Pontiac Bonneville

mlm4 · December 2001

GM's most recent sales analysis: "Bonneville sales were up 10 percent vs. 2000." Hooray! The bad news: the Orion plant is down all week, 3200 workers idled. Not making more cars this week...

homer2000ssei · December 2001

that no one missed me ! LOL

Hi Again - I'm likely making my last post here -

I have taken a mistress . . . . I bought a 1980 Z28 and am starting the restore / mod program that wont leave me much time for the SSEi anymore.

Here's the Bonne update - it has about 45,000 miles, running strong as ever, the smaller pulley and open air intake helps that - but the rest of the car is still something to be proud of. I have had that ISS clunk for about 6 months now - maybe more, just didnt want to have no car while they fixed it.

Now that I have the Z - im not too concerned about the bonne - ( a shame really, considering how good she was to me) and Im goinf to spend the winter with my head inside the engine bay of the project.
I just want to say thanks to everyone here - you have proven to be a helpful, friendly bunch of folks, and I wish you all the best for the holiday season - no matter which holiday you recognize.

Peace to all. . . . .

Dennis aka Homer

mfahey1 · December 2001

Sorry to see you go but to quote Arnold Schwartzneger(sp), you'll be back.

If you need lots of good information about your 80 Camaro, go to "http://"nastyz28.com for as much information as you could ever want. There is a wonderful seach function there that has helped me immensely with the restoration of my 1970RS. In fact, the Bonneville is sitting outside while the axle for the Camaro takes up its spot in the garage.

ezrapon · December 2001

what is the rear end doing in the garage. I remember many junk yard trips and parts bin head aches trying to get the ratios changed back in the 70's. Some ratios were not available due to different carriers 2:41/2:73 had one, for low end trans am and camaro automatics. The 4 speed cars had a different carrier that would take 3:08/4:11.
Then there was the 10 bolt/ 12 bolt dilema... good luck. My 79 trans am has a 3:73 or 3:90... I hate it and wish I had the factory 3:23. SSEi is running great. The 180 thermostat is showing itself with the colder air. I believe it will smoke my old T/A.

homer2000ssei · December 2001

Thanks - someone in the local f-body club tipped me off to that site when they heard about the project. I have been there lots - taking notes - making plans - contacting parts sources - etc etc

Im Homer2 there -

you are right - I'll maybe pop back once in a while , but the time frames will keep getting longer - until the lease co takes her back next November . .

stnel · December 2001

I haven't really written in to say goodbye to the people at the Pontiac forums (Grand Prix/Bonneville) because I may still stop by with a question here and there.

I got started posting at Edmunds when I was car shopping last spring and just kept it up because the Pontiac people I posted with were a nice group.

But the truth is, I know very little about cars. Eight or nine months is a long time to post on a topic that one knows little about so I've simply run out of things to discuss.

You've all been very helpful with any questions I've had and I thank you for your help!

Regards,
Stacy

mfahey1 · December 2001

I'm doing a total restoration on the car, something I started, believe it or not, nearly 19 years ago when I told my wife I was just going to overhaul the engine, it would only take a month, we didn't need a second car for a month. New job, graduate school, two kids, lots of work travel and not a lot got done although I did completely redo the engine, frame and undercarriage. I've now replaced the panels and finished painting it last month. To your question about the axle, I took everything back apart(springs, gas tank, sway bar, axle) and applied a few things I've learned over the years. It is now back in the car but my wife has claimed dibs on the other spot in the garage. Actually, she's been a saint about the whole thing over the years and giving up the Bonneville's spot is the least I could do.

Mark

tpken · December 2001

Merry Christmas to all you Pontiac fans! And best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year.

Stacy - we'll miss your posts here. Hopefully in this past year you've learned a bit more about what is a favorite topic for many of us - our cars! It's been a pleasure to see you here and in Grand Prix land. Best wishes for many enjoyable miles and years with your Pontiac.

Everyone else - enjoy the holidays, especially the family times and events. Please remember to be careful on the roads - especially the evening hours as partiers are driving home full of holiday 'cheer'!

Best wishes to all.

