School me on Cobalt SS/TC

[Calcvictim]

It is on my list of cars, will be buying in a few months. I looked at one today, only drove it around the dealer lot. The interior is better then I thought but not awesome, decent steering wheel, easy clutch and shifter(could use shorter throws).

Tell me your experience if you own or owned one. The car will be my daily driver, including New England winter.

I want a fun daily driver that I can autocross in.

Other cars on my list are:
350Z, I used to own a rwd G35 so no need to scare me with snow
Solstice
S2000(If I can find a second gen in my price range)
Miata

[SSLByron]

It is on my list of cars, will be buying in a few months. I looked at one today, only drove it around the dealer lot. The interior is better then I thought but not awesome, decent steering wheel, easy clutch and shifter(could use shorter throws).

Tell me your experience if you own or owned one. The car will be my daily driver, including New England winter.

I want a fun daily driver that I can autocross in.

Other cars on my list are:
350Z, I used to own a rwd G35 so no need to scare me with snow
Solstice
S2000(If I can find a second gen in my price range)
Miata

Decent little cars. Torsion bar rear end rather than IRS, so keep that in mind, and you already know about the interior.

Cheap OEM-backed tuning available, too.

[CSFiend]

I remember something about the rear brakes being junk and having to constantly replace pads, but they were back-ordered across the country... or something. Maybe that was the base Cobalt with that problem.

I typically don't know what I'm talking about.

[KICKINGTI]

Decent little cars. Torsion bar rear end rather than IRS, so keep that in mind, and you already know about the interior.

Cheap OEM-backed tuning available, too.

Torsion beam.....Unless you are worried about missing ride quality of an IRS system, for a car like this, it does not matter. The Cobalt will eat cars at the track.

[C4 A6]

If you want to autocross, there are better FWD options. The torsion rear beam really hinders the car when it's being thrown around tight spaces.

However, on a longer, more open road course, nothing can touch it for the price.

[dyetrixy07]

I remember something about the rear brakes being junk and having to constantly replace pads, but they were back-ordered across the country... or something. Maybe that was the base Cobalt with that problem.

I typically don't know what I'm talking about.

The 2008 SS/TC which they only made for a few months had an issue where it ate the back brake pads and they didnt stock replacements yet as the car has just begun production. They fixed the issue but it was a 2008 only. I haven't been around them for years but I remember aftermarket tuners like trifecta cound not find a way to really push the direct injection so you would be limited at ONLYYY about 400fwhp max. If your goal is to be below that its incredibly easy with these cars.

[bigbumpmike]

If I remember the SS/tc has or had one of the fastest car and driver lightning laps at VIR for a FWD ever? Beating many "better" sport cars. Also posted a damn good "ring time" also?

[sforsancho]

Torsion bar rear end rather than IRS

Did not know this.

If a solid rear axle is like tying your shoelaces together, than torsion bar/FWD must be like tying your shoelaces together and running with your hands.

[johnny_p]

For autocross fun?

Mini Cooper S is an autocross champ straight out of the box. It needs nothing other than sticky tires.
Honda Civic Si is pretty tossable as well, believe it or not.

[curvedinfinity]

If I remember the SS/tc has or had one of the fastest car and driver lightning laps at VIR for a FWD ever? Beating many "better" sport cars. Also posted a damn good "ring time" also?

Very fast little car

[Calcvictim]

For autocross fun?

Mini Cooper S is an autocross champ straight out of the box. It needs nothing other than sticky tires.
Honda Civic Si is pretty tossable as well, believe it or not.

My gf just bought a GTI and in the process we drove a Mini Cooper S, I absolutely hated the interior in that car.
The Civic I simply don't like, the looks do nothing for me.

[GTI 4 ME]

My best friend drives one. The motor is a beast with the GM stage one tune, he tracks it all the time and it never misses a beat. As others have mentioned this car right out of the box will make more expensive cars look pretty bad. Oh and no lift shift is super addictive, and the factory brembos stop the car really well.

To be dead honest I don't think there is a better performance oriented compact car for the money.

