So i have just sold my 94 camaro z28 and i am now going for something a little more economic and new. I am between the Cobalt SS and the Neon Srt-4 at this point i really have no preference at all but i am just looking for more info on both and i will compare. I would like to know things about mods and performance but most construction luxury and dependablily. How does the engine hold up how high of mileage can i expect to get out of this car. How much HP can the motor and tranny handle i would like to know all things of this nature. Also do these cars have any issues prominent? Thanks guys i really appreciate your help.

 

Gas mileage: The dealer says 22 city 30 highway, most ppl ive talked to say about 20-25 average, and that includes a bunch of ppl with mods. The engine is very mod-friendly with dozens of companies making aftermarket parts for it. You can probly "unrestrict" the engine (exhaust, intake, cooler air comin in) without damaging it more (bigger turbo, nos, etc) to about 300-325 hp i think. If you want to go with a bigger turbo, you can get as much power as you want. As far as luxury.....not so much. I will admit that the interior is one of the car's weakest spots. The interior is sort of....cheaply built. From the pictures I've seen, the Cobalt SS has a nicer interior. Dependability is good, but can decrease if you modify the engine (especially if you don't know what you are doing). If you're talking about getting a new one, then your warranty should take care of any issues you might have. Some mods will void your warranty though, keep that in mind. Some numbers for you to consider: (both from the dodge and chevy websites)
SRT-4: HP: 230 TQ: 250 0-60: 5.8 top speed: ECU limited 148 mph 1/4 mile: 13.8 200 ft skidpad: 0.85g

Cobalt SS: HP: 205 TQ: 200 0-60: 6.4 top speed: 143 mph 1/4 mile: 14.9 200 ft skidpad: 0.86g

hope that helps. PSIChick knows pretty much everything about this car, so if she gives you any advice, its right. (and since she knows everything and has this car.....that says something)

 

Thanks thats kinda the things i am looking for i want to make a comparison between the two cars. But basically these cars motors are built pretty good. What about the tranny how does that hold up? Thanks for the help.

 

from what ive heard the tranny is just about bullet proof they have guys running 500 hp on it so ive heard.

 

I've gotten a chance to run a cobalt ss and I can say that the srt-4 is a good deal faster. Muscle's comments are pretty on, but i definitely ran better than 5.8 to 60, when I was stock; my best 0-60's were consistently around 5.3 plus or minus a tenth. Also, I hit 157 with a little in reserve when I shut down in stock configuration. There is no speed limiter on the srt-4, and this has been proven by many drivers I know.

Liek black4 said the transmission is a tank. I believe the t-850(or whatever the number is) comes from the durango or something like that. - if not I do know it is a truck tranny - edited for accuracy.

Handling, it is a toss up, but the srt-4, with the same rubber, should beat/tie it;but the power wins big time at exit out of a turn. Note the fact that the srt-4 pulls .85g's as tested on 205/50/17's and the ss pulled .86 on 215/45/18's. Also note that the srt-4 comes with a lsd that you have to pay around 1000 or so for on the cobalt. The performance package is 1500, I believe. I don't know if the 18's are std., but assuming they are the car costs around 3500 more comparably equipped

As far as modding, it is too soon to really say, for the cobalt, but they have replaced the whole powerplant to make any real power on the pro-level cars, so I would say the srt-4 has a big edge.

Hope that helps.

Even better, go drive both - I bet you will end up owning a srt-4.

 

the tranny for the srt is specific to the car. no other dodge uses it. it is a truck transmission, and will hold up to plenty of abuse. there are many 400+hp srt's on the stock tranny. infact, all but two srt's are using the stock transmission.

as for the engine, it depends on how you mod. the biggest restraint on high hp is fuel. this has been addressed, and there are plenty of options out there. many people try to save a few bucks and not do their fuel systems properly, and this will cause problems.

the stock block is good for about 550 fwhp before it pops. with the proper fuel delivery, more is possible, but that requires external pumps and other good stuff.

as for the ss or the srt decision, it's all about what you want. personally i don't think the ss is any more "refined" than the srt. both have cheap plastic interiors. both are cheap cars that are meant to go fast. they are not luxury cars by any stretch of the imagination, and do not have many of the ammenities that other cars might. these are performance cars, pure and simple, and are built accordingly.

as for potential, the srt wins in that category. superchargers are very limiting (plenty of experience with s/c mustangs to back up that one), and to gain any real power from the ss, you'll either have to ditch the s/c and put in a turbo, or get a bigger s/c. even the pro's are ditching the s/c in favor of a turbo.

long-term dependability is still up in the air for both cars. they are new, so no one knows what will happen. there are plenty of srt's with 50k+ on them, and no real major issues. as long as you don't do dumb things to the car, it shouldn't give you a problem. the ss is still very new, so we have to see what happens.

i'm not sure what other info you are looking for. if you have specific quesitons, please ask and we'll get you whatever info you need!!!

 

Lets not forget to mention one of the easiest ways to make power. Go to your Dodge dealer and lay down about $4000 and you'll get a stage 3 kit with 350hp that has been enduranced tested from the factory and will do about low 12's maybe high 11's in the 1/4 mile. When you add that price on top of the price of the car, I think that's about the same price as a stock Cobalt. As Lee Iacoca would say; If you can find a better car, BUY IT!

 

what about cheechs saying? lol

 

Yea that is pretty much the answers i was looking for the only thing i am still wondering is the length the engine will last. I dont plan on doing much if anything to the car so i am just looking for something with some good stock power. I dont really dive hard either except for the occasional race which everyone does but i guess it comes down to a test drive of each and then its all up to me. I am mostly stuck on the looks i dont know which one i like better looks wise. So thanks guys.

 

Here are couple links to articles on the SRT-4 engine. Sorry, but I don't have any for the Cobalt.

http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com/pr...0scc_projneon/

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...rt/index1.html