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Chevrolet Cobalt

2171 messages,  Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 6:04 PM

You are in the Chevrolet Cobalt Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Chevrolet Cobalt, Coupe, Sedan


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#2044 of 2171
Winter tires by grosloup
Nov 04, 2008 (10:36 am)
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It's the first time I drive with winter tires in 33 yrs of driving. Last night the car in front of me made a sudden stop, when I applied the brake at my surprise I slid and almost rear-ended the car in front of me. On another occasion, I was turning after making a "dead stop" and when I starting to turn, my wheels spun making a "screeching" sound (first time I make my tires spin, I was surprised again.
 
Is it normal for a winter tire to do so on dry pavement? or my "new" tires are no good?
#2045 of 2171
Re: Winter tires [grosloup] by tcalof
Nov 04, 2008 (5:22 pm)
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Replying to: grosloup (Nov 04, 2008 10:36 am)

Winter tires stop and handle more poorly than all season tires.... except on ICE or SNOW! That's why they're called WINTER tires. Sorry for yelling, but that should be obvious. Otherwise, people would use winter tires year round. Make sense?
#2046 of 2171
Re: Winter tires [tcalof] by grosloup
Nov 05, 2008 (4:18 am)
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Replying to: tcalof (Nov 04, 2008 5:22 pm)

Makes sense for sure. Thank you for your reply.
 
   Thanks to you I had a good night sleep knowing that it's totally normal.
#2047 of 2171
Usual partially accurate, partially "spoiled children" review by micweb
Nov 07, 2008 (9:35 am)
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Please read, and then post comments, on the Edmunds article here:
 
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=134506
 
I don't know what it would take to make them happy - maybe a $35,000 Prius instead of a $15k (after rebates) Cobalt XFE?
 
Hopefully the current economic situation will remind people that thrift is a virtue, not a punishment, just like the trend in some forums is to discuss, and hence value, careful driving for MPG.
#2048 of 2171
CR's Annual Buying Guide by dispencer2
Nov 13, 2008 (8:08 am)
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The annual buyers guide from Consumer Reports panned the Cobalt as usual. What was interesting was the black mark signifying the fact that owners (who answered the annual questionnaire) were highly dissatisfied with the car and most likely wouldn't buy another. I wonder what is so wrong with this car. The coupe is sportier than anything else in the price range, the powertrain is fairly simple, gas mileage is average for a compact, and the car rides as well as an Impala. I haven't had any problems with mine thus far although I understand from the dealer that the 05 and 06's had lots of annoying small problems.
#2049 of 2171
Re: CR's Annual Buying Guide [dispencer2] by micweb
Nov 13, 2008 (9:01 am)
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Replying to: dispencer2 (Nov 13, 2008 8:08 am)

Cars are a popularity contest. I've had Toyotas and Hondas, and Ford Focuses and Cobalts, and with the exception of the first year of Focus, all were equal in quality and assembly. In fact, the Japanese makes had, overall, more defects, but there were better about acknowledging minor rattles and other minor issues and fixing them right away. The most defects I've had in a car were 3, usually one but often none.
 
The Cavalier was made to "American" quality standards - a little loose, a little off, but highly functional (had a 2004). The Cobalt is made to "Japanese" quality standards - much tighter, much better put together. The Cobalt has some features that are outstanding, like daytime running lights, auto on/off headlamps, a digital MPG, average speed, etc. computer, OnStar, and XM radio. It has the biggest, strongest engine in its class, yet also has top fuel economy.
 
So why does CR pan it? Because auto reviews are a large part of its mission, and sell a lot of subscriptions and special issues. In reality, the spread in actual number of defects between low ranked and top ranked cars is very small, but they don't like to point this out, since it doesn't sell magazines. In fact, if you look at the ranked categories, the '07, '08's are very highly ranked by the readers.
 
