Just to start off, i know an intake and exhaust will give me maybe 5 hp more, but im looking for something a little more in depth. I was thinking a camshaft, but would that make sense. Im good with my hands, i know i could prollyhandle a task like that, but if i changed the camshaft, would i have to change anything else?

 

i heard tunes for a 2.4 are godly for that car

 

Forced Induction and a Tune.

If you installed cams, you would definitely need a tune as well, and you'd probably want supporting mods (intake, full exhaust, ported/polished heads even?) to make the most of the power gains. Depending on how aggressive you want to get, you may need new valve springs, too.

 

depends on your power goals and budget.

 

cams alone don't add power.

 

Intake on the 2.4 is the best bang for the buck - $250 or so for a K&N will get you 10-12 more hp (and lb/ft of torque) at the wheels.

The stock catback on the 2.4 is not that bad but there are gains to be had - more so if the intake is freed up as well.

Toss a header and a decent tune into the mix and 190+ hp to the wheels is possible.

As G85_SS points out, without all of the above plus some porting / polishing on the head, cams will give you nothing - except for a little lumpier idle perhaps.

Cams are far down the list of mods you should be considering.......

 

how much power could i get from adding a kn intake, headr, new cam, intake manifold and valves?

 

Just do the supercharged setup like some others have done. Its possible to be supercharged for not alot of money.

 

how much is a top end swap, including intake mani, cams, valve and springs, and prolly injectors?

 

Question is why would you want to do anything with valves, springs and injectors? There's no intake manifold or cold air intake going to need better valve springs or bigger injectors. Bigger injectors are for forced induction.

 

see, im learning still. Thank you for the info, so how much would a good cam, and head run me?

 

While i dont think the cams are a worth while mod in the beginning I know theres some power to be had there. Not saying huge gains but theres definitely some power to be had.

Im in the same boat though. Starting to modify the car.

From what ive been told header,downpipe,catback,cold air intake and tune.

The ones im most curious about are downpipe and and LSJ throttle body upgrade.

 

The best mods for the 2.4 are as follows intake, header and down pipe, 2.5 inch exhaust, and tune. With those mods you'll get about 185-190 whp easily. Cams in my opinion are too expensive for the little power gain they give plus like otheres have said you need a tune plus larger valve springs. There more hassle then there worth. Your other power options are supercharge or turbo which will give your 2.4 huge amount of power.

 

so what does a "tune" consist of. Do I have to buy a new chip?

 

No. Your ECU is reflashed via that port that's under your dash. You can, if you want, buy a second ECU, and tune that one while leaving your stock one with the factory tune.

 

The best option for tune is trifecta or hpt. trifecta is the easier of the two as its basically plug and play by using your obd2 port inside your car.

 

Unless you have an 08 2.4 - then Trifecta or LS2 Edit are your choices due to lack of HPT support

From what I've read on here and other sites, the Trifecta tune is pretty decent if a little longer process.

 

Nitrous.

**waiting for the "oh no I want to stay away from nitrous" comment**

 

Oh no, i want to stay away from nitrous

 

not surprised. Most people freak out when someone mentions nitrous when the person is looking for that "cheap, best bang for the buck" go-fast mod.

 

and destroy the engine

 

btw, how much would a tune cost, approximately, and how much hp could i pull, provided i had an intake and exhaust

 

depending on the year of your cobalt, but you are looking in the area of 500-800 dollars for a tune and wideband. Intake and full exhaust will run you in the area of 1,000 dollars.

 

That estimte is a bit high for a tune and wideband. I paid 250 for tune and 220 for the wideband. Good stuff too...

 

I was talking about buying the software and all that yourself not just getting tuned