Hey everyone. I have a 08 Pontiac G5, love it, and i am in love with the 08+ balt ss'. I LOVE the look, i like the engine, weight, ect. BUT, Its fwd. I am constantly being harassed by co-workers that fwd is terrible, not a mans car. Thats the weight shift while accelerating pulls traction off the front wheels making RWD or AWD the better choice, not to mention torque steer... I have looked at the cobalt drivetrain conversions (GTOBALT) and it seems like it would cost to much and be too much work to be worth it. So im trying to gather opinions before deciding what to invest in and i thought this site would be a great place to start. So, does FWD kill the SS? Thanks everyone and have a great rest of the week!

 

For a daily driver the cobalt SS with g85 package is an excellent option, and you will surprise a lot of people with how quick those cars are.

If FWD was really a killer you could look into the lnf solstice and sky, but the practicality of those cars are significant reduced lol

 

Alot of cobalt owners have traction issues. But they can be fixed. A good set of rotated tranny mounts and a solid engine mount will solve the wheel hop problem. And knowing how to launch your own car will take care of the wheel spin. So no i dont think FWD killed the SS. Would AWD have been nice? Sure, but we all make due with the fwd and have some nice kills to show for it

 

RWD and AWD guys will always say FWD sucks.

FWD isn't bad. Traction may be a pain sometimes and may not be ideal for drag racing, but the CSS handles amazing, is quick, and how often are you really going to be racing/flooring it from light to light?(not often i hope)

 

Well, as far as your co-workers it's obvious that are speaking out of ignorance and here is an example: Nordschleife lap records - FastestLaps.com

#109 Seat Leon Cupra 280 DSG FWD was a tick faster then a rear wheel drive Corvette C6 - and publicly humiliated every AWD (except GT-R & Porsche). As far as what you invest in - that's subjective, what do you want, what can you afford, what are your end goals? If you want to be Mr. Drag Racer, then go with something rear wheel, you want something to daily drive on the twisties and from red light to red light? In the end only you can answer that.

 

Say but you want about fwd but this list never ceases to amaze me, really tells what these cars can do

List of cars slower that the SS turbo from Car and Driver's lightning lap

Mitsubishi Lancer EVO MR
Lexus IS-F
Audi S5
Honda S2000 CR
Dodge Challenger SRT-8
Lotus Elise SC
Subaru Impreza WRX STI
Dodge Caliber SRT-4
Volkswagen R32
Honda Civic Mugen Si'

 

^and that was with a BONE STOCK cobalt

the fwd is really not a huge problem, especially considering how light the car is being fwd. stiffer rear springs help keep the weight transfer to a minimum, sticky tires, not to mention the launch control. torque steer is not a big deal with these cars either. totally worth it being fwd

 

I know why people don't like fwd but I could never bring myself to care what others think about that. Its a cheap, fun car. I say get the car and show them up!

 

I HAD a RWD car for a while, it was amusing here and there getting it a bit tail happy, but you really had to push it... and then you worry after about your expensive tires :P

The cobalt SS is by far faster than my ATS was and unless you're seriously pushing it to the breaking point I dont notice much of a handling difference, obviously a little but nothing to write home about.

I have no gripe with FWD, it works just fine especially for an every day car...hell I'd put money on it my T/C would lap MossPort faster than my ATS anyways lol

 

the cornering traction on these cars is incredible especially with a rear sway bar. just stay off the gas for most of the corner and boom good to turn

 

What do these co-workers of yours drive?

 

Probably Honda civics... lol just Joking

 

They probably do lol

 

OP: print this post and take it to work.. haha

 

If you're worried about being manly get a V8 pickup truck and schedule some therapy.
If you want a fun car that is inexpensive to buy, maintain and modify, get a Cobalt SS/TC.
They can be made wicked fast with limited funds. And then you can humiliate your coworkers in one of their cars from the list above and call them slow little girls.

 

Especially their camaros and mustangs provided they arent modded much

 

Wow, thanks for all the replys everyone!
Whats the deal with Mossport? I live near and im curious to know what you have to do to race/take your car on the track. Is there a club or something?

Mostly trucks, which explains why FWD 4 bangers are "tampons on wheels" or "only for chicks."

 

I have to go against the masses here and say that I do in fact have a gripe with front wheel drive, but only when we're talking putting big numbers to the ground. The weight transfer and the limited space to run bigger tires in the front really limit how much power these cars can use effectively. That being said when I went out to buy my first car, (this one) I sought after front wheel drive because I knew that I would be using it every day and year round. So really it's good for what it is, but if you're trying to push big power through FWD, especially without drag tires (which you still can't really use on the street), you're just fighting physics. Though that being said, I still have mad respect for the guys continuing pushing these cars and getting good numbers out of them, I'm just not as tolerant to the elephant in the room. I do love this car though- it does everything right that it's supposed to do and does it well. Hence why the plan is to keep it and get a hold of a Supra RZ to put my 500-600 horsepower into that I wish I could in this car as effectively.

Just my .02

 

hopefully nobody puts a chair on the hood did ya see that post going around facebook that happened in Halifax? haha

 

^^ Haha yeah I've been linked that picture a couple of times, never seen that Supra around Halifax before. Though, pretty sure I know who owns that RSX.

 

i'm pretty sure i've seen that supra before at a car show last year. not a fan of the little hood scoop ..

 

Is it an RZ? (Turbo model) I can't spy an intercooler in the front.

 

No i think it is an N/A auto like most of the supras imported from carsons.

 

Well...............to put a defibrillator on a dead horse - Here is another pulse for the FWD debate:
Renault Reclaims Nürburgring Record with Mégane RS 275 Trophy-R [w/Video] - Carscoops

 

For how cheap and practical a cobalt is, it's a very fun car while still handling better than cars twice its price tag.

The seat and renault cars are pretty much full race cars, and much lighter than the tc. Give a tc some konis, and a rear sway bar and it would destroy that euro trash and still have ac.

a 600hp supra, couldn't even keep with a ss tc with a sway bar only in a canyon. So power isn't everything, unless all you do is cruise in a straight line.