Turbo Turbo...Im craving Turbo!

hey guys,
I have a 1997 cavalier RS 2.2L is there anywhere I can get some turb semi - cheap. I looked online and a turbo kit can cost up to $2000 dollars. I'm a waiter at a resteraunt i did the calculations that with my monthly expenses and my income it would take me about a month days of saving up to make about $1000 dollars. Any URL's or perhaps places i could buy turbo, and have it perform around where the expensive ones do..or should i just save up for the big one.

how many miles are on it??? since its 10 years old and your finally putting a turbo on it, you'll have to rebuild the engine if you want ANY kind of reliability

www.hahnracecraft.com if you have a manual.

Other wise, piece your own together. Your still looking at 2,000 easily. If you over 80K miles, don't waste your time if you don't plan on rebuilding down the road once your blow your HG, throw a rod, or spin a bearing. ;)

nice advice cody... I dunno anybody who did that! lol

Be like me lol, piece up a turbo setup, with PPL's help, haha...

First thing i need to say: DO NOT BUY FROM EBAY

Secondly, having turboed many cars and mine 3 times, i'll tell you right now that its going to cost AT LEAST $3k. I dont pay full price on anything anymore, but my setup still cost me $5k approx....you CAN do it for less, but you have three options really...pick 2 of them

1. Reliable
2. Cheap
3. Fast

those are 2 hard choices lmao

Yup hard choices, but i think mine will be all 3 ahahah...

Yup hard choices, but i think mine will be all 3 ahahah...

do you guys not understand that at all??

It can be cheap and reliable, but it wont be fast
It can be reliable and fast, but it wont be cheap
It can be fast and cheap, but it wont be reliable

If you think you can do better than me, good luck...i'd like to see you figure out how you can make your setup fast, reliable and inexpensive. I get discounts on everything from my STC built turbo to my SLS manifold....if I can't built a setup cheaply, then i'm sure you can't. Even if your setup does cost less, good luck running mid 11's.....that's what i'm shooting for at the next track event in September :smooch:

Prove me wrong, i'd love to see it....fuck, i'd be impressed if you ACTUALLY finished your turbo project. The next hurdle after that is not getting arrested because it seems you like to drive like an ass. For real tho, prove me wrong....i'd like to see it happen

LoL... whatever, i dont know what your problem is, but ur an ass...

how cheap is cheap? i think $4000 is cheap, and with that much money, i can get my setup running pretty reliable and fast... i would estimate my car around low 13's, high 12's

Just wait, once everything gets to me then it will be done, The first week of october hopefully...

Man, some people need to grow up. (Lefix, Cavyfamous) Schister knows what he's talking about and he's only giving you guys facts. So calling him an ass is uncalled for.

13's and 12's after you completely rebuild your engine with forged internals and all the other goodies....

LoL... whatever, i dont know what your problem is, but ur an ass...

how cheap is cheap? i think $4000 is cheap, and with that much money, i can get my setup running pretty reliable and fast... i would estimate my car around low 13's, high 12's

Just wait, once everything gets to me then it will be done, The first week of october hopefully...
meh i'm 17 too. But i can't see $4000 as cheap especially for a turbo on a cavalier. I like mine stock, it gets me around. I can't quite understand why you'd drop $4000 on a cavalier, when you could save that much again, and get a M3 or something that would run faster then a cav. An M3 is one of my dreamcars. I'm a car fanatic. That's where i don't get where a turbo'd cavalier is so eh cool? Derk, i loved reading about you building yours, and how much time you put into it, and i feel for you man when you broke it. But when your 17, and college around the corner that $4000 can go towards books, tuition etc. A new car too. Now guys i don't want you to think im just a troll, but this is just my thinking.

yeah then you go an fuck up your engine and pay more in the long run... remember the reliable thing? lol

LoL... whatever, i dont know what your problem is, but ur an ass...

