What do you guys think? Do you think GM Performance Parts will do like Mopar Performance did and come out with factory hot rod upgrade parts? I think it would be awesome, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Kinda like Roush does with Mustangs. I don't see anything like this happening especially since Chevy already has the SS moniker.

No, Mopar had like stage 1, 2, and 3 that you could buy and have the dealer install with warranty.

Yeah, Roush does the same thing with Mustangs. Up to 3 stages. Only thing is I think only certain Ford Dealers were tied in with Roush and servicing would require visiting one of those dealers. Still don't see anything like this happening with Chevy though.

Yeah, it would be nice, but high doubtful.

would be fantastic. Dodge really has a nice set of factory stages for the SRT line.

I dought it

I think they will once the turbo Cobalt is released...

GM already has a similar program with the 2.0L in the supercharged SS Cobalt.

From what I heard from my dealership, there is going to be stage kits available once the Cobalts are released.

My dealer said the may be available by March!

did they say what the stage might do? I'm wondering if it maybe a bigger turbo or just a computer calibration.

Stage 2, but did not know more about it. Going to dealer in am will post after I get more info.

excellent, i would appreciate any information you get

excellent, i would appreciate any information you get

Went by dealer today. Salesman and service tech had no real clue:red: . They would only say the stage 2 will be out by Spring and they claim it give the HHR SS atleast 40 more HP!:confused: . He said he was going to inquire about and will give me a call when he gets the info.........

very cool, you will of course post this info when you get...........I called my dealership today as well and they said that they did not even have any maintance information on the HHR SS, forget about a Stage upgrade

Of course, no problem!:thumb:

Mopar stage upgrades have no warranty and are sold as off road use only.

My local dealership said that their will be upgrades and different stages...The parts man then brought up the upgrades for the Cobalt and said that they would practically be the same...He then told me that they are quite expensive for the small HP gain....If anyone on here knows of a good company that does Custom Pipe for the turbo and intercooler that would be nice cause I:thumb: want to put a blow off valve on my SS and I need some aluminum pipeing first.

I still want to race one..

have any other SS owners noticed that they dont have a hood blanket???

Yes

I think if enough SS owners showed the want for some performance products to GM, that they might do something. I may be able to get the ear of some one who could help or point us in the right direction... If there was enough interest.

I have some definate interest

I just talked to my local dealer she had to call her rep and told me it is going to be out in about 2 months. And said that warrenty will still apply if installed at the dealer.

Very Awesome....I assume that it will be available for both manual and Automatics

Very Awesome....I assume that it will be available for both manual and Automatics

I would assume so

I talked to the GM performance people at the power tour this week end, they say that there were no for sure dates but that they would be coming very soon.

If the HHR SS stage 1 package is anything like the old supercharged Cobalt SS upgrades, I'm pretty excited. A decent power boost (somewhere between 30-40 horsepower I'm guessing) for under $1000 and covered under the GM warranty would be awesome. :bow:

I know no one at this point knows for sure but I wonder of the stage kits will be available for the autos. The reason I say that is , I would be really ticked off if they do allow the stage kits on the autos. For one we already started out with 25 less HP than the manual and secondly if the stage 1 kit gives a 30-40HP boost it will get the autos right where the manual started but it will only cost the auto owners about $1000 more to get the same HP as the manual came with stock. Actually it will end up being $2000 more for the same performance as the manual because auto owners already shelled out an extra grand just to get the auto.

I guess at this point we will just have to wait and see.

have any other SS owners noticed that they dont have a hood blanket???

This was the first thing I noticed. I was told by the Dealership that being turbocharged there would be a heat build up problem. Anyone know if this is true? Did any of you SS owners get the hood blanket? I see the little tabs under the hood are there for one. Did some of us get cheated, or is the heat build up thing the answer?????


SPPD

I know no one at this point knows for sure but I wonder of the stage kits will be available for the autos. The reason I say that is , I would be really ticked off if they do allow the stage kits on the autos. For one we already started out with 25 less HP than the manual and secondly if the stage 1 kit gives a 30-40HP boost it will get the autos right where the manual started but it will only cost the auto owners about $1000 more to get the same HP as the manual came with stock. Actually it will end up being $2000 more for the same performance as the manual because auto owners already shelled out an extra grand just to get the auto.

