The New Pontiac G8

[Dave]

To me, a V6 just doesn't have the grunt to pass safely. I despise front-wheel-drive, also.

P.S. I'm a weirdo too.

I've never been a fan of FWD either and love V-8's.
My TL-S has 285hp transverse 6. It gets out of its own way pretty good in passing situations and I hardly ever notice the traction control kicking in on quick launches.

The suspension is pretty tight. Car doesn't unsettle easily either despite the horrid F/R weight ratio.

 

[Sharky]

I've never been a fan of FWD either and love V-8's.
My TL-S has 285hp transverse 6. It gets out of its own way pretty good in passing situations and I hardly ever notice the traction control kicking in on quick launches.

The suspension is pretty tight. Car doesn't unsettle easily either despite the horrid F/R weight ratio.

The TL-S is a very nice car. With 285 hp, passing should not be a problem.

I should have said I despise American FWD, because the Japanese seem to have done a better job controlling torque steer (according to Car and Driver magazine, not personal experience), which is the primary reason I don't like FWD.

My Grand Marquis is a 2003 LS, which has the new suspension design. Older buyers tend to dislike the firmer ride, which is remarkably firm for a "luxury" car. But it didn't have enough roll control to satisfy me, so I installed Addco larger diameter anti-sway bars front and rear and stiffer shocks and springs, which changed the handling significantly for the better. It now corners more like a sports sedan and less like 4200 lb. car.

 

[chcr]

There aren't many SUVs that get 24 mpg (avg.), which is what my Grand Marquis gets, with a V8 engine. I gotta have a V8 - most of the roads around here are 2-lane 55 mph highways and you have to do a lot of passing, unless you want to be stuck behind a Q-tip doing exactly the speed limit. To me, a V6 just doesn't have the grunt to pass safely. I despise front-wheel-drive, also.

P.S. I'm a weirdo too.

All passing in a V6 (or a 4 for that matter) requires is a willingness to shift it yourself and wind it up. Most modern V6s make comparable horsepower to modern V8s, just higher in the rev range. For torque though, there's no substitute for displacement (although even there, number of cylinders isn't as important as cubic inches). Re front wheel driving (I assume we're talking at or near the limit of traction, for most drivers in most conditions there's no noticeable difference), it's just another acquired skill like driving a rear wheel drive car the same way. You can learn how.

 

[GrandCaravanSE]

The idea of big car is to waste money for sure, but if you a a bigger person like me it is to say the least extremly hard to get into and out of an compact car. not to mention that the seats don't go back far enough. that red one that i posted is pretty sweet, it is the rapper 50cent's car it was givin to him just aslong as he had it customized by Unique Auto Sports. from the factory that version has some 500+ horespower. the one that we can buy have only 250+ horse power. If i was to haul a family around i would have to say that a mini van like my own would be better because of the room provided. the reason i like the car is because of the mix in styling the Flared tire sides, the boxey front, and just the all around look of it.

 

[chcr]

The idea of big car is to waste money for sure, but if you a a bigger person like me it is to say the least extremly hard to get into and out of an compact car. not to mention that the seats don't go back far enough. that red one that i posted is pretty sweet, it is the rapper 50cent's car it was givin to him just aslong as he had it customized by Unique Auto Sports. from the factory that version has some 500+ horespower. the one that we can buy have only 250+ horse power. If i was to haul a family around i would have to say that a mini van like my own would be better because of the room provided. the reason i like the car is because of the mix in styling the Flared tire sides, the boxey front, and just the all around look of it.

In the ad maybe, not on a dynamometer.

 

[GrandCaravanSE]

In the ad maybe, not on a dynamometer.

I am almost sure on the show he said 500+ horespower but i will double check for you.