how cheap is cheap? i think $4000 is cheap, and with that much money, i can get my setup running pretty reliable and fast... i would estimate my car around low 13's, high 12's

Just wait, once everything gets to me then it will be done, The first week of october hopefully...


you think what you want, but just remember i've done this many times...all successful mind you. With a budget of $4000 you should be able to do that, but seeing as i have to pay for my car, my tuition, housing and so forth, i dont see that as cheap. Also, no offense to you guys w/ Cavaliers who like them, but personally it is a TERRIBLE platform and i honestly think that dumping $4k into a turbo setup on it is a bad investment at your age. The auto tranny will last 2 pulls if you're running enough power to get into the 12's....you're only thinking small picture on this setup.

Thanks for the backup guys...:smokin:

Hmm dont know if you know this guy, but NJHK from the org told me that our 4t4oe auto tranny, or whatever the model number is, it is pretty strong, usually, heat is what kills the tranny, so im gonna buy a good tranny cooler, and it should last over 400-500 hp...

i didnt want to sound like a ass or whatever, but you've been dumping cold water on top of me ever since the second week after you helped me, so i dont know why you keep doing that...

Im not saying anything like "oh sucks for you guys cuz you guys are poor, college students, or you guys have to pay bills and shit like that"
Im lucky that my car is paid for, and im lucky that im still in highschool, and im lucky that i make over $1000 a month from working part time, so im not trying to say anything offensive, im here to turbocharge my car and all im looking for is help...thats all...

he was right on saying the 4t40e is a strong tranny but if u leave it stock its not gunna last u no matter how good of a tranny it is. U cant just slap a turbo on a car and expect nothing to happen.Somewhere down the road ur gunna blow something unless u build u car up to actually handle the excess pressure ur putitng on ur engine and tranny. Think thing through before you do this.If $4000 isnt cheap to you than i suggest getting your internals done b4 hand.

This is my plan:

Complete my turbo setup for now, run my turbo setup at 7 PSI (which is SET by the internal wastegate), I have stainless steel IC pipings, they are stronger and lesser boost leak then typical aluminum pipings... Im going to have a 3" downpipe all the way back to my dual magnaflow exhausts...If im not satisfied with 7 PSI, which i dont think i will be... Then I'll save up another $1500, which would be quick, maybe around a month, then i will build up my engine with pistons, rods, rings, studs, etc...

I've already purchased a set of BRAND NEW Diamond Racing Pistons at 8.5:1 compression... Bought it for $200 for the set brand new... i bought it only cuz it was a GREAT deal...

Then im planning on getting a boost controller and turn the boost up to about 15 PSI, then if im still not satisfied with the result after 15-18 PSI, then im going to invest about $1500 in a GT Ball-bearing turbo and upgrade the injectors and do some hardcore tranny build...

But i think i should be pretty satisfied with 15 PSI of boost, that should push me about 320whp... and i think thats good for me...

wow, if you think $4000 is cheap, why dont you take that money, along with the rest of the money your gonna put in your car, sell your car, take ALL that money and buy a car thats actualy designed to go fast, instead of one thats desinged for economy, you'll get more respect too since, ya know, you wont be driving a sunfire (as opposed to a sports car)

Think of this all as tough love...most people dont get my point or heed my advice until i literally beat it into their heads. Felix, you seem to finally be catching on. Your goals have become more realistic and concrete. On thing i will warn you about is the misunderstanding about the GT-R (BB CHRA) turbos. Most people think they are the "magic bullet" if you will. Your setup does not require one in order to make that kind of power. The ball bearing center housing has its place, but it is more important to match the flow of the engine to the turbo than it is to have a turbo with quick transient response.

