Well I have 22000 miles on the car, about 15K of that is stage 2 with the stock clutch. To be honest it never feels bad in 1st gear. Occasionally I feel what I think is 'slip' in 3rd gear at 5K or higher RPM but it is rare. Who knows maybe my mind got the better of me? Don't know but it's still going for now. I'll let you all know if it bails on me anytime in the future. I plan on having the stock clutch for as long as it will last in the ride and it's my daily driver.

 

they replaced mine at 15 thousand miles

 

been feeling a little slippage lately but then again I'm at 56K, got stage 2 at 22k

 

did u replace the clutch then? I bet it can handle so much more even if you cant drive (you said it).

 

You can't shift too quick on my SS otherwise the clutch slips..

07with 6800 miles. And don't even tell me I don't know how to drive.. even with traction at the top of 1st, it will occasionally slip on the 1-2 shift. Weird though, other times it will chirp the 1-2 shift. Who the **** knows. It's just sensitive in my opinion. **** it off the slightest bit, and it will slip on you. Now I have a lot of knowledge when it comes to driving stick, it may be my first stick shift car i've OWNED but I have driven many manual cars in the past. I always rev match both upshifts and downshifts since new. I never go above 1k rpms when I take off, even on the steepest of hills. Never been to the track. My opinion?


Clutch = Awful.

Although I am starting to believe it isn't the clutch, but the slave. The clutch does bite.. it seems to me that it isn't being forced against the flywheel with enough pressure. Clutches take a lot longer than 6k to wear out, and they will ALWAYS slip when worn, not intermittently like mine has been doing. There's a thread on DOT3 brake fluid and clutch slip, i'm keeping an eye on it to see if that brings up any helpful info.

 

I've had stage 2, gmpp manifold and gmpp performance cat-back since April of 07'. No problems with my clutch. I've been driving manual since I was 16...............I'm 37 now!!!!

 

That's a rather weak reply to a complicated question for which I've already addressed elsewhere.

So to recap ...

The clutch isn't fine. You are wrong.


Questions?

Let's see, you were born in 1981? That means I was already racing at Lebanon Valley Dragway before you were even born.

But heh, I'm a good guy ... so I've got no problem in helping out a beginner like you!

So here goes ...

If you had bothered to ask or research about my posted time (which you didn't) I could have told you that I've only been down the strip with this car 6 times (and that was over 3 different days of racing).

My track is often crowded, so that's how it goes. Also, most people on this forum with only that many times down the strip didn't even break into the 14's.

I did.

That's because I know how to drive.

Ok, I've schooled you enough for one day. Classes will resume here the next time you make another asinine, naive and ignorant comment ...

 

*applause*

Did you run the SS on test and tune night? I've always wanted to bring my SS up to Lebanon Valley to see what times I can run it to but I never had time over the summer. Now with school it's pretty much impossible now, since I don't have my car and it just sits in a garage taking up space.

 

I am forty and I have been on a bike with a clutch since I was 7 and was driving Grain trucks at 11 YOA. I know how a clutch works and have replaced a few in my life time (only two of my vehicles) as I have an auto/diesel certificate. I beat and I mean beat on my honda civic with multiple dumping the clutch starts at all rpm levels and it lasted my car beyond my parting day with it. I logged 200,000 KMS on that car.

My COBALT clutch is a sive. ok for street but not great. holds out at the track ok till you really hook up in second and then it slips. this is not a shift from first to second either. it slips in the middle of the gear at the peak of torque in the power band.

end of story.

clutch needs an up grade. been this way from new and it would be dead now if I didnt know how to drive it. I have 45,000 KMS on it.

Man your full of yourself. first lets enlighten you. this car is driven right you can get 14.5's your time is by far not a bad time but is is far from great. Also there are a few that have actually done 14.2 stock! and most people I know break into the 14's stock on their first run.

now since you have GMS2 let me know when you hit 13.95.

Now with your limited driving and mechanical experience I dont think makes you or anyone else an authority to be disrespectful to others ( that means a F'n jerk). So next time be nice.

 

[B]You forgot to take elevation into consideration.

 

Thanks Chris!

Yes, I ran at Test/Tune events. My 14.87 ET was made on a T/T night (3 runs that night), and the other 2 times I was there was on T/T days (total of 3 more runs).

The daytime T/T's were absolutely horrible. The 2nd and last time that I tried a T/T day, they were also holding "Bikes in the Valley". There were over 200 motorcycles there (in addition to all the cars). I made one run .... and left.

And you know something chris? I am truly an easy going guy. I mean that.

But I come to this forum and get people trying to tell me "what's what" about driving/racing when they were actually little pink wrinkled babies as I was making powershifts down the strip.

So until they have earned one of these:


I'm not buying their criticisms. After all, they don't give away trophies at the drag strip.

You have to know how to drive, and drive well consistently to be able to put one of these on your shelf ...

 

so you've been racing for 30 years, and are braggin that you won ONE trophy? the guy above hit it on the head, you ARE full of yourself.

