I just recently had a tune done by the masterminds at GM Roadster Club. I had speculations about this whole V-Tuner concept, however, I must admit I'm impressed. For the price they actually charge its sick. I am sittin pretty at 304whp, 351 wtq all for $325.... HOWEVER, I have noticed a few things spring up along the way.... one minor (3 trouble codes cuz I couldnt wait to let the thing get to FOT, P0300, P0303, P0304...ooops. lol) Well now the bigger of the two problems.... maybe I'm imagining things but it seems like I'm having a problem with the clutch slipping... I was under the impression the OEM equipment could handle 400hp or so... Maybe its just glazed from cold weather boost pulls? Or maybe its all in my head.... either way I'ma bit paranoid. Its my baby and I know GM will tell me to F-off if I need a new clutch...

 

Sorry, but I find the extremely hard to believe off just a tune...... Reguardless of price.

 

Any clutch will start slipping if you dump it, no matter the power rating of the gear box. If you can smell burning clutch after a "boost pull", you're ruining the clutch. A friend of mine replaced the clutch in his '95 T/A three times in 50k because he liked to show off what his daddy bought him for a graduation present.

 

Engine components will handle the 400hp easily, the clutch as you are finding out will not.

A number of us have found that around 317-320wtq is where the clutch starts to slip. I hope to upgrade mine this spring.

Contrary to what GM says, I believe this is the primary reason that the GM stage kit is limited to 315 in the HHR instead of the 340 offered in other 2.0LNF engine tunes from them.

 

Well time to pull out the ol' wallet again lol other than spec products, any word on a good stage clutch? Looking for somewhere in the 400 ft/lb neighborhood, dont think I'll try and push any more than that EVER.

 

Hahaha, well I bought this car fair and square. And as far as 'dumping' the clutch.... thats not the issue here. I'm not into ruining my entire drivetrain and spending thousands on tires. I am talking a WOT pull at highway speeds. HOWEVER, as an update, I researched some things that may FEEL like clutch slip, turns out when the throttle is dumped, the turbo now spools faster than the engine can utilize the additional airflow, causing the 25 psi boost spike for 2-3 seconds after WOT. This causes the car to go into a reduced engine power mode and boost drops off to accomidate the lack of a proper stoich and to prevent the turbo from starting on fire lol. Easy fix, select a lower gear for highway pulls.

 

Ahhhhh the skeptical one. I know. Trust me I said the same thing... over and over in fact. How can you see 90+ ft/lbs from a tune alone? Well its simple. Get in touch with Martin Scott from GM Roadster Club. He can attest to these seemingly impossible numbers. Believe it or not, the LNF is fairly dormant at our stock numbers. With a little boost control override, advancement in cam and ignition timing, A/F and an hour on the phone....

Here, contact him.

http://www.gmroadster.com/index.php?...id=1&Itemid=16

 

Check out this thread, https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/2-0l-performance-tech-46/didnt-know-if-i-posted-spec-clutches-hhr-ss-20539/

 

Oops, you said other than.... Never mind!

 

I had same trouble with a tune that had over 350 ftlbs. U are getting boost
spikes because the tension on wg spring is too high. Readjust it like i did
and the wg will control a steady boost. I lowered boost but still had clutch
slip, never in lower 3 gears because of gear multiplier factor. only in
4th or 5th at max torque point of about 3500 rpm.
GM tune does not hit as hard as aftermarket and clutch is ok now but stage
tune low end torque is better than stock but still not as strong as aftermarket and thus clutch slip.

turbofreak