puredrive

I only have a minute (I'm at work), but I just wanted to post up something quick......

I finally got a chance to take an 09 SS out for test drive yesterday and came away with really mixed feelings around it.

I was seriously impressed with the handling and overall feel of the suspension. That is pure magic that they did under there. The car felt very tight, planted, and like it was on rails, all while not being harsh going over some of the crappy roads here in MA. I was just really, really impressed.

Personally, I really like the clean, simple looks of the Cobalt SS. Some people say it is boring, old, dated, but I think it is nice. I was really pleased that I did not find the interior a major turn off. I had read so many of the reviewed that say the interior is garbage, but I found it livable and functional. It was a little tight/close feeling, but hey, it is a compact car.

The transmission really bugged me. It felt really solid and kind of hefty, but without feeling and not very user-friendly. It was hard to get into first gear from a stop every time and we were in a lot of stop and go traffic.

The engine did not respond like I though it would/wanted it to. I found it pretty rough running. The car definately felt like it picked up speed quickly however.

Well, I'm late for an appointment, so that is all for now. I just wanted to share my thoughts and see what you guys think. I'll probably be more specific later when I have more time, because I would really like to talk to you guys about the engine more. Thanks.

Mindrot

iTrader: (1)

Bolt-ons would help fix that "solid and hefty" problem. The stocker has a lot of restriction.

Zander916

Hmmm... maybe we can get some second opinions on this but it seems like it just needs to break in and those issues start to go away. I'm trying to remember if mine did that or not. It'd suck to say it would go away, you buy it and it doesn't, then you're unhappy.

Maybe someone else can recall better.

Terminator2

Transmission takes a lot of getting used to. Heck I am just now getting the hang of it after 7500 miles and almost every other vehicle I have owned was a stickshift. The clutch is odd feeling and too light IMHO and the transmission feels kinda weird to me probably because it is cable actuated ( first fwd I have owned). Engine performace seems to get better after the 2000 mile mark.

xray_racer

The clutch was a bit hard for me to get used to, but the car overall definitely feels a lot better once it is broken in and you get used to it. And like mindrot said, boltons help a lot even though I like it just fine stock. And a simple tune on this car gets you into the 300+ whp range. I love the car and would buy it again for sure. By far the best bang for the buck imho.

Stevo

The only thing thats keeping me from trading in my SC for a TC is the different gas you gotta use. Sounds dumb but its a big deal to me. Plus dont you have to let the turbo wind down when you shut the car off?

Highbeamz

I've personally found many things in my car have gotten better since I've racked up some more miles and the temperature has gone up.

The engine seemed really rough at idle when it was new...now it's very smooth for a 4 cylinder. You have to remember there's a lot of vibration to counter balance in an transverse mount inline engine. Of course I've found many V6's to be much smoother, but for a 4 cyl, right now, it's very good.

The transmission has smoothed out a LOT since I bought it. When I first got it, it was very notchy and mechanical feeling. It took a lot of effort to go through the gears. I'm currently at about 6700km's and the temps are between 10-25*C and the transmission is a lot more fluid now. I can almost shift it with one finger, but it still retains a solid and not rubbery feel. Overall, other than the occasional bitchy reverse gear and notchy 2nd to 1st shifts, the transmission is very nice now, much nicer that the Mazdaspeed 3's, but maybe not as nice as the Civic Si's. The clutch as also become a little better, but still very grabby, which I think is partially what you should expect with a car typically pushing 240+lb/ft to the wheels...longer life is what I see out of that.

And of course it's only gotten faster as it's broken in as well



Now if some of my interior noises could just "break in" things would just be gravy, lol...but one can dream.

wantedSS/TC

iTrader: (1)

different kind of gas?? wtf ... gas is gas, 93 octane - you can use 87, but be careful at WOT with knock, etc.

I never let the car idle for a minute and then shut it off. I just turn off the car like any other car and it's been running fine!

Highbeamz

You don't have to run Premium in the SC? I never ran anything less than 91 octane in my GTP because it'll knock...I'd expect the same from the LSJ (sure you won't hear it because the retarded timing/knock sensors, but you lose power as a trade off).

Honestly though the price difference in gas isn't that bad. Only about 10-12c a litre (Canada) and the economy is good enough that I don't care...but then again I've owned 3 cars that ran best on premium so I'm used to it.

Gestapo007

iTrader: (2)

1st seems to be a bit rough at times. but i quickly got used to it. I now have 12k miles on the car and a B&M and it is still real tight into 1st. Heard its something with syncros or something and 1st and reverse have none while 2-4 do. i dunno. read it somewhere.

Stevo

ya like premium instead of regular.....

My stepmom has a miata with a turbo in it and they said let it idle so the turbo can unwind or something

No I run regular with the SC. Price isnt that bad but the mpg goes down with the turbo and then the price adds up

wantedSS/TC

iTrader: (1)

seriously, when you add up the difference per tank it's literally 1.50-2 bucks max!! PLus it helps the engine run better and more efficient!

Highbeamz

The turbo in our cars is oil and water cooled, and for the most part you can shut it right off after use. I'd personally suggest letting it cool a minute if you parked it RIGHT after bagging on it hard, but I'm also over cautious.

And it's not for the turbo to "unwind" it's so you don't coke it. Basically the oil that sits in the turbo is heated from the very hot turbo and burns (gets sludgy and stuff and wrecks the turbo over time)...at least I'm pretty sure I have that right, but I'm kinda having a blonde day.

