08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
#1
03-08-2008, 04:50 AM
08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
[align=center]GM Chevy
[/align][align=center]Building a better budget bullet[/align][align=center][:-]Yes we can
Yes we can [:-][/align][align=center][/align][align=center]
Turbocharged Cobalt SS is surprisingly refined
The sticker is $22,995, and almost everything you need to have fun is standard, from satellite radio to a 228-watt Pioneer audio system with a huge subwoofer
2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS
[/align][align=center][b]The Cobalt SS was pretty good when it came out three years ago, but it's even better now.
"Better?" you say. "Impossible! The original Cobalt SS was supercharged and intercooled and had a big silly wing on the back. How could anyone, even GM Performance Division, improve on that?"
Well, they did and we just drove it, with (for all we know) the biggest, silliest wing in GM history blocking the view out the back window. So we now agree with Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper who said, "The horsepower will put a permanent smile on your face, and you'll find yourself wanting to turn around and zip through your favorite stretch of twisty roads again."
Indeed we did, Ed, zipping up the twisty confines of Granite Highway in the foothills of the mighty Sierra Nevadas then turning around and zipping right back down. We then zipped across the vast San Joaquin Valley to Buttonwillow racetrack and zipped around that for a couple of hours. We can now say the new Cobalt SS eliminates many of the compromises of the first model and adds performance you might not expect in a subcompact front-wheel drive. It is, amazingly enough, refined. (We'd say "zippy" but that would be overkill.)
Sure, it's only refined by the standards of front-wheel-drive performance subcompacts. When you really tromp on the throttle exiting a corner or doing a boy-racer drag-strip start, it'll still pull to one side or the other with mighty, spline-splitting torque steer. But it's pretty tough to avoid torque steer given that this new model puts 260 lb-ft of torque and 260 hp through the 18-inch forged-aluminum front wheels.
To get those big power numbers, the new 2008 Cobalt SS, which debuted at SEMA last November, substitutes a turbocharger for the original model's supercharger. The turbo does a more efficient job of forcing air into the 2.0-liter four-cylinder Ecotec block. So much better that horsepower goes up by 55 and torque jumps by 60 lb-ft, all the while returning 30 mpg on the highway and 23 mpg in city driving.
There doesn't seem to be much in the way of turbo lag with this unit, either. Engineers manage the boost so well with a variable wastegate that it comes across as a smooth slathering of power and torque all across the top of the band.
The only weirdness to the extra oomph is a sort of reverse torque steer when you suddenly lift off the throttle, but that could just as easily be due to the Torsen limited-slip differential suddenly grabbing hold.
In addition to the Torsen's mechanical grip on the drivetrain, a "brake limited-slip differential" grabs whichever front wheel is spinning to send torque to the wheel getting the better grip.
Further control was the aim when engineers programmed two hits of the traction
[/align][align=center]Building a better budget bullet[/align][align=center][:-]Yes we can
Yes we can [:-][/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Turbocharged Cobalt SS is surprisingly refinedThe sticker is $22,995, and almost everything you need to have fun is standard, from satellite radio to a 228-watt Pioneer audio system with a huge subwoofer
2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS [/align][align=center][b]The Cobalt SS was pretty good when it came out three years ago, but it's even better now.
"Better?" you say. "Impossible! The original Cobalt SS was supercharged and intercooled and had a big silly wing on the back. How could anyone, even GM Performance Division, improve on that?"
Well, they did and we just drove it, with (for all we know) the biggest, silliest wing in GM history blocking the view out the back window. So we now agree with Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper who said, "The horsepower will put a permanent smile on your face, and you'll find yourself wanting to turn around and zip through your favorite stretch of twisty roads again."
Indeed we did, Ed, zipping up the twisty confines of Granite Highway in the foothills of the mighty Sierra Nevadas then turning around and zipping right back down. We then zipped across the vast San Joaquin Valley to Buttonwillow racetrack and zipped around that for a couple of hours. We can now say the new Cobalt SS eliminates many of the compromises of the first model and adds performance you might not expect in a subcompact front-wheel drive. It is, amazingly enough, refined. (We'd say "zippy" but that would be overkill.)
