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Pontiac GTO

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Comments

  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    mparis, don't panic! but i too doubt that we'll see a next-gen goat from pontiac/holden.
    our GTOs already cost 60 cents per mile to operate. i get 21 mpg all-around and consider that to be "worth it" with current gasoline prices. i do miss the better mpg of my fourth-gen Z28s though! (25 mpg vs the goat's 21 mpg all-around) .
    if gas price doubles to $6 per gallon, that will add another 10 or 20 cents per mile to the GOAT operating cost i suppose.
  • white6white6 Member Posts: 588
    The more things change, the more they stay the same. I remember back in early eighties; no more V8s! Gas is running out; we only have another 5 years or so of oil and then we will all be riding bikes. That was 25 years ago. Gee, none of that came to pass. Not saying the oil is limitless, just wonder why people have to have something to panic about all the time. What will I do if gas costs $5.00 per gallon? Simple: I'll pay it. If you can't afford an extra $50 or $100 a month for gas, then what are you doing driving a $33,000 car in the first place? One simple change to our A4 goats would reduce the cost of operation by 25%: taller gears. Drop in the new 6-speed auto to reduce revs on the highway and, just like that, no gas-guzzler tax. Next gen goat will have technology ours don't to improve efficiency and reduce the effect of high gas prices. And don't kid yourself. GM MUST build as many of these types of cars as possible if they want to stay in business. They got into their present bad condition by building cars people didn't want or couldn't get excited about. Seems to me the way to fix that is to build cars that motivate people to buy them! After all, they have already spent the money to develop the next GTO. I'll go out on a limb and predict that we'll see a production-ready, all-new GTO "concept" at the 2007 Detroit show.
  • ausstarausstar Member Posts: 21
    Hi guys have not been on in a long time, just got back from travels with friends back home in Aus.
    Now im back in action can anyone give me some advice/ best optons for the 04 to 05 exhaust conversion... im thinking of doing like a slp header kit but not sure what cat back works best for the 5.7L.?? Robert not sure if you're still around??
    I love deep rumble and HP not especially loud stupid sound.
    Thanks guys
  • usa2usa2 Member Posts: 14
    Does any 2005-06 GTO owners consume more than 1 quart/ 5000 miles? >1 quart/2000 miles?
  • oldboboldbob Member Posts: 41
    Today put 1qt. First oil in 4000 mi.
  • sssstsssst Member Posts: 21
    Do any of you guys use synthetic oil in your rides? That's all I had in my Cobra. Another question daytime driving lights on our Goats, do we have them? If yes can they be turned off? If not do you know of a rewire to get rid of them... and while we're on it how about the fogs are they independent of the headlights? I don't take delivery until next week.
    Mike
  • oldboboldbob Member Posts: 41
    The GTO comes with syn oil. Daytime lights canbe turned off. If you know the VIN you may be able to go to MYGMLINK.COM and rad the owner's manual on-line.
  • sssstsssst Member Posts: 21
    Thanks oldBob I didn't know that.
    Mike
  • pontmusclepontmuscle Member Posts: 4
    Not only does the GTO come with synth oil, the oil fill cap actually says to use Mobile 1. The fog lights are independent of the headlights. You have to pull out the headlight switch out to activate them (not at all obvious unless you read the manual). BTW I just picked up my '06 and only have around 500 miles on the car so far. Maintaining self-control through the break-in process is hard with all those horses on tap!
  • zq8zq8 Member Posts: 82
    Which color and transmission did you get?
  • pontmusclepontmuscle Member Posts: 4
