I have had a 2010 cobalt SS for about a year now, Im looking to start upgrading now that its summer time. What should I begin with? Brands? Best bang for my buck?

 

deff a short ram intake...cheap upgrade and helps with power i believe injen was the most power gain

 

Get a tune if you want more than the stock 260hp.

 

Intake and tune if you can do both.

 

I though Down Pipe was a must for the SS/TC

 

Catless dp, (High flow cat is okay too if catless isn't your thing) K&N typhoon short ram, and a tune.

You NEED a tune otherwise any mods you put on won't do a damn thing because of the LNF's learndown feature.

 

Bang for you buck
Get a tune! For a tune you gain significant HP if thats all your looking for.
If you plan on doing some bolt on do them before tuning though as you will save yourself some money as you would need to Re tune for the parts.
Order of mods if i were you
3"down pipe (ZZP,MPX,TURBOXS, Badmap)are good dollar value.Don't be looking to spend allot of money here as they are all pretty much the same. The only difference is how the 02 sensor is placed on them. some will Throw CELs. This can be tuned out though..So decide if your tuning first
Intake (K&N SRI / AEM CAI/ Treadstone CAI) I personally would not go with Injen as It is one of the hardest to tune for. NEVER put it on a stock car at the very least.DEJON SRI is Crap as well. IF you do chose to put an intake on a stock tune The K&N is the most friendly.

Those two parts are the most restrictive of the stock parts. You probably dont NEED an intake but the downpipe is a must do as it has TWO very restrictive cats.

After bolt ons Tune her and you could make over 300WHP or more depending on how aggressive you go.

Just keep in mind you will not make anymore HP on a stock tune no matter how many bolt ons. GMS1 will allow some gains with bolt ons (on top of the gains from the tune itself). But the stock tune will not allow any gains as it targets 260/260 and reduces boost if you gain airflow to compensate.
A custom tune will be your most beneficial way to go Either way!

 

Perfect. Also try to stay away from the Dejon intakes. I had the short ram and it was the worst. It sounds absolutely sick. So loud and all but it mounted shitty and rubbed EVERYWHERE. I ended up getting a nice gash in the piping and didn't know about it for a while. Because of that I got about 5 mpg and a loss in power.

 

Edited my post to reflect this! almost forgot

 

Welcome. Keep in mind that if you do get a tune you may be denied warranty repair if something breaks. You can do the GMS1 and stay warrantied. GMS1 is a noticeable increase over stock. A tune with a few supporting mods is way better than GMS1. That being said, here are the two routes I'd suggest you consider:

1. GMS1 $700.00 - $900.00
Get the hardware $500.00 (use crateenginedepot). Get it installed and flashed (tuned) at your local dealer ($200.00 to $400.00 depending on dealership).

2. Intake, Exhaust and Tune can be had for less than the price of GMS1
K&N SRI $225.00 (great sound/fitment and the most good reviews)
ZZP downpipe $150.00-$200.00 depending on setup (or other brand. as mentioned above, these are all pretty much the same. get 3", some have 2.5" sections)
Tune $400.00 (prices are all over the place for this so $400.00 is just a rough estimate. you should go with Trifecta or HPTuners)

Read the stickies at the top of each section. There is a ton of good info. There are threads devoted to tunes, intakes and exhausts for your car. Out of all the things you consider, researching the tuning is the most important.

 

^ This... /end thread