I added a K&N cai, magnaflow exhaust and e3 spark plugs.for me its not about power or prformance but the fun of it all and personalizing my car.
the added power is just a bonus and it has alot more zip.

 

There's a lot of truth told here. Bolt on parts are not the end all; they will not make a stock vehicle into a 1/4 mile monster.
Bolt on parts will enhance or improve upon some of the inefficiencies of the stock parts and improve performance modestly. Regardless of what peripheral parts you replace, if you do not modify the hard parts (cams, porting, injectors,...), reprogram the PCM accordingly, and have not researched those parts for their compatibility with each other you may well be throwing money out the window.

If what you're looking for is modest improvements, a better exhaust sound, intake, and improve shift feel; changing some of those minor parts like the intake, exhaust, and adding a chip may be what you want. Just don't expect too much of an increase in performance; but if the outcome of your choices is better than you expected, consider it a bonus.
I've personally done many of these simple mods on a few of the previous vehicles I have owned. On some they worked well, on others they only slightly improved the feel of the vehicle.
Ultimately it is your choice, and your money.

 

I was going to mod my car, then I realized I finally bought a car that runs good without problems... why mess with it now

 

Welcome - sorry some of the posts kinds got a bit off-track. Like you, I run whut we brung!!! You got a 2.2, and so what I got a 2.4! They are both HHR's, and that's good enough for me.

Would I love more power? Oh dang right - and I would LOVE an SS - but dude, I got no SS - so I make do with what I got.

Someone mentioned in this thread they liked the way their HHR runs, and doesn't want to mess that up - I kinda agree. The motors are pretty sweet already - with reasonable power, and great reliability, and I kinda like that.

So I am not leaning towards more power for mine, but am itchin to do the suspension - would love to drop it with some heavier springs, and some good shocks and throw a sway bar on the rear - and top it off with some sticky tires. Mind you a K&N filter would sound nice - and maybe a different muffler at the tailpipe.

I'd love to have the best handling 2.4 in town. Nothin better than suckering some poor fool into following you fast into a corner that they can't handle. Did I say that? Shame on me!!!

So if you are leanin towards a cat-back system, or a tune chip, or an intake system - GO FOR IT!!! It's your car - have fun with it - play with it a bit, and make it YOURS!

 

Try a good intake, a 2.4 throttle body and a 2.4 intake topped off with a Trifecta Tune to optimize it all together.

 

a combination of all of the above w a header and a real tune and not a chip will get to where u will have fun. i have all of that with a trifecta tune and love it but Joe is right on the Turbo or S/C. True added power and can be done reasonable if you take your time and hunt parts. i want to do mine now as well.
Ignition is just not worth the cost for what you can get in gains from what i have read and talked to people at meets and MSD.
i have ridden and drove a 2.2 HHR w a S/C on it in the DFW area that was trifecta tuned and I can tell you, it can burn out, run and flat is a ton of fun. his HHR is fast and fun
he loves to show off his ride, give rides and is at alot of meets in the dallas area. kellers on saturday night too

 

Personally, I'm not looking for a huge HP gain, but I was interested in a performance exhaust for my HHR. Is there one out there that won't make my HHR sound like a pissed off weedeater? I hear these little ricers running around town and find that noise really annoying.

 

I've mentioned in previous posts that I like the 2.2l/auto combo a lot. I have two cars with it. But, contradicting myself, in a post yesterday, I stated that I would get a 2.4l in both, if I could change the past. Let me clarify. The 2.2l is best for me, and my wife, except in one circumstance...bumper-to-bumper stop-and-go commuting. Around here, if you leave a car-length opening in front of you, then some idiot will dart in (usually signalling after the fact), and slam on his/her/its' brakes. The accordion effect commences. So in self-defense, most commuters try to drive really close together, even as the accordion flexes between 0-75 mph. Since the 148hp of the Cobalt, and the 155hp of the Panel can't match all the big guys out there, I/we will turn off the A/C in some situations to gain a few hp. Especially on one uphill merging lane, where an auto downshift is too much, but the power with A/C on is not enough. The 2.4l (which I tested) could pull up this hill better in traffic. So, short of a nitrous boost, the manually switched A/C has to make up the difference. Is there another way?

 

It's a blue '06 HHR 2.2 with S/C right, I believe I know the owner..

 

Well for me personally the reason I got the 2.2 was because of insurance. To keep my costs somewhat even slightly if you tilt your head and squint "affordable" I had to stick with a 4 door, 4 banger. The HHR was the best I could get for that range.
Personally, I would never drive an SS HHR. Because if I could actually afford to insure something with that kind of power it would not be a 4 door. It would be a sport little murdered out coupe of some -undetermined- kind.
Just my 2 cents...