Ken

smfran · December 2001

Best wishes to all! Remember to keep in mind what is most important; Family and safety.

boosted1 · December 2001

Peace

tpken · December 2001

Did anyone receive any automotive presents for Christmas? I found in my stocking a new Accutire pressure gauge - backlit for night use - a very handy little gadget. Santa must have seen the Sears sale last week!

No white Christmas right here in south coastal Maine - but I see that Buffalo had 2 feet of snow yesterday! My kids will be disappointed of none falls here during vacation.

Best wishes to all

Ken

mlm4 · December 2001

Santa brought me A Pictorial History of Chevrolet 1958-1960, which is a collection of photographs from the GM archives. Very cool book! I also recommend 75 Years of Pontiac, which I bought several months ago, for all Pontiac enthusiasts who didn't find it under the tree this year. ;-)

boosted1 · December 2001

I recieved a great book with pictures of abandoned cars. Brings a tear to your eye when you see some of these old cars left to rust away.

Hard to believe that another year has gone by. Only a few days left in 01.

mfahey1 · December 2001

First let me say that I hope that all of you were able to enjoy the holidays as much as we did. I guess as we get older, we are able to enjoy the time that our kids are able to spend with us considering that they both live an hour away in Chicago.
Now that I have your attention with my title, the Chicago Tribune had an abbreviated review this Sunday of the 2002 Bonneville SE. So as not to violate any copyright laws, I'll put what they said in quotes.
"Exceptional ride, superb handling, outstanding performance. The '02 Pontiac Bonniville delivers on all counts.
You also enjoy quick steering response and the ability to go in the direction pointed, thanks to traction control that helps you get-and keep-going when rain or snow covers the pavement.
Four-wheel ABS, front and side air bags and such amenities as air conditioning and power doors/windows/mirrors.
What more could you ask for?
What we would ask for is a major styling overhaul. Bonneville was last given a fresh look for the 2000 model year, but the car has not aged gracefully.
Bonnevelle looks a little saggy and baggy and needs to sport a more muscular design in keeping with its performance character. Pontiac excitement is supposed to start when you take your first look, not after you take your first drive."
Gee, you think we look "saggy and baggy"?
I guess that, as always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Considering that the reviewer mentioned "superb handling", did the '02 SE add a rear stabilizer bar that the earlier SE's didn't have?

Mark

smfran · December 2001

It would be too much to ask for any auto manufacturer to update styling after only three model years. With the investment made for the change between 1999 and the "fresh look" of 2000, I doubt any major changes would occur before the 2004 comes out.

ehaase · December 2001

The Bonneville is supposed to be discontinued by 2004 or 2005, so there will probably no more significant changes. The Bonneville does not sell well.

cjwells · December 2001

Sales up over 10% this year from last year for the Bonneville. Might been a good sign for the future of the Bonneville.

montanafan · December 2001

Automotive News Data Center has the numbers as : 2001 thru November 46,087, 2000 thru November 62,383.

tpken · December 2001

Mark - It's interesting that the reviewer did not mention the SLE and SSEi models have more aggressive looks than the SE model. One would almost wonder if the reviewer was aware of the differences. And the handling remarks sure sound better than others had said of the SE in pst years. I don't think the sway bar is std yet either - perhaps his car had one installed anyway.

Can't argue with his summary of the ride and handling. Mine is just the way I like it. BTW, my Aquatreads have been on for almost 2 weeks now - had one rain storm to try them out in - very grippy. Dry handling seems ok too but at 80-85mph you can just barely hear a bit of tire whine as Tirerack suggested. No snow here to try out that handling yet.

Happy New Year to all.

