Just something that I've been considering as I try and decide if I'm going to get the SS/TC after my SS/SC's lease ends next summer. I think it's something that should really be looked into and considered. Well as we all know the Cobalt's replacement, the Cruze, is slated for production in summer of 2010. Which leaves the Cobalt just under 2yrs of life before from what we know it'll most likely cease production when the Cruze launches to replace it.

Seeing that the 2008+ Cobalt SS/TC has been available to the public for around 6 months now we really haven't seen a lot out for it yet. Yes I realize that it takes months, even years for the supporting aftermarket companies to do R&D, and come out with these products. I'm also aware that within the next few months more performance parts will be available, by companies like Hahn, TTR, Synapse, etc. Which by the way have been very supportive to enthusiasts like ourselves in offering quality parts that we desire for our cars, and I'd like to say thank you to them on behalf of all of us. :)

However, the 08 Cobalt SS/TC's are already produced and out there, and now the 09 SS/TC's are being produced and then by June of 09 hopefully they'll be making the 2010 Cobalts up until spring or summer of 2010 when I'm sure the Cruze will start to be launched.. Which gives the Cobalt SS Turbocharged by my predictions probably a 3 year run.

It makes me wonder just how much we'll be seeing come out for the LNF equipped Cobalts. just F.Y.I let's not forget the LNF has been available since 2007 on the Solstice GXP, and Sky Red lines, and if any of you are on those forums like I occasionally am you can see that despite the LNF being out for the last two years on those cars, there's only a limited quantity of modifications available to them. They now just within the last year came out with a couple turbo swap kits, by some of their supporting vendors...

And who knows if and when the GMPP stage kits will be released, if they ever are to come out is still in question...

The Cobalt SS Turbocharged, HHR Turbocharged, Solstice GXP, and Sky Redline have certainly been great performance cars to offer excitement, performance and affordability to us, and while the LNF that is in them is an amazing engine, with a lot of potential, it certainly won't be going away any time soon especially with the rise in gas prices, but the cars like the Cobalt, Solstice/Sky soon will be ceasing production. (within the next few years most likely)

So it just makes me wonder if we'll really see a lot performance parts by many aftermarket companies come out for these cars knowing they won't be around too much longer compared to what's been available for the LSJ in the 3 years it was out. Hopefully there is... :)

Guess I'm the only one that is concerned... :lol:

major reason why i WONT get a ss/tc...with gm announcing the end of it...before it came out screwed the community on it being either impossible to find or WAAAAAAAAAY to pricey

Yeah it has me concerned as well. I'm just going to wait until next summer and see how much is out for it by the time I need to reach a decision.

Granted the only things I'm really looking into would be a down-pipe, cat-back, CAI, HP Tuners, bigger intercooler, and eventually later down the road a turbo swap if one ever comes out for it.

Granted no-one knows this for a fact, however it's safe to assume that GM won't be coming out with stage kits for the SS/TC knowing well that the Cobalt is being killed in a couple years anyways, despite other issues I'm sure.

I just think this is really something that people aren't considering. Granted it shouldn't be a reason what-so-ever because if you want the car even like I do, you're going to get it regardless and there's nothing wrong with that. I just don't like the fact that I'm going to buy a car that I know is going to cease production 1yr or 2 after I buy it...

i think it's gay how gm goes balls out with this car, (it came out really well hell it even got onto car and drivers best handling cars of 08), and their giving it the axe in a couple of years. I was really looking forward to buying a ss/tc, but with them killing the cobalts, im having second thoughts.

I dont think the cobalt will be going anywhere because it is just now showing great profits and I think they will keep it around for awhile due to its increasing popularity. http://www.leftlanenews.com/cobalt-now-a-moneymaker-for-gm.html

quoted from www.leftlanenews.com(i hope this is enough to not get me in trouble)
http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-cruze.html

"Although there is widespread speculation that the Cruze will eventually replace the Cobalt, it still remains possible that both cars could coexsist within GM's lineup. In fact, Chevrolet's North American head, Ed, Peper, says the Cruze is actually intended to creat a new segment that slots above the cobalt but below the Malibu."

quoted from www.leftlanenews.com(i hope this is enough to not get me in trouble)
http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-cruze.html


So hopefully that means GM will keep the Cobalt and do AWD maybe?? :D

the way i see it is no one knows how long the cobalts going to be out and all this nonsense your reading on the net is never going to be confirmed officially by chevy until the last cobalt rolls off the line.

Anyone with half a brain in retail doesnt state when a product is being discontinued until its really discontinued.

So my advice to you if your that concerned is buy a ss/sc if you want aftermarket support... theres already plenty and you dont have to worry about it being axed since it already is. Or just gamble on the TC and be done with it

Be proud of your s/c ones cause we have a way bigger after market then the TC does and probably will have a way bigger one for a few years........

i think it's gay how gm goes balls out with this car, (it came out really well hell it even got onto car and drivers best handling cars of 08), and their giving it the axe in a couple of years. I was really looking forward to buying a ss/tc, but with them killing the cobalts, im having second thoughts.

Yeah, this is why I made the post. I mean let's face it the Cobalt is how old already? It came out in 2005, so that makes it 3 years old and by 2010 it'll have been out for 5 years. Which for a platform is old, and GM learned from past mistakes with the Cavalier that continuously selling an aging car is not a good thing.

