There are countless threads about exhaust catbacks, downpipes, intercoolers, charge pipes, cold air intakes, and tunes. But, what about other low cost performance mods? I'm not taking hardcore or major stuff like turbo upgrades or head porting.

Has anyone tried and documented the results from installing a lower temp thermostat on the SS/TC? How about throttle body porting? Porting the exhaust manifold? Relocating or insulating the IAT? Modding, porting, or replacing the MAF?

 

lowest cost best bang for buck you'll get is a tune from Clear Image, $250 for a tune puts u over 300whp........u can't ask for much more than that in terms of bang for buck. Your suggestions won't do anything to help.

 

Ok, maybe I was a little unclear. Most of us already know about mods like exhaust, intake, charge piping, and tune. I plan to get most if not all of those things too. I'm asking about some of these other things, like thermostats, TB porting, etc. If anyone has experience (good or bad) let's hear it.

One thing I remember seeing a couple posts about is swapping out the stock BOV spring for a stronger one (Dejon has one for sale). These are the kinds of low budget mods I'm interested in, a couple HP here, a couple there and eventually it adds up.

 

id say that tune sounds like a hell of a deal

 

oh know u were VERY clear about that but really dood, don't waste your money on stupid things like a thermostat........the dejon "BOV" spring replacement is good yes do it but TB porting? This car comes from the factory with more/less the best of the best, save your money, GET A TUNE cause u won't need little mods like TB porting and thermostats.

 

Tell you what, how about you just get a tune and I'll waste my money and time to do a bunch of other stuff plus the tune, then we'll see which one runs faster, me or you...

With my GTO, porting the TB along with a free TB coolant bypass mod was worth 8 HP at the wheels. I don't expect that much with the Cobalt SS, but the point is, there are possible gains to be made. I gained a 1/10 second in the 1/4 by swapping in a faster response thermister in the IAT and relocating it away from the radiator. I could go on and on, but those are the kind of little things that add up.

 

i read somewhere that you do NOT want to change to a cooler thermostat. I can't remember where i read it but it was not a good idea.

 

there are none

 

Probably don't want to change the stat in the winter. Sometimes you need the engine to be at a certain temp for best emission control, although that is less of a consideration for performance oriented folks.

 

this guy just made my weekend, "i'll do more mods and a tune and u do just a tune and we'll see who's faster"........wat is this grade school? grow up

so, u can take the majority of wat you learned about modding the GTO and throw it out the window, the LNF Cobalt Turbo is entirely different and will not respond to mods the same as your GTO........u have lots to learn and it sounds like you've got a lovely chip on your shoulder, i'm sure you'll fit right in with the rest of the ppl on this forum

 

let him experiment, i want to see what happens!

 

lol sure go ahead. Let someone else be the test dummy lol

 

x2, he wants to blow up his car tryin to get it right he can go right ahead

 

haha yep

 

the EDAL anti-lag is a great free mod. you can find more info about it on the solstice forums.

basically it bypasses the built in solenoid that controls boost but my ecu already re-learned. but for the first 10-15min it made a huge difference. IT took the cobalt from being utterly smooth to put you in the back of the seat. I can't wait to get a tune because that was just a taste.


AND BTW. you will see 0 I say 0 hp gains from any bolt ons with-out a tune. The ecu relearns itself back to the inital hp and torque. although you might shift the powerband a little. I say you make a mod for a throttle cable. I want to see someone do that.

 

I was responding to this comment. If you think a tune is all you need, then just get a tune. My point was there is probably more that can be done than what you think.

Tell you what, you came in crapped on my thread gave your opinions, insulted me, and puffed yourself up. Nice job. Now please stay out of my thread unless you can stay on topic.

Thanks for the response. I appreciate the info. I understand that these cars need to be tuned to benefit from mods. Been there and done that. The nanny mode needs to be disabled by tuning.

