Rand0m0sityxX
New member
Would rather not have the turbo badge
I want the turbo, but I might have to get the Cruze for it. I want a auto tranny and the Manual is linked to the Turbo in the Sonic
So Sonic wise, base motor for me.
Base or Turbo Crew
- Thread starter SonicBoom
- Start date
Would rather not have the turbo badge
I want the turbo, but I might have to get the Cruze for it. I want a auto tranny and the Manual is linked to the Turbo in the Sonic
So Sonic wise, base motor for me.
laborsmith
New member
Base or Turbo
I went to the GM Orion Plant Open House today.
While there, at one point in the tour we were at a station that had two completed turbo engine and I think four n/a. The turboed engines are so tiny that I believe a could have picked one up. Much smaller than the n/a.
Also, the two completed LTZ's on display (a grey manual and a red auto) had Hankook Optima 428 tired.
From what I saw, I believe GM will be able to start regular production July 18.
Laborsmith
I went to the GM Orion Plant Open House today.
While there, at one point in the tour we were at a station that had two completed turbo engine and I think four n/a. The turboed engines are so tiny that I believe a could have picked one up. Much smaller than the n/a.
Also, the two completed LTZ's on display (a grey manual and a red auto) had Hankook Optima 428 tired.
From what I saw, I believe GM will be able to start regular production July 18.
Laborsmith
TravsSonic
New member
sweet!!
I've been around the block a few times with modified cars. I currently drive a mildly modified WRX, but I've previously had modified Chevy V8's, Civics, Acuras, etc.
If there's one thing I've learned it's this: Do not judge a car by the peak HP figure alone. Look at the tq curve, the area of usable horsepower, and the gearing. I guarantee the turbo will feel much gutsier than the n/a, despite the similar peak horsepower figure.
Not to mention what a simple ecu reflash will uncork...
I wonder if the people talking about the additional "maintenance" of a turbo car have ever actually owned one? My WRX has over 140k miles on the stock engine, stock turbo, stock everything- and it still runs like a champ. Maintenance has been no more or less than a non-turbo car. Todays turbos are not like the ones in the 80s.
Stic5
New member
Yeah and we're not talking about 20 psi of boost here...
We might be once I get my hands on it !
j/k... that tiny turbo would be just a bit out of its efficiency range trying to make 20psi... it'd spin its little impeller right off lol
98svtCOBRA
New member
only reason to get this car is the turbo...and mpg of course
RichieRocket
New member
To compare the power spread of the 1.4L Turbo vs. 1.8L NA, I cobbled together torque and hp curves for each to compare.
Note: this is NOT perfect! I based it on the few stats I found online and on a Cruze forum. No guarantee this is accurrate, just looking for trends.
Sources:
Edmunds.com has peak torque @ RPM and peak hp @ RPM for each engine.
Cruzetalk has a torque curve for the 1.4L Turbo
2011 EcoTec 1.4LT power & torque numbers - Chevy Cruze Forum : Chevrolet Cruze Forums
The orange curves are for the 1.4L T and the black lines are 1.8L NA.
The red dots are actual points I based the curves on.
HP is calculated from T x RPM / 5252
1.4L T : Peak torque from 1850-4900RPM, peak 138 HP @ 4900
1.8L NA : Peak torque @ 3800 RPM (I was probably a little too generous with the low-end torque) I had to keep the torque flat at higher RPM to hit the peak HP 138 @ 6300RPM
Observations: For the RPM range where most normal driving is done 2000-4000RPM, the 1.4T will have a 15+ hp advantage over the entire range. Of course, the turbo has to be spinning to get these hp numbers, but the Sonic's turbo is sized for minimum lag time.
The 1.8L peak hp occurs @ 6300 RPM, that's 1400 RPM higher than the 1.4T
For me, the advantage would be to stay in a taller gear and still be able to accelerate with traffic, pass, etc.
You don't need to be at full throttle to notice the difference, even at part throttle the extra torque will be noticable.
