Anyone every go up against a cobalt SS?

ummmm you're going to rip his soul out lol those cars run mid 14's maybe a low 14 with what he has done but you should be at least a mid - low 13. I ran a 13.4 with an intake/tune and nothing else, those 4.10's should pick up at least a tenth or two

I've seem quite a few slightly modified Cobalt SSs at the track. Most run somewhere in the 14s with a few dipping into the high to mid 13s.

I have taken them on the street, well one. It was the supercharged version. He had an intake, no tune, and a blue LED in the headlights, which had to add 3 even maybe 4 hundred horse.

You can beat him.

Even with him having Blue LED's you were able to beat him?

+1 on what the others said. Your S197 GT should beat your friend's Cobalt SS by at least 0.5 sec. in the 1/4 mile. However, that assumes a good driver mod for both cars, a decent D/A(moderate ambient temperature, low humidity, low elevation), and a well prepped track.
Since you cannot do anything regarding your track's elevation or how well it's prepped, then focus on the weather conditions and your driving abilities.

If possible, go to the track when the ambient temp is cool and the humidity is low, because S197 GT engines produce noticeably more power in these conditions. I don't know how the performance of the Cobalt's turbocharged engine is affected by the weather.

And since this is your 1st time to the track, then your driver mod may also need some fine tuning.
FWIW, here are some suggestions which hopefully will improve it(These assume that your car has a manual tranny, and stock tires):
- A good launch off the starting line is normally considered the most important facet of drag racing. Like the adage says - "Spinning ain't winning". The recommended launch method for our cars is to rev the engine to 2500-3500 rpm in neutral, and then slip the clutch while maintaining the rpm's so that the rear tires spin for only a few feet(DO NOT drop the clutch. This will only result in time wasting wheelspin and wheelhop. BTW, your 4.10's make your car more prone to wheelspin, so you may have to allow for a decent amount of clutch slip). When the tires grab traction, quickly and smoothly release the clutch pedal and floor the gas pedal simultaneously. This launch method can be difficult to master during one's initial time at the track, especially when the adrenaline is pumping in overdrive, so try not to get discouraged. You'll get there.
- Shift as quickly and smoothly as possible. Depending on track conditions, you may have to avoid an aggressive 1-2 shift in order to avoid wheelspin and wheelhop. Some owners power shift(keep the gas pedal floored while depressing the clutch pedal) in order to reduce their times. But this method is hard on the clutch and tranny.

Also:
- If possible, allow your car's engine to cool off for at least 30 min.-1 hour after arriving at the track. These engines lose noticeable power when they're heatsoaked.
- While the engine is cooling down, disconnect the battery for 30 min. This will erase any conservative driving parameters from the ECU's memory, which should increase your engine's performance.
- Reduce the rear tire pressure to approx. 25 psi to increase traction, and increase the fronts to 40-45 psi to reduce rolling resistance.
- Before getting to the starting line, give the rear tires just a quick spin to clean them off, and avoid the water box. Long smoky burnouts and wet tires reduce traction. Again, this applies to stock rubber only.

Good luck, and have fun!!!

Your car should win but I wouldn't under estimate the Cobalt SS without proper knowledge. If you look around you will see those cars running low 13's at like 107 with minimal work and a good driver.

Here's a video I shot at Bremerton Raceways a few months back of a Cobalt SS versus SRT-4. The Cobalt appeared to be stock from what I could tell from looking at it in the pits during the race day. He ran a 13.92 @ 105 in the 1/4 mile in this vid, and ran high 13's and low 14's all day....

View attachment 244862


On a side note, I raced this same yellow SRT-4 during that same day and whooped him by 2 full seconds. Here's that run from inside my '07 GT....

View attachment 244863

Stock wheels and drop tire pressure a bit like Ski said. Auto and your 4.10s will give you a huge launch advantage over the SS. If you can beat him a good amount out the gate it will be hard for him to run you down.

Agree with fallenauthority. 20 lbs. of extra rolling inertia per wheel will put a big dent in your car's acceleration rate.
Also, do a search for auto launch methods if you have any questions regarding that. There should be a ton of info on it.

Use the lighter, stock wheels. Make sure you turn off the traction control. Powerbrake to heat up the tires a bit for the extra traction you'll want. When you stage at the lights, put it in drive, hold the brake, and rev to no more than 2000 rpm's. When the last amber light comes on, release the brake and mash the gas pedal simultaneously (or don't mash the pedal if traction is an issue, but ease the pedal to the floor when you launch, if necessary). You should be able to run mid 13's @ 102+ and beat your buddy's SS by a few tenths of a second.

Keep us posted!

Is his a turbo SS?

Stock the SS has 260 FWHP. Depending on the tune he could be close to or just over 300 FWHP. The Cobalts suck for launching without a good bit of money spent on it, but a good driver can launch anything well. You should have the holeshot but he will give you good run. A friend of mine has the supercharged version and runs 12.9x's - 13.40's

Wolf_boy said:

Stock the SS has 260 FWHP.

Click to expand...

The stock 09 Cobalt SS has 260 hp at the crank, not at the front wheels. The FWHP is nominally 10-15% less than the crank hp for a manual, and 15-20% for an auto.