Your auto tranny will last longer with the tranny cooler, but your torque converter is going to slip. They are a viscous coupler which doesnt actually attach directly at any point from engine to tranny. It simply isn't designed to handle the stresses of more power. If you were to eventually change out the torque converter, you'd be able to put more power to the ground without worry of failure. Heat is what will kill the tranny and when the TC starts slipping, substantially more heat will be produced. Another thing that your tranny will encounter is gear to gear shock. When your tranny shifts, it does it at a predetermined speed; whereas, i can somewhat slip the clutch if needed. That MAY be another thing to keep in mind.

Once you were to switch out the torque converter, you simply move the problem down the line. An auto tranny has 5-7 individual clutches that ease shifts like a manual. When those clutches are put under 200% more load, they're going to start slipping. It may not happen right away, but you can bet that they will eventually.

Yes, thank you for your postive feedback..

I will see how Derk's turbonetic's internal gated turbo does, if it seems good, then i will just turn up the boost, but i know that there will be boost spikes and thats why i wanna get an external gated turbo.. But after i get my setup completed, which should be around the first week of october, when i have my first quarter break, then it should be completed within that week...

Im going to buy a wideband and HPTuner and i will tune the car with my mechanic's help... He has a 11 second ek and a 9 second crx, so he will know what to do.. he recommended me to get larger injectors, he said 550 should be good, i told him i should stay with 440cc and he was like okay whatever..

So, after i get my 7PSI boost setup complete with a good tune, i will drive my car, feel it, and see what i want to do with it... i will have enough money to build up the engine very soon... then im going to build up the tranny, yes i understand about the torque converter and also gear slipping, and i will ask this guy on the org, he has a 420+ whp sunfire, so i will ask him what kind of build he did and have him point me to some good tranny builds..

But for now, 7PSI is gonna be good enough for me... :D

wow, if you think $4000 is cheap, why dont you take that money, along with the rest of the money your gonna put in your car, sell your car, take ALL that money and buy a car thats actualy designed to go fast, instead of one thats desinged for economy, you'll get more respect too since, ya know, you wont be driving a sunfire (as opposed to a sports car)

My car was brand new, it costed $15000 brand new with 20 miles on it... i know that i can make it into a 12 second car, so i have absolutely no plan on selling it and getting another car... i have already put ALOT of time and hard work in it and i love my car... It can be as good and as fast as any other 4-cyl car out there...

I'm glad you like your car, but it is going to take a lot to make it an 11 sec car. I'm finally getting into that range (on the stock engine) and it has taken a lot to get there....you have to remember suspension and all that good stuff too...

Yup, i gotta do suspension like complete coil-over system, sway bars, strut and shocks, rear disc brake conversion...

I will probably be in college and dont have time to work on my car by the time i finish the 15+ PSI project, thats after the engine build, i dont know if im going to bring to car with me to college or not...

My car was brand new, it costed $15000 brand new with 20 miles on it... i know that i can make it into a 12 second car, so i have absolutely no plan on selling it and getting another car... i have already put ALOT of time and hard work in it and i love my car... It can be as good and as fast as any other 4-cyl car out there...

Meh, a 12 second sunfire, cavalier just doesn't sound right. I'm not sure what you mean by "as good and as fast as any other 4-cyl car out there." The Mazda RX-8(not a fan but still) is a 1.3L 4cyl and puts out 230hp. Your car is a 2.4L 4cyl and puts out 140. (stock). Blah i just don't know what to say, reading your very often changing plans, it looks like you're going to spend a lot of money especially if you plan to rebuild/rework everything.

Senior year coming up yeah? I'm in the same boat, but no job as you. But in my opinion i would rather use the money i recieve for having fun the last year. Saving for stuff during college, hell my friend went to University of Washington last year. Left his car at home (300 miles away) and took a bike just to save money. I can't see how a 12 second car will last you through college as a daily driver etc. Buying a car half way through college would put you far into debt, and that just isn't the right way to start off your left when you get out of it. Unless you're lucky and parents support you fully.

