Woody

Hi all,

I currently own a '04 Tiburon GT 6 speed. I also drive an older Saturn that is the family beater. The Tiburon is a great car, and I've put a Borla exhaust, performance manifold intake, and cold air ram on the Tiburon, but I'm starting to warm up to the idea of a Cobalt SS coupe or SS Supercharged. I would trade in my Tiburon, and the numbers would have to be right, or I'll just stay put with the Tiburon.

I have driven the 2.4 SS Coupe w/ 5 speed. I have not driven the Supercharged. But about 2 years ago I drove a SRT4, and I expect the performance of the SS Supercharged to be very close to the SRT4.

For the Cobalt owners out there - do you have any regrets about buying a Cobalt? One down side I can see is there is not a lot of aftermarket stuff out there for the Cobalt. Anything I should know about before I get into a Cobalt?

The only other car I would even consider is the new Civic Si. But, I hear there is not much low end torque on the Civic, and I do like decent low end, and beefy mid-range.

I'll be away from the PC for a couple of days, and hope to catch up with any replies when I get back Sunday 4/23.

Thanks in advance.

- Woody

joedashow

The SS/SC is pretty comparable to the SRT-4. The only major differences that I see are that the SRT-4 has 4 doors and is turbocharged instead of supercharged.
I have absolutely no regret in purchasing my Cobalt. The only weak point seems to be the clutch, but I've yet to experience any problem with it myself. Most of the cases on this site, usually slipping, seem to stem from driver error. However, this car seems less forgiving with driver error than most.

mike25

well i have a 2.4...and i love it ..yea there isnt
alot out for it but give it time..summer is almostr here and companies will start making parts like crazy...as for the supercharged---there is currently more support for it...but i think as well as alot of other people the 2.4 will b one hell of a car when the mod parts start coming in

Woody

Thanks guys.

One thing I have been thinking about is the SS has narrower tires than the SS Supercharged. And I do need a car I can drive in the snow in winter (Minnesota) if I need to. I'm thinking the SS Supercharged tires (215's) will hydroplane in snow more than the narrower (205) tires.

BTW - the Supercharged coupe the dealer has is a used 2005. It is very low miles (1,500), and is listed at $19,900 - but I expect they will come down. On a new SS availability is not a problem. I live in a large metro (Minneapolis), and I know dealers can swap out to other dealers for colors, and options I want.

- w

mike25

well thats a good price..but i have heard other people say they got there brand new ss/sc for the same price

g5mike

well i used to have a vibe/matrix, and I will tell you my 2.4 is buy far a superior car,the getrag tranny is so sweet, as for problems concerning the clutch I just do not see it, try driving a toyota product, now those are crappy trans-clutch.

mi6_

The SRT-4 is also way more powerful (and quicker as a result). An extra 25 ponies, and 50 lb-ft. of torque is huge!

The SS is pretty solid. It's suspension is more capable (at least according the journalists). I would imagine it is easier to drive too in some ways. With the supercharger always boosting (no lag) when your on the throttle, it is like driving a N/A car. Smooth, consistent powerflow, versus the SRT-4 where you have the turbo spooling up constantly adding more power until it peaks. Driving these cars around a race track, the SS/SC is certainly easier to drive in that respect. The Neon SRT-4 would require more careful throttle application when leaving the apex of a corner to adjust for turbo lag as the power increases.

The clutch is good on these cars. I have not seen anything wrong with them yet. They have been out with this engine for nearly 3 years, so if they were bad, we'd have a new one now. Lots of clutch failures are always common on a car that comes in manual transmission only. Too many people buy them who can't drive stick, then blame GM for something that is their own fault. Just watch all the guys shifting their cars on streetfire vids. They know nothing about taking care of their clutch. You can drive just as quick shifting with proper technique instead of droping it with no throttle lift!

I personally feel that the SS/SC is better looking and has a better interior, but that is just me. The SRT-4 are still great cars, and they are a major performance bargin (especially with the ACR pakcage). Don't like the Caliber one though, even if it is 300 HP! Don't like it's 3200 lb curb weight either.

mi6_

The SS/SC's PZero Pirelli tires DO NOT DO SNOW! Get the 2.4SS with all-season M+S or get winter tires for the SS/SC. Some people have run them, but they are risking an accident. The tires are SUMMER ONLY. They don't have enough tread, and they will be well below their recommended operating temperature.

But, it's your car not mine. I just hope you don't hit me if you are on summer tires in winter.

joedashow

OK, so I forgot to mention that itsy-bitsy fact, but it's nothing that a Stage 2 kit can't solve!

Nuclear

go for the ss/sc and stage 2 its awesome

Woody

Yup. I think that I would have to get a second set of tires/wheels if I get the SS/SC. Which I'm really not that crazy about doing. I went from a 3 car garage to a 2 car garage, and we are just about out of space to store stuff.

How big a difference is there between the SS/SC, and the 2.4 SS w/ manual transmission? I mean is it night and day? Or is it more like the 2.4 SS is SS/SC lite?

The one drive I had in the 2.4 it seemed like there was some good zap there, but because of the traffic, and the salesman riding along (yaking to me, etc.) I didn't really have a good chance to open it up.

- W

Mrmaasta

Only a test drive will let you know!

97CIVIC

get ths SS SUPERCHARGED, MORE POWER THAN THE 2.4 SS AND BETTER BODY KIT,.....
AND THE NEW CIVIC SI ITS GOT MORE HORSEPOWER BUT NO TORQUE

ssonthebrain

do u have to get invited to the chat room around here? is that it 'cause im getting a big N O... a little help would be greatly appreciated ...

Woody

Guys,

Just an update. I have been stewing on this for the weekend, and really have not come to any conclusions, except the wider tires will not work in snow. I could easily stay put on the Tiburon. It all will depend on the numbers. I'll send out an update after I meet with the salesman again.

- w

g5mike

18s are worth more than 17s, see if your dealer will swap em out for something else and then work it in the deal.

Woody

G5 - that's exactly what I was thinking of doing. Swap the SC tires/wheels to an SS, and see if they discount the difference.

- w

WSFrazier

You can't just buy winter tires/wheels like everyone else?

I got the 2.4 SS and I regret getting it instead of the 2.0 SS/SC. Thats why I am trading up in about 2 weeks.

Woody

Frazier,

We went from a 3 car garage to a 2 car garage. I don't have anymore room to store things. Plus I'd like to avoid the hastle of swapping out each winter.

- w