 

[Professur]

Where FW/RW drive is concerned .... there's a whole lot of difference when you get into bad weather driving. Personally, I know for a fact that FWD is superior in winter driving if all other factors are equal. You can literally pull yourself out of a skid with it ... if you know what you're doing. You can't do that with a RWD. Getting out of a skid with a RWD takes a great deal more talent and luck. All other factors, however, are seldom equal. Careful addition of weight behind the rear axle of a RWD makes all the difference. My personal best pick in this catagory was my old Subaru. In two wheel drive, the front wheels got power. But at the press of a button, 4wd on demand. Seldom needed it, but it sure made life easier when I did.

 

[GrandCaravanSE]

50 Cent's modified Pontiac G8 is on display at the SEMA show this year. 50 Cent's Pontiac G8 was built by Unique Autosports owned by Will Castro. This modified Pontiac G8 is powered by an LSX 427 engine dyno-tested to more than 500 horsepower.

link

 

[GrandCaravanSE]

Where FW/RW drive is concerned .... there's a whole lot of difference when you get into bad weather driving. Personally, I know for a fact that FWD is superior in winter driving if all other factors are equal. You can literally pull yourself out of a skid with it ... if you know what you're doing. You can't do that with a RWD. Getting out of a skid with a RWD takes a great deal more talent and luck. All other factors, however, are seldom equal. Careful addition of weight behind the rear axle of a RWD makes all the difference. My personal best pick in this catagory was my old Subaru. In two wheel drive, the front wheels got power. But at the press of a button, 4wd on demand. Seldom needed it, but it sure made life easier when I did.

your minivan is FWD Right? i know mine is it is great in the snow.

 

[Dave]

Where FW/RW drive is concerned .... there's a whole lot of difference when you get into bad weather driving. Personally, I know for a fact that FWD is superior in winter driving if all other factors are equal. You can literally pull yourself out of a skid with it ... if you know what you're doing. You can't do that with a RWD. Getting out of a skid with a RWD takes a great deal more talent and luck. All other factors, however, are seldom equal. Careful addition of weight behind the rear axle of a RWD makes all the difference. My personal best pick in this catagory was my old Subaru. In two wheel drive, the front wheels got power. But at the press of a button, 4wd on demand. Seldom needed it, but it sure made life easier when I did.

Yeah but RWD is sooooo much more fun in empty parking lots.

I loved the AWD on the Subie I used to own. That car was unbelievably sure footed in every weather condition.

 

[chcr]

I am almost sure on the show he said 500+ horespower but i will double check for you.

Ahh, a modified engine. I didn't realize, I thought that was advertised horsepower.

 

[Nixy]

your minivan is FWD Right? i know mine is it is great in the snow.

My mom had a Caravan, that thing was a disaster in the snow...so was her older Caravan before that. The old one is the only vehicle my mom ever end up spinning in (on an empty highway thankfully or it would have been bad, she ende dup facing the wrong way). The newer one she had is the only vehicle I ever almost put into a snow bank. I didn't put it in the snow bank, I was able to recover, but it was close. Her Cavalier, although crap in the snow even with the snow tires (which make it better but still crap), is even better than the Caravan. That said, my Pursuit is far superior to her Cavalier in snow and rain. I know they're very very similar cars but some of the slight changes make all the difference in the world.

 

[catocom]

Does it run on food scraps, or water??? No.
I ain't buyin'

 

[Professur]

GC, I'm not looking forward to putting this whale through it's paces. I don't even like it's handling on clear pavement. My Transport was a far superior minivan.

Nix, your car and the cavalier might be in the same weight class, but that's where all the comparisons end. Yours has a far more advanced suspension, better tires, and likely a better driver to boot. Plus I expect the cavalier out weighs yours by a few hundred pounds.

don't forget, I hammered a `89 colt pretty much everywhere you could take a car and back. City slush, country back roads, ice, sleet, mud, you name it. Any car with a skilled driver can perform well in those conditions, but the issue is simply how much work is involved in getting there in one piece. You might remember that I 360'ed that very same car across three lanes of highway 15, pulled it out and kept right on going. On that very same highway, year earlier, my dad, and equally skilled driver, put his `66 Malibu into a snowbank. For the record, he got it back out, and continued driving ... something my colt never could have done. My colt had advantages his Malibu didn't, his had advantages over mine. I dare say that Dad, who grew up on RWD probably couldn't have pulled out of the 360 like I did, and I likely never could have gotten his Malibu outta that snowbank. Different cars, different skill sets ... all add up.

