LaserBlue07SS

iTrader: (1)

Ok I've had my stage 2 in for about 4,000 miles now and never had a problem until tonight. I started off from a red light normally....no launch no burn out etc....usually I can stand on it hit about 6k and go to second gear. well I went to second gear and got nothing just revved the **** out of it and the clutch had to have been engaged. I stopped in a parking lot and all i smelled was cluch so i chilled for like an hour to let things cool down and after driving for a little bit it seemed to be shifting fine again.

I know the explanation may not be the best or rather long but any input would be appreciated!

Avrj123

Thats is common, Stage 2 will burn out your clutch right away, the stock clutch cannot handle the extra power, I suggest start looking for a stronger clutch or you will be without a ride soon.

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Gotta adjust your driving style for our bitchy clutch or replace it. There is a how-to thread I think on here somewhere about shifting faster and not sliding the clutch as much to improve its holding power. I did it by accident myself and got the same results. I used to think the clutch sucked, but now its holding close to 300WHP with no problems, at 36,000 miles. You do have to baby it a little though, but thats better to me than coughing up $1200 for a new Exedy.

syP

right before the shift, were you spinning?


my stock clutch grabbed my stage 2 HARD... only if i was not spinning though.


i could ROAST the upshift... yes tire squeel, not just RPMs going up.

ItalianJoe1

iTrader: (10)

Thats where I'm at now, even with these sticky KDWs.

SSdan

I can literally spin 2nd all day, but can never get 3rd to chirp, ever. It just will not do it on a hard shift. Yet to try a powershift.

TurboTechRacing

iTrader: (24)

Stage 2 and the OEM clutch doesnt work to well together.

Most get the SPEC Stage 3+ clutch kit or the EXEDY Hyper Single.

PM us with any questions you have.

CPerez1217

its called a glazed clutch it sucks

an0malous

sorry I completely disagree with all of the above.
there is nothing wrong with the stock clutch well beyond stage 2.
if you drive it properly.

Watch this video
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/showthread.php?t=59549

I have S2 Intake Exhaust.
watch the clutch grab instantly right after i deliberately glaze it.

Avrj123

That could be true, but my clutch was sparking no more than 1 1/2 mths later, and that was on regular driving

an0malous

that video was done with 20k S2+ modded miles on the clock.

1gmfanatik

My car was the test dummy for the 07 stg kits, so she has had the stock clutch since the very beggining. I now have almost 22K on her and the stock clutch. With my mods, the only time she has slipped is after driving in stop and go traffic on a crazy hot day, then gettin on it from a stop, she'll slip a bit from 1st to 2nd. Other then that she grips like a ****....U DO have to make adjustments to your driving style with the clutches in these cars.

SCcobaltSS

iTrader: (2)

Well right after I got my stage 2 mine slipped bad at 12k miles and still does at 18k miles later. If I go to second quick it either slips terribly where I have to let off to be able to catch again or it will grab hard as hell they are touchy clutches. All these cars and there clutches are different, its stupid to agrue a fact that the clutch can or cant handle the power. Obviously some can and some cant, its weird but it happens.

LaserBlue07SS

iTrader: (1)

I'm an apprentice tech in Naperville at the Chevy Dealer. I talked with my trans tech and we looked into it and called GM and we inspected the clutch not glazed, if any very slightly the throw out bearing is more than likely hanging up.

I'm actually looking into a set up from center force. although the excedy clutch is a nice clutch. thanks for all the input guys.

Here's some info that may excite all. The HHR SS is being released this fall official word at work today. turbo charged 2.0L ecotec!

XSNRG

the clutch in this car sucks. i've been driving stick 15 years and have never replaced a clutch before 60 k miles (and that was on a 2001 pontiac firehawk). i have 22 k miles and have had issues with reving/slipping since 6 k miles. i am completly stock (was waiting till after the warranty) and my clutch is gone. even worse is the local dealer and gm both stated that the clutch is a wear part (which i understand if my car had 30k miles or more) and therefore not covered (even though it has exibited documented signs of clutch waer since 6 k miles). i don't race this car and actually have been babying it quite a bit since i've heard all the clutch, axle problems. just another problem with this car, i actually would not recommend this car at all. it sucks too because i love the look of the supercharged ss and raved about how much i loved the car and how gm was maybe on the way back up, until i actually had problems with the car and then it was nothing but headaches. oh and i have been told by gm and dealer that if i put an aftermarket clutch it could void my warranty. i thought that was funny since i was an ex-service writer and am now going to law school, so i told the cust service rep he might want to look up the magnuson-moss warranty act.

