^^Motor trend X beats cobalt. Car & Driver Cobalt beats X. In Car & Driver they blame a squishy SST. Cars Cobalt and X beat, Audi S5, Lexus ISF, Dodge SRT8 Challenger, Lotus, Sti, and a whole list of others. Stock vs Stock drag race SS wins with = Drivers. SS will eventually be limited by power though due to FWD like the Mazda Speed 3

 

I've driven the cobalt before and it's pretty good actually.. It has a good pull and good brakes.. the only thing I don't like is the cheap interior. Everything is possible..

 

no one is mentioning the fact that the cobalt is ugly as sin and thus suffers a 30 second penalty!

 

Looks are subjective so that is irrelevant. The redesigned Cobalt that is turbocharged is actually something to worry about. With a few mods I would be very concerned. I have poured over a few reviews but I have yet to "run" into one so I don't have any firsthand experience.

 

the new cobalt ss/tc is a fast car that was made to go fast in a straight line, where as the Evo X is a twisty car or is suppose to be. But just like the previous Cobalt ss/sc and Ion Redline (I currently own) you will be limited by the fwd and the lack of aftermarket support. I poured a crap load of money into my redline for it just to get into the low 13's and gave up on the search. With a tune on the Evo x people are getting mid 12's so I would say stock for stock it will beat you but with the same amount of money used for mods no contest.
One more thing that the cobalt crew wins is the fact that GM releases stage kits that maintain the warranty and they are more lenient on mods at the dealership, well at least mine.

 

I have track experience against a Stage 2 SS/SC in my RSX. It wasn't even considered close. The S/C Cobalt is nothing. I have not seen a Turbo SS run in person though.

 

On Car & Driver's Lightning Lap, the turbo SS obliterated the supercharged one. There's more changed in this car than just the induction type.

As far as real acceleration, of course the SS is faster. It traps 104, and the X traps 100.

Barring the no street racing talk rule for one paragraph, the OP video that was removed shows a bolt on X getting just crushed from a roll race by a stock SS. It doesn't say anything about a tune on the X, but the point is, who cares? If you guys really bought your car to street race from a highway roll, these are not the forums to talk about it on.

The Evo excels brilliantly on a racetrack. The SS is FWD. Start modding both, and watch what happens to the SS on a track day.

The SS really is a great value stock, there's just no denying it. Its good to see that a domestic manufacturer has built a sport compact that can do everything well. The SRT-4 was close, but its not nearly as quick on a racetrack with turns as an SS.

A lot of arguing like this is about insecurity. I can tell you that no matter the power:weight handicap, I'd take an Evo X over an SS every single time.

Please keep the street racing talk out of this thread so we don't have to close it. Thanks!

 

i seen one so far driving on the highway. it had exhaust but i dont think the cobalts look that bad i actually like them. the evo x interior is convenient and comfortable to me but the cobalts interior is down right horrible. i even had no problem with the previous evos interior other than they needed a cd player. but yea i wouldnt mess with the t/c ones especially with the mods i have now

 

You had to admit that it does kind of suck that the SS can beat the X from a roll.

You are right though. I would take the X over the SS anyday. Traction is an issue I've been fighting with in my RSX for quite some time. I'm glad I made the switch to AWD, and I believe I chose the perfect car for me. I will never modify a FWD car again, or even buy one for track purposes.

 

I guess its time for full bolt ons, meth, and a tune.

 

Not true - the Cobalt SS has been very good in handling tests, and sports Brembos just like an Evo. Plus it's 300+lbs lighter than an X. What is true is the aftermarket support difference, which will likely put a ceiling on home much more you can do with a Cobalt.

 

i also believe it boils down to the driver. im sorry as fast the cobalt is i dont see it beating the evo off the line maybe if the cobalt can play catch up especially with the asc off which allows the evo wheels to spin more freely. in past videos its been shown on the track that the evo is much quicker with it off beating v8s badly off the line. v8s have the power to catch the evo in the 1/4 mile i dont see that type of power in the cobalt. IMO im far from a car expert just off simple observation.

 

I'll throw my 2 cents in here. As for the aftermarket part, there are numerous threads on the cobalt site where they are above 300whp and 310wtq with an exhaust and some tuning. DI seems to make a world of difference in their tunes. Hahn has already broken 320/360 with their parts and tuning and Synapse has one at 370/380 with a GT28 turbo swap. The aftermarket isnt big, but they are doing great numbers with early support. Supposedly, GM has just released a package that includes some sensors and a tune and puts it up over 290/340 crank for only $650 bucks with full warranty - something is non-existent on for the most part. There is always going to be competition, this time it happens to come in the form of something that is not in the price bracket, or cylinder count above ours.

 

I did not ask what mods they had done to the car in detail. But this was a manufacturing plated car and their test bed. GM also had a stock CTS they were running.

 

SS turbo with engine mod and a set of good front tires would be a formidable opponent in a straight line, and would probably leave the evo in the dust with similar mods.

SS turbo apparently makes better lap times on the bigger tracks in stock form, but it would be interesting how it would do with more power, as you start pushing over 300whp on the track with a FWD, you will start seeing limitations of a FWD layout.