I couldn't get the link to work, but I do agree with the increased noise levels and the need to sound more rowdy. As an example of a manufacturer trying to hide the noise the PT GT comes with two silencers in the airbox, one in the turbo to airbox and it comes with a flow through muffler. Also has a hoodliner. Really quiets it down, but it also hampers airflow in and out. For the serious tuners all of that goes away. On the other hand my SRT-4 came with no hoodliner, no silencers, a hood scoop that directs air to the turbo and there is no muffler. Owners also are using a 180* t-stat to drop operating temps. That's where my argument for heat being an enemy. Heatsoak is really the enemy at the track for a turbo'd car.

 

No doubt about heatsoak being the enemy at the track, I keep my hood up and push my car in the staging lanes to keep the intake and engine cooler, and I don't mind the noise from the turbo wastegate and BOV if equipped. Thats pretty cool, the turbo Buicks really sounded good when letting of of full boost, though they did not have a BOV, it was the turbo surging back.
I don't care for the injector noise so much though, and thats my thought about the hoodliner. Although I don't notice it so much anymore, either used to it or its quieted down a bit.

 

Yeah, I love the noise. I think you kind of get immune to the noise after a while. Fun times, though.

 

Would you say that venting the excess heat from under the hood, would be a benefit?????? WW

 

Yes, it would.

 

The reason there is no hoodliner in hhr ss or the new cobalt ss is due to fitting issues with air box and such. This comes from a GM Performance Enigineer. Chadpuska and me asked at the ecotech meet when I noticed there was no hoodliner on the new cobalt ss.

 

Don't know if this clears the airbox, but here is the gm "bowtie" hoodliner if you really want one

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2006-...spagenameZWDVW

 

Thanks for that link, looking at that liner, I can see it might be a tight fit on a turbo'ed car, as our air cleaner box sits pretty high. Looks like it is molded to fit very closely to the engine that is in that vehicle, not just a plain flat liner like in many cars.
DUH, that picture isn't an HHR anyway, my bad.

 

Little late here but-
Noted the lack of a hoodliner after I got it home and mentioned it to the sales and parts dept guys. Parts got right on the ball and ordered a liner and installed under warranty about a week or so later.
I wasn't aware of the intentional delete of the hood liner but I haven't noted any of the following:
-Clearance issues
-Increased engine temp (coolant temp)
-Performance issues (related to turbo heat soak)

I agree with hhrcrafty- as a liquid cooled car, the liner has little to do with engine temp.

It has quieted the car down a bit but that's a good thing-

 

Heat won't bleed off as easily now that you've put a blanket over the engine. Sounds like more heatsoak to me.