Sure, it's only refined by the standards of front-wheel-drive performance subcompacts. When you really tromp on the throttle exiting a corner or doing a boy-racer drag-strip start, it'll still pull to one side or the other with mighty, spline-splitting torque steer. But it's pretty tough to avoid torque steer given that this new model puts 260 lb-ft of torque and 260 hp through the 18-inch forged-aluminum front wheels.
To get those big power numbers, the new 2008 Cobalt SS, which debuted at SEMA last November, substitutes a turbocharger for the original model's supercharger. The turbo does a more efficient job of forcing air into the 2.0-liter four-cylinder Ecotec block. So much better that horsepower goes up by 55 and torque jumps by 60 lb-ft, all the while returning 30 mpg on the highway and 23 mpg in city driving.
There doesn't seem to be much in the way of turbo lag with this unit, either. Engineers manage the boost so well with a variable wastegate that it comes across as a smooth slathering of power and torque all across the top of the band.
The only weirdness to the extra oomph is a sort of reverse torque steer when you suddenly lift off the throttle, but that could just as easily be due to the Torsen limited-slip differential suddenly grabbing hold.
In addition to the Torsen's mechanical grip on the drivetrain, a "brake limited-slip differential" grabs whichever front wheel is spinning to send torque to the wheel getting the better grip.
Further control was the aim when engineers programmed two hits of the traction
#2
03-08-2008, 04:56 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
Officially Official: 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS Turbo with 260 HP bows at SEMA
Click image to enlarge
[:-]
After biting our tongues for the last few days while (accurate) speculation surrounding the successor to the Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged bounced around the web, we're finally able to come clean. This is the turbocharged 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS, and it's being introduced to the world at SEMA this week. Chevy went to great lengths to ensure that the SS badge means more than what it had become in recent years.
Coming in at 260 HP / 260 lb-ft, the SS/TC gains a full 55 horses over the now-defunct SS/SC. Power, of course, is sourced from the same 2.0L direct-injected, turbocharged, intercooled sledgehammer found under the bonnets of the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Red Line, and forthcoming Chevy HHR SS. The GM Performance Division was tasked with making sure the improved Cobalt SS is well-sorted, and John Heinricy and company dialed in the FE5 sport suspension on the undulating twists and turns of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The result, says GM, is a track-capable suspension that's still comfortable on the street, and which helps mitigate FWD performance foibles like torque steer.
Follow the jump for more, plus all the official GM press materials.
[Source: GM]
Gallery: 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS
[center]Click image to enlarge
[:-]
After biting our tongues for the last few days while (accurate) speculation surrounding the successor to the Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged bounced around the web, we're finally able to come clean. This is the turbocharged 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS, and it's being introduced to the world at SEMA this week. Chevy went to great lengths to ensure that the SS badge means more than what it had become in recent years.
Coming in at 260 HP / 260 lb-ft, the SS/TC gains a full 55 horses over the now-defunct SS/SC. Power, of course, is sourced from the same 2.0L direct-injected, turbocharged, intercooled sledgehammer found under the bonnets of the Pontiac Solstice GXP, Saturn Sky Red Line, and forthcoming Chevy HHR SS. The GM Performance Division was tasked with making sure the improved Cobalt SS is well-sorted, and John Heinricy and company dialed in the FE5 sport suspension on the undulating twists and turns of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The result, says GM, is a track-capable suspension that's still comfortable on the street, and which helps mitigate FWD performance foibles like torque steer.
Follow the jump for more, plus all the official GM press materials.
[Source: GM]
Gallery: 2008 Chevy Cobalt SS
Click image to enlarge
The standard transmission is the GM Powertrain Sweden F35 short-throw 5-speed manual with a "no-lift shift" feature. This, combined with the punchy turbo four, helps propel the Cobalt SS Turbocharged from 0 to 60 in a scant 5.7 seconds. In fact, GM set a Nürburgring class record for FWD sport compacts with the turbo Cobalt, lapping the Green Hell in 8:22.85. Better braking accompanies the added power with 4-piston fixed-caliper Brembos in front and vented discs with single-piston calipers in the rear. A driver-selectable competition mode with launch control can be enabled from the cockpit. Beyond that, the traction control system can be completely disabled.