I dont think the cobalt will be going anywhere because it is just now showing great profits and I think they will keep it around for awhile due to its increasing popularity. http://www.leftlanenews.com/cobalt-now-a-moneymaker-for-gm.html

Yeah, I saw that link. They are saying that after 3 years the Cobalt is now making a profit for GM when small cars never really turned a profit for GM, until the shift in the market.

quoted from www.leftlanenews.com(i hope this is enough to not get me in trouble)
http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-cruze.html

"Although there is widespread speculation that the Cruze will eventually replace the Cobalt, it still remains possible that both cars could coexsist within GM's lineup. In fact, Chevrolet's North American head, Ed, Peper, says the Cruze is actually intended to creat a new segment that slots above the cobalt but below the Malibu."

quoted from www.leftlanenews.com(i hope this is enough to not get me in trouble)
http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-cruze.html


So hopefully that means GM will keep the Cobalt and do AWD maybe?? :D

Remember back when there was rumor that the next Cobalt SS was to be AWD? That rumor was shot down immediately because AWD is very costly and it would cost GM alot of $ that they don't have to add a AWD drive train to a car that sells in extremely low #'s over all, being it's for a small niche market... Unless you want to pay 30 grand for a Cobalt SS, which I know no one would buy. However it would be bad-ass...

I think that maybe in the beginning the Cobalt and Cruze will co-exist maybe for the first year or two the Cruze launches. But let's say a consumer goes to a Chevy dealer sees the Cruze and the Cobalt sitting next to each other in the dealer lot. Both are built off the same platform, (although the Cruze is built off a updated platform) both are FWD, around the same size and within maybe 1 or 2k the same price. There's no comparison between the interiors of each, and supposedly there's going to be an even more fuel efficient engine in the Cruze.... Which car do you think the consumer will want? It won't be the Cobalt. And GM knows it. There's no sense in having two cars for the same segment from one brand. They will merely cannibalize sales from eachother.

If anything the Cobalt will probably stay around for a year or two after the Cruze is launched, maybe the coupe will remain in production until the Cruze coupe launches.

the way i see it is no one knows how long the cobalts going to be out and all this nonsense your reading on the net is never going to be confirmed officially by chevy until the last cobalt rolls off the line.

Anyone with half a brain in retail doesnt state when a product is being discontinued until its really discontinued.

So my advice to you if your that concerned is buy a ss/sc if you want aftermarket support... theres already plenty and you dont have to worry about it being axed since it already is. Or just gamble on the TC and be done with it

None of us have an idea until GM officially releases news that the cobalt is facing the axe, but to me the axe is falling closer and closer...

I already have a SS/SC that I'm leasing for 8 more months... I'm not buying it or another one especially seeing that the LSJ has been discontinued... The LNF will be around for a while I imagine seeing it's a very new engine, but the cars that they currently are in soon may not be...

IDK, I want the SS/TC, but I'm just going to see what happens in the next 8 months, and maybe I'll buy something that I know isn't going to be discontinued shortly after I buy it like the Camaro...

Well, I look at it like this....the srt-4 noen was only out for three years....it got most of it's aftermarket support after it was out of production....now look at them.

Well, I look at it like this....the srt-4 noen was only out for three years....it got most of it's aftermarket support after it was out of production....now look at them.

That is a good way to look at it. However the 2.4L Turbo 4cyl World Engine that was used in the Neon SRT-4 has also been carried over to the Caliber SRT-4 which just came out. So of course there's going to be continuous demand for aftermarket parts for both.

Granted just like there are still aftermarket parts wanted for cars that haven't been out for almost 10 years like the Supra, Celica, previous gen Civic, Integra, Prelude, DSM cars, etc...

The only thing that's different with the Cobalt is that news of the Cobalt replacement debuted just a couple months after the 2008 SS/TC's were rolling off the lines... So of course the Vendors will know that chances are this car isn't going to be around much longer but that won't matter as long as there is still demand for its parts. Hopefully that stays true.

Also like I said the LNF is around here to stay and more than likely will probably make its way into the Chevy Cruze SS... if one is to ever come out...

The LNF is going to be around for a while, I wouldnt worry about it

Ya since Saturn is bringing over the 1.8 Turbo from Europe for the Astra RL.......Which is going to destroy the 2.0 LNF since the 1.8 already has a huge aftermarket in europe. They will release it, it is just a matter of time, and rumors have spread online about it coming to the U.S. recently

They will release it, it is just a matter of time, and RUMORS have spread online about it coming to the U.S. recently


Sad thing is all these things are nothing more then that, a RUMOR. You have no clue until it happens. Chances are the LNF WILL be in teh Cruze SS. Why would chevy not make an SS model when it has done so well thus far among the tuner crowd, both young and old. The cobalt may get phased out but there will still be an afteramrket demand for it. Maybe with it being discontinued the value of the SS/SC and SS/TC will be higher some day. They are sports cars in my eyes, whether it has 8 or 4 cylinders. But there will still be an aftermarket demand for them. I might wait off on getting the SS/TC Cobalt to see if they come out with an SS/TC Cruze. I'm liking the interior and even the exterior. It looks like a mini Malibu.

The SS/TC was a rumor last year.........look its here now, and the Opel 1.8T is already in Europe, so we shall see.

Ya since Saturn is bringing over the 1.8 Turbo from Europe for the Astra RL.......Which is going to destroy the 2.0 LNF since the 1.8 already has a huge aftermarket in europe. They will release it, it is just a matter of time, and rumors have spread online about it coming to the U.S. recently

I've heard of the 1.8T coming stateside. I would imagine it already has a huge aftermarket support as well.

Personally I'd rather have the 2.0T LNF over a 1.8T... I've seen what the Audi/VW guys do with their 1.8T and unless you upgrade to a bigger turbo you just don't get as much output as you would say in the 2.0L LNF, or the Dodge 2.4T, or Mazdaspeed 2.3T

But possibly another reason to hinder it.

Sad thing is all these things are nothing more then that, a RUMOR. You have no clue until it happens. Chances are the LNF WILL be in teh Cruze SS. Why would chevy not make an SS model when it has done so well thus far among the tuner crowd, both young and old. The cobalt may get phased out but there will still be an afteramrket demand for it. Maybe with it being discontinued the value of the SS/SC and SS/TC will be higher some day. They are sports cars in my eyes, whether it has 8 or 4 cylinders. But there will still be an aftermarket demand for them. I might wait off on getting the SS/TC Cobalt to see if they come out with an SS/TC Cruze. I'm liking the interior and even the exterior. It looks like a mini Malibu.

