Increasing 2004 performance questions

I just bought a 2004 Cavalier with the 2.2 ecotec engine and M/T. It's not a bad car, but like all 4 cylinders, lacks real power. I was considering buying a 2008 Cobalt SS (260 HP @ 5,300 RPM, 260 ft-lb torque @ 2000 RPM), but decided not to for various reasons; mostly the cost (both purchase and insurance) and availability. I know that without beefing up the lower end, I can't get those numbers, but I'd like to go as high as I can without any real risk to the engine. The exhaust manifold has a crack in it already. Because I'll be replacing that anyway, I'm leaning toward a turbo (hey, as long as it off, right? :biggrin:). I'll probably be keeping this car for 10 years or more, and based on the miles I drive per year, I'll be rebuilding the engine in about 5 years (assuming a life of 200,000 miles). When I rebuild it, I'll use the strongest parts available, so I'm also leaning toward a turbo so I can have more horsepower ready to go when the engine can handle it. I'm not a racer, I just want the car to go when I put my foot down. So, my questions about going are:
1. How many horspower can the ecotec really, safely, put out?
2. How many PSI of boost can it handle in stock form?
3. I'm thinking probably a turbo, but would anyone reccomend a supercharger; and if so, why?
4. Has anyone installed a kit that you have been happy with? Price isn't a big concern, but if two are very similar, tell me about the cheaper one. I'm an automotive technician, so installation difficulty or specialty tools are not a concern.

And I've got some questions about stopping and turning.
5. Brakes. The car doesn't stop as quick as I'd like it to. It's rear-drum, but I'll be fixing that soon. Are there any kits available for a rear-disc conversion? I was planning on fabricating my own since it worked so well on my truck, but I may also consider a kit since I don't like welding in 90 degree heat. On the topic of brakes, when I was inspecting the car before I bought it, I found that the wheel cylinders are annodized aluminum. I wouldn't have thought anything of it, except the drums still had those sheet-metal hold-on dealeys on the studs. Do they come from the factory with aluminum wheel cylinders?
6. I'd also like to put some larger rotors in the front, any kits there?
7. Suspension- are there stiffer springs available? I will not lower the car, so please don't even suggest that. I just want a less "floaty" car. On the topic of altering the ride height, are there any springs that would give me about a 1/2" to 1" higher ride? My driving isn't 100% on-road, and some gravel roads I take are rutted out to where I've hit the rear diff in my truck. The Cavalier is the lowest car I've driven, and I'm a bit concerned about getting high-centered on those ruts if I ever have to stop straddling them for any reason. The struts are original, so I'll be doing them at the same time, any good ones that are a bit firmer, maybe even multi-stage? And are there any "quick-struts" that have what I want?
9. Are there any larger front sway-bars? Body roll is a bit excessive too.

Thanks for any answers!

I dont know exactly but I'd say you could get 50% more HP (with or without boost) on stock internals. A realy nice motor and cheapr HP upgrades.

And what happend to #8 ?? lol

Yeah, I do like the ecotec a lot better than the quad-4. Good news on that though, I tried to drive it home yesterday and it cranked for a sec, then something snapped and now it cranks like there's no compression. Hopefully easier to find now that it's 100% broken :) I'll post in the G/A forum after I look at it.

I think I combined #7 and #8 into a longer #7 and forgot to change #9 to #8 :) I do remember having a #8 at one point, I think :confused:

#1 - GM states the bottom end can handle 250hp.
#2 - 7-8psi (.5bar) turbo, and 13psi S/c'er
#3 - Supercharger is less stress on your motor, GM makes a kit for this engine with a new tune ready to go and increase the HP to 200hp. Turbo has more options and power potentials, but there is A LOT of stuff thats needs to be done.
#4 - I have done both power adders. Both are really fun.
#5 & 6 - yes their are kits. BAER and SSBC make rear disc conversion kits. But the front brakes do more stopping than the rears. I have a Neon SRT-4 rear disc conversion. Wilwood makes a nicely priced big front brake conversion, as so do the other 2.
#7 - All after market springs will lower the car and make the ride a lot better when you match them to a set of struts that can handle the stiffer springs. B&G, H&R, & Eibach Prokit , are 3 companies with the smallest drop with the biggest being 1.4" and smalles being 1".
#8 - if you choose any of those springs above, KYB AGX adjustables are fairly cheap ( all 4 under $400) and you will be able to find your perfect ride quality. I have the Eibach Prokit and AGX struts myself. The drop is very small, but looks a lot better and handles 100X better than stock.

#9 - There are many out there, just do a google search. Eibach has the largest bars available IIRC.

Xero- I left #8 out so Classicrockjunkie would have some extra space!, I just forgot that when I said I forgot to change the numbers... anyone believe that? :)

Thanks for the reply, Classicrockjunkie!

So the turbo is harder on the engine because of the backpressure it produces? My job is finding broken/bad things and replacing them with OEM parts, it's a bit embarassing, but I really have no clue about a lot off performance parts. I was thinking about boost alone, but I'm sure the backpressure would cancel out some of the boost.

