Hey guys,

I am coming from the Honda scene. I have owned an Integra GS-R for over 3 years now and love it. Unfortunately, im growing up and have decided to get a newer vehicle.

I had some specific performance questions about the car for thoes of you cobalt owners with enough experience to thoughfully answer..


current


possibly in the future


First off, How much understeer are you experiencing say for example in a autox situation? Does/will the aftermarket support larger rear sway bars to combat the issue... ? I dont expect this car to ever have the suspension capibilty of my integra but after spending a year upgrading the suspension, a larger rear sway bar has a noticable effect in getting the vehicle to rotate more on center... How much support is out there right now reguarding suspension upgrades? what are you overall impressions of the stock SS/SC suspension setup???

Second, I have never had the experience of getting behind the wheel of a ss yet, what is the power band like? Where is boost initially felt? what are your average max boost levels? What kinda warranty support is GM offering for the Supercharger?

Next, i have heard alotta gripes about GM's electric steering in general... how is steering feedback on the ss, and what are you overall impressions...

I know there are alotta questions here but as a potential buyer im just trying to get some feedback from knowledgable owners... thanks for your time

~Robbie~

 

not much understeer and there is some suspension but not a hole lot

I notice a long power band fron about 2500rpm to red line
boost starts around 2500rpm
max boost is 12.5psi
i have a 5year 60,000 mile warranty stock

I realy like the stearing on this car it is very reponsive

if you get the gm eco-tec build book they have lots of great tips for suspension
and the new stage one and two kits are coming out soon

 

they handle really well , if you havent followed the grand am cup series , or the time attack

granted they have a little more done suspension wise , but they are competeing with cars youd think would kill any compact car , lol

the steering fells ok to me , but then i havent tried auto x'ing 1

suspension stuff is coming , kinda slow for all out race stuff

if youve never driven a drive by wire car , itll seam extremly wierd to you , but youll get used to it

the s/c is cover along with the rest of the drivetrain , i think its 5/50

having driven both the 2.0 s/c and the 2.4 vvt , the 2.4 vvt suits me better , but both are alot of fun

and you wont be to disapointed with them

 

The powerband will suprise you, it will pull from just about anywhere, but pulls best after 2000rpm. I have never really pushed the car that hard, and have only driven 2 cars regularly. 95 Eclipse GS and now my 05 Cobalt SS S/C. World of difference! I have no real comparison on push or the steering feedback.

 

i came from a 99 civic dx with a b16 swap, intake/header/exhaust, sportlinesprings, 16inch rims/tires

it was fun, like a go kart, but this car blows it away in handling, speed, looks, creature comforts, and ive never looked back

 

actually just to add something else, the car doesnt even feel like it has a powerband persay... for example, my b16 civic, nothing happened below vtec, then when vtec crossed over it started to haul...but this car has such a linear powerband, any rpm u punch the gas and it starts moving, its great

 

The Cobalt SS does not have an independent rear suspension so it will not be as good as the integra, but the srt-4 has an independent rear suspension and there is a big aftermarket for the srt-4 suspension. Eather way bolth cars will be faster then your honda.

 

thanks for the feedback guys... hopefully i will be able to get my test drive in this week...

 

the cobalt ss/sc pulls an impressive skidpad rating despite not havign an independant rear

 

Independant rear suspension on a FWD isn't always better anyway, most just have it to say they do.

I must add though that my SS/SC is one of the best handling FWD cars I have driven. The common FWD understeer is almost gone and is so well balanced that the rear axle feels very planted in corners, unlike most FWD cars where the rear seems to float.

 

This guy seems big on suspension so with the independent rear suspension he would have more adjustment, and there is currently a bigger suspension aftermarket for the SRT-4.

 

get the g85 package which has the recaro seats and limiter slip I didnt get it and wish i had gotten it. The recaro seats fit so much better and if u auto cross you will spin the inside tire so bad. I do it on the street all of the time. If you dont have the g85 package dont even think about accelerateing around a corner

 

thanks for the comments guys...

 

why are you trying to sell him an srt-4 (which they stopped making the end of this summer) when he wants a ss s/c.

 

Cobalt...