    Blue with the manual trans. I figured it was time to buy before they quit making them. Its the first really fast car that I've owned for quite a while and the raw power that the big V-8 puts out is very cool- right up there with some of the 60's cars that I built way back when. But unlike the old musclecars my new GTO has creature comforts, a nice sport suspension and gets reasonable enough gas milage to make it a usable daily driver.
  • sssstsssst Member Posts: 21
    I can believe that. When I test drove mine last week I was a bit surprised with the power it packed for a car that heavy. As I said on another forum I do think it would out preform my old 96 SVT Cobra. I chose the Spice Red M6 & 18" wheels. I pick it up this Tue...I'm really excited ... After break-in Cobra hunting I go!
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    as i eyeballed the rear wing wishing it to go away , i noticed there is a CHMSL in the wing and also a CHMSL under the subwoofer under the rear window. it was the first time i noticed there were two CHMSL. do both of these things light up? this reminds me of how GM had to hack a CHMSL onto the 86 vette at the last minute - GM put one outside the rear hatch glass for that one year i think.
  • zq8zq8 Member Posts: 82
    The CHMSL on the hatch started with the 1986 vette, BUT it lasted thru the 1990 models. 1991(except for the ZR1) was the first year it was in the rear cover. The ZR1 lost the hatch light in 1992.
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    even after the long alignment saga and the resulting slight positive camber on front wheels, the left front is still chewing up the inner edge, not wearing the outer edge at all.
  • white6white6 Member Posts: 588
    Hate to say it, but good chance it could be the strut rod bushings. If blown, allows the front wheel to move around; pretty much negates alignment. First mod to any GTO should be a set of poly front strut rod bushings. There is absolutely no down side (other than having to pay for something that Pontiac/Holden should).
  • mparis1mparis1 Member Posts: 107
    hey guys??? what should we do about this problem? what course of action? WHERE IS GURU ROBERT? is there a RECALL ON THE STRUT PROBLEM?
    am i correct in saying that if we see front tire wear we have a problem ?
    is GM AWARE OF THIS?
    SHOULD WE RELACE THE WHEEL/TIRE COMBO TO THE 235/18 SIZE? :confuse:
  • mparis1mparis1 Member Posts: 107
    my 2005 city-driven ...jack rabbit starts/ fun revving GTO uses about one quart every 4,000 miles...no leaks/no excessive temperatures...mostly low speed driving?
    i just live with it???
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    unfortunately until i get a set of 4 new tires i won't be sure if the wear i'm seeing on the fronts is from when they were on the rear, or whether it's new wear. i'm not too pleased about 'experimenting' with tire wear like that, but if i can get 25k out of the factory tires i won't mind buying a new set of 4. car has 17k currently, and there is still some tread depth left on the tire inner edges. not much though.
    re the oil consumption, a quart every 4k miles is not outside the range of "normal" as far as i understand, whether you are talking LT1 LS1 or LS2. my LS2 seems to burn zero oil - longest i've gone between oil change so far is 10k miles. next/now i plan to go 15k since it's the new mobil 1.
  • eliaselias Member Posts: 2,209
    any of you folks try rotating the 17" tires side to side in order to delay the inner edge destruction? i think this would require dismounting/remounting/rebalance at a cost of about $100. tire rack has these tires new for a mere $130. so the cost/benefit of doing the side-to-side rotate on tires that already have ~20k miles on them might not be quite there. i might give it a try though...
  • elkiiielkiii Member Posts: 50
    Yes, they both light up. The CHMSL is mounted in the wing because the wing substantually blocks the one on the rear shelf.
  • elkiiielkiii Member Posts: 50
    GM needs to produce cars that they can sell several hundred thousand a year of and do it profitably. Yes, the GTO can be profitable. But selling 20K to 30K a year does not help much unless the size of your company is designed to survive on these kind of numbers. GM is not.

