Missing the G8 GT

I’ve been on travel for the past week and I’m really missing the G8 GT. I was hoping to get something like a G6 for a rental car, but I got stuck with a 2008 Toyota Carolla S. It’s small, under powered, and sounds like a fart blowing out of a coffee can when you put your foot into it.

Going from a 6.0L V8 to a 1.8L 4-cyl is just depressing… where is the other half of the engine!

‘Sigh… oh well, when I get home I’ll be going on a nice long drive to Tahoe with the NorCal GOATS.

Pontiac G8 GXP: Last Drive

Over the past three days there has been a multi-part story playing out on Jalopnik about the Pontiac G8 GXP… and it’s ‘Last Drive’.

Besides being a little harsh on the interior at times, he does a good job describing the attitude associated with the G8 (especially the GXP trim). A few good quotes…

From a dead stop, at highway passing speeds, and on beyond what’s really practical… the GXP will definitely and unmistakably accelerate. Anecdotally, I found that when I got tired of leaning forward in my seat and fetching my music player from its perch atop the dash, I was able to drop down two gears, nail the throttle, and pluck my trusty iPod out of the air as it shot past my shoulder. Please note that this somehow fails to impress women.

Who Should Buy a G8 GXP:
• You like the idea of a four-door Corvette with a gigantic backseat and a capacious trunk.
• You think a combination of power and practicality will attract the opposite sex and you like that the power part can at least be hidden from them if necessary.

Who Shouldn’t Buy a G8 GXP:
• You know the thread count of your sheets by heart.
• You believe fast four-doors should be made by stoic sausage-gnashing umlaut junkies and no one can convince you otherwise.

Some of the commentary is quite entertaining as well:

A four-door Corvette with a gigantic backseat and a capacious trunk.
How capacious? Are we talking 1 dead hooker or 3? Dry or wet? Metric or English?

Overall the impressions were right on track. Many of the points brought-up were those that enticed me to the G8 GT: More than adequate power on-tap, Large trunk (for hookers… oops, photography equipment), Subtle but aggressive looks, Etc.

For a fan of the G8, it’s required reading:
• 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP: Last Drive, Part One
• 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP: Last Drive, Part Two
• 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP: Last Drive, Part Three

NorCal GOATs Sonic Drive-In

Some of the NorCal GTOs gathered tonight in Stockton for a drive-in at Sonics. There was talk of having many non-Pontiacs (LSx meet type of thing), but for the most part it was the GTOs. I decided to take a longer drive, taking back roads rather than the freeway, and it was enjoyable. I washed the G8 last night, but after driving through the countryside there were many bugs stuck to the front-end… oh well!

I arrived at the meet a little early (the drive over didn’t take as long as Google suggested it would), but it allowed me to get gas. Cars started to arrive and we lined-up and started talking shop.

There was one other G8 GT, which was awesome! It had a Corsa exhaust, giving it a mean sound… something that could be interesting in the future. I learned a bunch about the mods done, just in case I want to get more invasive with the G8.

Like always the conversation was really great. There was lots of talk about suspension upgrades (and the trade-offs they may cause), power-adders (superchargers, intakes, headers, etc.). It’s really dangerous hanging out with these guys (and gals) as it makes me more and more interested in moding my G8!

RIP Pontiac

Today it became official. Pontiac is no more…

As part of the revised Viability Plan and the need to move faster and further, GM in the U.S. will focus its resources on four core brands, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Buick and GMC. The Pontiac brand will be phased out by the end of 2010. GM will offer a total of 34 nameplates in 2010, a reduction of 29 percent from 48 nameplates in 2008, reflecting both the reduction in brands and continued emphasis on fewer and stronger entries. This four-brand strategy will enable GM to better focus its new product development programs and provide more competitive levels of market support.

It’s really sad to see this happen. As a Pontiac owner I’m not really afraid of what this means for me. Yes, I’m just barely scratching the 5 year/100,000 mile warranty, but GM is still around to honor it. What about G8 parts? Holden is alive and kicking, so Commodore parts shouldn’t be going anywhere.

