hey there i have yet to get to drive a cobalt with the g85 performance package,, and kind of wondering is it really work the extra money? i test drove a saturn RL with the performance package and was not to sure if it made enough of a diff. and with the LSD being the biggest thing for the performance kit im having a hard time deciding. i will be gettign the cobalt ss/sc or ss (i know g85 is not avail for ss) but not sure about the whole G85, the car will be a daily driver and im not big into racing or going to the track (but that may change with this car), so any input on mainly the LSD and its effectiveness would be great,, i also talked to a sales guy at the saturn dealer i know and he said when he test drove the RL with LSD he said the LSD was sh*t. but one mans opinion can mean nothing coming from those who drive with the LSD all the time.sorry if this is a repeat question i did a search for G85 and only saw posts with people saying they have it or they wished tehy had it.

 

Yes get it please, get it for all those who couldn't. Mine doesn't have one yet but it will soon. I took a ride in one that did have it and there was a huge difference in off the line acceleration. A must for tight turns where you have to accelerate. If you even have thoughts of putting more power to the tires get the package, the LSD alone is $1500, not including the seat I know better than anyone the cost of not getting the package.

 

dont really need it unless you like to get into turns really hard

 

I dunno, i've always figured if I was gonna spin tires, may as well spin both, so to me, the G85 wasn't an important consideration. I am well aware of the downsides though, but mine suits my style well, at least at the moment.

 

not really

 

It's worth it just for the seats.

 

i've got it and totaly love it....its not just for help in the turns as far as driveing in crapy weather....heavy rain/snow it helps as well....the seats are AMAZEING....get it!

 

I would have goten it but I could not find a car close to me that had it. And the dealer made me a deal I could not turn down.

 

Same here, plus I hate the Recaros. I'm just going to order the Quaife after the fact. With the price the dealer offered me to take one off the lot it would have been a difference of about $6k to order a new one w/G86 so I'll still be money ahead and have seats that I like.

Consider it at least for the LSD, drive one of each for comparison. You said you drove one with the LSD, take a test drive in one without and see if you notice a difference. I bet you will.

 

Not worth the money. Your not gonna go any faster with it.

 

well for anyone that says they noticed the difference in off the line acceleration I say B.S. Get it if you like the Seats and are going to AUTO X. LSD is really only beneficial when you are taking turns at a rate of speed that makes your wheels break. This way when they do the power is distributed to the wheel with the most grip. Now if you are launching in the 1/4 mile and both of your wheels are breaking how much does the even distribution matter ? Not much. Like I said I drove both. I liked the recaro seats better than mine but they weren't worth 1500 more to me. Take a look at people 's 1/4 slips. 90* of the people with the lowest 1/4 miles do not have the g85. If you have the money to blow by all means get the package. It does help slightly ever so slightly in bad weather. Save 1500 and get better tires and rims and you will do the same thing. Or save the 1500 and buy the stg2 kit, header, cat back. That would be a much better value for around 1700 if you shop around.

 

When ever i have to get going fast to get on the highway that has a very short onramp i always spin my one tires and it really slows me down, even i second i get alot of one wheel spinning. I bet if those guys who are getting the best 1/4 mile times (tofu) had LSD they would get a decent drop in times and get a better 60' time.

 

LSD doesn't help in straight lines. I was also talking about more than just tofu. So far he is the only one to post that number. And it was only once so I didn't really mean him. If you are breaking your wheels getting on to an on ramp to the freeway you may want to learn how to drive your car and then tell me if you need the LSD. I can just about mash it in my car and not break my wheels free. A 150$ POLY MOUNT AND $100 TQ BRACE WILL DO WAY BETTER THAN AN LSD. The seats are sweet though so like i said if I had the money for just the seats I would get it. You should take that order off for your LSD and go with something else.

 

if they offerd it in canda in 05 i would of got it....

 

If I get a buyback on my ss... Ill be getting one w/ g85

-Rich

 

So your saying less traction isn't going to help you? I can drive my car very well and can launch it pretty good but it is still one wheel spinning through first. And when i need to get on the highway theres a turn in the onramp so the one tire starts to spin. With LSD you will be able to launch much better by using more RPMS and more power but will still have the same amount of tire spin.. Sure sometimes you can get traction with both tires but it doesn't happen everytime. LSD would make it happen everytime.

