Hey guys, I know most of the guys here are Cobalt SS/TC guys but i'm about to purchase a used HHR SS Auto and had some question.

I was going to get the stage 1 for it but when i test drove it, i mashed first gear and it went from 9psi straight to 23psi and held.

This was a huge jump and makes me think it already has the stage 1. How can i tell for sure if it does or not so i don't waste my money since the dealership said it was stock?

Do i have to run 93 if the car is stock and 93 for stage 1?

Also, i was wondering how much a bolt on filter increased boost levels, I was thinking of putting a nice filter or doing the stock air box mod.

Thanks!

 

If you have the Stage 1 the TMAP sensor will be straight instead of angled to 90 degrees and will have a blue/silver sticker on it.

Bolt-on filters do not increase boost levels. You need to tune for almost anything intake related.

You should always run 93.

 

Pop the hood and look for one of these on the intake manifold:



Thats about the only way I can think of, besides the gobs of power you noticed.

A K&N filter will flow more, but I'm not sure it will be a worthwhile gain since the MAF on the LNF is very picky.

 

Alright cool, when i go tomorrow to finalize everything i'll be sure to look for that. I'm pretty sure it has stage 1 since it's boosting that much over stock.

What exactly would void my GM warranty? Would after market meth kit, exhaust and down pipe do it?

Also, can GM find out you have used the Hahn BSR tuner if you flashed it back to stock mode?

Thanks in advance!

 

Anything could have your dealer screaming to void your warranty. Most people get away with bolt on piping or an aftermarket tune(assuming they don't f$&# up a piston or turbo) but I'd say any kind if injection mod be it alcahol or nitrious I can't imagine them being too friendly to that... EspeciAlly since thAt also means aftermarket tune... It really depends on how much your dealer knows about an lnf and how much damage they really believe particular mods can do I've heard from numerous people they have had teck guys fix aftermarket charge piping issues on warranty and even compliment them on it while others have issues with aftermarket floor mats and refused warranty on a faulty headunit (jk). Some dealers are just begging for customers and won't bother you at all. Others think a cat back could cause your headlights to leak and fog. Your choice if you want possibilty of trouble or not, or have a family lawyer. Good luck with the buy and hope you enjoy your lnf!

Sorry this was long winded but I'm board.

 

If stock you *CAN* run 87 octane, the car will detect the knock and reduce timing. It is best to run at 91 which is recommended.

If stage 1 you have to run at least 91 octane and 93 is recommended.

 

If you're really worried about your warranty...don't mod your car.

 

True dat, I mean people say they dont want to void there warranty but want to put parts on, doesnt make too much sense.

But I honestly would have gone for a 5 speed HHR and not the auto, I've seen some vids and it seems like forever for that thing to shift

 

HHR autos came with NLS from the factory...

 

 

I have both an HHR and Cobalt. They are WORLDS apart. Stock the HHR would see a peak boost of about 11psi and wouldn't do that until around 4500. The auto trans is weak from what I've read about it. Handling...there is no comparison. The extra weight of the HHR really kills it. My wife loves the car, but for someone with any desire of performance, you've got to get a 5 spd. From an overall standpoint it's a great car, hell any car powered by an ecotec is pretty good in my opinion. Just so happens this one has the mother of all eco's in it. From a room standpoint, they are pretty good for something built on the delta platform. My wife is about 5'8" and I'm 6'4" and I can sit behind her comfortably in the backseat and have about an inch or so of leg room between my knees and the back of her seat. For a stock daily driver the car is fantastic, for a performance car...well GM you get an A for effort.

Now let's get into fuel. We tried 87 and I ran a scan on the car with HPT...yeah the only time the car didn't knock running 87 was when it was at WOT. Fuel trims on the car stock are completely fucked. LT's were somewhere in the 6.8 range and ST's were all over the place. I've since fixed the fuel trims and we have put 93 in it since that scan.

With a slight tune the car is a lot better than stock, but still doesn't compare to what it could be if it were a 5 spd. I also tried to adjust the trans tables via hpt...yeah that didn't work out so well. I got a tcm failed to write error and had to set all the tables back to stock. Then it worked fine.

There is also a way around the whole warranty thing. I blew the fmic on my Cobalt with a little under 1000 miles and had a tune in the car. Did a write entire instead of just a write calibration and they couldn't tell I did jack squat. GM will not **** with you for a cat-back exhaust and typically won't say **** about suspension either. I worked as a tech for 8 years and faced these things with f-bodies and vettes all the time. It seems like GM would bitch about an intake on an LNF, due to the fuel trims, I've since been back for little stupid ****, I've got full ic piping, fmic, catless dp, and no muffler. Not a word was said, work was done and I was on my way. Then again, I take my car to the same dealer that I worked at for 8 years and I know all the techs, writers, and while they fixed my car I sat and had coffee with the dealer's general manager. He told me that the only time they would struggle to be able to warranty anything on my car is if it came in and had a tune or if I changed the turbo or anything major under the hood. The only thing he was upset about is that I didn't come there to get my wife's HHR and my Cobalt. My response...you didn't have any so I just went to somewhere closer lol.

GM would struggle to void warranty on these if they come in with a stock tune and some piping and an intercooler. Sure the catless would **** things up but that takes about 30 min to swap out. The piping and fmic are more efficient and better at doing their jobs than stock.

Yeah that's a lil longwinded, but I feel some good info is in there.

 

Nice little right up, I agree I test drove a HHR, not a horrible car/van lol but the cobalt out handles and performs the HHR hands down