    This is not about exictement. Its about hitting the mid-market, middle income, car as a toaster type of customer. These are the folks buying all those camrys and accords. If you can't sell these customers profitably then you're dead meat unless you want to be a specialty maker. GM has done that so far with SUVs. And don't confuse the current SUV market with the pickup truck market like the gov't number crunchers like to do. These are vastly different customers. If gas hits $5/gal these SUV folks will be buying even more camrys and accords. The pick up guys will still buy pickups. And GM could be in even more trouble. And car companies in trouble don't have much incentive to produce limited production cars like the GTO.
  • mick1mick1 Member Posts: 84
    Have 2004 GTO from day one every time it rains water fills the bottom channel on the driver side weather stripping and runs into the car wetting the carpet. Also when I open the door after it rains water runs off the weather stripping and out of the car. Had the plastic water shield and also the weather stripping replaced and it didn't help. Anyone have the same problem. I think the car's great except for this big annoyance.
  • cmcmanuscmcmanus Member Posts: 19
    So I've been researching into buying a new GTO (or used rather since I can get one with practically no miles for 10k less). I want an 05 with the LS2. With 400hp stock it's hard to imagine what Pontiac would do to turn that into a judge, i mean how ballsy do you need a car to be? But in 04 they made one.....sort of. The GTO Ram Air 6 was a one off concept that was designed to get a lot of buzz around the concept model during it's debut. The Ram Air 6 was a naturally aspirated 6.4litre V8 with a working ram air hood and custom air intake producing 575hp! (That's more than the most powerful Saleen Mustang GT wich is quad turbo charged @ 550hp)!! It also had an incredibly aggressive look compared to the stock model and the beautiful Judge orange color. Now I'm a fan of the subtle lines that the GTO (Holden/Vauxhaul)has. It's not aggressive like a saleen mustang or new sharp edged Charger. However the 400 raging hormonal horses underneath speak for themselves, even a 5.7 Hemi can't hold up to the raw power of a GTO and a Mustang GT is more like a ponycar in comparasin. I hope like heck the GTO is here to stay, even a Judge version would be great. However if you want your GTO to look more like the beast it is, there are body kits and special hoods out there (even one that has ram air scoops that resemble the classic Judge)to give your humble styled GTO some extra sexy lines. Hey a supercharger would also kick some butt.........you know if you need to race any Ferraris or anything. ;)
  • midwesttradermidwesttrader Member Posts: 291
    A fairly common problem with these cars. Google GTO water leaks and you'll find the info you want.
  • mick1mick1 Member Posts: 84
    Thanks, but I have done that. The fix for this water leak has not been found yet. The pontiac dealer is waiting to hear from GM tech assistance.
  • blackflag3blackflag3 Member Posts: 29
    Gents,
    I've had my 05 GTO since July and have never had a water leak problem of anykind. The car has been trouble free so far. It has the 18 inch wheels so no worry about strut rub.
    This car really honks and the handling is superb.
    I get compliments from young and old alike where ever I go
    and am yet to have anyone say they didn't like the styling.