[b]Appearance-wise, th
#3
03-08-2008, 05:13 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
[:-]0-60 in 5.7 [:-]sec
First Drive: 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS
Quicker than a Corvette!
[align=center][/align] First Drive: 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS
Quicker than a Corvette!
[/align]Okay, of course we're not referring to the 2008 Corvette. That would be a ridiculous statement, an utter lie. And we wouldn't do that to you. No, no, we're talking about the 1989 Vette that, back in a May 1989 road test, impressed power junkies with its 245-horse, 5.7-liter V-8 that could consume 60 in 6.5 seconds and the quarter mile in 15.0 at 94.6 mph. My, how times change-this cute Cobalt SS you see here, with a puny 2.0-liter four-cylinder spinning the front wheels and with help from a new "no-lift shift" launch control can, according to Chevy, scorch 60 in just 5.7 seconds and the quarter in 14.2 at nearly 100 mph. Legit? You should see it at the track.
When we say track, we really mean the "'Ring," as in Germany's Nurburgring. It was there the SS, with a time of 8:22.85 minutes, set a new record for front-drive sport-compacts, a class previously dominated by the Opel Astra OPC, which was over 13 seconds slower. For context, a Z06 obliterates the 'Ring in 7:43, but that's with nearly twice the power, rear drive, and tires as wide as a La-Z-Boy.
[/align]The Cobalt's mojo comes courtesy of the aforementioned 2.0-liter-a 260-horsepower direct-injection turbo-and a heavily revised chassis, highlighted by stiffer springs and dampers, a larger rear anti-roll bar, 10-percent-quicker steering, Brembo four-piston front brakes, and 18-inch forged alloys wearing 225/45 Continentals. The package works, displaying predictable, confidence-inspiring traits at the track and, more important, grin-inducing grip (Chevy claims 0.90 g). Making that grin even wider are a top speed of 160 mph and estimated combined fuel economy of 26 mpg.
Nevertheless, at only $22,995, the SS could stand for Super Steal. Even loaded with the $495 limited-slip differential (a must for the track), $750 sunroof, and $195 big wing, the SS still goes for under $25,000. Better yet, an SS sedan is coming for 2009. Either way, you'll be grinning big as you pity those old Corvettes in the rearview.
Nevertheless, at only $22,995, the SS could stand for Super Steal. Even loaded with the $495 limited-slip differential (a must for the track), $750 sunroof, and $195 big wing, the SS still goes for under $25,000. Better yet, an SS sedan is coming for 2009. Eithe
#4
03-08-2008, 07:51 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
on of my fellow sales associates at work ordered one. it will arrive at our dealer in abotu 4-5 weeks.
#5
03-08-2008, 10:08 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
[align=center]
[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Hey `Paul, keep us updated when he gets `it & how it runs.[/align][align=center]Will he let you drive `it ? If so, give us your review on it.[/align][align=center]Will you race him ? How big a start will you give him ? [/align][align=center]Thanks `Space[/align][align=center]
[/align][align=center]
[hr]
[/align][align=center]
[/align][align=center][:-][/align][align=center]
[:-]2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS - First Drive Review [:-]
[/align][align=center]GM’s Performance Division turns out a doozy of a Cobalt.
March 2008 [/align][align=center][/align][align=center]
Does this car look familiar? It should. Beyond the front [/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Does this car look familiar? It should. Beyond the front grille treatment, the new 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS is visually identical to the 2005–2007 Cobalt SS Supercharged. The front and rear fascias, side sills, and now-optional huge wing all carry over unchanged, as does the regular Cobalt-based sheetmetal. The similarity, however, ends there.
The old SS was quite good. A mini-muscle car, it was quick in a straight line, although it became a ball of understeer when the road went bendy—but the new SS is better. Not only does it remain face-peelingly quick, but it’s now a maniacal piece of machinery that laughs at nearly any corner you toss in front of it.
Turbos are Super, Too
The SS Supercharged had to be discontinued because its blown four didn’t comply with emissions regulations for 2008. (The naturally aspirated, imposter SS was discontinued after 2007, too; Chevy now calls that model the Cobalt Sport.) As a result, the new SS gets force-fed via an air-to-air intercooled turbocharger rather than the Eaton supercharger on the old car.
