High Performance Reliability?
 

Hey all. Been a while since I've posted but don't worry, I have been watching.

I am incredibly interested in the SS, it's really cool and it shares the same initials as myself. What better reason? :D

What I was wondering was about the reliability of said engines. I don't know much or read about the Cobalt and it's SS Supercharged, but is the expected life span of the HHR SS the same as a standard model of the HHR? I don't intend on driving it hard all the time, and I'd like to know that the next car I get is a car that I'll have for a long time.

I'd ask more questions, but either there is no answer, or someone else has already asked... or it's irrelevant at this time to me (The soonest I'd be getting one of these is Summer 08, and it'd more than likely be after that, assuming they don't stop production like the Cobalt).

Any engine can last a long time with proper maintenance. Forced induction is no different. But you really need to keep an eye on things like guages. You overheat a forced induction motor and it can get expensive quick. Keep oil changes and such on schedule. Turbo's can be rebuilt if needed, but you need to have a compentent mechanic trained in them.

I used to own an '87 Dodge Colt Turbo (Mitsu 1.6 engine). I didn't beat on it, but I did tend to use the available power. The only thing that gave me problems on it was the head gasket: it could not hold the added stress and started leaking after about 80k km. I had it replaced (almost a $1000 repair) and the replacement was leaking as well within a year or so. So I left it alone and kept adding oil every month or so. That car lasted 11 years / 230k km and the engine was still pulling strong when I got rid of it.

So my point is: Treat it well and it'll last as long as any other engine. If it makes it past the manufacturer warranty, you've got a strong trouble-free engine. But if things start breaking on you, get your checkbook out.


Yves

well the Chevy powertrain warranty of 5 years/100K miles is kind of comforting... provided you can resist the temptation to do mods that might void said warranty. :D

My main concern about the 2.0L T/C engine in the HHR SS is overheating. Hopefully they got the intercooler right, but I've heard that sometimes even an intercooler is not enough to keep turbo motors from reaching the boiling point.

The term "high performance", is relative..........what YOU believe is high performance, which is a term that is overused, IMO.

ZR-1 VETTE, was High Performance and fit the accepted standard. It had a few things "wrong", but were acceptable.....because of the aura of the vehicle.

The HHR "SS" is probably more in the area of a "performance" vehicle and will, based on history, have a few things wrong with it. Probably cooling, as stated above......but that would be dependent upon you geographical location and how it is driven......again, IMO.

Hmmm. Texas is hot. Road trips would kill it then?

Ok...I need to clearify....

Arizona IS HOT !!! And that is where the SS was tested for cooling. I doubt if normal "road trips" would encounter a cooling problem.

Now if you start climbing mountains, with long "pulls"....yeah that might be a problem. I say MIGHT because, frankly, we do not know if the SS had a radiator change, a water pump change, etc. for example. I guess the bottom line is, nothing about the mechanicals has been RELEASED yet. So, everything I'm saying, as well as anyone else, is all guessing.

My original statement was based on current performance of my 2.4 engine. I experience noticeable cooling "issues" if the car is "pushed" hard and when making long climbs. This is summertime weather of 110+ ambients.

Well the Intercooler cools the compressed air charge, it does not cool motor.
The compressor heats air as it's compressed, so they run it through an intercooler to reduce the heat and make more power.
Boost makes power, cold boosted air makes more.
The motor is cooled by the radiator and fluid so i would imagine those would be beefed up to handle extra stress.

Judging by pure observation, not "knowledge", the pictures of the SS showed its radiator. It didn't look any different than the stock ones now, but I could be wrong.

I didn't notice it was tested there. Good deal.