Ken

mfahey1 · December 2001

It does make you wonder sometimes about the car review process. I know it isn't practical for the reviewers to actually drive and review every variation of a particular model but it would seem that they could at least mention what else is available in a given model they are reviewing. I was looking at Motor Trend today and they have a table of all the cars they have reviewed over the last several years and what performance specs they were able to run. The 2000 SSEi is listed at 0-60 in 7.5 seconds while the GTP with the same engine although a lighter body is listed at 6.8 seconds. Maybe axle ratio has something to do with it but I simply don't believe there is that much difference between the two models or that the SSEi is that slow.
Saggy and baggy indeed. Cancel my subscription.

ezrapon · December 2001

I have done a few modest mods to my SSEi i.e., pulley, thermostat, air intake. I have beaten a GT mustang and a Z/28. I imagine my 0-60 times are much better than the advertised one in the media. Probably pushing around 270 to 280 H.P. The car is much more fun to drive with the mods. Pontiac could have tweaked this car with axle ratios and other little engine tweaks to make it a real screamer. I wonder what the reviewers would say if they drove a 300 HP... 3:23 ratio SSEi? I guess they'd whine about the torque steer. With these temps in the teens here in St. Louis, it seems like ol' Santa dropped a 427 under my hood... she loves the cold stuff. Off the subject: Just saw the Pontiac commercial for the G/P... What would you do with the keys to a new GP, for a week? Easy. Throw them away and keep driving my Bonneville!!! Happy holidays to all and GO RAMS!

fantascp · December 2001

I could use a new GP anyday!!!!!- sure beats running around in a 91 Buick Skylark with over 127,000 miles on her as my primary way to get to work!!!- (LOL)- of course my wife has the BONNEVILLE - Monday to Friday- what else is new??
Oh Well,

Everyone- have a safe,happy, and joyous NEW YEAR!!

Regards,

CHUCK

xavier64 · December 2001

Just dropping buy to wish all a safe new year and enjoy the time spent with family and friends.

The Maple Red Bonnie has crossed over the 3500 mile barrier and is working fine.

Can one purchase the passenger side air filter at any auto store and install it themselves? As far as I can tell, the unit just drops in. At the dealer, the service tech said it cost about $75.00 or so.
Have a safe holiday and take care...Steve

tpken · December 2001

May it be healthy and prosperous for all. (And nowhere near the last year for Bonneville!)

Best wishes

Ken

intense01 · December 2001

Guys:

I have designed a Limited Slip Differential (LSD), and I can tell you that it virtually eliminated the torque steer issues in my car. And more traction never hurt anyone!

At this moment the car has about 340 horsepower and 395 foot-pounds of torque at the crankshaft, and 3.69:1 final drive ratio.

I tried to post some of the links to ClubGP, but I don't know enough about programming to shorten the links so that Edmunds will let me post them. Sorry!

Happy New Year to all!

Scott A. Cook
Westerville OH
2000 SSEi
13.438 @ 101.89 MPH (2.013 60' time)

fantascp · December 2001

Hi Steve,

If you have the SE model like Ken and I do, according to my Pontiac Dealer- even if you put a filter into the empty passenger compartment-it won't do anything- you have to have the separate Climate Controls for it to work on the passenger side. Anyone else agree/disagree???

Happy New Year again to all,

Chuck

mfahey1 · January 2002

First of all, Happy New Year to one and all. Last year was a tough go on many fronts and we can all hope that this year will be better.
Scott, I'm certainly impressed with your design efforts. I know that traction control is supposed to take the place of limited slip differentials but having had three vehicles now with traction control, I personally think it is a poor substitute for positraction. Certainly for outright acceleration, traction control is working against what you are trying to achieve but even in normal use, too much foot or even not all that much foot easily results in unintended tire spin.
As far as the final drive ratio goes, to show you the difference between today's cars and those of yesteryear, my Bonneville turns 1000rpm/33mph or thereabouts. My 70 Camaro, on the other hand, runs 1000rpm/24mph. The Bonneville weighs more,outaccelerates and gets about double the fuel economy of the Camaro. People can gripe all they want about the new cars and all of their technology but to me, there is no comparison between today's cars and those of the "good old days".

Mark

P.S. Any plans to market your design?

montanafan · January 2002

It is just a paper filter, all the air goes through that space anyway, so it will work. The climate control system is just to have different passenger side temps.

xavier64 · January 2002

Chuck and Arthur,

Thank you for the input on the air filter. Has any one done this yet and will it make some difference?

