[Tone]

Before you let lose on me for even considering a Korean Chevy, or start ranting about "ricers" hear me out!

The new Aveo may be not performance car as it comes from Chevy, but it does have a couple of great things going for it - it's very light (less than 2400 lbs) and very cheap. I a couple of years, lightly used models will be even cheaper.

I think that with a little effort on Chevy's behalf in working with the aftermarket (as Toyota has done with the Scion line) the Aveo could turn into a blank canvas for performance upgrades. At less than 2400 lbs, an upgrade to 150 hp would make for a reasonably quick car. A little more than 200 hp would give it a power to weight ratio approaching a 4th gen Z28 (non-SS).

With such little weight, a minimal investment in wheels, tires and suspension upgrades would also make for a car with good stick and excellent response.

Styling may not be to the taste of the average muscle car enthusiast, but it is funky and is plain enough stock to leave lots of room for someone with skill and imagination.

I wonder if Chevy plans to support this car in this way. It seems to me to be a lot more financially accessible than the Cobalt - especially if you plan to mod it.

 

[cyboexpo2002]

Originally posted by Tone@Jan 29 2004, 05:30 PM
Before you let lose on me for even considering a Korean Chevy, or start ranting about "ricers" hear me out!

The new Aveo may be not performance car as it comes from Chevy, but it does have a couple of great things going for it - it's very light (less than 2400 lbs) and very cheap. I a couple of years, lightly used models will be even cheaper.

I think that with a little effort on Chevy's behalf in working with the aftermarket (as Toyota has done with the Scion line) the Aveo could turn into a blank canvas for performance upgrades. At less than 2400 lbs, an upgrade to 150 hp would make for a reasonably quick car. A little more than 200 hp would give it a power to weight ratio approaching a 4th gen Z28 (non-SS).

With such little weight, a minimal investment in wheels, tires and suspension upgrades would also make for a car with good stick and excellent response.

Styling may not be to the taste of the average muscle car enthusiast, but it is funky and is plain enough stock to leave lots of room for someone with skill and imagination.

I wonder if Chevy plans to support this car in this way. It seems to me to be a lot more financially accessible than the Cobalt - especially if you plan to mod it.

Actually that wouldn't be a bad idea... the car is already a "ricer", why not leverage it... if you can't beat 'em, join 'em...

 

[Ghrankenstein]

Great thread, Tone, exactly the kind of subject material that's worthy of intelligent debate!

With such little weight, a minimal investment in wheels, tires and suspension upgrades would also make for a car with good stick and excellent response.

Dealerships would be wise to offer aftermarket products in-house, especially for Aveo value editions. A grille kit would likely be popular, along with a shorter shift kit, as the Aveo's 5-speed, while tough, is said to be longish in the throws.

For xB cash, an Aveo Hatch could seriously out-funk an xB. The Aveo X-treme concept was highly debated around here a while back, but seriously, couldn't you guys imagine a "Ghrankenstein" driving around in one?

Ghrankenstein

 

[Ming]

The engine could use a little more pep - its far more powerful than the old 50-60 hp Metro engines, but I'd bet it's heavier. Any improvements Chevy could offer to the engine and exhaust to up the horses to say, around 120 or 130 hp would make it a fun little buzz bomb. The aftermarket could do it, but Chevy could offer some ideas first. I believe the Aveo Xtreme concept didn't really touch the powertrain.

 

[yoblues]

YUP! Exactly what Chevy should do. YO Chevy suits, time to get in the Game across the board boys and girls.

