The Race!!!!
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From: Lawrence, KS (from STL)
Not SS badge happy? Im sorry but they sure are! The have badged the Cobalt, HHR, Silverado, Trailblazer, Malibu, Impala, SSR, Monte Carlo, Camaro, and older s-10s as "SS"..... The only cars that done have the "SS" badge is the Corvette and the Aveo. I wonder if they can badge anything else as an "SS"?
Try again to prove your point buddy....
Try again to prove your point buddy....You're looking at the small picture. GM is responding to competition. When a competitor comes out with a top trim, Chevrolet comes out with the SS. This is a way of competing with markets. Chevrolet has always been about addressing the masses with quality cars, many of which compete in autosports.
Classics like the Impala, Monte Carlo and Camaro earn their SS badges with a heritage of performance, so I'm not even going to argue about those cars earning their badges. The Cobalt is a representative of the masses. Since 4-cylinder performance cars have erupted over the last 20 years, Chevrolet had to make one worthy of the title SS. The Cavalier didn't earn it because it wasn't sporty enough. It did earn the Z badge for handling performanceZ cars tend to have upgraded handling packages with the occasional engine upgrade as a tradition, Corvettes excluded since they are the flagships of the company. The Cobalt gets the renowned SS badge as a statement to the competition. If you want to argue that the Cobalt or Malibu shouldn't get a Super Sport badge, then you should also argue that the Civic Si, the Neon SRT4, The Corolla S, the Caliber SRT4, the Sentra SE-R, and most any other sub-V8 should get debadged. It's not about muscle car performance. It's just about performance. If a Chevrolet is at the top of its class, it becomes a Super Sport. That's how they name them. We should be grateful that Chevrolet has so many platforms that earn that badge. If they didn't GM wouldn't be a top automaker. The SS is a symbol of class-leading performance. The only cars that get SS badges are cars that compete. They all compete in different brackets of performance. For instance, a Monte Carlo can't compete with a TrailBlazer because they are too different in the ways they compete. Each represents a specific market niche with competitors that also have top trim lines. In other words, Chevrolet is a company like any other. When any other releases their top trim, Chevrolet must do the same to compete. That's why Chevrolet is so strong in the automotive industry: they compete aggressively.
By the way, you left out the Uplander, Express, Colorado, Avalache, Equinox, Tahoe, Suburban, and all of Chevrolet's fleet vehicles. It's not just the Aveo and Corvette that lack a Super Sport trim.
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Joined: 10-18-07
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From: wheeling, wv
Don't forget about the classics, like the Nova and Chevelle. If anyone wants to claim that the SS doesn't belong on a car, they should know at least the cars that undisputedly deserve the title Super Sport.
You're looking at the small picture. GM is responding to competition. When a competitor comes out with a top trim, Chevrolet comes out with the SS. This is a way of competing with markets. Chevrolet has always been about addressing the masses with quality cars, many of which compete in autosports.
Classics like the Impala, Monte Carlo and Camaro earn their SS badges with a heritage of performance, so I'm not even going to argue about those cars earning their badges. The Cobalt is a representative of the masses. Since 4-cylinder performance cars have erupted over the last 20 years, Chevrolet had to make one worthy of the title SS. The Cavalier didn't earn it because it wasn't sporty enough. It did earn the Z badge for handling performanceZ cars tend to have upgraded handling packages with the occasional engine upgrade as a tradition, Corvettes excluded since they are the flagships of the company. The Cobalt gets the renowned SS badge as a statement to the competition. If you want to argue that the Cobalt or Malibu shouldn't get a Super Sport badge, then you should also argue that the Civic Si, the Neon SRT4, The Corolla S, the Caliber SRT4, the Sentra SE-R, and most any other sub-V8 should get debadged. It's not about muscle car performance. It's just about performance. If a Chevrolet is at the top of its class, it becomes a Super Sport. That's how they name them. We should be grateful that Chevrolet has so many platforms that earn that badge. If they didn't GM wouldn't be a top automaker. The SS is a symbol of class-leading performance. The only cars that get SS badges are cars that compete. They all compete in different brackets of performance. For instance, a Monte Carlo can't compete with a TrailBlazer because they are too different in the ways they compete. Each represents a specific market niche with competitors that also have top trim lines. In other words, Chevrolet is a company like any other. When any other releases their top trim, Chevrolet must do the same to compete. That's why Chevrolet is so strong in the automotive industry: they compete aggressively.
