On the aside off the mod debate - years ago the Camaro was hawked as "the poor man's Corvette" in ad literature. Funny - that spot was easily occupied by the SS/SC and SS/TC - after the Camaro no longer became the "poor man's anything", with the prices they hit people with! Unfortunately GM has yet to step up with another low cost rocket.

OP - good posts, and yeah, I start getting all list crazy thinking about my future mods, but right now my other two projects take all my money (my second gen f-body and my wife).

 

Just trying to keep you from spending unnecessary money. My response was more towards the others in the thread trying to get you to waste your money.

Yes it is. 505 horsepower under 3200, the second quickest car available for under 100K (only the GT-R is quicker with a lower 1/4 trap), I think it is a given you should be able to smoke practically anything resembling a street car, within reason.

Come on, not everyone on the site is a 19 year old kid. Compared to a GT-R, the Z06 takes skill, but that is just a bit extreme.

 

Welcome here!

Bang for the buck the 2008-2010 Cobalt SS is pretty tough to beat;
I agree that it's a grossly underrated car, and that hte real truth about it lies somewhere in the middle grounds...

Regaurding modifications, you will find a couple vendors here who offer parts, but I'd encourage you to look up posts made from 1Quickredline(??) ~ Powell Race Shop;
I believe they are a vendor here - they have been involved in racing these cars for some time, and to the best of my knowledge some of their parts are copied...

Thank yo sir for speaking up... sheesh.

Do yourself the favor and buy your GMS1 + pigtail kit straight from CrateEngineDepot dot com.

Many people will suggest what you must, or what you should change, but IMHO you're best off having more fun with the car that has more potential to begin with -> The Z06

That being said, GMS1 is a warranty backed tune, and cannot be argued against if you want to have zero headaches...
Also our exhausts systems are pretty good as-is, but the factory downpipe (aka:headpipe) is restrictive, I'd encourage you to look to another one of our vendors (my preference is ModernPerformance dot com) for either a catless (if your state allows it), or a catted headpipe...

IMHO chargepipe, and intercoolers only should be 'upgraded' if something goes wrong with the stockers, becasue for 99% of hte people here, the OE parts are just fine...

...I'm seeing there was obligitory arginging... nice...

Congrats on a wise purchase!
(no, I'm not editing my post )

I was looking over the exact Z06 'Carbon Edition' today that I would have wanted if that 'Push Onstar' contest came through for me... drool.

Again ~ welcome here!!

 

The wife mod is by far the most expensive!

Thanks, already got the crate engine depot version, UPS is dropping it off tomorrow.

You read my mind, the Z06 is the weekend fun car. Want the cobalt to be fast but still covered by warranty. There have been a lot of horror stories lately about LS7s exploding and warranties being denied because of air fresheners. Okay, not that bad, but one was denied for aftermarket brakes (seriously). Last thing I need is a grenaded LS7 and LNF.

I thought you were "yelling" at me for things I hadn't purchased.

Re. the Z06, I have to respectfully disagree with you. I'm sorry, but you cannot pick any random person off the street, throw them in that car, and have them miraculously transform into Jim Mero. Wasn't trying to claim that everyone is a kid or that I'm Kyle Busch. But I am a grown man and that damn car scares me. Have you ever driven one aggressively in 40 degree weather? If you make it to your destination you deserve a medal. I thought I was the best driver in the world until I got the Z06. That thing will kill an ego real quick. Took me the better part of a year to learn how to drive it properly. In the right conditions (under 60 deg. ambient temp., low tire temp. & pressure), a tiny error in steering input can kill you; not a millimeter, but a centimeter can probably do it.

Let me put it this way, the torque to weight ratio is so overwhelming, within a curve, you have to orient the car to "lines approximating an arc". Picture a curve like a semi-circle, then picture an approximation of the curve defined by connected lines (each at a slightly different angle). The better you get, you can drive more lines (with lower angles between the lines). It's kind of counter-intuitive, but that technique allows you to be in the throttle more (say 80%) vs. continuous changes in steering (say 50% throttle). The hideous part is the transition between lines, when you need that little touch of steering input to change the track angle of the car. Too little, you go into understeer and plow off the track or road. Too much, the rear "snaps" sideways due to the torque - at 100+ MPH, you're dead, no ifs ands or buts.

