Should I Buy an 08 Cobalt SS Turbocharged?
I don't have the limited slip option in mine. I wish I did, but for as cheap as I got my car, I can get a Quaife LSD, pay to get it installed, and still have less money in my car than the car the op is looking at. By no means would I call my car worthless, *******.
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Joined: 12-12-05
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From: Nova Scotia, Canada
I had an 06 SS/SC with no LSD and I ended up seriously regretting that decision in some situations....at the forefront....I can't count the number of times I ended up stuck in winter because the tire with traction wouldn't do anything. Pegleg burnouts / the inside tire lighting up on turns where I was giving the car the beans was pretty annoying too.
I certainly agree that it should have came with it, but as hard as I've ever pushed my car, I've never needed it. I wouldn't call not having it a complete deal breaker, it's just a nice option if it's available.
The LSD/G85 package can be quickly checked by lifting up the carpet in the trunk that covers the spare tire area. On the metal, to the left of the spare tire area, is the build sheet sticker. If you see G85 listed on the list of codes there, it's got it.
The downpipe is the biggest bottleneck IMO. Many companies offer quality downpipes. ZZPerformance (ZZP), ClearImage Automotive (CIA), Modern Performance (MPx), etc.
The next big thing would be an intake mod or intake. This can be the "airbox mod" that ZZP devised, or a full-blown intake solution, like a Hahn CAI, K&N SRI, AEM CAI, etc.
Catbacks don't give huge gains with this car, so they could be thought of as more of a sound mod, unless you've got an agressive tune and other bolt-ons. MPx sells a nice 3" one that sounds pretty good and won't rattle on the back axle, even if the car is lowered.
If you plan on tuning the car and upping the boost a bit, I would recommend buying new charge pipes. Injen, CIA, ZZP, etc. all sell them. The stock plastic ones do not seem to hold up too well under the additional boost. Several have cracked/exploded.
Also, be careful about bottoming/scraping the front. The stock IC is aluminum with plastic end tanks, and has a condenser bar low on the bottom that can get ripped off or crack the plastic end tanks, causing a boost leak. Hahn sells a nice IC, but it's pretty expensive. ZZP, Badmab, and others sell nice full-metal alternatives.
For suspension, Pedders seems to have the best performance springs. If you're looking for a drop, then there are many options out there.
About tuning:
HP Tuners (HPT) is a software suite, and you'll need to find a tuner that uses it. Terminator2, Backyardturbo (BYT/BYT*SS*Turbo), and others on this site sell proven, strong, reliable tunes. You may also be able to find a local shop/tuner that uses it, if you don't want to buy the hardware.
Trifecta Performance is a company specializing in remote tuning. You can rent/buy a cable to load tunes yourself from Vince, the tuner, or you can go through a local dealer who will do all of that for you.
The downpipe is the biggest bottleneck IMO. Many companies offer quality downpipes. ZZPerformance (ZZP), ClearImage Automotive (CIA), Modern Performance (MPx), etc.
The next big thing would be an intake mod or intake. This can be the "airbox mod" that ZZP devised, or a full-blown intake solution, like a Hahn CAI, K&N SRI, AEM CAI, etc.
Catbacks don't give huge gains with this car, so they could be thought of as more of a sound mod, unless you've got an agressive tune and other bolt-ons. MPx sells a nice 3" one that sounds pretty good and won't rattle on the back axle, even if the car is lowered.
If you plan on tuning the car and upping the boost a bit, I would recommend buying new charge pipes. Injen, CIA, ZZP, etc. all sell them. The stock plastic ones do not seem to hold up too well under the additional boost. Several have cracked/exploded.
Also, be careful about bottoming/scraping the front. The stock IC is aluminum with plastic end tanks, and has a condenser bar low on the bottom that can get ripped off or crack the plastic end tanks, causing a boost leak. Hahn sells a nice IC, but it's pretty expensive. ZZP, Badmab, and others sell nice full-metal alternatives.
For suspension, Pedders seems to have the best performance springs. If you're looking for a drop, then there are many options out there.
About tuning:
HP Tuners (HPT) is a software suite, and you'll need to find a tuner that uses it. Terminator2, Backyardturbo (BYT/BYT*SS*Turbo), and others on this site sell proven, strong, reliable tunes. You may also be able to find a local shop/tuner that uses it, if you don't want to buy the hardware.
Trifecta Performance is a company specializing in remote tuning. You can rent/buy a cable to load tunes yourself from Vince, the tuner, or you can go through a local dealer who will do all of that for you.
I took away:
1. K&N or other cold air kit.
2. Downpipe.
3. Charge pipes.
4. Tune from Trifecta if I can't find a local trusted tuner.
5. Pedders is nice, but isn't Eibach cheaper (always use Pro-Kit on my cars)?
More questions:
1. How much boost can I run with the above mods (Shell 93 octane)? My guess is 20+psi is too much for stock charge plastic pipes?
2. Do we need a camber kit to lower the car. My Mustang's stock adjustments were always enough, give or take, to handle the Pro-Kit. My Civic Si needed camber kits that cost more than the springs themselves.
3. Is it just me, or is the back of the car "jacked up" too much with stock springs? Kind of like a old school muscle car. Too much rear wheel gap I guess. Hopefully springs will level the car out.
