hey everyone. figured i'd try to find out some info from here as you guys probably know these cars best. i currently drive a lightly modded magnum r/t and now we're replacing my wife's honda with either a csrt-4 or a cobalt ss sedan. both seem to have their own advantages. i do have some questions about the caliber though. the first one is kinda vague: are there any issues with the cars so far (i realize that they've only been out for about 1/2 a year though)? engines, trannies, drivetrain holding up okay? i haven't really heard anything bad (which is obviously a good thing) but not a lot of people have experience with them. another question pertains to wheels: can 18" wheels be used on these in order to run winter tires? i really don't want to bother with 19" winters (too few to choose from and stupid price). i know that factory brakes are the same as those on the magnums/chargers r/t's and they use 18" wheels. heck, if i could fit a 17" that would be even better! lastly, the csrt i drove had a crazy clutch on it. it engaged extremely quickly and very close to the floor. there seemed to be no modulation to it. tried to ease it out, but it grabbed instantly every time. not bad for playing around, but crappy for stop-and-go traffic. are they all like that? is the clutch engagement adjustable? does it ease off in time? any insight before we buy something would be awesome. cheers.:beer:
Yo, welcome to the "C"... IMO, there really is no comparison between the Cobalt SS and the CSRT4. From my gatherings, the Caliber is a very well built car with minimal issues. Also, Aaron from Real Tune (A Vendor here) as taken his CSRT4 to 11.73 in the 1/4 with bolt ons and tuning. Stock Turbo. haha Glad you are at least doing your homework. Good luck on the decision.
Coming from the NSRT to the CSRT, the thing just looked top heavy, its not. I like the hatch space and the room it gives my kids in the backseat. I also like the fact it is not recognized by the ricer crowd that would rev the Neon all the time. Good luck with your future purchase :welcome:
ResumeSpeed just added the TSB's for the Caliber. http://www.srtconnection.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10786 You can use this as a guide to see what kind of issues the Cali has had, but are already fixable.
I have an CSRT4 , Hatchbacks are great for hauling stuff. I took 2 adults and two teenagers in it for a 300 mile day trip. Great gas mileage for a fast car. I considered safety rating too. Insurance costs were another. But yes, they are two different styles. It does look like the aftermarket stuff is just starting to explode for the CSRT4.
Love my CSRT4 only major issue I have had is the LCA bolts were loose and causing the suspension to bang, an RRT has been issued and everything was fixed to my satisfaction. Funnest car I have ever driven thats for sure!
thanks for some of your insight folks. glad to hear everyone's loving their cars so much. montrealcsrt4 - with quebec's new legislation, what are you doing about winter tires? mounting on the stock wheels, or getting other wheels? that seems to be my biggest concern now.
Yes it is expensive since the smallest wheel you can put on is 18" beacuse of the brakes. I didn't find any steelies so a dealer sponsor on the Quebec SRT Club boards got a deal on some FAST mag wheels, around $600+tax for all 4. I wanted the Tokyo Garret MX but they were sold out so will be going with Blizzak's that are more expemnsive, around $225/tire +tax. You can probably find a better deal for the tires online, I couldn't be bothered... So yes, you have to add that to your budget but I try to look at the positive in that I got a nice set of winter wheels for my car! I can't wait to see how it reacts with all the electronics in the snow. Going to find an empty parking lot to go spin it around after it snows for the first time to see how it reacts and get to know it a little better. Build quality if on par for american cars (random squeaks, some panels don't line up 100%, some bolts weren't installed correctly, etc.) but the engine/transmission combo feels rock solid and that is all I car about in a car like this, everything else I get fixed on warranty
