I know this is the cobalt forum...but compared to the 205 horsepower my SS/SC has...what was the horsepower of the late 80's early 90's 3.1 V6 that was in the Z24??

 

140 hp--(I think 180-185lbs-ft of torque) I bet a 2.2L Cobalt could beat one. Those 3.1s had good low end torque but no top end.

 

I could never understand why across the board with 80's-90's and even as recent as 2003 GM sedans and compacts, they had bigger motors but less HP/Torque than their competition.

 

My 1994 Z26 Berette had 160 hp and 185 ftlbs of torque, It was quick but not as quick or fast as a Cobalt SS.

 

1984 ford mustang gt had about 190 hp at the wheels rated "215 hp" at the block. this was a 302 ci (5.0 L) v8 now a gt with a 4.6L will make 310 hp.

newer cars make power through lighter parts and quicker reving. horsepower is a measure of how fast you make torque, torque being you power output placed on a rotating mass. Most standard 4 cyl engines of today will make much more "horsepower" than 80's or early 90's cars just through technology improvements in parts and more detailed engineering and better understanding of fuel economy vs power.

pretty much what i am saying here is, new = more power for any comparable sized engine.