Improving performance on my 05 cobalt

J

jordanr909

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I would like to increase the performance of my car. I have 2005 Chevy Cobalt 2.2 L nothing special but I would like ideas to make it special. Specifically I would like to add turbo if I could but any ideas would be greatly appreciated, thanks
 
Greetings and a Warm Welcome to our TorqueCars Forum my Friend! :)

I am unable to help you with your question directly, but hopefully somebody can point you in the right direction for the knowledge that you seek!

Good luck buddy! :)
 
TommyTwinCams knows his stuff when it comes to these cars.

If I remember correctly, The cobalt also came with either a 2.0 turbocharged engine or a 2.2 supercharged engine. So I think an engine conversion would be easiest mate.
 
We get asked this question a lot so have a look at these threads which cover the basics. I have to admire your ambition though!:D And I hope you pull it off.

http://www.torquecars.com/forums/f101/adding-turbo-nasp-engine-15003/
http://www.torquecars.com/forums/f118/fitting-turbo-some-dos-dont-s-24176
Cheap turbos can be purchased from breakers yards which are ideal for a try it and see type project.:bigsmile:

Please note that I don't think it is worth adding a turbo to an old car with a small capacity engine. There is nothing stopping you but the money and hassle will just not be worth the power gain you get. It is better to just buy a better car for your tuning project.:confused:

Adding a turbo is a major engineering task and without a kit with full instructions and all the parts you need there is a big risk of blowing up the engine. Expect to spend 50 hours upwards on a project of this type. This is not the sort of modification you should undertake unless you are mechanically competent and know what you are doing.

It is worth looking at superchargers as these are generally much easier to install than a turbo is.
 
TommyTwinCams knows his stuff when it comes to these cars.

If I remember correctly, The cobalt also came with either a 2.0 turbocharged engine or a 2.2 supercharged engine. So I think an engine conversion would be easiest mate.

Engine options were as follows:
2005-2010: 2.2L (n/a)
2005-2007: 2.0L supercharged (SS Supercharged)
2008-2010: 2.0L turbocharged (SS turbocharged)
2006-2008: 2.4L (n/a. SS Naturally Aspirated. 2008 models dropped the SS name and were simply called the "Sport")

The 2.2L was never supercharged from the factory. But the set up from the 2.0L bolts right on, due to the cars having the exact same engine block.

As for the Cobalt performance. I would not even consider modifying the car if it's an automatic unless you wanna be blowing through transmissions often. If it's a 5 speed manual though, keep reading. Start with a cat back exhaust, header, and downpipe with high flow cat (ZZPerformance sells all these). Then do a short throw shift kit (TWM Performance sells these. I have one on my car and love it). I do NOT recommend a "cold air intake" on these cars because it's been dyno proven the intake is not restrictive at all. All restriction on these cars is in the exhaust and in the head itself. Having your head ported will do wonders on these engines. If you're doing head-work though, also have a 3 or 5 angle valve job, performance valve springs installed (Ferrea offers these. GM Performance Parts offers a dual valve spring kit if you can find them, but I personally think that's overkill) and stainless oversized valves (Ferrea again)> If you don't want to pay to have your head ported (and to have your car inoperable during this time), GM Performance parts offers a bolt on head that's already been ported and polished (note this head ONLY works on cars built BEFORE the 2007 model year. In 2007, a cam sensor was added along with a new ignition system and computer).
Here's that part number for the GM PnP'd head: 88958619
After that, valve retainers are a good idea (Ferrea again). After that, you can upgrade the camshafts. Comp Cams offers a variety of different camshaft grinds including 3 stages of naturally aspirated grinds, a turbo grind camshaft, and a supercharger grind camshaft.

As for forced induction, it's been done to death on these cars and the limits have been fully explored. The BEST option to start with is supercharging as opposed to turbocharging. Turbocharging is more complicated, finicky and more expensive to install. Supercharging on this car meanwhile is ridiculously cheap as the parts to do so can be grabbed off a junked Cobalt SS Supercharged or Saturn Ion Redline, or you can order the parts new from the dealer. It's a bolt on affair but don't expect the computer to compensate for it. As you have a 2005 2.2L You have 2 options when it comes to the computer. You can either scrap the factory one and go with an aftermarket standalone, or you can do mail order tunes from Trifecta Performance.
If you TRULY have your heart set on turbocharging there are kits, the most trustworthy of which come from Hahn Racecraft, who built the kits GM uses in their 1,500 HP Ecotec FWD drag cars, and ZZPerformance who have a reputation for quality products for a reason. The downside to ecotec turbocharging is that it is much more expensive due to the fact that you can't really partsbin it like you can for supercharging. There WAS a turbocharged ecotec Cobalt (2008-2010 Cobalt SS), but the car used direct injection and it has never been confirmed if any parts bolt on beyond the cat back exhaust. Now when considering forced induction on these cars, it is good to remember a few things. The engine internals on the stock 2.2L that you and I both have is rated for up to 250 HP. Anything above that and expect to switch to forged internals (available from numerous places like diamond, wiseco and JE) or blow up your engine in the process. Optimal compression ratios depend on which type of forced induction you want. If going supercharged, the optimal compression ratio is 10:1 or 9.5:1 (it's often debated). The 2.2L comes from the factory with a 10:1 compression ratio so you wouldn't have to do anything until you hit that 250 HP mark. If you're going turbocharged, it's generally agreed that the optimal CR is around 8.7:1 which will require changing out for forged internals anyways (see how turbocharging costs add up?). Another thing to note is that after installing forced induction, you WILL need to run premium fuel to help try and keep knocking and premature detonation at bay. Both are potentially dangerous and a large reason many people blow their cars up after installing forced induction is they don't change fuels. Forged internals does NOT include changing the crankshaft, which itself it rated for 500 HP, which I highly doubt you'll be hitting any time soon. If you are interested though, both GM Performance and Eagle offer forged crankshafts rated for over 1000 HP for the 2.2L.

As for the rest of the car. The clutch in the manual transmission is rated for 175 ft-lbs of torque. The transmission itself can withstand MUCH more abuse. Swap to an aftermarket clutch like I did to help prepare before installing forced induction.
Rear sway bars I suggest ordering from Powell Race Parts (you need to email them to place an order. the site isn't exactly complete yet). I heavily recommend their XXX Hardcore rear sway bar. I'll be upgrading to that after my rear axle swap (don't worry about that. A rear axle swap is only required on 2003-2004 Saturn Ions that want to use an aftermarket rear sway bar. A cobalt rear axle is the preferred axle of choice). The front sway bar I heavily recommend you get from a 2008-2010 Cobalt SS Turbo. If you can't find it used, crate engine depot sells a LARGE number of Cobalt parts for you to swap over.
Parts to get from a 2008-2010 Cobalt SS Turbo include:
front sway bar
front control arms
Brembo Brake set up
rear disc set up
FE5 struts
FE5 shocks
Order steering knuckles from GM Performance Parts (again, crate engine depot sells these).
Take your pick for lowering springs. Many people adore the lowering springs Pedders has for these cars as GM approved them as non-warranty-voiding parts.

I think that covers everything. This is all off the top of my head. I highly suggest ordering the GM Performance Parts Ecotec sport compact performance build book (also available from crate engine depot. I have this book and adore it. It is collectively known as the "Ecotec Bible").

PM me if you have any other questions pertaining to your cobalt jordanr909.
 
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