What upgrade should I do?

[Mthomas8385]

I am trying to get some opinions on what upgrades I should do. I don't have a lot of money to put into it at a time needing to go about one thing a year. What should I do first? I have considered and intake and exhaust. What would be other choices for around $300-$400?

 

[sx sonic]

Welcome to the forum!

There's a few options for mods depending on what your end goal is.

If it's power you're after then you're going to need a Tune, the ECM on the sonics are "torque based" and will take steps to maintain stock power levels even after mods such intake or exhaust are added.
Trifecta is the most prevalent tune on this forum is Trifecta and they've been getting great results (I'm running it), there's a few people also running VTuners and they seem pleased with their results. Those are the 2 I'm familiar with on this forum that are yielding good results. Link to Trifecta thread :http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/bad-news-racing/1063-official-trifecta-sonic-tune-thread.html

Note: If you have the 1.4T engine the tune is the single biggest power adder you can buy (aside from the fact to get gains you need a tune not even an intake, exhaust, and porting will gain you as much hp and tq.)

Exhaust is the next best option in my opinion because it pleases the enthusiast's ear and. makes more power (after tune). But even a simple cat back exhaust can often run over your current budget. Right now I think ZZP has the cheapest "professional" exhaust. There's a number of threads with reviews, impressions, and sound clips if you'd like to check out some options.


For handling Springs and a rear brace will fit your budget and really let you appreciate this car. I've had Eibach springs for awhile now and they definitely approve this cars process and inspire confidence over stock and at ~$240 they are rather cheap.

The DDM rear brace improves steady state cornering, turn in, and really fights body roll. It's a good addition for a cheap price, It works well with Eibachs (and Pedders Coilovers) and I suspect it will improve the stock suspension even more. Here's a link for it and inside that thread is a link to their site and a how to install thread :http://www.sonicownersforum.com/forum/ddm-works/7249-rear-swaybar-brace.html Note: If you go that route 1st and have a manual trans I highly recommend DDM "shifter bushings" cheap price, easy install, and strongly improves shifting.


Cosmetically a lot of us have gone to Plasti-dip to paint Rims, spoilers, gas caps, racing stripes, etc for a custom look that can be easily removed if it doesn't look good. You can do a lot with $20 worth of "derp" as it's come to be refered to.

I've got quite a few mods and my impressions of them listed in my build thread if you'd like to get a quick break down of some of the various offerings. I've got the link in my signature.

-Tyler

 

[Mthomas8385]

I figured the tune would be the other thing people would say. I would like the most bang for my buck. I would prefer to start with engine stuff first then work to springs and then to exterior.
I have read a little bit about the trifecta tune. The thing that worries me about it is warranty. I want to keep my warranty as long as possible. Would I run into any warranty issues with any mods?
I have already had a transmission replaced. I have put about 100 miles on the new one and would hate to have it mess up like the first one and it not be covered because of a mod.
I do have the 1.4 and have driven the 1.8(rental car).
I hated it just seemed to lack power.

 

[sx sonic]

Here's a good read about transparency mode that Trifecta offers for the 1.4t (and 2013 1.8). and why it's a rather small risk concerning your warranty : http://www.sonicownersforum.com/for...initive-answer-can-dealer-detect-my-tune.html

Having been involved in the auto world as a Technician, enthusiast, and daily driver I can tell you 1st hand that the whole Warranty business is a bit all over the place.
Basically the way it's supposed to work is the Warranty covers parts and labor for any manufacturer defect, failed component, etc. If you modify the car outside of O.E.M. parameters and this causes a failure then GM will not cover it. If you have aftermarket modifications that are not the cause of the failure GM is supposed to Warranty the failed parts (here's another link: Magnuson?Moss Warranty Act - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

in reality these are the usual scenarios.
-The dealer may turn you away if you have a cold air intake, an ultra gauge (they tried that on me for a trans issue.), exhaust, tune, etc. sometime irregardless of if the mod even pertains to the problem.
:usually when this happens they tell you to go back to stock parts and come back for diagnosis.
-The dealer might not bat an eye to your mods unless it's a likely cause of the problem.
-The dealer may cover some failures that are the direct result of aftermarket parts. Not common but I've seen it happen 1st hand.
-The dealer catches you with some massive mods and blacklist your warranty. Ive only heard of this once on the cobalt forum.

This all depends on the Dealership, what aftermarket parts are visible, The type of repair/diagnosis, the technician, and he!! even the mood of the technician that day.

Bottom line, aftermarket exhaust almost always slide right thru, intakes often do, tunes never will fly if they're detected (and they won't go looking unless it's suspect or certain diag like maybe turbo boost problem or cam phasing issue). Blow off valves are a no go since that points to a tune.

so as you can see it's clear as mud. Trifecta with their transparency mods your best bet and then flash back to stock before going in for service (some people leave the tune on "eco" for minor stuff like oil changes or tires) and then flash in the tune when done and you will have limited worries about your warranty............ Or you could not tune it, and never know the difference +50 ft lbs of torque can make

 

[american_tuner]

Trifecta tune

 

[Mthomas8385]

So the time is pretty much the best first step for the most power? This is gonna be my first build on a car. I know a guy that does a lot with them, but how difficult would it be to flash back to the stock tune or if I put an intake on how difficult to switch it over if I have warranty problems?

