hey guys, i know there has been talk about bigger heat exchangers producing more hp on modded engines, but is there any gain to be had if i was to do it on a stock ss/sc? i was searching through CA and found their HE's but ive also seen the fluidyne cobra exchanger i might try and fabricate to work on an ss/sc. also, im planning on doing either a stage 2 kit in the future or a catback and intake without a stage 2. any suggestions?

 

i just found a thread kind of like this about the ca exchanger...sorry for the double post. but has anyone tried the fluidyne exchanger? or is it gonna be too deep to use?

also, would you guys recommend going a gm stage 2? or a catback, intake and possibly header first, with the possibility of going stage two later. im trying to decide between a stage kit or going header, catback, intake. any suggestions are appreciated.

 

I use a stock cobra HE on my car and it keeps my IAT2 under 160* on 80+ degree day after a hard run at full boost.

 

i read your thread about it, but do you think its a worthy mod to do with a stock cobalt? of course its not going to be stock for long..

 

Honestly bro I would get stage 2 before a heat exchanger any day. Buy other parts before this one. The Heat exchanger should come after you have uped your HP and you need to cool it down quicker.

 

ok, thats what i thought, but i was just making sure.

would you suggest a stage 2 before a catback and intake? if i was going to do the catback/intake it would be a gmpp catback and injen intake.

 

The idea of a larger, more efficient heat exchanger is to help keep temperatures down. As we all know, FI, especially on a roots type supercharged car can heat up the intake charge fast. The idea is to be able to cool temps down fast so that runs will be more consistant. When temps start getting higher, the air expands and the computer adjusts with less fuel. Smaller boom, less power. Keeping the air cool allows more fuel to be introduced. Bigger boom, more power. I would not reccommend spending the money on a H/E until you get further along. Sure, it looks cool, but you are really not going to see the same benefit out of it for the money compared to something like a header/downpipe combo. Down the road, when you are making a lot more power, you may want to look into a dual-pass end plate for the intercooler and a larger H/E. Just my .02 cents.

 

ok so ive been reading a lot about this hahn 3'' complete system..header, dp, and catback. i love the sound of this system and im now leaning towards this rather than a gmpp catback.

i know with the 3'' all the way back and everything else stock it isnt going to help me much, but say i was going to do an intake and a stage 2 in the future. would this still be overkill?

or would you guys do a stage 2 first, and then think about a hahn system later?

 

Stage 2 first, most definately. Then intake/exhaust... The stage kits (GM or not) are the best bang for your buck.

 

ok thanks, thats what ive been wondering.

do you know if i would need a custom tune once i got a stage 2 and add an intake/exhaust? i just dont want to be too lean. or should i invest in a wideband also?

 

I would say it is good practice when modifying a car to always have the essential scan tools/gauges. Since we all don't have endless supplies of money, I would say just make sure you get them before you seriously get into the modifying. With GM Stage 2, intake and exhaust should be just fine. The computer makes adjustments for those kinds of things and it will not be hurt.

A custom tune would be necessary if you were going to change the pulley size and (depending on how small you go) injector size. Most people say 2.8" + is fine on the GM Stage 2 42.5lbs injectors; however, some have expressed concern with IDC. After doing research with a few people, including a very reputable shop, I'm under the impression the injectors should be fine.

 

ok. does anyone have any suggestions for the best gauge to use for scanning? ive seen the aem and aeroforce ones, but not quite sure which one is best.

edubs, which one do you use?

 

I am saving up for my gauges. I'm still Stage 2 only, so no need for gauges.

I plan on getting, eventually, Defi Blue Racer Series Gauges. Very expensive and more for the show, I guess. Defi makes very accurate gauges, and they offer them in US sizes for this series. I am getting a boost (to replace stock), EGT (or Fuel Pressure), and oil pressure gauges from them. I still have not decided what wideband I'm going to get yet. AEM seems to be popular, but there are others out there that are just as good, if not better.

Depending on what you want to do down the road. People with a good amount of "know how" buy HP Tuners and tune their own set up. This is a great tool because it can scan and has the ability to read your wideband sensor as well. I am not even close to knowledgeable enough to use this tool. So I'm going to pay up the nose for someone to tune my car with it when I put on my smaller pulley (2.79) and get a bunch of fancy expensive gauges to let me know everything is copacetic.

 

sounds good. i think im going to be putting on a gm stage 2 in a couple months. thanks for all the help man.

 

np, good luck, and just make sure you do your research. There's tons of good info on this site and some of the people here have great knowledge. Never take just one person's thoughts and run with them. Always ask, and research around so you get all the angles on everything. As far as the GM Stage 2 goes. Call around and find a dealer that is willing to work with you. Buy it somewhere else, like Fred Beans. Cost me $596 to my door and just over $200 to get it installed. It has to be installed by a GM dealership for warranty, but does not have to be bought from them. Once again, good luck.

 

^^^X2

 

im also considering getting a fluidyne cobra H.E, im sure it is more efficient than the Cobalt addiction if it is used in cobra that produce over 500Wheel with higher boost levels

 

thats what i was thinking..and i dont think itd be too hard to fabricate a bracket to make it work. only problem is, it looks a little bit deep and could have some fitment issues that way.