Run in with a Cobalt SS

[QWK SVT]

It was a beautiful day, yesterday (well, for Late January, low 50’s is pretty nice)... There was a gleam in the Marauder's eyes, begging to go for a drive. I was looking for any and every excuse… So when my g/f and I were feeling too lazy to cook up some lunch, and she suggested we go pick something up, I was more than happy to oblige.

Now, fast food has to be eaten hot, otherwise it’s just not worth eating… SO I was moving at a pretty good clip. I guess that’s what caught the attention of the driver in his Cobalt SS. I saw him weave his way through the traffic behind me. I thought he might be trying to catch up to me, but wasn’t quite sure, until we hit a red light, side by side.

Dicsclaimer: Now before I go any further, I’ll state that the conditions were right for this to occur… The road is a four lane, no driveways, no houses, no parks. No possible surprises.

I looked over, and I saw “the grin” - :D. We all know “the grin” – :D. It’s the one that says, “I’m about to make quick work of this car next to me.” If you’ve never seen “the grin” then that’s probably because you are the one wearing “the grin” :D.

Here’s the thing, though… No revving, or anything else to suggest it was play time. The light turned green, and he slowly pulled away, so I did the same. He picked up the pace a little, so I did the same. He would keep it up, just enough so that my nose was about even with his rear wheel. I’m not a big fan of racing from a roll, but I had suffered through this cat and mouse game enough, and mashed the loud pedal down. The Blizzak snow shoes let off a little bit of noise, but grabbed traction.

He did the exact same, obviously waiting for my move. He was obviously supercharged (Not as loud as I'm used to, but the destinct sound of an Eaton spinning under the hood). By 25, we were even. I quickly gained ground on him, and started to pull. By 45, I had put almost a car length between us. After that, he slowly started to make up some ground. Hitting close to 80, I was still in the lead, although his nose had edged to a couple feet behind my rear bumper. I saw there was a car up ahead, and decided it best to slow down. He did not, and flew past me, continuing to accelerate for another couple seconds. :rolleyes:

I had to turn at the next light, and was never able to get alongside, to wave or give thumbs up. I don’t know if he was modded, if the cool air helped him more than me, or if was because of the fact we started from a roll (removing his FWD disadvantage), but I was a little surprised at the car - somewhat a dog at first, but seemed to come to life at higher speeds.

Either way, I was still in the lead when it was time to slow down, so I’ll count it. Oh, and the burgers were still piping hot when we got home. I had a hot lunch, and the Marauder had a meal of it's own ;)

[blackf0rk]

Cobalt SS's are not the fastest things on the road - but they shoulnd't be taken lightly. And they do come from the factory with a supercharger - so yes, it was supercharged.

I had a run-in with a cobalt ss. Luckily I had my Trilogy on at that time, and didn't have to exceed the speed limit (50mph) for the person to realize it was over before it started. :)

[duhtroll]

I have 4.10s, exhaust, and tune and made short work of 2 of those SSs in the same night. Couple of HS kids each got a new car I guess because they were both running the strip toegther here in town.

The funny thing is, before the second race I asked the guy how he liked his new car. He said "it F****NG ROCKS, dude! This thing will beat ANYTHING."

Afterwards, I waved and told him I liked his car, leaving him to spout things like "I couldn't get traction!" and the like.

:laugh:

-A

[LVMarauder]

I ran an SRT-4 last time i was at LVMS. I was wiping the track with him the first 1/8th but after that the srt 4 takes off like a rocket. he won one , I won one. good match up.

[DEFYANT]

SS EATR <--- license plate. :D

[Marauder2005]

It was a beautiful day, yesterday (well, for Late January, low 50’s is pretty nice)... There was a gleam in the Marauder's eyes, begging to go for a drive. I was looking for any and every excuse… So when my g/f and I were feeling too lazy to cook up some lunch, and she suggested we go pick something up, I was more than happy to oblige.

Now, fast food has to be eaten hot, otherwise it’s just not worth eating… SO I was moving at a pretty good clip. I guess that’s what caught the attention of the driver in his Cobalt SS. I saw him weave his way through the traffic behind me. I thought he might be trying to catch up to me, but wasn’t quite sure, until we hit a red light, side by side.

Dicsclaimer: Now before I go any further, I’ll state that the conditions were right for this to occur… The road is a four lane, no driveways, no houses, no parks. No possible surprises.

I looked over, and I saw “the grin” - :D. We all know “the grin” – :D. It’s the one that says, “I’m about to make quick work of this car next to me.” If you’ve never seen “the grin” then that’s probably because you are the one wearing “the grin” :D.

