Pontiac G8 to change brands

[Xasthur]

According to Bob Lutz, GM has decided that the G8 is too good to discontinue. It will be rebadged with new front and rear clips and sold as the Chevy Caprice beginning with the 2011 model year. I'd vote for a better name....

Oh yaaayyyyyyyy.

Now the retards in Australia who put Chevy badges on their Holdens will actually think they have a reason to do it.

*face palm*

I don't know what it is about Holden drivers that makes so many of them complete dorks.



....Maybe it's because they can't win a race in the V8 series. Hahaha.

[Xasthur]

I'm glad to hear that the G8 is going stick around in the States.  The engine/chassis combo is a wonderful combination and a pleasure to drive.  My only beef with it is that they've built a 5 series competitor and equipped the interior with plastic.  If they could stick some leather around and smooth out the console it would be absolutely world class.  Looking forward to driving another one of these things

I'm a Ford man but I can also say that I'm glad to hear that our car isn't dying with Pontiac.

With any luck, Chevy won't ugly it up as much Pontiac did.

Having said that, the HSV version of the VE Commodore is ugly as bag full of smashed bums too, so they're fighting an uphill battle.

The VE SS looks pretty good... but HSV butchered it.


What you Yanks really need is for Ford US to grab this:

FPV GS 302

302 kw... $54k AUD

I don't know about the wheels they chose... they look a bit crappy... and so do the door stickers, if I'm honest... but a good car.

Half the engine is US anyway, it's a BOSS 5.4L V8







In reality, though, what you guys really need is the Ford XR6 Turbo

Great fuel economy, well balanced.... and it's actually faster than the V8.




I'm stunned that Ford hasn't hooked up a similar deal to that of Holden and Pontiac/Chevy.

Actually, I'm not stunned, Ford wouldn't know a good idea if it punched them in the face... They make good stuff... but don't know how to sell it.

[SIK1]

Ford is advertising a twin turbo V6 Fusion here, so it looks like we do have a version of the XR6 turbo.

I'm sure when GM gets to work on the G6 they will ugly it right up like the rest of their line-up.

[hubsonfire]

I'd like to see Pontiac and Chevy replaced completely by Holden. And the Falcons show up as is in LHD trim. We've got enough bloated UAVs and minivans. How about some real cars?

[Grayeagle]

We've got enough bloated UAVs and minivans. How about some real cars?

Amen.

[Bronk]

I'm all for Aussie fast Fords pls.

[RightF00T]

I've seen the G8s on the road...and damn those are some mean lookin cars...I want one.

[eagl]

I've seen the G8s on the road...and damn those are some mean lookin cars...I want one.

If you get one, make darn sure you test drive it and watch the steering wheel for any hint of wobbling above 40 mph or while braking.  Some cars have fairly severe steering wheel wobble and the dealers can't do anything about it but endlessly replace the front tires and re-balance them.  A really good road force balance will make it a lot better but it won't go away entirely and it comes back after a few hundred miles.

Some G8s don't have the wobble at all and they're fine.  But the ones with the wobble...  Do not purchase a G8 with the steering wheel wobble under any circumstance, no matter how good of a deal you get.  The only exception is if you plan on doing a complete suspension upgrade anyhow, in which case find the cheapest wobbliest G8 you can find   Some guys who do suspension upgrades find that the wobble is gone after they replace a bunch of stuff like tie rods and all the front end bushings.  Some have had success with simply putting cadillac CTS wheels on the car.  But there isn't any sure cure and GM doesn't have a clue.

[-tronski-]

I don't know what it is about Holden drivers that makes so many of them complete dorks.



....Maybe it's because they can't win a race in the V8 series. Hahaha.

Todd Kelly, and Will Davison!

With any luck, Chevy won't ugly it up as much Pontiac did.

Having said that, the HSV version of the VE Commodore is ugly as bag full of smashed bums too, so they're fighting an uphill battle.

The VE SS looks pretty good... but HSV butchered it.

Actually, I'm not stunned, Ford wouldn't know a good idea if it punched them in the face... They make good stuff... but don't know how to sell it.

I prefer the SS as well...far cleaner

If you get one, make darn sure you test drive it and watch the steering wheel for any hint of wobbling above 40 mph or while braking.  Some cars have fairly severe steering wheel wobble and the dealers can't do anything about it but endlessly replace the front tires and re-balance them.  A really good road force balance will make it a lot better but it won't go away entirely and it comes back after a few hundred miles.

Some G8s don't have the wobble at all and they're fine.  But the ones with the wobble...  Do not purchase a G8 with the steering wheel wobble under any circumstance, no matter how good of a deal you get.  The only exception is if you plan on doing a complete suspension upgrade anyhow, in which case find the cheapest wobbliest G8 you can find   Some guys who do suspension upgrades find that the wobble is gone after they replace a bunch of stuff like tie rods and all the front end bushings.  Some have had success with simply putting cadillac CTS wheels on the car.  But there isn't any sure cure and GM doesn't have a clue.

 Probably because the steering wheel is on the wrong side 

 Tronsky

[phatzo]

I'd like to see Pontiac and Chevy replaced completely by Holden. And the Falcons show up as is in LHD trim. We've got enough bloated UAVs and minivans. How about some real cars?

many Aussies would get a big kick out of that. When they ran Gold Coast Indy, at the start of the V8 supercar race all of the Indy Car drivers would race to pit wall just to hear the beautiful music. A more down to earth class of racing here is the V8 Brutes based on a similar Ford V Holden campaign but with showroom type vehicles and they're utes (truck or utility vehicle).

