# How do I make my car a little faster?!



## iCruze1.8 (May 7, 2011)

Hey Guys,

I have a 1.8 LS. I do have a few bolt-on's that are listed below (SIG). I was hoping you guys could point me towards the next mod/change I can get to make my car go just a bit faster. I know it's not the turbo nor is it a car made to go extremely fast, but I would like just a bit more power/push from my car. What type of other mods can I do, other than exhaust, intake & tune, to make my LS just a tad bit faster &-or more powerful.

Any suggestions/opinions will help! Thanks Guys!


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

Verify your spark plugs are all at 0.028".


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## sciphi (Aug 26, 2011)

Trade it for a 1.4T-equipped Cruze. :idiot:

Honestly, a 1.4T just has far more potential for all-out speed than a 1.8 has. Making a 1.8 more powerful can be done. It's much more work for much fewer gains than any 1.4T can get after 10 minutes by flashing a tune. Having said that, let's make the car keep speed around corners, since that's effectively making it more powerful. Less speed thrown away, less speed needed to accelerate to the next corner.

First is ditching the steelies for lightweight 17" or 18" rims. Keep the steelies for winter wheels if winter is of concern. Second, wrap those rims in some high-performance tires. That's rotating mass, and the less of it to accelerate, the better. Third, go for chassis braces, sway bars, and the improved endlinks to help keep the car in line around a corner. Your planned drop will help this also. 

After all that, you'll have a Cruze that'll handle like it's on rails. It might not be the fastest to the corner, but it'll sure be the fastest through the corner!


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

If you can believe these auto magazines test results, comparing an Eco with a MT and the 1.4L turbo, 0-60 mph times are 8.1 seconds. Whereas the LS 1.8L also with a MT is 10.1 seconds. Rated HP is practically identical, but the turbo offers a flatter torque curve, and much greater at the low end to account for the faster times.

Sounds like you are unhappy with what you purchased, read all these specs before and made up my mind, but wanted the 1.4 to get at least 3 extra free mpg. But did sacrifice some of that to get more luxury in the 2LT than the Eco.

In all honesty, and if you are in the USA, really not much you can do to be legal, except keep it in good tune. Smaller front tires would give you more low end torque at price with living with an inaccurate odometer and speedometer with reduced fuel economy.

HP didn't do a darn thing for us leaving St. Paul last Wednesday night, an accident added 40 minutes east creeping along at 5 mph. Then another delay, the heat buckled up I-94 west of Chippewa Falls, not as bad, but added another ten minutes.

We don't say, oh boy, there is a cop to protect us, would like to nail us to the wall if we drive 26 in a 25. Think I could push my Cruze faster than we are permitted to drive it.


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## CruzeTech (Mar 23, 2012)

These question never seem to end. It doesn't matter what car you drive. When I was into eclipses and talons, people bought the non turbo cars. Even years later when there wasn't even a price difference, and wanted to mod it. Always buy the turbo car.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Beach Boys, "she's real fine my 409".

Drop in a 409.

Use to do a lot of that, use to be legal.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Was looking for a chart showing fuel usage, besides our private vehicles, have industrial, military, commercial vehicles, and the airline users of fossil fuels.

Did find one back in 1994 for CFC uses, mainly when R-12 and R-22 refrigerants were banned about some theory, they could poke a hole in the ozone layer.

As I recall, military and the government was using about 60% of the total production namely for tracing ocean currents and cleaning. Another 30% was used for hair spray and other propellant cans. 6% for miscellaneous applications, but only about 4% was actually used for its intended application, refrigeration!

This would cover all commercial and private refrigeration, air conditioners, and in most particular, vehicle air conditioning. Now 96% of the total production was blown directly into the atmosphere, AC contains this new dangerous refrigerant, could have beaten the OE's to death on this issue, like using a pressure relief valve that would blast out refrigerant if you had too many bugs in your condenser. Or using very poor materials, seals, etc. in the production.

But no, the EPA put these repairs to the responsibility of the consumers with especially stiff fines on AC techs for proper recovery. Heck, there is nothing left to recover. Then for automotive, talking less than 2% of the total CFC production! And not like a 20 year phase out for a really proven dangerous poison of putting lead in gasoline? Was done overnight.

Just feel they are doing the same thing with exhaust emissions, seems the greatest user of fossil fuels is the military, the airliners, commercial diesel trucks, and even NASA. EPA has no jurisdiction over NASA and the military, took a back seat to commercial vehicles, but really went head on for the privately owned vehicles for emission controls.

Going to take a wild guess that only about 15-20% of fossil fuel consumption is used by privately owned vehicles, leaving 80-85% of emissions the EPA is ignoring for whatever reason. But yet we are hit the hardest on this issue!

Just like a close friend that only could work for the IRS for a year then she quit. Was told to stay away from the corporations and only hit individuals earning a miserably low income.

$25,000.00 fine is the rule, for either getting caught releasing that last ounce of refrigerant or by modifying your vehicle. Its the law, unfair, but the law. EPA has never had to prove their emission laws are doing any good. So far in their history, fix one problem and create ten other new ones.


