# turbo upgrade?????



## tecollins1 (Nov 6, 2011)

Keep it stock.
No one has successfully upgraded their turbo yet.



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## prince_bigd (Jul 16, 2013)

You're more limited by the fact that the stock turbo is integrated into the exhaust manifold. Vtuner offers an upgraded stock turbo with a different wheel and ported. It flows around 23lbs of air compared to 18~19 lbs on the stock turbo with Bolt ons. note this is airflow and not boost. As the stock turbo is capable of 23-24 lbs of boost. Endtank makes an aftermarket exhaust manifold which would allow aftermarket turbos. Remember though this is a small displacement motor, too large of a turbo and you're going to get horrible lag plus really start to place excess burden on the internals. 
If you're after more power start with a tune and full bolt ons. With a tune intake,dp/mp, injectors, bpv, ported intake manifold should see you close to 180 hp to the wheels, add fmic and water/meth and you should be able to get closer to 200whp. however at that point you are going to need to stay very well tuned, keeping a mindful eye on octane, plugs, meth or boost juice, etc. really I love tuning and am all for it but this is a 3000+ lb car with a 1.4 liter motor. Think on that, many modern motorcycles have more displacement. I just want a quick car capable of great gas mileage, once you get so far you start sacrificing economy and longevity. I say do a good tune and full bolt ons then consider more such as water meth and turbo, internals etc.


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## jeffgreene7 (Feb 15, 2014)

im learning more and more by the day thanks for all the info guys i really appreciate it.


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## jeffgreene7 (Feb 15, 2014)

does the stock turbo run at 16 pounds stock? and if i get a tuner whats the max 24-25psi? will i need fuel and spark upgrades if i get a tuner to run higher boost?


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## prince_bigd (Jul 16, 2013)

the stock turbo is capable of between 14-16 max with the stock factory tune. However thats not how the cruze ECM works. GM uses a torque management system to control boost, power output, timing, spark advance, knock, etc. Basically the simple explanation is that it wants to make 148lbft of torque max and 138 hp. It will allow up to the maximum factory boost levels and timing advance as needed to make it. Meaning when its cool out and youre running 91+ octane you may only need 10 lbs of boost to hit peak torque numbers. However when its hot and air is less dense you need more boost. More factors come into play, octane rating, knock resistance etc. 
This also explains why just throwing on parts without a tune doesnt grant much if any gains in absolute torque and hp figures. The computer basically will still only make X amount of power, youve just made it easier to hit that target. Not to say that there isnt benefits to bolt ons without a tune, as you can get better throttle response greater area under the torque curve and quicker spooling. However without a tune to take advantage of these parts youre really missing out. 

Tuned for 91+ octane most the time youll make between 19-24 lbs of boost. this will vary with altitude, fuel, etc. It is advised to have good consistent spark plug gap and always use good reliable high octane fuel. The stock injectors are good until you really have full bolt ons and even then its not necessary to upgrade but some have seen gains above 4k rpm with the larger bosch injectors. The biggest limitation to topend power is the small turbo, it runs out of its peak efficency range by 5-5.5k. not to say you cant make power above that, as porting your intake manifold and a downpipe and midpipe will help. 

As far as spark goes, many here, myself included have great success with adding extra grounding such as the ones made by member TeCollins. Thses provide a more stable ground and less interference for electrical parts. Spark plug gap should be .028 when tuned unless youre running different plugs than stock. Many here that are tuned have ran NGK or Autolite copper plugs at 0.030 and higher. I am currently tuned and have bolt ons and im running NGK BKR8EIX iridiums at 0.032 but I have the big three grounding kit and a voltage stabilizer, and I see zero blow out even under high load up hills or at full throttle. I peak around 23lbs of boost on my tune occasionally a bit higher but thats the avg high for my car, every car and every tune going to be slightly different. Another factor is proper oil and filtration. Dont go cheap on the oil in this car especially if youre going to tune as that places greater stress on internals and needs good lubrication.


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## jeffgreene7 (Feb 15, 2014)

wow ther def. is alot more to it all then i thought. thanks for the info bro. im looking into getting a vtuner in the next week or two.


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## sx sonic (Nov 25, 2013)

Oh yea turbo selection is pretty indepth. Properly sizing one is a very involved process and depends on how much power you want to realistically make and what kind of powerband you think is acceptable, from there alot of math and charts are used to pick out the end turbo. Then comes the investment, fabrication, installation, and tuning. It's alot of work to do it right but the results can be very rewarding

Here's a good writeup on turbo sizing: Turbo Selection: Sizing a Turbo - Chevy Sonic Owners Forum


Aside from the VTuners hybrid stock turbo upgrade there is atleast 1 company working on an actual, practical turbo upgrade kit for the Cruze/Sonic 1.4T and another working on a Sonic 1.4T. Both are going to be big power adders but at this time I don;t know much much power they'll make as released or how long the internals will last, but both kits are looking to be capable of supporting ~270-300hp with acceptable drivability.


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## RedCruze (Sep 5, 2012)

I have a similar set up with all the mods we can get.. but I took the meth off since no could tune the stage three controller properly. I am at 12lbs of boost on a safe tune making 168HP to the wheels... really wished I could get someone to tune it properly at 23 lbs as I have the Vtuner upgraded turbo. I should be well over 200HP


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## SneakerFix (Jul 28, 2013)

If you want to make power get someone to tune Hptuners for you. All these other mail order tunes are on the soft side. 

that Vtuner turbo IMO is gonna max out at 230. If you need a tuner let me know I'm sure I can send you the right way.


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## CHEVYCRUZE RS (Mar 29, 2011)

trifecta or vtuner with meth injection....awesome power for our engines id think lol. go green and still make valuable numbers.....thats impressive. thanks for the info guys! ive seen end tanks turbo product but still havent heard any news or real numbers about it. guess we just have to sit back and wait on this one.....for now enjoy your tune haha


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## jwhitt72 (Apr 21, 2014)

So if i am understanding everything right, before getting into a tuner, start with the basic bolt ons(intake, exhaust, and spark plugs) What should be the next couple steps?


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## jwhitt72 (Apr 21, 2014)

Ans when it comes to parts, like the intake and all, what are some recommended brands that i should look into?


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## AlcoholicPolak (Dec 28, 2013)

Alright, all this should be around here, but I'll give you some quick answers anyway.

Intake: Injen, ZZP, K&N

Downpipe: BNR, ZZP

Midpipe: ZZP

Tune: Trifecta, VTuner

I'm not going to get into recommendations or anything else.


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