^ Yeah, that's what I'm basically trying to say. I know the LNF will probably get carried over to the Cruze SS Turbocharged, if one does come out. Of course engine mods will still be capable of being continued for the Cruze, but basically everything else, suspension, body everything else that is different between the Cruze and Cobalt will have to be re-created.

Again I'm not arguing against the Cobalt SS/TC at all. I in fact already planned out what I'll do to it if I do get one. It's just the thought of knowing a year or two after I buy one a new model is coming out, and that bothers me because I really think that the SS/TC is just going to get overlooked in terms of availability of performance parts.

I'm just going to wait until next summer hopefully there is a good range of parts out by then and if there isn't then I know I probably won't get the SS/TC...

Ewwww a Cruze SS/TC would suck, the Cobalt FTW!!

i gotta admit...i think im going honda for my next car just for this reason....

A turbo'd civic would be fun, but I don't like the way civics look.

Hey 1bdstl...... I think a SS/TC Cruze would be I great idea. They do look pretty nice whether you want to admit it or not.

Try not to be so stubborn about a new car guys. At least Chevy is finally trying to get it right.

A turbo'd civic would be fun, but I don't like the way civics look.

Hey 1bdstl...... I think a SS/TC Cruze would be I great idea. They do look pretty nice whether you want to admit it or not.

Try not to be so stubborn about a new car guys. At least Chevy is finally trying to get it right.

If the Cruze SS Turbocharged offers the same performance, or better than the Cobalt SS/TC, with a better car over-all, interior, exterior etc, I'd be all over it.

They need to replace the aveo with the cruze. That would be a better career move for GM.

I mean, you dont see aveoforums.com or stuff like that. or people making parts for them. If they do end up axing the balt. I am gonna have to find something else to buy.

If I stay with GM, I get a discount cause my grandpa worked there for 30 years. But right now, they dont make any good cars. and have no plans of making any cars worth having.

Next car will be between a subaru wrx or sti if I can find one. or see what the next civic is gonna look like.

That is a good way to look at it. However the 2.4L Turbo 4cyl World Engine that was used in the Neon SRT-4 has also been carried over to the Caliber SRT-4 which just came out. So of course there's going to be continuous demand for aftermarket parts for both.

Granted just like there are still aftermarket parts wanted for cars that haven't been out for almost 10 years like the Supra, Celica, previous gen Civic, Integra, Prelude, DSM cars, etc...

The only thing that's different with the Cobalt is that news of the Cobalt replacement debuted just a couple months after the 2008 SS/TC's were rolling off the lines... So of course the Vendors will know that chances are this car isn't going to be around much longer but that won't matter as long as there is still demand for its parts. Hopefully that stays true.

Also like I said the LNF is around here to stay and more than likely will probably make its way into the Chevy Cruze SS... if one is to ever come out...

Yeah this is VERY true, but like you said, the LNF is in other vehicles and will most likely stick around. Secondly, in the hiatus of the SRT-4 neon before it went into the calibur, the aftermarket jumped into the SRT-4, so now there are an abundance of parts for the 2.4 WE. I mean, the car wasn't out too long and it got a otn of aftermarket when it was discontinued, so ya never know.

not true on the aveo forums... i had a rental car 2 weeks ago when my balt was at the dealer for a f'ed up throttle body, and i had one as a rental. i looked up online what the engine was, wasn't sure if it was 1.4 or 1.6 and i found a forum... people talking about turbo kits and such i was rollin!!

chevy would be making a big mistake to axe not just the balt tc, but the lnf motor as some have suggested. of course it will live on, why would they develop a direct injection 2.0 turbo, only to axe it? obviously GM spent money on it's development, and it's a workhorse with a lot aftermarket upgrade potential though not much is there, yet. we know they can produce it cheap, because the price of a new loaded 07 balt sc was the same as a new loaded 08 balt tc.

i see it this way... perhaps gm won't release much aftermarket stuff because of the cruze coming out, and instead will axe the car. in which case, it won't be ignored, the aftermarket community would be dissapointed and some1 will pull through with the products we want/need. if we can mod the hell out of a supercharged car, we WILL have products for the TC!! besides, if GM does release gmpp parts, that's a sure fire sign they are not only competent and understand what the consumer wants, but that the lnf is here to stay. either way, i'm optimistic.

Yeah it has me concerned as well. I'm just going to wait until next summer and see how much is out for it by the time I need to reach a decision.

Granted the only things I'm really looking into would be a down-pipe, cat-back, CAI, HP Tuners, bigger intercooler, and eventually later down the road a turbo swap if one ever comes out for it.

Granted no-one knows this for a fact, however it's safe to assume that GM won't be coming out with stage kits for the SS/TC knowing well that the Cobalt is being killed in a couple years anyways, despite other issues I'm sure.

I just think this is really something that people aren't considering. Granted it shouldn't be a reason what-so-ever because if you want the car even like I do, you're going to get it regardless and there's nothing wrong with that. I just don't like the fact that I'm going to buy a car that I know is going to cease production 1yr or 2 after I buy it...

All those upgrades are already available for the SS T/C :cool: Ask Joe, he'll hook ya up!

After the stock market crash I am sure we all wished we hadn't bought an 09 ... Good Luck ... I wouldn't buy anything now ... Stuff is gunna get CHEAP dude.

lol employee pricing for everyone

i gotta admit...i think im going honda for my next car just for this reason....

Why? The Civic is ugly and none of them make any torque stock.