See i'm babying my cavalier because it's a 97, 175,000 miles? close to it? Parents used it to commute to the closest college for their masters, at seperate times, so it got miles chunked onto it fast. I'm not sure how far these go because anybody i know have many miles less then it, or have wrecked their cavaliers. I need this car to last me through college or until i can buy something else. I would love more power into the car, because when i look at my (not going to happen) dream car list, they're all HP monsters. Z06, M3 CSL, Fairlady Z, 911 Turbo. However i just think this is my first car and it needs to be just that, my first car.

Sorry for this wall of text, but i just can't quite understand why you really really want to go through with this.

You are not a car enthusiast. You are someone who just wanna buy a fast car and done. You are not the type of person that like working on cars as a hobby, you want a fast car to go fast, your hobby is driving, not modding the car...

I am 17 and i currently have a part time job that pays over $1000 a month, my car has only 5000 miles on it and it is perfect for turbo... and i have a 4.0 GPA cumalative throughout highschool, i am in not worry to get a scholarship or aid's to get into college... I might end up going to NY and leaving my car in Hawaii, but i might end up going to the university in honolulu, in hawaii, and keep driving the car and have fun with it...

To make a ecotec a 12 second car isnt hard... a good T3/T4 turbo with a build up engine that is running about 15-20 PSI will get you about 350+whp no problem, and that will make it a 12 second car... When i said that i can make my car as fast as any other car is based on GM's 1200 HP 2.2L ecotec.

Now if you wanna buy a z06 and have 500 horses then fine, i will have my 350 hp I-4 car that cost 1/4 of what your car cost.

And you said that i've been changing my plans. I HAVEN'T, i had this turbocharging plan LONG time ago, i dont see how you came up with the idea of me having changing plans, but the plan is turbo, and that is like the ONLY plan i had.

The Mazda RX-8(not a fan but still) is a 1.3L 4cyl and puts out 230hp. Your car is a 2.4L 4cyl and puts out 140. (stock).

Actually an Rx-8 has a 1.3L Rotary Engine, not a 4cyl the engine has 2 rotors n works way different. also his car would have a 2.2 not a 2.4

Sorry for this wall of text, but i just can't quite understand why you really really want to go through with this.


In a sense i agree, but i'm sure people say the same thing about me. I have put a lot of money into my GSR...it is a far better platform w/ a lot larger aftermarket following, but money is money. Its all about having a passion for something and putting your heart and soul into it.

Also the RX8 analogy was terrible. Not only are they not a 4cyl like previously stated, they also suck balls. RX8s are the biggest dissapointment out there...closely followed by most of Chevy's new SS badged cars

Also the RX8 analogy was terrible. Not only are they not a 4cyl like previously stated, they also suck balls. RX8s are the biggest dissapointment out there...closely followed by most of Chevy's new SS badged cars

Yup I agree the Rx-8 should have been Turboed the cobalt SS looks pretty sweet tho

When you are 17 and your mother bought you a 15000 brand new that is FULLY CASH PAID FOR, then im pretty sure you wont sell it and get another yet you wanna make it look aggressive and go fast, that is me, i have a sunfire and i wanna make it look anything but a sunfire and i want it fast so i can smoke imports, no offense to imports, and i do like them, but everyone here where i live on the island has imports, they dont like domestic...

instead of getting turbo at all, especially on a cavalier that old, you should naturally aspirate it and probably could get just as much out of it. 2000 dollars you can get a header back exhaust kit with high flow cat and muffler. performance k&n intake and probably get it chipped up assuming you put all that on yourself which is easy. and besides a turbo on a cavalier isnt that great i had a 1990 wolfsburgen 8 valve 4 cylinder keep up with a newer turbo cavalier i lost by like half a nose, but i think he was just a newb. but naturally aspirating is better for your engine and easier on it. if you want real power look into performance injectors and chips.

You can never get as much power from N/A as from boost..

If you use the same budget...

