red2005ss
May 27th, 2007, 8:02pm
I found this article looking for drag wheels for my car, I am sure this is old news but what caught my eye was on sentence.
The qoute is in red.
I dont know anybody who has been under 14 seconds stock, If you know someone let me know.
Spend just five seconds behind the wheel of Chevy�s new supercharged Cobalt SS and you�ll be wearing your ball cap backwards, singing along with the Goo Goo Dolls, and calling everyone �dude.�
This two-door rocketship is Xbox and PlayStation2 rolled into one tire-squealin�, torque-steerin�, red-linin� whole ball of fast �n furious fun. It�s the kind of car that should have a sticker on the dash suggesting �Drink Two Red Bulls Before Driving.� Or the name of a good psycho-analyst to council you for the inevitable teenage angst that driving the SS will create.
Trouble is, the target teen buyer has a better chance of getting insured for a Nikonov AN-94 assault rifle than for this 205-hp projectile. And unless they�re working at the Krispy Kreme 24/7 and have a crystal meth delivery service, chances are that even the lowly $21,995 sticker will be out of reach.
Which makes this blown Chevy the perfect mid-life crisis toy for us gray-hairs who can�t quite stretch to a C6 �Vette, or think a Hummer H2 on 24s with spinners is a little too subtle.
The guts of the Cobalt SS are what matter here, rather than the car�s pubescent �Hey, look at me� F-16 fighter jet rear wing, fancy 18-inch rims, and sunburned-tourist-red paintwork.
The motor is based on GM�s free-spinning, lightweight Ecotec 2.0-liter twin-cam 16-valve four-banger that�s been heavily massaged by the petrolheads at GM�s Performance Division. Bolted to it is an Eaton M62 Roots-type supercharger coupled to an air-to-water intercooler. Blowing at 12 psi, it increases the ponies to 205hp at 5600rpm and delivers 200 lb-ft of twist at 4400rpm.
Internally, the motor gets all the right go-faster hardware; a forged steel crank, sodium-filled exhaust valves, oil-jet cooling for the pistons and a separate oil cooler.
Light the fuse, stomp on the gas and the Cobalt rips from rest to 60 in an impressive 5.9 seconds and spears through the quarter-mile in under 14 seconds.
It�s a peach of a motor. Its featherweight flywheel lets the revs zing to the 6500rpm red-line with Black & Decker smoothness, while the robust internals allow them to stay there without the motor sounding like it�s about replicate Hiroshima circa. August 1945.
And the beauty here is the bucketfuls of torque the little four-cylinder cranks out. Even in fifth from walking pace, the motor will pull like an Amtrak loco.
The motor�s mated to a 5-speed manual transmission that�s the same unit Saab fits to its 9-3. Chevy shortened the shifter throws by four inches to give a sportier feel and it�s better for it. While it�s nowhere near as sweet as the 6-speeder that Acura fits to its RSX, it�s still pretty good.
Now, even a third-grade student with the technical expertise of an ant will tell you that 200 lb-ft of torque and front-wheel drive is a recipe for torque-steer hell. Which is why the SS is offered with that doyen of the tuner market, a Quaife limited-slip diff. Sadly it�s a $1,500 option, though it�s part of a performance package that includes Recaro front bucket seats. But no Cobalt should be unleashed without it.
Quaife-equipped, the coupe-bodied SS is one of the finest handling small cars out there. Period. The diff works in tandem with a modified suspension setup that�s been honed at no less a place than the tortuous Nurburgring track in Germany.
Added to the standard Cobalt setup are stiffer springs, a wrist-thick front anti-roll bar, unique valving for the struts, and bigger brakes with performance linings. The standard electric-assist rack and pinion steering was also recalibrated to keep effort low and precision high.
Tight, fast curves are best tackled with the slow-in, fast-out approach, otherwise tire-wailing understeer is the order of the day. But the all-disc setup allows you to brake way-late into the corner, then it�s simply a matter of getting back on the gas and letting the oodles of torque fire you out. It�s a barrel-load of fun.
And with 215/54-section Pirelli PZero rubberware at each corner, mounted on extremely cool-looking 18-inch rims, there�s no shortage of grip.
Low-profile tires and tight, taut suspension don�t usually provide a smooth ride. But the Cobalt won�t loosen your dentalwork when the blacktop gets brittle. Yes, the ride is firm but never uncomfortable.
Inside, the cabin is a mix of the good, bad and the ugly. But it�s mostly good. Like the salami-thick steering wheel with its useful spoke-mounted controls. Ditto the easy-to-read, pizza-sized dials with their upscale chrome rings.
And you�ll love watching the boost gauge on the left A-pillar twitch in time with the blower.
Full marks too for including a stereo system that wouldn�t sound out of place at your local rave. Crank up the watts and the pulsating, trunk-mounted Pioneer sub-woofer can actually re-froth a Starbucks cappuccino.
But some of the plastics feel as hard and brittle as a cafeteria dinner tray, and just as visually appealing. And the optional two-tone leather, where the door panels and seat centers mimic the body color, is about as subtle as Courtney Love.
As for that trunk-mounted rear wing, you could lose sight of a Mack truck back there. I spent every driving moment terrified that the black blob masked by the wing was a police cruiser about to light up. Memo to Chevy: make it a delete option, or offer free bail money.
And for a $22-grand car, it�s cheap beyond belief not to fit a remote-release fuel flap to protect your tankful of unleaded. Or a 50-cent lock for the glove box.
That said, there�s a whole lot to love about this hi-po Chevy. Next to the �Vette, I reckon it�s the most fun-driving GM product out there. Yes, you�ve got to spend around $24-grand to spec it the way you�d want, but even then it still offers a lot of a bang for your buck.
Just skip the Goo Goo Dolls tunes. They�re just so last year. Dude.
