hey everyone,

Please correct me if i am wrong but from what ive read on a couple of threads on here, the limits for the engine we have is i beleive 250whp for the rods and close to 300whp for the pistons... I have gone s/c with my car and have dynoed it and recieved 230whp. my question is that only gives me 20hp left in the safe zone for my rods... im looking into getting the zzp header downpipe combo kit to let my engine actually let out the exhaust better.

In my thought i would think the the headers package should only benefit the engine because of releasing more of the air combusted into the cylinder. but im scared that it may climb the whp to close to the 250 limit... i have a 2.8 pulley and 60# injectors for more performance along with a cai.

My question is, would getting these headers package help my car out and still be safe, or not? i already have a 2.5 megan cat-back so i just need the front half of the exhaust.

Thanks guys!

P.S. - oh and by the way just wondering, anyone have a supercharged ecotec out there with the zzp header downpipe combo and megan exhaust? and if so how does it sound? from my research it should keep a lower deep pitch but just get louder. lol. but please tell. Again thanks everyone!

bump

 

anyone have any opinion lol

 

On the 2.2 I was under the impression that the internals start failing around 225 and the header and downpipe package would help the engine breathe easier so would intern make the car more stable. I had a 2.2 and generally on a stock block you dont want to go with more than 8 pounds of boost otherwise you will find out that your connecting rods cant handle the higher pressures.

 

see but im at the 230 mark and under 17psi boost. everything runs just fine not a problem at all! pulls like crazy! just dont want to destroy this engine ive been happy with it since i bought it. im juts wondering that yes you get more hp from the header kit but shouldnt it actually be better for the engine so it could breathe better?

 

I think the 250 limit is base horsepower and not wheel horsepower but i could be wrong...

 

250 was the bhp but after some testing people have gone beyond that point...jn2 would be a good person to ask the last i heard he was pushin 18lbs no problems for a few months.

 

once you put forced induction on its a good idea to start saving for rods and pistons. gm put that limit on the internals because thats where their engine blew. the block can handle up to around 400 hp i believe. im only pushing mine to around 220 with 6 pounds of boost. till i can afford rods and pistons then im going to attempt 20 psi.

 

The block can handle way more than 400. The L61 was used in GM's build book and it achieved way more than 400. The rest of the engine, however had to be swapped when they started getting closer to 1,000hp.

 

I have old links to the ECOtec build guide but they are no longer good. Google and it will give you an idea of what breaks when. If double the power of an engine though, you should probably expect something to break sooner or later.

EDIT:

Looks like this site has it but I didn't actually DL to check http://www.tamparacing.com/forums/gm...-free-pdf.html

 

yeah thats what i figured ai know for sure that the rods are the weakest point and it should be around the 250 range. and ya i know the block can hold a ton im not worried about that at all lol. im worried about them rods and then if you change those youd might as well change the pistons and valvesprings while the motor is opened up.

09blackonblack - i actually laughed a little when you said your at 220 at 6 psi and then reading your sig after lol. with a car seat

 

well its the best mod on my car lol all my other mods are sitting in a pile in the bedroom but maven and i estimate 5-7 psi is = to around 220 hp with my turbo if its not i will turn it up more. maybe just to 10 psi so i can watch my needle go farther

 

haha there ya go just as long as your in the safe zone. im really wanting to know all of this limits stuff for the internals but at the same time im kinda just wondering... with all of the money spent on having to upgrade the internals and what not, wouldnt just buying a ss t/c be easier and with a bodykit? whats your opinion?

 

i would say 8-10 is safe for stock internals. after that you may want to throw internals into the mix.

 

ya but like i said im at 17 right now with the 2.8 pulley and running just fine

 

*Just fine for now. Hopefully it will stay that way until you decide the cobalt is not for you anymore

 

if you like paying double or triple for insurance it is... i might as well put SS badgese on my car since it is basically a ss now... besides disk rear brakes and 5 lugs...

 

oh god not this again. Just besides the body kit, brakes, lug pattern, tranny, engine, suspension, interior. Yup looks like you're 2.2 is basically a 2.0 or 2.4 now

 

ok before you get too carried away sticking your foot in your mouth... why dont you find out about my car
ss/sc brakes and control arms with powell bushings
ss/tc struts
eibach sportlines
ss/tc grills
ss/sc ground effects
lnf turbo setup
05 ss/sc front swaybar
i wanted to keep the 4 lugs to keep my wheels
and i like my interior better than the ss leather seats

and i what i was saying in my last post was a figure of speech

 

Keep intake temps down and you will be OK but not "safe" imo with these brittle pistons.

Srsly it cost me $23 extra a month to insure 10k in aftermarket parts.

 

250hp is the fringe according to the GM build book but that is a safe number its really more like 270-275. Quite a few J-bodies are past 250 and are daily driven, not to mention Stenguyen1 on here is right at 250 with no problems. There has been a couple of L61s at the 300hp also on the stock bottom end but don't expect it to last long. The block itself will hold plenty of power but the cyclinder sleeves don't like 400+hp and from what I heard 500hp is the limit of the crank.

 

hunterkill89 was at 265 bhp on a m62

 

wow ok that sounds good then looks like i should be just fine then hopefully. and im considering the ss turbocharged because i have almost every hook up available for one lol. i work at chevy so i get a discount, my good friends mom is one of my neighbors so i can get a very good discount on insurance. just soo many things lol. and i know this sounds stupid but i really like the cobalt like i wouldnt mind having one for a long time! i like alot of other cars but i love the cobalt. it just fits me. its really sad how they are getting rid of it :/

 

But think of the wonderful car that's going to replace it...I can't wait for the Cruze to come out so I can check it out.

 

the only thing i like about the cruze is the interior upgrade which is wayyy better! but the power is def no go! they are getting rid of a amazing sport compact car

 

I have faith in them doing something with the Cruze though....probably not the first model year, but look at the Pontiac G6 when it came out in 05...they had base V6 and GT...same engines, but the GT had tapshift...a few other things like chrome wheels and a couple other things as well.

All of a sudden in 06, they had not only the sedan, but a coupe and a convertible. They also introduced a new base or "SE" model which was the 2.4 ecotec and then the V6, GT, and a new GTP which was a 3.9L with more power. Later they switched to the 3.6L for the GTP and introduced the GXP trim. So be patient, not everything happens the first model year.

I'm excited. I personally love the little 1.4 Turbo idea...I think even though it's only rated at about 140hp, there will be some upgrades available in the aftermarket since it's a turbo application. Best part of the engine is the fact that it's got direct injection for the fuel.

I would buy a sedan so that parts fine with me, but I can't wait to see the 2nd or 3rd model year when they decide to bring out a coupe and perhaps a performance model.

Anyway, I'll stop going off topic.