When you are 17 and your mother bought you a 15000 brand new that is FULLY CASH PAID FOR, then im pretty sure you wont sell it and get another yet you wanna make it look aggressive and go fast, that is me, i have a sunfire and i wanna make it look anything but a sunfire and i want it fast so i can smoke imports, no offense to imports, and i do like them, but everyone here where i live on the island has imports, they dont like domestic...

we've heard it like 15 times...we know. If you like your car, then do whatever you want with it. You're going to catch shit for it because its not the "typical" car to start with...

As for the NA comments....if you're going to spend your money on NA parts for a Cavalier, save your money. It isn't going to do a damn thing...

i wanna make it look anything but a sunfire.
Then why didn't you do a Cavy front end conversion lol

That woulda rocked.. I'd swap you front ends if your car was red, lol

Ya know what would be even hotter? Swapping an 03-05 Cav or Sunfire frontend onto a 95-99 convertible....since there were no verts in 03-05

In a sense i agree, but i'm sure people say the same thing about me. I have put a lot of money into my GSR...it is a far better platform w/ a lot larger aftermarket following, but money is money. Its all about having a passion for something and putting your heart and soul into it.

Also the RX8 analogy was terrible. Not only are they not a 4cyl like previously stated, they also suck balls. RX8s are the biggest dissapointment out there...closely followed by most of Chevy's new SS badged cars

Eh yeah completely forgot about rotary's just the first, low numbered, high powered HP car i thought of. Sorry for that.

See the thing is, I'm not that objective to you're turbo/set up on you're Acura. In my mindset, you don't mess with Domestic's. Now that's a sterio type yeah? The whole "ricer" theory all comes to mind. Just, when you look at the car offerings over the years, it just never made sense to "rice" a domestic car.

I used to drive a real beater car for about 9 months. a 1989 Honda Civic, hit in a DUI hit and run, so there was a different driver door, and rust spots all over the driver side. The muffler fell off a few years back, and my dad simply just kicked it off, because none of us liked it. I couldn't think to myself when i drove this, I hated taking my girlfriend out in it, so i avoided it as much as i could. I couldn't hear my music which is a must for me. However, we all know hondas they last forever.
The point with this is, when i drove this my friends never called it "Greg's Car". "Civic" is what it was to us, we joked around with it, lmao it sounds so stupid now that i write it out and think; however, we put cardboard "intakes, spoilers" on it, and drove around. Masking tape decals. Now that i have the cavalier, we do none of this to it.

Now you're saying all that i like to do is drive cars, not mod them. Which i guess is true. Just my mindset on cars is, mod the engine, leave the design alone. Lower the car, if you mod the engine enough. However looking at a stock car, having in you're mind "oh just a cavalier <sunfire> those are weak, then getting possibly blown away by one. Thats what modding a car should be about.

"Get a fast car and be done with it." No, I'm looking at cars that just jump out at me, the cars that when i drive by them, i just can't stop looking. The M3 just jumps out at me, it's a sleeper, sure if you know cars. People know about it, just the BMW platform, you have to look for the little details to tell them apart. M3? side vents behind the front wheels. Z06? Front intake. When i think about it, During college, i won't have any money to mod my car, and if i did. All of that would go into a car after college. Then after college, thats all about getting a house, family etc. When i go to a job interview, i want a car that if they see, jumps out and says that guy could be successful. Longer story short: i love sedans/coupes that look good.

Now if you work part time at McDonalds (which i read awhile back) not sure if you still do that, Congratulations to you. Wish McDonalds in the States paid that well.

And yes you have changed the plan many times, first Ebay, then buying from Derk, then piecing together, then going small, then tuning higher.

I just think, the cavalier is not the platform to Turbo.

Okay, just end my ranting and please enlighten me why exactly you want to do this. Exactly what you want to do, try to make me, who is 100% against you're plan to maybe lean alittle to your side.

In a sense i agree, but i'm sure people say the same thing about me. I have put a lot of money into my GSR...it is a far better platform w/ a lot larger aftermarket following, but money is money. Its all about having a passion for something and putting your heart and soul into it.

