2014 Blue RS
Active member
I like what you are doing. I was always interested in the belly pans that they made for the Sonic in 2012.
Turbo I, Mike's build thread
- Thread starter mja
- Start date
mja
Site Supporter
Thank you, here's a link to a site that sells the undercover/splash shield for the cheapest I found, and all the related parts underneath the front:
We have millions of 2012 Chevrolet Sonic Body, Glass & Molding Parts splash shields replacement parts available.
Part #10 in the picture they list as: 95016301
Also, an mpg update: I'm driving grandma style, so not hardcore hypermilling, just cruising and being a decent citizen, with the A/C on blast, and 60/40 freeway/city driving. This tank I averaged 46 mpg. Which isn't impressive really, my best in the car was 49 mpg maybe a yr ago, but I was pissing ppl off left and right at that time from hypermilling, pulling over to mickey d's for a coke cuz sweating to death, etc.. What did impress me was, to start off this last tank I saw a 55mpg stretch on the freeway at 55mph, with the A/C on blast. I've never seen that with A/C. I'm guessing a combo of weight savings + aero tray.
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2014 Blue RS
Active member
Thank you mja
mja
Site Supporter
Pioneer AVH-4200NEX
I love that this head unit has programmable color buttons, you can pick from a color palette to match any interior light color & brightness. The blue hue matches perfectly with the interior blue buttons at night. The screen auto-dims when I turn on the fog lights or when the DRL's switch to full headlight power.
Works great, I also have a Belkin Miracast hooked up behind the unit so I can screen mirror. It's a cool feature, but not needed since many apps and google maps are supported via android auto.
Had issues with the DLS speakers so they left, and now the Kicker CS's take up all 4 speaker spots:
Amps:
....pics coming soon
Sub box... where is it?
There!!!
The high tech hold down mechanism, velcro:
The install guy set it up perfectly, I can't even tell the sub is hitting hard when on full. It's integrated very well and I have no issues listening with windows down on the freeway = happy sonic owner
I love that this head unit has programmable color buttons, you can pick from a color palette to match any interior light color & brightness. The blue hue matches perfectly with the interior blue buttons at night. The screen auto-dims when I turn on the fog lights or when the DRL's switch to full headlight power.
Works great, I also have a Belkin Miracast hooked up behind the unit so I can screen mirror. It's a cool feature, but not needed since many apps and google maps are supported via android auto.
Had issues with the DLS speakers so they left, and now the Kicker CS's take up all 4 speaker spots:
Amps:
....pics coming soon
Sub box... where is it?
There!!!
The high tech hold down mechanism, velcro:
The install guy set it up perfectly, I can't even tell the sub is hitting hard when on full. It's integrated very well and I have no issues listening with windows down on the freeway = happy sonic owner
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mja
Site Supporter
Thanks Andrew! It does sound great, we can switch cars once you get your new body style sonic
The 2017 to-do list:
GM sport suspension
ZZP control arms
M32 short shifter
Wavetrac LSD
Paint/install Seibon CF hood & hatch
Replace scratched up ECO wheels, repair body dents/paint
eco mods
The 2017 to-do list:
GM sport suspension
ZZP control arms
M32 short shifter
Wavetrac LSD
Paint/install Seibon CF hood & hatch
Replace scratched up ECO wheels, repair body dents/paint
eco mods
mja
Site Supporter
Picked up some goodies from the other side of the pond:
Upper and lower pinion shaft, and crown gear:
M20/M32 Crown Wheel (67t, 3.35 Ratio)
M20/M32 Upper Pinion Shaft (20t, 3.35 Ratio)
M20/M32 Lower Pinion Shaft (20t, 3.35 Ratio)
The plan is to begin gathering parts and buy a used mz4 m32 to rebuild fresh, with a final drive ratio of 3.35 instead of the current 3.65.
