MS3 Quirks


The new Cobalt SS is fitted with 4 piston Brembo calipers on the two front tires, too large for the spare to fit over it. So when you get a flat front tire you first have to take off the rear tire and put it where the flat one is, and then put your spare over the rear tire where it can actually fit.
Speaking of turning radius, I think it's quiet good on this car, try making a u-turn in the same space with a Cobalt SS (good luck).
 
I get a click/clunky noise when i exit or enter my driveway slowly at sharp angles (putting a lot of stress on the front corner)

Strut bearings talking to ya. It happens more in cooler/colder weather for me. I've only heard it a couple times since April. Winter months...almost daily.
 
The new Cobalt SS is fitted with 4 piston Brembo calipers on the two front tires, too large for the spare to fit over it. So when you get a flat front tire you first have to take off the rear tire and put it where the flat one is, and then put your spare over the rear tire where it can actually fit.
Speaking of turning radius, I think it's quiet good on this car, try making a u-turn in the same space with a Cobalt SS (good luck).


Actually, this is probably a good practice to observe in the MS3 as well...running the spare on the front (assuming that it isn't the same diameter as the stock wheel/tire, as most aren't) would be detrimental to the LSD's health...

;)
 
I only have a noticed a few quirks / issues:

Finding third sometimes is an impossible task when shifting rapidly.
Clutch is a little abrupt at times, but you get used to it.
4th gear and up just lack any punch. (But what can you expect with only 263 HP / 300 Trq?)

Everything else is great in my opinion.
 
4th gear and up just lack any punch. (But what can you expect with only 263 HP / 300 Trq?)

Guess you are used to your daily driven 400+ hp car of some sort? If your MS3 lacks punch above 4th, I'd highly recommend getting it fixed as their is something wrong with it.
 
Guess you are used to your daily driven 400+ hp car of some sort? If your MS3 lacks punch above 4th, I'd highly recommend getting it fixed as their is something wrong with it.


Actually yes... my old car was a S/C G35 making about 424 HP (yes.. I dyno'd it)... So yes... the MS3 does lack punch in 4th and above.
 
Actually yes... my old car was a S/C G35 making about 424 HP (yes.. I dyno'd it)... So yes... the MS3 does lack punch in 4th and above.

The MS3 doesn't lack punch in 4th gear and up.... you're old G35 just had a ridiculous amount of punch in 4th and up. The MS3 has punch in 6th gear for gods sake. You just had a really powerfull car before this and now everything sorta pales in comparison.
 
Yeah it's all relative

The MS3 doesn't lack punch in 4th gear and up.... you're old G35 just had a ridiculous amount of punch in 4th and up. The MS3 has punch in 6th gear for gods sake. You just had a really powerfull car before this and now everything sorta pales in comparison.

I find fourth to be the best gear. I drop it into 4th and zoom-zoom by everyone. A friend of n=mine even commented on how he could feel being pushed back in the seat. So ya for us who haven't had cars with ridiculous power to weight ratios the MS3 is pretty punchy in 4th.

Quirks?

Right now the only quirk I have that's driving me bats is the rattle/creak that appears to be coming from the adjustable seatbelt anchor on the b-pillar. It only appears to happen when the chassis encounters torsional forces. But now that I hear it it's driving me bats!

I'm thinking of pulling the trim and see if there are any adjustments. However I can't figure out how to remove the anchor assembly from the trim.
 
Vinyl shift boot squeaks (that fake leather getting out of a bean bag sound) at certain temperatures/humidity.
 
I only have a noticed a few quirks / issues:

Finding third sometimes is an impossible task when shifting rapidly.
Clutch is a little abrupt at times, but you get used to it.
4th gear and up just lack any punch. (But what can you expect with only 263 HP / 300 Trq?)

Everything else is great in my opinion.

idk what kind of car your driving but it sure as hell isnt a speed 3 ive pulled cars 4th gear and up with 350 horse (v8 s4) by 3 cars bro... lay off the crack
 
seeing some posts about noise reminds me of one that drove me up a wall.
it was a squeaking like noise that came from underneath the driver's seat. ended up being the line running up to the seatbelt sensor that was rubbing on the metal. messed with it and no more squeak.

as far as the gear pull discussion goes...well im not used to driving a crazy high horsepower car so the speed 3 pulls in all the gears good enough for me!
 
idk what kind of car your driving but it sure as hell isnt a speed 3 ive pulled cars 4th gear and up with 350 horse (v8 s4) by 3 cars bro... lay off the crack

Yeah...right... sure you have.... That really doesn't make sense when 335's (300 HP) can hang with us all day long... I think you should lay off the acid, because clearly you aren't seeing reality.... That, or you may want to make sure the other driver is actually trying...

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. I think at 4th and up the car lacks signficant punch. 3rd, however, is very nice.
 
lol that was a dumb comparison, the 335 weighs 3500lbs and a little more power than us, a s4 weighs 4300 pounds, with only 50 more hp than the 335. 1100lbs more than us with only 70 more hp, i wouldnt expect an s4 to hang in the upper range unless modded.
 
lol that was a dumb comparison, the 335 weighs 3500lbs and a little more power than us, a s4 weighs 4300 pounds, with only 50 more hp than the 335. 1100lbs more than us with only 70 more hp, i wouldnt expect an s4 to hang in the upper range unless modded.

Ok....I still stand by my 4th gear and up opinion. 335s still walk us and they weigh more than a MS3...
 
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Actually yes... my old car was a S/C G35 making about 424 HP (yes.. I dyno'd it)... So yes... the MS3 does lack punch in 4th and above.

good analogy...
by that stance, this car is complete crap... the airplane I was in last week was much better, over 300mph and had better suspension. What the hell Mazda, your car just can't compete.
 
good analogy...
by that stance, this car is complete crap... the airplane I was in last week was much better, over 300mph and had better suspension. What the hell Mazda, your car just can't compete.

That is taking it a bit far... and I certainly don't consider the MS3 anywhere near crap. However out of scale your point might be, it is still valid. If you are a jet pilot, I am sure that the acceleration of a car doesn't do much for you. Taking it back down a notch or two, I still feel that the MS3 isn't very impressive (when compared to most other sports cars --- not jets, Bugatti's, crotch rockets, nuclear accelerators, or the Silver Surfer) in 4th gear and up. I love my MS3, and for the money, I think it performs as expected. Let's not get our egos bruised here because I am calling it the way I see it. I can feel good knowing that I paid 25K for a car that performs as well as most 30 - 35K cars, but I don't forget --- for even two seconds, that I am not driving an M3, a RS4, a GT500, C63 AMG, etc... The MS3 is a great car, but a M3 (as an example) it is not.

Drive a 400 HP+ sports car for a while, and you might see what I mean....
 
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