Also the RX8 analogy was terrible. Not only are they not a 4cyl like previously stated, they also suck balls. RX8s are the biggest dissapointment out there...closely followed by most of Chevy's new SS badged cars
Eh yeah completely forgot about rotary's just the first, low numbered, high powered HP car i thought of. Sorry for that.

See the thing is, I'm not that objective to you're turbo/set up on you're Acura. In my mindset, you don't mess with Domestic's. Now that's a sterio type yeah? The whole "ricer" theory all comes to mind. Just, when you look at the car offerings over the years, it just never made sense to "rice" a domestic car.

I used to drive a real beater car for about 9 months. a 1989 Honda Civic, hit in a DUI hit and run, so there was a different driver door, and rust spots all over the driver side. The muffler fell off a few years back, and my dad simply just kicked it off, because none of us liked it. I couldn't think to myself when i drove this, I hated taking my girlfriend out in it, so i avoided it as much as i could. I couldn't hear my music which is a must for me. However, we all know hondas they last forever.
The point with this is, when i drove this my friends never called it "Greg's Car". "Civic" is what it was to us, we joked around with it, lmao it sounds so stupid now that i write it out and think; however, we put cardboard "intakes, spoilers" on it, and drove around. Masking tape decals. Now that i have the cavalier, we do none of this to it.

Now you're saying all that i like to do is drive cars, not mod them. Which i guess is true. Just my mindset on cars is, mod the engine, leave the design alone. Lower the car, if you mod the engine enough. However looking at a stock car, having in you're mind "oh just a cavalier <sunfire> those are weak, then getting possibly blown away by one. Thats what modding a car should be about.

"Get a fast car and be done with it." No, I'm looking at cars that just jump out at me, the cars that when i drive by them, i just can't stop looking. The M3 just jumps out at me, it's a sleeper, sure if you know cars. People know about it, just the BMW platform, you have to look for the little details to tell them apart. M3? side vents behind the front wheels. Z06? Front intake. When i think about it, During college, i won't have any money to mod my car, and if i did. All of that would go into a car after college. Then after college, thats all about getting a house, family etc. When i go to a job interview, i want a car that if they see, jumps out and says that guy could be successful. Longer story short: i love sedans/coupes that look good.

Now if you work part time at McDonalds (which i read awhile back) not sure if you still do that, Congratulations to you. Wish McDonalds in the States paid that well.

And yes you have changed the plan many times, first Ebay, then buying from Derk, then piecing together, then going small, then tuning higher.

I just think, the cavalier is not the platform to Turbo.

Okay, just end my ranting and please enlighten me why exactly you want to do this. Exactly what you want to do, try to make me, who is 100% against you're plan to maybe lean alittle to your side.

I'm sorry that all of this was kinda scrambled, I just typed out what i was thinking.

Okay, this is fun lol...

Hmmm, how to start... I was going to buy a ebay turbo kit until Derk came outta no where and offered me his turbo, intercooler, and his BOV for $700.. he wasnt going to sell me anything else. So i had to buy other parts like injectors, spark plugs, oil lines, intercooler pipings, gauges, wideband, and HPTuner...etc...

Now besides that it was a good offer, i helped him out, he needed money so i bought his turbo, IC and BOV, everything are used already, which is something i dont like buying, i always like to buy new stuff, but since i know it hasnt been used for over 3 months, i was okay with it and bought his...

Now about going small and now going higher, im not going higher right now, im trying to get my turbo setup completed, THEN build up the engine and then turn up the boost... which i might not have chance doing... Im not changing plans you see, my plan is TURBO.

