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Pontiac GTO

4348 messages,  Last post on Nov 08, 2009 at 9:33 AM

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What is this discussion about? Pontiac GTO, Coupe


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#4334 of 4348
HELP--robert/elias? Left Side directional lites stay on? mParis1 by mparis1
Jul 13, 2009 (7:00 am)
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Weird Problem-----left side directional signal lights stayed on after leaving 2005 car. Played around with remote key door locked/unlocked until they went off. WHATS GOING ON?
#4335 of 4348
feature or bug? Left Side directional lites stay on? mParis1 [mparis1] by elias
Jul 16, 2009 (7:46 am)
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Replying to: mparis1 (Jul 13, 2009 7:00 am)

hi mparis. just back from FL & seeing 3 shuttle non-launches. missed it by that* much, but got a solid 25 mpg on 87 octane for much of the east-coast bostonFL commute. "I'll be back"..
 
I've never seen the symptom you describe on 05/gto but just now I tried to trigger it, without success.
   
could it be a software feature being triggered somehow?
it seems to act just like euro-vehicle feature to satisfy particular state and/or courtesy requirements for leaving street-side turn-signal illuminated all night when parked on the very thin streets. this reminds me that illuminating parking lights 100% may use less power than flashing the flashers. counterintuitive? call mythbusters?
    
A way to turn on that feature on some German cars for example: hold the turn signal indicator left or right before you shut off ignition/engine. Maybe while holding brake pedal down. For Holden vehicles possibly it is also required to simultaneously recite the Monty Python "Australia we love you" skit.
 
Could it be that there is a particular wizard sequence to trigger the feature on GTO and you have found it, Harry Potter Paris ! ?
 
On a long-distance cruise the car is simply incredible, it amazes me every time. (Only downside is that stop & go with the 6-spd is not very fun unless the traffic is fast enough to leave it in 2nd gear.)
 
cheers...
#4336 of 4348
Re: feature or bug? Left Side directional lites stay on? mParis1 [elias] by cracovian
Jul 16, 2009 (12:05 pm)
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Replying to: elias (Jul 16, 2009 7:46 am)

I quickly fell in love with my new pulse red 2004 GTO which I bought on Christmas Eve and drove the next day with my wife and a baby from Atlanta to Chicago through the ice and snowstorms in Kentucky. It cruised beautifully and it felt solid as long as you kept low RPMs. I miss that car but it would have probably killed me (that is I'd kill myself) one day...
#4337 of 4348
don't turn off traction control - even on dry roads! by elias
Jul 17, 2009 (3:12 am)
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I hear you , cracovian.
With GTO and a wrongly-timed flick of the right foot, one can get into big-trouble/dangerous-situation with the traction-control off - even on dry roads.
#4338 of 4348
Gas Milage: THE REAL STORY? by xtranaut
Oct 10, 2009 (1:19 pm)
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I had an 07 corvette but became unemployed. I enjoyed 19-22 mpg all day long around town, no matter how I drove the vette. I got the 04 GTO because it was frankly the only car I could afford that gave me the same thrill the vette gave me to drive. I did a lot of research on the car before I bought it but misses a few things that turned out to be critical.
 
The first is gas mileage. EPA says 16 city, so ike EPA says 17 for vette, I expected that to be on the low end of possibilities depending on how a car is driven. Of course the vette is far superior in fuel management technology and the fact that it offers a tranny capable of cruising at under 1100 rpm in high mids accounts for substantial gas savings too but my GTO gets far worse than estimated and I have to drive it with paranoid cautiousness to get that! If I drive like a little old woman, I can squeeze 16 out of it. Highway 16.7 to 19!!
 
If I bust off the line and drive it GTO style, 13.5 to 15 are the numbers I can expect.
Even a Dodge Hemi washing machine gets 19 and 20 driving in attack mode.
 
I run only 93 octane gas - albeit Kroger to save the 10 cents. I ran that gas in my vette. IT sipped on it like an iced bar-brand martini.
 
So what is this I see on all the boards from consumers that are pleasantly surprised about GTO gas mileage being better than they thought..posting 17,18,19 mpg in city driving. How does that happen? Based on the fuel avg digital gauge in the car? I have only figured it manually once against the gauge and the gauge didn't lie..
 
So I am wondering..could it be that the 16k low miles that came with the car have worked against me? Did the former driver not drive this car the way it should be driven to perform at optimum level..did it accumulate sludge prematurely?
 
IT doesn't act sluggish or idle rough. It doesn't blow smoke of any color. It doesn't run hot but it sure does eat my money.
 
Any suggestions? COLD AIR, a good engine cleaning additive, what?
 
AND WHAT MORON LET A HI-PO CAR LIKE THE GTO GO TO PRODUCTION WITHOUT AND OIL GAUGE!!
#4339 of 4348
Re: Gas Milage: THE REAL STORY? [xtranaut] by elias
Oct 12, 2009 (5:24 am)
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Replying to: xtranaut (Oct 10, 2009 1:19 pm)

hello xtranaut. Your mpg expectations may not be possible to be met due to GTO being 500 lbs heavier than vette, worse drag-coefficient, more frontal area to multiply with drag-coefficient.
As far as I knew, it was identical fuel-management between GTO & vette.
 
With my 05 M6 I get 21 mpg all-around. Mostly highway, mostly with 87 octane.
For pure highway driving I get 23 mpg with E10 and 25 mpg or more with pure gasoline. Pure city driving, 17 mpg would be about right.
 