I guess at this point we will just have to wait and see.


this is just my opinion and I may be wrong!!! but I do not think that the Stage Kit be offered for the Auto, and here is why....(the Transmission) if the unit is weak from the get go, why would GM offer a kit that increases HP & TQ on a weak unit???? think about it, they would be opening the door for warranty issues!!! I think the real "issue" for us Auto owners, is what we need to do to strenghten the trans if we decide to tune the vehicle. We already know that Hahn is working on the PPC with BSR for the Automatic version, it will be interesting to see what changes they make to the tune for it to be competitive with the 5 spd. On the other hand, another member, (can't remember who) works at the trans plant and has assembled 1000's of our transmissions and has not yet seen one to come back because of failure, and then again, this may be the most power this trans has and will see in our SS's...just some thoughts for us to ponder:smile: :smile: :smile:

I am adopting a wait and see.........

this is just my opinion and I may be wrong!!! but I do not think that the Stage Kit be offered for the Auto, and here is why....(the Transmission) if the unit is weak from the get go, why would GM offer a kit that increases HP & TQ on a weak unit???? think about it, they would be opening the door for warranty issues!!! I think the real "issue" for us Auto owners, is what we need to do to strenghten the trans if we decide to tune the vehicle. We already know that Hahn is working on the PPC with BSR for the Automatic version, it will be interesting to see what changes they make to the tune for it to be competitive with the 5 spd. On the other hand, another member, (can't remember who) works at the trans plant and has assembled 1000's of our transmissions and has not yet seen one to come back because of failure, and then again, this may be the most power this trans has and will see in our SS's...just some thoughts for us to ponder:smile: :smile: :smile:

Good assertion of the A4 and probably pretty close to spot on. Any power increases would only be added in 3rd and 4th gear. Hopefully they will offer a modified transmission to help us A4 owners.

Good assertion of the A4 and probably pretty close to spot on. Any power increases would only be added in 3rd and 4th gear. Hopefully they will offer a modified transmission to help us A4 owners.

thanks, I also thought about what you said on performance increase in 3rd & 4th gears, but that would only be a a slight increase at the track, since the power would only come on in 3rd, and you be through the 1/4 mile by then:smile: On the highway it would really be a benefit even more so when using passing gear, and the top end. I think we all can agree with "tomw" about taking the "wait and see" approach of what the future brings.
I am sure that mods can be done to the trans for new found power, but then you are really giving up your warranty if you take that route.
On another thought, and this may have been mentioned before, it is possible tha GM has under rated the TQ limitations of the Auto trans??? What we really need to see, is at what limit the trans can handle before it falls apart!!!
Any takers??????????:D And no, MR. ANAL is not volunteering for this event:lol:

3rd and 4th because it's already at the transmission limit in 1st and 2nd. I can't see GM offering more power without doing something to the transmission. As previously stated, I'm sure the 4T45 can handle more power, but I don't know where the limits are and I'm I'm not volunteering to test them.

On another thought, and this may have been mentioned before, it is possible tha GM has under rated the TQ limitations of the Auto trans??? What we really need to see, is at what limit the trans can handle before it falls apart!!!
Any takers??????????:D And no, MR. ANAL is not volunteering for this event:lol:

When a person provides a statement to support a some type of conspiracy, they usually also provide a reason. What would be the reason:confused: ???

But, I also need to impress that part of the speed and torque limitations on the A4 SS is due to FEDERAL EMISSION requirements. Realize that Federal Emission testing requires compliance at start up, idle and thru the different speeds, rpm line.

My guess is the "stage" kits will NOT be available for the A4. Just a guess though !!

When a person provides a statement to support a some type of conspiracy, they usually also provide a reason. What would be the reason:confused: ???

I must have missed something, I didn't see any sort of conspiracy proposed.

But, I also need to impress that part of the speed and torque limitations on the A4 SS is due to FEDERAL EMISSION requirements. Realize that Federal Emission testing requires compliance at start up, idle and thru the different speeds, rpm line.

My guess is the "stage" kits will NOT be available for the A4. Just a guess though !!