My Grandfather owned one of the last Oldsmobile modles… and I’ll own one of the last Pontiacs. Sad, yes, but the death of Pontiac will not lessen the enjoyment that I receive when I’m driving the G8. I’m just glad that I have the opportunity to own the last v8 RWD to stand proudly alongside the other iconic Pontiac models like the Trans-AM and GTO.

92 Octane?

I filled-up this morning at my local Shell station and noticed that the ‘Premium’ fuel on my pump was labeled as 92 octane!

I’ve filled up at this station several times before (even on that pump) and never noticed the 92 octane. I checked several of the other pumps and they all seemed to be 91. The price for ‘Premium’ is the same for the 91 and 92 octane, making me believe that it was just the wrong sticker. I went into the service station (mini-mart?) and asked the attendant if they knew if the gas was really 92 octane. She came out to the pump, but really didn’t know the answer (she said she would talk to her manager). I’ll have to go in and ask again the next time I fill-up.

Update: The pump has since been switch to a 91 octane sticker… so much for good gas!

License Plates

I received my license plates today. I guess Hilltop Pontiac will no longer get free advertising in my photos. That does give me an idea though… I should bring a few of my photos along with me on my next service, maybe I can get a discount!

Civilian EVOC

I’ve been wanting to see how a RWD car (like the G8) handles when the rear end gets loose for quite a while. I have never owned a RWD car before the G8 (especially one with 361HP), so didn’t really know what to expect once the rear-end traction was reduced (by acceleration or driving conditions). I’ve done a few ‘spirited’ accelerations and had a taste for what it feels like, but was far from comfortable knowing with the whole thing.

So, in a hope to get a better understanding of the mechanics behind the G8 GT I decided to take the Civilian EVOC (Emergency Vehicle Operator Course) that is offered by the Alameda County Sheriff. I figured I would learn a bunch and get a chance to drive on the skid pad… besides, the $200 course fee is less than a ticket for doing donuts in a parking lot!

Classroom:

Accident Avoidance:

The first time through we went 25mph, then upped it to 27mph, and finally 30mph. All three times I had the right lane turn green, so I wish I’d have had at least one in the left lane, but it’s quite interesting how much of a difference 5mph makes. The 25mph run was cake… but at 30mph the tires were squealing and steering input was much more dramatic. It was really fun to thrown around a 4000lbs police cruiser, at speed, in a controlled environment!

Lanes:

The first trip through going forward I went too fast and also turned in too soon… so much so that I even hit a cone! The key is to stay wide and turn in when the delineation cone (the tall ones marking the corners) is at your shoulder (I was turning when it was at the mirror). This allows for enough room to account for Rear End Cheat:

So, as you can see… just because your front wheel makes it around the cone (blue trace), doesn’t mean your rear wheel (and the side of your car) will (green/black trace). This explains why every morning I (barely) drop the right rear tire off the curb when I exit my place… I’m just not taking into consideration the Rear End Cheat.

Backing-up required me to take into consideration Front End Swing. Just visualize driving reversing in the previous diagram. So, when you are turning around an obstical on the passenger’s side of the car… when you clear the rear wheel (blue/black trace) the driver’s side front wheel (red trace) swings out wider than the rear wheel did (as does the front bumper). The key here is to stay close to the inside of the turn (giving the front end more move to swing), and once the delineation cone is at the rear axle (the pivot point when turning while reversing) you crank the wheel and point the rear towards the next apex (so to stay as close as you can for the next set of turns).

The backing-up turned out to be the weak point for most of the people in the course… there was always along line of people waiting to go. I had no problems in this part. I guess I have to thank my Father for throwing me the keys to the Suburban when I got my permit… and then forcing me to drive around backwards in a parking lot for an hour.

J-Turn (w/ABS):

Now this was fun! I just wish they didn’t have us ‘panic breaking’ to a stop… even at 35mph I didn’t really need them all that much to make the corner. The instructor reprimanded me for not ‘stomping’ on the brakes (10 of 10: what this drill was to allow us to experience), but then complimented me on the threshold breaking technique (7, 8, 9).

