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#359 of 418 Nicegator by crkeehn May 04, 2004 (9:13 am)
The high output turbo calls for the use of High Octane fuel.   I don't know about the turning radius, however the PT has a fairly wide radius.   Brake pad wear is a function of the type of driving you do. OEM pads are designed to be relatively soft so that they don't squeal. Consequently they do wear quickly. The wear figures are all over the board, some people complain about pads worn out before 20,000 miles, especially people in mountainous or urban areas. Others have gone for 40K+ miles if their travel is more limited access. My wife has more than 50K miles on her front pad and they are about half worn. Her commute was about 45 miles round trip, most of it limited access roads.
#360 of 418 silly question answers by fndlyfmrflyr May 04, 2004 (7:16 pm)
The GT turbo should be run on premium. The savings using mid grade isn't much, about $75 per 12,000 miles.   Turning circle is gigantic, like trying to turn the carrier Nimitz. I measured our 03 GT's turning circle at nearly 43 feet (curb to curb), slightly more than the my friend's GMC Yukon Denali XL's (dolled up Chevy Suburban) 42 feet (measured at the same location). If you drive your Cruiser all of the time it is not a factor, but if you switch back and forth between the Cruiser and cars with tight turning circles parking the Cruiser becomes a challenge. NOTE: Cruisers with 15 inch wheels have a much smaller turning circle (about 36 feet). Those with 16 inch wheels have about a 40 foot turning circle - somewhat big for a small car. The Cruisers with 17 inch wheels (GTs) have a huge 43 foot turning circle.   The GT has different brake pads than the standard Cruiser. Wear, like crkeehn says, will depend on how you drive. Based on wear so far, mine look like they will last close to 100,000 miles. Expect lots of brake dust on the wheels from the OE pads.
#361 of 418 by nicegator May 05, 2004 (6:30 am)
Thank you all. Any other complains about GT '04?
#362 of 418 '03 GT by norrmanndo May 06, 2004 (6:18 am)
I park in tight stacked garage every day and find that I usually need to back up once before I settle into a space. I've gotten used to it, and usually park really straight in the slot. With my other vehicle (Mazda Tribute), I usually don't back up, but sometimes I end up a little crooked in the space. The turning radius is annoying, but I still like the 17" wheels enough to put up with it. When I have the option of backing up into a parking space (when no-one is behind me) I don't notice it as much, but even then sometimes need to pull forward and back once. When I need to make a u-turn at my friends house, pretty much any car can't make it without backing up, but with my Tribute I just go slightly over the curb and drop down perfectly into the parking space. This is one of the few advantages of having an SUV in city driving.   I generally use regular gas in my GT and don't notice a difference, even when driving with a heavy foot. I buy premium sometimes since the station near my house has 5 cents off premium on Fridays, so maybe my tank averages mid-grade overall.
#363 of 418 Rear tires by norrmanndo May 12, 2004 (12:31 pm)
I realize that the PT is front wheel drive, but I was thinking about finding tires for the rear that are slightly wider and taller (greater outside circumference and diameter). I have the chrome 17" wheels and don’t want to change them. I thought this would make the car look more like a typical 60s or 70s “funny car” - just slightly more. My tires aren’t close to wearing out, but I am considering only rotating the tires left to right, right to left, but not rear to front. This way the two front tires will wear out much more quickly then I only need to buy two new tires at a time and could try this. Any comments? Has anyone tried this? Will different tires fit these rims?
#364 of 418 Tires by fndlyfmrflyr May 12, 2004 (1:22 pm)
The standard 17 inch rim (GT and DC series) are rather narrow. If you check with tire stores or online sources you will find that 205 is about the most width these rims can take.   I've seen a number of Cruisers with big rear tires, but each had wider rims than stock. Keep in mind that going to a much larger tire may decrease handling. More than a plus one may not give you the ride and handling you will like.   Suggest you visit one of the national PT club sites and ask what others have done with respect to wheels and tires. I see a lot of 18 inch wheels on PTs.
#365 of 418 GT Speed by norrmanndo May 28, 2004 (9:46 am)
I test drove a Mazda6 V6 yesterday when I was having regular maintenance on my Tribute. I didn't drive one before purchasing the PT a few months ago and expected to be blown away by the 6. I am positive that my PT has more power at about 3500 rpms. The 6 really kicked in at 4500 rpms but I was disappointed at lower rpms. My old V6 626 had good power at 2500 RPMs rated at only 165 HP. Maybe the new 6 was going fast "casually" and you just didn't know it. But after the test drive I'm still very happy with my PT and wasn't disappointed a bit about my PT purchase like I thought I might be. I still think the PT is hard to beat on value. And if you like the image/design, then you can't beat it.
#366 of 418 Cruiser mileage by ptsgtpt Jun 17, 2004 (6:34 pm)
We purchased our 2004 PT GT with the Turbo last October. I have read numerous accounts of how the mileage is so low on these little cars. Well, I beg to differ with all of you. My PT gets 23mpg in town & (believe it or not) we hit 30mpg on the highway on a resent trip to Colorado from Arizona. My mileage has surpassed all my expectations. We think this is the greatest little car we have ever had & it is a BLAST to drive. We have absolutely no complaints about it.
#367 of 418 GT mpg by fndlyfmrflyr Jun 17, 2004 (8:03 pm)
Glad you are getting good mpg with your PT GT. Your numbers are around 20% above EPA mileage ratings for a PT GT automatic (and 10% better for a manual), an unusual happening. I'd be happy with your mpg too. Sure beats my 17 or so in town and 23 or so on the road.
#368 of 418 fndly by crkeehn Jun 18, 2004 (7:47 am)
That's because frmrflyr only pertains to airplanes, with your turbo you're a crntflyr ;-D

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