Goes without saying and if the M5 configuration meets emissions requirements and assuming the transmission COULD handle the power output it would have been cheaper and easier for GM to use the same engine calibrations as the M5 instead of developing new power limiting one's for the A4.

I hope they will offer something, but I'm not holding my breath.

My wording was jest...should have added a smiley. My question, however, still stands.....why???

No, when tests are conducted the pull, rpms, torque, overall operation of the drivetrain is different in an automatic vs a manual (cooling for example). Some is due to gear ratios and other mechanical, electrical functions. At times, these differences can be tuned out. Apparently not this time. Remember, and I want to reinforce this, I said partly due to emissions. So, please don't take the position as the ONLY absolute.

If you search way back, I mentioned a visit of a friend in the HHR SS before they were introduced. The car was an automatic HHR SS test car. The extended testing had a 2-fold purpose...engine cooling and emission related.

When a person provides a statement to support a some type of conspiracy, they usually also provide a reason. What would be the reason:confused: ???

My wording was jest...should have added a smiley. My question, however, still stands.....why???


Glad to add the :smile: :smile: :smile: for you....:lol:
if I understand you correctly.....why???? would like more power from the auto, nothing to crazy , not that many places to use it , except at the track. and would really like to know how much HP & TQ increase the trans could handle before it fails....... does that answer the "why"???:lol: :lol:

Glad to add the :smile: :smile: :smile: for you....:lol:
if I understand you correctly.....why???? would like more power from the auto, nothing to crazy , not that many places to use it , except at the track. and would really like to know how much HP & TQ increase the trans could handle before it fails....... does that answer the "why"???:lol: :lol:

No......and I guess this misunderstanding is partly my fault. You had 2 questions in the referenced paragraph. I was referring to the first question...."is it possible that GM under rated the torque limitations of the auto trans?"..... and should have explained that clearer.

So, why would GM under rate the torque limitations (other than the usual safety buffer, that all manufacturers use)? What would they accomplish or gain...what could/would be the reason?

i would love to see a stage kit for the SS i would get one in a heartbeat. Most likely a stage 2 because 1 isnt enough and 3 would be a bit too much for the street

No......and I guess this misunderstanding is partly my fault. You had 2 questions in the referenced paragraph. I was referring to the first question...."is it possible that GM under rated the torque limitations of the auto trans?"..... and should have explained that clearer.

So, why would GM under rate the torque limitations (other than the usual safety buffer, that all manufacturers use)? What would they accomplish or gain...what could/would be the reason?

dummy me:smile: :confused: now I understand......I guess it all goes back to the early days when alot of motors were underrated for whatever reason
(69 Z28) one of the more famous ones.....I was just thinking outloud, who knows what goes on in their minds these days???? They expect 70% or better to have the auto vs the 5spd, maybe, who knows maybe.....they have to realize that not all of the 70% who buy the auto are going to be satisfied with the current performance of that trans, and if the forthcoming Stage kit from GM does not include the Auto trans, I think there would be alot of people upset with that, thinking that other than an outside tune, a performance increase is simply not available for the Auto (we all know that there is from BSR/Hahn,) and probably more to follow. again just thinking outloud.....and if GM does include the Auto in their new Stage kit, then that tells you that the trans is underratted, unless, like I mentioned before, they keeep the HP & TQ the same in 1st & 2nd and then a big increase in 3rd & 4th.

Just talked to the dealer and the stage kits are coming in the fall. The dealer that does all of my work owns the website www.crateenginedept.com check it out.

Just talked to the dealer and the stage kits are coming in the fall. The dealer that does all of my work owns the website www.crateenginedept.com check it out.

Really? That rocks. I called my dealer up today and they had no clue what I was talking about. It is a smaller dealer though. Hopefully this information is accurate.

Yeah the guy i talked to at the dealer is one of 2 that does the stage kits on cobalts and now on the HHRs when they come out. He said he talked to the guy thats designing them and by the time they are made and tested it should be around the fall. He will e-mail me as soon as he knows anything more. I will keep you guys posted

Can anyone else get that link to work?

my bad its www.crateenginedepot.com

Does anyone know if these stages are going to be offered when you order the car or is it something that will have to be bought from the parts counter after the fact?

Also, any ideas of what will be available? exhaust, computer, etc...

Parts counter after the fact.