Im getting ready to sell my s197 soon and buy a 03-04 cobra. Now i know some of the 03's had some head problems that there was a recall for, but someone told me that in 04 the beefed up the IRS a litte bit more compared to the 03's. Is there any truth to that?

 

i dont think the IRS is beffed up in the 04's compaired to the 03's, im pretty sure they are the same IRS's in both. But i could be wrong.

 

You're not wrong. The IRS is the exact same. The only real differences are wheel and color options.. Not really much at all..

However, all 03/04 4v Mustangs (cobra and mach 1) have the head issues, excessive heat can cause the heads to tick due to valve issues... they have other issues as well. They're a great car, but you just really have to watch the IRS launches, and the WOT under full boost.

 

So when i do get mine, what should be the first mods i do? cooling? How can i prevent the head ticking problem and the IRS on heavy launches?

 

Most people do cooling, intake, exhaust, IRS braceand pulley/tune as their first mods..

The head tick really is luck of the draw, but with the right cooling modifications, and driving habits it can be avoided as much as it will be. I had: Head cooling mod, tstat, and heat exchanger, and most people will also get the expansion tank and radiator.. that's about all you can do for cooling, and keeping the car cool...

As far as the IRS, it's really the same. I have seen IRS' bust bone stock, and I was able to do a 4500rpm dump on D/Rs... I hooked so hard that I bogged a 1.8x 60", and mine didn't snap (bone stock IRS)... I would definatly recommend the IRS brace, with drag radials... you can also get the bushings and what not which will help as well... the IRS is bad, but because it's just a sloppy setup.

Check out CobraBob's website... a lot of good information on the Terminators.

http://stangshiftergaskets.com/2003_2004faqs.htm