Here’s the thing, though… No revving, or anything else to suggest it was play time. The light turned green, and he slowly pulled away, so I did the same. He picked up the pace a little, so I did the same. He would keep it up, just enough so that my nose was about even with his rear wheel. I’m not a big fan of racing from a roll, but I had suffered through this cat and mouse game enough, and mashed the loud pedal down. The Blizzak snow shoes let off a little bit of noise, but grabbed traction.

He did the exact same, obviously waiting for my move. He was obviously supercharged (Not as loud as I'm used to, but the destinct sound of an Eaton spinning under the hood). By 25, we were even. I quickly gained ground on him, and started to pull. By 45, I had put almost a car length between us. After that, he slowly started to make up some ground. Hitting close to 80, I was still in the lead, although his nose had edged to a couple feet behind my rear bumper. I saw there was a car up ahead, and decided it best to slow down. He did not, and flew past me, continuing to accelerate for another couple seconds. :rolleyes:

I had to turn at the next light, and was never able to get alongside, to wave or give thumbs up. I don’t know if he was modded, if the cool air helped him more than me, or if was because of the fact we started from a roll (removing his FWD disadvantage), but I was a little surprised at the car - somewhat a dog at first, but seemed to come to life at higher speeds.

Either way, I was still in the lead when it was time to slow down, so I’ll count it. Oh, and the burgers were still piping hot when we got home. I had a hot lunch, and the Marauder had a meal of it's own ;)

Very nice, I think those SS's run somewhere in the 14s as a stock Marauder

would...

[Dan]

Dicsclaimer: Now before I go any further, I’ll state that the conditions were right for this to occur… The road is a four lane, no driveways, no houses, no parks. No possible surprises.

Umm, remember, all high speed driving, racing or semi racing has to occur on your "private track."

Safety Zealots are hiding in the wings just waiting to pounce. :)

Best,

Dan

[Dark_Knight7096]

I was on the Cobalt SS forums just now and all of the stockers seem to be getting consistant hi 14s at the track 14.6X< or so. Very few of them are getting mid 14s, and one person has said he has seen ONE stock one hit 14.2. They seem to have a lot of trouble with traction though. I have a car that could be compared to the SS and i know traction on mine is a PITA, i'm workin on DRs for it for the track right now. One thing to be afraid of on these cars though: ease of modification. I have a L67 GTP and i know for about 700 bux i can put it in the 13s without any difficulty (it will be done in the next 6 weeks!). There is not much you need to do to make these cars pretty fast.

[Marauder2005]

I was on the Cobalt SS forums just now and all of the stockers seem to be getting consistant hi 14s at the track 14.6X< or so. Very few of them are getting mid 14s, and one person has said he has seen ONE stock one hit 14.2. They seem to have a lot of trouble with traction though. I have a car that could be compared to the SS and i know traction on mine is a PITA, i'm workin on DRs for it for the track right now. One thing to be afraid of on these cars though: ease of modification. I have a L67 GTP and i know for about 700 bux i can put it in the 13s without any difficulty (it will be done in the next 6 weeks!). There is not much you need to do to make these cars pretty fast.

I should get one to put in the trunk, screw the spare tire. :rolleyes:

[QWK SVT]

Umm, remember, all high speed driving, racing or semi racing has to occur on your "private track."

Safety Zealots are hiding in the wings just waiting to pounce. :)

Best,

Dan

Yes, you are right. While I didn't want to flaunt my possessions, I was describing my private track - I do, afterall, OWN that stretch of asphalt ;)


I was on the Cobalt SS forums just now and all of the stockers seem to be getting consistant hi 14s at the track 14.6X< or so. Very few of them are getting mid 14s, and one person has said he has seen ONE stock one hit 14.2. They seem to have a lot of trouble with traction though. I have a car that could be compared to the SS and i know traction on mine is a PITA, i'm workin on DRs for it for the track right now. One thing to be afraid of on these cars though: ease of modification. I have a L67 GTP and i know for about 700 bux i can put it in the 13s without any difficulty (it will be done in the next 6 weeks!). There is not much you need to do to make these cars pretty fast.

FWD + low end, roots blower power = spinning tires :burnout:

I've found out a little more about the car - Ingen intake, some sorta catback and a "2.9 pulley" I havce no clue how much boost that makes, but I don't know. Just heard second hand from a common friend.

Odd thing, no chip / programmer :nono: With increased boost, isn't that just asking for a lean situation? Perhaps he's upgrading to a windowed block? :D

[Donny Carlson]

I've found out a little more about the car - Ingen intake, some sorta catback and a "2.9 pulley" I havce no clue how much boost that makes, but I don't know. Just heard second hand from a common friend.

