Alright, I've got a question for everyone. In your own opinion, what do you think is better, the supercharged or turbo'd cobalt? Now when I say better, take it for whatever it's worth. Just lookin for some feedback cuz i'm thinkin about sellin my sc for a tc. still not really sure though.

 

Well, let me put it from this perspective:

How much money are you wanting to spend? How soon are you wanting/able to spend it? What kind of power would you be interested in at the end of any modding?

The SC starts lower power-wise but with some money (through a turbo kit or something) can surpass the TC. The TC on the other hand starts with more power stock and would be newer overall but you would need to spend money up front to buy it. Then when you mod it, it currently has a 400hp limit due to DI injector 40% max duty cycle.

Bottom line:
If you've already got an SC and you're wanting more power than 400 or something crazy like that, then keep it. You're going to need to put some money into it though to get that.
If you're wanting a newer car, brembos, the GM NLS feature, and possibly a sedan version or RPD then go TC. You'll have a quicker car stock and the modding per total hp will be cheaper up to a point. Also keep in mind that certain competitive tires may have issues going around the Brembos. I think only 17s and 18s wrap around them.

Perhaps something will be discovered that will help DI get past the 400hp barrier, but until then that seems to be where it stands.

 

That's about the best answer I've seen in a long time +1

 

x2. and thats really based on facts more than it is opinion. the OP can use that info to make his own decision.


that being said, i traded in my sc for a tc, after debating for some time. no regrets. its a noticably better overall car. but its all in what you are lookin for.

 

i say keep the ss/sc and make it faster

or just save the money

is it really worth it to spend thousands of dollars for a better handling, somewhat faster car, that's another cobalt?

 

Lots of people on this forum who have done exactly that will tell you it is definitely worth it, not to mention the fact that some had their payments stay the same or actually decrease.

 

One thing to consider is, with an SC some of the older models are getting close to being out of warranty, where as the new TC has 100,000 miles left.

Can be a good thing, or a bad thing.

 

i am one of those ppl. not to say one word about the sc, as it was great to me and i still think they r a great bang for buck car. but all the upgrades made to the tc (brakes, motor, handling/suspension/steering, seats, wheels, NLS, launch control etc etc) add up to a better overall car and more fun to drive. i was honestly surprised how much better it was than my 05. plus with the warranty and the fact that you are starting over again with a new vehicle was more than enough for me to switch. plus some of the problems of the sc have had attention and should be less of a worry on the new car. but keeping the sc is still a very good option aswell, for reason listed by the 2nd poster.

 

I would get the TC.............I think over all it's better!!!!!

 

I traded my Saab 9-3 in on my SS/TC. It like it much better (-=

 

TC. There is not one fathomable way, stock to stock, that the SC outperforms the TC. Even silly arguments, like the SC is more powerful if you dump money into it are moot. You could dump a bunch of money into a Civic as well. A few reasons:

1) Dumping more than a few grand into a car is like lighting the **** on fire. You will never get the money back you put into it -- unless you are putting it against your loan. Even light mods, an intake, will go against your resale. People see a modded car, they think ragged out.

2) As you know, going fast in a straight line is not what it's all about. If it were, we'd all be driving Mustangs. Here's the no **** deal -- forced induction fwd cars are not designed for drag racing, and you shouldn't think of them that way. 300+whp in any front wheel drive car is ******* stupid. Period.

3) Warranty. As mentioned above, of course. A brand new car with a brand new warranty is worth its weight in... whatever. Not to mention, payments. Someone who buys your car will likely get payments at half what you're paying -- where as your payments will likely be the same, or lower, on your new, nicer car.

My advice. Get rid of your car while it has value. Buy the car you LIKE and keep that bastard stock, or close to it. If you think you're a better engineer than the folks at GM Performance, put in a resume (they aren't hiring, btw...)

Also: Drive other cars unless you have some special tie to GM. The Speed3 is amazing, as are the 09 WRX, Cooper S and Lancer Ralliart. There are a lot of good (better..?) cars in this class.

 

None of those would out perform an SS/TC, and most are more expensive. Also, Why are you telling him not to mod his own car? That's like me telling you not to take showers.

 

Short answer: The TC is better, but not if you already own an SC.

