Head 2 Head | Cobra R vs NSX-R | Closed

[Alfa_Scighera]

Anyone else watch Motor Trend’s Head 2 Head? If so, you can probably guess where this is going… It’s 2016 and we’ve got a new track-spec Mustang, the GT350R, and a brand new NSX. These cars take wildly different approaches to making the ultimate track car; the Mustang focusing on keeping weight to a minimum, raw power, and driver feedback. The NSX focusing on precision, linearity, and driver performance augmentation through technology (fancy words!). And yet, they’re within two tenths of a second of each other around Mazda Laguna Seca in the hands of Randy Pobst, the GT350R having the advantage.

Lets rewind two decades to their predecessors (man I feel old, and I can’t even drink yet)… The 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R and the 1992 Honda NSX-R. The Mustang was still focused on reduced weight, ridiculous power, and driver feedback. But back then the NSX was focused on insane weight savings, balanced handling, and above all, maintaining speed through hard corners. Here’s the shocker: just like their successors, they’re also exactly two tenths apart around Mazda Laguna Seca, advantage Mustang once again (in my hands anyways).

But, what about in your hands? Lets find out on this episode of Head 2 Head! I mean… This comp!

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| CARS |
2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R

1992 Honda NSX-R

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| TRACK |
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

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| TUNE |
Both cars are required to be completely stock, except you may change tire pressures. If you change the PSI you must say what you changed it to in your post or your run will be disqualified.

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| PAINT |
You may paint the cars how ever you’d like.

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| THE CHALLENGE |
Hotlap the 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R and 1992 Honda NSX-R on Mazda Laguna Seca. Please post your best lap for each car in this thread. Your best lap times in both cars will be combined, and this is how you will be scored on the leaderboard.

The Mustang and NSX will be scored by the average best lap time from all of the competitors, this way each one of you will help determine which car wins this Head 2 Head.

A replay of your run is required to be uploaded to your storefront for your best lap to be validated. Please name your replays H2H Cobra and H2H NSX respectively.

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| PRIZES |
Anyone who posts times for both cars may claim 25M CR and a soon to be announced prize car.

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| DURATION |
The challenge will run from now until Monday, November 21st at 11:59PM [CST]. Good luck gentlemen, and I hope you enjoy the challenge! : )

[Alfa_Scighera]

LEADERBOARD

Cobra R Average: 1:42.614
NSX-R Average: 1:42.676
Gap: 0.062 Seconds
Cobra R Player Fastest Times: 5
NSX-R Player Fastest Times: 6

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3:18.288 | Yakov Alfa

Cobra R: 1:39.123 - PSI: 30.5F/31R
NSX-R: 1:39.165 - PSI: 31.5F/31.5R

3:18.478 | Rejus66

Cobra R: 1:39.199 - PSI: 30.5F/30.5R
NSX-R: 1:39.279 - PSI: 30F/30R

3:19.160 | MBD Titus72

Cobra R: 1:39.708 - PSI: 31F/33R
NSX-R: 1:39.452 - PSI: 31F/28.5R

3:19.874 | JWCJRS4RT

Cobra R: 1:40.071 - PSI: 30F/30R
NSX-R: 1:39.803 - PSI: 30F/30R

3:21.441 | CostlessCape92

Cobra R: 1:40.612 - PSI: 30F/30R
NSX-R: 1:40.829 - PSI: 30F/30R

3:22.512 | Wan Ge 1

Cobra R: 1:41.477 - PSI: 29.5F/29.0R
NSX-R: 1:41.035 - PSI: 29.0F/29.5

3:24.401 | DRAGGINSLAYER01

Cobra R: 1.42.161 - PSI: 29F/29R
NSX-R: 1:42.240 - PSI: 30F/30R

3:26.964 | KoolIROCZ1967

Cobra R: 1:43.634 - PSI: 30F/29R
NSX-R: 1:43.330 - PSI: 30F/30R

3:28.804 | EZT TomCat7

Cobra R: 1:44.405 - PSI: 28.5F/28.5R
NSX-R: 1:44.399 - PSI: 28.5F/28.5R

3:31.699 | LegionBear2

Cobra R: 1:46.016 - PSI: 28F/28R
NSX-R: 1:45.683 - PSI: 28F/28R

3:46.579 | T0rqueFact0ry

Cobra R: 1:52.355 - PSI: 30F/30R
NSX-R: 1:54.224 - PSI: 30F/30R

[Alfa_Scighera]

I guess I’ll update my times…

Cobra R: 1:39.123 - Lap 10 - PSI: 30.5F/31R
NSX-R: 1:39.165 - Lap 2 - PSI: 31.5F/31.5R

Replays are in my storefront. I got 38s in both cars at one point, but unfortunately the laps were dirty. The track limits here are really wonky. : /

[Alfa_Scighera]

And the winner of this Head 2 Head is… The 2000 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra R!

This was insanely close all the way to the end; the margin of victory was only 0.062 seconds! Two wildly different approaches to making a track car, and yet they run almost identical times regardless of who’s driving them (as shown by the averages). Surely I’m not the only one that finds that absolutely freaking awesome?!