If buyers are less happy with their sturdy Cobalts than buyers of Hondas, is that a reflection of the cars or of the buyers? If everyone tells you your wife is beautiful and sweet you will feel happy even if she seems like a nag sometimes, but if everyone says she is plain and average, the nagging will drive you crazy and you'll join your friends complaining too. Positive feedback breeds more positive feedback, negative feedback feeds on itself. That's why it's called "feed back."
 
Michael Milken made investors millions of dollars, and companies even more, by demonstrating that junk bonds did not have a significantly higher risk of default than blue chip bonds, back in the 80's. Car buyers can save themselves a lot of money by studying reliability reports carefully and figuring out which cars, like Cobalts and Focii, are being underpriced in the marketplace to to misperceptions on the part of consumers. That assumes you buy them very cheaply and/or hold them long term, since resale is affected by misperceptions too.
#2050 of 2171
Re: CR's Annual Buying Guide [micweb] by tsjay
Nov 13, 2008 (11:03 am)
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Replying to: micweb (Nov 13, 2008 9:01 am)

Well, CR can rate the Cobalt however they want to, but I continue to be amazed by the value one gets in a Cobalt.
 
If we keep in mind that we are talking about a car that carries a sticker price below $16,000, and if all the features and the performance of the Cobalt are viewed from this perspective, then I don't see how anyone could be less than thrilled with this car.
 
I absolutely love my Cobalt, and I have zero complaints. What a fun, economical little car to drive! The build quality is at least "average." The acceleration is unbelievable, and the ride and handling are reminiscent of a much bigger car. The trunk is huge, and there is plenty of leg, shoulder, and head room up front. If the back seat space suffers a little, that's a small price to pay for the large trunk and the front seat room. Only time will tell regarding reliability, but I have no reason to think the car will not hold up over the long haul.
 
Tom
#2051 of 2171
Introduction From A Newbie by sseiboi
Nov 16, 2008 (7:21 pm)
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well im new to forum chat but all i gotta say is hi to all. i own a 2007 chevrolet cobalt ss/sc basically all stock except the fact i put eibach sportline lowering springs. i will be posting daily and i may need info for my car and could give advice for it as well because i do work in a tire and suspension shop....
#2052 of 2171
Trip to Dallas by dispencer2
Nov 16, 2008 (10:31 pm)
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Replying to: tsjay (Nov 13, 2008 11:03 am)

Took the new Cobalt coupe over to Ft. Worth and Dallas (about 450 miles) this weekend just to see what the car was like on the road. It ranged from 33-38 MPG -I drove usually 60-70 mph on cruise. As I suspected the short seats caused some thigh pain after a few hours but you have plenty of room to move your legs around. What was amazing was the passing power and the fact that after 6 hours my back didn't hurt. The Impala caused back aches and it still had bucket seats. The lumbar control is helpful but so is the fairly hard seat that provides good support. Handling was fine in heavy traffic on the Interstates around the Metroplex. All in all it was a good road car. The steering wheel is better on the Impala -bigger controls and more tilt. You feel the pavement, bumps,and, road noise is worse than my Cadillac Deville but for the money (and for even more money) the Cobalt is a fine car. I didn't buy it for long distance trips but it is very capable of them. I like the big doors and windows on the coupe. The sedan feels smaller.
#2053 of 2171
Re: Introduction From A Newbie [sseiboi] by grosloup
Nov 17, 2008 (10:30 am)
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Replying to: sseiboi (Nov 16, 2008 7:21 pm)

Welcome aboard! It's great to have a tire/suspension person on the forum. We need people like you with your kind of experience.
 
  I already have little questions for you that's been bothering me. My other vehicule is a 05 Equinox LT FWD with 235/65/16 (original tires) when I went to buy winter tires the only one I could get in that size were Bridgestone Blizzak's very good tire but to expensive for me. The dealer suggest 215/70/16 in another brand, that was o.k. but when I went to buy them there were all gone so he suggested to put some 225/70/16 instead. That's what I bought.
 
  Is that size O.K. for my Equinox? What's the difference between all those sizes? From the 235/65/16 to the new 225/70/16?
The tires are named "Arctic Claw" made by Vanderbilt/Cooper. Are these good winter tires?

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