Upper and lower pinion shaft, and crown gear:
M20/M32 Crown Wheel (67t, 3.35 Ratio)
M20/M32 Upper Pinion Shaft (20t, 3.35 Ratio)
M20/M32 Lower Pinion Shaft (20t, 3.35 Ratio)
The plan is to begin gathering parts and buy a used mz4 m32 to rebuild fresh, with a final drive ratio of 3.35 instead of the current 3.65.
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troy_audi0
New member
mja
Site Supporter
The current 6th gear cruising rpm (with 215/55/17 tires, 26.3" diameter)
60mph: 1706 rpm
55mph: 1564 rpm
6th gear cruising rpm with 3.35 final gear
60mph: 1566 rpm
55mph: 1435 rpm
That's a significant highway cruising rpm drop. Other benefits - more time to wind out turbo in gear... more fun on the freeway and at high speeds, higher gear is less shock on drivetrain components over the transaxle's lifetime.
It'll be a fun garage project for next year and hopefully will learn some things about this M32 transmission to share with the forum.
troy_audi0
New member
Right on, a mod that will pay for its self...
Keep it up..
Keep it up..
mja
Site Supporter
Black Friday purchase:
MPFab intake, black powdercoat + honeycomb
ZZP downpipe
BNR midpipe
Forge atmospheric BOV
BNR GTX14 1.4T turbo kit/injectors
...other goodies.
Port delivery on the SRT4 forums:
Dodge SRT Forum
240-250 hp on the motor + <2600lbs + >45mpg is the goal.
MPFab intake, black powdercoat + honeycomb
ZZP downpipe
BNR midpipe
Forge atmospheric BOV
BNR GTX14 1.4T turbo kit/injectors
...other goodies.
Port delivery on the SRT4 forums:
Dodge SRT Forum
240-250 hp on the motor + <2600lbs + >45mpg is the goal.
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mja
Site Supporter
Let me know how this goes, I've also thought of lowering the final drive ratio to get lower RPM on the highway. Might see a drop in acceleration but that's what downshifting is for
The company in Britain needed to use one of the shafts for an in-house build. Apparently they're hard to come by. They'll be shipping mine out at some point soon.
mja
Site Supporter
Tie rods
Changed my tie rods, here's some pics and useful information:
The inner tie rods were worn out badly at 75k miles, the ball joints turned like sloppy butter. If you have this mileage or more on your Sonic, I'd change them:
The outer tie rods are self-explanatory. Some notes on this - the MOOG replacement is ES800929. This is the generic part that all Chinese knock-offs are made from. These are heavy (maybe 2x as heavy as the stock ones) they look sturdy although unrefined.
My guess is these will last longer than the stock tie rod ends, but there are some issues. There is no torx or hex bolt/socket on the lower threads of any of the MOOG or aftermarket tie rod ends. If that ball spins in the socket, good luck bolting it to the control arm (or unbolting in 100k miles). There are ways to work around this, but all involve compressing the boot - and you loose grease that way. Which brings the 2nd bad part about these - they are not greasable. They were advertised on the MOOG website and Rockauto as greasable zerk fittings, their 'problem solver' line. I called MOOG and Rockauto after receiving the parts and their catalogues were promptly changed so it now reads 'nongreasable'.
For these reasons I decided to bite the bullet and pay 50$ a piece for the stock tie rod ends, peace of mind:
Factory on left, aftermarket on right:
The boots didn't crack too much, just one small crack. Stay safe, wrap it up.
^These will probably have one more good use out of them and will have to be replaced due to aging of the plastic.
Changed my tie rods, here's some pics and useful information:
The inner tie rods were worn out badly at 75k miles, the ball joints turned like sloppy butter. If you have this mileage or more on your Sonic, I'd change them:
The outer tie rods are self-explanatory. Some notes on this - the MOOG replacement is ES800929. This is the generic part that all Chinese knock-offs are made from. These are heavy (maybe 2x as heavy as the stock ones) they look sturdy although unrefined.