Having said that, the 1.8NA will still be a fine engine. Shoot, I've been driving a '98 Civic (2500 lbs) with 106 hp for years...either would be an upgrade for me!
Note: this is NOT perfect! I based it on the few stats I found online and on a Cruze forum. No guarantee this is accurrate, just looking for trends.
Sources:
Edmunds.com has peak torque @ RPM and peak hp @ RPM for each engine.
Cruzetalk has a torque curve for the 1.4L Turbo
2011 EcoTec 1.4LT power & torque numbers - Chevy Cruze Forum : Chevrolet Cruze Forums
The orange curves are for the 1.4L T and the black lines are 1.8L NA.
The red dots are actual points I based the curves on.
HP is calculated from T x RPM / 5252
1.4L T : Peak torque from 1850-4900RPM, peak 138 HP @ 4900
1.8L NA : Peak torque @ 3800 RPM (I was probably a little too generous with the low-end torque) I had to keep the torque flat at higher RPM to hit the peak HP 138 @ 6300RPM
Observations: For the RPM range where most normal driving is done 2000-4000RPM, the 1.4T will have a 15+ hp advantage over the entire range. Of course, the turbo has to be spinning to get these hp numbers, but the Sonic's turbo is sized for minimum lag time.
The 1.8L peak hp occurs @ 6300 RPM, that's 1400 RPM higher than the 1.4T
For me, the advantage would be to stay in a taller gear and still be able to accelerate with traffic, pass, etc.
You don't need to be at full throttle to notice the difference, even at part throttle the extra torque will be noticable.
Having said that, the 1.8NA will still be a fine engine. Shoot, I've been driving a '98 Civic (2500 lbs) with 106 hp for years...either would be an upgrade for me!
Attachments
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sonic_hp_tq.JPG
RichieRocket
New member
About turbo maintenance, I had a '89 Ford Probe GT with 2.2L Turbo that I sold with 188K miles. Still ran strong and did not burn oil...
The Ecotec 1.4T will be cooled by engine coolant, so it should be even more trouble-free...
The Ecotec 1.4T will be cooled by engine coolant, so it should be even more trouble-free...
98svtCOBRA
New member
Ford probe gts are great cars!! Great to know theres another ex owner here. Yeah turbo cars are smarter now vs past times.
guitaristjd
New member
Automatic with turbo?
This article talk about a 6 speed automatic with the turbo option.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Turbo First Drive - Motor Trend
This article talk about a 6 speed automatic with the turbo option.
2012 Chevrolet Sonic Turbo First Drive - Motor Trend
RichieRocket
New member
Hi guitaristjd, it looks like motortrend got so bad information. In the article, they never actually drove a 1.4T auto. It is available in the CRUZE, so maybe they just assumed the same for the Sonic.
If you go to the Chevrolet Sonic options/ordering page listed below:
Model Information - Online Ordering Guide
Go to: "New for 2012" you'll see the automatic transmission equipped models are designated with a '2', like 2LS, 2LT, 2LTZ
Go to "Ordering Info", "Mechanical", then scan down to option LUV 1.4 turbo engine, it is only available for 1LT and 1LTZ. There is no 'A' for available under the 2LT or 2LTZ columns.
Therefore, you can not order an automatic with 1.4T engine
If I'm misunderstanding, please let me know....
guitaristjd
New member
Yeah, it looks like a misprint. I'm seriously considering the manual turbo though, it look's like fun. Cant wait to test drive one.
WolfByu
New member
Hmmm did you know the 1.8 has timing belt vs 1.4t having timing chain?
seriously? i cant think of any cars anymore that use a belt (im sure there might be some). the more i read, the more im wondering why gm is even using the 1.8 engine at all anymore. it appears even most gm loyalists dont mind calling it a turd.
sadly, chevy is going to force the 1.8 on most buyers (at least to start), which is dumbfounding to me as it has class worst mpg and they marketed the sonic as the being a vast improvement over the aveo in all ways. better they just forced the 1.4 on everyone.