Ya since Saturn is bringing over the 1.8 Turbo from Europe for the Astra RL.......Which is going to destroy the 2.0 LNF since the 1.8 already has a huge aftermarket in europe. They will release it, it is just a matter of time, and rumors have spread online about it coming to the U.S. recently
Yeah that's it, rumors. It's not going to happen.


What cobalt aftermarket support?:lol:

Yeah, this is why I made the post. I mean let's face it the Cobalt is how old already? It came out in 2005, so that makes it 3 years old and by 2010 it'll have been out for 5 years. Which for a platform is old, and GM learned from past mistakes with the Cavalier that continuously selling an aging car is not a good thing.




are you serious dude? Accord? Civic? they have been around for how many decades? car companies don't need to change models every half decade to turn a profit, honda is a key example.

gm may put a stop to the cobalt model in a few years but they obviously have some ideas for the LNF setup. the talks of throwing the LNF into the base camaros is still a possibility which would keep the aftermarket for sstc's alive. I for one, would like to see these cars stick around but in the next year i would like to see to body style change which should buy the balts a few more years on the market. the increasing sales for cobalts due to their MPG ratings may also deter GM from canning the cobalt model. they are currently in the top 10 selling cars and i believe they are number 3 on the list.

*uck the cruze, it looks like a pos anyways.

are you serious dude? Accord? Civic? they have been around for how many decades? car companies don't need to change models every half decade to turn a profit, honda is a key example.

You do realize they come out with new versions every 4-7 years don't you? They just don't change the name. Its common practice for all automakers.

Accord
1st gen - 1976–1981
2nd gen - 1981–1985
3rd gen - 1986—1989
4th gen - 1990-1993
5th gen - 1994–1997
6th gen - 1998-2002
7th gen - 2003–2007
8th gen - 2008-current

Civic
1st gen - 1973–1979
2nd gen - 1980–1983
3rd gen - 1984—1987
4th gen - 1987-1991
5th gen - 1992–1995
6th gen - 1996-2000
7th gen - 2001–2005
8th gen - 2006-current

are you serious dude? Accord? Civic? they have been around for how many decades? car companies don't need to change models every half decade to turn a profit, honda is a key example.

Yeah I know that. My argument here is how the Cobalt model itself has only been around for 3 years. It's a very short life-span for a car name. Accord and Civic have been around for decades, but like e-miller pointed out below, they get refreshed every 3-6 years. The Cobalt is being killed entirely.


You do realize they come out with new versions every 4-7 years don't you? They just don't change the name. Its common practice for all automakers.

Accord
1st gen - 1976–1981
2nd gen - 1981–1985
3rd gen - 1986—1989
4th gen - 1990-1993
5th gen - 1994–1997
6th gen - 1998-2002
7th gen - 2003–2007
8th gen - 2008-current

Civic
1st gen - 1973–1979
2nd gen - 1980–1983
3rd gen - 1984—1987
4th gen - 1987-1991
5th gen - 1992–1995
6th gen - 1996-2000
7th gen - 2001–2005
8th gen - 2006-current

Yeah this is VERY true, but like you said, the LNF is in other vehicles and will most likely stick around. Secondly, in the hiatus of the SRT-4 neon before it went into the calibur, the aftermarket jumped into the SRT-4, so now there are an abundance of parts for the 2.4 WE. I mean, the car wasn't out too long and it got a otn of aftermarket when it was discontinued, so ya never know.
The Neon SRT-4 did not use the all-aluminum GEMA (Global Engine Manufacturing Alliance) World Engine that was primarily developed by Hyundai for use by Chrysler, Hyundai, and Mitsubishi. It was an all new engine to Chrysler and was first introduced in the Caliber/Patriot/Compass triplets. The iron block/aluminum head 2.4L Twin Cam used in the Neon SRT-4 only shares a similar displacement to the new 2.4L World Engine used in the Caliber SRT-4. Nothing else is similar as far as block, internals, head, etc.

The Neon's 2.4L was an updated version of the fully Chrysler designed and built 2.4L turbo first used in the Mexican market (with the Chrysler 2.0/2.4L engine family in general being based on and derived from the older Chrysler 2.2/2.5L fours). Most of the aftermarket support built steadily from the beginning of Neon SRT-4's release and was not in fact after it was out of production. And as far as the World Engine is concerned there's about as much stuff for it as there is for the LNF's.


This is a good topic in general if you're someone concerned about buying an SS Turbo to heavily modify. It's such a perfect balance of power, ride, and handling as-is that future upgrades weren't really a concern for me, but I could see other people looking at the car as a starting point and wanting more. Lets break it down a little just by a few components. We already have tuning support available from a few different sources for the LNF and self-tuning support should be improving (as is the case of HP Tuners) over the following months. Heck, on my SRT-4 that didn't even happen until two years after they were out of production (with recent support from SCT). The stock brakes are pretty darn good and should only need a fluid flush, maybe some stainless lines if you have a track-only car, and a set of brake pad upgrades for severe track duty.

The F35 trans can already be had with a torque biasing LSD (open diffs are usually the primary weakness in many non-LSD transaxles), they stand up reasonably well when not abused, but we will have to see what happens for clutches since it was increased in size for the '08 cars. As long as it's not a modular clutch, and even it it was, there shouldn't be an issue sourcing an upgraded clutch disc and eventually whole drop-in replacement if you so desire. I already know a couple places here in SoCal I could walk into and have them custom make a disc or my choice.

Body and interior. The press may hit on the car for being an older design with not a lot of visual upgrades for '08+ but that can be a good thing. You already have access to a wide range of product for the older Cobalts in addition to anything that will come out in the next few years.

I think the one area where we might not get a ton of choices is in the suspension department. The stock setup is a great compromise of ride and handling but I know some people will want to track the car and look for a set of adjustable coil-over/shocks. With some of the changes this year its going to take people bugging aftermarket companies for support (i.e. waving $$$ in their faces). I already talked to a contact at Tein here in California and they're still looking for someone to bring in one of the older supercharged cars to test fit a suspension. If people don't start asking for stuff it may be a little limited but we should still eventually have a few choices. If the new SS turns out to develop a following as a great auto-x and road course car all these concerns may be further minimized.


