I searched before and I searched just now, no mention of if the Baer Track Brake System fits on the front of a Cobalt SS with the stock rims (SS five-spoke 17" aluminum).
So, I measured, purchased and installed it.
It fits great and, quite unimportantly, looks great. But, most importantly, it stops amazingly! I cannot find fade, the response (with the included stainless braided lines) is very linear and predictable and the front tires can be put into anti-lock at will. It stops RIGHT NOW. I upgraded because after three trips to the dealer for warranty resurfacing of the warped rotors, they still sucked. Also, my wife likes to tailgate at 85mph.

So, the price of the kit has gone up in the month since I bought it, but the kit is available at:
http://moesperformance.com/index.php...oducts_id=8853

Also, I used Cryo Science in Oceanside, CA to cryogenically treat the rotors which allows for much longer life and only cost $25 per rotor. I did this same process on my 2001 Express Van rotor and the braking capacity was greatly increased (they say doubled, and I can believe it after a trip pulling a boat through the mountains of Julian).

Anyway, just FYI, but someone should keep a list of what brakes fit what cars.

 

i would take these brakes over those any day

http://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...s.pl?record=27

 

TCE has done me right with my entire 2 year experience. i LOVE THEM!

 

Yes, those are nice. It would be good to know if the 13" kit does fit the stock 17" wheels (the real purpose I started this thread).
Of course, it is hard to justify an extra $500 for that kit unless you are dedicated to road-course racing. You would never find a difference on the street between the two.

 

true, i don't think 13 inchers will clear the stock 17s. and also for most people just Stainless steel lines and nice pads are more then enough. My friend had a CRX that he auto-Xed and all he did was the brake master cylinder and lines and could stop all day with it.

 

It says in the description that the 13" Wilwood kit will fit 17" or larger wheels.

 

yeah but i wouldn't really want to have that close of clearance on a DD/road car. Just my opinion.

 

Just replaced the pads for the first time since 2008. There was still 5k-10k miles left on the pads. I got 70k miles out of them. The rotors warped after a year or so, so this was not the panacea I was hoping for. I'm still very curious as to the cause of the warping. With the additional mass and cryro treating, it is not the rotor's fault. Either mis-tourqued wheels (I always requested the tire shop to hand-tourque and they are a very good shop) or maybe there is some run-out. Also, I wonder if bad front bushings could contribute to amplifying the vibration of the warped rotors?

 

"Warped" rotors are generally not physically warped. They usually just have uneven pad deposits on them which can happen for a number of reasons. One of the main ones being if you heat up the pads beyond what they were designed for, all sorts if bad things start happening.

 

Have to disagree with you here. I've cut many sets of rotors on a brake lathe and on a true machine shop lathe, and there is definately runout or "warping" of the rotors. Granted there is probably a little bit present in many rotors even when new, but to say that it doesn't happen is simply wrong, it does happen and on a regular basis. The simple fact that you can machine the rotor back flat and it goes away is proof of the misshapen rotor.

 

Italian Joe,
Can they machine drilled rotors? The old days we used lathes that had a small head and I always wondered if that would get caught on the drill holes...

Thanks!

 

Yes, i've done it on a standard brake lathe, you just have to be careful and go slowly. The last set I did were for a cobalt and are on a members car currently with no issues.

 

rotors will start to become cone shaped usually but the pad will wear as that happens and its not an issue... pad deposits are usually the cause, its funny when you see the outline of the pad on a rotor.

 

Thanks for the confirmation. I'll take 'em off this Friday and get 'em turned. I think the vibration has damaged the steering shaft, as it is quite noisy now...

 

That doesn't sound good, you must have some pretty serious vibration to make it that far and to damage the steering shaft.

You may not have too much luck at the first place or two, common knowledge says that you can not/should not cut drilled/slotted rotors. It can be done, but some people without the machining knowledge and experience just aren't willing to try it, and honestly I wouldn't suggest that you let someone learn on your expensive aftermarket rotors

Try to find a good performance oriented mechanic to do it, wherever you go. For example, in my shop, i'm the only one who would do it. My store manager saw me cutting the cobalt rotors and was shocked, he didn't know it could be done. Nobody there has tried it before apparently.

 

Had Mesa Machine in Escondido machine the rotors ($15 each). Torqued the wheels to 100lbft and there is no vibration at any speed. Now I can definitely feel the steering shaft has play/rattle. When parked, engine off, I turn the wheel side-to-side and hear a rattle and can feel a bit of play. It does not feel like the rack, it has give after it starts moving.

What is the deal with the steering shafts? I've seen a bunch of posts about them being bad, but they all discuss it as a know issue and don't really describe the problem and root cause. I don't want to spend a ton of money on the wrong parts...

BTW, the machine shop said they do drilled and slotted rotors all the time, but a rookie lathe operator can destroy the rotors if not properly trained.

Also, with 70K on these drilled rotors, I inspected them carefully after machining and there are no signs of cracks. This is expected, as they chamfered the holes, which reduces stress risers, thus preventing cracking.

 

That's because you haven't heated them up enough. If you're never gonna get them hotter, fine, but I would never spend money on drilled rotors. It's a great way to ruin a track event.

 

I heated them up enough to warp them after cryogenically treating them. But, yes, I have not tracked it.

 

Glad to hear it worked out for you.

 

Different heating. Warping is usually from uneven/rapid cooling, such as hitting water or something. The stress cracking is just from high temps in general, the metal expands to the point of fracturing and any stress spots like holes that are drilled will allow a crack to form.

 

Nahhhh.

 

That 6 piston kit must be really nice!