I have a hardcore bar and DD mine, so does rallyracer. it makes rough road, pot holes uneven pavement etc, a little bumpy and "rough" but I try to avoid those roads now in the ss anyway. But dd'ing the car with the bar is fantastic. ohhhh it handles nice with it.

 

Lol you mean rough-er right This thing only likes perfectly smooth roads as is anything else and it's

 

Ahh, yeah, the off was definitely a little sketchy. I did go in a little hot, but I also didn't correct enough either.

Regarding the bar. I've only had it on for 3 days now I've been through some cold rain though, and the hardcore version isn't upsetting the daily driving in a negative manner. Doesn't make any weird noises, no adverse handling in the wet, in fact, I bet the car would be a giant killer on a rainy track with the hardcore bar and stock suspension. Oh and to answer your question, I do have another vehicle, but I primarily drive the SS.

caveat: I live in northern VA, where the roads are generally very nice.

 

we shall see how the pedders do with crappy roads...soon.

 

what tires are u using??

 

Well... a little birdie just described to me why I feel like the front outside tire is getting beat to ****. The bottom of the tire is tucking due to the softness of the lower control arm bushing. I had ordered the OTTP sphericals, but they didn't get here til I was already at the event.

It's the strangest feeling. It felt like my tire would suddenly roll over, especially in long corners. It was quite frustrating.

The same little birdie tells me not to worry about the weeping coming from the Brembo bleeders, just shoot the bleeders with some brake cleaner or compressed air. It's just excess stuck in the bleeder.

 

Who made your retrofits? I think you skipped me.

 

I didn't skip. You didn't read the thread Someone else asked. Blownss06.

 

Man, this is making me want to buy the suspension parts that Ive been shying away from. I probably would go witht he OTTP street bar though. Would the rotated tranny mounts help at all?

 

What's the thickness of our stock bar out of curiosity? I was thinking if the 1" OTTP Street Bar would be a better bar for me as I won't be tracking my car as much as you lol vs. the 1.25" OTTP Hardcore Bar

 

The stock bar is welded in. Technically, when you put the new one on, you'll have 2 rear sway bars I say go for the hardcore bar. If you're worried about it, just pull it off in the winter when it's snowy. Unless your roads are horrible, or you drive like a maniac on the street, it should not pose a problem. I think the car feels great on the street.

 

Great write up Warren!

 

Tell me more about the control arm bushings...this I'd be interested in upgrading.

 

Buy them here \/

http://www.ottperformance.com/store/...ings-41p86.htm

 

Are the control arm bushings really that worth investing into?

 

I had a chat with John about them. I was bitching to him about how the tire felt like it was rolling over suddenly in long sustained turns. He mentioned that one of the reasons that it occurs is due to the softness of that bushing. It allows the bottom of the tire to tuck, so you lose camber.

It was the strangest feeling. I couldn't figure out what was going on, and so I kept playing with tire pressures. Anyhow, I've had them on order from OTTP, but they didn't make it in time for the event. I'll have them on by the next one though!

I really like that they are sealed. If you drive like a maniac, and have rough weather, they'll probably still last a few seasons. All spherical bearings wear, but it probably isn't any faster than the rate at which that stock bushing will get destroyed. There are some cars that come with sealed spherical bearings from the factory, like the Evo (not sure if this is true of the X), and I haven't heard of anyone complaining about them wearing too fast.

If you care about not destroying the outside of the front tires, it's important. I was under the impression that I just needed a massive amount of camber, til he pointed this out.

 

nice writeup

I was at a roadcourse last week for the first time in the SS. It's a lot of fun out there.

 

What other brake pads have you tried? I've had 2 HPDE's on Hawk HPS's, and I'm standing on the brakes and they just faaaaaaddde...

Definitely need pads before my next HPDE.

 

On this car? Just stock and the Cobalt XR1. What have I used in the past? Oh boy...

Cobalt Friction VR1/VR2/XR1 and some experimentals compounds
Carbotech XP8/10/12
Hawk Ceramic/HPS/HP+/Blue
Ferodo DS3000
Pagid Blue/Black/Orange
Axxis Ultimates

and others. My favorite street pads are usually Hawk Ceramics or the HPS (depends on the application), but the HPS dust like mad. Track pads? Cobalt Friction, hands down.

 

Interesting. I'll follow your upgrade path and pick up a set of XR1's. Nice that they don't require bedding. Can take advantage of the awesome drop-in calipers we have

Now to find somebody who carries them.

 

Good stuff. Thanks for sharing.

 

Any cobalt friction dealer can order them. Took two weeks for me, but maybe CF has them in stock now. If you can't find them, ask Victor Perry at VPR Motorsports, and tell him I sent you.

 

Good videos. What's up with the Audi club "race group" rules? NASA HPDE 3 and 4 are normally passing without point by, depending on the track.

Good advice about the rear bar. That is exactly the same I heard from the guys at Malspeed that race a Cobalt in World Challenge. The GM kit advice is also right on. I recently spoke with 3 local pro or semi-pro racers and all of them recommended the GM kit only for a non race car.

Great post overall. It's a little tough to find real go fast info on the Cobalt forums. Mostly it's a lot of bling, and bullshit blabbing.

Thanks.

Dog

 

Click for later

 

Our club's been experimenting with blinker point by, which I can't say I'm fond of for many reasons. In the black/red groups, it's passing in straights and braking zones. They say not in corners, but we pass on the way in, and out, just not mid-corner.

Yeah, NASA 3/4 can get hairy, sometimes. If you have a trailered car, I think it's a fun way to get a taste of what racing might be like, but if you didn't trailer, it's a bit risky.

And regarding your last point. Yep, agreed.