I guess another good question is what specifically do you want that you can't get or do right now? We already know how to build up the Ecotec internals. The direct injection on the LNF is a newfangled thing but appears to have a decent amount of headroom. We have tuning support. There aren't any bolt-on, complete turbocharger upgrade kits but I'd bet that's because most of the cars are still under warranty and only a select few start going that far in the first couple years after a cars introduction. And if you wanted to install a bigger turbo today you shouldn't have a problem doing it, just expect to do your own research and not have someone spoon feed you a whole pre-tuned kit (at least for another year or two).

As for other parts like upgraded intercoolers, exhausts, intakes, etc. I personally want to see and will be doing independent testing to see what the limits are of the stock pieces. I hate nothing more than aftermarket companies preying on consumers who think they need parts that really won't make a significant difference to their cars.

I think it's a great platform and even if it does have a niche future, the Cobalt gets killed, or even if the Ecotec was dropped tomorrow (unlikely), there's already a lot of stuff available with more to come. :thumb:

Umm, has anybody seen or said something along the lines of this??? I wonder if the Cobalt will remain and only get refreshed. AWD is a possibility because GM anounced that all Saab's will be getting AWD standard in a few years.

Also, the pics in the link I'm providing are also of the Cruze. If you look at the wheels the Cruze looks like it could be an Aveo replacement. Suzuki has been moving more upscale lately. Afterall, the SX-4 does have AWD as an option.

http://www.rockymountainecotec.net/index.php?topic=1154.msg21506#new

I'm really confused now. So, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Thanks Blackbird! I actually enjoy reading your responses. They are always insightful, & respectful! Also the advice you gave on drag racing really helped me too! :twothumbs

Yeah, actually if I do get the Cobalt SS/TC. I won't be doing a whole lot to it. For sure, intercooler upgrade, CAI, Cat-back, tune, engine mount, rear sway bar, uprgrade the rear brakes, and maybe somewhere later down the road a turbo upgrade.

I realize that many of these parts are already out or will be coming out soon. So I realize there won't be a real shortage of aftermarket availablility.

Now what's becoming more of a concern for me is over-all owning the car. I'm leasing my SS/SC, so obviously I won't have it past next summer. So I'm looking into all of the aspects of owning it (quality, TCO, re-sale value) because I will be purchasing the SS/TC so I can mod it, and not worry about being limited with the alloted miles.

The quality is becoming more of a concern for me. How will the car be in 5 years from now is what I'm wondering. And with my experience with my SS/SC, while it's been reliable, its quality has disappointed me a little. I know some people haven't had problems with theirs and I'm happy for them and wish them the best of luck with their cars. And I know this applies with all cars. I have a 01 Cavalier with over 100k miles, that's still going and has been very reliable for me.

But the Cobalt's quality hasn't been impressive in my experience. So that's now something I'm considering do I want to deal with? The issues I had with my SS/SC I may not have with the SS/TC... Who knows?

But the constant (every 3 or so months it seems) the interior bits, and things I've had problems with just seem to really have discouraged me from purchasing another Cobalt, despite how fun and over-all happy I have been with it.

And now hearing about the issues on here with people discussing their shift cables breaking, and the rotors having problems, is also a little alarming to me.

But in terms to me posting this. I think there will infact be quite some support for the LNF, and I guess that shouldn't be too much of a worry that I had before.

Umm, has anybody seen or said something along the lines of this??? I wonder if the Cobalt will remain and only get refreshed. AWD is a possibility because GM anounced that all Saab's will be getting AWD standard in a few years.

Also, the pics in the link I'm providing are also of the Cruze. If you look at the wheels the Cruze looks like it could be an Aveo replacement. Suzuki has been moving more upscale lately. Afterall, the SX-4 does have AWD as an option.

http://www.rockymountainecotec.net/index.php?topic=1154.msg21506#new

I'm really confused now. So, please correct me if I'm wrong.

AWD has been a topic for the Cobalt for quite some time. I'd be willing to bet my life's savings that the Cobalt will never see AWD. It's just too expensive, and would drive the cost of the Cobalt up a lot, which goes against everything it stands for. An affordable great performing sub-compact. Which it has achieved.

The Cruze, dimension wise is just a little bit larger than the Cobalt, so no it's not the size of the Aveo, and is not the replacement for the Aveo. If anything that would be the Beat, Trax and Sparx concepts that came out.

The Cruze is the replacement for the Cobalt, no matter how much anyone here wants to argue with me on this. Chevy is not going to sell the Cobalt and Cruze side-by side... Maybe for the first year or two. Or unless they go in a new direction with the Cobalt. By keeping it as a coupe only or in fact adding AWD and competing with the Sti, Evo, etc.

The Cruze is moving slightly upmarket and will also be sold in Europe under the Chevy brand. It's a slightly bigger car than the Cobalt and is not an Aveo replacement. GM has already stated this and then came back to say the Cobalt will be kept around a little longer. The most likely reasons I can see is that they may only keep the Cobalt coupe as a "value leader" until a coupe version of the Cruze is introduced, or since the Aveo is getting up in age it might be killed (due to various reasons ranging from possibly not meeting future emission or safety requirements, such as the impending requirement of stand stability control. for example) and GM needs a cheaper compact car to fill the space until they have a new GMDAT developed sub-compact on the market for North America. As much as some people would like to think otherwise, the Cobalt is dead, it's just a matter of will it be in one model year or maybe two.

