Whats up guys?
Alright, so I plan on slowly modifying my o6 ss/sc. I will be installing intake soon, and after that stage 2. I know you can add hardware to your s/c, like injectores and smaller pulley for more boost, if i'm not mistaken. My question is what intake i should get and what hardware i should add to the ss/sc without killing the engine. Also is it smart to put on the CAI before the stage 2? Because im having the dealership install it, but that wont be until feb. I will get my CAI in Dec. Please any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

 

dont have the dealership put ur intake on its simple, and i would go with ottp stg1 u will get alot more power with it.
also wat part of san jose u at? i got a black wingless in sj
http://www.ottperformance.com/Cobalt...duct_info.html

 

I think he meant the dealership is going to install his stage 2 in feb.

 

^^ Yea just look for the one thats getting passed all the time by the other cars.

 

o lol my bad either way if u need help we have a few balts in sj that would help u out

ouch, not all of us can have a 20g :[

 

Welcome. Cobalt SS/SC's are good cars to learn the passion of modding. Anything someone would explain to you probably won't make sense until you experience it. So, I"ll throw out a few tips and you'll learn as you own the car.

1> I recommend reading a lot of what people have done, what's out there, and what their results were. More important than learning what didn't work is WHY it didn't work.

2> Intakes are simple. You really won't gain much, it helps with sound and it's main function is to be the first step in increasing airflow for when you up the boost. This way, your engine can suck in more with less effort -- making the best use of your gains.

2, a> for those reasons, get a full intake, not the AEM short ram. A full metal intake will increase your airflow the best.

2, b> make sure you get an oil based intake. The location of the air filter lends itself to water soaking. Some people have had problems, others haven't, but given that even some have means that it's worth it to not put yourself in a position to be one of the few disappointed.... so, no dry-flow air filters.

3> Biggest problem you are going to find in modding cars is how far can you go on any given spending spree. What I mean by that is, the trick is to find how far you can go until supporting mods are needed, which means more money than you were expecting.

3, a> know what your goals are, and find the most cost effective way to get there without having too many overlapping costs. i.e.- buying one pulley only to buy another a month later after you can afford the injectors and cooling mods to match.

3, b> know whether you are keeping with the stock s/c or do you want more. then establish how long you can patiently wait while being stock.

If you can wait long:

1> Go turbo. Biggest gains and the most efficient gains (bang for buck) have been with turbos.

2> Again, look at the total picture, what else will you need. One thing you may run into will probably be traction and wheelhop issues. Axles are a good investment in this car if your goals are big. You may need a stronger clutch as well.

Don't want to stay stock long?:

1> Find a tuner. Access to getting your car tuned will determine how far you can go at one time.

2> Cooling mods. S/Cers get hot, they need to be cooled. Research this and other supporting mods. Traction and wheelhop -- mainly axles, because even after you fix wheelhop, simple physics tells you that the energy has to go somewhere if it's not rocking your engine or tranny -- it goes to your axles, trust me..lol.

3> It will be so much more worth it if you stay stock at least a little longer and go for the gusto. Take the above into consideration with cooling and etc. then get a 2.8 pulley, it's one of the smallest that won't overspin the blower.

3, a> again, research the extras you'll need. cooling, fueling (bigger injectors), and of course you have to tell it what to do -- tuning.

4> I would highly recommend meth. This will optimize your ability to take full advantage of those mods. You will be able to run a lot more timing, and heat soak will not be as big of a problem.

Gauges: this is another example of knowing what you need to do before you can do something else. A tuner will be adjusting your Air to Fuel ratio so that the new amount of air coming in will work in harmony with the amount of fuel that can be burnt by that amount. It's a good idea to be able to see what your car is up to on a daily basis. I recommend a Wideband gauge -- it will allow you to monitor this on a daily basis just in case something goes wrong (an injector stops working, water pump stops working, etc.). I was never one for a lot of gauges, others could probably recommend more helpful gauges to you.

Airflow: no cart before the horse on this one either. Don't get a all those mods done, and then have no place for all that combustion to go. You will not believe how much better your top end power will improve with just headers, a downpipe, and exhaust. It will pull harder with less effort on the gas pedal. When getting exhaust work done, research how much airflow you are going to need. The stock blower doesn't need much, headers and downpipe are more important. With a turbo, they usually run 3 inches the whole way back because of back pressure.