There's a really great video that shows this exact phenomenon. Z06 chasing a GT-R at the 'ring . Look really closely and you can see that the Z06 approximates roughly four lines (before, in, and after the curve). Also note that he swings wide compared to the GT-R, it's because of this delicate balance, too little steering input, off the track, too much, sideways and off the track.

Nissan GTR and Corvette Z06 - YouTube

 

I wasn't trying to imply that! Awesome car, I apparently cannot be eloquent enough to politely discuss these things over the internet.

 

I haven't been fortunate to drive a C6 Z06 yet, but I instruct in them quite often. IMO, driven at 7/10, which is what most intermediate students do, the car is very easy to drive. It has soooo much grip, and the brakes work great if you're not pushing the car. Of course, once you start testing the limits of traction, it's like you said. You need to be very aware of what's going on.

 

WOW Id like to be the first to say that was one of the most beautiful articles ive ever read !. They way he explained the c6 brought a tear to my eye. That truly was a great way to explain it ! Anyway WELCOME ! to CSS dont be a stranger lot of good guys on this site who can help with almost anything !

im lad u bought the car it was refreshing to see somone be true and honest and not call it a slobalt gaybalt pos chevy car fwd pos...that sort of thing. Nice to get a true owner like myself getting excited about the Balt !

I myself drive a 2007 ss sc but soon to be trubo swapped with zzp kit im looking at 350-400whp soon and 4 grand is not bad to get 220 more horsepower and bring the tq to 360 if not more. These cars rock as a DD or a weekend fun track car enjoy ur balt !

 

I plan on keeping my car fairly mild according to most... I have this to fix up;



Nope, it's not "Nurburgring car" (I have no umlautz button!) ~ but I've always prefered stock or super stock type racing anyway ~ I'll probably build it to compete in the 'pure stock musclecar drags'...

And until then if I need to bag on something at the track, I have something else too...
(but it's FWD, and less powerful than the Cobalt )

 

Agreed.... Our C6..... after the blower.... was the first car that pulled hard enough to scare me .... I had to "LIFT" in middle of 3rd cause it felt like the car was taking me along for the ride....not the other way around. I got over it after a few hundred miles but if you don't respect it....it will bite you. I don't think I would be able to keep my license if I had to drive it all the time ....sometime i look down thinking I'm going 60 and I'm cruising at 80 lol.... the car is so docile and quiet in 6th that I really need to monitor the speedo 3x as much as in my SS/TC.

I've had the rear tires start to chatter in 3rd at WOT in cooler weather ... that scared the crap out of me ....if it completely let go....it wouldn't have been pretty at those speeds . I swear the car picks up 20 hp when the air temp drops under 60. ECS had a stock 2011 Zr1 on the same dyno a few days before our's and they made identical 565 WHP but our car gave up 20Wtq...545 to the Zr1's 565 wtq. Weather conditions were the same so we all were happy with the power on 8 PSI .


I used to think i was pretty fearless in car's having had my 427 4sp 72 SS nova for 20 years and driven quiet a few Corvette's . I haven't had the pleasure of driving a Z06 yet but we have a 66 427 4sp side pipe car in the family and I've gotten 200 miles or so on 2 different ZR1's .... a 93 and a 95 ... That belong to a family friend (he has a new Zr1 but I would never ask and it hasn't been offered yet ) I have around 30 passes on our 70 chevelle SS 502 that runs 11.60@121 ...... but that's a whole different deal than the C6.


*Flame disclaimer*
nothing above is that special...I'm not bragging ...hell I don't even own them ...only the Nova . I'm just trying to show where I'm coming from with cars I've experienced .... nothing more than adding some perspective. *

 

Nice Bird! ....Is it a 72 or 73? It's hard for me to tell the difference . Old Muscle has a style all it's own...... they are fun enough just cruising in that you don't need to pull .90 G's on a skid pad . My 72 Nova didn't like to turn hard but it made you look forward to the straights hehe.

