I've had my black SS for a month now and am very happy with the 4 spd auto. I fail to understand these people that think they need more gears for a turbo-charged car. I love hearing that engine and turbo wind out longer. But I guess that makes me old school. My first car was a 1970 Pontiac LeMans 350 w/ 2-spd auto. It was a slug off the line, but screamed all the way to 60 mph in 1st gear!

I do wish for a tune that will at least give me the same horses the 5-spd enjoys. That auto tranny has been around awhile and thru several upgrades. Surely, in a car a light as the HHR, it can handle the extra torque just fine. As it is, I can smoke the tires all the way thru 1st gear from a standing stop. (Hint: TC disabled and brake torque til turbo begins to spool up.) I'm thinking with the same 260 hp, the auto might actually prove to be just as quick. After all, it's barely 1 sec slower 0-60 than the 5-spd now.

One question: I've seen all the reviews and articles that say the HHR SS auto is detuned to 235 hp. I did find one that said 250 hp. When I bought my HHR SS last month, I collected an official GM brochure from the dealure that also stated 250 hp for the auto. I've driven 230 hp small cars and 250 hp small cars. My HHR SS auto 'feels' like it has to be making around 250. It can also hang with my wife's '07 Pontiac G6 GTP 253 hp V6 w/ 6 spd auto. So which is it?

 

glad you like ur auto...


its still no fun to drive.

 

if you read the FAQ, it tells you that the computer detunes the engine in 1st and 2nd gear to 235HP, then once the trans shifts into 3rd, it frees it up to a whopping 250 HP for 3rd and 4th gears.

 

I won't argue with you about 5-speeds being fun. I just traded my '06 PT Cruiser 5-speed in on my new SS auto. Let me tell you why. Daily driver. 10 miles to work. 27 stop lights BOTH ways (fun to drive factor kind of goes away at this point). Gets real cold here in winter and humidly hot in summer. You don't get remote start with 5-speed. And I like arm rests. Any questions now?

 

Thanks for the heads up, MOTRV8D! I found that FAQ. But what source did that info on the 1st & 2nd gear, 3rd & 4th gear tuning come from? Just going by that graph, it looks like 250 hp would be available to all the gears.

 

JP DUKE...

I'd like to see the graph you're referencing. Might be easier to explain.

 

http://media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en...08/08truck.htm

 

I forgot. Then click on the PL link in the PL column. http://media.gm.com/us/powertrain/en...0automatic.pdf

 

Yep, how could they built such a dangerous transmission?

I can not speak for anyone else (of course) but my problem with the auto Trans in my Premiere is that my daily commute includes a fairly steep hill with a sharp corner about ¾ of the way down.

If the SS, including automatic equipped, are sold and marketed as a performance automobile then that is what it should be, or least with an automatic trans that stayed in a lower gear when selected!

Imagine if you would please that Sterling Moose, the famous Canadian race care driver (named after British race car driver Sterling Moss) is on the race track and comes flying into the Esses, downshifts into third,, decelerates with a light touch on the brakes, accelerates a little, and BANG, if it was an auto trans HHR SS the damn thing would up-shift at exactly the wrong time in the middle of the corner increasing the speed resulting in brake lockup and a slide into the tulles. So much for saving the brakes, auto trans SS owners beware.

 

I have been drag racing for some time now. I have had approx 150 cars/trucks. I had 5 Buick Grand Nationals. What we used to do was cut the wastegate actuator rod and make it adjustable ( before they started making adjustable wastegates). I checked out the 2.0 Ecotec Turbo Motor while at bike week in Daytona, and it has a fatory adjustable wastegate. I don't know if the CPU regulates the boost ( Like on a MACK Truck) or if it only relies on the wastegate to keep the boost where it needs to be ( like on buick GNs). I spoke with a gentleman from GMPP at the PRI show in Orlando last year and he said the turbo was good for 32psi of boost. You should be able to adjust the wastegate to allow for more boost ( loosen the lock nuts on the rod and turn the rod in to allow the gate to stay closed longer ( which you would want to shrink the rod)). You wouldn't want to run 32psi of boost, but just bump it up a little until you don't feel comfortable. You could also install a KNOCK gauge, and turn the boost up until you start gatting knock and back it off a little. On the Grand Nationals, every 6psi of boost was 50% more HP. I used to run 23lbs of boost through my stock bottom end 231. Just putting that info out there. So if your looking for more power out of your turbo 2.0, this might be a way to get some. I don't know how the Automatic tranny will handle it, as the Buick GNs would tear the trannys apart.