# 2011 1.4 cruze turbo noise



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

I just recently purchased the 1.4l Cruze. Do you guys have any ideas on how to acheive the turbo noise "wooosh"? I have tried taking off the resonator. I hear a little bit of suction noise, but that is it. I am not trying to acheive a crotch rocket, but like anyone else I just like to hear that noise. 


Thanks,


----------



## Knightslugger (Jan 11, 2011)

it's a pretty small turbo, and the interior has extensive sound deadening accouterments... try rolling your windows down?


----------



## DarylB (Feb 3, 2011)

100% unnoticeable from my ears in my ECO. Wish it sounded like my D-max though, those VVT's sound sweet when they spool up!


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

If I roll the windows down I can't hear anything. This is the sound I am talking about 




I think that is the problem I am having. I traded my dodge cummins turbo diesel in for the cruze. You could really hear that bad boy spool up.


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

they have a cutout installed, plus the hood is open, so you're really going to hear the turbo spool


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

So does the cut out really make that much of a difference or is it the intake? I really don't feel like going to the darkside to an aftermarket exhaust with a 1.4l engine giving it the business. I am not looking for the HP just sweet sound of a turbo.


----------



## montgom626 (Jan 16, 2011)

cpetty said:


> I just recently purchased the 1.4l Cruze. Do you guys have any ideas on how to acheive the turbo noise "wooosh"?


Easy, record your favorite whoosh sound to a USB and just play it on your radio.


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

i think its a mix. in the past ive noticed a lot of extra sound from just modifying the intake, but b/c you want to mainly hear the turbo spool, the exhaust cutout would probably be the most beneficial. not positive though, you could try emailing ZZPerformance


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

That's cute montgom626 but you just designated yourself America's poster child for forum posts. I don't know about everyone else but you can take your ingenious comments to the forum labeled "I remember when I had my first beer." Thank you Shawn for the practical response. 

I just purchased some equipment to custom make an intake, I will let you guys know if it made a difference.


----------



## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

Knightslugger said:


> it's a pretty small turbo, and the interior has extensive sound deadening accouterments... try rolling your windows down?


Good one-


----------



## elwood58 (Feb 2, 2011)

cpetty said:


> That's cute montgom626 but you just designated yourself America's poster child for forum posts. I don't know about everyone else but you can take your ingenious comments to the forum labeled "I remember when I had my first beer." Thank you Shawn for the practical response.
> 
> I just purchased some equipment to custom make an intake, I will let you guys know if it made a difference.


Do you really think anybody, who has responded so far, is taking this topic seriously? Small motor plus small turbo makes for a reasonably powered Eco cruiser, and not a street racing rice rocket. I think the sound recording to a USB device and playing through your stereo is pretty good advice. It will sure beat screwing up a perfectly good car.


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

Be nice ladies or thread closes


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

Well I must say that I am one happy owner of a 1.4l chevy cruze. I originally started messing with this mod just for the pure fact of hearing the turbo. I somehow managed to accomplish alot more than that.

The rumors are true this thing really does have a turbo and waste gate after all.
I was starting to think we have all been fooled.

Mod cost was $53 if anyone gives a **** let me know and I will post pics


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

I'm interested in pics  Please share


----------



## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

I got an idea. Make a custom exhaust that places the turbo in the cabin. Problem solved! Crank the A/C and feel the POWA!

j/k =)

just wait for an aftermarket intake system to come out. It should give you what you are looking for


----------



## LARRY01Z28 (Dec 4, 2010)

im also interested in your 53 dollar mod. please make a thread or somehting


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

Ill post some pictures on Saturday.


----------



## bpipe95 (Nov 1, 2010)

I Posted this forever ago.

K&N filter and remove the rubber coupler between the airbox and pipe that runs to the front of the car. You will get way more turbo noise than you would think.


----------



## ZincGT (Dec 1, 2010)

bpipe95 said:


> I Posted this forever ago.
> 
> K&N filter and remove the rubber coupler between the airbox and pipe that runs to the front of the car. You will get way more turbo noise than you would think.


Agreed


----------



## osiris10012 (Feb 4, 2011)

I know that several people have done this mod, but i was wondering if anyone took a video of it for the sound. Or plans to do so?


----------



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

bpipe95 said:


> I Posted this forever ago.
> 
> K&N filter and remove the rubber coupler between the airbox and pipe that runs to the front of the car. You will get way more turbo noise than you would think.


True, but the main purpose of that pipe to the front of the car is to make sure the turbo is fed with cool outside air... sucking air from inside the engine compartment may reduce power if it's warmer.

_If there are_ flow increases to be had by bypassing the resonator and cold air pipe, then ideally a new larger pipe system with higher flow capacity could be fitted that would eliminate the resonator and still pull cool air from the nose of the car.