 

Too loose like a total noob

 

Lol, I geuss your right it is lol.. mind you the rpd get's boring after awhile

 

Well guys, I was hoping to get back on here with some cheerful replies to everything that has been posted since I last checked in. Unfortunately...

GMS1 was installed today - BIG problem. Thankfully I'm OCD so every possible measurement has been accounted for. Here's how it went down, picked the car up, drove fine, took it for a spin up and down a little service road by the dealership, big grin on my face, I was spinning in 1st and 2nd. Figured everything was okay, so I left.

On my way home, after a red light, the car starts bucking wildly in 1st, like it was going from 20 psi of boost to 0, back and forth; then I noticed the boost spiked almost up 24 psi (did not feel good). Tire pressure warning light came on, CEL came on, DIC said something about "SVT check tire pressure", and the front driver's side tire pressure on the RPD was simply a "-" (nothing).

I get home, pull out my OBDII scanner from the vette, plug it in and I was throwing a P0236 "turbo/super boost sensor a ckt range/perf". I erase the code, turn the car off, let it sit for about 10 minutes, turn it back on. Code doesn't come back, tire issue has mysteriously vanished (solid reading on RPD, no warning light, no message on DIC).

So I take the car back out again, seems like everything is okay, except max. boost appears to be lower than expected (I was hitting maybe 18-19 psi vs. 20.5+ from what I've read here). Then all of a sudden, I go into some kind of reduced boost mode, would not produce more than 5 psi in any gear. No warnings of any kind on the dash. So I pull over, plug in the scanner again, and this time I have another P0236, but it was a "silent" code, no CEL or evidence at all.

Took the car out for about an hour, this is kind of ridiculous, but I tried to identify a pattern; I had the scanner plugged in while I was driving. I would pop a silent P0236 (knew it happened because max. boost dropped to 5 psi) and when I would come up to a light sure enough it was detected by the scanner. Erased at the light and the problem was gone instantaneously, back up to 18-19 psi of boost. I repeated this 3 times, the silent codes would trip about once every 20 minutes, each time reducing max. boost to 5 psi.

I've looked through the site and this looks pretty nasty. Based on other threads, seems like it could be:

A. Bad MAF
B. Oil or water on MAF or MAP
C. Intercooler loose connection, crack, or explosion
D. Boost leak
E. Nut on rod that connects to turbo waste gate
F. "Stuck" bypass valve (rubber diaphragm collapse)

So now that I have things narrowed down , can you guys think of any one possibility that is much stronger than the others? Any help is really appreciated.

Two things to note, 1) I have the crate engine depot GMS1 with the plug and play adapters, looked over everything with my mechanic, looked like a solid install (he works on the Z06). 2) It was raining HARD, I mean torrential downpours, so I have no idea if that played a role (item B above may be a good fit).

 

I'm gonna guess the tire pressure thing is a fluke. Make sure the tires are calibrated for the correct corner. I would just recalibrate them all.

Regarding your code. If you had no problems before, and only after, then I'm going to guess that the problem is likely the lower sensor. You shaved the little plastic boss off right? And it is turned so that it won't hit the fan?

Water on the MAF would only happen if you have an aftermarket intake. I was under the impression that you have the stock intake. It does suck when it gets wet though. You will get stuck in limp mode. Ask me how I know...

 

I'm pretty much with wang;

I've read that all the problems associated with GMS1 are 80% install (read: wiring); 20% boost leak;
to cure the latter, some make a bracket of sorts that once again utilizes the 2nd lower MAP sensor screw (which I hope was reinstalled btw)

I have noticed (on a bone stock car) that torrential downpour situations do make some funny crap happen...

 

i would suggest getting a short ram intake over a cai. getting a cai on a turbo car really doesnt matter since the air all goes through a piping hot turbo anyway, then through the intercooler. cai's work better for n/a or blower cars.

 

take out the MAF sensor and look at it. See if its dirty. I doubt its that though, im going with everyone else and saying its got to be the lower sensor.