SCcobaltSS

iTrader: (2)

I agreed! These clutches suck!

an0malous

A bad carpenter blames their tools.

as was said above. sometimes you have to adjust what your used to, to give the car what it wants. Dont just expect the car to bend to your will.

SCcobaltSS

iTrader: (2)

Doesnt matter how I drive this car, I can race the **** out of it and it will shift great or terrible. I can drive normal and it will shift great or terrible. Any other clutch that I have driven was nothing like this clutch. Its is a unpredictable tempermental clutch bottom line.

chris88z24

3500 hard miles on mine (by hard i mean 90% city driving) and no slippage issues at all. I can spin the 1-2 shift, and I am 100% stock. Nothing wrong with the clutches, you just need to adjust your driving to suit the car. You can't roast the tires off in 1st and slam it into 2nd and expect the clutch to grab each and every time. Also, if you are shifting under 3k, you better match your shifts almost perfectly because if you shift quick and immediately dump the clutch you can and will glaze it. Take your time between shifts in normal driving, make sure you have traction when you are driving her hard, and try not to rev the motor too high when letting the clutch out from a stop. Follow those tips (and any others that people may post or already have posted) and you will have a happy clutch.

Here, this is what NOT to do...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn4ov...elated&search=

so bad for it..

XSNRG

that's a great quote but i'm sure if your a master carpenter who has had 7 different sets of tools over 15 years and they have all worked fine and then you got a set that breaks continually you would tend to think it was the tools not the carpenter. especially if more than half the reviews of the tools noted that they had the same issue with the tools breaking....

firemanfrank

I used to hear a chirp on an aggressive 1/2 shift when my car was new.

Now, with just 1800 miles on my car, I hardly ever hear a "chirp" on the 1/2 shift.

Doesn't make sense, as when car was new I was only making 10-11lbs. of boost, whereas now I'm making the full 12.5 lbs.

The clutch is not slipping, as I've observed no "over revving" of the engine. Car just plants and goes.

Maybe because the tires have worn in a bit?

an0malous

to be honest your the first "experienced driver" that ive seen have trouble with it.

nearly every person who has trouble with the clutch on these cars is <25, and or has very little experience with stick.
In general most of the older guys are the ones saying "clutch is great, grabs hard"

In keeping with the analogy, ill give you this....
This tool is different to every other one, one could maybe argue that that is a fault on its own......maybe, but it has the ability to work just as well as every tool youve used in the past, but its a little more picky. If you try to bend it to your will, it will break, if you use this tool how it likes to be used, it can work stronger than any.

chris88z24

Yup. I'm < 25, and this is my first manual car. I've never really driven a 5 speed too much before this car. A little bit here and there, and granted I had the basic idea down, but I basically went to the dealer and drove the thing home and taught myself on the way. I have zero clutch issues, but i'm also driving the car "the way it likes to be driven."

XSNRG

i guess that i don't have experience driving race cars or tough driving i've only owned :

2001 pontiac firehawk
1998 jeep wrangler
1995 eagle talon awd
1993 mazda rx-7
1990 nissan pickup
1975 ford bronco


all were stick all different ways to drive and points were the clutch engaged. i'm sure some people have not have clutch issues, etc and if i didn't i'd probably react the same way and just say it was driver error. i would also love to always drive my car aggressive but unfortunately that is often not applicable in i-95 miami traffic. plus i was a service writer for 6 years and most recently worked at chevy for 2 years. in my 2 years, out of 10 cobalt ss/supercharged we sold 8 came back with clutch issues under 20k miles and probably 7 with the rotors warped at 10k miles or less. i even had a service manager tell a girl that she probably didn't know how to drive stick and that was why her clutch was bad. turns out the girl was a championship scca/drag racer who raced every weekend. again i love the look of my cobalt its just the reoccurring service issues and bad service that pisses me off. having been on the inside i also know that tech's often like to say driver error because replacing a clutch in an ss will net them 8-12 hours retail labor as oppossed to probably 4-6 under warranty. it's the same as when people came in with a/c issues and my tech's would want to tack on 1 hr because the person had an aftermarket stereo (even though they never touched the stereo wires) or the tech's wouldn't want to warranty anything with the stage kits and would try to charge retail.

1gmfanatik

Mine has 22K miles on her, was beat for the first 630 by GM for their Ride and Drive at the Nopi shows and what not, as well as the test dummy for the 07 Stg kits, and My rotors have no issues and the only time my clutch has slipped is when gettin on it from a stop after a bunch of stop and go traffic on a massively hot day. Other then that, she grabs hard, and with the G85 I still chirp em pretty good in second.

Now that that has been said, there will be problem cars with any vehicle manufacturer. Were all those Cobalts that you mentioned 05's?? That was the first year the Cobalt was introduced and alot were prone to small problems.