hi i own a 99 cavalier 3speed auto 2200 i have been looking for ways to gain some horsepower and speed... i have a cold air intake, high flow cat, and cat back exhaust, and have just ordered headers, new coil packs, some rk sport motor mounts. what other bolt on or engine work can i do to this 2200 to give it more power.. thanks in advance for everyones help
ur options are very limited for making a 3 speed auto, 2200 go fast.
turbo, nawsssssss, or do the smart thing and buy a fast car.
patrick lane wrote:and have just ordered headers
Send one of the headers back, you only need one header.
Have you looked into suspension? Lowering your car properly will also help, less ass drag when step on it. Better cornering and stability. I would recommend Tokico D-Specs and Sportline springs. Also strut bars and swaybars would help. Sure they may not make the car
faster but it would make the car better all around to drive.
Also fill out your profile, so we know more about your car.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Tuesday, November 03, 2009 1:34 PM
forgot 2 mention i have a front strutbar.. and to drop some weight i have a carbon fiber hood.. what about as far as upgrading engine parts, a intake manifold or a bigger throttle body, a throttle body spacer, roller rocker arms, getting the engine ported and polished.. if the port and polish will help is it just the head that i get that done too? im tring to squeeze every little bit out of it.. thx again
also does a underdrive or light weight pulley make a differance?
don't waste ur money on a throttle body spacer. they do nothing.
u can port and polish the head yes, and yeah you can build the engine, be prepared to spend quite a bit.
you could get a tranny mount if you can find one for ur 3 speed, cams, u've got all the other basic bolt on's goin, unless you wanna build the engine you might wanna start looking at f/i, or n2o.
you might wanna look into a swap though. that engine just is'nt meant for performance, not saying there are'nt exceptions to that basic rule but it really just was'nt meant for it.
i was thinking about the swap but if i get all the bolt ons then turbocharge and tune the engine, it should have a good amount of power to run around with right?
i figured i would probably spend just as much building up the engine as i would swaping the engine and have just about the same results.. as i only have one car i can do little by little to the 2200..
If you look at the top 1/4 mile times in the racing section, you can see the members who have put tons of money into their 2200's and their times. Then decide where you want to put your money. A built and boosted 2200 runs the speed of a built n/a eco or quad 4. It just depends on where and how you want to spend you money.
2.2L OHV N/A
1. smcavalier, 15.698 @ 91.07
2.2L OHV (Power Adders)
1. Adler, 13.203 @ 108.13
Now look at the eco guys
2.2L Ecotec N/A
1. ECOTEC, 13.288 @ 103.78
2.2L Ecotec (Power Adders)
1. Adam Hahn, 11.145 @ 125.32
Then look at the 2.4 /2.3 guys
2.3/2.4 L Twin Cam N/A
1. Karo, 13.125 @ 101.01
2.3/2.4 L Twin Cam (Power Adders)
1. Brandon Fetter[/url, 11.944 @ 122.21
It's tough to get those auto's runnin too. You've got to check into a 5-speed conversion if you're looking to get the
optimal amount power out of that engine, or any engine(I mean stock automatics guys calm down). These guys are right, the 2200 isn't the fastest cavalier you can have. EcoCav said it the best and backed it up with numbers. BUT, if you're not looking to be the fastest cavalier in town, the 2200 will be just fine. How many miles are on this engine? It may be time to look into things that simply tire out with age and aren't thousands of dollars to upgrade or replace: rings, valve springs/assembly, rocker arms(check some of the forums for 1.6 rockers conversions), small exhaust leaks, old O2 sensors, etc. When you're not changing out internals and want to optimize performance, every little thing counts. Check your compression and see where you're at in each cylinder, then go from there. Also, what kind of header did you buy? I made the mistake of buying a cheap one and it wasn't completely flush with the head. Use a straight edge right across the flange and make sure that bad boy is perfect before you bolt it on, or you'll get a mess like I did and a lot of p*ssin and moanin. If it's not, get real comfortable with a heavy duty belt sander like I did or find a machine shop that can level the ports on the flange out for you(if you don't return it). Hey it could be worse, you could be stuck with the 2.2 instead of the 2200.
