Looking for a starting place on the aftermarket parts

[TurboSonic18]

I've wanted to put aftermarket parts on my Sonic HB, 1.4, MT. What was the first thing you changed with you Sonic?

Thanks!

 

[barch88]

How expensive do you want to go?

I started cheap. My order was:

Tint / Vinyl Bowties (or PlastiDip)
Lowering Springs
Exhaust
Wheels + Tires

Since you have a 1.4 I'd probably get a tune first, then exhaust, intake. Don't get an intake before exhaust it's stupid. You're putting more in you want to let it flow out. Mine's a 1.8 so I don't care about a tune as much

 

[rdss]

ZZP, DDM, BNR, and TTR. Chevy Sonic Owners Forum - Powered by vBulletin

 

[Moxie]

I bought all weather mats the minute I got the car. Considering it was still snowing into May here in Wisconsin, it was a good purchase. Then I tinted the windows. I have vinyl to do my bowties whenever I stop being lazy about it, and I just bought the Trifecta Tune.

I'm pretty sure everyone here is going to tell you to get the tune ASAP!

 

[Preloader]

get the tune ASAP!

 

[sx sonic]

Tune is the most noticeable performance mod you can buy.

Check out the build thread in my signature for a list of most of the available mods and a review of them.

 

[Thaifight-R]

Tune

 

[rabbs88]

Tune without a doubt. It's an unbelievable difference

 

[Chrish051873]

tune.

 

[AdorableKaren]

I started cheap, I think tint was first for $150 then everything went downhill from there

 

[kevindaniels63]

Tune if you have the cash. If not, defenantly some vinyl and window tint.

 

[laborsmith]

I've wanted to put aftermarket parts on my Sonic HB, 1.4, MT. What was the first thing you changed with you Sonic?

Thanks!

I took delivery of the LT the Wednesday before Thanksgiving Day. I drove to Clarkston from Centerline for Thanksgiving with family. I drove to Discount Tires the next day and changed wheels and tires (Drag DR-33 and Kumho Ecsta ASX 17 inchers) at 101 miles.

My first Sonic mod.


Laborsmith

 

[cndctrdj]

What are your goals for the car? Racing ? Track ? Show ? Handling ? Stereo ? Body?

When you tell us what you want and like we can show you how to get it

 

[Insanika]

My first mod was the shifter bushings.. Then intake, then tune.

The bushings are a great, cheap and easy mod that makes a decent difference if you've got a manual.

 

[TurboSonic18]

What are your goals for the car? Racing ? Track ? Show ? Handling ? Stereo ? Body?

When you tell us what you want and like we can show you how to get it

Handling and a little bit of Auto X as well is what I would like to do.

 

[TurboSonic18]

I'd also like to start on the cheaper side of things.
Which tune would you recommend, HP or Trifecta?

 

[Fry]

I'd also like to start on the cheaper side of things.
Which tune would you recommend, HP or Trifecta?

I, as well as many people on the forums, would probably recommend Trifecta. I don't know much about the HP tune.


opcorn:

 

[Swordsmith]

I did electric tape on the steering wheel bowtie first.

But that's a silly answer to a silly question, because you don't want to know what we did first, you want to know, with the benefit of our hindsight, what you should do first.

Cheap or free cosmetic upgrades aside, The first thing you should get would be a tune. I know, boring, everyone saying the same thing, but it's because it's the single best thing you can do, and the simplest. The 1.4T engine is deliberately hobbled by Chevy so it produces consistent power output, instead of giving you all it can. And when you do anything else to increase power, it STILL keeps it giving that consistent low power. So other mods are pointless unless all you wanted was the sound.

And honestly the other mods are largely pointless even after a tune. A new intake and exhaust really add a small percentage of extra power, the only thing I've seen that really gives a kick in the pants similar to adding the tune in the first place is converting to E85... and that certainly wouldn't be the first thing to do.

Now if you want performance in terms of handling, the thing to do is get new tires. The stock tires the Sonic comes with are pretty bad, and you can do a lot better without spending a lot of money.

 

[cndctrdj]

Make sure the tune does not effect the class you want to go in at the autocross events ...
Find there rules and make sure you get a bunch of laps in before you go changing things around. Then when you know the shortcoming of the car work on that

 

[TurboSonic18]

I'm just planning on autocrossing with the car club at my college so class doesn't really matter to me all that much.