I hope all this helps. Basically, establish a goal, research all of what you need to reach your goals, and then develope a game plan. Going with that, on a side note, I'll tell you that the more you mod, the more things that can go wrong. Make sure you know how much you can afford to lose (do you have a daily driver, or is this it if you break an axle?). If that's the case, you might not want to go as far as you might like.

 

Pretty damn good write up man

 

Thank you. That was pretty much my experience owning an '06.

I didn't want to wait long enough to save up for a turbo. My car went mid 13's for under 2-grand -- not bad for a FWD economy car.

I did a 2.8 pulley, 60#injectors, ZZP midlength header/dp, gmpp touring exhaust, OTTP rotated tranny mounts (ZERO wheelhop), OTTP h/e, and an AEM UEGO Wideband.

I made the mistake of getting the Stage II first, instead of doing the research I advised him to do. I would have saved a few hundred if I would have put my own kit together.

Hindsight, I should have done Meth and Stage II axles.

 

did you have that as a word doc and copy and paste? I mean WOW haha

 

i have computer access at work and lots of free time...lol.

 

haha i know i try ...

 

Wow, good write up road rage, I appreciate your concerns and know abouts with this car. I'll make sure I will look over everything to make sure if its worth buying. I'm not planning on spending to much, just enough for some power just for a few smiles. Plus, I have a two year old, who I have to save money for. He's my first priority.

 

get a zzp stage 3. 5x better deal and safer for your motor. it comes WITH A HEAT EXCHANGER. unlike ottp garbage kits. would u rather run a 2.8-9 pulley and heat soak your s/c. or buy a stage 3 kit that comes with something to keep your **** cool? either way your going to need a h/e. and zzp stage 3 kit comes with 1 so you SAVE money in the long run

 

a h/e is not needed right away but recommended down the road.

 

Yeah, I run a 2.85 pulley with no H/E. I had a OTTP one but it put a whole in my condensor :/, so sold it to fix the a/c. But for daily driving, I only seen about a 10ş difference. Its pretty safe if your not at the track. But whichever way you go, its still a good thing to have.

 

Welcome! Check out www.TurboTechRacing.com we should be able to help you out.

 

So, let me get this straight. Zzp comes witha heat exchangers which I will need in the long run right. Also, with both kits (zzp and ottp) will I need to take them to get instaled and tuned? If so, how much will it roughly cost? Which kit would you guys consider best? And whars the best option to go with the pcm?

 

Your going to get mixed feelings about both tunes. If you order then, you have to do the install yourself or get some help. Belt, pulley/hub, Injectors. The PCM you can pay for or do a core charge (I dont know if zzp does this). Basically you send them your car PCM, and they will send you a new PCM then refund you the cost of the new PCM.

Most of the install is pretty simple, the only thing that really requires any special tools is the HUB. You can buy a pulley puller or get a machine shop to press it on.

 

pcm is where the tune is at. would you rather spend more $$$ down the road or save now? it shouldnt even be a question. zzp all the way

 

damn dont scare the new guys.
i started collecting parts here and there.
from 2.7 pulley , option b with dual pass
a lightning H/E, fujita cai and 60 injectors.

now im installing meth, and suspension parts
pick a goal when you get there go to the next
one. ^_^

 

Aye guys, i appreciate all your help. From the sounds of it, i might just get the parts little by little, and build up. So far zzp is getting my attention, but still dnt know. So, if i send the pcm, i'm fucked with out a car for a bit right? I'm definately going to modd slowly, later on headers/ downpipe, full exhuast, and eventually more, but not all out. Its going to be my daily driver.

 

If you do next day shipping, you should have it by the end of the week if you send it by monday or tuesday...

ZZP obviously has the highest hp ratings... although there are still certain parts that are better with another company..

I like the clear image header, although zzp isnt all too bad.. id stick with a midlength.

some people swear by the hahn exhaust.. i say just go to mandrelexhaustsystems.com and get that cat back... cheap and it does the job..

Alot of people go for the zzp downpipe.. i LOVED my clear image setup... really look into them..