Hi! I dont own a Cobalt but Im looking and wanting one badly. Im not new to the car scene but new to "tuner" or front wheel driven cars I guess you could say.

Ive owned and modified F-bodies for many years. Love my Z28's and still own one, but again... Im looking in the direction of the Cobalt SS Supercharged

Questions:

1. Anyone know what rebates are available for these cars right now?
2. What is the single most (best) mod for this car?
3. Pros and cons about the Cobalt SS supercharged

 

First off, welcome to the site.
Second,
1. I can't help
2. Stage 2 or equivalent
3. No way will you stop at #2

 

thanks

Im a fbody guy. I have no clue what "stage 2" means when building or modifiying a cobalt

give me my old LS1back and we can talk in depth...

but im so green to this its not even funny

 

Stage 2 is larger injector, smaller pulley\belt and PCM tune.
As for the green part, most of us were there before.
Is the reason you don't have the LS1 because of the "old" thing?

 

I dont have my LS1 anymore because I was flat out stupid. Sold it to my cousin for 11k. I bought it brand new, sold it after 3 years with 39k miles, and over 8k dumped into a beaufitul and some what rare Z28 6 speed.

ok...

so ALL super charged Cobalts come with the same motor, pulley etc?

There is no factory Stage II or Stage III option from the factory?

 

Answers:

1. not sure
2. Stage 2 prolly...
3. pros- its a 'balt, better than a civic, 205 horses in the SS/SC
cons- ....i'll get back to you on that


No, but GM has a Stage I and a Stage II kit you can buy from chevyaccserories and you can have it isntaled when you pic kit up...good part is it is still on ur warrenty too...

 

The newer Cobalts can be bought with the Stage upgrades but those are done at the dealer before delivery. To my knowledge this is not a factory upgrade. There is a G85 performance upgrade that is now a LimitedSlip Dif, but in 06 that also included Recaro seats.
The good news for you is that right now there are vendors working on both twinscrew supercharger and straight turbo upgrades. Heck, if your crazy enough you can even do as I am and convert to rwd.
The wheel hop in the SS\SC is a bad thing so either back off when it happens or do some mods to prevent it.

 

they are not stock from the factory, stage 2 does not void your warranty and gives you 241whp 218wtq stage 3 voids the warranty, is not road legal and runs on 100 octane

oh yeah quick heads up on the cons

WHEEL HOP
1st gear is a joke
stage 2 should be the car stock...
stock tires and snow, do NOT mix
really the only bad things i see

 

So to say it in a different way the stage kits are part packages offered by gm performance parts and if installed by a dealer are covered under warranty. There are 3 kits named 1,2, and 3 and go in order of least to most horsepower gains. Stage 1 contains bigger injectors and a PCM tune by the dealer. Stage 2 includes the injectors, PCM tune, smaller pulley, and new pulley hub. Stage 3 includes a slightly smaller pulley than stage 2 and a setup for a 50 shot of nitrous but is not covered under warranty.

Most people would agree that stage 2 is by far the most cost effective, safe, and easy modification. This isn't an option when buying the car but could be arranged to be put on the car at the dealer before you take delivery. Most people choose to break in the motor, get used to the car, and then get the stage 2 put on 6mo. to a year later so that they can truly appreciate it. The only options to be concerned with besides creature comforts that you want are the LSD and Recaro racing seats. The Recaros are being phased out if you are looking at an 07 and are hard to get. The LSD can still be ordered and I think it is a must. If you are looking at an 05 or 06 the Recaros and LSD were both part of one option, so if you see one that has the seats it must have the LSD in it.

Finally, all of the problems with the SS/SC stem from the fact that it is FWD. It is pretty powerful, handles well, looks great, is a good daily driver, and gets decent gas mileage. However, it launches like a bitch and understeers bad at the limit due to the FWD. This is frustrating for people who have begun adding a lot of power and their track times have not improved much to show it. Anyways, there's enough info for a mini-tutorial for now...

 

You know anyone personally that has had it done like that?

or do you have any inside info on going that route?

Thank you RJSS

my 01 Z28 had LOTS Of wheel hop and hooking issues. SO I understand that

 

Since everyone has your #2 & 3 covered, I'll help with #1.

