The little Tim "The Tool Man Taylor" barking on my shoulder tells me to get the kit next year but I'm wondering about reduced transmission and turbo life and have read multiple threads about headaches with the kit after a while. I've also read about how GM designed our auto SS detuned to extend life since our auto wasn't designed for the higher hp.

Is the kit worth it if you're never going to race it?

Is it a long term headache? Especially for the turbo life, codes and the auto tranny?

 

It depends. If you have an Auto, some sort of upgrade whether it's the GM or aftermarket will totally be worth it. If you have warranty left buying the GM kit will not void your warranty. They also came out with a much better wiring kit more recently that solves most of the complaints that the early adopters such as me had. If you are out of warranty, it may be worth looking at an aftermarket tune as it will cost less and likely give even more power.

I've also heard of very few failures of the auto transmissions on this site, with or without the upgrade. For what it's worth my SS has 60K miles on it, and the kit's been on it since ~6K miles. No trans or major turbo issues for me, just wiring and other issues from the original lousy kit installation.

 

Fwiw. I got one of the first kits with the plug-in harness. Zero problems with mine(one minor install problem fixed on day one) Since then, no issues.
I do have the 5 speed but the problems incured with the GMTU generally are because of the wire splicing.

 

I was present when the tech that installed the GMTU kit ( i have the first gen of the GMTU) did the installation on my car.. The tech took great care, and made sure to double-check his work. So far, i've had no problems. But since I don't drive the SS much, the long term reliability of the installation, remains to be seen. IMHO, if the installation was done correctly, in the first place, you shouldn't have a problem.

The GMTU pushes the boost from 15psi to 22-23psi, so yes, the GMTU will add a little more strain on your engine, but the 2.0 can take the additional boost without a problem IMHO. The SS becomes a wild beast with the GMTU. Car modding (power wise) is like a rubber band... if you stretch it too far, something WILL break.... And it's gonna cost you money.

 

I don't think we have ever discussed this before.

You have 50 more hp than a 2lt now, if that makes you happy, keep it that way.

At this point in the game, you should expect to have no problems with stg-1, and that would give you 50 more hp.

Or you could go with a aftermarket tune, and find out why they have a "SS" on the side..............

 

Buy the sensors then add an aftermarket tune

 

Worth very last penny. That can be your one and only performance mod if you want, and it makes a hell of a difference. 290 HP is nothing to sneeze at.

 

I had a 1LT so I'm up way over 50bp already and have a huge smile when I drive lol. I have a feeling I will pull the trigger on the kit sometime next year. Thanks for the info. I know this has been technically discussed in other threads before but wanted to just flat out ask specifically those questions in one place. Thanks! This thing is awesome