    Ed in Ohio
  • mitsurobmitsurob Member Posts: 38
    Same here. I've had my 05 since July 05 and no water leaks here either. I always use the high pressure car wash wand and always check afer each wash, since I've heard of water leaks on various forums. No leaks so far. In fact have not had any problems at all and car still drives great.

    Rob in Indiana.
  • blesseuerblesseuer Member Posts: 12
    Ed in Ohio,
    Do you drive the car in the ohio snow? curious on how it handles in snow....thanks.
  • blackflag3blackflag3 Member Posts: 29
    No, the car was kept in the garage this winter.
    Mainly to keep it out of the salt put down on the roads.
    The tires that came on it are not recommended for driving
    in snow. My wife has a 99 Grand Prix that we use for winter driving, going to the store etc. We use the GTO for pleasure driving only.

    Ed in Ohio (Akron Area)
  • 1badgto1badgto Member Posts: 12
    I live in Minnesota and have driven this car, with the original 17 inch tires, in the last 2 Winters. My experience is that it does fine when the snow is relatively "dry" and less that 6 inches deep and the traction control is on. However, when the snow is wet, even an inch or two, the car has very little traction and tends to kick the back end around when going around corners. I have been driving carefully and haven't had an accident...yet. But, because I use it as a daily driver, I will probably be getting snow tires this winter so I can feel a little safer. With snow tires or even all season radials, I really doubt that it would handle any differently than the rear wheel drive vehicles I had in the "olden days" when that is practically all there was on the road. Also, I have an '04 and have had no problems whatsoever with water leakage.
  • coresellercoreseller Member Posts: 40
    FWIW..I have an '04 GTO 6 Speed, live in Ohio and have been through 2 winters with it. Shortly after buying the car I bought an extra set of 17" GTO wheels from a local guy who put aftermarket wheels on his. I mounted dedicated Pirelli snow tires on them and run them mid November through February, the car does fine in the snow with them. I did initially get caught out in snow storms without them twice, I got through them but the snow tires make a huge difference. I'm over 40 and also drove "olden days" cars, it is just a matter of getting use to rear wheel drive again. I also had a '96 Impala SS and ran it 200k for years through the winter without using snow tires, no problems there either. Drive smart and carefully and you'll be fine.....Mark.
  • knightrider1knightrider1 Member Posts: 3
    can anyone give me the addresses to any websites that sell 2005 pontiac gto performance parts. i can hardly find any. and will the parts that fit a corvettes engine fit my gto.
  • sssstsssst Member Posts: 21
    I just picked up my 06 spice red 6M with 18's 3 weeks ago and plan on it being a daily driver winter and summer. I ordered a set of Hakka RSI snow shoes for the beast. From what I've heard and read one of the best winter tires you can get, though a bit pricey. Hey all we had was rear wheel drive back in the 60's. 4X4's were for the most part used only on farms, construction and forestry that is until Bigfoot broke open the monster truck phase. The only American front wheel drive car was the Toronado. With all that muscle in the 60's a good set of snows maybe some chains and a couple sand bags and you were all set.
  • dickcdickc Member Posts: 11
    Just Google:
    Extreme Performance
    T. Byrne
    SLP Performance
    PFYC (Parts For Your car)
    QTP (Quick Time Performance)
    Summit Racing
    BMR Fabrication
    Noltec
    JBA Headers
    Kooks Headers
    Gravana
    Granatelli
    STS (Squires Turbo Systems)
    Magnuson or Magna Charger Superchargers
    ATI ProChargers
    All will lead you to links and you go from there.
    Oh, no, not many Corvette parts will fit your GTO.
  • coresellercoreseller Member Posts: 40
    Thanks for the confirm SSSST. I gotta admit though, not all modern Rear wheel drive cars are easy to run in the snow, years back I had a Vette, near impossible and now I have a late model Mustang Cobra 'Vert which IS impossible in ANY snow condition, I guess it's the shorter wheelbase and lighter weight....Mark.
  • sssstsssst Member Posts: 21
    Yes Mark I know what you mean I had a 96 Cobra black on black coupe and didn't drive it at all from the first sign of snow until all salt was washed from the streets. I had a snow beater then to drive in the winter but not now the goat is going to have to pull double duty. Hopefully the RSI's help. Good luck!
    Mike
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
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    Thanks,
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    Corporate Communications
    Edmunds.com
  • jrk06jrk06 Member Posts: 5
    I recently purchased a 2006 GTO (automatic), and really enjoy the car; however, there is a rattle coming from under the dash (where the steering column comes out from the dash)on the driver's side. I haven't brought is in yet because it doesn't do it constantly; but when it does it is annoying. I am just curious to see if anyone else may have had this problem. Also for anyone who has had there GTO for a while, since much of the cars interior is cloth covered and not plastic, ... has any of the cloth ever pull away when it is extremely hot outside (just curious for the future). Thanks
  • sakinoshsakinosh Member Posts: 34
    Can anybody post some photos of their Cyclone Grey or Spice Red GTO's here? I was pretty set on the Cyclone Grey but have only seen it once in the daylight. I've actually never seen the Spice Red in person... Also, does anybody know how that Spice Red might hold up in the long haul? I'm located in Arizona...and the sun beats down here like mad.