14.8 is TERRIBLE from someone talking smack about how good they drive. for the average 18 year old that buys this car, not a bad time. but from someone who just keeps saying "i know how to drive" "i drive awesome" and "i have been racing for longer than you've been alive but only won one trophy" it's quite pathetic. you key words "ONE of these"

don't get me wrong, i'm not trying to just start a fight, but when you keep bragging and have times that are more than a half second off of what "good" drivers do, i guess i just don't get it. you have so many years of drag racing experience, what does it matter how many passes you have with the cobalt?

 

read this.
if the clutch was weak, then why am i at 26k miles with over 280 hp to the tire and 265 ft lbs to the tire and doing JUST FINE. why can i lay into first, blow the tires off, grab second and continue to blow the tires off?

my tires are NOT bald. hi, it's the driver.

let the clutch out all the way first, then hammer the gas. it's very simple.

 

what do you know, HE won a trophy once, about 15 years ago from the looks of it

 

LOL how so. if you can get 14.2 at sea level then 14.5 is achievable at 1000 ft. I did 14.7 stock here. and I got better at driving it so I know I can do better. oh and 14.8 was my very first run.

with practice with GMS2 I was able to go from 14.3 to 13.9.


You dont have my car, I have been heavily modded and spin tires in second as well on the street. get enough traction so the tires dont spin and lets see what you clutch does! that is my point. ok for street, sucks at the track. and not every car is experiencing this from what we can tell cause there are people like you who have not had the problem and cant believe that other cars could. do you know that when a recall is done that not all cars get recalled at times. reason being minor improvements or manufacture defective parts made it into a car. and since GM does not warranty a clutch their not about to put a recall out for it since under regular driving and power levels the problem is not wide spread. Wise up!!

 

Frank made that 14.8 when he first got the car. He probably wasn't used to driving it. The man was racing up at the valley before 90% of this forum was even born. Clowns.

 

i have won trophies too for drag racing. does that make me a pro? nope.

it's very simple on how to save the clutch.

shift at 3500.

when playing around, let off the gas, depress clutch pedal, shift gears, release clutch pedal, THEN hammer down on the gas when your foot is off the clutch.

hell pauls car is over 300 to the tire. im over 280, and yet we both are still on a stock factory issue clutch.

there is a more cars over 260 with the stock clutch and doing just fine.

i doubt it.


my first pass ever in the ss/sc was 14.6.

 

NO kidding. My first time at the track with this car was a 14.6, second time 14.4 both totally stock. My last time out with the airbox mod and trans mounts was a 13.9 and I still have room for improvement. high 14s out of a stock SS/SC is nothing to be proud about because there is ALOT more in this car in stock form.

x2 I do think it's a little odd since you have to give it some extra revs during normal driving that you wouldn't have to do in pretty much any other car, but as long as you drive it correctly there are no problems.

Also I was getting some slippage at about 5800rpms+ in 1st gear but it was after a lot of in town driving and I've seemed to work it out by giving the car more revs under normal driving because I haven't had slippage for a while.

 

LOL that kills me. you guys think we are so dumb we dont know that.

K read this and read it carefully. My car never slips making a shift. never!
My clutch slips when I make a shift, it holds at 3000rpm, revs build to 4500 (just so happens is the level of torque) I am also at the track so it is grippy and tires dont break loose at all, then the clutch slips! in the middle of second gear.

Driver input here does not affect my issues. especially since all my other driving on the street is according to the law and I am not beating on it everytime I drive. I dont drive it like I stole it. So why do I have problems? not cause of lack of experience, not lack of knowledge of how a clutch works, not my first car ever with clutch, first car to have this kind of trouble, I have had finickier clutchs than this (fiero is on or off literally), actually this clutch operation I find is pretty good once you get used to it.

 

recalls are created in time of lawsuits that become of the vehicle failures. "my clutch sucks and im stage 2" thats the most widespread instance of people saying this. not the people who are beyond stage 2, putting down over 270+ to the tire.

tsb's are made because of part improvements.

my car has dead hooked in 2nd gear many times and has not driven through the clutch

 

LOL , i hope you didn't hurt your shifting arm while patting yourself on the back .

Most people have trouble getting used to the gearing of the SS/SC. The gear size between 1st and 2nd is a tad to large which lead people to hazing the clutch . Ive seen it in a ton of video's. The tires will spin in 1st and when they slam 2nd the car is moving too slow for the gearing of 2nd .

I could make a big list of sports cars i drove before this and say i know how to drive, but it still took me a couple of days to get used to this car.

 

your lucky then. as I see it it is 1 in 3 cars there is a clutch problem based on peoples responses. anyway I am done wasting my time explaining to you that my clutch cant hold up and it is not me, and GM wont get a law suit cause the clutch is not completely failing, it slips on some cars under full power under a racing situation. yeah I can see a law suit comming LOL I said it before WISE UP!

 

23k and counting on stock clutch. It's a BCP modded car too.

:knocks on wood:

 

a lawsuit will never happen because the simple fact, people are RACING the car. it's called abuse, gm will laugh at you.

trying to sue a car maker over a part they don't make in the first place isn't going to happen. it's like trying to sue mcdonalds because your fries were cold when you got home.