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Pontiac Solstice

1325 messages,  Last post on Jul 26, 2009 at 4:49 AM

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What is this discussion about? Pontiac Solstice, Coupe, Convertible

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#5 of 1325 WHEELS by montanafan Jan 09, 2002 (6:19 am)
One thing to keep in mind, is that lately it seams production versions always get smaller wheel/tire combos then their concept car versions.
#6 of 1325 by sphinx99 Jan 09, 2002 (7:31 am)
Hasn't that always been the case? I remember seeing the same thing at least ten years ago.
#7 of 1325 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Jan 09, 2002 (10:09 am)
yes, I think the show cars use those big dumbo wheels to attract attention but really they are too expensive and impractical for a road car.   Seems like 17" is about enough.
#8 of 1325 Wheels by badtoy Jan 11, 2002 (2:30 pm)
are getting bigger and bigger -- even the production versions. But they're a lot more expensive, and it takes a lot more torque to turn those puppies.   I think it's always a problem when the show car has massive wheels and the production car, while styled to accommodate them, is supplied with wheels that have about 3" of air between the top of the tire and the wheelwell. That just looks silly, and Toyota is one of the worst offenders.
#9 of 1325 by rea98d Jan 13, 2002 (4:17 pm)
I kinda like the name. At least it has a name, and not some dumb alpha-numeric designation. I will agree, 19 and 20 inch wheels are WAY too big, especially with the 4-banger. If GM builds this thing, from the description, it sounds like they want a very big piece of the Miata's pie, and this may be the car to do it with! 240 HP is a lot of power for a 4-banger though, so maybe they intend to price it higher, and go after more expensive competition.   At any rate, it beats the crap out of the Sunfire!
#10 of 1325 larger wheels... by andre1969 Jan 14, 2002 (5:27 am)
One thing I've noticed about them is that, even though the diameter of the rim may be increasing, the aspect ratio of the tire is actually decreasing, so it seems that the overall diameter of the tire ends up being the same. In that case, would it still take a lot more torque to turn the wheels? I guess it would if they got too heavy, but aren't those huge rims usually made out of some kind of alloy?   Also, once you get down to something with really low aspect ratios for the tires, how do they control the quality of the ride? I'm probably just used to big, cushy land yachts, but something like that Solstice looks like it would feel like riding on 4 tire-less rims!
#11 of 1325 In reality by btate2002 Jan 14, 2002 (3:23 pm)
The Solstice is intended for the youth market which LOVES big rims. Tires don't seem to matter that much. When my friends and I talk about passing cars its more... Dude, did you see those 20's on that thing?... Large rims may not be practical, but a popular thing in the intended demographic!
#12 of 1325 Looks Nice by himiler Jan 20, 2002 (8:39 am)
I like the long hood look, even if the nose is a bit overwrought. Let's hope that we're starting to see a trend away from samey-looking "cab-forward" designs.
#13 of 1325 Keep the big wheels by streetracer Jan 21, 2002 (5:46 pm)
Price it in the 20K range, and they will a big winner that totally re-invents the brand image.   Now, add a RWD or AWD Grand Prix with a 5 speed sequential gear box, and LS1 V8 or boosted Supercharged V6, and we are talking driving excitement !!!
#14 of 1325 Beautiful Car by speeds2much Feb 25, 2002 (2:30 pm)
Here's my two cents...the car's design is clean, elegant, aggressive...even beautiful. I don't think the nose is a problem, at least from the front 3/4 view (I think that's the right term). On the other hand, I've never thought the Boxster nose was attractive...the overhang and sharp nose are out of proportion to the rest of the cars' lines IMO, although they are fixing that in '03, according to a spy photo I saw in the latest Automobile. Hand one to Pontiac's design team, which previously seemed to be drawing cars while on LSD. I like this Pontiac a lot and since my two previous attempts to buy a Boxster ended in frustration because I moved from North America to Europe and back, I'll give the Pontiac consideration if it has adequate cargo-handling capacities (I live in NY and it would be my be-all sun and ski toy). The horsepower/torque projections for the 2.2 litre supercharged 4-cyl engine indicate that it will be a little rocket.

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