Sludge at 16k miles? I haven't heard of that being an issue even at 75k or 100k miles with these cars. If you are worried about it, probably good to swap the oil and get some fresh mobil-1 in there!
 
Btw your comment about lugging the vette at 1100rpm to get best mpg is right on - that's the way to get best mpg with GTO too. lug the motor in the top gear you can manage. (that's not the way i drive it!)
#4340 of 4348
Re: Gas Milage: THE REAL STORY? [elias] by xtranaut
Oct 12, 2009 (7:38 am)
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Replying to: elias (Oct 12, 2009 5:24 am)

Elias...so if for all these reasons I shouldn't expect to get 19 or 20 mpg, how do YOU do it? My car is completely stock and from all appearances, has been pampered. This is the kind of gas usage I would expect to get if I modded the car out.
 
Are you figuring your gas mileage out using the gauge or the old fashioned way. I am assuming that the gauge is pretty accurate. I used it against my own calculations when I first bought the car and it seemed to line up.
 
Any suggestions?
#4341 of 4348
Re: Gas Milage: THE REAL STORY? (gas cap?!) by elias
Oct 12, 2009 (1:29 pm)
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Replying to: xtranaut (Oct 12, 2009 7:38 am)

I calculate mpg the old fashioned way "distance/gallons", but remain surprised that the GTO mpg-gauge is "spot on" tank for tank, just like yours! I trust it now.
I think I almost always get >20mpg for each tank because I use the car mostly for highway driving and long-distance-highway roadtrips.
The car spends more than 90% of its miles on interstates & state-highways.
Of the other 10%, much is actually "suburban" driving rather than "city". Suburban driving can actually yield mpg better than highway mpg for some cars!
(I have a VW TDI which I drive when my drive is sure to be city-ish or stop-and-go, or snowy/icy/etc, or all three.)
Ideas:
-Don't be afraid to "lug" the GTO engine and let it torque the car along at 1100 rpm just like you did with your vette.
- Oh, another factor. I have the 17" wheels/tires. Maybe you have 18s and they have more rolling-resistance? I inflate tires to 34 psi cold. Maybe your tires are low? Our president says "air up those tires" and I agree with him on that!
- and here's one. The gas cap - maybe it's that simple!
These cars eat gas caps since they don't
seal/lock like typical USA caps - I guess it's a Holden thing. If your gas cap is not sealing, this will cost you massive MPG due to the fuel evaporating! You can tell if the gas cap is bad if it just keeps spinning without any ratcheting sound. The ECM on these cars will NOT necessarily throw a code due to no gas cap seal - although I understand that "OBD-something" mandated they should.
- also try 87 octane and see if that saves you 10% cost without costing any mpg, like it does for me. my car runs fantastic on 87 at all temperatures but I do use premium during warm weather.
#4342 of 4348
Re: Gas Milage: THE REAL STORY? [xtranaut] by cracovian
Oct 13, 2009 (6:07 am)
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Replying to: xtranaut (Oct 10, 2009 1:19 pm)

16.7 - 19 HWY MPG? I doubt it... not on the stick unless you have auto and in that case your mileage is normal.
 
My 2004 M6 GTO had a lifetime 14 MPG but I drove it like a bat out of hell (part of the reason why I had to give it up now that I'm a Daddy) but I could get mid 20s on the highway easily at 75+ mile speeds. I was putting in regular too.
#4343 of 4348
Re: Gas Milage: THE REAL STORY? [cracovian] by xtranaut
Oct 13, 2009 (7:04 am)
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Replying to: cracovian (Oct 13, 2009 6:07 am)

ELIAS...CRACOVIAN... Thanks for the input..although, as you see, there is still a slight difference of opinion as to what the GTO will do without effort in terms of gas mileage. With mine, unfortunately, there is little effort in getting bad gas mileage and not the other way around, as with my vette.
 
I absolutely love this car as much as I did the vette and the interior is even better.
I put a Pioneer Nav with about every bell and whistle you can get. It fit right in the Blauplunkt radio slot and looks like factory.
 
My car is an A4 and runs strong. I have been a bit worried since I read about the tire shredding issue with the way they put wider tires on the car that rub the struts. I have the original tires and wheels on the car..17s..although I don't much like them. I don't know what I will replace them with yet but for sure, something quieter than these BFGs. They sound like truck tires.
 
It doesn't help that my car didn't come undercoated to deaden some of the road noise. I am also in Houston where everything is concrete so you note every little variance in the grading as you drive.
 
I found a chip made by VOLO that seems to be the only possible legit performance-fuel economy chip that rally does anything, aside of a programmer.
 
http://yhst-19807630266082.stores.yahoo.net/vp12-performance-ch12.html
 
The VOLO says it retails for 149.95 but sells for 89.95 at the intro discount. I am thinking about getting one after I see what a few guys that bought them think.
 
I also noticed that before I bought the car, the dealer changed the oil and 1000 miles later, it looks to be a full quarter low. Is this normal and what kind of oil do you guys run that you find best for this car? The car doesn't smoke at all and there isn't a drop on my garage floor so ???
 
I am seeing more people saying that a Group 3 like Castrol GTX is the best for this car instead of synthetic. Many are also suggesting to ad a product called AUTO-RX to the oil at change and run for 3,000 miles then change and ad a small amt again. The product is ester based so isn't corrosive but cleans all the engine parts and rings.
 
Since my car wasn't driven that much over the almost five years the original owner had it and it was a woman, I think it could be possible that the car built up sludge from just sitting or not being run like an LS1 should be.
 
Your thoughts about any and all of this?

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