After 4 years of owning the RX-8 its time to move on and buy another car. The main reason for getting rid of the RX-8 is the fuel economy. Followed by a lack of power to the point where I installed the greddy turbo and managed to get 240whp. But I still wasn't happy with the results, the car wasnt as smooth as before and it still needed low end torque. Power started at 4,000rpm but died out by the end of 7500rpm. Also I should point out that I had the GS version. After taking the 8 on a diet. Upgrading to such things as a light weight battery, lightweight rims. etc etc I ended up with the RX-8 weighting in at just below 2900lbs.

So I started to look for a replacement for the 8 and I came across the issue of car and driver dating back to nov of 2008 where they had "the lighting lap". I guess thats where the intrest started in the Cobalt SS, The SS not only placed top of its category but it was better then most of the cars that were more expensive. Such as the S2000 CR, WRX STi, BMW 135i.


I started doing more research into the SS and found that its a decent performance car going from 0 to 100mph in 12.8seconds! .93g handling and 163feet brake stop from 70mph to zero. So technically the car is better or the same in the specs departnment then the 8.


and now for the bad parts..... The interior is not even close to the 8 or is the exterior styling of the car. Not to mention that it is a FWD car. I guess those are the 3 main negatives of the car, when it comes to quality? GM has the 100,000miles/5year powertrain warranty. Lets just hope they'll be in business to honour it.


The two best qualities that the SS has, is the performance and its fuel economy which is rated at 30mpg+ on the hwy. After taking the SS on a test drive I have been very impressed with it. The car felt very rigid and solid, power started at just 2000rpm and follow to the redline. The stock SS dynos at 250whp and with minor tweaks the power can be boosted to 300whp+ *if needed*



Any Cobalt SS fans out there??

 

Turbo Cobalt is FTW

 

get it.....its fast, handles on rails.....chevy did a lot with that car and i was very impressed only thing is the fwd....

 

yeah, it has potential and its alright to start. but i think FWD is the work of the devil.

 

I would take the MS3 over the cobalt SS, has way more style and very moddable

 

I would take the MS3 over the SS as well... But I can get a 2008 SS with 30miles on it for $18000

There are about 6 2008 SS cobalts in my area that are priced below $19,000

 

what are the MS3's going for?

 

Turbo Cobalt is a lot of performance for the buck. It lapped Nurburgring in sub 8 minutes. Amazing. That's the total package right there.
Be sure to check this out from Road and Track. Comparison chart with Cobalt SS, Mazdaspeed 3, Lancer Raliart, and Impreza WRX. Gotta love R&T

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...risonchart.pdf

http://www.roadandtrack.com/assets/d...theresults.pdf

 

The Cobalt SS can indeed go, stop, and turn remarkably well for what it is.

What it is, however, is a shitty FWD rental car that has been tuned to within an inch of its life. The design and build quality are horrible. I'm no badge snob, but the Cobalt has zero class.

Of course they're selling them for cheap. Unless you pay cash, you will be upside down in this car the second you drive it off the lot. And it gets mediocre scores in IIHS crash testing.

For me, all that overshadows its test track numbers. It might be the fastest-lapping car you can buy for $25K new, but it is FAR from the BEST car in its class or price bracket if you are even remotely concerned with things other than its performance numbers.

Just my opinion.

Wait for the Genesis Coupe R-Spec later this year. It'll have a 2.0 turbo, Brembos, LSD, tuned suspension, 6-speed, and RWD for $23K. Won't be as fast as the Cobalt in a straight line, but it should do well on the track and surpass all the deficiencies I mentioned above.

EDIT: Oh, also, don't be surprised if GM declares bankruptcy in a week or so.

 

I am not a fan of FWD cars, but to my suprise the SS was very stable under full throttle. There was no torque steer, whatsoever. The steering wheel feel when under WOT was that of the RX-8 very smooth. Also when taking a corner the SS was very netural,the car didnt understeer and felt very much like an awd car.


I used to have an egale talon FWD and I remember that under WOT the steering was all over the place, it pulled left to right until you got off the throttle.

 

^^^ sure, the Cobalt SS is nothing but a fast little **** box, but I think that's what he's looking for at this point. He modded his RX8 fairly extensively, lost a good chunk of change doing it, and now he's pissed off with something that has zero warranty and is only marginally faster than what he had stock.

I haven't verfied it, but if you can get one for $18K or $19K as mikefrombarrie said, it mitigates the depreciation hit, and you might not be too bad a shape if you don't mod it too much. That 100K warranty is good for re-sale.