The rebates and deals vary by region, so you will have to check on what's availabe in your area. This can be done on Chevy's website here:

http://www.chevrolet.com/specialoffers/

Just chose your state and it will list rebates and interest rates offered. Notice it has tabs for 2006 and 2007 models - the deals are different.

This is what chevy offers, so I would use it as a starting point and shop around at local places (or maybe not so local - traveled 800+ miles for mine).

Hope that helps!

 

Elise with the rep *from me*

Next question:

How much does the Stage II cost and has anyone ever had the dealer install it for them? if so whats a ball park on what the charge to install?

 

#1 - You missed the end of the year clear out deals. Wait until September and find an 07 Cobalt SS 2.0l still on the lot. (you may have to drive aways to find one)
#2 - I agree with everyone so far Stage 2 upgrade. I'd also like to note that a Driver mod is the second best. (Pull the stick out of butt, realize that your driving a high RPM four banger with a blower not a corvette, and practice like hell to beat some dodges, Mustangs and Mazdas
#3 - There is a NON-supercharged Cobalt SS out there with a 2.4l Ecotec engine. Some dealers don't know the difference and will try and sell you this one. It's still a good car, but not quite on par with the 2.0l supercharged engine. For some reason the fact that there are two different SS models of the same car seems to bother the hell out of some guys. (some kid of classism with economy cars, I dunno) If you think about owning a 2.0l Supercharged Cobalt and the idea that there's another Cobalt model out there without a blower on it that has SS badges bothers you. Please go invest in an Evo or something.

 

And to answer your last question, yes, there are many, many people who have had the Stage 2 kit installed by the dealer, including many on this site. I will soon be joining their ranks as well...

 

I wish one of them would post how much it costs or atleast give me an idea

 

I just got my SS/SC one week ago, and my only real complaint is 1st gear. So useless, I try to avoid it whenever possible.

 

I enjoy my SS. Nothing like my Z28.. but its a fun quick little car.. I think the stages cost around 500..

 

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/stor...arts-C144.aspx

 

Thanks, I gave you some rep for that

 

Thanks. Also if you go to our supporting vendors section you will find a couple of hours worth or sites to read and compare prices.

 

I bought Stage II kit for 520 bucks. I installed it myself and I gained 8mph in the 1/4th and went from a 14.2 @ 100mph to 13.6 @ 108mph. Stage II is a must.

 

How much do these cars weight with one driver?

 

Supercharged Stage 2 System
Take it to the next level. Get the performance you need out of your 205-hp engine with even more power through the midsection of the power curve. The Stage 2 System includes a two-piece performance pulley, performance calibration, four injectors, belt and fasteners. It increases your engine to 241 horsepower and 218 pound-foot of torque.

^^straight off of chevy.com

estiamted curb weight is 2,681lbs. for the coupe and 2,747lbs for a sedan...that plus whatever you weight as a driver...

(note: estimated weight is from chevy.com)

 

stage 2 will run you now anywhere from 550 dollars to 650 dollars or even at the dealership at 750 dollars.... Prices to install will range...People have gotten them as low as 150 dollars all the way for quoting prices to 5-600 dollars to install....So beware and know when you are getting ripped off for an install that should take 2-3 hours

The car is retuned at the dealership also so right when they install it for you they will flash your pcm and youll be set to drive away with it... Just make sure you shop around at certain dealers i have come to find that alot of dealers arent even capable to install such a thing, or dont even have a clue on what it is still thinking that it is a aftermarket product that will void your warranty if its installed which isnt the case at all

just go shop around...The cheapest in my town that i can get it for is 300 dollars so hopefully that gives you a ball park figure of where to start

People that sell the stage 2 kits are
Crateenginedepot.com
gmpartsdirect.com
cobalt-addiction.com

If you want any aftermarket kits to push your lsj a little further go ahead and give Cobalt-addiction.com a look and youll see certain kits from 650 dollars all the way to 2400 or so....If i were i would recomend doing your research and figuring out what you honestly want with your car.... And based off that you should be able to make a decision on what type of performance gains you want and which parts as there are quite a few now

happy modding

 

tagracecraft.com also have nice kits, I would personally go all GM. That what I did actually. GMPP stage 2, touring catback, highflowmanifold~!! A little less performant than aftermarket, but full covered by my warranty. You can have a mid-high 13 second car for less than 24K full covered brand new....