"In Oldskool we trust"
how much price wise am i looking to getting a 5 speed conversion..will it make that much of a difference... and do i have 2 change the engine or can i keep the same engine.. im sorry if its a dumb question.. and if i do decide 2 keep the auto the engine has about 68,000 on it... the car had a blown engine before i bought it... the shop that had it before me replaced the blown engine with a used 2200 engine... so the car has 170,000 miles and the engine only has 68 thousand.. im getting the pace setter header... any help u guys can give me is great.. thanks again..
EcoCav [DesertTuners.com wrote:]If you look at the top 1/4 mile times in the racing section, you can see the members who have put tons of money into their 2200's and their times. Then decide where you want to put your money. A built and boosted 2200 runs the speed of a built n/a eco or quad 4. It just depends on where and how you want to spend you money.
2.2L OHV N/A
1. smcavalier, 15.698 @ 91.07
2.2L OHV (Power Adders)
1. Adler, 13.203 @ 108.13
Now look at the eco guys
2.2L Ecotec N/A
1. ECOTEC, 13.288 @ 103.78
2.2L Ecotec (Power Adders)
1. Adam Hahn, 11.145 @ 125.32
Then look at the 2.4 /2.3 guys
2.3/2.4 L Twin Cam N/A
1. Karo, 13.125 @ 101.01
2.3/2.4 L Twin Cam (Power Adders)
1. Brandon Fetter[/url, 11.944 @ 122.21
Adler -275hp-Mustang Dyno- 2200 2.2 liter 275hp & 306tq - 1999 2.2 ohv 13.2 @ 108 mph.........
this was 2005 and on 15psi.
We have 2200's making very close to 400hp now on 20psi that could still turn the boost up.
I'm not saying that your not going to be spending some money or there are not better options for motors. But do what you want you may be the person to put enough time and money into the 2200 to make it into the 11's. But who knows........I'm just a 2200 nut swinger.
You'd have to find help somewhere else for price as I don't have the experience since I bought a stick, but the 5-speed makes a HUGE difference when you're going from stock auto to stock 5-speed. It really helps these little 4 bangers come alive. You can use the same engine and mounts, etc. All you need to change is the flex plate, which you can get in a junkyard. Naturally, you'll have to find a way to stuff a 3rd pedal in. Most people cut the brake in half to make room. If you want to do it right(the way i suggest), find a junk yard with a 5-speed cavalier in it and get a deal going where you can go back and take whatever you need to do the conversion. It's not going to be a single trip experience. And yes Aaron, with the right amount of money and time, anything can make big numbers. Wasn't knockin on the 2200's; i have one too! Luckily, every junk yard has a million cavaliers in it...
"In Oldskool we trust"
Here is my best advice.
What exactly do YOU want out of your cavalier? You have to ask your self this question honestly.
My 2200 was a daily driver. I will say this, it is a really bad idea deciding to rebuild the engine in your daily driver unless you have another way to get around town. I at the time did not. (several girlfriends and friends later)
There are so many options out there and directions you could go. How much do you want to spend? Are you going to obtain another car to drive while you build yours?
Another thing to consider, Since you have already purchased a header do you return it and make the run for either a different motor, turbo setup or do you go super charger or N/A and keep the header?
If your going to build a turbo 2200 the right way my suggestion is send the Intake and header back and use that money to buy something, anything in the direction you plan on ending in otherwise your pissing in the wind and wasting money.
Ryan Pitt wrote:Hey it could be worse, you could be stuck with the 2.2 instead of the 2200.
personally, I would rather the 2.2 over the 2200. can put in the 2200 pistons in and get a quick increase in compression.
