well i think both cars are great but im am trying to distinguish the exact diffrences between the 2...

 

I think it's going to be kind of hard to get EXACT differences here because we don't have the build specs for each car. That kind of information might be more readily available in a service manual or something of that nature. The easiest are engine and transmission because those are pretty straightforward, the suspension is tricky because the only thing I can find is that the SC has "lightweight components" and stiffer springs, lower ride height, etc., but no specific details on what the components are and if they're interchangable with the 2.4. Obviously the easiest thing you can do to improve handling is change tires, but you can also wait for the aftermarket to get stronger and then go with adjustables on all 4 corners, then you can tune the suspension for what you need in the given situation - stiffer for track, softer for street.

 

this is true, oh well so ill just put on all the suspension products i can get onto this car and im sure it will handle very well when im done with it, on those eibachs though is it only the 2.0 that gets lowered 0 in the front?

 

Please tell me that you are not just gonna throw parts at it until it handles well...suspensions are a system. Please plan your mods properly. Trust me, I know. I have installed plenty of suspensions on cars where the only thing stock is the spindles. Unless the suspension components compliment each other, you will have an ill handling sports car. FWIW.

 

Yes, that's true for the Eibach Pro Kit and the 2.0, it does not lower it at all in the front.

 

BlwnGP is very wise, listen to him (or her, don't want to make any assumptions). Suspension is best done in small steps and with the big picture in mind. Do one step at a time, that way if something doesn't mesh you should be able to pinpoint what it is and fix it or replace it. I started with a strut bar. Later I'll probably go with an anti-roll kit. Then way down the road probably do adjustables (hopefully Tein). But I will know exactly what each part has done for the handling of the car.

Not to say you CAN'T do it all in one step, you certainly can if you know exactly what you're doing and exactly what the result needs to be.

 

suspension componets lighter...gotcha. Yeah I am an aggressive defender of the 2.4L SS just like you guys that love to slam it. Still a great car, for a great price that delivers great performance that shames alot of other SS cars Chevy made. And yes I know the S/C Ss is faster ect---not bad for my perspective.

 

wow! This post blew up. lol.

The SS n/a is most definately a much better suspension than the base models. The SS n/a has the 5 lug hubs, and alot of the s/c components in some form. I mean, sure, you gotta keep the best stuff on the s/c to make it special. But after having my FE3 on my n/a... I wouldn't do half the stuff in a base model that I do in my FE3.

 

well im not gonna go crazy on suspension just strut bars , sways springs shocks and ill see how it does from there if it needs something else ill figure it out but im sure the basics i listed will be nothing but an improvement

 

That's really all you need, hell just stiffer springs/shocks can make a big difference.

 

thats what i was thinking i just want the cobalt to be on par with the celica and ill be happy

 

The biggest thing is eliminating body roll, cause that's still a minor problem in the 2.0s, though for comparison:

My Cavi:



My SS:



It's hard to tell exactly the difference because the pictures are at vastly different angles, but the body roll in the SS is NOTHING compared to the Cavi. Seriously though, with some sway bars and stiffer shocks/springs it should be able to eliminate most of that, plus when I get lightweight 17s on it that i like, that will help immensely too with the handling.

 

sounds good then but i am gonna get the turbo kit first then i have to do my tranny internals since the auto i htese cars breaks at like numbers above 200 i belive then after those 2 things i will do most of the suspension

 

Double check the numbers on the auto...200 is pretty damn low, especially when the Ecotecs are pretty popular engines to turbo, I would think they'd put a pretty heavy duty tranny in them. If you mainly want the car for the drag strip, the SS n/a suspension would be plenty good enough, but if you get into autocross or road racing, then yeah you're going to need to start upgrading.

 

well my main interest is the drag strip but i like nice tight handling for the street as well