I wasnt riled up. However the 2.4 has proven itself to be able to hold 350whp on the earlier 2.4s So why build up for something that the engine has been proven to be able to handle? Its not needed. Now to upgrade the suspension wont cost much. 2.4s have LSJ brakes. We have LSJ rear springs (not the front). Yes the FE3 struts could be better but like I said even lsj guys upgrade to lnf struts. the FE3 front swaybar is marginally smaller than the LSJ one and not really worth upgrading.

So lets look at this way. Heres what would need upgrading to be comparable to an LSJ.

Oem supercharger setup (can be done for about 1200)
lower control arms (can be done for about 100)
Springs (we wont count struts as LSJs like to upgrade as well so 200)
We will allow for a downpipe as LSJ do have better downpipes (so about 200)
tune (200-300)
So he can be comparable to an LSJ for 1900-2000 dollars.
We wont figure labor as most people can do most of the work themselves or have buddies who can help.
But if you wanted to figure labor. It will add about 600-1000 in which case its still less than half of what an 05-06 SS would go for.
Like i said theres no reason to rebuild the engine as it can handle a good amount. And earlier 2.4s had forged rods. And while the LSJ might of won a few awards (it is a good motor) Ive seen several people on here have issues with theirs between 280-320whp. So while it might have some better internals it could be argued it needs built with better internals as well.

For the standard person on here a supercharger or turbocharger kit from zzp would be reliable and last a long while on a 2.4.

And it will by no means come anywhere near the price of a stock 05-06 LSJ.
Like I said zzp got 225whp out of a 2.4 on a 3.4 pulley.

So in this guys case (which hes already decided to stay with his 2.4) it would be cheaper to upgrade the 2.4.

Not riled up or annoyed or anything like that just saying it how it is which is the truth.

 

Where are you getting the information/numbers for the bolded sections? Sure some aftermarket setup's are fairly reliable...but most guys that I know who run aftermarket FI setup's on <insert vehicle here> they're not what you'd call "stock reliable". They're always fiddling with this and that, not always HUGE deals but they shouldn't be discounted. If you're talking reliability you've got to talk about numbers.

I don't agree with your labor comment. I know a lot of people who aren't in a position to just take their car apart themselves and add a SC/Turbo. You're painting this like you buy this stuff and can throw it all on in a few hours...in my experience it doesn't quite work that well, especially for people who can't do the work themselves.

That being said, price/performance aftermarket is usually the way to go if you don't care about stuff blowing up, if anything blows up you're left holding the bag. Guaranteed reliability is valuable to some people. This is a big reason my 2011 WRX is bone stock and has no Accessport installed...I'd love the extra power but I don't want to deal with the dealer looking at me sideways if I have a powertrain issue.

 

an sc setup is pretty much oem. With a conservative tune it is reliable on the 2.4s. And I never said anything about how long it would take. you assumed that. And I even put in there that if we did figure labor it would be 600-1000 probably. And the op is an 06 he's out of his warranty most likely. For the standard person who can turn a wrench but hasnt done this type of thing before it is possible to do the sc over a weekend as its all oem parts (minus injectors) it is a reliable setup. But hey if you want to argue an m62 setup on a 2.4 is unreliable then I guess its not reliable on an LSJ.

even if you factor in labor it should be possible to have a 2.4 supercharged for 3 grand which is less than half of what a 05-06 lsj would run. Even if you factor in suspension it still comes in slightly under half of what an lsj would run. And thats if you factor 8k for a used LSJ (with who knows what kind of history the car might have) and before factoring sales tax. And before paying slightly higher insurance premiums.

An oem m62 supercharger setup on a 2.4 is a reliable setup(which includes the zzp kit as its mostly oem parts). You guys act like it cost a ton to upgrade a 2.4

 

This^ Unfortunately there is going to be a lot of bias comments in this thread but when you factor in that you can get all the goodies even perhaps a turbo for under half of what a used SC costs (I don't think I would buy used if it wasn't under 50km / 31m which would be the upper $13/14,000). I don't think it is worth it, you have a bigger engine and it will save you money in the long run to just upgrade the vehicle you have been driving.

 

For the record I think bothering to move from a 2.4 to a SC Cobalt isn't enough of a change to warrant 9k. If he were to sell his 2.4 the difference wouldn't be 9k but that's not really the point.

I'm mostly playing devil's advocate; i still think you present this installation as a bit easier than it is unless the person doing it is mechanically inclined, what happens if they get the engine apart and realize they don't know what they're doing, get it back together and something goes wrong...etc? Advising someone with very limited knowledge to go ahead and install a supercharger isn't solid advice.

The supercharger is OEM but the setup isn't...what factory vehicle comes with your engine with the same parts internally, supercharged from factory?

How do you know it's reliable? what are you using to substantiate this claim? saying it works fine on your vehicle isn't really enough to say it's reliable as a whole. I'm not trying to be a dick, but if you're going to say something is reliable you should have data to back it up (perhaps you do and if so I'd be interested in this data). "I put it on my car and its worked for xxxxmiles" is one thing "it will be reliable if you install it on your car" isn't the same, at least present the information for what it is.

Edit: My comments carry no bias, I've no "dog in this fight" so to speak...mostly just asking questions to ask questions.

 

Thats awsome! I am gonna start estimating bhp based off of my actual whp, so when people ask me how much hp I have, i'm gonna tell them my est bhp LMAO!

 

Theres a good amount of sc'd 2.4s on here. the only part of zzps setup that isnt factory for the most part is their pulley system. If you want you can run 100% oem parts on the 2.4 supercharger setup. Im by no means saying its something someone who hasnt turned a wrench should try. And honestly your not taking about the actual engine. Intake manifold and such yes. Your posts are honestly assuming a lot. Anyone thats going to install an sc hopefully does the research needed. And while your right in assuming theres no factory sc'd 2.4 do remember that GM themselves sell a non intercooled sc setup for the weaker L61 engine. On that note there are several 2.2s on here that are supercharged that have weaker internals than the 2.4 does. Theres plenty of evidence out there if someone needs the proof.