(this article was taken from speedtv.com and written by Howard Walker)
The qoute is in red.
I dont know anybody who has been under 14 seconds stock, If you know someone let me know.
Spend just five seconds behind the wheel of Chevy�s new supercharged Cobalt SS and you�ll be wearing your ball cap backwards, singing along with the Goo Goo Dolls, and calling everyone �dude.�
This two-door rocketship is Xbox and PlayStation2 rolled into one tire-squealin�, torque-steerin�, red-linin� whole ball of fast �n furious fun. It�s the kind of car that should have a sticker on the dash suggesting �Drink Two Red Bulls Before Driving.� Or the name of a good psycho-analyst to council you for the inevitable teenage angst that driving the SS will create.
Trouble is, the target teen buyer has a better chance of getting insured for a Nikonov AN-94 assault rifle than for this 205-hp projectile. And unless they�re working at the Krispy Kreme 24/7 and have a crystal meth delivery service, chances are that even the lowly $21,995 sticker will be out of reach.
Which makes this blown Chevy the perfect mid-life crisis toy for us gray-hairs who can�t quite stretch to a C6 �Vette, or think a Hummer H2 on 24s with spinners is a little too subtle.
The guts of the Cobalt SS are what matter here, rather than the car�s pubescent �Hey, look at me� F-16 fighter jet rear wing, fancy 18-inch rims, and sunburned-tourist-red paintwork.
The motor is based on GM�s free-spinning, lightweight Ecotec 2.0-liter twin-cam 16-valve four-banger that�s been heavily massaged by the petrolheads at GM�s Performance Division. Bolted to it is an Eaton M62 Roots-type supercharger coupled to an air-to-water intercooler. Blowing at 12 psi, it increases the ponies to 205hp at 5600rpm and delivers 200 lb-ft of twist at 4400rpm.
Internally, the motor gets all the right go-faster hardware; a forged steel crank, sodium-filled exhaust valves, oil-jet cooling for the pistons and a separate oil cooler.
Light the fuse, stomp on the gas and the Cobalt rips from rest to 60 in an impressive 5.9 seconds and spears through the quarter-mile in under 14 seconds.
It�s a peach of a motor. Its featherweight flywheel lets the revs zing to the 6500rpm red-line with Black & Decker smoothness, while the robust internals allow them to stay there without the motor sounding like it�s about replicate Hiroshima circa. August 1945.
And the beauty here is the bucketfuls of torque the little four-cylinder cranks out. Even in fifth from walking pace, the motor will pull like an Amtrak loco.
The motor�s mated to a 5-speed manual transmission that�s the same unit Saab fits to its 9-3. Chevy shortened the shifter throws by four inches to give a sportier feel and it�s better for it. While it�s nowhere near as sweet as the 6-speeder that Acura fits to its RSX, it�s still pretty good.
Now, even a third-grade student with the technical expertise of an ant will tell you that 200 lb-ft of torque and front-wheel drive is a recipe for torque-steer hell. Which is why the SS is offered with that doyen of the tuner market, a Quaife limited-slip diff. Sadly it�s a $1,500 option, though it�s part of a performance package that includes Recaro front bucket seats. But no Cobalt should be unleashed without it.
Quaife-equipped, the coupe-bodied SS is one of the finest handling small cars out there. Period. The diff works in tandem with a modified suspension setup that�s been honed at no less a place than the tortuous Nurburgring track in Germany.
Added to the standard Cobalt setup are stiffer springs, a wrist-thick front anti-roll bar, unique valving for the struts, and bigger brakes with performance linings. The standard electric-assist rack and pinion steering was also recalibrated to keep effort low and precision high.
Tight, fast curves are best tackled with the slow-in, fast-out approach, otherwise tire-wailing understeer is the order of the day. But the all-disc setup allows you to brake way-late into the corner, then it�s simply a matter of getting back on the gas and letting the oodles of torque fire you out. It�s a barrel-load of fun.
And with 215/54-section Pirelli PZero rubberware at each corner, mounted on extremely cool-looking 18-inch rims, there�s no shortage of grip.
Low-profile tires and tight, taut suspension don�t usually provide a smooth ride. But the Cobalt won�t loosen your dentalwork when the blacktop gets brittle. Yes, the ride is firm but never uncomfortable.
Inside, the cabin is a mix of the good, bad and the ugly. But it�s mostly good. Like the salami-thick steering wheel with its useful spoke-mounted controls. Ditto the easy-to-read, pizza-sized dials with their upscale chrome rings.
And you�ll love watching the boost gauge on the left A-pillar twitch in time with the blower.
Full marks too for including a stereo system that wouldn�t sound out of place at your local rave. Crank up the watts and the pulsating, trunk-mounted Pioneer sub-woofer can actually re-froth a Starbucks cappuccino.
But some of the plastics feel as hard and brittle as a cafeteria dinner tray, and just as visually appealing. And the optional two-tone leather, where the door panels and seat centers mimic the body color, is about as subtle as Courtney Love.
As for that trunk-mounted rear wing, you could lose sight of a Mack truck back there. I spent every driving moment terrified that the black blob masked by the wing was a police cruiser about to light up. Memo to Chevy: make it a delete option, or offer free bail money.
And for a $22-grand car, it�s cheap beyond belief not to fit a remote-release fuel flap to protect your tankful of unleaded. Or a 50-cent lock for the glove box.
That said, there�s a whole lot to love about this hi-po Chevy. Next to the �Vette, I reckon it�s the most fun-driving GM product out there. Yes, you�ve got to spend around $24-grand to spec it the way you�d want, but even then it still offers a lot of a bang for your buck.
Just skip the Goo Goo Dolls tunes. They�re just so last year. Dude.
(this article was taken from speedtv.com and written by Howard Walker)