MY STORY COBALT SS STORY by Will, Photos by Will. ------------->
Well, the Cobalt SS first came out when i was in high school. I knew i wanted a sport compact, but i wanted something domestic, and at the time, my only option would have been a Ford Focus SVT, or the Dodge Neon SRT4. Neither really appealed to me, since the ford was ugly, and the dodge looked like a rental car with a lift kit in the rear. Then Chevy released the Cobalt SS. I knew instantly i had to have one. Luckily while i was stationed at Ft Bragg NC, I came across the Rally Yellow Cobalt I now own.
It was bone stock, and I was a poor private at the time. 5 months after i bought it, i deployed to Iraq on a 15 month tour, which ended up being a total of 456 days! I told myself i wouldn't mod it until i had paid it off, but that didn't stop me from browsing the internet in my free time to plan what i wanted to do. My first purchase, like 99% of the tuner world, was an intake from Injen. Then came a set of K-Sport coilovers. I was still really new to performance vehicles, so it stayed at that level for a while. Right around the middle of my tour, i started to think about wheels. I think i speak for a lot of people when i say wheels can make or break the aesthetic of a car. The stock lug pattern is 5x110, which is probably one of the single worst out there. There are VERY few wheels that work with it, and most are cheaply cast, and heavy. I contacted a few companies such as HRE, CCW, and iForged, but I couldn't justify to myself laying out that much dough on an econobox. RPF1's and TE-37's are my favorite wheels by far, but neither Enkei, nor Volk would re-drill them for me. 
I was about to resort to adaptors, when i came across some info on the original Time Attack Cobalt built by Powell RaceShop out of Port Perry, Ontario Canada. For the race car, they had fabricated an new twisting beam for the rear, with a built in, adjustable sway bar, and wheel hubs sourced from an '03 Grand Am. The result was insane performance, and a new lug pattern of 5x114.3. I contacted him immediately, and we started to plan our attack. John Powell, his son Devon, and the Powell RaceShop crew built me a Time Attack spec rear beam, complete with 5x114 hubs, as well as new hubs for the front, new knuckles, axles, stainless lines, and a Brembo 4-pot front brake setup. I now had the ability to run just about any off the shelf wheel i could dream of, as well as proven racing performance.
For power, i chose the Cobalt SS specific Harrop 1320LSJ TVS supercharger, along with 80lb/hr injectors, a 31" primary OTTPerformance longtube header, and a custom 3" stainless steel intake system. 
At some point I sold the K-Sport coilovers in favor of Pedders race springs for their superior performance. The Pedders handled absolutely amazing with that rear beam, but it looked like a 4x4. Only just a few months ago, I bit the bullet and ordered a set of Stance GR+ coilovers, and dropped the car back down to where it sits now.
I've got to give a special shout-out to Powell Raceshop, OTTPerformance, my crew, Cloudydays and WMD for the opportunity to tell my Cobalt SS story.
- Will