Go with the turbo kit. Depending on how much boost you run you might have to do some work to the internals.

 

the only turbo kit i've really seen for our cars is the Garret one. it's the one i'll be buying when i get money. you can run 8psi safely on the stock engine. more if you do work. and more if you want the car to break down sooner than it should. 8psi puts around 200 to the wheels it says.

 

It put out 200HP on stock engine but that's the older models with 138HP. I know my 2009 has 155HP, so with a few internal changes and that bit of added HP, I would like to eventually get it up to 250-270HP with no problems. I will probably be getting the garrett turbo kit in a year or two as well, because it is a good brand and they have done lots of testing on the product, it holds up nicely. I would also suggest getting a new standalone ECU like the AEM EMS. Although it is expensive, it will save you the money and hassle of taking your car to be tuned every time you wanna change things etc etc. Good luck! let us know how it goes!

 

ask mp81, he did it

 

Man would I love to do this to my XFE.

 

Garrett is one of best turbo in market.

 

x2, they put a lot of money into research and engineering, which is why, although they seem not to give much power increase "safely on stock engine", you'll still get a good amount of power and you know it won't be a piece of crap kit. A bit of built internals and you can have a real solid turbo setup with their kit.

 

ZZP has a turbo kit that starts at $1900...they offer stages. ZZPerformance

Also, the Garrett kit is discontinued, so get them while you can, I think they are overpriced personally...you could go piece one together that has the same components for a few hundred less. It is just up to you whether you want to spend the time or the money.

I wouldn't bother with a stand alone unit. I would just get it all put together how you want it and do a Trifecta Tune...it's not hard at all to tweak it as long as you're data logging.

If you want a budget build that will get you a little more power, go find a 2003+ Saab 9-3 2.0T to get the turbo, int. and exh. mani's from, and oil lines. The 2.0T block is the same as the LSJ (SS/SC). You can go to junkyards and piece one of those together for $750 or less...just need an intercooler, piping, and a few other things to finish it...$1500 if you're thrifty and you can be turbocharged.

It's all about how much you want to spend and how much power you want.

I recommend anybody wanting over 220whp to build the engine...220whp is pushing it, but you should still be safe.

 

hmm don't see any kits for 2.2L on the site. Also, your right bout how much you're willing to spend on a setup. If you want 200hp or less, then the piecing your own kit with the saab turbo might be fine (with no engine build), but for people looking for real power with a built engine, you'll need more than that. That's where the standalone ecu comes into play. It starts getting expensive but as we all know, if you want big power you gotta shell out the cash for it. And tune it right, and build the engine...etc etc. My point of view and experiences.

 

hell yeas you should get the turbo the Gt28 would blow ss's outta the water..the stock turbo ss's are faster than the supercharged ones and the turbocharged as well as supercharged are only 2 liters. you got the bigger engine, and if you get the better turbo you'd be smokin stock ss's

 

no, the gt28 kit would allow u to beat a stock sc but not a stg2 sc, and a tc would continue to kill u. bigger displacement isnt everything, u need parts to back it up. LSJ and LNF is a much better built engine and therefore will handle mods a lot better.

what kit could i put on my 2.2 in order to not void the warrenty

none sadly, lol. u could put the m62 on there and try and pass it as being a ss/sc next time u go in for service though, lol. dont think that would work either though...

correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get more power from turbocharging a 2.2 than a stock 2.0TC?

no, u will get in the 220-240 range.

alright, im gonna clear some stuff up for u guys, since this is wat ive been looking at for a LOOOONG time since im doing an sc m62 build. heres the fastest 4 2.2Ls i kno of that use some form of forced induction:

Stenguyen1 - 260whp Verfied DynoJet 2.9, Dual pass, Heat exchanger, Intake, Header, Exhaust, Cams, Cat Delete, 60#injectors, Tuning, Ported Blower, M62

xCobalts05x - 258whp 215wtq verified dynojet Turbo Kit, Header, Dual Pass, 60s, Tuning, Intake Manifold - i cant verify which kit, i think its the zzp one though

mkurlrey13 - 241whp 254wtq Verified Dynojet Turbo Kit, Dual Pass, Exhaust, Tuning - this was the garret kit with a think a few extras that he changed on it

Sw4y1313 206 whp, 220 wtq - 06' RY Cobalt 2.2 Turbo (#'s @ 17psi COMING SOON)
Custom 3" Magnaflow Exhaust(Catless)
Wiseco Pistons(8.9:1), Eagle Rods, ARP Head Studs, Cometic Head Gasket, Exedy Stage 2 Clutch, Vulcan Intake Manifold, Siemens 60lb injectors, NGK LTR7IX-11 Plugs - those numbers were at low psi, but as u can see he used internals too for some reason

heres the failure points for most of our parts:

stock rods - 250-275 hp
stock pistons and/or rings - 300 hp
stock crankshaft - 350 hp
valves - 275 hp
if u have an auto - 365 hp

hope that helps. i chose to go m62 supercharged because i will not need to do any internal work and i can still have a car thats reliable but very quick. ill prolly end up replacing the rods w/ eagle forged ones just for safety purposes though.