There are two SS Cobalts. One is supercharged, the other is not.

The Supercharged SS has a beefed up suspension (thicker sway bars and different bushings and shocks), a five-speed short throw transmission, and Z-rated tires on 18" wheels.

It's rated 205 at the crank. Weighs just shy of 3000 lbs.
http://www.chevrolet.com/i/06/pic/cobalt/features/2_0l_engine.jpg

2.0L ECOTEC Supercharged Engine

<HR>This all–aluminum dual overhead cam, four–cylinder engine is built off the strengths of the original, naturally aspirated 2.2L ECOTEC engine.
The Eaton M62 supercharger spins at a low rpm, which improves durability and creates less noise while allowing for plenty of top–end power. Power delivery of the supercharged engine is instantaneous. Maximum boost of the supercharger is 12 psi.

Also included on this supercharged engine:

A direct–mount oil cooler
Oil jets for piston cooling
Heavy–duty pistons
Strong connecting rods
Forged–steel crankshaft
Large oil sump
Sodium–filled exhaust valves for improved durability
A high–strength aluminum cylinder head
Now, if you want a fast little car, let's talk Dodge SRT-4. I ran with one of these on I-20 coming back from Atlanta, and that little bastard kept up. I could sprint ahead, but he wasn't far behind.

The SRT-4 has a turbocharged 2.4 L DOHC 4 cyl. rated at 230 HP and 250 torque. That's stock, these guys mod them as well. The stock car has a limiter set for 149 MPH! Yeesh! Interestingly, the SRT-4 comes with BFGoodrich KDW2 tires (on 16 inch wheels).

BTW, the site for SRT vehicles is very well done....

http://www.drivesrt.com/en/srt_vehicles.html

[Rider90]

http://www.drivesrt.com/en/srt_vehicles.html

:bows: :bows: :bows:

[Dark_Knight7096]

Odd thing, no chip / programmer :nono: With increased boost, isn't that just asking for a lean situation? Perhaps he's upgrading to a windowed block? :D

I know the 3.4" pulley on my car will give approx 11.5lbs of boost, but a 2.9"? That's nuts on these cars, that would need EXTENSIVE mods not to detonate. The funny thing about all the GTP guys and whatnot, they don't change boost and tune, the make supporting mods and then increase boost. They improve intake and exhaust and lower intake temps and then when boost goes down, they increase it back up to, or a bit more than stock levels. I told the GTP board i was thinking of doing mod list x, y, and z and then i was getting a 3.4" pulley and I was getting a tune done. The response i got was, "You better get the extreme 1.0 PCM." I said why do I need to buy an aftermarket PCM i'm having my whole computer retuned, and NOBODY could get that through their heads. IDK what's going on over there. I've met a guy who used to post on that board and he says half of them are idiots, and the other half don't care. IDK, that's why i still hang out over here, you guys rule!:beer:

[Blackened300a]

Hmmm A Co-worker parks his 06 S/Ced 5spd Cobalt SS here in my yard and we talked about what would happen if we ran each other.
I told him that its likely he would take me off the line but my higher HP and TQ (not to mention 4 more Cylinders) would put me ahead of him at the end.

Motor Trend posted 14.3@93mph for the 1/4 time but I didnt think that was likely sice the Saturn ION Redline runs high 14's, Low 15's with the same drivetrain.

[merc6]

Now, if you want a fast little car, let's talk Dodge SRT-4. I ran with one of these on I-20 coming back from Atlanta, and that little bastard kept up. I could sprint ahead, but he wasn't far behind.

The SRT-4 has a turbocharged 2.4 L DOHC 4 cyl. rated at 230 HP and 250 torque. That's stock, these guys mod them as well. The stock car has a limiter set for 149 MPH! Yeesh! Interestingly, the SRT-4 comes with BFGoodrich KDW2 tires (on 16 inch wheels).

BTW, the site for SRT vehicles is very well done....

http://www.drivesrt.com/en/srt_vehicles.html
Yep that was supose to be my 2nd vehicle but all the dealerships here were on their high horses at the time and didn't want to let one go shy of 28K out the door after taxes :mad: :mad2: :censor:

Ran into a electric blue one(Color I wanted!) but I was driving the 6...After cetching up to him I realized he was doing like 300+ at the wheels. SRT had same issues as all neons with wheel hop. motor mount inserts or full out replacemenr polyeurethane(SP) ones were the fix as long as you didn't mind the steering wheel vibrating. After just the inserts on my neon the words dodge on the steering whell were illegible. Was a good massage at traffic lights!