[x1000rpms]

Not to hijack the thread... and I'm from the US so this probably won't help OP... but I keep seeing a cobalt "x-ray" in the parking lot of my local grocery. I think the owner works there maybe.

What is a cobalt X-Ray? Did they sell in large numbers?

[Calcvictim]

Not to hijack the thread... and I'm from the US so this probably won't help OP... but I keep seeing a cobalt "x-ray" in the parking lot of my local grocery. I think the owner works there maybe.

What is a cobalt X-Ray? Did they sell in large numbers?

http://www.cobaltss.net/forums/appea...alt-xray-2620/

[x1000rpms]

http://www.cobaltss.net/forums/appea...alt-xray-2620/

OMG that is amazing. How did you find that information?!?!?!

[RollingInDubs]

The 2008 SS/TC which they only made for a few months had an issue where it ate the back brake pads and they didnt stock replacements yet as the car has just begun production. They fixed the issue but it was a 2008 only. I haven't been around them for years but I remember aftermarket tuners like trifecta cound not find a way to really push the direct injection so you would be limited at ONLYYY about 400fwhp max. If your goal is to be below that its incredibly easy with these cars.

Yeah I was the first guy on the Forums here with a TC and posted the entire rear brake drama that I had as my car decided to chew through rear brakes in 7k miles. Then the car sat for over a month as the parts were unavailable. Even when the problem was fixed, the car just blew through brakes again in another couple thousand after that. And so it went for 47k miles, me replacing I think four sets of rear pads for no other reason than the design sucked.

And the issue was not 2008 only. The problem persisted during the entire production run of Cobalt Turbos. I wager because it would have been too costly for GM to go back and re-engineer the entire rear braking set up for a very small volume model that was only produced for around two years.

So OP, be advised...you WILL go through rear brakes. Other than that, I loved my TC and found it to be a complete riot to drive.

[Calcvictim]

Yeah I was the first guy on the Forums here with a TC and posted the entire rear brake drama that I had as my car decided to chew through rear brakes in 7k miles. Then the car sat for over a month as the parts were unavailable. Even when the problem was fixed, the car just blew through brakes again in another couple thousand after that. And so it went for 47k miles, me replacing I think four sets of rear pads for no other reason than the design sucked.

And the issue was not 2008 only. The problem persisted during the entire production run of Cobalt Turbos. I wager because it would have been too costly for GM to go back and re-engineer the entire rear braking set up for a very small volume model that was only produced for around two years.

So OP, be advised...you WILL go through rear brakes. Other than that, I loved my TC and found it to be a complete riot to drive.

what is the explanation for rear brakes getting worn out so fast?

[Zyoid]

Cobalt SS is the popped collar of the car world...

[Voodoo.T]

Cobalt SS is the popped collar of the car world...

Your vehicle and sig speak volumes on the quality of your opinion

Friend had one. Very rental car interior but it sufficed. The factory backed tuning was great. They also offered an a-pillar electronic gauge that showed all sorts of fun things. He really enjoyed it and only got rid of it because the Camaro came out and that was really what he wanted.

[RollingInDubs]

what is the explanation for rear brakes getting worn out so fast?

That's the thing, I don't recall anyone ever actually figuring out what the cause truly was. I've fallen out of the CSS community since I sold my car two years ago, but last I heard it was because the rear brakes never fully released and in essence, were always dragging and thus eating into the rotors.

[nopal 6.0]

Really fast and fun car fro the factory, cheap oem tunning stages and also huge after market to make it even faster.

I'll just leave this here.

[DJMRDARK]

One of the best examples of cheap tuner speed.

Those in the know respect them. Badgewhores skoff at them never realizing what they are missing out on.

[brandonwillyumz]

Really fast and fun car fro the factory, cheap oem tunning stages and also huge after market to make it even faster.

I'll just leave this here.

Wow

[dyetrixy07]

Yeah I was the first guy on the Forums here with a TC and posted the entire rear brake drama that I had as my car decided to chew through rear brakes in 7k miles. Then the car sat for over a month as the parts were unavailable. Even when the problem was fixed, the car just blew through brakes again in another couple thousand after that. And so it went for 47k miles, me replacing I think four sets of rear pads for no other reason than the design sucked.