EDIT: shit i forgot about hunterkiller89, his build is pretty much wat im basing mine off of, lol.
hunterkiller89 - 265 bHP(prolly around 240 to the wheels)
GMPP Exhaust, Auto Transmission Mounts, ZZP Mid-Length Header/DP combo, Hayden Transmission Cooler, AEM Fuel/Ignition Controller, AEM UEGO, M62 Blower, ZZP Heat Exchanger, Option B

 

I recommend anyone wanting over 220hp buy a new car

 

On ZZP's site it's listed as 2.4 turbo...click the link...then choose the option for 2.2 and whatever other options you want...here's a direct link to the page:

https://www.zzperformance.com/cobalt_ion/products1.php?id=922&catid=143

 

Aah there we go lol cool the site was acting up yesterday.

Do you know anyone with this kit or have you heard good things about it?

If you go with a stage 1 kit on an 09, 4-6psi (which is not much and won't require you to build for lower boost) then it would add 60-80hp which means up to 235 hp. Pretty good if you ask me!
The price is cheap, seems like maybe they cut corners somewhere? I would consider this kit if there were good reviews on it.

 

I don't know personally anything about the kit, but I have read about it on CSS...the people there love Hahn and ZZP...great quality from both as far as I understand it. Hahn is a lot more expensive though.

Garrett no longer makes their kit so they no longer have it on their website and I'm leery of any company online that "sells" it since you know they don't stock them and there's no way to tell if they can get their hands on one. That's the main reason I wouldn't get a Garrett setup...price is the other reason.

Here's a link to a thread on CSS...you can judge for yourself after reading it:

Hahn or ZZP? - Cobalt SS Network

 

the garrett turbo is awesome, but make sure you do the proper upgrades that will be needed to handle the power, Make sure you put at least a stage 2 clutch in, otherwise the factory clutch is gonna blow like its cool

 

but hahn is definately the way to go if u have the money

 

I have the Garrett Kit on my car, and I like it. I had to get the car retuned for it, but it was worth it. I haven't had a chance to dyno it yet. I am trying to save money to get a clutch kit first.

 

Awesome. What boost you running at, and other than the kit what have you put into the engine? also, did you do the install yourself? It would be cool to know how much hp you're at.

 

I am hitting 10lbs. of boost. That is with no boost controller. I haven't done anything internal yet. Just bolt ons like lightweight pulley, colder plugs, CAI, 42lb. injectors, and full exhaust with high flow cat. I installed the kit myself. It took some time, and some busted nukles. The guy that did the final tune on my car did some kind of figuring and said I was hitting about 220 hp. I am not going to claim that until I get it dynoed.

 

Sell it and get SS/TC. The money you will put into the turbo kit and suspension work etc will turn out same if not more than an SS/TC will cost you.

Plus as I've mentioned somewhere earlier... with SS/TC you get more than just a turbo

Better exterior
Better interior
Much more power
Better suspension
Better brakes - disk all around
Better wheels
Drive-train that can handle more power than stock 2.2 could

 

Stock<Aftermarket

Half the stuff that comes with a SS/TC youll be ripping off and probably redoing anyway! Boost the 2.2!

 

all that may be good, but at the end of the day u bought a factory car. versus at the end of the day saying "damn i did that myself". Which makes you feel better???

 

Second but you'll spend much more money than you would on SS/TC that you can get and start modding that and then say "damn it went from 260HP stock to like 320 with only a couple of mods" lol

 

It's always easy to tell someone to trade and buy another car, but it's not that simple...you have to see how much you're losing on trade (or even selling outright), you have to find the car you want, you have to finance that car (for instance me...my car is more than half paid off...I'm not going to lose more money on trade in and then go with another 5 year loan...that's adding an additional 3 years to what I have left right now). On top of all that you have to change your insurance (premiums will go up...maybe not a lot, but they will go up...I pay less than $70 a month right now for full coverage and it would be around $100 a month for an SS/TC).

There are always a lot of things you have to figure...it's not like you just go in to a dealership and swap keys...

Besides, don't you think more people would go straight to the performance models if they could afford it? Or better yet, skip the Cobalt and go to something better to start with? My 99 Saturn SC1 took a dive on me and I needed a car...I didn't have a lot of time to look...my sister-in-law worked for a dealership at the time and we were able to get a great deal on my car...it was all I could afford at the time...after a year of owning it, I wanted an HHR, but the trade value on my car vs. what I owed at the time was over $2500 difference...Wasn't about to roll that over into a new loan.