On the Saab's they're supposed to offer XWD as an option on all future models but FWD will still remain standard. GM announced a while back that the next 9-3 which will be based on a modified Delta II/Global Compact Car platform and built in Trollhättan will get the Haldex v4.0 cross-wheel drive system. That means there is a potential it could be installed in the Cruze, Astra, and other variants but it doesn't guarantee we'll see it in a Chevy compact. I'm sure the bean counters and upper management will consider it and see if it makes business sense. It's an entry level car and the Haldex system is pretty advanced so I'm not sure they'll make use of it in an entry level car.

Yeah, actually if I do get the Cobalt SS/TC. I won't be doing a whole lot to it. For sure, intercooler upgrade, CAI, Cat-back, tune, engine mount, rear sway bar, uprgrade the rear brakes, and maybe somewhere later down the road a turbo upgrade.And almost all of those are things I wouldn't jump out and buy right away. Does the stock intercooler heat soak? What are the inlet to outlet temperature and pressure drop measurements? Has the stock air box with a good filter been proven to be restrictive to the stock turbo or have the "gains" people noted when making their own been from the MAF sensor not reading correctly at first in aftermarket tubing? The exhaust is already a nice, smooth 2.5" system which is pretty decent for the flow and power potential of the stock K04 but the stock cats could be a restriction, but at least I haven't seen or done any testing of that so far. The rear brakes are already massive vented rotors and only do a fraction of the braking so why the need to upgrade them other than maybe pads all around?

Those are the questions I ask and wonder about. I've noticed a lot of people are concerned about lack of aftermarket parts being available for the new car but I also wonder why they think they need them. The fact is we don't know for certain on a lot of them. I'm sure there's room to improve performance from what GM gave us but then again I don't want to spend my money until I know exactly what I'm buying is going to do for me.



But the Cobalt's quality hasn't been impressive in my experience. So that's now something I'm considering do I want to deal with? The issues I had with my SS/SC I may not have with the SS/TC... Who knows?

But the constant (every 3 or so months it seems) the interior bits, and things I've had problems with just seem to really have discouraged me from purchasing another Cobalt, despite how fun and over-all happy I have been with it.

And now hearing about the issues on here with people discussing their shift cables breaking, and the rotors having problems, is also a little alarming to me.Ah ha, the bigger reason you're concerned. And it's something completely understandable. A lot of the touch and feel interior pieces and body stuff hasn't changed and I can see why you might be concerned about some of it. I know that it's just someone on the internet typing and expect you should take it with a grain of salt, but I've know a few people in the auto industry for a while and one of them I know did warranty tracking many moons ago for another automaker and is now working with GM. We were talking about my car at a local car club meet right after I got it and being that he's done a lot of warranty and cost-reduction type stuff he let me know the Cobalt's warranty claims numbers aren't too bad despite what some people think.

I was also personally encouraged to hear he knows the powertrain lead for the LNF via the project he's managing and had nothing but good things to say about it. He told me of a story where the bean counters were trying to cut something that was like a couple bucks per engine (which is a huge deal for a manufacturer) and he put his foot down on not changing it. Apparently the modern GM is getting better at doing things right but to paraphrase him they're still a slow turning ship and it's hard to suddenly change direction (i.e. they can be a little too procedure driven).

Again since anyone could be anyone on the internet I completely understand if you take it with that grain of salt. But there are a few consumer resources that you can research about your concerns and this is also a great place to get a small sampling of the cars. I could see certain body and trim issues maybe not being completely resolved but it is a few models years later than when you bought your car and the automakers are always trying to improve their overall industry ratings for quality lest they be left in the dust (even the worst cars today are leaps and bounds better than the top cars a decade or two ago).

The brake rotor warping issue isn't what I'd personally call alarming but is nice to know they caught it and are getting it fixed before some people notice a problem. And I'm sure there may be little issues on the LNF in this application like possibly the upper intake charge pipe mounting tab breaking like a couple people here have seen. But there's a great warranty and I trust GM and my dealer enough to take care of me that I made the plunge on one and have been extremely happy since then. :thumb:

Thanks Blackbird! I actually enjoy reading your responses. They are always insightful, & respectful! Also the advice you gave on drag racing really helped me too! :twothumbs

Yeah, actually if I do get the Cobalt SS/TC. I won't be doing a whole lot to it. For sure, intercooler upgrade, CAI, Cat-back, tune, engine mount, rear sway bar, uprgrade the rear brakes, and maybe somewhere later down the road a turbo upgrade.

I realize that many of these parts are already out or will be coming out soon. So I realize there won't be a real shortage of aftermarket availablility.

Now what's becoming more of a concern for me is over-all owning the car. I'm leasing my SS/SC, so obviously I won't have it past next summer. So I'm looking into all of the aspects of owning it (quality, TCO, re-sale value) because I will be purchasing the SS/TC so I can mod it, and not worry about being limited with the alloted miles.

The quality is becoming more of a concern for me. How will the car be in 5 years from now is what I'm wondering. And with my experience with my SS/SC, while it's been reliable, its quality has disappointed me a little. I know some people haven't had problems with theirs and I'm happy for them and wish them the best of luck with their cars. And I know this applies with all cars. I have a 01 Cavalier with over 100k miles, that's still going and has been very reliable for me.

But the Cobalt's quality hasn't been impressive in my experience. So that's now something I'm considering do I want to deal with? The issues I had with my SS/SC I may not have with the SS/TC... Who knows?

But the constant (every 3 or so months it seems) the interior bits, and things I've had problems with just seem to really have discouraged me from purchasing another Cobalt, despite how fun and over-all happy I have been with it.

And now hearing about the issues on here with people discussing their shift cables breaking, and the rotors having problems, is also a little alarming to me.

But in terms to me posting this. I think there will infact be quite some support for the LNF, and I guess that shouldn't be too much of a worry that I had before.



AWD has been a topic for the Cobalt for quite some time. I'd be willing to bet my life's savings that the Cobalt will never see AWD. It's just too expensive, and would drive the cost of the Cobalt up a lot, which goes against everything it stands for. An affordable great performing sub-compact. Which it has achieved.