----------



## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

*"DUMB" question*

Are any of you worried about your warranty? Just curious.


----------



## 2011lt1 (Dec 13, 2010)

Blue Angel said:


> True, but the main purpose of that pipe to the front of the car is to make sure the turbo is fed with cool outside air... sucking air from inside the engine compartment may reduce power if it's warmer.
> 
> _If there are_ flow increases to be had by bypassing the resonator and cold air pipe, then ideally a new larger pipe system with higher flow capacity could be fitted that would eliminate the resonator and still pull cool air from the nose of the car.




turbo cars do not benefit from a CAI. the turbo compresses and heats the air way before it even gets near the engine. thats why a FMIC is so vital on a FI car. to make the air cooler. if our cruze didnt have a FMIC we would not have a chance at making power even with the trifecta tune. 


On a FI car you want as little restriction as possible to the compressor


----------



## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

fastdriver said:


> Are any of you worried about your warranty? Just curious.


The dealer has to prove your modification or aftermarket product caused whatever issue may arise.


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

So basicly here is the custom made intake system. It is a far stretch from a performance engineered system, but it serves the same purpose. This will take place until I can find something to hold the CRUZE MAF sensor. This mod is easy and is around $53 main expense being the pop charger "cone filter." Note that the resonator and factory air box has been removed. The aftermarket duct is run through the hole above the fender well. The pop charger sits in the place of the resonator directly above the air vents in the bottom of the car.

I can return this car back to stock withing 10 minutes. 

I'm working on getting a video so you guys can hear the sound it makes.


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

Video of the mod.


----------



## LARRY01Z28 (Dec 4, 2010)

thanks for the post man. im going to try this one.


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

If anyone has another route for this air to go please let me know. I am up for trying new things. 

I chose to run the air duct this route becuase of the size of the pop charger. The car and engine are tiny, little room for improvements. 

I must say if you were to remove the plastic where the fog lights would be, you would have cold air FOR SURE..........this is the next step.


----------



## fastdriver (Jan 7, 2011)

JDM-USDM Love said:


> The dealer has to prove your modification or aftermarket product caused whatever issue may arise.


That may be, BUT the dealer can possibly have GM engineers behind him who could "prove" YOU caused the problem! Who would want the aggravation? Some dealers are BRUTAL when you don't do ONE thing to your car and have a problem. They come up with every excuse in the book never mind having any mods on the car. I guess some people are more daring than i would ever be.


----------



## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

JDM-USDM Love said:


> lol don't let K&N hear you say that. They *swear* their filter oil never makes it past the element.


...I *swear* too, but all I end up with is a mouth full of *'soap bubbles'* and a mad Momma!

...and, yes, now that you mention it, those *'soap bubbles'* _do_ taste sorta like *filter oil* (wink,wink)!


----------



## osiris10012 (Feb 4, 2011)

cpetty said:


> Video of the mod.
> YouTube - MOV03157


hey thanks for the video man...sounds really good...how does this compare to just removing the resonator....i am talking sound wise


----------



## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

70AARCUDA said:


> ...I *swear* too, but all I end up with is a mouth full of *'soap bubbles'* and a mad Momma!
> 
> ...and, yes, now that you mention it, those *'soap bubbles'* _do_ taste sorta like *filter oil* (wink,wink)!


Lol **** IPod


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

Removing the resonator does not make any difference in the sound. You can remove the resonator and take the stock filter out and still no turbo noise. The only success I had was the mod I mentioned above, it makes a dramatic difference in sound and power. Plus the tranny doesnt feel like it is going to fall out when shifting. I just redid the crappy dyer hose looking intake system will all metal. Check out the pic. This mod made the turbo noise even louder.


----------



## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

That looks much cleaner, nice work. I cant wait to hear the updated version's result too.
You mentioned you noticed a significant gain in power, can you quantify it?

Vince did not generate any gains when he messed around with the intake tract, but he did not work on it as extensively as you did here, im guessing. However, he was already working from his tuned state, not stock. So its very possible you found something from a stock baseline.


----------



## osiris10012 (Feb 4, 2011)

cpetty said:


> Removing the resonator does not make any difference in the sound. You can remove the resonator and take the stock filter out and still no turbo noise. The only success I had was the mod I mentioned above, it makes a dramatic difference in sound and power. Plus the tranny doesnt feel like it is going to fall out when shifting. I just redid the crappy dyer hose looking intake system will all metal. Check out the pic. This mod made the turbo noise even louder.



wow that looks a million times better. are you going to put a new video up to view. i sure hope so. thanks for the good work


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

The last video I posted was with a digital camera and not a camcorder. So needles to say the sound quality is horrible. I will try to take a video of reving it in my garage. You wont see the full potential but Ill try. Stay posted....


