New and proud owner of an 09 Sedan SS/TC!!!!
Yup! Just sold my civic on Saturday and procceded straight to the dealer and picked up my 09 Black Sedan
I love this car! My brother has an 08 Black Coupe and that's what pretty much convinced me to get one...
Couple questions though... As of right now I have almost 500 miles and I'm hitting just about 15psi, now my brother has about 2k on his and is hitting 17psi completely stock... From what I've heard and read GM has put a restriction on the car till 1k or so, is that true? Should I expect to hit 17psi? Thanks!!
All in all I love this car! Just hope it can perform like my brothers!
I love this car! My brother has an 08 Black Coupe and that's what pretty much convinced me to get one... Couple questions though... As of right now I have almost 500 miles and I'm hitting just about 15psi, now my brother has about 2k on his and is hitting 17psi completely stock... From what I've heard and read GM has put a restriction on the car till 1k or so, is that true? Should I expect to hit 17psi? Thanks!!
All in all I love this car! Just hope it can perform like my brothers!
OP congrats on the new ride. I don't know if GM puts a restriction on the car or not but mine really opened up after 1000 miles , it was a night to day difference.
Grats on the buy! Mine was boosting between 15 and 18psi. Simply because I'm at over 5k feet in elevation. ECU was simply making up for the altitude. Now, with my tune I hold quite a bit higher ^-^
Congratulations on the new car. I did a search out here on the west coast a few days ago and was surprised to see a few of the sedans still on dealer lots. Great car, especially if you need the extra doors.
As to the car and how the computer works, the Bosch controller uses a torque-based engine management system that many people incorrectly term as being a "learn down" feature. If you slap aftermarket parts on the car you might not see an increase in power, but on the other hand it will also do things like raise boost to compensate and ensure you're making the peak power it was programmed for.
There will always be small variations between cars so if peak boost is a psi or two off I wouldn't worry. Maybe it was hotter out or any of a number of reasons could explain that difference. As driveline components break in you might see a little gain after a few miles but in my experience the car hasn't picked up a lot over time. I managed to put the break-in miles on my '08 SS within two days of buying it and had it at the track the same weekend. The quarter mile times and trap speeds have been extremely consistent since then, showing it hasn't magically gained more power.
I think the biggest thing that most people may notice is after a tank or two of the correct gas is run in the car. Nearly all dealers will fill the car up with 87 or 89-octane fuel and you will see a performance hit during your test drive and if they top up the car and deliver it like that. The engine will knock/detonate and pull timing and boost to ensure it runs safely on that fuel.
When you fill it up with the minimum recommended 91-octane or better it will re-learn in short order and it may be quite dramatic when compared to possibly picking up a few extra ft-lbs of torque across the power curve as the engine further breaks in. Speaking of which, the engine is essentially broken in from the factory but things like your clutch and other driveline components can still benefit from a good break-in.
As to the car and how the computer works, the Bosch controller uses a torque-based engine management system that many people incorrectly term as being a "learn down" feature. If you slap aftermarket parts on the car you might not see an increase in power, but on the other hand it will also do things like raise boost to compensate and ensure you're making the peak power it was programmed for.
There will always be small variations between cars so if peak boost is a psi or two off I wouldn't worry. Maybe it was hotter out or any of a number of reasons could explain that difference. As driveline components break in you might see a little gain after a few miles but in my experience the car hasn't picked up a lot over time. I managed to put the break-in miles on my '08 SS within two days of buying it and had it at the track the same weekend. The quarter mile times and trap speeds have been extremely consistent since then, showing it hasn't magically gained more power.
I think the biggest thing that most people may notice is after a tank or two of the correct gas is run in the car. Nearly all dealers will fill the car up with 87 or 89-octane fuel and you will see a performance hit during your test drive and if they top up the car and deliver it like that. The engine will knock/detonate and pull timing and boost to ensure it runs safely on that fuel.
When you fill it up with the minimum recommended 91-octane or better it will re-learn in short order and it may be quite dramatic when compared to possibly picking up a few extra ft-lbs of torque across the power curve as the engine further breaks in. Speaking of which, the engine is essentially broken in from the factory but things like your clutch and other driveline components can still benefit from a good break-in.
Last edited by blackbird; Sep 30, 2009 at 09:49 AM. Reason: speeling errores
Thanks for all the great info guys! Yea the dealer definitely put in 87 in the car, felt the car pulling timing and heard it knock a little.. Damn them!!! Lol
Oh and my dealer installed the front plate frame and it's rivited in, what's the best way in removing it? I know you can drill them out but I don't want to damage the bumper...
Oh and my dealer installed the front plate frame and it's rivited in, what's the best way in removing it? I know you can drill them out but I don't want to damage the bumper...
Last edited by mron0903; Sep 30, 2009 at 11:12 AM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Thanks for all the great info guys! Yea the dealer definitely put in 87 in the car, felt the car pulling timing and heard it knock a little.. Damn them!!! Lol
Oh and my dealer installed the front plate frame and it's rivited in, what's the best way in removing it? I know you can drill them out but I don't want to damage the bumper...
Oh and my dealer installed the front plate frame and it's rivited in, what's the best way in removing it? I know you can drill them out but I don't want to damage the bumper...
Here is a pic of the plate....

Also, I've been looking into getting a drop-in filter and I know alot of ppl have been using the K&N one, but has anyone tried using AEM's dry-flow one? And is there any gain other than noise from the filter cause of the learn-down of the ecu?

Also, I've been looking into getting a drop-in filter and I know alot of ppl have been using the K&N one, but has anyone tried using AEM's dry-flow one? And is there any gain other than noise from the filter cause of the learn-down of the ecu?
Last edited by mron0903; Sep 30, 2009 at 05:36 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
Question, for the GM OS upgrage with the kit, what benifits are their with the system update? Cuase I'm pretty sure about getting the trifecta tune but I'm curious of the OS update...
First off, congrats on the new car
. camopaint0707 mentioned he uses the modern performance shorty, I picked up the Ark. Overall either one will work out fine for you, I don't appear to have lost much in the way of reception and it sure as hell looks better than the gigantic stocker.
Note, if you do order one make sure to specify it is an 07+ Cobalt; the 05/06 used a smaller adapter and if you order the wrong one, she won't fit
.
. camopaint0707 mentioned he uses the modern performance shorty, I picked up the Ark. Overall either one will work out fine for you, I don't appear to have lost much in the way of reception and it sure as hell looks better than the gigantic stocker.Note, if you do order one make sure to specify it is an 07+ Cobalt; the 05/06 used a smaller adapter and if you order the wrong one, she won't fit
.
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