Taylormade Sim vs Cobra Speedzone Driver Comparison, Specs & Review

You hear the word speed bandied about a lot from manufacturers marketing their clubs. Yes, speed does help in the game of golf, especially with the driver. The faster you can swing the club, the harder you can hit the ball. The faster the ball goes, the longer it will carry.

But which drivers actually deliver a tangible boost of speed to your swing and to the ball? The word gets tossed around so much that it’s hard to believe that every time it’s used, the truth is being told. So we tested a couple such clubs and compared them side by side. Here’s what we found.

Overview Of Both Drivers 

The Taylormade SIM and the Cobra Speedzone drivers both boast an aerodynamic shape.

In fact the SIM has one of the most unique heads in the game with the lower panel that extends backwards past the head itself.

The Cobra Speedzone also features milled leading edges placed on the perimeter of the head to increase aerodynamics. This feature made for a very smooth and yes, a fast-felling swing while you could really feel the extreme rear weighting of the SIM driver on your swing.

 

Quick Comparison

 

Cobra Speedzone

Taylormade SIM

Adjustable Weighting?

Yes

Yes

Lofts

9 & 10.5 Degrees

8, 9 & 10.5 Degrees

Key Technology

CNC Infinity Milled Face

Inertia Generator

Weight

D1-4

D5

Price

$300

$400

Overall Rating

94/100

97/100

 

Taylormade SIM Key Features

 

The Inertia Generator of the Taylormade SIM driver essentially places a maximum amount of weight as far back in the club head as possible.

This promotes high ball speeds when hit in the sweet spot. It also features a sliding weight that provides -+20 yards of draw or fade bias.

 

Cobra Speedzone Key Features

 

The Cobra Speedzone face is milled pretty much to very edge. This helps increase flex and ball speed on more areas of the face – so it’s very forgiving.

The T-bar chassis also provides stability and minimizes heavier titanium so more weight can be strategically placed for MOI.

 

The SIM Family

The complete SIM family of drivers includes the SIM, the SIM Max and the SIM Max D.

The standard SIM is the only one to have the sliding weight but all 3 drivers in the family come with an adjustable 4 degree loft sleeve.

The standard SIM also has the lowest launch angle of the 3 drivers.

 

The Speedzone Family

The Speedzone line features the standard Speedzone and the Speedzone Xtreme driver.

The Speedzone Xtreme would be better suited for mid handicappers.

It lacks an adjustable weight but has an oversized profile and higher launch options.

 

The SIM Vs. The SIM 2

The biggest constructional difference between the SIM and the SIM 2 is that the SIM 2 has a lot more carbon fiber in the crown.

It’s lighter but still maintains stability thanks to a forged aluminum ring that wraps around the perimeter of the head.

The SIM 2 plays a bit lighter but other than that, there are not many other performance upgrades.

In fact, we were getting almost identical distances from both drivers on average. The SIM 2 did have a better overall feel though.

 

The Speedzone Vs. The RadSpeed

The RadSpeed is definitely more of a performance driver targeted towards lower handicap players.

The best thing about it is that it produces very low spin thanks to maximum spacing between the front radial weight and the rear weight.

Plus, it still features the ultra-forgiving infinity milled face.

When compared directly to the Cobra Speedzone, the RadSpeed was definitely the more workable driver.

That being said, the lower price tag and the higher launch of the Cobra Speedzone make it more congenial for mid to high handicappers.

 

 

Taylormade SIM Options

  • Mitsubishi Diamana S Limited 60 shaft
  • Project X HZRDUS Smoke Green 70 shaft
  • Stiff, regular and extra stiff flexes

 

Cobra Speedzone Options

 

  • UST Helium Black 4 shaft
  • UST Helium Black 5 shaft
  • MCA Tensei CK AV Blue 65 shaft
  • Project X HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 60 shaft
  • Aldila Rogue Silver 60 (110 MSI) shaft
  • Lite, regular, stiff, and extra stiff flexes

 

Who is Each Driver for?

From the features and the emphasis on easy distance, it’s clear that both these clubs were designed for mid to high handicappers.

That being said, we found that the Cobra Speedzone was overall more forgiving. So if accuracy is an issue for you, the Cobra Speedzone would be more your, well, speed.

The adjustable loft sleeve combined with the draw and fade bias adjustability of the SIM driver would make it more congenial for players looking to customize each drive.

 

Performance Comparison

So which one played faster? That would be the Cobra Speedzone. It was producing faster ball speed overall. That didn’t always equal more distance.

About half the time, even with lower ball speed, the SIM driver actually forced the ball farther thanks to the extreme rear weighting.

 

Price Comparison

You can get the SIM driver for around $400 while the Speedzone will run you about $300.

 

Taylormade SIM Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • Slightly better distance
  • More workable
  • Very versatile
  • More satisfying feel
  • Better sound
  • Speed Pocket

 

Cons:

  • More expensive
  • Less forgiving
  • Higher spin
  • Low launch

Overall Score: 97/100

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Cobra Speedzone Pros & Cons

Pros:

  • More forgiving
  • Low spin
  • Better ball speed
  • More affordable
  • Sounds good
  • Lightweight

 

Cons:

  • Less workable
  • Slightly less distance
  • Lacking feel
  • Low launch

Overall Score: 94/100

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Final Assessment

So what did we learn from comparing the Taylormade SIM and the Cobra Speedzone drivers? Mainly that speed isn’t the end all be all.

Even though the Cobra Speedzone was aptly providing better ball speed on more drives, the Taylormade SIM consistently produced greater distance.

The ball speed dropped off too rapidly after impact with the Speedzone while the SIM’s drives were going slower but flying farther.

The Taylormade SIM is our recommendation so check it out!