I also agree with possibly waiting on the Genesis... I like the looks of that car as well.

 

I say give it a shot if you like the SS...seems like you really were impressed with it. Go for it man. Do what makes you happy.

 

I was hyped up about the Genesis, but after reading up on it. I was very disappointed by the preview specs, Hyundai claims the base Coupe's 0-62 time is 8.3 seconds. Not to mention the brakes and handling can't be good if the 2.0L turbo weighs in at over 3400 lbs!!!

Once they do a full review of the Genesis then we'll know the performance of it.

 

Yah, but that's before you throw in something like a boost controller and tune. The possibility is that 4 banger will hold some boost, and you'll see cheap hp... above and beyond what the 6 cylinder version will have with a slightly lighter curb weight and lower cost.

 

Sure it may not be the fastest rwd car stock, but Hyundai put some thoughts into aftermarket expansion.

"Hyundai did engineer some headroom for the tuning and drifting set; the blown and intercooled I-4 features a low 9.3:1 compression and can take boost up to 29 psi"

"Hyundai recently invited 20 aftermarket companies to its North American headquarters in Fountain Valley, California to measure the capabilities of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Calling it the official SEMA measuring session for the company’s latest rear-wheel-drive coupe, Hyundai said it really wanted to get aftermarket companies a head start on the Genesis Coupe. "

"the 2.0-liter turbo got most of the attention from the tuners, and since the engine itself is a direct relation of the 2.0-liter in the Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart and Evolution X, "


http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...ook/index.html


http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do...ticleId=129812

 

 

wow,

mike hope to buy some more stuff from you.. but some good threads lately about how to clip the greedy turbo for more power.

and maybe put in a 4.1 or a 3.9 rear gear..

just my opinion i could be wrong..

beers

 

/\ yeah swoope is on the money - 240 whp from the greddy is just the starting point . And what is this about no power till 4000 rpm - I have 9 psi by just over 3000 and that goes all the way to 8500

What does the cobalt redline at ?

 

does not matter. it is really but ugly..

beers

 

so the op would rather trade in the awesome 8 that is already turboed and maybe needs another 2k spent on it to make it a beast for a butt ugly fwd pos ?

 

doubt it.

mike has been here forever.. and has done so much..

odd that it is where he is now.. really i thought he sold it and got a boxter.

but i am sure he will chime in with a rebuttal to are blah blah.

beers

 

Dude. GM makes the cobalt. It will probably be a piece of **** in 2 years like every other GM car. Stick with the Japanese.

My chevy truck is a 98 with about 78k on it. It blew a headgasket, water pump went out, abs is screwed, climate control gauge has failed 3 times, wiper motor broke, wiper switch has broke, fm radio quit so im listening to am, alternator broke, and the tailgate latch needed replaced. Im sure i am forgetting something. Its not like im driving it dumping rocks in the bed like the commercials. Its mostly easy driving to and from work. I will NEVER buy another chevy. American companies are goin to ****. Good job detroit. Wonder why you are going bankrupt?

 

I test drove a Cobalt a few months ago when I was in the market, along with half a dozen other things. It was quicker than I had anticipated (or at least felt that way), inexpensive and was generally a nice little car. On the down side you've got the fact that it's FWD and from what I've read isn't great on reliability.

You might consider giving the Subaru Impreza a chance. If you can find a '04 or '05 that has been taken care of it's about the same price as a new Cobalt, you can get up to (stock) 300hp out of a turbo 2.5L 4 cylinder and AWD. I had a '95 Impreza L (non-turbo) that I bought at 152,000 miles, got 26 mpg, and was pretty much indestructible with reliability. I traded it in five years later at 215,000 miles. Might have bought a newer one if it wasn't that the lag from a turbo drives me nuts, and I wanted RWD.

 

Cobalt SS is has one of the highest bang for the buck ratios.
If one doesn't care much for status and image, this is a great car.

I'd still consider the 2009 WRX or the MSpeed 3.

 

Keep in mind that FWD is going to break traction pretty easily with all that power. You'll be eating through tires, fighting the steering wheel constantly, spinning the fronts at half throttle when it rains, understeering if you push too hard, etc. My MS3 is a decent car, but all that power does nothing but highlight every little flaw of the FWD drivetrain. Sure, it's an impressive handler for what it is, but constantly overpowering the front tires gets old after a couple months.