I work with a girl whose fiance drives a Solstice GXP. He's pretty much a douche and is always telling me that his car will smoke my 8. I'm not stupid enough to believe that my 8 is faster...yet.
However, once I go turbo, I think my 8 will have a chance. Will a GReddy turbo 8 be able to hold its own against a Solstice GXP??

I sense an epic failure in the making

A Solstice GXP would be faster in terms on drag racing or a course with long straights but could be close on a technical circuit. I would think the worst thing about a Solstice (or any GM car for that matter) would be the difference in the steering/control/feedback/shifting you get when driving either car hard. I predict numb/overboosted steering, clumsy/bulky shifter, turbo lag, unpredictable/sloppy handling characteristics, extreme brake fad/failure and in general, much harder work when attempting to control the GXP on a course/track. The Solstice would feel like driving an '85 S-10 truck compared to the 8 in terms of everything but power. Sure it's got gobs more power but as we all (or should know) there's much more to a car than that.

A turboed 8 would put it on a much more level playing field (probably better) as far as power (the GXP has like 260hp doesn't it?) but when it came to any sort of circuit racing the GXP would severly struggle to even hold it's own.

what bout a RX8 GT, don't they run like 250hp?

dragrace, without a rocket or 20B you will fail. if you go autoX with it, stock you would beat his GXP. its how the rx8 was done. great for cornering.

Haven't driven a Soltice yet, but I'm quite certain you'd go down in flames. Turbo'd? Not sure, even then it's hard to say. Depends also on what type of "beating" you're referring to: autox, drag? :confused:

what bout a RX8 GT, don't they run like 250hp?



Now I'm confused. :uhh:

what bout a RX8 GT, don't they run like 250hp?

Not in the US. Your key difference would be the torque...

Pontiac:

Horsepower @ RPM 260@5300
Torque @ RPM 260@5300 (foot-lbs)

RX-8:

Horsepower, SAE net 232 @ 8,500
Torque, SAE net (lb./ft.) 159 @ 5,500

what bout a RX8 GT, don't they run like 250hp?

They were rated at 250 when they first came out, but that changed. Now it is 232 like he said.

if you go autoX with it, stock you would beat his GXP.

ah you're forgetting one crucial factor...............the driver.

ah you're forgetting one crucial factor...............the driver.

slight technicality :banghead:

ah. dang i was gettin excited bout my stock 8

ah you're forgetting one crucial factor...............the driver.

:werd:

Yes, but don't turbo 8's put out those same #'s? A good tune will get 270whp and 260 lb-ft... Only difference then should be weight and driver right?

Isn't the 8 significantly heavier, as well?

i thought it was lighter, but the 50:50 weight distribution makes a huge difference

Isn't the 8 significantly heavier, as well?

Not much...

Curb weight-

RX-8: 3053 lbs

Solstice GXP: 2976 lbs

Not in the US. Your key difference would be the torque...

Pontiac:

Horsepower @ RPM 260@5300
Torque @ RPM 260@5300 (foot-lbs)

RX-8:

Horsepower, SAE net 232 @ 8,500
Torque, SAE net (lb./ft.) 159 @ 5,500


First off, those are crank hp, so we all know no one gets 232 whp stock...

I mention this because the dyno numbers I'll quote below will be wheel horse power, which is lower by 30-40 than crank.

GReddy kit makes around 240 - 250 whp on 6 psi
At 9 psi it will make 270-280 whp, and around 210 rwtq

With the MM GT3071R at 9 psi, you'll make around 310 whp, and 250 rwtq.

Up the boost to 11 or 13, and you'll be rocking... sounds unsafe, but the charge temps of the GT3071R are much lower than the greddy turbo, so even with higher boost, the chance of detonation is lower.

To compare, the GPX dynos around 240 whp:

http://www.dragtimes.com/2007-Pontiac-Solstice-Dyno-Results-Graphs-11829.html

So a stock greddy kit at 9 psi should be able to give you an edge.




Finally, the GPX is no featherweight:

Curb weight, lbs. 2860, 2976

It's similar to a RX-8.

Not much...

Curb weight-

RX-8: 3053 lbs

Solstice GXP: 2976 lbs

Wow, that's surprising. The Solstice looks like such a puny little roadster. I thought it would have been a couple of hundred pounds, at least.

You have to remember that roadsters are always going to be heavier than you think... There's all kinds of added weight that goes into making the chassis stiff enough to be safe.
So then is the 260hp rating for the GXP at the crank? The driveline of a manual transmission eats about 20%, so the whp would only be 208.

i personally hate pontiac no matter how light it is. the roadster look is somewhat overrated. i like the Z4 tho, but like the miata, solstice, the new Skye, there all ugly

according to edmunds, the 8 weights in at ~3029lbs for the MT edition.
solstice comes in at 2948lbs.

so weight isnt really a big difference. Plus 8 wins simply because the solstice looks like an ugly pos that the crossfire left on the lawn after taking a big dump. and that is saying a lot since we know how ugly the crossfire is.

I'm not a ragtop fan, but I have to admit that the new hardtop fastback Solstice isn't bad on the eyes.

