Well... got my Stage 2 installed this morning. Only paid $289 for the install and an alignment... and considering I got it from Crate Engine Depot for $550, I'm satisfied with the price.


Tried my best to wring her out a little on the way back from the dealership... only had a chance to lay into her in 2nd once and I must say...

Holy shyte... for an extra $700 or so the car should have come this way from the factory.
To any of you guys sitting on stock boost out there... fork over the cash and get the kit... it costs less than a grand. A few weeks of skimping and saving is definately worth it.

 

glad you like it

 

I agree!

money well spent!

 

i got mine installed last week and i love it

 

I have an 06 ss/sc stage 2 as well. They really should have offered it with stage 2. I also have the GM stage 3 pulley on mine, it really does make a difference. Congratulations on your purchase.

 

what do you think would put out more hp A: stock header stock downpipe gmpp exhaust, B: zzpheader zzp downpipe with cat , stock exhaust .

 

GMPP exhaust = wasted money. You could get a custom Testpipe, and "cat"back.

 

Ya thats what i thought when i got mine but it only lasted about 5 days before it wasn't fast enough! Damn this Modding Disese it cost to much money.

anyone investing in the stage 2 needs to ask themselves truthfully if 230whp is enough if not then you need to go another route and put your money into components that give you more potential.

The gmpp stage 2 is limited but if you are not willing to even chance the warranty issue then get the GMPP Stage 2 most dealers will do good just make sure you have the upgraded intake gasket put on at that time otherwise it will be back in the shop in a week
after it blows the dipstick out and kills the factory gasket!

Just some food for thought!

 

Really... I can swap pulleys down to a 2.9... or throw money into a front-mount to gain more power from here... without having to really change the Stage 2 pkg much at all.

I've heard of a few people with overboost and/or dipstick problems... but not too many. But I'll definately be keeping an eye on it over the next few days to see if there are any problems.

 

Thats good if you don't have an issue with the intake gasket. but when you swap the pulley to a 2.8 or 2.9 your more likely going to have to replace it. while i did say the stage 2 is limited it still has some things you can do to increase HP but Anyone wanting the 260 to 300whp are going to require 60lb injectors. Which if you think about it why spend the extra money on stage 2 when you can use it to build up in stages that uses your money to the fullest.

Thats simply all i'm sayin, Just wish i would've had someone telling me this option before i spent $950 on stuff i was going to have to replace anyway.

Seimens 60lb injectors $200.00
Cobalt Addiction 2.79 Pulley $70.00
Custom Tune $500 for the initial tune
Belt $not expensive

compare this list of things you can put your money into instead of the stage 2 and you'll get at least 20 Whp more than the stage 2 yet you will be able to go even more extensive on mods without having to change these peices . but if your looking for no warranty issues then stage 2 till the warranty is over first!

 

glad you like the kit man. and you cant beat still having a warranty

 

Yeah, I'm with you. I like the warranty, and the kit makes the car pretty damn fast. It does leave me wanting more though

 

lets go to mooresville this saturday.....

 

Looks like it's gonna be too cold my friend. But keep an eye on the South East section. I've hooked up with a bunch of redlines from the area and we're gonna be heading to Mooresville as soon as we can get a warm enough saturday.

I see you've got the Hurst... how do you like it?

 

After all the horror stories Ive seen with the stage 2, im kinda turned off to it. I know that I want the 2.6 inch pulley eventually anyway so its kinda pointless for me to buy something I'm going to get rid of in a year or two anyway.

Also the 42lbers are pretty well maxed out on the stage 2 as it is, makes more sense to just get the 60lbs right from the start, and if you have the stage 2 your limited by the hub, lowest pulley ive seen is the 2.79 from Tag that fits the GM stage 2 hub.

Looking at the flash file in HP tuners im less than impressed by the tune, its very sloppy and would need some work to get it right, again I'd rather have things right from the start than risk things till I can get it right.

In my opinion the GM stage 2 isnt a well designed product, and in most cases its a bitch to get GM to honor the warranty on thier own parts. I've seen a ton of posts on here about problems ppl have had with thier dealerships. So any benefit of it being covered or whatnot isnt exactly a selling point.

 

I like that for $600 you can also get a 2.5/60# setup. Faster than GM2

 

If you wanna go as far as a 2.6 or something... then yeah... Stage 2 is not for you. But I'm not planning on doing much more than running a 2.9. This thing still has to be a daily driver above anything else... and I can't afford much downtime... so I'm looking at it from that standpoint alone. Now maybe in a few years down the road when I can afford a beater to drive daily I may do more... but that ain't happenin now.