WoW , what a Debbie Downer.

Since the unsuccessful Malibu Maxx SS, Chevy appears concerned about the "go, stop, and turn" reputation of its SS models. That's right, after the Malibu SS, GM said WTF, we got to do it right, & do it better.

So, starting with the next SS model, which happened to be our HHR SS, GM started doing it 'right' again. They put the GM performance team to work, on creating strong, & powerful SS models.

And they did do the HHR SS right. We don't have weak half-shafts, or drivetrain parts. You can always improve on some things, for all out abuse, like motor mounts. But that's normal on all cars, you will always find some weak links.
Our exhaust is of a straight thru design, & can handle most any power increases, that you can throw at it.
The Brembo brakes are world class.
The suspension was designed, & tested, at the worlds best race tracks.
The Aero package looks, & works well.
The HHR SS was designed really well, starting with a small econo model.
There were design & price targets to be met also.

I've been modding cars since the 60's, & never have I put so little into a car,
& achieving such great results, in return. [ see my signature, for the very few upgrades I use]
Just a good Ethanol 'tune' , will put you in the mid 13's all day long, being totally 100% stock.
With just a very few more parts, you can be in the 12's.
Mine is a year round Daily Driver, even in the winter months.
My wife can hit the remote start, jump in it, do some shopping, & not have to worry about a thing.
Then on the weekends, I can go to the track, & beat the piss out of it, & not worry about a thing.
3 years of fun, without any problems.

And guys, stay away from the GM GMS1 upgrade. It's a bad tune, it causes 'knock'.
The upgrade sensors, was a bad idea. HPTuners has 'unlocked' more than enough
tables, to allow for a much better 'tune', without needing the upgraded sensors.

 

daily driver here - the 3 year "bumper to bumper" warranty expires on march 31st - this saturday - my HHR SS went to the dealer 1 TIME - for a faulty key fob only - & GM doesn't make the keyfobs.
oh, i do have GM's upgraded tune in it also & ran a 14.1 at 99mph w/ an auto trans.
i work for an extended warranty co. for 10 years now & get VERY FEW calls on the HHR & only 1 call for the SS model for a stuck ignition lock cylinder.

 

Phew thanks for all the info
after the negative report I said uh oh
good to see more positives.

 

Here's one that has only been around the block once. https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/show....php?t=40106:D

 

The GM tune is fine if you are going to just drive it and have fun on the street. There have been a lot of kits sold and very few engine related issue. Few people have issues outside the wire connectors that are dealer install issues. If you plan to go big numbers and more upgrades and don't care about the warranty the aftermarket tunes are more of what you want.

The Stock brakes are good the Bembo's are better but I will stop short of world class. There are still better brakes but odds are you never need more than what is avail on the SS.

I have had mine since 08 drive it daily and no engine related issues that were directly involved with anything factory.

I had someone run me of the road an the replacment intake tube had a bad weld and blew the Map out. Also the Map hit the AC unit as they had replaced my IC after the accident and it was located back to the point it would come in contact with the Compressor. Both items were fixed by the dealer with little fuss. If I had not been run off the road neither issue would have happened.

 

No issues with the GMPP upgrade, and I still have a warranty. I may not be running 12's, but I'm satisfied with the decision. When it's time for big power and I am willing to sacrifice the warranty or I'm out of it I'll go with a tune and then some. It's a fun little car, but I have other vehicles in my stable that are faster. Both of them have clutches though. Granted, one is twice as expensive, German engineering ain't cheap.

 

I wasn't knocking the car, in fact I dig this car, but what I was trying to say is you can drive it fast, you just can't drive it 135mph for 45 miles fast or play street racer by the day with it, cause things are going to break.

Let's face it, it's cool GM knocked it up to 290, but if 290 was that good for this type of build quality, they'd have made the new Grand Sport Buick 290 or 300 hp instead of 270.

This is a good car, but upping the power is a slippery slope of open the wallet.

Maybe that 12 second guy has great look running moonshine, a ripped out cat and semi slicks, but I sure wouldn't try to run it cross country on a family outing.

Stock it's damn good, maybe a slight tune and a motor mount it's better, but doing it all again, I wouldn't go any further.

But that's just me.

IMO

 

thanks for all of your info I really appreciate it
sounds like since it has a one year bumper to bumper and 2 year drivetrain left I will leave it stock for now and then maybe have a gm tune put in it some time

 

So does anyone know how much hp the auto trans can hold? I plan to get a few basic bolts on's like IC,charges pipes, intake, DP, and 20-24 psi HP tuned. Im thinkin that should put me around the 270-290 range

 

One must also not forget that the Regal is a much heavier car and gets about the same MPG as the HHR at 290 HP.

You just can't assume on these issues.

In time with the new engine coming we will see higher than 300 HP due to the improvments and effiency along with much lighter cars.

The tranny is good for around 320 HP. Anything higher could hurt the tranny. That is why the torque was limited to 315 on the turbo kit.

As for more power any car you mess with can and will destroy itself if you do not modify it properly. GM has built many 500 HP 2.0's but they did it with the better pistons and rods. The resto of the engine held up well. THe Drifting Solstice did the whole season on one engine with no failures.

I get Mustangs with many failed parts as someone will put a bigger clutch or other part in and not upgrade other related parts. Many cars today are built to a limit and then failure will happen.