2.4L LE5 Performance Tech 16 valve 171 hp EcoTec with 163 lb-ft of torque

Supercharger build or turbocharger build

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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 11:22 AM
  #1  
SC cobaltss15's Avatar
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Supercharger build or turbocharger build

I have a 2.4 L with 20000 miles on it. I have short ram intake and megan racing cat-back exhaust.
I am debating wether to buy the supercharger or turbocharger for my car. Can some people show me options of what i need to do. Like what will I have to do to my car before i slap a turbocharger or supercharger on there. I have the cash siting and just debating which one to buy. also what are my outcomes of hp and tq. and what are benefits for supercharger and turbocharger and negatives.
thanks please help
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 11:58 AM
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well, look deep within yourself and ask one question. How much power do you really want? The blower route is most likely harder to do but the parts are kind of easy to come by since most of us who are already supercharged are getting rid of parts. The supercharged build will more than likely yield less power than a turbo and won't have much room for upgrades before having to look into replacing things in the engine. There are those on here who have done the swap and had successes with it.

Turbos will give more power, and there are kits out for your car now, as I am sure you already know. The turbo kits will cost more to build, but upgrades afterward wouldn't be much to sweat. They are easier on the engine, and don't rely on pulleys to provide more power. The only thing would be the tuning that is a downside, but the same companies with kits already have it figured out.
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 12:00 PM
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I was always one to say Supercharger but since trading the SC in and heading to a turbo'd car, I dont think I will ever go back. I vote turbo
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 12:01 PM
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can you show me some options for the turbocharger kits... and also anyone have any suggested turbocharger kits.. and for each kit what wil i have to do to the engine?
thanks sam
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Deathscythe
well, look deep within yourself and ask one question. How much power do you really want? The blower route is most likely harder to do but the parts are kind of easy to come by since most of us who are already supercharged are getting rid of parts. The supercharged build will more than likely yield less power than a turbo and won't have much room for upgrades before having to look into replacing things in the engine. There are those on here who have done the swap and had successes with it.

Turbos will give more power, and there are kits out for your car now, as I am sure you already know. The turbo kits will cost more to build, but upgrades afterward wouldn't be much to sweat. They are easier on the engine, and don't rely on pulleys to provide more power. The only thing would be the tuning that is a downside, but the same companies with kits already have it figured out.

where in norfolk are you? you know ceasar? and whod u swipe that tvs from?
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 12:34 PM
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on the naval base. I know cesar, he test drove a caliber srt-4 last week. I got mine from sunburst_ss, he was in a bind and had to let go of it.
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 01:08 PM
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can you show me some options for the turbocharger kits... and also anyone have any suggested turbocharger kits.. and for each kit what wil i have to do to the engine?
thanks sam
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 01:18 PM
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turbo build forsure
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 06:11 PM
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It depends on how mechanically inclined you are, or more specifically, how much you know about cars.. By the nature of your question, I'm guessing the answer is "not very". That's okay, neither am I. It's not something to be ashamed of, you just need to recognize your limitations and go from there.

Your problem likely isn't going to be with acquiring or installing the parts, but on getting your engine to work properly with them so your car maintains drivability. I'm going to assume this is probably a car you drive regularly and not something you are hoping to turn into a drag monster. This means you need whatever forced induction system you use to work just like GM put it in (or hopefully better ).

So, you basically have 4 options (in order of likely cost):
1) Do it yourself and hope you don't tear anything up.
2) Follow a step by step supercharger install and use Rebel Auto's tune.
3) Go with Hahn's turbo kit, and use his tune.
4) Make buddies with a tuner shop in your area and let them point you in the right direction.

So far as specific drawbacks and limitations of turbocharging or supercharging your car.. there are books written about this stuff.

These are some of the pros and cons I went off, but I'm not insuring my accuracy. If I'm wrong on any of these - I'm sure someone will chime in. Oh, and this installing the Eaton M62 Supercharger (from a Cobalt SS/SC) vs. installing a Garrett GT2860RS (from Hahn's kit).

Supercharger -
Pros:
- Less expensive.
- Instant boost (there's no lag with a supercharger)
- Good power gains, looking at about 225 whp from 8 psi.
- Easier install
Cons:
- Finding the parts can be difficult.
- More difficult to control how much boost your engine's getting (pulley sizes, etc.)
- Parasitic power loss (since the blower runs on your pulleys, you are losing power just by having it on)
- Decreased efficiency and economy of the engine.

Turbocharger
Pros:
- Substantial power gains (250-300 whp on the same turbo on stock internals with minimal upgrades)
- No parasitic power loss, so efficiency and economy stay similar (if not improve) when not boosting
- Less of a probability of the wheel hop and tire spin that plague the SS/SC specifically because of turbo lag
Cons:
- Cost

You should also consider before jumping into either way that you WILL LOSE YOUR FACTORY WARRANTY. This is a reality you should really consider before slapping something on your engine that could potentially blow it up or rip your transmission out.

For me, I went with Hahn's kit. Mainly because it offers the HP and TQ I was looking for (in the 250 to the wheels range), has been used successfully on quite a few Cobalts now and numerous Solstice/Sky 2.4l and because Hahn has a lot of experience with turbos on GM applications.

The drawback - it's expensive. All in all, you can expect to spend in the neighborhood of $5000+ to take your car from where it is now to the bare minimum of where it should be. That price includes the kit itself, clutch, install, and any other tuning you'd like to have done on top of Hahn's. I'd also include new tires if you're still on the stock Pirrellis and you should highly consider a brake upgrade.
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:22 PM
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see my mod list. turbo is more expensive but imo can be made faster.
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:23 PM
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Brian MP5T's Avatar
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Turbo
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:42 PM
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what they said...get a kit...less headaches
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Old Jun 25, 2008 | 10:49 PM
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my vote is- DO BOTH. ZZP makes 450+ hp with their kit.
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 01:11 AM
  #14  
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do both..lol wtf?

soo does anyone have kit options up here?

Last edited by SC cobaltss15; Jun 26, 2008 at 01:11 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 01:23 AM
  #15  
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dose any one have a turbo for a 2.2L that are selling
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 02:07 AM
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From: gtown md
titssssss
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 02:32 AM
  #17  
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are there any supercharger kits out there for the 2.4L's where i can just buy the kit and i am ready to slap on? if soo tell me which ones so i can look into them
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 02:39 AM
  #18  
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i have a m62 for sale, 300 shipped, if you would of hit me up earlier i had the intake manifold too, but its gone now, PM me if your interested, cuz its about to be gone to another member in a trade
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 09:18 AM
  #19  
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guys can anyone give me my options for suppercharger and turbocharger full kits
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 11:01 AM
  #20  
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supercharger=custom
turbo kit= hahn or custom
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 05:08 PM
  #21  
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SMP makes a bolt on procharger kit for 3200 dollars but you still need to hey tuning
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 05:16 PM
  #22  
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Originally Posted by SC cobaltss15
guys can anyone give me my options for suppercharger and turbocharger full kits
I know a guy selling his s/c kit with everything including a meth plate for $2000 but he lives here in Brampton Ontario
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Old Jun 26, 2008 | 06:07 PM
  #23  
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theres nothing custom about putting an m62 on a LE5. it all bolts right on. And anyone can make a ghetto L bracket to hold on to the second coolant tank, and some metal strapping to hold onto the coolant pump for HE.

all bolt on.
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Old Jun 27, 2008 | 07:18 AM
  #24  
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Turbo!
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Old Jun 27, 2008 | 10:59 AM
  #25  
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Originally Posted by Brian MP5T
Turbo!
MORE POWER
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