This 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo four, introduced in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline roadsters, also gains direct injection and variable valve timing for both intake and exhaust, and returns a claimed 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. More important, though, is that the new car puts 260 horsepower under your right foot, versus 205 in the SS Supercharged. Peak torque is an impressive 260 lb-ft, and it’s available from just 2000 rpm. [/align][align=center][b][:-]I love the seats [:-]
[IMG]http://www.
ORIGINAL: kissmyss07
on of my fellow sales associates at work ordered one. it will arrive at our dealer in abotu 4-5 weeks.
on of my fellow sales associates at work ordered one. it will arrive at our dealer in abotu 4-5 weeks.
[/align][align=center]Hey `Paul, keep us updated when he gets `it & how it runs.[/align][align=center]Will he let you drive `it ? If so, give us your review on it.[/align][align=center]Will you race him ? How big a start will you give him ? [/align][align=center]Thanks `Space[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]
[hr]
[/align][align=center]
[/align][align=center][:-][/align][align=center]
[:-]2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS - First Drive Review [:-]
[/align][align=center]GM’s Performance Division turns out a doozy of a Cobalt.March 2008 [/align][align=center][/align][align=center]
Does this car look familiar? It should. Beyond the front [/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Does this car look familiar? It should. Beyond the front grille treatment, the new 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt SS is visually identical to the 2005–2007 Cobalt SS Supercharged. The front and rear fascias, side sills, and now-optional huge wing all carry over unchanged, as does the regular Cobalt-based sheetmetal. The similarity, however, ends there.
The old SS was quite good. A mini-muscle car, it was quick in a straight line, although it became a ball of understeer when the road went bendy—but the new SS is better. Not only does it remain face-peelingly quick, but it’s now a maniacal piece of machinery that laughs at nearly any corner you toss in front of it.
Turbos are Super, Too
The SS Supercharged had to be discontinued because its blown four didn’t comply with emissions regulations for 2008. (The naturally aspirated, imposter SS was discontinued after 2007, too; Chevy now calls that model the Cobalt Sport.) As a result, the new SS gets force-fed via an air-to-air intercooled turbocharger rather than the Eaton supercharger on the old car.
This 2.0-liter Ecotec turbo four, introduced in the Pontiac Solstice GXP and Saturn Sky Redline roadsters, also gains direct injection and variable valve timing for both intake and exhaust, and returns a claimed 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway. More important, though, is that the new car puts 260 horsepower under your right foot, versus 205 in the SS Supercharged. Peak torque is an impressive 260 lb-ft, and it’s available from just 2000 rpm. [/align][align=center][b][:-]I love the seats [:-]
[IMG]http://www.
#6
03-08-2008, 10:18 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
The supercharged Cobalt SS is a fun car to drive,I can't wait to get into one of these new turbocharged 2.0 literCobalts!!! We already have severalHHR SS's in stock with the turbocharged 2.0 liter.My Trailblazer lease ends in May '08 and my temptation is growing to put one of these turbocharged HHR's in my driveway. I think a black HHR SS would look GREAT parked next to myblack'07 Monte SS!!!!!
#7
03-08-2008, 10:25 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
ORIGINAL: bowtietech
The supercharged Cobalt SS is a fun car to drive,I can't wait to get into one of these new turbocharged 2.0 literCobalts!!! We already have severalHHR SS's in stock with the turbocharged 2.0 liter.My Trailblazer lease ends in May '08 and my temptation is growing to put one of these turbocharged HHR's in my driveway. I think a black HHR SS would look GREAT parked next to myblack'07 Monte SS!!!!!
The supercharged Cobalt SS is a fun car to drive,I can't wait to get into one of these new turbocharged 2.0 literCobalts!!! We already have severalHHR SS's in stock with the turbocharged 2.0 liter.My Trailblazer lease ends in May '08 and my temptation is growing to put one of these turbocharged HHR's in my driveway. I think a black HHR SS would look GREAT parked next to myblack'07 Monte SS!!!!!
Hi `Steve, WoW - Have you driven the HHR SS's yet ? If so,
please give us your review on it. I think the HHR is heavier
then the Cobalt, but they have a super package also.