I might be new to Cobalts, but I'm certainly not new to hotrodding. Built my first high performance small block back in the early 70's. I've owned a 68 Chevelle SS 396 and 77 Trans Am. I built a V8 Fiero and a 36 Ford pickup streetrod. My current project is a 68 Camaro with a stroker 496. My 04 GTO goes 11.8 @ 117.2 in the 1/4 mile, if you're interested. Yes, I know all these things are not the same as a turbo Cobalt.

If you have any ideas or info about SS/TC mods other than the ones that get discussed all the time (i.e. exhaust catbacks, downpipes, intercoolers, charge pipes, cold air intakes, and tunes), please post up. Thanks.

 

the cons outweigh the pros when it comes to changing to a lower thermostat. when the engine doesnt reach FULL operating temperature, you risk excessive wear on the cylinder walls, sludging of the oil, fouled plugs, etc.

 

Batboy has the right frame of mind for someone looking to make his car as fast as possible. A lot of these ideas sound silly, but they add up over time. Some times it's 1 HP here, 2 HP there, and sometimes its more like .2 HP or replacing a part with something 3 ounces lighter. The gains are not significant on an individual basis, but after 50 or 100 small mods, you find yourself 1/2 second quicker than others who appear to have the "same mods" that you do.

For those who get a laugh or mock this thread, I'd ask you to make an attempt to see his point of view. He sounds like someone who genuinely enjoys tinkering with his car on a regular basis to give it a custom touch. In then end, it may pay off by being the quickest SS/TC around. Seriously, there are many people on this forum that need to open up to new ideas so the community can grow together.

FWIW, we will be modding an SS/TC soon and I will be experimenting with many of these types of ideas on the dyno. I'm sure we will have a lot of interesting data to share as time goes on.

 

maybe they will add up but they will also mess with the reliability of your car. I believe in you get what you pay for. Do cheap mods you get cheap results

 

i say again........wtf is the point in a FWD drag car??? U will get 3x further with your money on the 1/4 with something RWD. I said it before and yes I WILL say it again, the Cobalt Turbo LNF was made to the point where the only mods worth while are specific bolt on's with a tune. Exhaust/Intake/Charge Piping/Downpipes/Turbo Swaps, it's all been talked about lots on here already.........find a night where u can just poke around the LNF section on here and read the technical threads that have already been thru all this. As well I would try the Solstice/Sky forums too, they've got a stronger aftermarket for the LNF as it was released before the Turbo Cobalt. If it's gunna gain you anything, someone on that forum has done it.

 

I don't know how well the stock TB does from the factory but I know with my LS1 it might have gained a little hp but the major thing was throttle response. It improved it like crazy. Thing is, you need to find a good person to do it or they'll mess it up.

 

Thanks for the input. Matt hit the nail on the head with his insight. Think I will scratch the lower temp 'stat from the list for now. I plan to explore a lot of ideas and I'm sure a lot of them will not be done for various reasons. Looking at the Solstice forums and other sources is not a bad idea.

 

i got a ported n polished throttlebody from headgamesmotorworks.net and love it. the car pulls noticeibly harder i also had it dyno'd i got 10-20whp throughout the powerband and 6.4 peak whp. if anyone is interested pm headgames or E-mail Dave through his website, payed through paypal

 

We race FWD cars for fun. If the goal was to go fast for the least amount of work or money, then we would all buy used bikes and go run 10s for $5k. Or we could all have '70 Novas with nitrous big blocks running high 9s for 10 grand. The truth is that we drag race for fun and because we enjoy the challenge.

Why do people run marathons when they could drive that distance in in about 20 minutes?

 

I love the idea of other mods! I do have a turbo swapped ss/tc but the very first thing I did was drop rotating mass. went from 26lbs a rim to 18lbs a rim and on a tune and tires alone I went 12.7's (hot lapping) I think thats faster than any other tc to date with more mods than me. Dropping rotating mass weight is the best thing you can do for any car!