 

I can understand the turn situation which is where you would need lsd but there is ramp here that is a complete circle and then bam freeway. I still don't break free. Im not insulting you im just saying that once you get the hang of your clutch and feel for your car you will never notice the difference between a car with LSD and without. It is an absolute must for AUTO X though.

 

If you need LSD for traction... You need to learn how to drive. I don't see it being necessary. I never lose traction ever unless im going from a dig.

 

Do you race your car??? Sure daily driving there is no nead for it but for racing it helps alot. I auto-X my car and it desparetly needs it for that but in drag racing it is also needed. If my truck didn't have positraction i bet that that thing would not launch near as hard as it does now. If you go all out to go fast then your tires are going to lose grip, without LSD that fine line or traction and no traction is not ver consistant, With LSD you have the same results every time making more consistant runs.

 

Wow !!! Can't believe some of the posts here. Any REAL performance car will have a POSI or LSD.

How will a LSD not help off the line ? Two tires gripping is 100% better than one tire, think about it ......

How about NASCAR running a single spin...... HAHAHAHA or NHRA cars running single spin and trying to get down the 1/4 mile....... ya right .....NEVER f*cking happen

 

From a performance standpoint, the limited-slip diff is necessary if you are going to do and autocrossing or track days with the car on a circuit, or simply all out racing. It shouldn't matter at all for straight line dragging. The lsd is only working during cornering. On a road course though, a quafie equipped car would be much faster through the corners than a non-G85 car. There is no argument here to be made. The LSD car would be significantly faster and easier to drive on a race circuit.

As far as the Recaros I love them. They are some of the best seats I have ever been in. My only suggestion as to why not to get them is if you are a larger person (either in weight or height). They are made for people with smaller frames. I am a small guy at 5'6", and 150 lbs and fit perfectly in them. Not too tight, not to loose. I have a little bit of room to wiggle around in them. A friend of mine who is 260lbs and 5'9" is uncomfortable in them. That being said, the Recaros are meant to "hug" the driver securely during performance driving, so it may just be that many people are uncomfortable with this type of seat, and would prefer the stock ones that don't hold you in anywhere near as tight. Again, if you are racing on a track, I think you need these seats!

 

Any LSD can be the differece of a coulpe tenths off the quarter mile. I also cannot believe some of these posts.

 

Thank you, glad to see i'm not the only one who thinks this(or knows this).

 

From http://www.musclecarclub.com/library...erential.shtml

Limited Slip Differentials

A Limited Slip Differential (also known as a LSD) attempts to address the problems of an Open Differential. A Limited Slip Differential is very similar to an Open Differential, but it adds a spring pack and a set of clutches. Some of these have a cone clutch that is similar to the synchronizers in a manual transmission. The spring pack pushes the side gears against the clutches, which are attached to the cage. Both side gears spin with the cage when both wheels are moving at the same speed, and the clutches aren't really needed - the only time the clutches step in is when something happens to make one wheel spin faster than the other, as in a turn. The clutches fight this behavior, wanting both wheels to go the same speed. If one wheel wants to spin faster than the other, it must first overpower the clutch. The stiffness of the springs combined with the friction of the clutch determine how much torque it takes to overpower it.

Therefore, in the situation where one drive wheel is on the ice and the other one has good traction, With this limited slip differential, even though the wheel on the ice is not able to transmit much torque to the ground, the other wheel will still get the torque it needs to move. The torque supplied to the wheel not on the ice is equal to the amount of torque it takes to overpower the clutches. The result is that you can move forward, although still not with the full power of your car. This is why Limited Slip Differentials are popular in Drag Racing - they minimize wasteful wheel spin on a hard launch.

So more info:

http://www.superchargersonline.com/content.asp?id=29

Limited Slip Differential

A "Limited-Slip Differential” (LSD) is mechanically open normally. LSD’s are based on clutches between the left and right axles. The mechanism responds to input torque by tightening these clutches which limits the RPM difference allowed between the right and left. Clutch application is linear and smooth which makes these very predictable and mannered on the street. LSD’s also have preload which provides a predetermined amount of resistance between the right and left at all times; so they are never truly 100% “open.” On some units, preload is adjustable by changing springs. Most LSD’s have replaceable clutches. Limited Slip Differentials are very effective at preventing wheel slippage on take for great launches.

 

^^^ the only differences is that quaife doesn't use clutches to prevent wheel slip, they use a series of gears which is better because there is no wearing parts.