Hey everyone I have a question about a 2008 ss (auto) that I test drove.
So during the test drive I was quite disappointed. I will say the handleing over my LS was way better. No suprise there. However the power seemed very sluggish. So I wanted some opinions on if anyone thinks something may be wrong with it. It had 47,000 miles on it. And under steady driving at around 45-50 mph the boost gauge was showing a vacuum of about 3 pounds. Now under hard acceleration it showed at most 7 lbs of boost. it was faster than my LS but not by much. It felt as if the engine was struggling to breathe and didnt want to go. Dont know if its because of the lower power of the automatic or not. Looking for some advice on this.

 

Sounds like something is wrong and to stay away from. As to what caused the problem. I can't say or guess. That's terrible though, number wise.

 

Its the only ss I have ever driven. So I have nothing to compare it to. Its been for sale at the dealer for well over a month.

 

I would have to agree that something is wrong.
I believe mine stock will be 12-15psi
I test drove my ss expecting it to have a ton of power over my 2.4
my 2.4 by myself was 0-60 in I believe 8.2 seconds.
With three of us my HHR ss was I think 0-60 in about 7.5 seconds I thought hmm something was wrong.
Tested another auto and it was the same.
It was pulling much harder once it got moving.They are geared to go 155 after all.
I then got home and realized I had left the traction control on.Mine seems to respond immediatley to any tire spin and cuts the power down.
The biggest Difference I can say though is that in a ls or lt the HHR will weight transfer quite a bit due to the suspension this will make it feel different.
Another words in the SS, the suspension is much tighter and it just goes rather than the front end going up. IF you did not feel a noticeable difference like half throttle pulling harder than full throttle on the ls ya something is wrong.

 

My SS is considerably faster than my old 2LT. The automatic is 235hp and pops up to 250hp in 3rd. That's more than enough in any gear to make it move much faster than an LS, stick or no. It took me a moment to get used to how quiet it was. When I test drove it, it pushed about 10-12psi and didn't seem that fast because of the lack of noise compared to my old 2LT. It seemed to learn my driving style after the battery croaked and the dealer replaced it; it seemed more responsive. 7psi is very low for WOT. Do you recall hearing any whistling sounds accompanying the boost? If it had a boost leak and otherwise it was mechanically sound, you may be able to low-ball them a bit. However, it sounds like you might be in for frequent service visits if you snag that SS.

 

It had a whistle under hard acceleration. the engine was very noisy. It just never went. Boost or no boost the acceleration was no different

 

Noisy
yikes my ss motor is quiter than my 2.4 was except for the direct engine noise.
I would suggest driving another ss if I lived near you I would say come on over and drive it.
Basically if you get in an ss and you are going day 40 and put it 1/2 way to the floor you can feel a huge torque difference. If the car don't make ya say wow that's a big difference.
Check other dealers maybe you could drive another where I'm Florida are you?

 

There is a certified gm ss in Arcadia Florida
Black auto 21000 miles for a little under 16k
I would at least drive that onevfir comparison
12months 12k warranty would be nice to not to mention free oil changes for 2012 years

 

somethings not right....i traded in my 2.4l for an SS. it was a whole different car...if you have an auto ls, your upgrading almost 90 hp/tq. between that and suspension you wouldnt have given it back. and the vacuum at 3 hg during cruising at 45-50 isnt right. mine is usually between 10-15hg. and under hard accelration should hit at least 14-15psi. my 2.4 would barely spin the tires in first. the SS will lose traction on a second gear punch with my tuner

 

Sounds like that one is running in limp mode to me.