[Marauder2005]

Yep that was supose to be my 2nd vehicle but all the dealerships here were on their high horses at the time and didn't want to let one go shy of 28K out the door after taxes :mad: :mad2: :censor:

Ran into a electric blue one(Color I wanted!) but I was driving the 6...After cetching up to him I realized he was doing like 300+ at the wheels. SRT had same issues as all neons with wheel hop. motor mount inserts or full out replacemenr polyeurethane(SP) ones were the fix as long as you didn't mind the steering wheel vibrating. After just the inserts on my neon the words dodge on the steering whell were illegible. Was a good massage at traffic lights!

Cool little cars, but my experience with the neon is that there built like

Matchbox cars, and will break like one too.

[QWK SVT]

I know the 3.4" pulley on my car will give approx 11.5lbs of boost, but a 2.9"? That's nuts on these cars, that would need EXTENSIVE mods not to detonate. The funny thing about all the GTP guys and whatnot, they don't change boost and tune, the make supporting mods and then increase boost. They improve intake and exhaust and lower intake temps and then when boost goes down, they increase it back up to, or a bit more than stock levels. I told the GTP board i was thinking of doing mod list x, y, and z and then i was getting a 3.4" pulley and I was getting a tune done. The response i got was, "You better get the extreme 1.0 PCM." I said why do I need to buy an aftermarket PCM i'm having my whole computer retuned, and NOBODY could get that through their heads. IDK what's going on over there. I've met a guy who used to post on that board and he says half of them are idiots, and the other half don't care. IDK, that's why i still hang out over here, you guys rule!:beer:

I'm guessing theres a different sized crank pulley on the Ecotec... I don't know what stock size is for the upper pulley is in the Cobalt, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was smaller than the 3.4". I would think 2 - 3 additional pounds is all you could run without needing some sort of tuning or race gas, to avoid detonation...

I guess it's due to the Lightning, but I wouldn't possibly think of running more boost without proper tuning to ensure safety with air/fuel and timing...

Curious - do they not make larger crank pulleys for the GM cars? Smaller upper pulleys = less contact with the belt, leading to greater likelihood of belt slippage (therefore producing less boost).

[MapleLeafMerc]

Very nice, I think those SS's run somewhere in the 14s as a stock Marauder

would...

I'd tend to doubt that. At least about my Marauder. In June/04 I went to the St Thomas Dragway. QWK SVT was there also, with mr auder and others. I have 11 timeslips from that day. I drove about 6 and let others drive 5. The best time from all of us was 15.049. IIRC QWK's best was 15.3 or so, which made me feel disappointed at the improvement from my mods (pulleys, chip, 4.10's).

[BlackHole]

Problem with the SS Balt and Ion Rline the M45 Eaton they have is pretty much maxed out on boost right from the Factory so any pulley change wouldn't give them any gains at all. Only thing to do is go with a M62/90 S/C or port and polish the M45 that they have.

[Big House]

WIth the listed mods, I ran consistant 14.5's with a 14.3 being the fastest ever.

[Blackened300a]

WIth the listed mods, I ran consistant 14.5's with a 14.3 being the fastest ever.

I havent been to the track but we have pretty much the same exact mods, except I have the PHP intake spacer, Mufflers, and my tune wasnt from Lidio.
I guess that would have to be the same times I would be running as well.

Unless the wing adds 10 HP to the trunk

[QWK SVT]

I'd tend to doubt that. At least about my Marauder. In June/04 I went to the St Thomas Dragway. QWK SVT was there also, with mr auder and others. I have 11 timeslips from that day. I drove about 6 and let others drive 5. The best time from all of us was 15.049. IIRC QWK's best was 15.3 or so, which made me feel disappointed at the improvement from my mods (pulleys, chip, 4.10's).

Larry, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that St. Thomas track prep can be hit or miss, particularly on a Friday. My 60' were in the 2.3's, which can easily be improved upon.

Since that day, I was able to run 14.8's, on a couple different days, with nothing more than oil changes... I'm sure you'll find you're capable of better results - You should come out in April, once the tracks open up, again! :burnout:

[MENINBLK]

It looks like the Quad 4 engine grew up and earned itself a SuperCharger.

[Motorhead350]

I just heard yesterday these Chevys are having a lotta supercharger problems and they will be turbo charged next model year.

[merc6]

Cool little cars, but my experience with the neon is that there built like

Matchbox cars, and will break like one too.actualy...the 02 neon I had hasn't seen the shop nearly as much as both my current cars.

[duhtroll]

I think he was referring to the fact that neons are made of plastic.

Maybe trouble-free, but I would never drive one in traffic.

Or high wind.