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## iCruze1.8 (May 7, 2011)

obermd said:


> Verify your spark plugs are all at 0.028".


Thank you! I'll definitely check that this weekend.


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## iCruze1.8 (May 7, 2011)

sciphi said:


> Trade it for a 1.4T-equipped Cruze. :idiot:
> 
> Honestly, a 1.4T just has far more potential for all-out speed than a 1.8 has. Making a 1.8 more powerful can be done. It's much more work for much fewer gains than any 1.4T can get after 10 minutes by flashing a tune. Having said that, let's make the car keep speed around corners, since that's effectively making it more powerful. Less speed thrown away, less speed needed to accelerate to the next corner.
> 
> ...


I should have bought the 1.4T! I'll definitely work on my suspension next.


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## cwerdna (Mar 10, 2011)

NickD said:


> If you can believe these auto magazines test results, comparing an Eco with a MT and the 1.4L turbo, 0-60 mph times are 8.1 seconds. Whereas the LS 1.8L also with a MT is 10.1 seconds. Rated HP is practically identical, but the turbo offers a flatter torque curve, and much greater at the low end to account for the faster times.


FWIW, w/an automatic, Consumer Reports got these 0-60 mph times, all w/automatics (Their times to be a bit slower than many other mags, but at least it should be the same track, same equipment, same launch technique, etc.)

'11 1.8L LS - 10.5 seconds
'11 1.4T 1LT - 9.8 seconds
'12 1.4LT Eco - 10.0 seconds


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

If all you want is a "little" faster, you've already done most of what you can. Look at my .sig for the mods I've done; my car isn't a rocket (c'mon, it's a Cruze), but it performs respectably, especially for a low-displacement 4-banger. You want a really faster car, trade your Cruze in on one.


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Twin Cities is the only place I am aware of where you need a car with good acceleration. Has those on-ramp traffic lights that are always red, so you have to accelerate to 55 in a very short distance. Then their on-ramps are the same lane as their off ramps, try moving over to the right lane to get off with thousand of vehicles coming on.

So again you need a hot vehicle just to get on or off this crazy design and also one with darn good brakes.


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## NBrehm (Jun 27, 2011)

Drive it off a cliff?


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## Skraeling (May 30, 2012)

Get a different car? Nothing you can do basic bolt on wise will make much of a difference.


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## coinneach (Apr 10, 2012)

NickD said:


> Twin Cities is the only place I am aware of where you need a car with good acceleration. Has those on-ramp traffic lights that are always red, so you have to accelerate to 55 in a very short distance. Then their on-ramps are the same lane as their off ramps, try moving over to the right lane to get off with thousand of vehicles coming on.
> 
> So again you need a hot vehicle just to get on or off this crazy design and also one with darn good brakes.


Phoenix has the same idiotic setup. Lately I've seen people ignoring the lights, which frankly is OK with me as the lights are completely counterproductive. They don't help traffic merge smoothly; all they do is contribute to congestion and waste fuel.


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## Cecilcruze (Sep 21, 2016)

The 1.4t is faster, and paddle shift automatics are naturally faster than stick, just saying, my dad had 2 corvettes and got me the 2015 1.4t and my sister has the 1.8, mine is significantly faster than hers and I am used to both, especially around the turns and hers is 6 speed manual


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## Fear of sleep (Jun 26, 2021)

NBrehm said:


> Drive it off a cliff?


WOW! you really wrote that? It's people like you and that absolute I'm better than you way of leaving, that make me so glad I'm nothing like you. #1 I think you should take your own advice as you clearly have nothing worth while to offer any intelligent discussion & #2 I love my Cruze regardless of idiots or rich kids who feel this cool car is beneath them. Sad lil 💩 sandwich


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## Thebigzeus (Dec 2, 2018)

Fear of sleep said:


> WOW! you really wrote that? It's people like you and that absolute I'm better than you way of leaving, that make me so glad I'm nothing like you. #1 I think you should take your own advice as you clearly have nothing worth while to offer any intelligent discussion & #2 I love my Cruze regardless of idiots or rich kids who feel this cool car is beneath them. Sad lil 💩 sandwich


Whew, hello 9 years ago!


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## Fear of sleep (Jun 26, 2021)

Skraeling said:


> Get a different car? Nothing you can do basic bolt on wise will make much of a difference.


It's ok if you have nothing to offer as an answer but why say such a 💩y thing? There isn't anything wrong with owning a Cruze or wanting to mod it .......🖕


Thebigzeus said:


> Whew, hello 9 years ago!





Thebigzeus said:


> Whew, hello 9 years ago!


HELLO, WHY REPLY BACK? Just because it's old doesn't mean it isn't super uncool


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## Thebigzeus (Dec 2, 2018)

Fear of sleep said:


> It's ok if you have nothing to offer as an answer but why say such a 💩y thing? There isn't anything wrong with owning a Cruze or wanting to mod it .......🖕
> 
> 
> HELLO, WHY REPLY BACK? Just because it's old doesn't mean it isn't super uncool


Oh, why not.


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