You'd have to REALLY want a TC to make that move. I thought long and hard about it and decided to stick with the SC. Just my opinion of course.

 

'Perform' isn't everything, and is relative. They may all be subjectively superior to the TC, based on his personal preference -- and all are within the same realm of performance anyhow, save the Cooper S. More expensive is also relative, based on financing and his bargaining ability. They are all in the same ball park was the point.

I went in to my new car purchase thinking I wanted another Cobalt, and was surprised once I started doing some shopping.

And if he mods his car, it is his choice. But people who think they are 'investing' in cars by putting modifications on are disillusioned, that was my point. If someone wants to put 10 grand into an SS/SC to get it to 450 whp, go ahead, but don't think they've added any value, is my point. If you want to put an intake or exhaust on because you like the sound, that's another issue.

After DOING it. And BEING there. I'm 100% against extensive modifications to 'daily drivers'. Did the car work out well and gain a lot of power? Yes. Was it an enormous, expensive bitch along the way? Hell yes!

Tune? Cool. Intake? Whatever. Exhaust? Sure. Put some major work into something you are making payments on and trying to drive to work everyday?

If he is rightside-up on his car (owes less than he can trade/sell for). Then he should do whatever the **** he wants. If he's upside down, he should stick with what he has.

~~Enjoy the 1whp gain from the GMPP intake on your 2.4.~~

 

I wouldnt give the minicooper S as much credit as you guys are. my friend had one and it needed a new motor at 40k - and he never rode it hard in the least....it was a manufacturing flaw - the dealer admitted it ...none the less the car was out of warranty. Another friend also has one, and has had some serious issues, but lucked out and had them fall under warranty. one jumped ship already and the other is looking to sell.

fantastic, neat, fun little cars - i would never take that away...but i seriously question their reliability and affordability over time.

 

Not to mention, the Mini Cooper S doesn't have any ***** for performance. When I went to Bonneville back in September for the USFRA event there were 7 guys from a Mini club in California. All had done something different to their cars for more power. The ones that converted to turbo never made it into the 130mph club, whereas a stock SS/SC did. The more modded sc Mini's did make it in, some needing more help than others. These guys even had special skinny tires to eliminate friction for those that had difficulty making it into the club. Unfortunately, only about 3 or 4 of them actually made it into the club, all were supercharged. Point of the post is, Mini's aren't worth the cost. They just don't have the power. Now, a Speed3 is a good comparo, but it's being discontinued with the new 3 that is coming out, and the WRX...do I really need to say anything about this one. Chevy's tend to beat this things every year, MY vs. MY.

 

epic post indeed

 

I'll keep my LS.

 

I was thinking about the same thing. I looked at , and drove a new TC ....It is a great car , It's has a smooth power delivery , and i guess handles better ( all thou i didn't notice a huge difference cause i couldn't really push it ) . For most people the brembos are gunna be a visual mod because they won't use them on a road course.

Test done by car and driver actually show the 05 SS/SC stopping in a shorter distance than a 08 with brembo's , the old car stopped 1 foot shorter from 60 or 70 i can't remember . We all know the brembo's are a better brake, but in daily driving your not going to have to worry much about fade , and thats were the brembo's will shine .

The seats are nice , but an SC with recaro's are comparable, NLS is cool . Launch control is kinda useless IMHO, if you could set the launch rpm then i would be a great feature but it's too high for my liking .

Power wise i couldn't tell much of a difference from my SC with what ive done to it . Now if the TC stage kit was out i prolly would have pulled the trigger , but to make a TC noticeably faster than my car i would have to void the warranty with an aftermarket tune and to me that defeats the purpose of buying a new car. I know alot of people with TC's say they don't care about warranty but if these cars start popping motor's after 30-40K miles with tunes .....they will start caring. If i didn't have a SC , i would have bought a TC with a doubt thou 8)

 

^^^ you sum up my feelings exactly! If you dont already have one, TC without a doubt...but if you do....no sense moving up.

I'm hoping I can find a Black TC off a lot brand new in about 3 years....but I wont hold my breath at all for that one hahaha.

 

i think its worth it, even if you already have a ss/sc aslong as you arent killing yourself (ridiculously high payments) to get it