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2008 Pontiac G8
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At times this town dumps more salt than there is snow on the ground...
Robert: do you work for Quad?
-Brian
don't rule out a 500+ hp. motor in a HSV like version of the G8, as I was only quoting a leak from GM, gathered by Motor Trend.
Rocky
FoaF works for GM and has spilled the beans about the ZL-1 name for the "Blue Devil" Vette awhile ago. He also told me about the LS3/LS9/LSA a long time ago. No LS7 for the G8 - would make it > $50k, since that motor is hand-built. Expect Pontiac to target the Charger SRT-8 cars with the G8 GXP (the G8 GT compares well, feature-wise, to the Charger R/T), but to undercut them slightly in pricing. You might see some HSV body panels/pieces/parts on the GXP (maybe the concept's wheels?)...
Lots of people griping about the G8 having "only" 362 hp stock, compared to the 400 HP in the LS2-powered GTO.
However, this doesn't take into account:
a) the L76 motor (with DoD/AFM, the 6-speed auto tranny, and tuned for regular gas) gets no gas guzzler tax.
b) the L76 uses LS7-style heads
c) with a cam + upgraded springs + 93-octane tune, expect 450-500 hp. Like the L92, the L76 is going to take to modifications EXTREMELY well... undoubtedly the LS3 will share some of these characteristics...
--Robert
doesn't work for Quad/Graphics
Source?
Though I believe you’ll be proven correct, I’d be very surprised if official EPA numbers were released by GM much before the MSRP numbers . . . And I don’t expect to see those much before cars hit dealer lots. Though rumors abound.
. . .
“c) with a cam + upgraded springs + 93-octane tune, expect 450-500 hp. Like the L92, the L76 is going to take to modifications EXTREMELY well... undoubtedly the LS3 will share some of these characteristics...”
During the period of my ownership of a 2005 Grand Prix GXP, my distinct impression was that the 5.3L LS4 V8 w/DoD did not seem to be easy to modify, from the standpoint of things like cams & related components. Because of the DoD related ‘stuff’.
( Last I knew, there was still very little in that realm available for the LS4 – but I have been out of the GXP for 6 months or so now, so that could have changed. )
But more to the point, for the “average buyer”, my sense is that the actual ‘stock’ Torque delivery and the first gear [times] final drive ratio will be what people perceive as HP. And the acceleration of the ‘stock’ L76 w/6L80 will likely be ‘sufficient’ for most potential buyers. Possibly even for me. Regardless of rated HP.
We’ll see – in a while.
- Ray
Waiting ( oh, so ) patiently . . .
I think it's quite high. Sure they get leaks that are wrong because economics and the car business can change so much in 2 0r 3 years time but I think they get more right than wrong.
Rocky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qu1gfe3g4Q
-Rocky
The M45 seems to typically posts mid to high 13s, with ( obviously ) their 5 speed automatic trans. Partly due to pretty aggressive gearing. No manual trans. available.
The 550i C+D test shows 13.7 at 104 – with a 6 speed automatic. On a day when they recorded an M45 Sport at 14.5 @ 100. And that is the slowest ( least quick ) time I recall seeing for the M45 since the initial flurry of tests at introduction time . . . And R&T tested the 545i at 13.7 \ 104 a while back.
The HP \ TQ ratings for the M45’s V8 are: 335 \ 340. ( Premium )
The G8 is 362 \ 391. ( Regular )
With a bit less weight, but also with substantially less aggressive final drive gearing, I wonder what the actual, independent test numbers for the G8 will finally be. The 6L80 does provide a reasonable overall first gear ratio ( 2.92 final times 4.03 first gear = 11.76 to 1 ) but the M45 overall is even more aggressive, at 12.87 to 1. Hmm. And second for the M is 2.37 and 7.96 overall – vs the G8’s second gear of 2.36, but 6.89 overall.
My guess, based on all this ( certainly does not qualify as real ‘analysis’ ) is that the G8 GT \ V8 with automatic will end up posting similar but a not quite as quick numbers to the M45 for 0-60 & the quarter mile.
The G8 looks to be 14 flat-ish with the 6 speed manual.
So – anyway, automatic to automatic, my ** GUESS ** is that the G8 will likely be a low 14s sedan. Not quite as quick as either the M45 or the BMW 550i, I’d estimate. Weight & gearing will conspire against that. Though the gearing in the G8 w/6L80 ought to provide a healthy dose of the ( relatively ) low RPM at cruise that I prefer – particularly compared to the M45 with the Infiniti’s 5 speed automatic . . .
