So on my Cobalt Lt, Next pay day i need to decide....K&N CAI, or Cat-back exahust with magnaflow muffler...possibly with new headers....Which should I go for? Which would give the biggest immediate boost in HP and Torque?

 

i have a magnaflow cat back myself and love it, i also have an ingen cai. in my opinion co for the exhaust and just modify(remove silencer) your oem intake for the time being.

 

Just save up and get all your parts and throw them on at once.

 

If I wait longer ill go crazy from anticipation. Neither really answered though, which would give me biggest boost of power.

 

i got intake first. i noticed alil more power and the sound was deeper. you can find them used and are just as good id search for that first.

 

intake give u most power. i have a k&n SRI and love it.

catback wont really net anything at all. if ur gunna do exhaust, go header, dp, then catback all at once and then ull see some gains. if u want noise, then just get a catback

 

your biggest gain is going to be from the 2.4 mani. After that an intake/exhaust will just help that much more once your cobalt can breathe lol

 

How expensive and how difficult is it to install the 2.4 intake manifold? Is that intake risky for the engine?

 

i pieced my kit together for like 140 or 160, dont remember off hand anymore. And its pretty straight forward, unbolt the 2.2, bolt the new one in. if you an 05-06 you need the adapter plate for the 2.2 tb to fit right. Wont hurt the engine at all, you just lose some tq down low and gain hp higher up

 

What year is your cobalt? If you're 07+ you already have the 2.4 intake manifold.

 

I would suggest that you do the intake side first, you will not notice too much if you just do the catback. If you did a full exhaust you would notice a difference. I would suggest an intake and the 2.4 intake manifold first, then start on the exhaust. what are you looking for with your mods? If you are looking for just a little bit more power than bolt ons are for you, if you are looking for LOTS of power, than I would suggest forced induction. Whatever you do, have fun, thats the important part!!!

 

I did a header then down pipe as my first two mods, and never felt the same increase from the intake or exhaust. Even doing the 2.4 mani swap didn't feel like people said it does. Get a header and down pipe.

 

2.4 mani doesn't exactly increase horsepower enough to notice... it increases torque in the midrange... i would suggest intake, but i could be biased because that's what i and most people did as a first mod.

 

its 08/09+ that has the 2.4 intake manifold. I replaced the intake manifold on my 07 and stock was def smaller.

The intake manifold def opens up the top end more, and seems to make the power feel more linear (at least the butt dyno says so )

 

Oops my bad off by one year

 

My 08 didn't come with a 2.4 mani

 

Gotta vouch for the K&N SRI, definitely has a sexy sound around 4,000rpm, and throttle response is certainly a little better

 

thats cause its a 2.2 mani, but its very similar to the 05-06 2.4 mani

 

intake first. exhaust last if you want sound. wont net you much