dont do anything and just save your money use the hhr what it was ment for mpg and when u saved up enough money come buy my cobra then u can go fast hahahah

 

Hey Goodfellaz what shop do you use in FL?

 

The Eaton M62 Supercharger from a cavalier or LSJ cobalt will bolt up perfectly fine to the L61 head, but tuning for fuel is a complete other story....

 

I do all of my own work on my HHR. I am a technician by trade, I have built many drag cars, drag bikes, muscle cars , choppers, you name it, I have built it. If you need anything done, let me know, I work for almost free, I do it for the enjoyment of doing it. It keeps me busy.

 

You and I are one in the same it sounds like. Built all that stuff too. Was looking for a legit shop for parts rather then get it online. Online sales kills small business. I speak from experience. Anyways thanks for the reply.

 

If your *****ing about people putting money into a 2.2 then ask yourself this? Why do you own an HHR, Why do you mod an HHR. I gave up a car that was much faster and had MUCH more potential then my 2.2, So the question is why can't I mod my car. Everyone has a different goal. Just because they won't be as fast as an SS doesn't mean they won't be happy with what they have done. A car is a hobby no matter how much money you have and to be honest with you, I shouldnt have to hear those with so called Bigger motors complaining about what I want to do to mine. Just remember. The 2.4 is really not much bigger then the 2.2. I have driven both. Very little difference.

 

Personally I never could figure out why GM even bothered building two engines that were so close to each other in displacement and horsepower. There is only 17hp (155 vs 172) difference between a 2.2 and a 2.4 (It was 21-29hp difference in earlier years). I don't consider 17hp very much to brag about, and and all other things considered I don't think it was worth the money to buy more 'luxuries' that we didn't need. When we went to buy my wife's HHR we wanted a blank canvas to build on. We didn't want roof rails, we didn't want chrome mirrors, we didn't want alloy wheels, etc. So the LS with the 2.2 was a perfect fit. We saved about $8k that we could now put into whatever we wanted.

After 3 years and 86k miles we have never once regretted the 2.2. I have driven HHRs with the 2.4 and just can't tell that much difference. I guess maybe it is because I have been used to building street rods with 4-5 times the HP. I just don't understand this redheaded stepchild attitude about the 2.2. It's a great little engine with almost the same performance as a 2.4. Neither engine is ever going to make your HHR a drag racer. Let people add cold air intakes and bigger exhaust. The performance gains will be just about as negligible as they would be if you added them to a 2.4.

As mentioned, the only real performer HHR is the SS. For me, I have absolutely no interest in an SS. The HHR is about nostalgia for me. The redesigned look of the SS loses that for me so no amount of power would make it what I want. That is what made the HHR so good. No matter what you were looking for in one, you had the option.

 

Boy did I stumble into the wrong forum. I bought a LS HHR a few months ago and wanted to see what others are doing to improve performance. Now I find out I bought the totally wrong car. Oh, well. Now my answer to the original question...I dropped in a K&N filter, bolted up a Flowmaster cat-back, lowered it 1.5 inches with Eibach springs, and upgraded to ASA 18" wheels with Nitto 235-40-18 tires. I run E85 every chance I get - it seems to have a bit more power with E85. Obviously, it does not in any way compare to my wife's 10 SS Camaro or my 383 Pro-Touring el Camino (gotta brag about the toys just a little) but the fun factor on the HHR was improved tremendously. The springs, filter, and exhaust cost about $700 and wheels/tires ran about $1200. It would never run with an SS HHR or handle like one, but I ended up with a fun little car to drive back and forth to work for not too much money.

So my advice to the original poster - filter and cat back is a must! Get ride of that 55 gallon resonator. Lowering it 1.5 inches will require alignment and camber alignment bolts. Then add some sticky tires. I promise you will look like smilin' Bob every time you run through the twisties on your way to work.

Rob

 

Why do you say this is the wrong forum.... lots of guys with 2.2 and mods here enjoying their rides.

 

Cause he read the same thing I did. Basically almost everyone's answer that posted in this thread was that if you wanted to add more power to an HHR with a 2.2 you needed to sell it and buy an HHR with a 2.4 or an SS. His comment was pretty much the same as mine. There isn't enough difference in the 2.2 and the 2.4 to have a 'spitting' contest, plus any mod that will help a 2.4 will also help a 2.2. So I just didn't understand the attitude. Glad to see I wasn't the only one. We love our 2.2/