EDIT: I re-typed much of this post, as I found many of the answers I was looking for, but have a couple new ones now.
I am thinking about buying a 2008 Cobalt SS, just wondering how owners like them (all Cobalts, not only the SS). Have you had any real problems with them? Is it still "the same car" that you test drove, or have you come to like it less? More? Would you buy one again?
I had heard that GM raised the redline RPM on the ecotecs a bit beyond where it should probably be so that they could claim higher horsepower numbers... any truth to that, and if so, what can the engine
safely do? I'm not buying the car to race it ever, and I've only had my Grand Am to the redline twice... once to keep from ending up under a semi. That said, I'd probably never need to hit the redline if the horsepower numbers are what GM says, but I just want to know. Has anyone had the 2.0 Turbo on a dyno?
Is the RPO code G85 (Limited slip differential) a real, clutch pack limited slip differential, or is it a traction control system where the EBCM brakes the spinning wheel slightly? The salesman I spoke with thought it was the latter, but from what I've read, that "traction control" is standard whereas G85 adds roughly $450. Or is it just the standard traction control that simply limits engine torque when a wheel spins? That's the only traction control I've ever heard of... and I can do that with my right foot... I don't need to pay $450 for the computer to do it for me! At any rate, a real limited slip differential on a FWD car would lower the "streetability" significantly, right? I can't imagine turning a corner with it if it has a high enough breakaway torque to help on acceleration. I could feel the
rear LSD on my 3/4 ton truck on tight turns, I wouldn't want to think about
front on a small car!
Does the 2.0 Turbo have an A.I.R. pump for federal emissions, or just specific states? I saw a picture in some sales material at the dearership that had what sure looked like an A.I.R. pump running off a second belt. I think having an A.I.R. pump might make me choose a different vehicle...
The closest Cobalt SS is over 1,000 miles away from where I live. I am considering buying a Cobalt Sport, since there is one 400 miles away, that way I could at least drive the car before I buy it. If I did that, I would be installing a turbo on it... which I am guessing would probably void any waranty on the engine? I am also wondering why the SS has a 2.0L in it... does a 2.2 or 2.4 not fit with a turbo, are the 2.0 cylinder walls thicker? Is the 2.0 turbo at the top of the power/weight ratio already, so they
can't put a larger engine in it legally? It seems like a 2.4 with a turbo would sell even better
Thankyou for any answers to the above questions.