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Joined: 05-06-08
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From: So Cal
Eibach Pro kit offers little to no lowering on the car, Pedders handle the best according to some, but if you want an noticeable drop get Eibach sportlines, H&R's, B&G's or coilovers. You don't need camber plates. I run 20+ psi on stock charge pipes for about 40k miles, and they've been fine, some have issues I guess. And yeah the rear sits much higher than the front.
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Joined: 09-04-09
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From: Alabama
They say to replace the intercooler because if you bang your front bumper lip on something there is a chance you will break the condensation pipe or crack the end tanks.
The stock intercooler is just fine for over 300whp. Just be careful when parking.
With a Trifecta tune, catless DP and KN air filter I put down 308whp 346wtq.
Keep in mind though the HHR SS stock air box is very good, so for a Cobalt you need to do what people have sugggested for a CAI.
310-315whp seems to be the average.
23psi seems to be the sweet spot for the stock K04 turbo as far as efficienecy goes, you might also want to get your redline raised to 7k.
It also wouldn't be a bad idea to replace your upper intercooler pipe, there is a pancake restriction and they are known to blow apart in colder weather.
HPTuners tune you can get more whp/wtq, but make sure you get someone that can tune a LNF to do it.
The stock intercooler is just fine for over 300whp. Just be careful when parking.
With a Trifecta tune, catless DP and KN air filter I put down 308whp 346wtq.
Keep in mind though the HHR SS stock air box is very good, so for a Cobalt you need to do what people have sugggested for a CAI.
310-315whp seems to be the average.
23psi seems to be the sweet spot for the stock K04 turbo as far as efficienecy goes, you might also want to get your redline raised to 7k.
It also wouldn't be a bad idea to replace your upper intercooler pipe, there is a pancake restriction and they are known to blow apart in colder weather.
HPTuners tune you can get more whp/wtq, but make sure you get someone that can tune a LNF to do it.
I bought the car. I love it initially. In stock form, it goes! I can't wait for 22psi! The brakes are glazed from sitting and are making noise. I might have to buy some zinc rotors and ceramic pads. Do the stock pads make a lot of brake dust? Ceramic pads make almost zero brake dust (easy to clean wheels and makes washing the car quicker).
They say to replace the intercooler because if you bang your front bumper lip on something there is a chance you will break the condensation pipe or crack the end tanks.
The stock intercooler is just fine for over 300whp. Just be careful when parking.
With a Trifecta tune, catless DP and KN air filter I put down 308whp 346wtq.
310-315whp seems to be the average.
23psi seems to be the sweet spot for the stock K04 turbo as far as efficienecy goes, you might also want to get your redline raised to 7k.
It also wouldn't be a bad idea to replace your upper intercooler pipe, there is a pancake restriction and they are known to blow apart in colder weather.
HPTuners tune you can get more whp/wtq, but make sure you get someone that can tune a LNF to do it.
The stock intercooler is just fine for over 300whp. Just be careful when parking.
With a Trifecta tune, catless DP and KN air filter I put down 308whp 346wtq.
310-315whp seems to be the average.
23psi seems to be the sweet spot for the stock K04 turbo as far as efficienecy goes, you might also want to get your redline raised to 7k.
It also wouldn't be a bad idea to replace your upper intercooler pipe, there is a pancake restriction and they are known to blow apart in colder weather.
HPTuners tune you can get more whp/wtq, but make sure you get someone that can tune a LNF to do it.
Disable the 02 sensor after the cat, and run a catless downpipe. I don't think you can disable the tpms, pretty sure that's built into the bcm, and not the ecu
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Joined: 09-04-09
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From: Alabama
COT disabled (for catless DP)
7k rpm redline
my 1st gear is limited boost
my 2nd gear is limited boost (needed this bad for the turbo upgrade I have)
I would advise you to buy the EZ flash cable and software so you can datalog/load tunes and get changes anytime you want with Vince @ Trifecta.
If you have E85 readily available in your area you can get a E85 tune, good for about
30whp over a standard tune.
Make sure you datalog and re-tune 3 or 4 times after you get your tune loaded to get it dialed in.
i wonder if stickers got messed up at the factory. I also wonder how many people think they have the G85 package but really dont....
edit: well if your looking for G35, you wont find it lol i do not think g35 was even an option or what it would even be for. It is G85, check again and see, im curious if I am the only car with the VIN saying something and the build sheet not.
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Joined: 06-22-09
Posts: 5,989
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From: Kathmandu
Edit: I tried to take a pic of it, but it's just too hard to get to.
Last edited by SSlobalt; Apr 22, 2011 at 12:38 PM.
***straight from Trifecta's site:
"TPMS (Tire Pressure Monitoring) disable in the works!
If you have a 2007-2010 GM LNF vehicle (Solstice/Sky, Cobalt or HHR) and you have the annoying TPMS light on (tire pressure monitoring system) due to your aftermarket wheels and would like it disabled, keep watching our site - we will have this available in a short time! "
Last edited by bobbyhill31286; Apr 21, 2011 at 10:03 PM.
Stock intercooler has plastic end tanks and has been known to break due to bottoming out and running boost through it. Plenty of people have blown there stock intercooler to warrant replacing it immediately as it is considered a weak point in the charge system. Go with any brand of aftermarket ic. They all have there ups and downs.
Last edited by CudaJoe; Apr 22, 2011 at 10:03 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
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From: Compton