Ok so let's say I do go with a forced induction setup, which is easier to install setup properly and maintain, t/c or s/c?

 

CAMS, PISTONS, HEADS.... duh

 

get somebodys sc takeoff. itll be easy to put together. reliable and give u the instant power that you want and be a great dd.

 

I haven't done either but I have read a bit about both..dunno if there is really an answer for that. If you want more than ~+20-30hp at the wheels over stock, you need forced induction. It's not going to happen otherwise, people have tried, then given up, then supercharged / trubocharged or sold the car. Click on the link in my signature to see what its going to take to build these setups (forced induction setups).

 

add cylinders.

 

their both pretty easy

Big power = easier on a turbo

Cheaper power = lots of used parts for S/C set up

 

in........

 

let me se if I understand you;

was my small correction legit - or are you planning on eventually going boosted?

If I was correct;
Odds are you will be pleasantly surprised what this will do for you (especially if you're a 5 speed);
the trend on this forum is to scoff at people who intend on staying naturally aspirated... which I think is lame-sauce.

you might want to look up this guy -> NWAE-Cobalt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OOXCPXQcRw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E36pk5r3bCs

hmm... well it looks like he recently sold his Cobalt... which is really too bad;
he seemed to be the only member here legitimately interested in building a naturally aspirated Cobalt...
in any effect, I am sure he could chime in on what you can expect from building your car...

good luck!

 

Jesus, those stage 2 cams sound sexy!! What's the deal woth putting them on 08+ models with the.cam sensor? How mucg harder is it to put them in?

 

opening the engine does take time/patience and some skill... but it's doable.

I actually was happy to have found him here, because I'm pretty sure he was the only cammed 2.2;
this is another car I had before I bought my Cobalt ~ and is now relegated to occasional driver/cruiser.

Grand Am Quad4 HO w/226 cams #2 - YouTube

note a similar modification done between to two...

 

Honestly your goals vs. your desires are unrealistic.

If I understand you correctly, you don't wish to get too crazy with this, which is exactly what you would have to do to get your car to pick up 40-50hp N/A.

Based solely on your desire to still be streetable and safe, what you're going to want to do is let the car breathe: Intake, Intake manifold, longest headers/downpipe you can find, and exhaust. And then get the car tuned out of it's stock cookie-cutter tune state.

Those are the only mods I can think of that run no risk to your internals, net you a modest amount, and maintain your N/A status. With that, you could possibly see 20-30hp, putting you around 150-160whp, 160hp - 170hp at the crank.

Also, as someone else said, if you want a fun, noticeable change in your car that is safe, change the suspension.

 

There is no replacement for displacement.

 

I'm not sure how an extra 30 hp is unrealistic? With as highly touted as these ecotec motors are for their performance abilities I feel I may have made a wrong choice in vehicle platforms. Considering I've seen numerous hondas, nissans, abd toyotas all easily pulling an extra 30 horsepower from n/a motors I'm beginning to think these cobalts aren't all they're cracked up yo be.

 

Re-read my post. I said I think you could get 30 horsepower out of it. Not too terribly hard. What you had said was you wanted 175 or so (paraphrasing). I can promise you, even though your window sticker says 145hp, you don't have it at the wheels. So, you are talking about gaining more horsepower than I think you realize.

It's just been my experience most are disappointed when they get to the dyno. The numbers aren't ever what you think they are. The true test is your netted horsepower vs. your ET at the track.

Ex. - 260hp in an Ariel Atom is an entirely different animal than 260hp in a cobalt.

All depends on the platform and a realistic comprehension of WHP vs. HP made at the crank. Also comprehending how much horsepower you've gained -- 30hp is a lot more than you think, you'll definitely feel it.

 

Build the head!

 

Ive got an 08 speed L61. its got 2.4 intake manifold, GMPP SRI, ZZP LT header, Hahn catback, very slightly tuned to just disable PE delay, zero fuel, maf or timing tuning done. I flow just over 19lbs across the MAF, this translates roughly to 185-190 crank hp. My car has SS suspension and some aftermarket bits, and is a hoot to drive. 30hp isnt unreasonable, but it is about all youre gonna get without cams and compression boost.

