Inferno Orange 1.4t Build

[Gsf1200m]

Got the Sonic mainly for my wife to drive, but I will be driving it too. 2013, 55,000 miles, $8500, overall in great shape. We got rid of a base 2008 Civic and my Stage 2+ 2006 A4 wagon and got the Sonic and the Acadia. So far they have been great.

As I am addicting to modding like a lot of you, I am trying to go slow on this car and not do too much at once. So far I have been going through the easy stuff, but it is hard to hold back.

Day 1

Acadia and Sonic

A4

Installed fogs, 25mm wheel spacers, and black emblem

Vinyl Rear Emblem

Vinyl over chrome trim

And since you guys probably like Chevys, my Trailblazer SS 6.0 that the Audi replaced. Was not good for my old 70mile a day commute.

Next on the list is a tune, boost gauge, tint and I will go from there.

 

[SuperSonic15]

Welcome & Congrats!

Nice lookin' hatch opcorn:
U gotta good deal, as well.
Now about those tires(sonic)...they look familiar and pretty new.
You like em' so far?

 

[Gsf1200m]

Those tires are brand new that the dealer put on along with front breaks so that is good to get those things already done too. The tires seem pretty good. It is funny that they are 15s. I sure haven't driven a car with anything less than 16s in a very long time. And especially with actual rims and not steelies. Although I like the look of bigger rims and lower profile tires and lowering the car, it really is a lot nicer driving around the crappy Boston area roads with bigger sidewalls and stock height.

I realized that I didn't really put any full car shots:

These $50 fogs sure make the car look better. I have some yellow bulbs coming that I will try out. And on the list is a projector retrofit at some point.

Reverse leds, much brighter and look great. Can really see the difference with the wheel spacers in this view. Stock the wheels are so tucked in underneath, makes the car look even smaller. Also Need to get the OEM orange RS spoiler. I have a cheap dual exhaust tip coming too. Not sure if it will fit or not but worth a try. Need something back there.

 

[SuperSonic15]

I have a cheap dual exhaust tip coming too. Not sure if it will fit or not but worth a try. Need something back there.

[/QUOTE]


Rather have an "Outie" than an "innie" in this situation

Plus, those 15's will be way better for cutting through the snow and slush when Winter hits :banana:

 

[Gsf1200m]

This weekend was a good one for the Sonic. Did a Trifecta tune and the bypass the bypass solenoid. Obviously gives the car a good a boost in power.

Also put in a glowshift boost gauge in a custom vent pod. Looks pretty sweet, I tried to make it match the OEM vent as closely as possible.

I removed the airbox snorkel and next weekend is hard piping the stock air box.

 

[sw2low]

Nice work on the gauge in the vent. Did you just modify the stock pieces?

 

[Gsf1200m]

I joined the forum right when there was that 3D printed vent pod thread so I decided to give it a go. Designed it in SolidWorks and printed on a Formlabs Form 2.

 

[Gsf1200m]

Previously took the snorkel out of the fender when I was doing the fog lights. I got the rest of the parts in for hard piping the air box. After getting a few air intakes for other cars, I like going this route. It is so much cheaper and I imagine it works almost as well. This was around $50. I can hear the turbo a little more and it looks pretty good. One 2.5" to 3" coupler, one 3" 60 degree pipe, one 3" to 2.5" 90 degree coupler. I used the stock clamps and provided one of my own.

Here is the bypass of the solenoid that I did. It is not the cleanest install I have ever done but not nearly the worst. It is a little confusing just reading out how to do it on the forum, but once you look in there it makes a lot more sense. I know the picture is hard to see but I will describe what I did in case it ever helps anybody. I pulled the black and green hose off the intake manifold and plugged that with a bolt. I placed a new line on the manifold that goes to the T piece. The top of the T goes to the boost gauge. The other side of the T goes to the stock bypass line that I pulled off the solenoid. I then capped that part of the solenoid off with a vacuum cap. If the lines actually came off the solenoid easily this would have been a very quick install.

 

[Gsf1200m]

I did a couple more simple mods recently but they turned out to have a bigger impact than I expected.

First is oem painted mirror covers. I wasn't even sure I would like these over the black covers, but I think they make the car look a whole lot better. Best part was the price, $45 on ebay.

Next is a used ZZP rear brace bought used on the forum. The difference in handling is huge and much better. I also was not expecting such a big difference. I have put upgraded rear sway bars on a scion xD and two trailblazers and while there was a difference, it was not as large as this. I highly recommend this mod.

 

[Gsf1200m]

I love the rear brace but man is that thing creaky. Gets pretty annoying. I spray lithium grease on it which helps for a while but it starts creaking again. I bought it used and I have a new install kit to put in, that might help it I hope.

New mods for the month, exhaust tip and Camaro steering wheel. The exhaust tip looks pretty good in person, I know it is hard to show in pictures. For $12.99 on Amazon it is great.

And one of my favorite mods is the Camaro steering wheel with paddle shifters. It was a very easy install (thanks to the DIY) and the paddle shifters are awesome. $90 used on ebay. I am still keeping my eyes open for a used suede one but this will do for now. The wheel feels much better than the stock Sonic wheel.

Next month might be tint or some mild mud flaps.

 

[SuperSonic15]

Like the exhaust tip. Looks good. Steering wheel, as well. opcorn:

I bought a steering wheel cover for mine. better grip during the winter time.

 

[TurboTechRacing]

Welcome!

 

[Gsf1200m]

I bought the DDM rear brace hardware kit and installed it to 60 ftlbs. I have not had any creaking from the rear brace for a month now. For $7 shipped it is not a bad deal. With all the complaints I hear about the noise I expect it to come back at some point but who knows, it's great for now.

Added the cruze washer nozzle for a fan spray pattern. The coverage is much better. The install is probably about 5 minutes so it is very simple. $10 Part # 95226510

Had my first failure recently, the PCV regulator on the valve cover failed.For $60 I decided to fix it myself instead of going to the dealer. This was also very simple, it was about a half hour to swap the cover over so I was pleasantly surprised. Everything is good now and I plan to do the permanent fix in the spring.

 

[Wolfman213]

Added the cruze washer nozzle for a fan spray pattern. The coverage is much better. The install is probably about 5 minutes so it is very simple. $10 Part # 95226510

Thank you for sharing this info!!! This has been such an annoyance. Sure it's great if there is bird crap right where it sprays but when does that ever happen. Guess I will be hitting my Chevy dealer this week!

 

[Major Ramifications]

Nice car! I like everything you've done to it.
I sure would like to know more about those fog lights though.