My guess is these will last longer than the stock tie rod ends, but there are some issues. There is no torx or hex bolt/socket on the lower threads of any of the MOOG or aftermarket tie rod ends. If that ball spins in the socket, good luck bolting it to the control arm (or unbolting in 100k miles). There are ways to work around this, but all involve compressing the boot - and you loose grease that way. Which brings the 2nd bad part about these - they are not greasable. They were advertised on the MOOG website and Rockauto as greasable zerk fittings, their 'problem solver' line. I called MOOG and Rockauto after receiving the parts and their catalogues were promptly changed so it now reads 'nongreasable'.
For these reasons I decided to bite the bullet and pay 50$ a piece for the stock tie rod ends, peace of mind:
Factory on left, aftermarket on right:
The boots didn't crack too much, just one small crack. Stay safe, wrap it up.
^These will probably have one more good use out of them and will have to be replaced due to aging of the plastic.
mja
Site Supporter
GTX turbo swap is done. I think I'm addicted to BNR. A huge thanks goes out to EPYON96R for lots of late night wrenching support.
The MPfab intake is a work of art. Simple and lightweight, love it. Looks a little shaky, but I trust Walker's designs.
BNR GTX turbo:
http://store.badnewsracing.net/BNR-GTX14-14T-Turbocharger-Kit_p_402.html
MPFab intake:
http://www.mpfab.com/product/mpfab-intake-system-chevy-sonic/
The MPfab intake is a work of art. Simple and lightweight, love it. Looks a little shaky, but I trust Walker's designs.
BNR GTX turbo:
http://store.badnewsracing.net/BNR-GTX14-14T-Turbocharger-Kit_p_402.html
MPFab intake:
http://www.mpfab.com/product/mpfab-intake-system-chevy-sonic/
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mja
Site Supporter
Finally installed the VLED V3 Triton red tail lights. Also installed new LED reverse lamps, mine were blinking out a lot. The new VLED bulbs are much higher quality than when these old ones were installed, about 5 years ago.
Result, nice looking lights:
Now for the not so fun stuff.
The V3 Triton tail lamp housings do not fit. VLED's reply to my concern was to send them in for a refund. They notified me of a new series which will replace the V3 Tritons and will have smaller housings, and said those would hit the stores next summer, so good news there Sonic fam.
Of course my reply was no thanks, I'd like to blind tailgaters very soon and void the LED warranty. So I went about cutting things.
This resistor was a little too high to fit the tail lamps, so I moved it down about 6-10 inches from the location in this pic, but you get the idea.
Just the brake lights:
Result, nice looking lights:
Now for the not so fun stuff.
The V3 Triton tail lamp housings do not fit. VLED's reply to my concern was to send them in for a refund. They notified me of a new series which will replace the V3 Tritons and will have smaller housings, and said those would hit the stores next summer, so good news there Sonic fam.
Of course my reply was no thanks, I'd like to blind tailgaters very soon and void the LED warranty. So I went about cutting things.
This resistor was a little too high to fit the tail lamps, so I moved it down about 6-10 inches from the location in this pic, but you get the idea.
Just the brake lights:
mja
Site Supporter
BNR GTX turbo installed
Initial startup, clearing out the new turbo and exhaust:
One of my fears was if this could retain the stock mpg that I love.
No worries with this setup:
End of the hypermilling style test run, over 7 miles:
I think my 50mpg dreams will finally be realized, with around 200whp to boot.
A huge thanks to BNR for putting out this product, and Jerry for his tunes.
A big thanks to MPFab for his intake and intercooler kit.
Both great companies to do business with, top notch customer service.
Initial startup, clearing out the new turbo and exhaust:
One of my fears was if this could retain the stock mpg that I love.
No worries with this setup:
End of the hypermilling style test run, over 7 miles:
I think my 50mpg dreams will finally be realized, with around 200whp to boot.
A huge thanks to BNR for putting out this product, and Jerry for his tunes.
A big thanks to MPFab for his intake and intercooler kit.
Both great companies to do business with, top notch customer service.