Also something interesting to note: 5 of the 11 drivers ran their fastest lap times in the Cobra R, while 6 of the 11 drivers ran their fastest lap times in the NSX-R. So while the Cobra R may have the faster average time, more drivers were able to push the NSX-R harder.

I don’t think we’ll ever see a matchup this close again! …or will we? ; )

I’d like to thank everyone for their participation in this comp! I’ve only ever run two; the first I launched when FM4 was still quite active, and this second one now when FM4 is considered dead… There was more participation in this comp. Guess the definitive Forza game ain’t so dead after all, eh gents?

I’d also like to thank TorqueFactory for his invaluable support and assistance with this comp; I wouldn’t have launched it without him. Thanks bud. ; )

And finally, a prize car is now planned, so once it’s finished I’ll let everyone know and get the car distributed.

Thanks again everyone, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! : )

[EZT_TomCat7]

Cobra: 1:44.405 - PSI: 28.5F/28.5R Best lap on #3
NSX-R: 1:44.399 - PSI: 28.5F/28.5R Best lap on #4
Replays up on Storefront.

[Alfa_Scighera]

@TomCat
Man, a 0.006 second difference, that’s what I’m talking about!

[Wan_Ge_1]

NSX R - 1:41.035 - Lap 3 - PSI - 29.0F / 29.5R
Cobra - 1:41.477 - Lap 7 - PSI - 29.5F / 29.0R
Replays on storefront

[Alfa_Scighera]

@Wan Ge
Also some close times! This is getting extremely interesting now, only 4 tenths separating the two cars in the averages. That is, unless me in all my wisdom screwed the basic math up… XD

[MBD_Titus72]

Hello, here are my results
Honda NSX : PSI front 31 - rear 28.5
1:39.452 on lap 3
Ford Mustang : PSI front 31 - rear 33
1:39.708 on lap 2
replays are up

[DRAGGINxSLAYER1]

Got to load my replays but stock out of the game garage stock tire psi …

Honda 1.42.240 L 4

Cobra 1.42.545 L 6

Sorry about the bad laps leading up to those … lot of trouble w/ my only eye atm

[Alfa_Scighera]

I just wanna say to everyone: I’m quite terrible at math and there’s a lot of numbers I’m going through all at once, so if my calculations for your combined time or the average times seem off, by all means let me know.

@Titus
Excellent work! You now hold the overall fastest time, and the fastest NSX-R lap! ; )

@DragginSlayer
It’s all good man! Unless someone points out something in the replay that they want me to watch, I usually just check PSI at the start then skip to the best lap. Hope your eye problems dissipate soon. Is it mostly pain, or blurriness n such?

[LegionBear2]

Hello to all, here my times

NSX R - 1:45.683- Lap 5 - PSI - 28.0F / 28.0R
Cobra - 1:46.016- Lap 5- PSI - 28.0F / 28.0R

Replays up on SF

[Alfa_Scighera]

@LegionBear
Nice to see you again bud! I particularly like that 2nd Cobra R pic; that’s a unique perspective for the corkscrew. ; )

[KoolIROCZ1967]

Best I could muster…

Mustang Cobra - 1:43.634 - rear PSI 29 - front PSI 30

Honda NSX - 1:43.330 - front/rear PSI - 30

Thanks for the Challenge, yakov ;]

[Xxmasterboi]

Its been a while, but this was enjoyable
Honda 1.39.803 stock pressures lap 3
Ford 1.40.071 stock pressures lap 8

Its a tough call between the 2. I found the NSX easier to drive at the limit, lapping consistantly in the high 1.39.9 and low 1.40. The Stang was easier to get to the low 1.40 but harder to maintain

[Alfa_Scighera]

@KoolIROCZ
Those are honestly not half bad times boss. ; )

That first Cobra shot… Looks like candy red paint; awesome! : D

@JWCJRS4RT
What’s up man?! Great to have ya back! And I totally forgot to mention it in the OP, but one of the main points of H2H is to actually review the cars (not just hotlap 'em), so I appreciate the quick rundown. AND congrats on beating my NSX time, heck of a run! : )

[DRAGGINxSLAYER1]

Got a chance to re-run the Cobra 1.42.161 L 5 replay up … ( got into 141’s dirty on a second try … eh maybe I can still get it down lower ) I can run the Cobra faster than the NSX - I just blew a corner really bad on that run … EDIT tire psi was 29/29

Will try the NSX for improvement now and will plug that in on this post if I improve

[COES_Rejus]

Hi guys! My times:
NSX-R → 1:39,279 with stock pressures.
Cobra R-> 1:39,199. front and back 30,5 psi.
I feel the NSX-R has more potential but for now thats my best time.

[CostlessCape92]

Cobra R - 1:40.612 on lap 4 - PSI - 30F/30R
NSX ----- 1:40.829 on lap 4 - PSI - 30F/30R
Replays up (ToolmanAuto SF)

Ultimately I think the NSX will be faster

[T0rqueFact0ry]

Sorry to be bringing down the averages, but I’m finding that there are some cars I can drive in factory stock tune, and some that I definitely cannot control. I am loving the amount of enthusiasm for this comp, even if my skills are “stinking up the joint.”