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 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2024 10:07 pm 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:47 pm
Posts: 7010
Location: Philadelphia
Year and Trim: 95 SLE
Couldn't agree more.

My whole thing with this car was to put as little money into it as possible since I wasn't sure how much I would drive is and much longer it's going to last. I've only put 5k miles on it in the past 3 years and it's been good so far. It feels less risky know even though it's just as risky to put any money into it. But when I think about this much improvement being the cost of one of my BMW control arms, it's a non-issue.

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95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.


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 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Mon Oct 21, 2024 2:08 pm 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:47 pm
Posts: 7010
Location: Philadelphia
Year and Trim: 95 SLE
A couple more might as wells here.. a headlight bulb went out and it spiraled into might was well replace the headlights and broken grills since it's so cheap and easy.

I got some cheap aftermarket headlights where the reviews say they can get condensation but don't seem to immediately turn yellow. I packed the lens seam with butyl tape and applied some ceramic coating. The replacement bottom grill arrived good to go but the top one arrived damaged. I'll have to get another.

Image
Image

_________________
Image
95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.


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 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Tue Oct 22, 2024 2:22 pm 
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Resident Gearhead
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Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 10:40 am
Posts: 2114
Location: West Point
Year and Trim: 2003 SSEi
Them cheap-o headlights really clean up the look of the car. And as a bonus they probably light up the night a little better.

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gweg_b wrote:
People think I'm nuts, but Matt proved it.

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 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Thu Oct 31, 2024 11:19 pm 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:47 pm
Posts: 7010
Location: Philadelphia
Year and Trim: 95 SLE
The lights do seem to have noticeably better output. Anddd the grill is in.

Image

_________________
Image
95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Sat Jan 11, 2025 12:28 am 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:47 pm
Posts: 7010
Location: Philadelphia
Year and Trim: 95 SLE
On Thanksgiving I accidentally drifted this thing on an off ramp turn in the rain with my whole family in it. Luckily instinct kicked in, I took my foot off the brake, let the front wheels take over and recovered without issue. I was not speeding, there was not pooling/puddle and there's no way that should have happened given the tread and condition of the rear tires. The fronts I replaced when I got the car with Dunlop Signature HP SLs. The rears on the car when I got it were in good shape, decent tread, not dry rotted but a brand I've never heard of, Blacklion. The tires still looked fine, pressures were all good but decided to replace them since it's not worth another scare like that. They were 6 years old which is getting into aged territory even though they showed no signs.

I didn't want to buy 2 new tires that would end up dry rotting before I even get half their mileage out of them but I still needed them to be safe. I drive the car about 1500 miles a year but usually in inclement weather. Then I started thinking about my wife's Jag with the same size tires. She'll need tires in maybe a season or two but drives more like 6k a year. So I started looking for a set of 4 for that car where I would take 2 of her old ones. The Dunlops I got previously are NLA so I went with Cooper ProControl All Seasons do to their relatively high rating. Through a black Friday deal, it ended up being $370 for 4. I was looking at over $200 for 2 at the time. So that car got new tires, I stole the best two used ones from the Jag for the rear of this car, put one on the full size spare in the Jag and junked the last one.

It snowed a couple inches here this past Monday and I got test out the new (used) rears. It went good! The car did really well in comparison to sliding out around a turn with just rain. I pushed it by myself to see where it would break traction and it took much more effort than I expected. I'm happy because the primary reason for buying it was to drive it when there's snow and salt on the roads. (I'll take a lyft before I drive my M5 in the salt) With this newfound confidence I later took the fam to my childhood sledding spot. It was just a couple inches but just enough to have fun.
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In other news, I replaced the blower motor since it was on it's way out. GM made it so you actually have to cut it out with a razor blade then has provisions to mount a new one back up with screws. Kind of strange but still a 20-30 min job.
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_________________
Image
95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 2:06 pm 
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Resident Gearhead
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Joined: Thu May 22, 2008 10:40 am
Posts: 2114
Location: West Point
Year and Trim: 2003 SSEi
It's surprising how tires affect handling even if they look "ok". Which leads me to a corollary comment on people who ride their street bike in below freezing weather. Sure, you can do it, but those tires are designed for warmer temps and don't hold the road like they should in freezing temps. Most people don't get this.

_________________
gweg_b wrote:
People think I'm nuts, but Matt proved it.

Resident Tightwad
Image
Screw you, Photobucket.


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 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2025 1:35 am 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:47 pm
Posts: 7010
Location: Philadelphia
Year and Trim: 95 SLE
Oh, I agree. I'll ride if it's 40+ but at those lower temps its definitely less throttle and no lean.

_________________
Image
95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Fri Jan 24, 2025 11:24 pm 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
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Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:47 pm
Posts: 7010
Location: Philadelphia
Year and Trim: 95 SLE
I picked up some a salt neutralizer called SaltsGone to try since Philadelphia is like a salt pan right now. I initially tested it out on the Jag but my wife had to take the car immediately after. I decided to test it out on the Cobalt to get a better idea of how it works. It calls for a 1:100 ratio. I went 1.5:100 in a 1 gallon pump sprayer. A 1 gallon sprayer is definitely enough to fully cover the car but maybe not the volume to really move the deposits. I want to say after the solution dried, maybe 50-75% of the visible salt deposits were gone. They say rinsing the car off after is optional, which is difficult for my city living situation. But, I feel like if I went back out with another gallon of water, I would be up over the 75% mark. It was about 28*F out though. So I didn't want to get too crazy with the water.

Image
Image

_________________
Image
95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.


Top
 Profile  
 
 Post subject: Re: 2005 Cobalt LS
PostPosted: Sat Feb 01, 2025 12:35 am 
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Certified Bonneville Nut
Certified Bonneville Nut
User avatar

Joined: Wed May 21, 2008 11:47 pm
Posts: 7010
Location: Philadelphia
Year and Trim: 95 SLE
Since the temperatures got up above freezing, I tried the hose hook up method and it worked awesome. It took maybe 15 mins to spray the solution, top down, then rinse it off. After a drip dry, it looked like I hand wash and dried the car.

Image

_________________
Image
95 SLE... a keeper. 241k miles. Low and Slow.
97 BMW 528i
98 Infiniti vq35'd i30: 13.3@104mph, 30MPG Hwy (RIP)
02 Jag X-type
03 BMW M5
05 Chevy Cobalt LS
07 Infiniti G35s 6MT (Sold)
07 Ducati Monster S2R 800 with DS1000 swap
83 Yamaha IT175K
72 Yamaha DS7: '74 RD250 swap, JL chambers

Info on dropping a 92-99: Here.


Top
 Profile  
 
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