Just starting out...a few questions...

I have a 2009 AVEO LT Sedan. I want to start with a few simple upgrades and go from there. I am new to car modification so go easy on me ;).

First, intake...

I have not seen any 2009 Aveo cold air intake kits. It was suggested that I just drop a K&N easy fit filter in but I cant help but think I would be better off just taking the box out and making a custom cold air intake. What is the best option? I am open to all suggestions. (I considered fitting the cold air filter on the existing, factory piping. That way I dont have to worry with the sensors. Any thoughts on this?)

Second, spark plugs...

I stopped by my local O'reilly Auto Parts stores and didnt get much help. It was suggested that I go with copper spark plugs but when I told the guy at the counter that, he laughed and said that I should stick with platinum. Again, what do you suggest? I am open to any suggestions and money isnt a big deal.

Third, not getting carried away...

What are some things that I can do to better gas mileage, improve the ride, improve the overall look and get a little more kick out of the car without going overboard? Currently, I have tinted the windows. I am going to black out the Chevy insignia and remove the AVEO LT insignia. I am shopping around for some good sports suspension because I want to improve the ride and I want the car to sit lower. I am also considering a performance header and exhaust.

That is all. Please forgive me for such a long post! Remember, I am new to car modification and working under the hood but I am willing to learn and put in time to do research. Thanks for your time.

Well first, with the intake, the factory intake is actually a "cold air" intake as are most vehicles, it is honestly not worth the money for one, unless you are looking for something shiny under the hood. You may notice a very small performance gain by going with a "performance" filter, but in my experience you are better off putting a fresh OEM filter in every month then buying aftermarket, much cheaper in the long run with no real difference in power. Unless you are willing to cam this engine you will not get this motor to suck in more air then it already does. As for spark plugs, just stick with whatever is recommended for the motor if it is stock. There is no benefit to going with the fancy performance plugs (other then lining the store's owner's pocket) if you are running a factory motor. Just stick with what is recommended for the car and it will give you less issues.

As for mileage, there isn't too much you can do. You can buy low-resistance tires, and drive in a very respectful manner, but in the end the motor is not very good on gas for such a small displacement.

There is not much you can do with the motor to get more pull out of them. Some mods that will not cost you too much will be a muffler and header, but other then that you are not going to get much without opening the thing up. If your looking for suspention parts I would suggest looking at a company called "ultra racing" they sell everything minus a roll cage to turn your aveo into a track machine.

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Originally Posted by Quckturn

Well first, with the intake, the factory intake is actually a "cold air" intake as are most vehicles, it is honestly not worth the money for one, unless you are looking for something shiny under the hood. You may notice a very small performance gain by going with a "performance" filter, but in my experience you are better off putting a fresh OEM filter in every month then buying aftermarket, much cheaper in the long run with no real difference in power.

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Who changes their air filter every month? It would definately not be cheaper in the long run, after about a year (12 months) at $40 a filter (OEM) your looking at ~$480 where a CAI with a washable filter can be made with ~$30.

As for spark plugs, I'd stick with OEM.

I do not know where you are getting your filters from, I can get them for $10 from the dealership.....My point was more towards the fact that keeping a clean OEM filter gives the same amount of performance gain that you would see from using an aftermarket "performance" filter.

Not true I believe its on the forum somewhere here but that box is way restrictive. A CAI would be a definite go. A guy on this forum sells headers with and without cat look him up his name is xiaogary. He also has done rotors all the way around along with a couple other cool things. Any and all real serious questions I would ask doax, petrified rabbit or hunteroo. All have good input and lots. of help. As for ultra racing they sell some amazing stuff I got their anti sway and anti roll bars and my car feels like its on train tracks. I went with h&r lowering springs and kyb shocks and struts. Something you could do is the joey mod its pretty cool and makes your stick out. I agree keep with the stock spark plugs. Anything else just pm me and good luck man.

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Originally Posted by Quckturn

Well first, with the intake, the factory intake is actually a "cold air" intake as are most vehicles

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I actually would like to comment on this one, as I wouldn't classify the factory intake as a cold air intake given the way it is designed. The reason being is we have this wonderful thing:

Attachment 5321

This resonator is what the airbox connects to in the fender to shut it up. The green circle is where the airbox connects to the resonator through the fender. The red circle is where the resonator is actually in-taking air. This intake tube is actually routed back up to a hole in the side of the fender that leads BACK to the engine bay. So although you are getting some cool air from the fender, your also sucking in air from the engine bay still. Removing it does make the engine considerably louder but so will a cold air intake. Just thought I would let everyone know. :)

The cost of upgrading to a "real" cold air intake, since you do not seem to think the factory one is such a thing, is not worth the minuscule amount of power gain from the motor. If you where spending this kind of money on the car you might as well get a set of cams for double the price and actually make more power. I apologize for my earlier comments on the factory air intake system being the same thing as a full blown aftermarket "cold air" system all done up in shiny pipe with it's totally incredible 1 hp gain.

$50 for a CAI is not a lot.....

And there is no header for 09+, those headers were for the first gens only.