Suspension... great at first. Very responsive. I have noticed though that when in full take off and boost kicking in... regardless... the car pulls to its left. And its not because a driver is sitting there. Its something else... because even if my friend, which is 160 lbs and I only weigh 140... it still pulls left. Like stated... its not Independant rear suspension. That makes for a hell of a difference. But, not to cut my SS short, I mean, I love the car, and the handling/suspension is good enough for what we do.

Boost enage... As anyone can agree, 1st gear... all of it is boost... lol. But when you shift into 2nd... the engine kinda slows a little, but picks up around 3400-3800RPM. Youll start feeling your back pressed against the seat. My max PSI was 19-21... couldnt tell though exactly... was going a little to fast to pay that must attention to it. The hard boost continues through 3rd gear, and about mid-range RPMs in 4th. 5th gear is more or less working on engine power at that point... you get a little bit of boost, but the engine is already spinning at such a high RPM that the supercharger almost seems to fade, but in actuality... is still pushing power like a bitch.

Electric steering... Here is my major complaint. The steering is very responsive and edgy. But have begun to notice a slight, "clicking" sound or "cable pulling" sound. It may just be me, but I hear it. I was on the high way the other day... when an 18-wheeler, switched lanes real quick into mine as a was passing him... I had just gotten on his rear end, when he shot over... so naturally, I paniced and just barely steered to the right, to avoid getting hit, and my car shot across 2 lanes. Kinda scary, but was appreciative of the cars steering response.

Supercharger warranty... I have been told its very comprehensive. I finally read the warranty coverage book, and pretty much everything is covered. I elected to get the 4 year, Bumper to Bumper, GAP insurance, the whole package. The S/C is virtually covered under any circumstances, unless something like this. You open up the air box and take the filter out and then leave it out. Lol. If dust, or water, or something gets in there and damages the S/C, then its not covered. They will consider that "customer physical damage." I did that for a day and learned my lesson. Our cars Mass Air Sensor is so finely tuned that the slightest difference in air intake, will cause it to read dofferent numbers and then send crazy signals to the ECU. A CAI like, K&N or Fujita or something, professional, not Injen or some Auto Zone brand, will do the trick and keep the supercharger under warranty.

Overall... The Cobalt exceeded my expectations. There is a long long list of part makers, coming out with all kinds of mods, suspension upgrades, etc. Tein is coming out with our suspension upgrade next year, I was told in an email from them. We already have exhaust manifolds, headers, pulleys, wheels, body kits, hoods, lips, CAI... oh and soon to be release Double CAI... lol... yes I know... I was told that there will be an upgrade for dual CAI next year sometime for both the 05 and 06 Cobalt SS's. All the wires and lines to the right of the engine will be modded and removed and placed else where, then off the main pipe, another pipe will break off, wrap around the engine to the back, go down the left side and down to the front. Gravana is making a "super Cobalt" that features this mod, but has the standard S/C, but will also have a turbo on the "break off pipe." Now thats some modding if I have ever seen one... lol...

Hope this helped!!

 

that is tq steer , not a suspension issue

which is more of a issue , of unequal length half shafts , even though they say they are equal , the passenger side axle still has a shaft inbetween the trans and the outer axle

 

Good info cobaltss12... thanks for all of the comments, i am test driving an ss for the first time on thursday this week...

 

The car will understeer, but it's really quite neutral. It will beat your Integra. We campaigned an ION Red Line all last season in CENDIV Solo 2 with great results...we won D Stock! We beat out a well driven Type R and a 330i. The car is quite capable.

 

Why not? I don't have the G85, and accelerate through corners all day long, and have only spun once or twice. The trick is to not slam down the pedal, you have to go through it. Now in an AutoX situation, I'd agree the limited slip would be well-advised, but going through corners on a street application, either setup works just fine.

 

If yours gonna do autox... GET THE G85 PACKAGE !! PERIOD.
The steering... I think it kind of sucks... feedback isnt very good... response is... ok..
Coming from Honda/Acura and my previous car.. SVT Focus... The steering is not as good in the SS... The overall suspension feel though is quite a bit better. Suspension feels much more solid... car doesnt roll as much as my previous cars (stock Vs stock... Had an integra w/ substantial suspension work myself and it would totally own this thing... but the aftermarket is starting to come around in all areas of this car).
As far as the powerband... unlike Hondas... It actually has torque... down low too... The delivery is VERY VERY linear...