Yeah but it also depends on gearing. The stock 8's tranny and rear-end + turbo will easily smoke the solstice in acceleration.

speaking of hardtops my parents just got a new VW EOS, very nice. and speaking of ragtops, my dad has a 69 Stingray with a cream ragtop. it's a beast. still don't like pontiacs tho, except for the GTO for obvious reasons

speaking of hardtops my parents just got a new VW EOS, very nice. and speaking of ragtops, my dad has a 69 Stingray with a cream ragtop. it's a beast. still don't like pontiacs tho, except for the GTO for obvious reasons

and what are the obvious reasons for liking a GTO? :squint:

Wow, that's surprising. The Solstice looks like such a puny little roadster. I thought it would have been a couple of hundred pounds, at least.

Yes, if lighter materials were used and if more design time went into it, this car could have been much lighter and closer to the weight of the MX-5. I read that in rushing the Solstice/Sky to market that many corners where cut which is typical for US car makers and of course you have to figure in the price goals. Not a bad attempt for GM for a small RWD convertable and I hope they continue to refine/improve the design as the years go by.

The convertible aspect has nothing to do with it as it's a big car in general and Mazda can make (regardless in the difference in engine size) a much lighter roadster. This is what Japanese car engineers are good at though - packaging and weight savings (even for low cost cars).

it's also a beast of a car having a 5.7 good ol muscle

^ reminds me of when i passed an early 1990s corsica on the highway with this bumper sticker :rofl:
https://www.dodgeapparel.com/images/gm021_lg.jpg

and what are the obvious reasons for liking a GTO? :squint:

Careful cav. I haven't had lunch yet so I'm a bit hostile. :squint:

I'm not a ragtop fan, but I have to admit that the new hardtop fastback Solstice isn't bad on the eyes.

I'm not either but I think the looks are a major plus for all these cars (Solstice/Solstice hardtop/ Saturn Sky) with the Sky looking the best. I wish they would make a Sky coupe as I like the looks of the front end of it better than the Solstice and the targa top would be nice on sunny days.

8 wins on looks alone, sure it's improved from previous versions but the Solstice is not good looking at all. And who cares about the numbers really.

^^ very much word

I still prefer my 8, hands-down, but this is a good-looking car:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/FVDP/Photos/styleId=100910281

And isn't that color close to Galaxy Gray? :)

man i just don't know, i mean i like the back alot, but i can't get over the front.

Yeah but it also depends on gearing. The stock 8's tranny and rear-end + turbo will easily smoke the solstice in acceleration.

Until the Solstice GXP owner spends a small amount of money on mods...

man i just don't know, i mean i like the back alot, but i can't get over the front.

I didn't like the nose, either, at first, but it's grown on me. Looks like a retro roadster, sort-of.

the solstice GXP is an A stock car and should beat the Rx8 in an auto-x as well.

it's also a beast of a car having a 5.2 Hemi. good ol muscle

umm seriously? hemi's a dodge thing, the GTO has either a 5.7L LS1 or a 6.0L LS2. sorry

according to edmunds, the 8 weights in at ~3029lbs for the MT edition.
solstice comes in at 2948lbs.

so weight isnt really a big difference. Plus 8 wins simply because the solstice looks like an ugly pos that the crossfire left on the lawn after taking a big dump. and that is saying a lot since we know how ugly the crossfire is.

Hahaha that is so funny. Its really funny for me since I obviously have an 8, one of my friends has a Crossfire and always boasts about it while he doesn't know a thing about cars. And another friend just bought a Solstice today who is also kind of "car blind"

:lol: @ the bump.

Are you friends chicks? Because both the crossfire and the Soltice are chick cars in my book.

I'd probably consider buying the Solstice if it had the Sky's body, or the Sky if it had the Solstice's powertrain and suspension.

Neither is appealing enough as they are. It's like GM had a meeting with the heads of each brandsorry, you aren't both going to get a good car. Pontiac, you are going to get the good numbers bits, but you are going to have to put a body on it that looks like a bug peeking out of a turd. Saturn, you are going to get the good looking body, but you must make it horrific to drive. Bottom line, we MUST NOT make a good combination that might be able to have more appeal and make us look like we know what we are doing. That is to be avoided at all costs.

I always thought they were the same mechanically.

:lol: @ the bump.

Are you friends chicks? Because both the crossfire and the Soltice are chick cars in my book.

Well they sure do drive like they are. Haha, the one who has the Solstice now had an automatic mini cooper before...he's starting to make me wonder:lol:

Pontiac who?

Plain and simple the Solstice is ugly. When he's says its faster than the 8 tell um "you dont need to get anywhere in a hurry if your important people will wait."

Hahaha oh I am definitely using that one!

solstice/sky......worst f'ing clutch I have ever used....OMG I hate them...

This year at the SCCA Solo National Championships In C-Stock the Solstice won over the MX-5, which won over the RX-8. And that wasn't even the GXP model, it was the non boosted one.

The GXP Solstice that ran in B-Stock driven by a multi national win driver, was slower than the C-Stock winner...

What's the conclusion?

They are all fast cars. Which one wins is all driver dependent.

Keep giving me negative things that I can say about his car!! Haha

Who cares which is faster. You're comparing a car that's been panned by most automotive journalists to one that's overwhelmingly adored.