The Ford 9" rear end fits... how about the IRS from the Cobra?

 

One is a solid axle and the other is not. Two completely different animals. A ford 9" is not a direct bolt on either by any means.

 

So you're sayin' it wouldn't work? Or at least not without major modifications.

I take it the Ford 9" kits require a little bit of leg work too... they just have all the parts necessary to make it work?

 

With enough money anything will work. A ford 9" takes serious work because it is nothing like our rear. The guys who run them have aftermarket ones that allow us to use our torque amrs and everything else. The ford IRS would be pointless. The only IRS I would even think about converting to would be from a C4. The Ford IRS is nothing special.

 

Yeah... I was thinking any IRS period would be pretty cool. I thought the Cobra IRS would be easy because the Ford 9" was doable.

What are the main differences between running an IRS or a live axle? I started thinking about this earlier after I saw pictures of a Miata with a 2003 T-bird rear end. Said car is waiting on a supercharged LS1 to be installed in it

 

An IRS rides better and handles better theoretically. When one side of a solid axle is loaded the other side will react as well. This can compromise traction for the wheel that is not going over a bump. Also an IRS is mostly attached to the body and has a very small amount of unsprung weight. IRS systems are the way to go but a solid axle can perform with the best of them when set up properly.

 

How hard do you think it would be to install the C4 IRS into a 3rd gen?

 

It would be very time consuming and expensive. You would have to hack the rear up pretty good in our cars. You would also have exhaust routing problems and a whole bunch of other stuff. I am sure it can be done but I am happy with my solid axle for now.

 

Cool, thanks. Just another pipe dream I suppose. One of these days when I get filthy rich, my mechanic and I will look into it further

 

he cant do it.. you need a fabricator.. not a mechanic.


funny think you mention the cobra IRS... because cobra guys ditch them and swap in the solid axle.


the only thing a IRS is good for on the dragstrip is snapping halfshafts.

 

He's good friends with someone who builds tools and parts for him we he needs them

I'm interested in more of an all around experience with my car, more than just the strip since I hardly drag and I have yet to go. Though the posi in my stock axle is dead so I am looking for something. Ford 9" with discs seems to be a safe way to go... it's strong as hell, does it have any attributes that make it hold the road better handling wise?

 

not really. the 9" is stronger, and thats about it. when modded for 3rdgen use, its basicly identical to the stock one, only stronger, a lil heavier, and someone always brings up the greater power loss thru it...


i just love it for the piece of mind you get by knowing your rear wont blow out when you dump the clutch.

 

I can tell you the C4 is the way to go. Get yourself a Dana 44 when you do it though, otherwise you'll be replacing the diff pretty soon if you have any power. It is expensive, but it's getting cheaper every year. The rear suspensions used to go for right at $1500-$2000 and now they can be had for under $1000. Make sure you get everything out of the donor C4. The other great thing abut the C4 IRS, is it requires no modification to go in. By that I mean that the suspension itself can be installed in absolutely stock configuration. There is substantial cutting and welding to the car required to install it, but you don't even need to modify the fuel tank. Exhaust routing is a piece of cake, you just run the pipe directly under the driveshaft (just like the C4) and use small round mufflers, like I said, cake. Here is some pics.

 

#2 Exhaust pipe routing

 

schweet. thats cool.

 

i was looking for those pics....if you look in the top pic at the exhaust before it bends to the drivers side you can see a vertical weld....Think of a reverse y-pipe


C4's can launch VERY hard...there are a few guys on here who cut really good 60 footers...its that mustang IRS that doesnt launch aswell

 

I have a few other pics of the rear install as well, but I didn't want to post them all. f-crazy, you are exactly right, that is like a backwards y-pipe there. Basically the pipes come down off the headers, thru seperate cats (it go a 425rwhp LS1 too) into one 3 or 3.5 inch pipe (can't remember) into a round Dynomax muffler (it's not installed in the pic) then it splits into two 3 inch pipes for the exit at the rear bumper. It is super fast, handles so nice and runs in the low 13's to high 12's at 5280 feet. Two seperate Vipers have fallen prey to it, and more Cobras than one would care to count. Nobody takes it serious, I mean c'mon it's an 87 IROC, how fast can it be?!?

 

heh, btw i said somthing wrong above...


i said somthing along the lines of " A IRS is only good for snapping halfshafts"

i ment to say " the cobra IRS is only good for snapping halfshafts"




anyhoo... post up thoes pics!