i'm relatively new to the cobalt platform so my knowledge of the suspension set-ups is very limited. i've done some research and reading here on the forums to help solve my problems but some answers aren't easily found so i figured i'd ask the experts. first off, i have an 07 LT sedan. i drive spiritedly on the roads and am looking to autox occasionally. i want to make the ride a bit more sporty, but i'm not looking to spend a fortune so please don't say "buy the pedders springs or coilovers" or a bunch of other million dollar parts. i'm looking to add the ss/tc springs, struts, and shocks to liven up the ride a bit. i've also been looking at sway bars and possibly rear disc conversion.

from what i've found, the springs, struts, and shocks are a direct bolt in to my platform. also, i've found that the LT front sway bar is 19mm and the SS bar is 24mm in diameter. i've heard the front bar is kinda a pain in the ass to install. is installing an SS bar worth the hassle? how will the ride or understeer improve? also, since i'm not going to hardcore race this car since it's my dd, is adding the rear sway bar worth it? i've also found that GM made some upgraded steering knuckles for "competitive driving" since the stockers are kinda weak. will occasional autox-ing break the stock knuckles, or should i buy the new GM ones before i run? also, my car came with the rear drum brake set-up and i'd like to swap to the rear discs if it's not a giant pain in the ass. am i correct in that i need the rear axle assembly (including hubs, rotors, calipers, and brake lines) from a model with the rear discs? also, do i need to replace the master cylinder or any other components to compensate for the discs?

i know there's a lot of questions in there but i'd really appreciate help with these things.

 

I think going with the SS/TC suspension is a great idea.

I wouldn't waste your time on the front sway bar. Just get a rear and you will love it.

Don't worry about the knuckles.

You are much better off with SS/TC shocks, struts, springs and some really good tires. Also a tune would help a lot too.

Only thing to change is you might do peddars springs instead of SS/TC but you can find SS?TC springs slightly used for cheap.

As for the rear brake conversion, i think it has been done, but I'd spend my money elsewhere. It's not really going to gain that much.

Oh and Tires, Tires, Tires, they are the biggest upgrade on a base model.

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/stor...P2599C514.aspx

 

i have always heard that the sstc struts and springs are pretty much an upgrade to anything but the tc lol


if your 4 lug, i have basically everything you need to swap to 5 lug(need 2 proportioning valves for the rear and maybe hardware kits for the calipers just to be sure) yes, i was going to do the swap...then i totaled my car.

and the front swaybar is a good idea, alot of ss guys say its not necessary..mainly because they already have it , but i had an ls and the people i talked to about putting in the ss bar said it was night and day. and if your tightening up the front the rear should get tightened up too, just to keep it balanced.

as for the knuckles, g6 knuckles are the same as the competition knuckles. comp-300ea g6-125ea

im not gonna start a pissing match with umrydlo but hes got an sstc, i had an ls w fe1 suspension which is either the same or very close tho the same components as yours and i did alot of research as to what i needed/could do with out for what i wanted. needless to say i didnt get as far as i wanted to lol

https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/show...&highlight=fe1
willhelp sort out which parts are on what trim as well as what you can use as upgrades when it comes to stock parts. and dont forget me if you want to do the 5 lug swap or the swaybar lol

 

no pissing match necessary. I owned an LS with strut bar, rear sway and Z rated tires.

The only reasons I said what I did was that he mentioned not spending millions of dollars. I know the front sway bar would help a lot, but time vs money vs performance is probably not worth it.

Rear sway bar helped the most for me on my LS.

SS/TC shocks and struts will probably be major as well.

I just don't see much of an upgrade on the rear brakes unless you are getting bigger brakes, rotors and pads. again time vs. money vs. performance.

 

my car already has the 5 lug so i don't need to convert. time, i'm not too concerned with, i've got plenty of time on the weekends to swap parts, i'm just more concerned with spending the money on the parts. constantproject is local and has an SS front bar that he's selling pretty cheap, so i'm wondering if it is really worth installing. same thing with the rear drum set-up. since i'm already 5 lug, i would just need the rear parts to convert to disc. again, constantproject has the parts and he's local, so it's just a matter of if it'll be worth the money to upgrade.

constantproject, do the front knuckles that you have happen to be from which ever model has the upgraded versions?

 

well 10in rotors vs 10in drums would make a huge diff on the track or autocross(or avoiding a blue hair who didnt see the light turn red), and the front sway bar may take an afternoon to put in but if it makes enough difference in handling an sssc swaybar would be worth it for the occasional track day. or regular spirited driving lol.

the 5 lug swap kinda restricts wheel options but opens up brake options exponentially, which is why i was gonna do it, but i was gonna do the front sway nd rear sway and tires(yes wheels too) all at the same time, i was really thinking about knuckles too because the comp/g6 knuckles have a different ratio on them as well as being stronger. the only thing i would want to do differently would be go with 114 hubs all around, but my car didnt have abs so that wouldnt have been an issue, just money lol

sorry no, the knuckles are busted, i bought them from a guy who totaled his ss and both knucles broke where they would in autox

 

wow I didn't realize they had drums on the 5 lug base cobalts. Seems strange to me.

 

ya, they still need the rear beam to switch to disks. zetec pm maven and findout where hes been lurking lately, he did the 5lug swap both drum and disk, he will be able to give a bit more insight as to the abs factor and proportioning valves and such if your already 5 lug. im pretty sure hes not on here too often anymore but pm him

 

Front Sway Bar is very important esp if you want to autox. I had the FE5 Springs/struts/shocks and a rear sway bar and I wasnt satisfied. Then I said hell with it. I got a front sway bar and I never regretted it. Its a great improvement for the money since you're getting it used (aint nothin wrong with that), see if he has the end links too b/c they're shorter. Just grab new bushings and ur set for a sat morning project. lol

 

cheap
sc/ss front sway bar
ss/tc shock/struts and springs
ottp rear street bar
nt05 tires
Front rotors and pads


dont need rear conversion swap, you front brakes do almost all the braking.

 

well i got my new ss/tc shocks and struts in the mail earlier this week thanks to CED and my ss/tc springs came in yesterday thanks to tglems. i'm ready for the install monday with my day off for the holiday. anyone got any tips or tricks to help the project go smoother? i've looked on here already and got a walk through on how to replace the front struts and one for the rear springs. already got the bolts soaking in penetrating oil to help them brake loose easier. any other tips or things to look out for?

 

i still have the front swaybar with rubbers if your interested

 

Whats the best rear sway bar for road racing ?