- Ray
Wondering when actual (pre-)production examples will first be provided to the Press . . .
I have not been here for a while,busy,footy season and been interstate.
Below is a link to the car I'm buying, the only bummer is I have to drive 1800 km to get it, and 1800 km back.
Still, it will be good to see how she goes on the highways.
http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars/dealer/HOLDEN/COMMODORE/details.aspx?__Ns=pCar_Odometer_Single|0||pCar_StatusSort_Int32|1||pCar_Price_Decimal|0&Make=HOLDEN&__Nne=20&R=813024&state_id=0&__No=60&__N=4294965857 0 4294965745 4294932735 834 285 258 287&distance=500&trecs=98&Model=COMMODORE&__sid=1130D2ADA7C2&sort_type=9&silo=1000&Cr=9&seot=0&State=All States
Sorry about the link above not working.
That's because I bought the car and it's now off the net.
Got myself an '04 VZ SS Commodore sedan in blue.
Beautiful to drive and goes like hell too, 0 to 60 mph in
5.9 secs.
And I have not done anything to it yet, thats coming ;-)
To the goss mate,
HSV want a part of the action over there, my guess is that HSV's will become available to you next year.
Now, the big goss is this,
HSV have just announced a new car called the HSV GTS-R.
This baby has the LS7 motor mated to the T56 MM6 box.
You may say that this is the same running gear as the Vette ZO6.
You would be right.
But the HSV version puts out 385 kws(531hp) vs the Vette's 377.
They are starting with a limited run of these, but are already taking orders for them.
The future is looking bright for you mate.
-mike
Or do you mean you saw a Holden Commodore?
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
http://g8gt.com/t838/
Twitter: @Edmunds_Test
maybe I'm just paranoid.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Twitter: @Edmunds_Test
I'd like to see this interior you speak of. You are right, it sounds horrible. LOL.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
The car is more 5-series sized than 3-series, the proportions just make it look smaller (interior room is between the Grand Prix and the Bonneville, so it is not a small car). I haven't seen a "naked" L76 engine with the turtle-shell engine cover removed, so I'll reserve judgement on ow accessible the motor/plugs/etc. are until I do that.
The grey G8 was at the GTOAA NAtionals in Columbus last month... I took a ton of pictures which I'll make into a gallery and link up here sometime in the next day or so...
Nice. Looking forward to it.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
".. VE Commodore 6.0 V8 engine "
Probably NOT the L76 version - but likely very similar..??
http://www.g8board.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4983#post4983
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
http://www.hammen.net/2007GTOAANatsG8/
I still gotta wait to see it in person. So far all pics I've seen just don't excite me. But the engine does!
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
I also think that the red G8 looks much, much better than the grey (but, IMHO, the Commodore SS front fascia/scoopless hood looks better still than the G8. If only you didn't have to change both pieces, I would probably do a Commodore conversion when I get my G8...
I have the gunmetal gray on my '04 Bonny GXP. I'm anxious to see what colors will be available on the G8. My Pontiac dealer's GM is a neighbor and good friend, and about three months ago he told me to just pick out what color I want and he'll order one for me, fully loaded of course. I saw the pix of the car in the metallic red, and thought that was nice. It depends on what interior colors are offered too. We shall see!
http://www.gmfleet.com/pdf/2008_car_and_truck_guide.pdf
p38
Twitter: @Edmunds_Test
Latest I have seen:
Trim:
Onyx Cloth
Onyx Leather
Onyx/Red Cloth
Onyx/Red Leather
- Ray
Wondering what quality cloth GM will choose . . .
I have the two-tone dark gray leather with the light gray ultrasuede inserts in the Bonny GXP, and the neutral cashmere in my '03 Olds Aurora. I prefer the lighter colored interior, but I guess I'll "suffer" with the Onyx/Red leather for the G8. But I wonder how that would look with a blue exterior? I'm not keen on black, but I'll defer to the GM when he orders--I've not been disappointed yet.
I did have a 2005 GXP. ( Early build. ) And I did have the trans. replaced.
I now have a 2007 Corvette with ( essentially ) the same automatic trans. that will be in the 2008 G8 GTs = the 6L80.
Interesting ( and annoying ) to me that the trans. in my Corvette experienced a failure also. Now I hasten to add here: I do ** NOT ** in any way abuse my vehicles. Ever. Not that I don’t accelerate quickly, etc. – but I do not indulge in anything anyone cold term ‘ abuse’.