Stevo

eh maybe but I just put like $2400 into my SC so it would be a waste to get rid of it now

ahh ok, I wasnt sure.

Zander916

Yep, exactly.

What I do personally is just try to take it easy and not hit boost at all for a mile or two before I get to my destination. Otherwise I may give it 30 seconds or so. Like was said, it's water cooled so unless you just abuse the living crap out of it and then shut it off it should be ok.

Yeah 1st and Reverse can be a real PIA.... but it was EXACTLY the same on my RSX-S too. 1st and Reverse... AND... synchros on 2nd gear. I haven't had an issue and I don't think too many have. But it was the same on RSX-S. Top Gear complained about the synchros in 2nd on the Vette ZR1 too when they took it to the salt flats. I think all of that is just common performance transmission stuff there.

Permafried-

It'll go down with your SC as well, but I'm not going to get into this debate for like the 1,000 time on these forums about why 91 is recommended for the LSJ and LNF versus 87/89 .

Anyways, to the OP, the transmission and clutch take a whole lot of getting used to. I went from a 2.2 to a TC and it's like night and day. The tranny was a little cranky at first but once I hit about 3000km (umm ~2000 miles, trying to do it off the top of my head) it has continued to improve day by day, but the clutch can still be a little ornery if I'm not awake and paying attention . Like your test drive I used to have issues with 1st gear on numerous occasions on my way home from work (simply putting it in neutral, letting off the clutch, pushing the clutch and re-engaging almost always worked) but with time it has gotten far better and happens rarely if next to never now. That's the unfortunate thing with a test drive, it's not broken in, still stiff from the factory, and some wear needs to be instituted for it to "feel" like it was intended to.

Stevo

Im just going by what I was told at the dealer and by my mechanic that it was fine to use regular thats all. ive been using it for 3 years now on my car

raynrishad

I havn't noticed any difference in milage or power in using regular or premium in my 08 tc. Granted, I put premium in when I go to the drag strip simply because of the higher octane rating. As for the clutch...

THe turbo may be oil and water cooled, but once you shut the engine off the cooling stops and your turbo may actually still be sitting there spinning. Especially after just getting on it or any type of load into it. Have to keep in mind that the turbo spins at a few thousand rpm's or something like that. Letting the car sit there after getting into it helps extend the life of the turbo. Though with the cooling system you don't have to let it sit there forever.

I essentially learned stick on this car so I couldn't give you much information there Besides the fact that it doesn't like to NLS between 1st and 2nd so I'm taking it in on monday...

HOPEfully the techs at the dealership arent retards -_-

Permafried-

They're correct that it's "fine" to use it, the car's likely pulling timing to adjust for engine knock that's all. As for your dealership, recommendation is to read the manual and trust next to nothing they tell you...your manual will read 91 octane recommended .

Stamina

You're up in MA too...

I ran regular unleaded for the most part in my LNF all winter and never got a single occurance of knock or knock retard ever. I didn't switch to premium until maybe March, when it starts heating up again in Houston (I've got 100+ intake temps now sometimes, so it was the smarter choice by that point). If you're up in MA, you may be just fine year-round.

It states in the manual you can use regular unleaded and premium is recommended. The only time that you'd be required to use premium only is if you get the GM Stage Kit or get tuned.

If you were really worried about it, you could go for a better intercooler or intake air cooler like meth to cool down the air, helping to fight off the possiblity of knock.

Highbeamz

How do you know you never got knock retard? Do you run a scan gauge?

I had a scan gauge in my GTP. I had a 180 degree thermostat, Downpipe and Ubend delete, cold air intake and an aftermarket PCM with a stock 3.8" pulley and still saw up to 4 degrees of knock retard on a hot day with 91 octane. I've heard the stock LSJ will see up to 6 at bone stock levels. I'm sure the LNF should see some at WOT even at cold temps. I don't believe you NEVER saw knock retard.

Stevo

haha umm too late now? I cant start using premium right?

wait what does Ma have to do with anything? Im confused

Permafried-

Sure you can, the chip will adjust for the fuel in the vehicle based on what the knock sensors are telling it. I forget the exact number of miles it takes to adjust but it will handle it for you . If you do make the switch, don't expec super crazy horsepower increases, but if you've got time check out this link which explains what the octane level in fuel means, and then go check the compression ratio of your engine vs say the 2.2.

HowStuffWorks.com

I don't suspect Ma has any tougher rules on how companies rate their octane levels, though I could be wrong. Keep in mind in 99% of the world that "91" doesn't mean "91 bang on for every Litre/Gallon of fuel, it's an approximation and the governments stipulate what range it must be in (ie. +/-X).

Anyways, hope that helps and at least it somewhat applies to the original post since I don't want to hijack anymore than I likely already have .

Stevo

ahh sweet cool man, ya I know sorry OP!

Stamina

I've got the RPD. It show spark advance/retard as well as any knock retard. That and I've never heard/felt/witnessed anything to the contrary that would suggest knock either.

Yeah, I should've explained that better. I was more going for the average temperature throughout the year being cooler compared to here in Houston.

Your car should detect you're running regular unleaded and switch to a more conservative spark profile. If a hot day sneaks up on you when you've got regular in the tank though, then just don't get on it hard.