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

Video as promised. Keep in mind the camera sound is bad.


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

Not bad but there's no benefit to making it a CAI, have you tried attaching a filter onto the end of the MAF housing?


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

I tried that method. I even tried pointing that cone directly at the hood. The car seems to hesitate with this method. Unfortunately the cruze is extremely limited to space for modifications. Why do you think the CAI method will not be good?


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

It's not ideal because a CAI doesn't offer a turbo'd engine any benefit. The air is superheated before sucked into the engine by the turbo's compressor. A SRI is ideal


----------



## TSURacing (Jan 1, 2011)

shawn672 said:


> It's not ideal because a CAI doesn't offer a turbo'd engine any benefit. The air is superheated before sucked into the engine by the turbo's compressor. A SRI is ideal


Hey Shawn, what is SRI?


----------



## Ninety8NeonACR (Dec 25, 2010)

Short
Ram
Intake


----------



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

2011lt1 said:


> turbo cars do not benefit from a CAI. the turbo compresses and heats the air way before it even gets near the engine. thats why a FMIC is so vital on a FI car. to make the air cooler. if our cruze didnt have a FMIC we would not have a chance at making power even with the trifecta tune.
> 
> 
> On a FI car you want as little restriction as possible to the compressor





shawn672 said:


> It's not ideal because a CAI doesn't offer a turbo'd engine any benefit. The air is superheated before sucked into the engine by the turbo's compressor. A SRI is ideal


Sorry fellas, but you're both wrong. Assuming that a SRI and a longer Cold Air intake offer the same amount of flow to the turbo inlet (i.e. negligible restriction), feeding colder air to the turbo will always be a benefit:

*Ideal Gas Law.* If you start off with cold air and compress it, it gets hotter. If you start off with hot air and compress it, it will be even hotter still. This increases the demands on the intercooler (especially an OEM unit with a limited cooling ability). Colder air into the turbo = colder air out of the turbo = less demand on intercooler.

A side benefit of feeding the turbo colder air is that it won't need to spin as fast, reducing lag and possibly increasing efficiency (once again, more likely with a small OEM unit that's being max'd out, such as the case with a tuned Cruze 1.4T).

Yes, it can be debated that these advantages are small, _possibly_ smaller than on a non-boosted engine (because of the role of the intercooler), but theye are advantages none the less. Simply stating that a cold air source is not an advantage for a turbo car is false.


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

The benefit of the CAI is.. cold air. The downside when compared to a SRI is slower throttle response.

The benefit of a SRI is faster throttle response. The downside of course is hotter temps.

The difference in air temp is maybe, let's conservatively say 20 degrees? The turbo heats the air up to well over 250 degrees, the difference between 250 and 270 degrees is neglible. Maybe 1% difference at best. Whereas the improved throttle response is a 2-3% benefit. 

Go with a SRI on a turbo'd motor.


Sources:

StandardShift.com • View topic - CAI or SRI for turbo'd car???
"Well I did some research on the VW forums and the general consensus is that a CAI is useless on the 1.8T GTI's."

difference short ram vs cold air - Tremek Car Videos - Street Car Drag Racing Videos
"Wouldnt really matter on a turbo'd car. Thats why every once and a while you see a cone filter attached directly to the compressor."

"As for Cold Air Intakes making HUGE gains on Turbo cars... That depends on MANY variables. And 99% of the time, they don't come half way CLOSE to where they need to be, to allow effective gains.

On a NON intercooled car, yes there will be some gains. On a intercooled, not so large of gains. Remember, turbo efficiency and intercooler efficency will make WAY more power then a CAI. "


----------



## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

With that, people should look at where they live when picking an intake system for their car. For the 1.4 guys it's less of an issue. But the N/A 1.8's need to really look at this. SRI's work great in cooler climates. It did for me in upstate, NY. But in a warmer state with high humidity the SRI was horrible, especially in stop and go traffic. But for the 1.4's I defiantly agree with Shawn. All of my friends with either factory or AM turbo set ups use SRI type systems. They've been dyno proven to work better for the reasons stated above by Shawn.


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

When you guys say short ram, are you referring shortening the distance form the turbo to the filter? If so would you think placing the filter over the hole where the stock filter once traveled would have sufficient air travel? I tried the method of a pointing the cone directly at the hood which intails a short distance from the turbo to the filter. 

I found several problems with this method, the car didnt seem to run right this way.


----------



## shawn672 (Oct 31, 2010)

Yeah sorry, a SRI as in, placing the filter soon after the MAF, somewhere near where the stock airbox would sit.

