handle. at the present time:
2.68/1st...1.80/2nd...1.29/3rd...1.00/4th....75/5th....50/6th

Want proof that I need help driving, then see the video below:
https://youtu.be/U4wZ8SmsXAY

Steve

I don't have a Cobra but my car is similar enough that I can relate to everyone here. I have an MGB roadster that has been widened 11" and has C4 Corvette running gear with a 6 speed that has gearing almost identical to yours. The engine makes over 530 fwhp with the aid of a Vortech supercharger. I have had it to 130 mph a couple times accelerating in 5th gear and it was still pulling very hard at 5000 rpm at that point. I'm 77 years old and that was plenty for me and I may have held on for 6000 rpm (160 mph) in my younger days but not anymore - too much can go wrong with very dire consequences at that speed. The car felt very planted and gave no indication of getting light or wandering so maybe the next owner will stretch its legs further.

172541172542

[GT53]

I was just asked how fast will my car go? Not that I will ever attempt to push it to its limits, far from it, but the question begged to be asked. Just how fast will my car go?
Tim

I was in an E-Type Jag that got sideways at around 110 mph and ended up as a pile of twisted metal so I am damn lucky to be writing this today. You might be the best driver on the planet but things go south in a big hurry when you push the envelope. Wisdom beats knowledge every single time. Be safe!!

Greg

[Mike.Bray]

I had some racing karts a few years ago, nothing like going 100+ MPH less than an inch off the ground with no suspension. The track had one turn that was banked and I spun in it and went flying off backwards at 80 MPH. That was a thrill.

I think I will keep my FFR civilized, my days or crazy driving are behind me.

[Windsor]

223mph yikes!!! go to 5:00 in the video


https://youtu.be/ivStt5gOvOo?t=301

More on the car: https://www.taormina-imports.com/superleggera

[GoDadGo]

I don't have a Cobra but my car is similar enough that I can relate to everyone here. I have an MGB roadster that has been widened 11" and has C4 Corvette running gear with a 6 speed that has gearing almost identical to yours. The engine makes over 530 fwhp with the aid of a Vortech supercharger. I have had it to 130 mph a couple times accelerating in 5th gear and it was still pulling very hard at 5000 rpm at that point. I'm 77 years old and that was plenty for me and I may have held on for 6000 rpm (160 mph) in my younger days but not anymore - too much can go wrong with very dire consequences at that speed. The car felt very planted and gave no indication of getting light or wandering so maybe the next owner will stretch its legs further.

172541172542

Jim,

Your MG is the Craziest MG I've Ever Seen!
I'm assuming we are running the same ZF Gear Box.
Totally Cool, Totally Crazy & Totally Unique!

Steve

[Jim Stabe]

Jim,

Your MG is the Craziest MG I've Ever Seen!
I'm assuming we are running the same ZF Gear Box.
Totally Cool, Totally Crazy & Totally Unique!

Steve

Thanks Steve. It's not a ZF but a T56 from a 1995 Camaro. The engine is an LT1 the same as the Corvette except it came out of a Camaro Z28. If you are interested the build is documented here with links to 5 more parts http://forum.britishv8.org/read.php?13,7581