Yet - after many, many years of driving automatics with absolutely no issues or repairs required, 2 consecutive GM vehicles have had major transmission issues – each within the first 12,000 miles.
A few details may be of interest to those here ( and on-topic, given the G8 V8’s trans will be so similar ) regarding my Corvette’s failure:
My 2007 Coupe had been near perfect in over 10,500 miles ( 7 months of Daily Driver \ commuter duty, as well as a couple of longer trips ) but I began to encounter a problem that seriously concerned me:
On acceleration, at shift points, the RPM would rise significantly as an upshift executes. [ flare? ] Sounded \ felt to me ( not a trans. engineer ) like the trans. was slipping.
This had happened to me, to a lesser degree, every once in a while over the past few months – say once a week or so. But one day, driving to lunch, it happened on something approaching half of all the shifts.
Did not seem to matter if it was in “S” w/paddles active ( as I typically drive ) just “S” shifting for itself, or “D”. Accelerator position seemed not to be a factor.
It happened as I drove out of my work parking lot, after sitting for over 4 hours – thus the trans. was as cool as it will be in 80+ degree weather. The trans. temp typically tops out at 207 on the stop-n-go portion of my commute home, and it did not seem any worse ( or any better ) on that drive than earlier when the trans. was cooler.
Once in any gear, things seem fine. Meaning: The TCC unlock \ lockup appears to be working fine & downshifts appeared unaffected – no unexpected RPM fluctuations. Though it was still intermittent, I called my dealer and scheduled an appointment for the next Monday.
A couple of days later ( a Saturday, of course ), after a couple of apparent shift attempts with long neutral between gears, the trans. stuck in second gear. And the CEL lit, at the same time. ( I was afraid that before the end of that drive, I might end up with a ‘box “full of neutrals” . . . ) Parked it.
On Monday AM, after another few shift problems, the trans. locked in third gear – and I continued directly to my Dealer.
I stuck to relatively rural roads, kept my speed under about 50 ( about 2,500 RPM ) and made it without further incident to my Dealer. But not much fun.
When I received the car back ( after a week ) it shifted as new.
Some details \ specific from the Repair Order:
CAUSE: P0700 P2724 P2715
PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID #5 STUCK ON
K6562 REPLACE TCM AND REPROGRAM PCM
1 24238968 VALVE ASM, CONT SOL
1 24236927 F-SEAL KIT
1 24236931 F-FILTER KIT
7 FLUID
FC: 180FA
PART#: 24238968
COUT: 10
OBD II Codes:
P0700 - Transmission Control System Malfunction
P0700 Transmission Control System (MIL Request)
P2724 Pressure Control Solenoid "E" Stuck On
P2715 Pressure Control Solenoid "D" Stuck On
. . . from a couple of Web sources . . .
It took 5 business days for all the parts to arrive – and less than an hour on a lift for the actual repair.
This was particularly annoying to me, since I had waited for a 2007 – after the 6 speed automatic trans was introduced for model year 2006 on the Corvette – specifically hoping that any potential issues with the transmission would be resolved, before mine was built.
[[ sigh ]]
Yet the G8 V8 ( another GM product, with virtually the same trans. that failed on me a couple of months ago ) remains at or near the top of my list as a possible replacement for the Corvette – when that time comes . . .
- Ray
Not necessarily always ( ever? ) logical – when it comes to cars . . .
I would worry if you were I don't think many "logical" people hang on these boards. That's what makes it so fun.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S
Date posted: 08-02-2007
DETROIT — General Motors revealed details of what's to come with the new Pontiac G8 performance sedan this week, saying the lineup will "offer a V6-powered base model and a V8-equipped GT model." The Pontiac G8 is the automaker's first North American application of GM's new global rear-wheel-drive architecture. It will arrive in showrooms in January.
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=121950
- Ray
Who had hoped to test drive one a little earlier.....
Twitter: @Edmunds_Test
"The G8 GT is powered by a uniquely configured 6.0L small-block V-8, rated at 362 horsepower (270 kW) and 391 lb.-ft. of torque (530 Nm). A six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode is standard and features the fuel-saving Active Fuel Management system, which enhances fuel economy by alternating between eight- and four-cylinder power. An optional six-speed manual transmission will be available soon after launch."
http://media.gm.com/us/gm/en/news/events/autoshows/07chicago/brands/pontiac/inde- x.html