thehappyfrog

Hi folks! First time poster, long time reader. All of you have been a tremendous help to me in my research thus far, so I thought I'd join up.

So! Just bought a 2007 2.4lt HHR LT stock and want to put a turbocharger on it. I also read a Supercharger 2.2 will work great, but I found a good price on the tubo kit. My question is, will this work? Also would I need any other additional parts for it. Any and all comments/opinons are welcome. Thanks!

Chevrolet Cobalt T3 turbocharger Turbo Kit 485HP Chevy 05 09 Ecotec | eBay

Oldblue

Welcome to the site! Looks like everything is there but you know what these kits are like! Some are great minimal fabrication, some just don't work at all.
And it will depend on your skill level! And wallet!!

thehappyfrog

Thanks for the help and the welcome :) glad to hear it's all there at least. Wasn't sure if it needed a new header to run this. My skill level is low but at that price I have some money to spend on a mechanic to help.

TurboTechRacing

You get what you pay for. Fit, yes, last years, most likely not.

firemangeorge

The ad says it only puts out 8 lbs of boost. I don't think that will give you the hp/torque that you'd expect.

Oldblue

On a low boost setting of 8 lbs , but does say up to 25 lbs of boost, on a built motor!
Shaboom, shaboom, rattle them pistons and rods!!!

Dbeluscak

Ooh, I can be of assistance here.

This will not be an easy setup. It doesn't look like there's enough tubing to make it to the intercooler and back. Not that that's a problem you can always buy more tubing. The price is good, but as everyone said...well you know.

Your going to have to cut your existing downpipe and exhaust manifold and have the t3 flanges welded on. That tubing is just generic lengths and bends. It will definitely need cut, shaped, and Tig welded back together in order to get everything to fit. Making room for the intercooler behind bumper is also an issue. I'm actually doing something similar with my 07 LT. But I'm using the old turbo charged 2.0 LNF from my wife's SS. There's going to be some cutting and fitting to get an intercooler back there.

Tuning is going to be our next concern. Does the 07 2.4 have VVT? That would help. With more air you'll need more fuel. Even with 8 lbs of boost I think you'd need injectors. The kit also comes with some strange items, like a coolant temp monitor...there's also a turbo timer (?this wouldn't just plug in and work, no way!) and electronic boost controller. Not to mention the cooling fan that they threw in for fun...

All that stuff, half probably won't be used. The other half probably won't fit. It also seems a bit "gimmicky" I hate ebay for things like this. I don't want to discourage you, but I also wouldn't want you to waste hard earned $ on a generic kit. I don't know your skill level but I know mine and this wouldn't be easy...

The other concern here is quality. A new turbo is going to run $800+. For that price, it's definitely a rebuilt turbo. A good electronic boost controller will be $200 all on its own. Not only that, I don't see any pieces to control that boost. I didn't see a wastegate or blow off valve...a wastegate relieves pressure the exhaust side. The blow off valve does the same except for the intake side. These are definitely required items, or you've just got a runaway grenade!

Check out some of my threads if you'd like to see the headaches involved in going overboard! Turbos and superchargers are tons on fun. Nothing about them is cheap, or easy. I bought a "kit" for an already turbocharged car. It's been apart more times than I'd like to count! However, the wife likes to keep count. It's hers, I believe this is the 3rd time..lol

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/hhr-...erboard-54048/

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/ss-s...h-boost-54673/

How many miles are on your new HHR? What's your skill level? How's your pain threshold for headaches, ect.

Hope this helps, I'd steer clear of eBay for items like this. The cobalt ss forum is a great source for used parts. You have to be quick though. I'm searching for LSJ (2.2 supercharged)parts to toss on the HHR I built for my mother. With enough patience you should be able to piece together something really awesome for under $2000. Unfortunately, like I said, nothing about going fast is cheap.

- my 2 cents

thehappyfrog

All of you are definitely correct of course, always a little to good to be true I had my local mechanic take a look at it and he said very similar things. I just bought this car used with 112k miles, and since it's so clean now I think my tolerance for headaches is low lol. Looks like I'm just going to go with a PCM tune from PCMforless instead to optimize what's already there. After that, I'll start doing the traditional upgrades (CAI, headers, dp, etc.) and maybe round it out with a nitrous kit before finally tuning one last time.

Since I'm getting way off topic, are there any final things you folks would recommend before doing a PCM tune?

And a final thanks to everyone!

aradmahogany

Look into trifecta instead for a tune or have an HP tuners one done by a professional. Be careful with budget or canned tunes. The ol' saying 'you get what you pay for' really stands out when it comes to modification like that. Also, if you cant afford the potential damage you could be causing since the car is used and you don't know exact maintenance history, I would just steer clear of modification altogether.

DrLoch

Yep, that would be my recommendation.

Gets very expensive in real hurry.