By the way, you left out the Uplander, Express, Colorado, Avalache, Equinox, Tahoe, Suburban, and all of Chevrolet's fleet vehicles. It's not just the Aveo and Corvette that lack a Super Sport trim.
You're looking at the small picture. GM is responding to competition. When a competitor comes out with a top trim, Chevrolet comes out with the SS. This is a way of competing with markets. Chevrolet has always been about addressing the masses with quality cars, many of which compete in autosports.
Classics like the Impala, Monte Carlo and Camaro earn their SS badges with a heritage of performance, so I'm not even going to argue about those cars earning their badges. The Cobalt is a representative of the masses. Since 4-cylinder performance cars have erupted over the last 20 years, Chevrolet had to make one worthy of the title SS. The Cavalier didn't earn it because it wasn't sporty enough. It did earn the Z badge for handling performanceZ cars tend to have upgraded handling packages with the occasional engine upgrade as a tradition, Corvettes excluded since they are the flagships of the company. The Cobalt gets the renowned SS badge as a statement to the competition. If you want to argue that the Cobalt or Malibu shouldn't get a Super Sport badge, then you should also argue that the Civic Si, the Neon SRT4, The Corolla S, the Caliber SRT4, the Sentra SE-R, and most any other sub-V8 should get debadged. It's not about muscle car performance. It's just about performance. If a Chevrolet is at the top of its class, it becomes a Super Sport. That's how they name them. We should be grateful that Chevrolet has so many platforms that earn that badge. If they didn't GM wouldn't be a top automaker. The SS is a symbol of class-leading performance. The only cars that get SS badges are cars that compete. They all compete in different brackets of performance. For instance, a Monte Carlo can't compete with a TrailBlazer because they are too different in the ways they compete. Each represents a specific market niche with competitors that also have top trim lines. In other words, Chevrolet is a company like any other. When any other releases their top trim, Chevrolet must do the same to compete. That's why Chevrolet is so strong in the automotive industry: they compete aggressively.
By the way, you left out the Uplander, Express, Colorado, Avalache, Equinox, Tahoe, Suburban, and all of Chevrolet's fleet vehicles. It's not just the Aveo and Corvette that lack a Super Sport trim.
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From: OH IO
i must say i completely disagree with you... the SS is now tainted due to some of the cars theyve put it on.. and all the other cars you named(civic si, srt-4, corolla-s etc.) dont have any history like the SS so i dont get why you would even say that, I mean you dont see honda putting SI on every one of their cars just because it's the highest in the class... I thought GM could be smart enough to come up with another name other than the SS, putting SS on over half of they're cars is just tainting the history of it.
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From: Lawrence, KS (from STL)
i must say i completely disagree with you... the SS is now tainted due to some of the cars theyve put it on.. and all the other cars you named(civic si, srt-4, corolla-s etc.) dont have any history like the SS so i dont get why you would even say that, I mean you dont see honda putting SI on every one of their cars just because it's the highest in the class... I thought GM could be smart enough to come up with another name other than the SS, putting SS on over half of they're cars is just tainting the history of it.
While you're entitled to your opinion, I think you're a little harsh to say its ruined. The meaning doesn't suggest muscle like it did, but it does suggest a stark differentiation from the base models and from that of the competition. If you don't like competition, go find a communist country.
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From: OH IO
While you're entitled to your opinion, I think you're a little harsh to say its ruined. The meaning doesn't suggest muscle like it did, but it does suggest a stark differentiation from the base models and from that of the competition. If you don't like competition, go find a communist country.
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From: Lawrence/K.C
It's called capitalism. The competition learned to keep up with the old SS models, so Chevy had to compensate by introducing similar platforms. Without competition, GM dies. Since you don't understand that, I can't explain it to you. Only so many people can understand the politics of business and economics. SS means fast for its class. That's all. It's reputation isn't as infallible as you seem to think. Back in the day of the first SS models, they weren't outstanding; they just competed with the top cars in their class. Today is no different.
While you're entitled to your opinion, I think you're a little harsh to say its ruined. The meaning doesn't suggest muscle like it did, but it does suggest a stark differentiation from the base models and from that of the competition. If you don't like competition, go find a communist country.
While you're entitled to your opinion, I think you're a little harsh to say its ruined. The meaning doesn't suggest muscle like it did, but it does suggest a stark differentiation from the base models and from that of the competition. If you don't like competition, go find a communist country.