 

[sx sonic]

For this car and most ECM controlled forced induction engines the Tune IS the best 1st power mod and for the sonic the only one that'll make any lasting gains (again the "torque based" logic will quickly make adjustments to maintain stock based power levels)

The tune takes about 20-30 mins to flash between stock and tuned files. datalog updates takes about 5-10mins. It's a very straight forward process , everyone's nervous on this 1st attempt but it's as simple as following the prompts and selecting the desired file to flash. Your File from Trifecta also includes the original stock tune as well as the modified tune for your convenience.

Intakes a usually a 10-20 min swap as well, Just make sure you get one from a reputable supplier such as ZZP, DDM, K&N, Injen (Injen doesn't improve HP on this car). Some of the cheaper brands have caused drivability issues and screw up fuel trims.

 

[Swordsmith]

If what you want is power, there's practically no point in doing anything without doing the tune first, since as sx sonic points out, the stock tune deliberately reduces your power output back down to stock when you make other improvements.

The second biggest power mod you can make, though, isn't anything listed thus far. It's converting to E85. The 1.4T engine was engineered as Flexfuel, however, GM decided not to release it as such to us for some reason. However, the ECU has all the tables needed, and the hardware is all there with just a couple exceptions; there's no alcohol sensor, the injectors are too small, and there's a single length of non-alcohol-ready fuel line. BNR sells the injectors (you could probably get them elsewhere, but they are a supporting vendor so they get the nod) and Trifecta has a tune, thus far no vendor sells the sensor kit, but if you install one Trifecta will be able to do a true Flexfuel tune, otherwise you have to swap tune and do an 11+gallon fillup each time you want to change fuels.

I am sympathetic about warranty anxiety, and history doesn't help; some dealers will let you get away with nearly anything, some will try and deny a claim if you have blacked out the bowtie, it seems completely arbitrary. If you don't have a high tolerance for this, you might try talking to your dealership beforehand and see what they say. And you might just want to stick to your "vanilla" 1.4T, which is already more power than you need for any road in the US... I think Insanika went to the top of Pike's Peak on a stock tune!

 

[Mthomas8385]

Well seeing as the tune could be flashed fairly easily would there be an cost that goes along with it each time that it is done? And where does the stock tune get stored? On a laptop or the equipment that trifecta sends for you to tune it in the first place?

Yes for road driving I do have enough power, but we have a seasonal racing called street fights where you can take your car down and race it for ten bucks at Bristol thunder valley track.

 

[$ub$onic]

So trifecta sends you a tune file. It has both a copy of the stock tune and toe performance tune. Just click witch one you wanna load

 

[Mthomas8385]

They email it to you or a mailed like USB?

 

[sx sonic]

They email it to you or a mailed like USB?

They Email you the tune files and ship you a "red cable" that is the interface between your laptop (or netbook, etc) and the cars ECM.

You must also go to Trifectas site and download EZflash and the drivers for it and install those once. A link to the site and a "how to" tutorial are included with the email.

The drivers, EZflash and flashing the car are all free.

 

[Swordsmith]

The tune requires four things: A computer, the EZflash software, a special cable, and a copy of the tune for your vehicle. The latter is specifically modified to your setup, and works on your VIN only.

>>The EZFlash software is free
>>The Tune has a cost, for the 1.4T you can get a "budget" version which is generic and canned, and will not be adjusted to fit, or for more money you can get one that will be fine tuned to run better on your machine, and can be fixed again and again as you do other mods. If mods are not really likely or are in the distant future, just get the budget version, if you need the full tune later, you only pay the difference in order to upgrade.
>>The laptop -can- be rented from BNR, but there's nothing special about it, and almost everyone has access to a laptop or even a desktop and an extension cord... if you aren't doing the Full Tune you don't need to move the car with the computer running.
>>The cable is mission specific, you can rent one from BNR, or buy one, or you can get someone who has one and is near you come over to help out.

If you're going to be flashing tunes back and forth frequently, it makes more sense to buy the cable.

 

[Mthomas8385]

So once I have done the tune as long as I have a cable handy to connect to a computer I won't have a problem switching back to the factory tune?

 

[Mthomas8385]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone has given.

What are some good gauges to get? I would prefer pods but am not against the electronic like the scangauge.

 

[sx sonic]

So once I have done the tune as long as I have a cable handy to connect to a computer I won't have a problem switching back to the factory tune?

(in Chris Farley voice) "That ISSS coorrect!"

I've got an UltraGauge and I love it. I think there's like 60 or so gauges you can choose from. Then there's scanguage that some people really like and also the "torque app" and reader so you can pull stuff up via your phone.

 

[Mthomas8385]

How much does an ultragauge run for? Do you know of anybody that had done pod gauges? I kinda shy away from the electronic cause someone see it and think I can sell it. Would hate for my car to be broken into and out the money I pay for it so I figure pods would not be as flashy.

 

[$ub$onic]

60-80 bucks. As far as I know there is no pods on the market yet for the sonic

 

[Mthomas8385]

Alright thanks.

 

[$ub$onic]

I would buy another ultra gauge. It's pretty awesome.