The roads I drive on don't really allow for any lowering at all, infact last night I had a little scrape going over a "bridge" (drainage pipe with gravel piled over it). Maybe I'll fabricate and sell a lift kit and skid plates for the J-bodies, I bet there's lots of demand for that :biggrin:

Just leave your car at stock height. If you raise it, you risk Having your cv shaft come apart. Its more than a 17* change in pitch they won't even be seated right. Optimal placement is when the control arms are parallel to the ground. Which actually is 1.4" of a drop. SO stay your current ride height.

When your boosting, back pressure becomes something of the past... you want the least amount of it. The supercharger or turbo charger will be forcing air into the motor.

Your not the only one in your situation bud. I am finishing up swapping an Supercharged ecotec 5 speed into a pre-2000 cavalier which had the 2200 automatic. I've replaced everything I was missing with after market parts. My radiator alone was $450 bucks. Its not cheap to play with the big boys.

do you have a link to where you can guy this supercharger kit from gm? i have never heard of a kit actually made specific for our motors....and will it work on a 04 sunfire auto?

GM P/N - 17800003 (2003-2005 cavalier/ Sunfire)
GM P/N - 17800003-02 ( 2002 cavalier and sunfire)

http://www.crateenginedepot.com/store/Ecotec-22L-CavalierSunfire-Supercharger-Kit-17800003-P1377C0.aspx

Yes it will work on your auto. When you take your car back to the dealership for the re-flashing of your PCM, there are 2 part number for the re-flash. One is for an Auto and the other is a manual. Once your PCM is re-flashed, it cannot ever be re-flashed again. GM put a lock onto them so we cannot tweak them out. Bastards, but I have HP tuners, and 3 PCM's. One with a stock tune and GM re-flash, and One I am working on with HP tuners.

I was just messing with you J-Ri :D

That is one sharp assa razor super charger!
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/store/images/17800003_large.jpg

Nice price too, I wish it would fit my GA. :(

I've worked on a few boostd vehicles, thier is a learning curve, hoping you dont pop a gasket in the process. lol

I think my reputation must preceede me, I was joking about the lift! :biggrin:

I meant exhaust backpressure... surely more pressure in=more pressure out?

I'm assuming you mean "take it to someone with a Tech-2 to have it flashed"? We've got one, so unless it's some special update (we just got it 2 weeks ago and I haven't had time to play around with it much, and I havn't done anything with SPS updates), I'll just do it myself. So it sounds like this is something I can install at home and then drive to wherever to flash the PCM?

Also, If the supercharger gets the HP to 200, and the bottom end can handle 250... where would you advise I get the remaining 50 horses from?

Just wondering Xero, how many horsepower does the 3.4 put out with everything you've got on it? And what kind of gasket are you talking about popping, the figurative kind or the tear the engine apart kind?

The dealers has to DL the tune from the internet " from what i have heard" onto the tech-2.

It's 200hp at the crank rating from GM

swap pulleys to a 2.9" (stock is 3.3")
Run a water 2 air heat exchanger from a ford cobra and utilize your intercooler
MSD inline fuel pump
36LB LSJ injectors
Aeromotive AFPR
Wideband A/f gauge

Guys have been hitting 245whp with those extra mods.

I was just messing with you J-Ri :D

That is one sharp assa razor super charger!
http://www.crateenginedepot.com/store/images/17800003_large.jpg

Nice price too, I wish it would fit my GA. :(

I've worked on a few boostd vehicles, thier is a learning curve, hoping you dont pop a gasket in the process. lol


Guys have installed them, limped the cars to the dealers with the t-map unplugged got the re-flash and beat the shit out of them on the way home.

However, they have thrown rods right through the side of the blocks and blown ring lands right apart on a 2.7" pulley.

The dealers has to DL the tune from the internet " from what i have heard" onto the tech-2.

It's 200hp at the crank rating from GM

swap pulleys to a 2.9" (stock is 3.3")
Run a water 2 air heat exchanger from a ford cobra and utilize your intercooler
MSD inline fuel pump
36LB LSJ injectors
Aeromotive AFPR
Wideband A/f gauge

Guys have been hitting 245whp with those extra mods.

I'll look into what all is involved with the update, we can flash any GM vehicle with later versions of software that we download, so I'm assuming I can do it myself. $7,000 for a scan tool, it better be able to do it! Hopefully I'll get to practice on a customer's car before I save up for all this stuff :)

Which pulleys need to be swapped?
Water 2 air heat exchanger = radiator?
Superchargers can be intercooled?
What pressure pump/regulator?

Sorry for my ignorance on the performance side of things, and thanks for helping me out!

EDIT: I was looking around for parts, and found www.allecotec.com (http://www.allecotec.com), has anyone delt with them?

The pulley on the snout of the supercharger are pressed on. Companies like ZZperformance make hubs with interchangeable pulley sizes for easy swapping out. For every .1 of an inch = 1psi change. Stock is I want to say 10psi, but don't quote me.

The heat exchanger is like a radiator yes, but on the intake manifold in this kit, there laminova coils(sp?) with fins inside. Cool water is pumped from the Heat exchanger into these coils via a electrical water pump to cool the incoming air since the blower makes a lot of heat.

Adjustable fuel pressure regulator - it can sense boost and raise your fuel pressure to accommodate adding more fuel when needed. One from an chevy LT1 fits our j-body rails.