Gotta chime in. I have been monitoring this thread for 2 years now. My 2008 Auto SS has had the chip since the first month it was released by GM. They installed it incorrectly and for 65,000 miles my SS worked intermittently. I threw codes weekly and the car would be in the dealer for weeks at a time. The same dealer I bought it from replace the the ECM twice, replaced the turbo charger at 63,000 miles, replace the transmission at 54,000, and at the fuel pump at 49,000. I moved to Phoenix and went to a new dealer with the same code being thrown and told him everything that was done. I begged him to check the wiring to see if it was soldered or crimped. Guess what, it was crimped. The dealer soldered the connection and I have not been back since.

Im at 92,000 miles and my engine is basically new and the car runs great... even in the 110+ degree heat, I can hit 22-24 boost and I love the look i get from Mustangs, Camaros (non-SS), BMWs etc when I leave em behind.

That being said, I dont seem to have the issues you are reporting using "L" or Low gear. Its actually my gear of choice from 0 to 6 seconds. "I" works great between 60-110 (on the track of course, google Arizona Motorsports Park, West Camelback Road, Goodyear, AZ)

One thing I did learn the hard way is to NEVER turn off the ESC except if you are on a dyno. Just saying kids, learn from my mistakes.

I have seen 2 other HHR-SS in the area, 1 Black and one Silver. Mine is Victory Red. See ya on the road...

 

thanks for chiming in Dmarotta
I think as I mentioned there must have been something going on yesterday morning
because in the afternoon as I mentioned the boost was back
this morning the roads where a little damp who knows maybe that and or where I had the shifter may have played a part in the car saying no way am I going to make the boost
you mentioned
One thing I did learn the hard way is to NEVER turn off the ESC except if you are on a dyno. Just saying kids, learn from my mistakes.

Please explain why.

 

"One thing I did learn the hard way is to NEVER turn off the ESC except if you are on a dyno. Just saying kids, learn from my mistakes. Please explain why."

That's a sorry better told in a different thread. Long story short, One day I turned off the ESC and I ended up siding sideways into a curb, bent the right side rims, destroyed both the front and back ball joints etc etc.

 

Ha ha, when you get Trifecta, it gets a little crazier. Woo Hoo

 

Hey for the guys that have the GMPD upgrade on a automatic trans, does the exhaust note change at all once u get the upgrade? Or does it sound the same?

 

I guess you would have to ask the pt cruisers vettes(chevettes lol) civics vw's lol
All kidding aside
Mine runs smoother at idle.
It does seem to be a little louder when you get on it probably just because more hp is flowing through but not like a different exhaust is on it by any means.
tje Turbo is much louder

 

Oh ok thanks for the info. I'm thinking of ordering one from crate. I really want the extra power I'm kinda upset because I got beat by a Nissan maxima V6 last night. :/ can't let that happen again

 

if it was a Nissan Maxima s or sv that may be tough beating even with the upgrade
1/4 mile 14.3 reported stock on some sites?

 

There is no sound change as the muffler controls the sound and the upgrade has nothing to do with it.

All the kit does is add a 3 bar maps vs 2 bar maps which means that it will boost over 20 PSI. The computer flash is the tune that is put in to take advantage of the new map sensors.

Generally other than the performance of the engine the engine sounds, Idles and acts just as it did stock. It is just when you step on it you feel and get the extra power.

 

Well, I had to take my car back to the dealer for the third time to resolve boost-related problem. This time, though, I thought it was catastrophic when the car stalled and, upon restart, had ZERO boost, but it did not throw a code. I drove it directly to the dealer and left it running so the service person could see I had no boost. Left the car, and they looked at it this morning, and guess what. The car had no codes thrown and had all the boost! This is becoming VERY frustrating, especially as I approach the end of my warranty. In addition, I'm becoming a little gun shy about driving the thing very far away from home or lending it to my daughters when I'm working on their cars. The dealer has spent quite a bit of time to help resolve the issue, but it's hard to fix a problem that doesn't exist when they start troubleshooting. The car is fun to drive when running properly. I'm starting to sour on GM...