Hope all have a nice day.......Steve

fantascp · January 2002

I would have to agree with you on this and not the Dealership- i can't see why this would not work- its just an empty space when you open the compartment- i would also think-just place the filter in and thats it-done. What kind of air quality improvement you would get from this I don't know. I also got conflicting prices on the filter- the Dealership said around $80.00 to $90.00- they also said it was the main air filtration filter- (INSIDE THE CAR) i don't think they know what the hell they are talking about- I told him it was not inside the car,it was under the hood up near the firewall by the passenger side of the car and which point he drew a blank!!! had no idea what i was referring to.
The questions still remain
1. Does it work/and air quality improved?
2. What is the cost of the filter?is it worth buying versus any benefits?
Any help from the members is appreciated!!!

Thanks,

Chuck

mlm4 · January 2002

According to GMPartsDirect.com, the air filter for the Bonneville has a list price of $24.08 and their price is $14.42. It is GM part number 25654414 (found in the owner's manual). There is a TSB (00-01-37-002) that suggests (but does not explicitly state) that the pollen filter can be added to vehicles that did not come with one. The purpose of the TSB seems to be clarification that the filter is an option on the SE and standard on the SLE and SSEi and that if the dealer adds one it and the installation are not covered by the warranty.

montanafan · January 2002

mim4 is right based on the info I got with a talk to my Pontiac mechanic. In addition part number 25654414 is also an ACDelco part CF117 according to their site, http://www.acdelco.com , so it may be available through auto parts stores. But he says if the car did not come with one from the factory you need part number 25669930 the first time because it includes a frame that later replacements of 25654414 go into. check http://www.gmpartsdirect.com to get pricing but should be double the refill. If have seen the junk that shows up in my brothers' Montanas (97&00) and I know with my wife's alergies I put filters on the furnace at home, so if I had a newer Bonneville, I would add it. Good Luck, and I guesss Good Air!

fantascp · January 2002

Thanks for all the info!!!!

Chuck

tpken · January 2002

What a bummer - went out this morning and noticed a number of scratches on the driver side rear panel - on both sides of the wheel well and on on the rear door. Looks like someone did it in a parking lot sometime this week and I didn't notice right away. Probably turning out of the space and just rubbed it a bit - enough to dig into my paint but not crease the metal. Really shows up on the green paint. Bummer

Ken

fantascp · January 2002

KEN,

sorry to hear about the scratches- i can relate to how you feel- we had the car since Mar of 2000-in July of 2000- down the Jersey Shore-shopping mall at night- went to a movie- when we came out car was parked in a well lit area- on the lower right rear panel- ART WORK!
someone had actually drawn a figure 8 and cut into the panel!!! talk about wanting to CHOKE
the Hell out of the one who did it!
I can never get over why someone would take great pleasure in VANDALIZING another persons property
etc- Good luck in repairing it-
Just some advice- I tried GS27- It did not work!
you did not say how bad it really was- maybe you take it to a body shop for an estimate and file a claim with your Insurance Co instead of trying to fix it yourself?

Chuck

mfahey1 · January 2002

We all feel your pain, Ken. Just today at the hardware store, I had someone look at me funny because of where I parked. The reality is that sometimes you just can't avoid parking spots that put you at risk for something like that and after that, it's just a crap shoot as to whether anything will happen. Of course, some people like my wife have absolutely no built in radar as to who is possibly trouble parked next to her and her van shows it.
Said hello to Dennis(Homer2000) on the 70-81 Camaro site. He said he hardly even thinks of his Bonneville now that he has his Camaro.

mlm4 · January 2002

Ken, sorry to hear about the scratches. Even though it is a relatively insignificant problem in the big game of life I too get very upset when these things happen, especially if it happens intentionally or due to negligence. What can you do? I CAN'T WAIT for someone to come out with a more durable surface for automobiles. It seems like the paint is still too fragile to stand up to the tough environment it is exposed to. It gets scratched even if you brush it with your keys opening the door! Get it fixed, you'll feel better.

tpken · January 2002

It probably happened sometime prior to this week and I just didn't notice till I got the car washed. I hadn't been driving it for a while - switched with the wife and drove the Suburban over the last couple weeks while on vacation. Oh well - what's another 2 or 3 hundred dollars???? lol Just charge it right??? That's what God created plastic for!

