Researched this and I can't find an answer.    Sustain pedal on-off (depress-lift damper) instructions (inserted using the draw tool) inserts an ARBITRARY (seems to be 1/4 note) distance between sustain on and sustain off.  
 
As a result, working in staff view, you have to drag the pedal up insert point to where you really want it, EVERY TIME you insert a pedal down into the staff.
 
NOT CONVENIENT.   
 
Is there a way to default the pedal up timing to something other than a 1/4 note (or whatever the current default is)? 

I don't see an option for this. I don't normally compose in the SV, but I'm seeing pedal up laid down consistently two quarters after the pedal down regardless of time signature or other settings. Of course you could view dragging the pedal up to the correct location as being no more inconvenient than having to place it as a separate operation.
 
As you may know, the staff view in SONAR is widely disdained (not to say despised) by traditional composers. It really is painfully rudimentary and inflexible. Using some combination of Staff View and Piano Roll View might alleviate the pain somewhat. Sustain controllers are easily placed there with whatever precision you desire.
 
I've recently been doing some work for a friend, converting his live recordings to notation, and ended up working with a view like this:
 

 
P.S. Note the "rolled" chords - as played. 

Yup.... that's about where I'm at!    I suppose there's a CAL that might speed up the placement of pedal markings where the on-off (up down) is predictable and regular.  

You can Copy-Paste as many repetitions as needed in another view, or even create a MIDI Groove-Clip that contains only sustain controllers. You can even give them their own track lane so they can be cut/copied/pasted independently in the Track View but will still show up in the Staff View as part of the track.
 
 

Done the copy-paste.   But I should try the midi-grove clip.  Hadn't thought of that.....
 
Thanks,
 
JG