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Joined: 02-24-07
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From: Wheaton, Illinois
I'm getting the people tearing down GM all over the place. There's a lot of agreement on this forum that GM should revoke the SS badge from the HHR now and maybe the Cobalt. Remember that these cars aren't getting the badge the same way Cadillac distributes the V badge. Anything that is a Super Sport is the competitor of any other specially badged vehicle. SS doesn't mean God of the Road; it means top tier. For example, SRT competes with SS. The difference is that SS represents tradition and the intention to keep that platform for a long time. If a car is a Super Sport, that car is a major part of the company.
Back before 4-bangers were important to the performance car industry, the only acceptable American racers were V8s and the occasional V6. Once 4-bangers started beating up on those notorious muscle cars, American companies had to respond with the appropriate firepower. Putting the SS badge on a more economy-oriented car is Chevrolet recognizing that 4-cylinder performance is not going away anytime soon. With a tradition of pushing the competition, GM is obligated to produce motors that match the SRT lineup, and Chevrolet is obligated to tag those cars accordingly. When the Caliber SRT4 came out, Chevrolet was obligated to produce the HHR SS to compete because part of Chevy's tradition is having a comeback when Dodge makes a performance vehicle.
The people at GM and Chevrolet know what they're doing. They aren't SS badge-happy idiots who just want to make a buck. They're trying to live up to established traditions that real enthusiasts hold dear—cars with a competitive heritage, beating the competition with both style and performance, a good name brand, a specific market niche, car culture, and whatever else comes to mind. The heads of GM are trying to live up to high expectations and live up to them almost every time.
I'm sorry for the rant, but I'm tired of coming to this site and seeing so many disrespectful posts. I've been at Camaro5 for a good while now. Not a single soul has disrespected another's ride, and we have plenty of diversity on that site. I don't get why there's so much hostility here against our own company.
Back before 4-bangers were important to the performance car industry, the only acceptable American racers were V8s and the occasional V6. Once 4-bangers started beating up on those notorious muscle cars, American companies had to respond with the appropriate firepower. Putting the SS badge on a more economy-oriented car is Chevrolet recognizing that 4-cylinder performance is not going away anytime soon. With a tradition of pushing the competition, GM is obligated to produce motors that match the SRT lineup, and Chevrolet is obligated to tag those cars accordingly. When the Caliber SRT4 came out, Chevrolet was obligated to produce the HHR SS to compete because part of Chevy's tradition is having a comeback when Dodge makes a performance vehicle.
The people at GM and Chevrolet know what they're doing. They aren't SS badge-happy idiots who just want to make a buck. They're trying to live up to established traditions that real enthusiasts hold dear—cars with a competitive heritage, beating the competition with both style and performance, a good name brand, a specific market niche, car culture, and whatever else comes to mind. The heads of GM are trying to live up to high expectations and live up to them almost every time.
I'm sorry for the rant, but I'm tired of coming to this site and seeing so many disrespectful posts. I've been at Camaro5 for a good while now. Not a single soul has disrespected another's ride, and we have plenty of diversity on that site. I don't get why there's so much hostility here against our own company.
Explain to me how GM is not retarded for doing that?
you know they put SS on anything... im surprised they didnt make a Chevy Venture SS yet.
And the HHR is probably just as ugly as a Pontiac ASStek
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From: NC
for those who've raced at an actual strip - 4 tenths of a difference is a big win - at least 4-5 car lengths, etc.
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From: Lawrence, KS (from STL)
I mean no disrespect to my fellow enthusiasts, so before getting accused of trolling and starting arguments, I'm going to stop replying to this thread. If you guys don't have a respect for GM corporate decisions, then God only knows why you would buy their products. I'm not going to prove to you that a century of producing some of the best automobiles in the US deserves respect. You guys are in the extreme minority for your disrespect for this and other major car companies. Maybe when you get a little older, the proof will be obvious and you'll change your minds. Until then, ride easy.
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Joined: 10-31-06
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From: O-town
I'm kind of amazed that so many of you Cobalt drivers have no respect for GM. When I left this forum for a while, I joined a site with enthusiasts who had a deep-rooted respect for their car's heritage. You guys talk about how great the Cobalt SS is, then tear down the company that built it.
It would be an even match with a very slight preference for the Cobalt to win. Consider that the HHR was not intended to race the Cobalt. It was built to compete with platforms outside GM, like the PT Cruiser. Also note that GM has a tendency to underrate their cars. You've already identified that the Cobalt SS is closer to 210 hp. The HHR SS is no exception.
