Top speed small ship for data missions: Cobra or Imperial Courier?

[Coccolino]

Which one of the two can get better top speed and handling, together with a good protection against accidental wall-hitting? [big grin]
I'm into Palin's lab and I have to decide which engine to upgrade (unfortunately they are different classes so I can't swap them).

 

[Deleted member 110222]

While the Courier may have a paper hull... It has vastly bigger shields no matter how you equip it, and it is the king of speed post engineers.

As much as it pains me to say it, you're probably going to prefer the Courier.

 

[Arthur Shappey]

If you're doing just data missions, why not a Sidewinder or Eagle - both dirt cheap to replace if you have an accident. But if you're set on the choice you've lain out, go for the Imperial Courier - because it is slightly less popular - more cool.

 

[Trafalgar Law]

Which one of the two can get better top speed and handling, together with a good protection against accidental wall-hitting? [big grin]
I'm into Palin's lab and I have to decide which engine to upgrade (unfortunately they are different classes so I can't swap them).

The fastest of those two is the Courier with it's enhanced drives, lightweight Courier builds can achieve 750-800+m/s. It also has far more shields than the Cobra III, but carries less cargo.

 

[EUS]

Especially if you slap enhanced thrusters on it.
So much fun.

 

[777Driver]

Which one of the two can get better top speed and handling, together with a good protection against accidental wall-hitting? [big grin]
I'm into Palin's lab and I have to decide which engine to upgrade (unfortunately they are different classes so I can't swap them).

Considering 95% of a data run trip is spent in supercruise, normal space velocity will make little difference. Fly what you enjoy. I prefer the Cobra.

My Enhanced drive Courier is the ingame equivalent to owning a Mclaren SLR, not very practical but a lot of fun.

 

[andrak]

Courier

 

[Coccolino]

Speaking of supercruise, for example, I'm having some issues, with the Cobra, doing helicoidal approach to bases before exiting supercruise. Is the Courier better at that? I remember the Clipper was super.

 

[Mrat13]

Courier is faster, but only with 3a enhanced thrusters. Unengineered, you can push her over 600 m/s, with the right weight management. Luckily even 2d shields give you 250mj shields, more than the cobra can hope to get unengineered.

Engineered, make that a 800 m/s courier .

 

[the100thmonkey]

You can get a G5 dirtymodded Cobra to over 1500 hull armour with > 500m/s boost easily.

You don't need shields. Such a build also has the added bonus of being able to use the station to stop in silent running, a feature not available to the Courier, whose hull is composed of papier maché and typically Imperial wishful thinking.

 

[Coccolino]

Slightly OT... can't I modify thrusters that are not on the ship?
I went to Palin with the Cobra and asked the Courier's thrusters to be shipped there, but I can't modify stored modules!

 

[Bryan K]

I use either an iCourier or iEagle, depending on the distance between systems. My iCourier has a boost speed of 728 right now, and the iEagle somewhere in the high 500 range. Easy to fly, easy to dock, cheap to insure, and easy to land if doing planetary scan missions. The Cobra is nice, but it yaws like a pig.

 

[Vardaugas]

Or get a Diamondback Scout. Fast, cheap and supercruise agile. Downgrade the fuel tank for the extra weight reduction.

 

[sidereal6]

Slightly OT... can't I modify thrusters that are not on the ship?

No, unfortunately. It's a bummer.

I went to Palin with the Cobra and asked the Courier's thrusters to be shipped there, but I can't modify stored modules!

Head to Alcazar's Hope in Merope. You can buy an Eagle there and fly it back to Palin. Fit your thrusters, engineer them, then store them and trash the Eagle.