 

[POStech]

Where FW/RW drive is concerned .... there's a whole lot of difference when you get into bad weather driving. Personally, I know for a fact that FWD is superior in winter driving if all other factors are equal. You can literally pull yourself out of a skid with it ... if you know what you're doing. You can't do that with a RWD. Getting out of a skid with a RWD takes a great deal more talent and luck. All other factors, however, are seldom equal. Careful addition of weight behind the rear axle of a RWD makes all the difference. My personal best pick in this catagory was my old Subaru. In two wheel drive, the front wheels got power. But at the press of a button, 4wd on demand. Seldom needed it, but it sure made life easier when I did.

What he said. My wife's car is so much better in the snow. I've been driving RWD for 12 years straight and I'm use to handing it in bad weather plus it's easier to donuts in my car.

 

[GrandCaravanSE]

Ahh, a modified engine. I didn't realize, I thought that was advertised horsepower.

I know that it is modified but it is from the factory like that, so it is factory mods.

My mom had a Caravan, that thing was a disaster in the snow...so was her older Caravan before that. The old one is the only vehicle my mom ever end up spinning in (on an empty highway thankfully or it would have been bad, she ende dup facing the wrong way). The newer one she had is the only vehicle I ever almost put into a snow bank. I didn't put it in the snow bank, I was able to recover, but it was close. Her Cavalier, although crap in the snow even with the snow tires (which make it better but still crap), is even better than the Caravan. That said, my Pursuit is far superior to her Cavalier in snow and rain. I know they're very very similar cars but some of the slight changes make all the difference in the world.

Well i am used to my minivan and because all of the weight is on top of the power wheels it gets great traction, granted it does slid a little but the rear end never kicks out on me. but on the other hand i don't drive 50 to 60 mph down my roads around here.

 

[Altron]

One time I got sideways in the Olds. I was in Philly, and it was in the morning, and there was a high building to the east of me, so the road was all iced over.

BTW - I sold the Olds with 150k. the Maxima is climbing up there.... 142k right now. The VQ still pulls like a mutha all the way to redline. I'm pretty sure I need new motor mounts, but it's expensive.

 

[Nixy]

Nix, your car and the cavalier might be in the same weight class, but that's where all the comparisons end. Yours has a far more advanced suspension, better tires, and likely a better driver to boot. Plus I expect the cavalier out weighs yours by a few hundred pounds.

Well, you may be right regarding the car comparisons but in terms of one having a better driver...I was comparing their handling with me driving both of them. Last winter was the first time my mom had snow tires so the comparison is coming from me driving my car with snow tires last winter (have the snow tires on again this year but haven't had any bad weather yet really) and me driving my mom's car last march when I was in Ontario...so, there should be no driver variance and her snow tires are good tires too.

 

[Sharky]

All passing in a V6 (or a 4 for that matter) requires is a willingness to shift it yourself and wind it up. Most modern V6s make comparable horsepower to modern V8s, just higher in the rev range. For torque though, there's no substitute for displacement (although even there, number of cylinders isn't as important as cubic inches). Re front wheel driving (I assume we're talking at or near the limit of traction, for most drivers in most conditions there's no noticeable difference), it's just another acquired skill like driving a rear wheel drive car the same way. You can learn how.

The thing I don't like about FWD is the torque steer. Before I bought my Grand Marquis I test drove a Cadillac STS, which has a powerful V8 and FWD. It was a much nicer car at the same price, but I didn't buy it because it just got too squirrely from a standstill with heavy acceleration, and I'm a notorious leadfoot.

 

[Luis G]

In the ad maybe, not on a dynamometer.

And I thought you only needed to bump the car to 6000rpm, use special fuel, be at sea level and meet a bunch of other requirements to squeeze the advertised power