Learn to respect the company that built your car. They've been around for 100 years because GM knows what it is doing.
It would be an even match with a very slight preference for the Cobalt to win. Consider that the HHR was not intended to race the Cobalt. It was built to compete with platforms outside GM, like the PT Cruiser. Also note that GM has a tendency to underrate their cars. You've already identified that the Cobalt SS is closer to 210 hp. The HHR SS is no exception.
Learn to respect the company that built your car. They've been around for 100 years because GM knows what it is doing.
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From: OH IO
nobody really tears em down we just point out some goofy **** that they have done... in the muscle car department they excel greatly the ls series motors are some of the best. Tuner cars on the other hand they got in the game little late but they are stepping in the right direction. Trust me i dont think people would buy a 20k dollar car if they really hate gm that much. just my thoughts
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From: Mesa, AZ
I have to agree that GM used the SS too much and this is coming from a 2.4 SS owner. GM even said they did, but if you look at this years line-up, there are only three with the SS badge. The Impala, the turbocharged HHR and the soon to be released turbocharged Cobalt. And next year you can add the Camaro to that list, I think GM is doing what they can to fix the title of SS. While the SS was a little overused, I don't think it has been forever tainted. JMO
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From: Severance, CO
nobody really tears em down we just point out some goofy **** that they have done... in the muscle car department they excel greatly the ls series motors are some of the best. Tuner cars on the other hand they got in the game little late but they are stepping in the right direction. Trust me i dont think people would buy a 20k dollar car if they really hate gm that much. just my thoughts
- Mitsubishi's warranty is a running joke among EVO owners
- VW's look like they were wired by a Russian.
- How about Dodge? I mean, c'mon, it made the NEON... and I used to drive one
.Of course, for all those complaints, there are things they did right. Hondas are still eye-popping for MPG, the EVO is still a track monster, and the Neon... well, it grew up into the SRT-4 (I can't think of any good VW items at the moment, but they do have the Golf R32). Part of being an enthusiast is telling the company that makes your car what it did wrong, so they'll hopefully fix it the next time. It's also about liking the cars for what was done right.
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From: Missouri
This has to be the dumbest thing I've read on here in a while...4 tenths = 4-5 car lengths? Go back and take remedial Physics.
I've beat cars that had a faster overall time than me, because of a quick reaction time... so sometimes 4 tenths is a big win especially if you're faster & have a quicker reaction time.
So...How bad did you get beat on your 1/8 mile run ?
10.25 vs. 10.08 with a reaction of .46 vs .03 ...
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From: wheeling, wv
I mean no disrespect to my fellow enthusiasts, so before getting accused of trolling and starting arguments, I'm going to stop replying to this thread. If you guys don't have a respect for GM corporate decisions, then God only knows why you would buy their products. I'm not going to prove to you that a century of producing some of the best automobiles in the US deserves respect. You guys are in the extreme minority for your disrespect for this and other major car companies. Maybe when you get a little older, the proof will be obvious and you'll change your minds. Until then, ride easy.Please read my previous post again, i understand they want to compete but couldnt they come up with another name than SS? Like i said you dont see honda puttin SI on every car, i dont mean to repeat myself but i dont get where your tryin to get at here.
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From: NC
So...How bad did you get beat on your 1/8 mile run ?
10.25 vs. 10.08 with a reaction of .46 vs .03
10.25 vs. 10.08 with a reaction of .46 vs .03
Get a life old man.
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From: Missouri
^That was my first run ever at a track. My reaction times got better as the night went on.
Get a life old man.
Get a life old man.
Ion Quad Coupe 3 (auto - no less) ?
Thank god you were able to handle to tame that Pinto-like power !
Seriously - the more runs you get in, the more you'll understand grasshopper ... classroom science can work a little different in the real world...
and how many lengths did they have on you - Really?
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From: Missouri
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From: NC
Way to edit your post...too afraid to speak your mind?
Since you're dying to know how much I lost by instead of letting us know what year your Chevy Corsica is, I did the math to prove you wrong. Both my car and the Civic were travelling right at 68 mph at the finish line-so here's your answer:
And you're damn right I am proud. Your move, Einstein...
Since you're dying to know how much I lost by instead of letting us know what year your Chevy Corsica is, I did the math to prove you wrong. Both my car and the Civic were travelling right at 68 mph at the finish line-so here's your answer:
And you're damn right I am proud. Your move, Einstein...