BTW - the new Aquatreads are running beautifully. Nice and smooth - no more vibrations, handles just fine and I can't wait for a real downpour some night on the way home!

Best wishes to all. Thanks for the kind words of support.

Ken

xavier64 · January 2002

Just wanted to report the Bonnie got baptized with its first drive through the white stuff (ice/snow mix). The roads had been covered over and another friend slid through an intersection due to ice and was only going 25 mph.

Was happy with the traction with the Affinity tires and got the car home in one piece. Must admit, was not sure how the car would handle in the snow but I am impressed. Steady and slow will get you home...

Ken, sorry to hear about the scratches. It is hard to see this happen when one tries to take care of one's auto.

Everyone, take care and drive safe...sxb

tpken · January 2002

handled the snow very nicely for me last winter. I was very impressed with their grip. We'll see soon how the Aquatreads do.

Ken

ezrapon · January 2002

I've had many cars with posi trac, safety track, limited slip, or whatever the factory chose to call it. It gave decent traction on marginal traction surfaces and left really cool twin stipes on the concrete, but it is stone-age technology compared to the SSEi traction control. It will pull you through where posi would leave you on the shoulder. It is not a performance item, but for what is designed for, it is one of the most impressive items on the car. Now a Posi combined with a traction control would really be nice. Yes, it snowed in St. Louis today... thus the rant!

teuobk · January 2002

Greetings everybody,

I've been looking for a website dedicated to the Pontiac Bonneville, but haven't found one that really "fit" me (no offense to Edmunds). Therefore, I decided to make my own. If you're interested, check out http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/

Cheers,

Jeff

tpken · January 2002

Interesting site - I'll look more closely at it when I have a few minutes. It's always a pleasure to meet fellow Bonnevillians

Ken

theiceman · January 2002

I was doing some research for a friend that brought me here & I thought I'd "pop by" and wish you all the best for '02. Still driving the '00 SLE and still thinking about an SSEi. Problem is, I like the SLE too much and the 0% deal up here didn't include the '02s.

At 20k miles now and have yet to do any of the mods I once was considering. Maybe next summer...

All the best gang! Cheers!

ice

tpken · January 2002

Nice to see you - thanks for saying 'Hi'. Hope you and the MTC gang are enjoying yourselves wherever you disappeared to. Sure do miss your inputs here.

Have a great year.

Ken

davolman · January 2002

I just noticed that someone hit my rear passenger door on my 98 SE, enough to slightly crease the metal. Should I be brave and try and knock this out (without cracking the paint)? If so, how do I get the interior door panel off? Thanks in advance.

tpken · January 2002

The new method of taking out dings and minor dent without having to remove body panels is really great. Dent Wizard is the name of one such franchised repair establishments in the North East - there are certainly others around the country. I've not had to deal with that yet but have heard some good reports about the effectiveness and low cost of these procedures.

Good luck

Ken

smfran · January 2002

Good to hear from Dan. I wish he would stop by more often!

tpken · January 2002

Looks like more changes in store for us here at TH according to the hosts. I see over on the Impala board that the host has indicated we may have to include the car name of the board - in this case the word "Bonneville" in each post. There is apparantly a notice coming out on this later today. More advertising as seen on the top of this page and to the left here, and changes in the chats are already announced. Stay tuned I guess.

Ken

pat · January 2002

That was a tongue-in-cheek response to an earlier poster who had suggested somehow that was now going to be a requirement - I think his message was tongue-in-cheek as well.

You have already noted the "change" which is the addition of the banners at the top of the page and the additional links on the left sidebar. There is a link on the front page to a letter from our Community Manager, Jonah Brown, explaining what's up. I believe it was posted Wednesday evening. http://townhall.edmunds.com/

I made that post earlier Wednesday before the announcement was posted.

Sorry for any misunderstanding, I was just kidding around.

:-)

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

Pontiac Bonneville

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles