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Street report: "…Alright, suspension is on and I went on a test drive with the shop owner……….. HOLY S%*T!!! I go to pickup the car and Brad (Peterson Performance owner) said, hey get in I want to drive you over to some fairly decent curves and get your thoughts on how you think it is different. Next thing I realize, we are in third gear about 75-85mph approaching some "S" curves quickly. All I could think about was how I am expecting the front end to push due to lack of grip and we're going to slam into a curb and total the car, but it didn't matter because I would be dead anyways. Well, obviously, that didn't happen (since I'm writing this email). What did happen was the car was completly planted throughout all the turns, no tire screeching, sliding or body roll. The car was balanced as we switched from left turns to right turns back to left turns. It was amazing to me how well the car handled and didn't seem upset or displeased with what we threw at it.
So we get to the end of the road, Brad turns the car around and goes at it again, this time really pushing it maybe another 10mph or so faster! I was already convinced that the suspension is doing its thing, but this pass he was on the gas, accelerating through all the turns and not letting up. It is extremely stressful being a passenger in your own car, not having control but man, Brad pushed that car harder than I think I ever will (would) but now, I know what it can do and it is confidence inspiring!
After the test drive and dropping him off back at the shop, I collected myself and drove home. I didn't push it on the way home since Brad just did and I needed to let my heart rate come back down. I wanted to see how it felt in an everyday "cruise" with bumps on the road etc… It drove extremely well, and was very comfortable. Yes, you feel the bumps and all the different road conditions, however it is not a jarring feeling. You can feel the compression on the suspension doing its things, soaking up what it can and I think at the recommended setting you provide the rebound feels just right, and doesn't snap back from the stroke of the suspension.
This is exactly how I imagined "Honey" should handle all along and I wish my dad was here to go for a ride in it now, he would be so amazed and so pleased I made the decision to upgrade. Feel free to use this as a testimony if you would like. Honestly, Superformance should just use this suspension setup from the factory. Thanks for your help and guidance to get me cared for and thank you for your suspension package that has completely revived my cobra into a true street beast!..." Greg Poole - sp2419
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Street report: "...My biggest improvement (seat of the pants) to my Cobra were the sway bars and ball joints. The springs and shocks are big too. The upper rear shock mounts are the huge safety upgrade that you might not feel driving but you will (or should) sleep better at night knowing those are the best. And safe. You already know that the enjoyment factor just increased by a multiple of 10…" Gary Osborne - sp569
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Street report: "...Just got a chance to drive my GT40 with the new shocks and springs. They are awesome! No more stiff ride or choppy ride The car is so much more fun to drive. Before the new shocks the car was very stiff. You could feel every bump in the road. The nose of the car would rattle and you could see it moving left and right. On rough corners it would skate. Now it rides better and rolls over bumps Where I live in northeast Penssylvania and the roads are crappy. Hopefully I am going to do some open track next month and can play with them. One other thing the original shocks did not have a lot of travel. Great job THANKS! …" James Vogel - p2292
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Street report: "...Unlike some, I've added all the Cobra Valley suspension upgrades incrementally to my Cobra, starting with the all-important rear upper shock mounts. I've moved on with the Cobra Valley shocks, the Cobra Valley ball joints and finally, Cobra Valley the sway bars. While I don't drive as aggressively as some, I feel the improvements to be confidence inspiring and worth every dollar spent. The real payoff comes, however, in the installation of these parts and the familiarity with the car that comes with that task. Good luck!! …" Gary Johnson - sp744
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Street report: "...Dear Cobra Valley; Got my lder Cobra back from the garage today and it feels great after the change of shocks, suspension and sway bars. Now waiting for the wheels to be aligned! …" Harry Andersson - sp234
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Street report: "...I recently completed replacing shocks, springs, ball joints, upper rear suspension joints and rear upper suspension mounts all from Cobra Valley. I thought my 2700 car with only 40K miles drove and handled good, but this just brings it to another level! Every aspect of driving is greatly improved. Highway speeds 80 or higher smooth ride no effort steering & super stable. Cornering and handling is the most improved. Most of you have probably done this suspension up grade already but if you have not and you have the time and a little extra cash don't wait, you will not be disappointed. Set your ride hight when completed, then you will need to find a good chassis shop for wheel alignment. I found a great shop, the guy specializes in Porche, BMW and set up of trac cars. Gave him [Cobra Valley's] alignment specs which were way different than original. He completely agreed with [Cobra Valley's] numbers and brought the alignment specs to exactly that. Sorry for long post but when I experienced such a great improvement I had to post it…"
