So, are there any other 2.2 guys and girls here that are having traction problems in the rain?
I know the SC group has these problems, but I was wondering if it is a problem for people here too.

It was raining yesterday, and I spun my tires all the way to third on one occasion, and into second on several others. I wasnt giving it a lot of gas, as a matter of fact I was under 2k rpms in each gear, but those tires spun like crazy! I looked at the actual tires and there is still plenty of rubber on them, so I dont know what the deal is. Are the Cobalts really that light in the front end?

I am dreading what this winter is going to be like...

 

Yes i guess that they are. Do you have the 15 in continental tires B/C that is what i have and they SUCK. Ive spun mine all the way through third once and hopefully i can get new wheels and tires before winter.

 

Your spinning will stop with a set of Goodyear Triple Tread Tires. Those tires are superb in wet and snowing conditions as well as dry of course. The stockers on the Cobalt are trash. They are rated 4 out of 10 for wet traction.

 

I've noticed some traction issues on my LS w/ the Michelin MXV4 that came with the 16" upgrade. There's been a couple times in heavy rain when stopped on a hill that I got some pretty brutal wheel hop and had trouble getting the car even rolling. The tires feel like an extremely hard rubber imo which would probably explain the problem. It's not something I can't live with but they're definitely coming off in the winter.

Permafried-

 

Yep, stock rubber, on the 15" steelies

So basically, its just going to come down to needing to replace the tires. That sucks, but probably a worth while investment.

Especially in the snow and ice.

Thanks for the quick responses!

 

yaa. thestock tires are god awful in therain. but even w/my new rims and tires they just seem to spin just as easy. butnot itno 3rd like my stock tires did (continental).

ryan

 

yea my wheels and tires now i can spin through 3rd in the rain, but im actually trying haha, i never really noticed a problem with the stock continentals, just be easy on them and they will grip

 

I've had lots of problems with mine too. I was going around a turn at 35 in the rain and my rear end actually swung out. It wasn't even that tight of a corner, i really can't explain why it happened.

 

get some new springs on it and you dont have to worry about that

 

heh deff dont have the money for that right now. Cars getting repod if i cant come up with $900 by nov 6th

 

The continentals on my car are terrible, applying anything more than light gas pressure makes them spin in the wet/rainy weather...

 

I haven't had problems with my stock Conti's, and we've had rain/snow the last 2 days. Then again, I don't flog it when driving in wet/slippery conditions...

This will literally be my first winter without 4x4, so I'm not exactly looking forward to it myself...

 

Yeah i have noticed it too....but heres the kicker, my parents got a cobalt cause they like mine so much and even my mom complains about the traction or lack there of with the stock tires. As soon as i got 1000 dollars i am getting some new rimms and some kuhmo tires!

 

i had BAD traction problems but i thought it was cause i always burn out. after i gotthem rotated it greatly decreased.

I have stock 16" michelin energy tires.

 

I'm on the continentals and I've never had any problems driving in the rain.

 

I would look at some toyos that is what i will be getting from wheel max they are a great tire. I had kumos on my monte carlo and i hated them so just something to think about.

 

Not trying to be a dick or anything but your post is about as helpfull as well, I"m not trying to be a dick so I'm just going to say not very helpfull.

Maybe you'd like to explain why you "hated the kumos" and why toyo would be a good choice other than the fact that you are getting them. Look at sneaky's post he's giving some information about the tire itself.

And so I'm not a "troll"... I get some pretty lousy traction anytime I'm "gunning it" wet dry snow hot magma, doesn't matter I'm spinning all over the place... I will say this much, in every vehicle I've ever driven I've never seen a fwd car act as much like a rwd car as the/my cobalt. Its a blast!

As for tire suggestions I've had my eye on the Eagle F1's from goodyear but not too sure about the tirewear. In the end, its really not hard at all to maintain control of tire spin in the vehicle. If you're not at the track why pretend that you are? Its only wasting your high dollar gas and risking your lisence if a cop in the area wants to be a *****(not that that'd be a bad thing, depending on what kind of driver you are as stupid people losing their lisence is cause for celebration)

 

What i am talking about is accellerating no harder than i used to do in my 97 escort or my 2001 escape or even my parents 94 pontiac van. Under the smallest amout of water the traction goes to crap.

 

What tires u runnin.

 

I dunno, I drove in some pretty nasty rain last night and didn't slip at all. I don't exactly drive like an old lady either... Some of you guys must really be floggin' it!

 

Got the 15' continentals. I notice the most slipping whenever I'm trying to accelerate from a stop while turning. The wheels slip like crazy if I go above 2500 rpm. It's worse in the rain. Guess I need new tires or take gotta it easy until I get them

 

try startin out in 2nd gear
i find it hard to believe you guys cant get rain traction

 

Tiny, you dont have the stock tires do you?

 

Conts r nown for that.If you got some $$ Michlens r good for 15''.

 

I have the same problem, the conti's suck. And I've been driving for over 20 years and most of that time being manual transmission so I'm not over doing the gas pedal when driving and I've had a couple of accidents in the rain, in my younger years, so I drive a lot more careful in the rain. But even in careful driving in the rain, and yes turning or trying to get going the tires spin.

I'm going to be taking mine into the dealer and asking them about it...the tires are under warranty...I'm just curious what they will say. I don't expect them to replace them, but just want to know what their opinion of it is.

And in response to someone's post about something helpful, it's helpful for other Cobalt owners to know that we are experiencing similar problems and hopefully can find an easier answer than buying new tires for a new car.