I don't see why these engines aren't getting more credit. the 2.4's sometimes have equally hard of times getting some parts for them, though they have more available, but they too have to get parts from other engines too, which, are getting more rare each day.
blucavvy, your last comment is kind of redundant. . . none of the engines in the J's are really meant for performance, even and not limited to the Ecotec. the only engine available in any J the would be even remotely classified as "performance" would be the 2.0 OHC Turbo in the 88-90 Sunbird GT.
i do not plan on buying another car as a daily driver.. i just wanna work on this one.. its a little difficult to work on seeing as i do not have a driveway or garage.. so i have been doing a little at a time... puttting a little money each week to the side and just going from there... i have been looking to find what 2 do to get the most noticable gains...
Forced Induction is going to be your biggest gains point blank. But if you want to do it right build it first
Might want to checkout www.TurboTechRacing.com, we have MANY parts...
-Aaron
www.TurboTechRacing.com
Performance Parts For Cavalier, Sunfire, Cobalts and More!!!
swap a 3.4...bolts right up to your trans.
Rememeber kids... spell check is your friend
Brad (joining JBOShortBus) wrote:Ryan Pitt wrote:Hey it could be worse, you could be stuck with the 2.2 instead of the 2200.
personally, I would rather the 2.2 over the 2200. can put in the 2200 pistons in and get a quick increase in compression.
I don't see why these engines aren't getting more credit. the 2.4's sometimes have equally hard of times getting some parts for them, though they have more available, but they too have to get parts from other engines too, which, are getting more rare each day.
blucavvy, your last comment is kind of redundant. . . none of the engines in the J's are really meant for performance, even and not limited to the Ecotec. the only engine available in any J the would be even remotely classified as "performance" would be the 2.0 OHC Turbo in the 88-90 Sunbird GT.
i was'nt necessarily saying that any engine in any j was ever meant for performance, at least not the sunfires and cavs. they're all economy cars as far as the 3rd gen's go. but if he were looking for more aftermarket support to achieve a somewhat performance based engine the 2200/2.2 is'nt exactly the best base to start with. all i was really trying to explain to him was whatever route he chose to really make some power out of his engine/tranny combo was be prepared to spend some cash.
Not worth trying to make that motor quick. I own one, a 5spd, and it's a struggle to even merge onto the highway.
You've got the wrong engine if you're trying to go fast!
2003 Buick Regal - 425+ hp - 12.6 @ 108
2000 Cavy - winter tires, flat black, cobalt SS/SC spoiler
Has anyone actually looked at stock 1/4 mile times for our vehicles compared to others. I have a 2200 with about a grand in parts and some of my own time working on the motor, and put down someone driving a 08 impala SS, and a mustang v6 standard last week and have many others. Not many cars are meant for performance, but when you base our motors displacement and compression ratios with weight, they can be very competitive. Every time someone asks about the 2200, everyones answer is get a better car. He does not want the fastest car, maybe just something to beat the occasional @!#$head on the road and have fun driving it. If you have a cav running 13 1/2- 14 seconds on the quarter, you are beating quite a bit of cars out there on the streets. For example camaro(all) over the years have an average 1/4 mile time of 15 seconds.
^what 2200 without a few thousand in the motor do you know of that has run a 13 second quarter mile?
Bud Ross wrote:Has anyone actually looked at stock 1/4 mile times for our vehicles compared to others. I have a 2200 with about a grand in parts and some of my own time working on the motor, and put down someone driving a 08 impala SS, and a mustang v6 standard last week and have many others. Not many cars are meant for performance, but when you base our motors displacement and compression ratios with weight, they can be very competitive. Every time someone asks about the 2200, everyones answer is get a better car. He does not want the fastest car, maybe just something to beat the occasional @!#$head on the road and have fun driving it. If you have a cav running 13 1/2- 14 seconds on the quarter, you are beating quite a bit of cars out there on the streets. For example camaro(all) over the years have an average 1/4 mile time of 15 seconds.
btw, motor and trans of ur car? i'm curious to know how you "beat" an 08 impala ss, since ur profile tells me nothing. the mustang does'nt surprise me, lol.