The Cruze, dimension wise is just a little bit larger than the Cobalt, so no it's not the size of the Aveo, and is not the replacement for the Aveo. If anything that would be the Beat, Trax and Sparx concepts that came out.

The Cruze is the replacement for the Cobalt, no matter how much anyone here wants to argue with me on this. Chevy is not going to sell the Cobalt and Cruze side-by side... Maybe for the first year or two. Or unless they go in a new direction with the Cobalt. By keeping it as a coupe only or in fact adding AWD and competing with the Sti, Evo, etc.

If you're worried about reliability I would STRONGLY recommend staying with the Cobalt. Same goes for safety. Every car line has their bad eggs, maybe you got one? I have had no problems with my car and my car also saved my life. If I had rolled my truck that I had before the Balt I would surely be in the hospital or be dead. The majority of Cobalt owners on this website have not had problems with reliability and I don't believe anyone with a 08 or 09 SS has had any problems.

And almost all of those are things I wouldn't jump out and buy right away. Does the stock intercooler heat soak? What are the inlet to outlet temperature and pressure drop measurements? Has the stock air box with a good filter been proven to be restrictive to the stock turbo or have the "gains" people noted when making their own been from the MAF sensor not reading correctly at first in aftermarket tubing? The exhaust is already a nice, smooth 2.5" system which is pretty decent for the flow and power potential of the stock K04 but the stock cats could be a restriction, but at least I haven't seen or done any testing of that so far. The rear brakes are already massive vented rotors and only do a fraction of the braking so why the need to upgrade them other than maybe pads all around?

Those are the questions I ask and wonder about. I've noticed a lot of people are concerned about lack of aftermarket parts being available for the new car but I also wonder why they think they need them. The fact is we don't know for certain on a lot of them. I'm sure there's room to improve performance from what GM gave us but then again I don't want to spend my money until I know exactly what I'm buying is going to do for me.

That is a lot to think about! Well I certainly wouldn't be buying all of those parts right away that's for sure. Of course the engine needs to break in, and two for what all of that is going to cost it'll take me a year or two to get all of that done. I know that my long-term goal with it would be to eventually do a turbo swap. So I noticed that Synapse already is coming out with a intercooler. I'd probably get that closer to when I'd plan on doing the turbo swap. The CAI I'd buy only if it doesn't throw any codes, or I'd go with a GMPP CAI, just to make sure of that. I would hope that a high flow cat would be out eventually so that I could also take care of that problem when I got a cat-back exhaust. Again this would be done over a 1 to 2yr period. Oh and I don't know why I said rear brakes, I think I meant to put rear sway bar. That I just want to even further improve the Cobalt SS/TC's already phenomenal handling...

It'll definitely be taken on autocross events and track days, that will be a must if I get the Cobalt SS/TC.


Ah ha, the bigger reason you're concerned. And it's something completely understandable. A lot of the touch and feel interior pieces and body stuff hasn't changed and I can see why you might be concerned about some of it. I know that it's just someone on the internet typing and expect you should take it with a grain of salt, but I've know a few people in the auto industry for a while and one of them I know did warranty tracking many moons ago for another automaker and is now working with GM. We were talking about my car at a local car club meet right after I got it and being that he's done a lot of warranty and cost-reduction type stuff he let me know the Cobalt's warranty claims numbers aren't too bad despite what some people think.

I was also personally encouraged to hear he knows the powertrain lead for the LNF via the project he's managing and had nothing but good things to say about it. He told me of a story where the bean counters were trying to cut something that was like a couple bucks per engine (which is a huge deal for a manufacturer) and he put his foot down on not changing it. Apparently the modern GM is getting better at doing things right but to paraphrase him they're still a slow turning ship and it's hard to suddenly change direction (i.e. they can be a little too procedure driven).

Again since anyone could be anyone on the internet I completely understand if you take it with that grain of salt. But there are a few consumer resources that you can research about your concerns and this is also a great place to get a small sampling of the cars. I could see certain body and trim issues maybe not being completely resolved but it is a few models years later than when you bought your car and the automakers are always trying to improve their overall industry ratings for quality lest they be left in the dust (even the worst cars today are leaps and bounds better than the top cars a decade or two ago).

The brake rotor warping issue isn't what I'd personally call alarming but is nice to know they caught it and are getting it fixed before some people notice a problem. And I'm sure there may be little issues on the LNF in this application like possibly the upper intake charge pipe mounting tab breaking like a couple people here have seen. But there's a great warranty and I trust GM and my dealer enough to take care of me that I made the plunge on one and have been extremely happy since then. :thumb:

Well that is good to know about then. Yeah, I'm just afraid of having the same things happen. The Cobalt has been very reliable for me despite those little quality issues. It's just something I really don't want to have happen again, especially knowing that this one I'll be buying vs the SS/SC that I'm leasing. But thanks for reassuring me!

If you're worried about reliability I would STRONGLY recommend staying with the Cobalt. Same goes for safety. Every car line has their bad eggs, maybe you got one? I have had no problems with my car and my car also saved my life. If I had rolled my truck that I had before the Balt I would surely be in the hospital or be dead. The majority of Cobalt owners on this website have not had problems with reliability and I don't believe anyone with a 08 or 09 SS has had any problems.

I'm really not worried about reliability. The balt has been there for me in the little over two years that I had it. It's taken a few rear-ends for me and pretty much has been a solid vehicle, and that I've been happy with. It's just some of the common little quality issues, most of which other owners have reported on here actually. It's just that I don't have to want to worry about again you know?

I'm glad that your balt, saved you in that roll-over, and it definitely is good to know that the car pretty much saved your life or from serious injury. I actually knew someone in the Grand Blanc area that rolled his SS/SC and him and his friend had minor cuts and bruises after it. It is a safe and durable car!