A CAI would go somewhere down near the fenderwell or up in front near the fascia (like how the stock tubing has that U-shaped plastic that goes down around and back up in front)


----------



## osiris10012 (Feb 4, 2011)

cpetty said:


> When you guys say short ram, are you referring shortening the distance form the turbo to the filter? If so would you think placing the filter over the hole where the stock filter once traveled would have sufficient air travel? I tried the method of a pointing the cone directly at the hood which intails a short distance from the turbo to the filter.
> 
> I found several problems with this method, the car didnt seem to run right this way.


they are just saying instead of dropping it down into the fenderwell, just have the intake you are designing mock the stock set up to where the stock filter sits and stop there.. this would be considered a short ram intake. it should actually make it a little louder too.


----------



## osiris10012 (Feb 4, 2011)

shawn672 said:


> Yeah sorry, a SRI as in, placing the filter soon after the MAF, somewhere near where the stock airbox would sit.
> 
> A CAI would go somewhere down near the fenderwell or up in front near the fascia (like how the stock tubing has that U-shaped plastic that goes down around and back up in front)


haha...sorry shawn you must have posted that 2 seconds before i did.


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

Alright I will be the test dummy...is there a reason why no one else is trying this...o wait its because I'm an idiot....

Seriously though if is not warranty then why are we seeing so much talk and not more pictures?


----------



## cpetty (Mar 1, 2011)

Well by far this mod makes the loudest noise. I am a little worried though, after returning home I popped the hood and the turbo had a glowing red tint. Keep in mind I WOT several times, I couldnt help myself it is so fast now.


----------



## Blue Angel (Feb 18, 2011)

shawn672 said:


> The benefit of the CAI is.. cold air. The downside when compared to a SRI is slower throttle response.
> 
> The benefit of a SRI is faster throttle response. The downside of course is hotter temps.
> 
> ...


http://www.horsepowerandheels.com/blog/uploaded_images/gullett-785670.jpg

As I stated, all else being equal (negligible restriction), colder air to the turbo is better than hotter air to the turbo. Yes, the advantages may be small (even tiny), but to say there's absolutely no benefit is false.

It would also be true to state something like, "The gains are not worth the expense/trouble/weight/PITA of a cold air intake."

Also, these benefits (however small they may be) will get larger as small under-rated OEM turbos and intercoolers are pushed to and beyond their designed limits.

The final food for thought on this topic is that GM provides the car with a cold air intake from the factory. TRUST ME - if there was "no benefit" to having it they wouldn't bother putting it there.

'Nuff said.


----------



## Aeroscout977 (Nov 25, 2010)

cpetty said:


> Well by far this mod makes the loudest noise. I am a little worried though, after returning home I popped the hood and the turbo had a glowing red tint. Keep in mind I WOT several times, I couldnt help myself it is so fast now.


You didn't go WOT then shortly after turn the car off did you?


----------



## 70AARCUDA (Nov 14, 2010)

...the *turbo* is "cooled" by engine coolant, which _ceases_ the instant the engine is shut off.


----------



## elwood58 (Feb 2, 2011)

cpetty said:


> Well by far this mod makes the loudest noise. I am a little worried though, after returning home I popped the hood and the turbo had a glowing red tint. Keep in mind I WOT several times, I couldnt help myself it is so fast now.


This is like watching a car wreck happen. You are going to mess around until something major breaks.


----------



## robertbick (Jan 1, 2011)

No one suggested this Eurodezigns: Turbo Whistler FAQ for that turbo sound???


----------



## z3koeller (Jul 2, 2011)

robertbick said:


> No one suggested this Eurodezigns: Turbo Whistler FAQ for that turbo sound???


Cheap AND effective, right? lol


----------



## 70x7 (Apr 24, 2011)

cpetty said:


> Well by far this mod makes the loudest noise. I am a little worried though, after returning home I popped the hood and the turbo had a glowing red tint. Keep in mind I WOT several times, I couldnt help myself it is so fast now.


Turbos do that when you wind them up like that.
Ill try to find a video for ya, but Ive got one from my SRT that had the turbo housing glowing after doing some WOT "racing" lol


----------



## ice123106 (Feb 22, 2011)

Install the injen intake!I did and it took all of an hr to complete. Its well worth the money and you will get the sound that you are looking for.


----------



## jrsmith84 (Feb 26, 2011)

I have a 2011 1.4L Turbo LT RS. I added an Injen Full cold air intake. You will get your woosh and a little better throttle responce. Hold down the traction control button for 10 sec, and both traction lights will come on. You will get more boost with traction control completly off. Eather way you will get a nice spool up and woosh.


----------