    Thanks :shades:
  • emd567emd567 Member Posts: 15
    I have the cyclone grey. I got the grey because it hides the dirt better, and doesn't scream LOOK AT ME. The red does get noticed, and this alone could be the diff between a ticket, and not getting a ticket.
    The Grey does have a lot of blue, and the car will change color, depending on the light conditions.
  • roadrunner70roadrunner70 Member Posts: 241
    this may be the same rattle sound: there was a cable under the dash, just above the left kick panel which made an annoying sound. it was loose and needed to be tied up with some other cables. problem solved. rr70
  • 1badgto1badgto Member Posts: 12
    I have had my Black on Black 2004 GTO for almost 2 years. It has only been above 100 degress a couple of times here in Minnesota but it routinely gets to around 95 degrees. It sits outside in the sun at work all day and I have not noticed the cloth pull away at all. I have also never experienced any water leakage, strut rub(17 inch tires) or rattles. Overall it has been a well built vehicle.
  • dickcdickc Member Posts: 11
    I love my car. Very simply though, I suggest GM now move to build a new current-day high-techie, truly retro looking GTO on the new zeta platform around a true LS7, or even 6.5 liter (ala,1968-69), or even do like I did - but as an OEM - add a "Maggie" to the current LS2 and tweek it to a full 500-550 HP for under, repeat under, $36,000. They can do it and even have it out by fall 2009 if they want to really sell cars, stay competitive and jolt their image skyward.

    Now, my challenge to all of you forum jockies is to add your real, truly serious suggestions to build this classic looking GTO, but, I do mean with all seriousness and no BS, so we might actually pass it on to GM in a few weeks. They are apparently truly struggling with what to do about their muscle car future. Let's lead all future muscle with a "Goat"!
  • jrk06jrk06 Member Posts: 5
    Thank you for your response! I plan on bringing it in soon to have the rattle checked out. Hopefully it is an easy fix. Thanks, jrk06
  • jrk06jrk06 Member Posts: 5
    Thanks for the response, it's good to know that the cloth holds up against the heat. Thanks jrk06
  • lovegtolovegto Member Posts: 23
    Because of the potential strut issue with the 17" tires on the GTO, I was considering buying 18" wheels and 18" tires when my oem tires wear out. Since I already have 17" snow tires I would just keep each set of tires separately mounted. My mechanic says that if I change tire sizes sometimes the car's computer needs recalibrated for optimum performance. Does anyone know if this is true for the GTO as I would hate to have to have a recalibration twice a year.
  • white6white6 Member Posts: 588
    The key is to stay with a tire that is the same diameter as what came on the car. Going to 18-inch wheels (which is what comes on the Monaro) the correct tire size is 235-40-18. If you stick with this tire size, you don't have to worry about "recalibrating the computer."
  • jtacojtaco Member Posts: 7
    I apologize in advance for these ignorant questions (I was considering getting the 2005 automatic; I know purists prefer manual, so...sorry about that, too):

    1) can throttle control in the automatic be easily turned off...I'm assuming this gives you maximum off-the-line performance when off? Or would you just end-up fish-tailing?

    2) I heard its ok (and a good idea for max performance) with the automatic to wind through drive1, 2, etc., and ok to take it down to these lower gears, say when merging onto a highway? Can the transmission handle this regularly over time? The car also has built-in protection if improper gear-shifting would lead to a severe red-line condition?

    Thanks,
    John
  • jtacojtaco Member Posts: 7
    (not throttle control...doh; I meant "traction control")

    I apologize in advance for these ignorant questions (I was considering getting the 2005 automatic; I know purists prefer manual, so...sorry about that, too):

    1) can TRACTION control in the automatic be easily turned off...I'm assuming this gives you maximum off-the-line performance when off? Or would you just end-up fish-tailing?

    2) I heard its ok (and a good idea for max performance) with the automatic to wind through drive1, 2, etc., and ok to take it down to these lower gears, say when merging onto a highway? Can the transmission handle this regularly over time? The car also has built-in protection if improper gear-shifting would lead to a severe red-line condition?

    Thanks,
    John
This discussion has been closed.