I think closer to when my lease is up, I'm going to consider a couple cars (all GM!) like the Solstice Coupe, and maybe the new Camaro. And at the end whatever works out works out i guess. Thanks for the comments guys!

I just hope they don't pull a Dodge Caliber on the Cobalt SS.
I mean come on, look at how many levels of pure wrong was applied to make the Caliber.
If the Cobalt SS turns into a shrunk looking SUV with 4 doors, its game over...

I just hope they don't pull a Dodge Caliber on the Cobalt SS.
I mean come on, look at how many levels of pure wrong was applied to make the Caliber.
If the Cobalt SS turns into a shrunk looking SUV with 4 doors, its game over...

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that won't be happening. Seeing we already know what the Cobalt's replacement, the Cruze looks like it's not going to be a mini SUV like the Caliber...

Nobody knows for sure that the cruze- is the balts replacement either! And there have been plenty of reliability\mechanical issues with the balt SS\TC!! things that are not under warranty and are giving out after 5000 hwy miles\ 2 months old, and cost $1100 to replace, so do some research before you start spouting about things being good. Too many people BELIEVED everything G.W.Bush said to get him re-elected, without doing any research and this is why we are headed for GREAT DEPRESSION #2!!! More stupid Americans today then five or even 8 years ago, not doing any research. The damage is done!! It does not matter who's in the White House in Jan, the country is SCREWED for the next Ten years and so are the next two generations. Thanks George!! I was a DUMB republican till I did some research ( homework) and realized that Clinton left this country in real good shape\condition, but I let blind politics get in the way!!! Not any more!

This Cobalt was built during a major GM strike!! I would not expect much in terms of quality, something GM has been lacking the last 8 years of the 25 that i've been driving.

Nuff said.

Nobody knows for sure that the cruze- is the balts replacement either!

That's what us J-body owners were saying about the Cobalt. :lol:

I'm 99.9% sure that the Cobalt won't see more than 1 or 2 years of life after the Cruze comes to the U.S. The Cruze is being built off the new to the U.S delta II platform. It's being built where the Cobalt currently is. Dimensionally it's the same as the Cobalt. It IS replacing the Cobalt. Of course 2010 is a little over a year away so GM is going to re-main tight lipped about it, but I'm sure next year they may publicly release more info.

At the longest they may keep the Cobalt 2dr around until the Cruze Coupe comes out. But you can't sell two of the same kinds of cars, when they will only compete with eachother GM knows this. Any auto company does. The Cobalt's days are numbered. There's too many facts supporting this.

So, their will be a 09 & 2010 cobalt ss/tc ???

A Cobalt is a renamed Cavalier and the Cruze is a renamed Cobalt. Big deal

So, their will be a 09 & 2010 cobalt ss/tc ???

There's already an 09MY SS/TC out there. Because people have already bought them. But it's 2010MY that's going to be the big ? to see if the Cobalt SS/TC will be around still. I think it prob will but I think it'll be the last MY of the Cobalt SS/TC... Maybe 2011 or 2012 depending when the Cruze Coupe comes out.

A Cobalt is a renamed Cavalier and the Cruze is a renamed Cobalt. Big deal

Well, they're replacements for the FWD sub-compact spot in Chevy's line-up. Obviously the J-body Cavalier and Delta platform Cobalt are on different platforms, problem with what most critics of the Cobalt say is that its looks weren't distinctive enough from the Cavalier. Now the Cruze looks very much upscale from the Cobalt, although it is riding on the updated Delta platform, it's going to be a much different car indeed.

I dont think the cobalt will be going anywhere because it is just now showing great profits and I think they will keep it around for awhile due to its increasing popularity. http://www.leftlanenews.com/cobalt-now-a-moneymaker-for-gm.html

x2 the cobalt is everywhere, and they seem to be one of chevys bail out vehicles. It has been really the only car chevy has produced to keep up with the japenese tuner market. I find it hard to believe that chevy will actually can this car. It will make me very sad if they do get rid of it!:bye:

well coming from a more business standpoint...the way i look at it is as such. regardless of whether the cobalt goes the way of the dinosaur or not, there will be vendors out there supporting the car for years to come. we have had a ford probe company in business for a long time now, and the car stopped being made 10 yrs ago but the following is still there and going really strong. as long as there are supporters there will be some companies out there making parts and continuing to r & d.
if you look at it also in this way you may see an advantage to companies making and selling product for a car which is not around anymore...the longer the cars stick around and change hands, the cheaper they get to buy, they become that 17 yr olds 1st project car or a car a parent buys for their kid because its affordable, nice, good on gas etc. and most importantly something that requires a 1 shot deal, 1 payment, and thats it. so the used price of the car goes down which in turn opens up the possibility for more kids to buy aftermarket being as they wont have a car payment to make.
its maybe not the most 100% truth for everyone in this world, but it IS what ive seen happen. aftermarket thrives on the young market....and if everyone is paying for a brand new cruze, that leaves little room to buy aftermarket parts after insurance and car payment. look at how many young people on this board have brand new cars and are paying 400+ a month in a car payment and 2-3 hundred in insurance..ive been there and done that...and i know what its like being in college, working 2 jobs, paying for a new car, insurance, school, books..... my aftermarket car part money was few and far between.
so i guess we will see where this all goes but i think aftermarket wise, there will be plenty of people still willing to support the community of enthusiasts.

Dealers out here are saying their wont be any SS/SC after 09 ???

last yr for the ss/sc was 06 or 07... TC i dont know about

Last year for the SS/SC was 07. The SS/TC will be out for 08-10. I guess news of this was released around the time of the Detroit auto show, but yeah the Cruze will be replacing the Cobalt, just as I and many others were suspecting.

I am still considering one however.

i wouldnt count my chickens before they hatch