Compare to the NA Hondas Nissans and Toyotas you mentioned....not a single one of the similar cars can pull on my car. A fully bolted 2.2 will beat a tC, Si, Sentra, etc.....dont get stuck on the numbers, NA ecos are fun to drive.

 

Ok guys, this is not the first time I've worked on building cars. Its just the first time I've built something that wasnt a carbuerated small block or a rotary. Sure its easier to build power on those style motors, but it cant be that much more difficult on these cars.

I mean with a 2.4 intake mani, full 2.25" exhaust, full cold air intake, stage 2 cams, and a tune, I dont see why I wont be building any more power on the motor. I have no idea where something is missing but obviously something is.

 

hey. Ive got the 2.4 Intake and TB, as well as ZZP long tube headers and catless downpipe. It makes the car sound great.. Im not so sure about noticeable power increases though :/ GOOD LUCK!

 

i wish i had 5 speed to bang gears.

 

Best way to build power without forced induction. Power can be a measure of work input and output as heat. So if you take some gasoline and pour into you engine bay. Now lets add a little bit more work by supplying a little bit of enthropy into the system by means of a match. Now we are talking about bulding some serious potenial power here. Next take the match and light it. Drop it into the engine bay and push the car down the street. The more gasoline you pour the more power you will get.

Dang it that is still forcing it to happen. ???

All kidding aside. N/A is fun, but the aftermaket to stay N/A for our cars is exspensive. Not much support. Yes you can build off the ecotec but each generation of ecotec from the cavy to the cobalt have it's own issues you must get around. Like my 07, stronger block but becasue of the TPS on the cam it takes a bit of maching modifactions too make aftermarket cams fit.

 

sheesh...

if that were true, what are you doing driving a compact chevy with a four cylinder??



as you've started to notice, there are very few people on this forum who will support you - most will scoff and say that it cannot be done.
the guy I mentioned earlier was making more power, and iirc some of his posts correctly he said he was smoking 2.4L cars - those are rated 171hp...
but even he seemed to be hitting a brick wall at much past 170-180hp... which I find down right perplexing;
that red car I linked a vid for earlier honestly makes about 200whp;
similar cars/setups as mine have been dyno proven at 200+whp ~ but that's the engine that GM discontinued - replacing it with the ecotec...
It all really comes down to what you're expecting or wanting in your car;
IMHO the BEST Cobalt to do old school type hot-rodding to, is the 2008 and prior L61...


...and for those who doubt my red cars power level - here's a couple year old video that my brother took of me spanking a mouthy SS/2.4L owner;
(and I've done a couple upgrades since that video was taken too!)

July 17 2009 run #3 - YouTube

HINT: quad4forums.com

 

This is probably the most up to date dyno list on this forum of 2.2L owners.:
https://www.cobaltss.net/forums/dyno...2011-a-247552/


If you look around you can probably find some before and after cases since that is mostly a list of the afters. Maybe its just because of the small world I live in but...who brags about NA power on ecos? It's probably because I troll here 100% of the time but, that's not why you buy an eco powered car.

 

hmm... look who's at number 1!?

Guess I had a good recommendation as to who the OP should talk to huh?



(but I never saw that thread - thanks for linking it!)

 

Well with the setup you just mentioned you should expect about 170 at the wheels with proper tune. The 2.25" exhaust would actually be a restriction at that point.
Also the 2.4L intake manifold while better than stock is still actually a restriction to making max power on a 2.2 Very few guys know this, even fewer beleive it, but theres a few (particularly Euro) guys whom have seen it on the dyno.

Also since your used to SBC's you should use some perspective here,output on a very well built and tuned medium-high compression city drivable small block is somewhere around 1.5hp per cubic inch( 525hp for a 350) Use that same metric on your L61 and you come up with 180hp, minus 10% for the trans losses and you get 162whp.

 

bore it out!! bore it out!! bore it out!!