Lets say your parents bought you a brand new sunfire because you liked it alot.. ALL of your friends like imports like honda, nissan, mitsu, subaru, etc.. and they dont like your sunfire.. Now you are 17 and you are the same age as me, what would you do if you have a brand new car that is fully paid for and none of your friends like the way it is stock? Wouldn't you try to impress them by doing things like putting a bodykit on, 18" rims, get a wing, whatever.. right?
So in my situation, i did impress them, the first day i brought my car to school after the bodykit, all i heard was compliments, and WOW's...

Now the subject of turbocharging comes up, and you have the money, but you have a nice looking sunfire that most of your friends are impressed with... and you want to go faster and run 12's but you have a 15000 brand new sunfire with 3000 invested already, and 2000 saved up in the bank... you are not going to go buy another car and turbocharge that one are you? so what would you do? Ofcourse you will use that money and install a turbo kit on your sunfire, right? And that is where im standing right now...

I dont know, if you still think that you are not convinced then i will admit one thing that i did that i wasnt happy about..

I wasnt happy really about buying this car in the beginning, i wanted a celica, or s2000 or a 350z, but those imports are expensive. A used 2002 s2000 with 50,000+ miles on it was 18000, my mother didnt like it, she wants to buy me a new car. a 2003 350z was 22000 with 40000 miles on it, and my mother didnt buy me that either... now there wasnt any celica's for sale, or i would of gotten a celica... I didnt like cavaliers, i didnt like neons, i didnt like civics, so i got a sunfire that i wasnt really going to do ANYTHING to it... but time goes on and i found the Bomex sunfire body kit and i LOVED it, so i got it... I love music, just like you, so i got sounds... and now my turbo kit...

Ya know what would be even hotter? Swapping an 03-05 Cav or Sunfire frontend onto a 95-99 convertible....since there were no verts in 03-05

I wanted to make my car a convertible lol, but that plan was gone LONG time ago... and so does the sunroof plan...

heres a better idea dont mod the car and if u want HP then save and get a V8 HEMI

heres a better idea dont mod the car and if u want HP then save and get a V8 HEMI

here's an idea, delete your account...

Ya know what would be even hotter? Swapping an 03-05 Cav or Sunfire frontend onto a 95-99 convertible....since there were no verts in 03-05

Im in!

heres a better idea dont mod the car and if u want HP then save and get a V8 HEMI

Heres a even better idea, shut your fucking mouth and fuck off newbie!:newbie:

Why the fuck did u join this forum if you arent gonna mod your car?

Why the fuck did u join this forum if you arent gonna mod your car?
lol, lots of people come to the cavalier forum for problems they're having with their car

wow this thread is retarded....also Felix, you're NOT going to hit 12's w/ the simple setup you're getting....i hope you weren't planning on it. I'm at a tish over 300whp 200wtq and i'm finally in that 12 sec range. I have the advantage of a manual transmission w/ better gearing also....

Im pretty sure i said after i build up my engine with over 350 to the wheels...

Oh wells, i know this thread is getting retarded... But come on, i hate ppl that tells me stuff like: "Oh its a sunfire/cavalier, why would you spend money on it?"

you can spend money on whatever you want....if you like it, go for it

once you build the engine and can make that kind of power, you're going to have a hard time getting it to the ground through that auto tranny....

LOL i know, tranny build is gonna be part of my engine build lol...

Gm made a 2002 2.2 ecotec Cavalier into a 1080hp beast. It did a 7.665 E.T just shy of 180MPH. Using the Garret Ball-Bearing Turbo, and obviosly alot of other goodies.But that just goes to show you just because somthing starts small doesnt mean its can't be something big(If you have deep pockets that is)

oh i'm not saying it can't be done....there are a lot of really fast cars out there. Once you get to that point though, who knows how much of the car is stock....probably about 2%. There are a lot of Hondas that are getting into that 9 sec range while still retaining a lot of the stock parts and body. I know that there is finally a stock block sub 10.5 sec Honda out there now....that's pretty fast for the stock bottom end and tranny....

Yeah, thats my point, it can be done, so its not JUST a sunfire/cavalier..