[bongaroo]

My first car was a 1985 Chevy Caprice Classic.  That thing was a boat and it was awesome.

[TequilaChaser]

It was replaced in mid 1965 by the 396/425 which is much rarer than the 409/425 because in the 1966 model year the bhp was dropped from 425bhp to 325/350/360/375bhp, depending on the vehicle. After that short run in 1965 the 396cid from the factory never exceeded 375bhp. You can look up the serial numbers.

True to Fact........... I sold my factory 396cid/375hp Turbojet  1966 Chevy Caprice lil over a year ago, that had a Dealership installed 4-Speed option, with all original paperwork, including the buildsheet that was tucked in under the wireframing of the bottom of the front driver seat......they did such a great job, you would have sworn it came from the factory as a 4-speed...... although it was an automatic at birth..........

Until late 68, the 360 and 375 engines only came with a 4 speed manual transmission.

the 1966 Caprice 396/375 was only available from factory as Automatic, as best as I can remember from my research, the 1966 Impala (Impala SS) 396/375 versions came available with the 4-speed from factory....

[Captain Virgil Hilts]

True to Fact........... I sold my factory 396cid/375hp Turbojet  1966 Chevy Caprice lil over a year ago, that had a Dealership installed 4-Speed option, with all original paperwork, including the buildsheet that was tucked in under the wireframing of the bottom of the front driver seat......they did such a great job, you would have sworn it came from the factory as a 4-speed...... although it was an automatic at birth..........

the 1966 Caprice 396/375 was only available from factory as Automatic, as best as I can remember from my research, the 1966 Impala (Impala SS) 396/375 versions came available with the 4-speed from factory....

According to Chevrolet, they did not install the solid lifter engines in cars with automatic transmissions until some time in 1968. All of the 375HP engines had solid lifters. As did the 425HP 427 engines. Now, a quick look at the NHRA Stock Car Classification Guide shows that Chevrolet claims to have not installed any 396/375 engines in any cars with automatic transmissions until 1968. The reason that is important is that in order to submit a car to that guide and have it accepted, there had to be at least 50 of them built. There were a few odd cars that got out. We had a 69 Impala SS Custom, not only did it have a 396/375 engine, which is not in the guide, but it also had air conditioning, and Chevrolet claimed they did not install engines with solid lifters in cars with air conditioning, the reason being that the air conditioner compressor could not withstand the RPM.

Chevrolet does not even list a 396/375 big car in their guide after 1965, claiming they built big cars with only lower HP 396 engines, and two different 427 engines, a 390HP and a 425HP, and that the solid lifter 427/425HP came only with a 4 speed. That means that any car that did not conform to that spec was an oddball, and less than 50 were built that way.

If you knew the right person, at the right dealer, you could often get things that were not on the list. You did not even need a COPO, just the right person filing the order with the RPO desired. So again, there are cars that do not conform to the paperwork Chevrolet submitted, they're just rare.

[Xasthur]

Some G8s don't have the wobble at all and they're fine.  But the ones with the wobble... 

What the hell are you Yanks doing to our cars!? Haha.

Before I had my licence, my father used to work for Holden, so I learnt to drive in all the brand new Holdens.

My first manual was a Monaro (Pontiac GTO) and the first car I broke the speed limit in was the 2003 Aus equivalent of the G8.

(I must add that I do not condone, encourage or support breaking the road rules... I've never lost a point on my licence in 6 years of driving... those V8s were just so bloody fast that you were at 120km before you knew it)

Back to the point, I have never driven a Holden that had anything like what you've mentioned. No wobble, no nonsense.

I've driven Clubsports, SS's, Monaros, Supercharged V6 S's.... never a problem with any of them.

[Masherbrum]

What the hell are you Yanks doing to our cars!? Haha.

Before I had my licence, my father used to work for Holden, so I learnt to drive in all the brand new Holdens.  My first manual was a Monaro (Pontiac GTO) and the first car I broke the speed limit in was the 2003 Aus equivalent of the G8.

(I must add that I do not condone, encourage or support breaking the road rules... I've never lost a point on my licence in 6 years of driving... those V8s were just so bloody fast that you were at 120km before you knew it)

Back to the point, I have never driven a Holden that had anything like what you've mentioned. No wobble, no nonsense.  I've driven Clubsports, SS's, Monaros, Supercharged V6 S's.... never a problem with any of them.

It was GM's prior "thought process" Xasthur, which is why Waggoner needed to go.   He put out some cars before they were through the proper design phases.   There should be NO wheel wobble on a car leaving a factory, unless they "cut corners" on suspension corners.   My guess, is cheap, undersized tie rods with poly bushings (Rubber is better).   The poly bushings cause more vibration and have less "give" in them, which moves the problem to the "next weakest link".   I've mentioned the CTS-V's problems before a few times as well.   It got so bad, they stopped replacing rear ends on them.   Again, they rushed it into production and a lot of people turned them in.

GM is better without that dolt who never once in his tenure, earned his money.   I just wish the Falcon would come back to the US.