 

[jlovesjesus]

well just to give numbers, on an old post, i did some crunching, the numbers are rough, and im gonna get alof of flack for the echarger thing, but here goes, and please, no one go on for a year on how echargers dont work, the science behind it is sound and now they have the technology, to make an electric super chager, and i have found 2 modles that i believe are real, viable, performance mods, and not pc fans, or bilge pump motors with hoses on them, so getting that out of the way ////////////// i took this from the AVEO forum ( http://aveoclub.proboards26.com )


::: currently there is a product that warrents attention for aveo owners but i am unsure how much it will help. i need to see how it performs on my beetle befor i can draw conclusions. but judging from all the research i have done regarding electric supercharging so far, there are only 2, count em 2 systems that REALLY work, now there are alot of knock offs, dont get me wrong, but there are too, that i believe really work, and i have seen the customer testimonials to back it up. one is made by thomas knight, and is about as much as a regular turbo charger, but a bit easier to install and safer, and produces turbo like power levels, but its 2000$ us. and quite a complex system. theres another system and although not as powerful does produce, better horsepower percentages, than headers or intakes etc. for about 300 bux, u can purchase whats called an eram, it only produces 1lb of boost but it does yeald horse power to the wheels

i'll crunch the numbers for you


at 104 horse power (aveo, us spec) and figuring a 23% drive train loss (a bit high i do believe) your making somthing like 80.08hp to the ground, and have a power to weight ratio of somthing like 30.35 lbs per horsepower. thats on the lightest hatchback 5 speed.

now with the power added from the eram system (baisic system, not the twin in line system, 569$ us.) it goes up to 109.2 at the flywheel, and 84.084 hp at the wheels. now to those of u watching hte numbers thats 4(!!) hp to the wheels, not too shabby for 300 bux, and to show u the extent that other mods help, i'll crunch some of those too, and keep in mind thats 4 wheel hp~ with no other mods, no ground wires, no cat back, no ignition wires, or headers or cold air intakes.. and with a standard eram unit, not the dual.

ok, im taking numbers given by the eram website. but the customer testimonials and several other off site, non company site, customer testimonials tell me this thing worx, and the numbers seem pretty accurate, given what i know, so here goes.

109 with standard eram unit + (these numbers are on the low end) 7hp for headers + 10hp for car back system + 10hp for cams + 5hp for throttle body + 3hp for cold air intake = 144hp, and thats no ecu tuning, and not nos, or turbos (which are compatable with the eram unit by the way it also dosent include porting or polishing the heads, wrapping the headers, or ignition work. so that being said, with a littl
e work, the aveo can be a real screamer, and the same would apply for the kalos/swift i imagine. only in smaller numbers in some models. now i am unsure how good the cars feul system is, but if its like most systems, the feul system should hold up to 5-7 lbs boost without having to mod the motor, maybe have to add a fuel pressure regulator, but at 1 lb of boost the car should do fine!, now with all those other mods, u might want to add a fuel pressure regulator just to be safe but the eram unit would be a good first mod, since its stright foward and easy to install. but as i stated b4, i am jumping the gun a little, someone with 300 exta bux and an aveo should test it out. please if someone does, dont expect the world, after all its only one lb of boost, BUT! it should improve the overall driving experiance, by providing a slight boost in accelleration, and a more responsive ensing since the whole system spools up in like a 1/10th of a second, from the moment the pedal hits the floor.

also, just so u know heres the specs for the twin eram unit...

113 hp flywheel and 87.28hp at the wheels, thats a 7.smthn hp gain at the wheels, and to be honest, they measured their precentage gains, on a real dyno, AT THE WHEELS< so assuming that my estimates on the eram's effects are low, which they are. those are some great numbers. considering theyre prolly a noticeable difference in actual testing. so anyway. chek this product out and WATCH THE VIDEO! its incredible. heres the site adress!

http://www.electricsupercharger.com/super-eram.htm


TheAmazingJ


so there u have it read it, love it, not love it, thems the numbers. :type:

 

[AMcA]

I'm going to sue!

A performance tuned Aveo? When I read that, I started laughing so hard I fell out of my chair and bumped my noggin. That is a dangerously funny joke.

I'm going to sue!

(No, seriously - every time I see an Aveo on the street, I can't help but notice just how good the bodywork is. Lexus-grade or even tighter seams and perfect panel fits. I read once that superior metalworking is a long, proud Korean tradition. The Aveo really shows it. I'm telling you, guys: when they figure out the design business a little better, expect some really nice Korean luxury cars for cheap. Hyundai already has their quality act together . . . . I'm thinking, maybe, 10 years from now, a successful Lux-Hyundai is a distinct possibility.)