Unless.... your chargepipe or your Intercoolers end tanks have decided to go, but I want to say I really doubt that since you just got this install. Check the lower MAP. If you want to check the BPV, its real easy to take off and examine, look for a tear.

 

Alright guys, took several pictures of the installed kit. You know a hell of a lot more about this kit than I do, so you may see something that I missed.

This is what was removed (and possibly a piece or two that was not installed?):



Upper MAP, top view:



Upper MAP, looking at it dead on from the front:



Lower MAP:




My vette mechanic installed this thing, but he admitted he NEVER works on these cars.

Two things jump at out me, 1) it looks like the kit contains identical Bosch sensors, whereas the original setup consisted of two different sensors? 2) I think you said that there are supposed to be two screws on the lower MAP, I only see one (and a hole in the plastic piece that the sensor connects to)?

Is it possible that one of those smaller screws needs to go into that hole? Can it be that easy?

Also, some more info, took it for another test drive, bucking in 1st is gone, but I did notice that I can only hit about 11 psi in 1st, ~15 psi in 2nd, and ~19 psi in 3rd. P0236 did not come back during my drive, but I did throw a P0507 - idle control system RPM high. Since it was dry today, I also noticed some interesting sounds I couldn't hear yesterday because of the rain. When I would lay into the throttle I could hear something (turbo, intake, etc) making a "wheeeeeeeeeeeew" sound, then on the upshift a thunk or pop was audible from the rear (sometimes sounded like a backfire, other times just like a thunk).

 

The plot (maybe) thickens. Since a few people mentioned that the intercooler is less than Grade A, took a look at it.

Drivers side:



Passenger side:

 

yikes.. sorry to hear about your problems :/ im GMS1 and never had a problem for 15,000miles now. hard rain or not. as for tire pressure sensors they are pasky at best... had one replaced and had the sensor mess up the other day for a little bit as well. goodluck! nice vette!

 

Intercooler looks fine. Most of the problem comes from the pastic endtanks.. if you look at my photo with the aftermarket ic in front of the factory ic, you can see the plastic end tank. I don't think it matters which sensor goes where but I think the factory map sensors have a map and a tmap. The screw thats missing might be causing a boost leak. That's my head if you are getting varying boost spikes in 2nd and 3rd.

 

Actually.... I'm banking that's the problem. Did he shave doen the lower charge pipe so that the sensor sits flush?!? Might be why he skipped on that screw.

 

the replacement MAP's are the same part;
if you followed the instructions, the MAP to be installed on the lower charge pipe was supposed to have a cast "rib" shaved off ~ which would prevent it from sitting flush.

although I have not seen inside the lower charge pipe, and am not certain on how it's cast, I would be inclined to reinstall on of the old lower MAP screws to fill the remaining hole;
I would be inclined to believe that GM did not make a closed off blind 'well' that was used for the screw - instead I'd believe that the screws both go into the lower charge pipe, and that removing one of the screws creates a small boost leak...

but hey, that's just my two cents.

 

Thanks for the help guys, really appreciate it. Took another look at the lower TMAP, does appear that the boss was shaved off.

So you recommend that I take one of the small screws (red box) in pic below and install it the hole that the arrow points to? Seems completely logical, wonder why the instructions call for removal and use of only one bolt on the new sensor. Also checked snugness of the sensor in question, passenger side is tight (green arrow), drivers side is tight, but if I use enough force I can get the tip of my finger nail between it and the intake pipe (orange arrow).



Another thing that seems a little weird, looking back at the pic of the removed parts, the original lower MAP sensor has that little "nipple" connected to the bottom, other sensor does not. Something just looks weird about it, symmetry isn't right. Were they supposed to transfer that piece to the new sensor?

 

Each sensor uses one screw to bolt it in...so no screw is missing

Im gonna assume that the car was flashed properly

The sensor should be sitting flush and the lowe tmap boss should be trimmed off.

I would check the harness with a multimeter just to make sure its not shorting out or doing something funky. They may be brand new but sometime **** happens on new products.

My kit is soldered in and screwed down with one screw and no issues