Now of course, Bill Duncan has information inside of his head that some of us would kill for. But understand that in order for him to keep the proverbial sport compact ball rolling inside, he has to keep some information guarded. He did a fantastic job answering as much as he could and we thank him for that. And trust us, he’s working on some things now that are so amazing that if we said anymore men in black suits would come busting through our door and take us away.
Without further ado, here’s the rundown straight from Bill Duncan, GM HPVO Engineer:
Q. In reguards to the LNF powered Cobalt SS, is GM going to be releasing any more performance parts to enhance the car past the Turbo Upgrade Kit? I among other owners have hit a road block in reguards to aftermarket air intakes and their ill effect on fuel trims. Idealy, with GM's knowledge and tools, im sure something could be produced to beat the competition in reguards to function as well as quality.
A. I thank you for your confidence in our products. I am sorry that I cannot comment on any future products until GM Marketing has released the information to the public. That being said we try to work and plan so that any kits are available near the introduction of a car or product line. So…….
Q. With the upcoming release of the 2012 Aveo and the 2011 Cruze...where is GM really going to be heading with their performance line of 4 cylinder engines? What is it that will drive the public, especially those that are already GM fanatics like myself, to continue in the love of the 4cyl performance engines. A fan and previous owner of the LSJ, I am skeptical of what will happen to the life of the LNF as the release of a turbocharged 1.4L being inevitable.
Granted the US, not so much me, is trying to become fuel efficient and environmentally conscious, does this mean that American tuners and muscle car lovers will need to settle on the current Euro/Australian car market and what they have available for 4 cylinders? Will we really have to settle on turbocharged 4 cylinder engines where it will take tuning, exhaust, etc to reach 220whp out of a low displacement engine or can we expect to see the LNF to carry on in future cars like the new Buick Regal? I for one would love to see a de-tuned LNF make it into the Aveo with the appearance kit on the Aveo RS.
A. The 2.0L Turbo engine like the LNF has been announced and shown in several show cars including the recently introduced Buick Regal GS. So that would indicate that the 2.0L turbo engine is alive and well.
We at the Performance Division are committed to the 4-cylinder enthusiast and will continue to try and provide “got to have” solutions and products.
Q. Is GM making the stage 2 for the LNF or not.Very happy with stage 1 .What can be expected from a stage 1 LNF with full bolt ons .Is there a limit set on the stage 1 tune?
A. The stage 1 tune is only limited by the turbo overspeed safeties that are built into the tune. We have not tested for a max limit. I was hoping the GMTunerSource.com readers would continue to show me how much power and torque they can achieve by posting their results.
Q. As some have been in search for.. is the "learn down" feature really "completely" removed? Or, has the levels been moved higher to allow for an increase in hp/tq? Some are finding that after the GMPP Stage I kit and have added other aftermarket bolt-ons that the increases in power are not entirely there. Looking forward to Stage II. I am in hope for a Stage III. Which would be a fullout race stage and would probably not covered under warrenty. SS/SC's have the option, what about the LNF SS/TC?
A. The learn-down feature is totally turned off in the stage 1 tune. However, the turbo overspeed safeties are still turned on. This is calculating what the turbine speed and will not allow the turbo to exceed the manufacturers declared maximum turbine speed. The tune will do “whatever it take” to ensure the turbos safety.
Also, on another note, it has been my experience that if you purchased multiple bolt-ons each claiming HP gains, the total hp gain never adds up to the sum of all the claimed hp gains by the various component manufacturers.
Q. I'm really happy with the TC stage 1 but I'm currious as to the nature of the rev limiting, ie:mine flatens out at the rev limit and power is not definitively cut. I remember that without stage 1 the engine revs would dramatically drop. I may be mistaken but if anyone can comment to this it would be helpful.
A. On the Stage kit we tried to make the rev limit as pleasing as possible and still be a rev limit. So, your observations are correct.
Q. Does he have any knowledge on any new performance vehicles that could be in the works one day. In relation to that, could there be a SS version of the Malibu, or an updated Impala. The Malibu has a lot of potential with at least looks, and the Impala is just old and needs a revamp. And what's the word on the Z28, last I heard it's still in the making but that was about it. Thanks guys!
A. Sorry guys. I cannot comment on any future products that I may be aware of, or working on that have not been officially announce by GM. It is against the rules and I would risk losing my job. I certainly don’t want that and I firmly believe that the GMTunerSource.com readers would not want that either. I am committed to the tuner market and am your advocate on the inside.
Bill
To end off this post, I give you a shot we took undercover when we found where they keep the Cobalt SS Time Attack trophy! Enjoy!
