2008 Chevy Cobalt SS Test Drive: 260-hp Barnstormer Is GM's Best Sport Compact Ever - Popular Mechanics

This combination provides a high specific output (260 hp at 5300 rpm and 260 lb.-ft of torque from 2000 rpm) with rather economical performance—Chevy is claiming 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. Controlled by an electronic wastegate, the Borg-Warner twin-scroll turbo supplies boost at very low revs, yet can pump as much as 22 psi 21 psi when required for maximum power.

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The new Cobalt SS may be 260hp but it's at 21psi wtf? That is really not good at all of a gain for 21psi. What would this mean for someone that wants to make their new Cobalt SS faster have to do. Discuss about what you guys think, especially my F/I guys/gals.

 

Maybe it needs 21 psi because it uses a SUPER tiny turbo like most factory boosted cars.

 

Boost is boost, regardless of turbo size.

Low compression for mileage during non-boost driving possibly? I don't know.

 

id never own a chevy. EVER i dont like american cars and i especially dont like chevies.

 

Contribute to the thread perhaps??

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article....rticle_id=6702

Just another blaring reminder of how far behind Toyota/Scion and TRD are from every other noteworthy player in the sport-compact market, even in our most loaded forms.
As for increasing performance, I imagine GM will have a handful of staged performance upgrades made available that I also imagine will still be covered under warranty. But thats just my imagination.
If one is looking for perofrmance for under 25k, this has got to be in the top 3 at least.

 

there is a reason it makes 260 ft/lbs at 2k, small turbo. and to get a high hp number to go along with the tq, you need to run more boost.

its a turbo car, swap turbos and make power. hell, you can probably make more power running a bigger turbo with LESS boost.

 

I heard that the Boost isn't set at a certain PSI, that it varies depending on conditions, and Altitude to get a certain amout of power, and torque. Thats why the article says " as much as 22 psi when required for maximun power"

 

After a very brief search I sort of found the same thing. Owners saying they "averaged" 14-16 psi.

 

call me crazy, but would this motor be similar to it's sister? (the saturn sky redline motor)???

 

American cars arent built for you ladies ... so hate away.

 

i can only hope that this will mean that toyota will start upping the ante by providing some more factory performance in their line up.

 

oh, and the electronically controlled wastegate and the peak 21 psi boost is probably to compensate for atmospheric conditions, like high altitude.

 

They need to so bad. They need to get with the f'ing program. 2011 is way too far away to be of any signifigance.

 

I think it would have been easier for them to turbo the 2.4L ecotec and I think that would have been an all around better machine IMO. I know what people are saying about it being a small turbo. My helicopter has compressor blades larger in diameter than oh say a regulation football. However it's only doing about 7psi. I don't think we should think of PSI in the form of volume.

 

hahaha you can hate when youre broke down on the side of the interstate.

 

Being a former cobalt owner and someone who has educated themselves quite a bit on the new car, I'll shed this light. (P.s. I'm not just any ol n00b)

The SS T/c makes 260 hp. To the person mentioning the sister car the sky redline, it uses the exact same 2.0L Ecotec motor (LNF engine code). Also GM has already expressed they will NOT offer stage kits for this car, reason being (or at least as many believe) the transmission is maxed out at the 260 hp output from the factory. Meaning the stock tranny cannot handle much more HP to it without breaking. This would not be good for GM to up the HP and break trannies. Another reason for no stage kits would be tunning. With Direct Injection the tuning is more advanced then that of the EFI used in many cars today.

It will be a fast car yes, but making it faster might be a bit of a problem

 

I think it will be a nice piece of automobile to own,but modding it for more power may endup with problems like no upgrades for years for tranny parts,and gettign around the electric parts like the waste gate may be pain as well.........

Look at the SRT-4s.......powerful,fast,and wehn modded for more they tend to have a lot of issues with parts breaking........and this comes straight from the Dodge guys who own them.........it is alove hate with them.......probably same here with the Chevy........

 

well...that makes it alittle boring now doesn't it?

tell me, does it use the sametransmission from the sky/solstice which i am pretty sure is the same transmission from the colorado/canyon?

anyway, i have to say, it does sound like a really awesome car performance wise from the factory, but since it is already at the limits...i guess it would be good for people who just want performance and don't want to do it themselves. and ofcourse...GM quality doesn't mean $h!t these days.

 

That I honestly do not know.

I strayed away from the Cobalt due to how cheap it felt, so I ended up in a WRX. Now looking at a tC.

 

A good question is are there internal parts for the tranny,drivelines,LSD,to upgrade to.......if not then it is maxed out and gonna find itself in the shop a lot for warenty repairs.........kinda like the SS Cameros did back in the 90s.......they were great till you added a cam to them and then the tranny went boom or the rear end went boom.........then you had to build a whole car to go any faster.........and it got spendy.......I dumped $6000 into one just to go 12s.........never again.......could of bought a old 60s ride and made 9s for that money back then.........