And the issue was not 2008 only. The problem persisted during the entire production run of Cobalt Turbos. I wager because it would have been too costly for GM to go back and re-engineer the entire rear braking set up for a very small volume model that was only produced for around two years.

So OP, be advised...you WILL go through rear brakes. Other than that, I loved my TC and found it to be a complete riot to drive.

hmmmm interesting. I used to be involved with the community too but drifted off around 2010. I didn't know they continued to be an issue. good to know thank you

[RollingInDubs]

hmmmm interesting. I used to be involved with the community too but drifted off around 2010. I didn't know they continued to be an issue. good to know thank you

No problem, happy to help!!! Keep in mind that if you can deal with that ONE area of concern, the rest of the car really is a stout, well built package. All the weaknesses of the SC Coupes were addressed with the TC (The handling, the weak axles, clutch...etc) which in turn made that car great fun to drive in the twisties. If they would have just left the brakes alone, I would view the 08-10 CSS's as one of the most well built Sport Compacts ever made.

[Remedy]

[Calcvictim]

So I went to drive a 2009 SS today. The car was traded in and was modded, the dealer didn't know exactly what was done but it had an exhaust and an Injen pipe between inter-cooler and engine.

I thought the clutch and shifter were very good, felt tight and precise.
Steering felt not too heavy and the feel was good.
The seats felt OK, they could use more lumbar support.
I didn't try the stereo.
I took the car on the highway and punching it in third gear going 60 felt very impressive and the wheels were fighting for traction. It pulls hard. This particular car did not have a LSD and I felt torque steer punching it on the highway.

Overall the SS is still on the list and moved up one spot, I liked it a lot.


I also drove a 2007 350Z at a different dealer. The car was gorgeous, white with tinted windows. The space inside is worse then a G35 coupe, it feels deeper and smaller. The visability sucks but that is to be expected. The car sounded great(if you like the Chewbaka sound).

People often complain about the 350Z atrocious clutch and I always defend it by saying that I drove a G35 and the clutch was not bad at all. I was wrong, either I forgot how crappy the clutch was on my G35 or they are not the same between the G35 and 350Z.
The clutch pedal has a very long travel, the engagement point is very high and the pedal is very light.....it makes it super hard to modulate and find the engagement point. Also the gas pedal is very light.

The 350Z's steering felt good, tight, precise and not too light.
Straight line performance in the 350Z was disappointing, I punched it on the highway and it didn't feel very quick...it was very meh.


Overall I think the 350Z is off my list, I know it's capable doing autox and the car looks great and sounds great to me but the combination of underwhelming straight line performance and the terrible clutch just makes it not worth it. It just didn't feel right. Next is a test drive of Solstice, S2000 and Miata.

[RollingInDubs]

So I went to drive a 2009 SS today. The car was traded in and was modded, the dealer didn't know exactly what was done but it had an exhaust and an Injen pipe between inter-cooler and engine.

I thought the clutch and shifter were very good, felt tight and precise.
Steering felt not too heavy and the feel was good.
The seats felt OK, they could use more lumbar support.
I didn't try the stereo.
I took the car on the highway and punching it in third gear going 60 felt very impressive and the wheels were fighting for traction. It pulls hard. This particular car did not have a LSD and I felt torque steer punching it on the highway.

Overall the SS is still on the list and moved up one spot, I liked it a lot.


I also drove a 2007 350Z at a different dealer. The car was gorgeous, white with tinted windows. The space inside is worse then a G35 coupe, it feels deeper and smaller. The visability sucks but that is to be expected. The car sounded great(if you like the Chewbaka sound).

People often complain about the 350Z atrocious clutch and I always defend it by saying that I drove a G35 and the clutch was not bad at all. I was wrong, either I forgot how crappy the clutch was on my G35 or they are not the same between the G35 and 350Z.
The clutch pedal has a very long travel, the engagement point is very high and the pedal is very light.....it makes it super hard to modulate and find the engagement point. Also the gas pedal is very light.