If you get one, let us know, `if you drive one, please
post on how it was, and especially the `launch control.
Steve, thanks for all your great post, & contributions
to the MCF. We Appreciate.
WoW a 07 Monte SS & a HHR all Black SS.
Now, that's liv'in, & enjoying your highways of life.
Peace/Out/`Space
#8
03-08-2008, 10:38 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
im a sales consultant at a chevy buick pontiac gmc dealer and we have HHR SS in stock and i have driven one. awesome car. when the other sales guy ( who has a 2006 cobalt ss) gets his 2008 cobalt ss we will do many races. he wants me to wait and keep my car stock till he gets his car so we can see stock for stock but who knows. as soon as the weather breaks im putting my mods that were on my 2006 monte back on my 2007 ( cai, hp tune, shift kit, exhaust)
#9
03-08-2008, 11:32 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
[align=center]
[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]WoW, `Paul, you have your `stuff 2-gether....4-Sure[/align][align=center]Work'in your `job would be like being in a Auto Candy Store for me : ) + you have a new Awesome 07 Monte SS : )[/align][align=center]Is the below HHR SS the one your drove ?[/align][align=center]Did you try out the `Launch Control Feature ?[/align][align=center]Let us know....Hope sales are going good for you : )[/align][align=center]Thanks for your post & sharing.[/align][align=center]Space & the BeachRiverBum's[/align][align=center]See `Paul for a Super Deal on a Chevy [:-][/align][align=center][:-][/align][align=center]
Paul Makowski - BPG Sales
Phone (586) 757-2100 Ext 2218
pmakowski@edrinke.com[/align][align=center]
[/align][align=center]Ed Rinke Chevrolet Pontiac Buick GMC[/align][align=center]26125 Van Dyke[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Center Line, MI 48015[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Phone: (877) 490-0575[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Email: Contact Us[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Fax: (586) 754-0900[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Site Map [/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][ul][/ul]
ORIGINAL: kissmyss07
im a sales consultant at a chevy buick pontiac gmc dealer and we have HHR SS in stock and i have driven one. awesome car. when the other sales guy ( who has a 2006 cobalt ss) gets his 2008 cobalt ss we will do many races. he wants me to wait and keep my car stock till he gets his car so we can see stock for stock but who knows. as soon as the weather breaks im putting my mods that were on my 2006 monte back on my 2007 ( cai, hp tune, shift kit, exhaust)
im a sales consultant at a chevy buick pontiac gmc dealer and we have HHR SS in stock and i have driven one. awesome car. when the other sales guy ( who has a 2006 cobalt ss) gets his 2008 cobalt ss we will do many races. he wants me to wait and keep my car stock till he gets his car so we can see stock for stock but who knows. as soon as the weather breaks im putting my mods that were on my 2006 monte back on my 2007 ( cai, hp tune, shift kit, exhaust)
[/align][align=center]WoW, `Paul, you have your `stuff 2-gether....4-Sure[/align][align=center]Work'in your `job would be like being in a Auto Candy Store for me : ) + you have a new Awesome 07 Monte SS : )[/align][align=center]Is the below HHR SS the one your drove ?[/align][align=center]Did you try out the `Launch Control Feature ?[/align][align=center]Let us know....Hope sales are going good for you : )[/align][align=center]Thanks for your post & sharing.[/align][align=center]Space & the BeachRiverBum's[/align][align=center]See `Paul for a Super Deal on a Chevy [:-][/align][align=center][:-][/align][align=center]Paul Makowski - BPG Sales
Phone (586) 757-2100 Ext 2218
pmakowski@edrinke.com[/align][align=center]
[/align][align=center]Ed Rinke Chevrolet Pontiac Buick GMC[/align][align=center]26125 Van Dyke[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Center Line, MI 48015[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Phone: (877) 490-0575[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Email: Contact Us[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Fax: (586) 754-0900[/align][align=center][/align][align=center]Site Map [/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][align=center][/align][ul][/ul]
#10
03-08-2008, 11:46 AM
RE: 08 `Turbo SS by Chevy : )
i work at ed rinke buick pontiac gmc chevy in centerline michigan and i didnt try that feature. but it was a stickshift and felt nice. not very power full off the line, but when its going it picks up quick