Donald Evans - sp2706
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"...Suspension mods will make a world of difference not only in handling but comfort as well. I replaced the shocks and springs with Cobra Valley double adjustable shocks and heavier springs. The double adjustable shocks and springs from Cobra Valley work wonders for the comfort and handling of our cars. Then I replaced the ball joints with Cobra Valley [Ultra Smoth] ball joints and finally replaced front and rear sway bars with their custom [AFR] units. Handled and behaved like a different car. Softer, yet more controlled. And easily adjusted to suit your comfort level. Stay tuned for more ways to improve your ride and spend a boatload of money…" James Vanoni - 2932
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"...My first upgrade was the 1st generation sway bars. They made such a huge difference in driving / handling that they actually scared me a little because I thought something was going wrong. Shortly after I upgraded the upper rear shock mount. No difference in the car based on my seat of the pants but after all the wrecks and injuries to drivers when the old stock ones broke, I was afraid to drive the car. It was a 100% safety upgrade and it should be first on your list... Then I added new springs (I went with 350 lb. Springs) and shocks and once again there was a meaningful difference. Finally I added the new ball joints. Each upgrade gave me a more pleasant ride and handling than I had before the change. I can't even imagine what the change would have felt like had I upgraded everything at once. My advice is do make all the upgrades if financially possible for two reasons. One, is the thrill of feeling the difference. The second reason is that it will surely save you some work by not having to repeat steps each time you make an upgrade. Either way, do as much as you can each time if you have to spread it out. You may as well do the shocks and springs when you do the upper shock mounts. That would be step one for me because the work is basically the same steps. It probably also has the biggest effect on the ride which seems to be your primary concern. My SPF is my best riding car I own. It is light years better than our Vette. It is slightly better than our Mercedes...Smooth and tight is the result of the upgrades. Then sway bars because for me it made the biggest difference in handling. It is a much safer car when you get it to hold the road like the sway bars will do. And oh….lets not forget the ball joints. It is not the same as power steering BUT it is way better than those old stiff ball joints that must have come off a bus…"
Gary Osborne - sp569
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Street report: "...Topic: " Fabulous Suspension Up-grade form Cobra Valley" - Hi. I am writing to you and hope that you will post it for other owners to learn, enjoy and be informed.
This is a Big Win!!! I took delivery of my Superformance AC Cobra 427 S/C. I am in West Vancouver, BC Canada. At my back door is the "Sea to Sky" highway from West Vancouver to Whistler. It's a very windy and hilly road along the Howe Sound to Squamish then up through the Coast Mountain Range... about 75 miles. There are numerous tight turns with a lot of shifting. The first half of the drive is to Squamish which takes 40 minutes and it will deliver you many opportunities to test your car's cornering, handling and acceleration capabilities... Soon as I got my Cobra, I could not wait to test the car and see what the suspension could do. I have much experience on this drive with my previous rides the latest being a 2019 Supercharged Mustang BULLIT with a tidy 825 HP. The Cobra was a blast the first time and every time since. I do the drive about twice a month. The only negative was that I seemed early on to reach the limits of the Cobra's suspension so the search was on for something better. Well, the search didn't take long. The Cobra Valley website had exactly what I was looking for and after a 1 hour conversation with Randy the Cobra GURU my new Cobra suspension was on its way. New, Ball Joints, New Coil Over Shocks [and springs] and New Sway Bars. My race car mechanic called me when the parts arrived and said, "I don't know where you got these from or who designed them but they look fabulous". A couple of days later my Cobra was ready to roll and on the highway to Whistler I drove. Absolutely everything that Randy said and claimed came true. My Little Cobra was and is a completely different car, track ready indeed!!! The cornering, handling and acceleration capabilities are far and away vastly superior to the Superformance factory suspension. No comparison and No contest, period. Worth every penny!!! The new Cobra Valley suspension shows you exactly what your Superformance AC Cobra 427 S/C is capable of, street and track. Carroll Shelby would love it. Randy did advise that the shock settings would take a little working at to get the best ride and performance and he was right again as it may be slightly different for every car. I have the Rear at 8 and the Front at 11 and I am in Heaven!!! Why Superformance doesn't put these in every car they deliver from this day forward I'll never know. Bottom Line: Do yourself and your Cobra a BIG Favour, install the Cobra Valley suspension in your Cobra today, you'll thank me for it. And Thank You Randy... what a Great, Great Guy!!! …" Ken Williams - sp1968
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NOTE: We get hundreds of joyous test reports from customers and we thought it was time to begin posting them after all these years, and will do so in the future.
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