The 350Z's steering felt good, tight, precise and not too light.
Straight line performance in the 350Z was disappointing, I punched it on the highway and it didn't feel very quick...it was very meh.


Overall I think the 350Z is off my list, I know it's capable doing autox and the car looks great and sounds great to me but the combination of underwhelming straight line performance and the terrible clutch just makes it not worth it. It just didn't feel right. Next is a test drive of Solstice, S2000 and Miata.

Just a quick note about mods on the SS TC. If you add bolt-ons, it will by the fifth ignition turnover I believe adjust it's power levels back to stock. The only way to bypass that is a tune. So if it DOESNT have a tune, it's still making stock power levels even with the exhaust and injen pipe.

Also, if you are going to buy one of these cars, you owe yourself to find one with the LSD. My car had it and I can tell you it makes a world of difference in the handling.

[RollingInDubs]

I also should mention the CSS "scene" leaves a lil to be desired.

One of our members did a video of the tour our CSS forum put on back in '08. As you can tell there is some serious RICEY antics that go on amongst the owners. Yes I'm in it a couple times...*sigh*

But in my defense...MY CAR WAS STOCK!! It's the Sport Red TC with the low wing.



If you can get beyond that and the brake issue, I highly recommend it!

[Remedy]

So I went to drive a 2009 SS today. The car was traded in and was modded, the dealer didn't know exactly what was done but it had an exhaust and an Injen pipe between inter-cooler and engine.

I thought the clutch and shifter were very good, felt tight and precise.
Steering felt not too heavy and the feel was good.
The seats felt OK, they could use more lumbar support.
I didn't try the stereo.
I took the car on the highway and punching it in third gear going 60 felt very impressive and the wheels were fighting for traction. It pulls hard. This particular car did not have a LSD and I felt torque steer punching it on the highway.

Overall the SS is still on the list and moved up one spot, I liked it a lot.


I also drove a 2007 350Z at a different dealer. The car was gorgeous, white with tinted windows. The space inside is worse then a G35 coupe, it feels deeper and smaller. The visability sucks but that is to be expected. The car sounded great(if you like the Chewbaka sound).

People often complain about the 350Z atrocious clutch and I always defend it by saying that I drove a G35 and the clutch was not bad at all. I was wrong, either I forgot how crappy the clutch was on my G35 or they are not the same between the G35 and 350Z.
The clutch pedal has a very long travel, the engagement point is very high and the pedal is very light.....it makes it super hard to modulate and find the engagement point. Also the gas pedal is very light.

The 350Z's steering felt good, tight, precise and not too light.
Straight line performance in the 350Z was disappointing, I punched it on the highway and it didn't feel very quick...it was very meh.


Overall I think the 350Z is off my list, I know it's capable doing autox and the car looks great and sounds great to me but the combination of underwhelming straight line performance and the terrible clutch just makes it not worth it. It just didn't feel right. Next is a test drive of Solstice, S2000 and Miata.

It sounds to me that you prefer M/T, but also want something modern, with good balance for cheap. Have you though about one of these?

[RollingInDubs]

It sounds to me that you prefer M/T, but also want something modern, with good balance for cheap. Have you though about one of these?

You said cheap...yet posted an E46 M3.

Pretty sure the parts for that aren't exactly "cheap."

[Avus]

Cobalt SS/TC is still the BEST HANDLING FWD you can buy in North America. Most import fanboy don't want to acknowledge but it is the truth. YES, it is even better than Acura ITR and Mini cooper... Of course everyone know it comes with a not so nice looking interior and people will always attack this.

[Señor Peligro]

^ that

[Remedy]

You said cheap...yet posted an E46 M3.

Pretty sure the parts for that aren't exactly "cheap."

You're right, "cheap" wasn't the correct term.

[71DubBugBug]

You said cheap...yet posted an E46 M3.

Pretty sure the parts for that aren't exactly "cheap."

exactly what i thought

you wont want do own an e46 m3 that you get for what you would pay for a used cobalt ss