Yes, it's 100hp difference from the get go and yes, for the cost of a tune you can have an additional 50hp easily with an SS/TC, but I have to agree that it's always more fun and rewarding to do it yourself.

Just my 2 cents (sorry it took so much typing to get the point across).

 

It's always easy to tell someone to trade and buy another car, but it's not that simple...you have to see how much you're losing on trade (or even selling outright), you have to find the car you want, you have to finance that car (for instance me...my car is more than half paid off...I'm not going to lose more money on trade in and then go with another 5 year loan...that's adding an additional 3 years to what I have left right now). On top of all that you have to change your insurance (premiums will go up...maybe not a lot, but they will go up...I pay less than $70 a month right now for full coverage and it would be around $100 a month for an SS/TC).

There are always a lot of things you have to figure...it's not like you just go in to a dealership and swap keys...

Besides, don't you think more people would go straight to the performance models if they could afford it? Or better yet, skip the Cobalt and go to something better to start with? My 99 Saturn SC1 took a dive on me and I needed a car...I didn't have a lot of time to look...my sister-in-law worked for a dealership at the time and we were able to get a great deal on my car...it was all I could afford at the time...after a year of owning it, I wanted an HHR, but the trade value on my car vs. what I owed at the time was over $2500 difference...Wasn't about to roll that over into a new loan.

Yes, it's 100hp difference from the get go and yes, for the cost of a tune you can have an additional 50hp easily with an SS/TC, but I have to agree that it's always more fun and rewarding to do it yourself.

Just my 2 cents (sorry it took so much typing to get the point across).

Very well put my friend.

 

what kit could i put on my 2.2 in order to not void the warrenty

 

90% sure any turbo kit or FI kit will destroy the warranty, that's why i'm waiting 3 years to put a turbo in my new 09 ls.

 

correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get more power from turbocharging a 2.2 than a stock 2.0TC?

 

Theoretically you can because of displacement, however, the internals of the 2.2 are weaker than those of the 2.0. If you upgrade the internals of the 2.2, you are definitely capable of more power with a similar turbo setup.

 

^what he said. The internals for a stock 2.0Tc are designed to withstand that kind of power all the way down to the engine's engineering. There would be quite a few things to change on a 2.2 to make it good for more than 260HP, but if you did do those upgrades (anf IF you could get all that money) and then put the same type of turbo setup on the 2.2, you would def. get more power out of it.

 

^ The last two posters....very nice info...I agree somewhat with what you both have written...in my opinion, there are a couple differences, but it's not the point of the thread so I won't get into those.

I do want to comment though on Force's last paragraph...if you want a car that will match or beat an SS/TC, just buy a Solstice GXP coupe (forget the roadster) or Sky RL...lol....that's what I'd like to get in the next few years. Would be a wonderful compliment to my Cobalt DD.

And, Bsbllscnd970...thanks for posting those breaking points of parts...if I ever do decide to turbo, I know what I'll be upgrading just to make sure I'm safe. ZZP Stage 2 or Stage 3 turbo plus upgraded pistons, rings, rods, and valves equals quite the nice car. Then I would just need to finish suspension.

 

And, Bsbllscnd970...thanks for posting those breaking points of parts...if I ever do decide to turbo, I know what I'll be upgrading just to make sure I'm safe. ZZP Stage 2 or Stage 3 turbo plus upgraded pistons, rings, rods, and valves equals quite the nice car. Then I would just need to finish suspension.

well just remember those arent set in stone. as u can see stengyuen is at 260 w/out rod or valvetrain failure. its all the about the quality of tune u get in order to insure no detonation in the cylinders. its possible to push those parts farther w/ a good, custom tune; however, i wouldnt recommend it over a period any longer than a few months, especially if u plan on racing it. those numbers are very accurate guesstimates of when you should upgrade as u increase power.

 

^ditto

 

I can attest to the bsbllscnd970's post. The guy who owns and races that white TC sedan is local and instructed me at my first Auto-X event... In my car, never having seen the course before, on my stock tires which were way underinflated for the task (32psi all around), he ran one of the fastest times of the day. He absolutely smashes cars worth 2x or more than his, including STis, Evos, M3s, even his friend's Viper GTS. He has videos of him hanging RIGHT off the tail of a Z06 and an E92 M3 around the Mosport Park DDT course. To say the SS/TC can be beaten by ANY car for the money is at best incorrect.

Yes, he's an amazing driver, but I had a long chat in person with him about racing this car. He says that the thing that makes the TC great is how EASY it is to drive fast. It's incredibly well balanced with very little in the way of poor behaviour on the track. I'll be campaigning mine a lot in Auto-X events next year.