New DD - Saturn Ion Redline

[cornfedbill]

I picked up a new toy. I worked at Saturn during the launch and have a soft spot in my heart for Saturns. This is my new Ion Redline with a supercharged 2.0L LSJ, 5-speed with a ZZP Stage 2 tune, and time lowering springs. It is not perfect, but is a good platform for a fun daily driver. I got lucky and found one with all the good options - 4.05:1 final drive, Ricaro seats, LSD and the competition package. The ZZP stage 2 kit helps it move a bit better than stock.

In the future are a dual pass intercooler, front mount heat exchanger and better shocks and struts. Also, I will be adding a roll bar and 6-point harnesses for use in the Sandhills Open Road Challenge.

It will satisfy my need for speed while I work on my Nova.

I think I will need to try my hand in the CAM-F provisional class.

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[cornfedbill]

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[cornfedbill]

My daily driver has changed a bit in the past 11 months. A few engine modifications, all new brakes and suspension, BBS wheels, Dunlop Direzza tires, a wing and a rollbar are some of the modifications to prepare to compete in the Sandhills Open Road Challenge last week.

I was the only 4-cylinder to compete in a class above 100 mph. Not to shabby for the car I drive to work every day of the year.

[andrewb70]

I had a Saturn SL2 back in the early 90s...fun little cars.

Andrew

[Bugzilla]

Nice! I am currently working on my Cobalt SS to use as a DD. Mine is the turbo model though. I should have the engine rebuild done tonight and the engine back in over the weekend. Had the car 8 months and havent driven it.. Hoping its as fun as everyone says it will be.

[cornfedbill]

Nice! I am currently working on my Cobalt SS to use as a DD. Mine is the turbo model though. I should have the engine rebuild done tonight and the engine back in over the weekend. Had the car 8 months and havent driven it.. Hoping its as fun as everyone says it will be.

They are a blast to drive. My son has the turbo motor in his HHR SS. It has more torque and a bit more power. He has a ZZP stage 2 tune.

[Bugzilla]

Good to hear! I cant wait. I went with a slightly bigger turbo than stock and will be doing a tune on it. Should make somewhere around 330 HP and TQ to the wheels. I will be doing some big track days in it like you. Its a lot cheaper to fix then my Evo when something goes wrong....

[cornfedbill]

Good to hear! I cant wait. I went with a slightly bigger turbo than stock and will be doing a tune on it. Should make somewhere around 330 HP and TQ to the wheels. I will be doing some big track days in it like you. Its a lot cheaper to fix then my Evo when something goes wrong....

I can’t wait to see it.

[Bugzilla]

Here you go Bill. Still a work in progress but its running and driving now. I was meaning to ask you what you are running for springs and shocks? I just ordered the Koni yellows and Powell springs. Hoping that was a good choice. Also, what brake pads? Getting ready for my first big track day in it at the end of this month.

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[cornfedbill]

Here you go Bill. Still a work in progress but its running and driving now. I was meaning to ask you what you are running for springs and shocks? I just ordered the Koni yellows and Powell springs. Hoping that was a good choice. Also, what brake pads? Getting ready for my first big track day in it at the end of this month.

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I’m running Delphi FE5 struts, Bilstein B6 shocks, Powell YYZ springs and Hawk HP+ pads. I cooked my cheap eBay drilled and slotted front rotors until they had hard shots on them and shuttered under hard braking. I now have Stoptech Cryo treated slotted front rotors. I’ve not tested them at high speed, but feel that they will be much better.

[Bugzilla]

Thanks for the info! I have the FE5 struts and shocks at the moment (came on it since its the turbo model) but they have 120k on them and I am pretty sure the fronts are done. For brakes, I went with the factory Brembo pads and Centric blank rotors. Not sure if they are going to be better or worse than the HP+. Did you do the front Brembo upgrade? I dont think they were an option for the Ion. The cool things about the Brembos, at least for me, they use the same pad as my Evos Brembos!

[cornfedbill]

I had some fun at the Tail of the Dragon last month. I also got Little Red on the dyno. 265 whp doesn’t seem like much, but it’s only 2 liters. 6 liters at this output would be 795 whp. So it’s respectable for a daily driver.

The handling is very balanced too. It never tried to push in the corners except a little on hard exits at full throttle. The tail stayed firmly planted.

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[cornfedbill]

Because of new safety regulations, I had to build a new rollbar out of 1-3/4" X 0.120" DOM to replace the previous one made of 0.095" wall tubing. It turned out okay.

We race next week in the Loup 2 Loup Open Road Race and Sandhills Open Road Challenge. We brought home 3rd place in our class in the Loup 2 Loup race last year and hope to do at least as well this year.

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[cornfedbill]

The car ran well this year at the Sandhills Open Road Challenge and Loup 2 Loup open road races. We are car number 101.

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We finished 6 of 39 cars in the Loup 2 Loup open road race with a time of 0.484 seconds off perfect. We had some stiff competition as you can see. The Loup 2 Loup is definitely my favorite. It is very technical with lots of blind turns and hills. It's not easy to keep the pedal down when you can't see what's ahead of you. Thanks to a good navigator who makes it possible.
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In the Sandhills Open Road Challenge open road race, we did well on the northbound loop and were in the running but had some issues with our timing equipment on the return leg and were basically flying blind. We finished but were very slow. At least we beat the Porsche 911 GT3. It is better than the DNF we earned two years ago.
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We learned a lot, had lots of fun didn't break anything, spent time with old friends, and made some new friends. It was worth it.

[omiotek]

Here you go Bill. Still a work in progress but its running and driving now. I was meaning to ask you what you are running for springs and shocks? I just ordered the Koni yellows and Powell springs. Hoping that was a good choice. Also, what brake pads? Getting ready for my first big track day in it at the end of this month.

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I've had 2 of these over the years. When I had only bolt on modifications, I ran Koni's, Powell springs, and then ran Coleman 2 piece rotors(Powell supplied) with Ferrodo HP1000 pads and DOT4 fluid. This did the job for a car on 200 treadwear tires. Eventually I converted all the bushings to spherical and had John set me up with a twisting beam identical from the time attack car. Without knowing your track experience I am speaking blindly but learn the car stock. It's set up pretty decent from the factory.

[cornfedbill]

I have Powell springs, Koni adjustable strut inserts up front and Bilsteins in the rear. I have aluminum from control arms off an LNF car with new bushings that are solid (without the factory voids), and poly bushings in the rear axle assembly. I upgraded to Brembos up front and have Hawk HPS pads all around.

The learning is mainly timing equipment and related issues. The goal is to hit a perfect average speed, not to have the fastest speed. With the GPS failure and a new navigator for the big race, we didn't do well. On the shorter (Loup 2 Loup) race, we were only 0.484 seconds off perfect. We were testing a new GPS and software with my normal navigator (my oldest son). Once we learn how to get the most out of the new hardware and software, we will be much more competitive.

Still, our 6th place this year and 3rd last year in the Loup 2 Loup race are respectable. Our best in the Sandhills Open Road Challenge was a 4th place 3 years ago. We missed 3rd by 0.015 seconds.

All in all, my little Saturn with only 2 liters of power fares well against all the American V8 and V10 cars and the Porsches in our class. Overall, I was quite pleased with the car. The new brakes were quite linear and dealt well with high speed braking (120-80 for corners). I had plenty of power to get to 120-130 mph for the straights.

I will box in the area between the bumper cover and the radiator, so I have better cooling and less air under the nose next year.