So the Cobalt SS Turbo has the same style rear suspension as the J-body right? What all did GM do to the suspension on the SS to make it handle so well? All the reviews I have read say its pretty much the best handling FWD car they have ever tested. I know GM is tuning all their performance cars on the Ring, what lessons can we apply to the J-body from the SS?
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto, 83 Mazda RX-7
The Cobalt rear suspension is NOTHING like the 3rd gen J...... its more like the Beretta then anything.
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Noquarter wrote:So the Cobalt SS Turbo has the same style rear suspension as the J-body right??
WRONG!
the only thing off the top of my head about the rear is the cobalt and j-body have a solid rear axle or bar or whatever you call it
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when will people realize that a cobalt and a cavalier have nothing in common
in ?? years when the cobalt isn't even made anymore.
AWD GS wrote:when will people realize that a cobalt and a cavalier have nothing in common
yeah they do. they are both made by chevy
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
99redz24 wrote:AWD GS wrote:when will people realize that a cobalt and a cavalier have nothing in common
yeah they do. they are both made by chevy
thanks for the brilliant response
AWD GS wrote:99redz24 wrote:AWD GS wrote:when will people realize that a cobalt and a cavalier have nothing in common
yeah they do. they are both made by chevy
thanks for the brilliant response
it was a joke. get a sense of humor
Im a Xbox 360 fanboy...and damn proud of it!!
Anyone have a pic of the SS rear end then?
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto, 83 Mazda RX-7
As far as I know, I am the only one that has put the cobalt SS discs on (and documented) a j-body
Doesnt the ss have independent rear suspension? thats a huge step forward for chevy .. heehee
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^^^ no. its a straight 'twist beam'.
and its not inferior because during testing it spanked LOTS of cars with IRS.
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The point of my thread wasnt that the SS rear end was identical and that it could be swapped into a J-body but that it is the same style, which is it. They both have twist beam rear suspension. I havent seen the SS rear in person yet so I wasnt sure what the differences were. Looks like the SS uses shocks and seperate springs vs. the J-bodies rear struts. What other changes are there?
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto, 83 Mazda RX-7
Noquarter wrote:So the Cobalt SS Turbo has the same style rear suspension as the J-body right? What all did GM do to the suspension on the SS to make it handle so well? All the reviews I have read say its pretty much the best handling FWD car they have ever tested. I know GM is tuning all their performance cars on the Ring, what lessons can we apply to the J-body from the SS?
Cobalt's hardware is from the 2nd gen J & older N-body but in concept it acts the same it is a torsion beam axle. What GM did was beef up the stabilizer bars, the SS-T uses the thickest bars using 24mm front and rear bars, then the shocks are indeed stiffer made by Sachs, lastly and most importantly, very good, wider, gripier high performance summer tires, better then the Pirellis it had before.
You can add all of that on your J and you the advantage of weighing in 200-400lbs less and it will out handle it. Granted the S-T has the option of LSD which is huge factor in higher numbers, especially on a FWD car.
As for the 'Ring thank 260HP/260TQ engine, fade resistant Brembo front fixed caliper and 4-wheel vented brakes for that. Oh and the expertise of Cobalt's race-car driver John Heinricy might have something to do with lowering the Ring numbers too.
The SS-T suspension is almost maxed out, the only thing you can do better is coil-over, slick tires, and maybe thicker bars. If GM put in a IRS, the numbers would be even higher. But out of the box it is well done, but it can be out classed by its predecessor, by doing what GM didn't do.
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I will take the "semi independent" twist beam over a IRS.
so from the ss supercharged to the ss/tc is just sway bars, struts, and tires? There was no additional chassis bracing that GM added?
oldskool wrote:so from the ss supercharged to the ss/tc is just sway bars, struts, and tires? There was no additional chassis bracing that GM added?
Basically beefed up suspension components: Wider and stickier tires, thicker bars, stiffer struts. Also a new steering gear (14.8:1 ratio). But no additional bracing.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
mitdr774 wrote:I will take the "semi independent" twist beam over a IRS.
IRS wins out every time, stays much more composed going over mid-corner bumps and whatnot. Especially important in RWD applications, but even in my FWD I'd prefer IRS.
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Mr. Goodwrench GT, Thanks very much for the explanation. Thats exactly what I was looking for.
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto, 83 Mazda RX-7
One more question, are those SS sway bars hollow or solid?
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto, 83 Mazda RX-7
BlownBlackZ wrote:mitdr774 wrote:I will take the "semi independent" twist beam over a IRS.
IRS wins out every time, stays much more composed going over mid-corner bumps and whatnot. Especially important in RWD applications, but even in my FWD I'd prefer IRS.
You can have your IRS and I will keep my twist beam. I also prefer a live axle over a IRS on a RWD vehicle. If you know how to handle it mid corner bumps are not a problem. IRS is also more expensive to manufacture and maintain.
Noquarter wrote:One more question, are those SS sway bars hollow or solid?
Both front and rear bars are indeed solid.
>>>For Sale? Clicky!<<<
-----The orginal Mr.Goodwrench on the JBO since 11/99-----
Thanks much.
97 Cavalier 2.2 5-speed, 88 Camaro IROC-Z 5.7 auto, 91 Firebird Formula 5.7 auto, 88 Conquest TSi 2.6T 5 speed, 93 Silverado ECSB 5.7 auto, 83 Mazda RX-7