One thing that I did learn during this exercise is that I cross-over my hands/arms when making turns… rather than shuffle steering. The first run at 25mph it wasn’t an issue, but at 35mph I was at the maximum of what I could turn (with no room to add more steering input). The second run at 30mph I really concentrated on the shuffle steering and it when much better. I will need to practice this one over time.

T-Box & Parallel Parking:

The T-Box fairly straightforward drill, you drive into the box towards the left side… then back-up… and drive out of the box. This drill again worked with Rear End Cheat and Front End Swing. Same concepts as the other drills, just keep to the outside when going forward and the inside when backing-up.

Parallel Parking is just what it sounds like. I was really surprised how well I did with this given my complete lack of experience with parallel parking. The first run I did back into the cone (car) at the rear of the space, but once I learned where the trunk of the car was I did fine. By the second run I was feeling quite confident. Now, don’t ask me to parallel park in San Francisco, on a hill, on the wrong side of the street!

Two-Driveways:

Slalom Course (Forward & Reverse):

Going forwards was a no-brainer (for me), even did it without needing to touch the brakes (I kept going back for more throttle). Backing-up was quite a bit harder (and like before there was a huge line). I found that while I was able to make the turns towards the passenger’s side, it was seeing the driver’s side cones that rough. A real pain in the neck, literally. The idea for backing-up is to start your turn when the cone was blocked by the C-Pillar (winshield = A, door = B, rear window = C), which puts it right by the rear axle. You also want to turn the wheel quickly and make zig-zags, rather than wider archs. The first run I did OK, but had a tough time picking-up the last few cones… but I didn’t hit anything. The second and third runs went much smoother (didn’t even need to touch the brakes).

Skid Pad:

I was one of the first two people to take the course (two at a time). We also had a passenger (for the first time of the day), making things quite a bit more ‘stressful’. So, first trip around the turn and what do I do? Totally loop it… almost a 360… with no control what-so-ever. I felt really bad for my passenger, but she did well. After a few laps I started to get a much better feel for the car and what is needed to get around the corners smoothly. Like the instructor said, “Dance with the car”. I did make the mistake to not look where I wanted to go, and not just out the windshield (with no regard to where the car was going). I had several runs where I did the entire turn in a smooth ‘drift’.

Half way though our 10 minutes on the skid pad we reversed direction on the course (from clockwise to counter-clockwise). This worked much better for me, as I could pass the inside cones very close to the driver’s side door without the risk of hitting them. Sadly, my time behind the wheel was up quickly (despite being given an extra 5 minutes).

Now, I’m a terrible passenger when driving on the roads… and now I had to be a passenger inside a car on a skid pad! Turns out it wasn’t too bad. Maybe it was because I was helping guide/instruct… rather than stomp on an imaginary brake peddle! The person I was with had a hard time keeping up speed going into the corners, so wasn’t getting totally though them… but it got much better towards the end of her time.

So I was done driving, but one of the other students (who was having some difficulties throughout the day) needed a passenger. I guess I made a good impression on the instructor because he asked me to ride with her and give her some instructions/tips as we went around. Unfortunately the driver wasn’t being aggressive enough with the throttle, so was entering the corners too slow and not giving enough throttle to induce oversteer (despite me shouting “GAS, GAS, GAS!”). The one time she looped the rear I congratulated her and encouraged her to do it again. The instructor took over in-car, but it didn’t seem to make much difference.

Wrap-up:

G8 and GTO

There is someone at work who has a 2005 Cyclone Grey GTO that occasionally parks it in the lot in front of the building where my office is. Since I purchased the G8 GT, only once have I been in the lot at the same time… and of course I parked right next to him. Today after work I was driving home, just about to get on the I-580W, and I saw the GTO in my rear view mirror. He was not going to get on the freeway, so I decided to take the scenic way home!

I slowed down a little and let the GTO get along side. The passenger was looking over my car, so I can only assume that they were talking about the G8. It’s a nice feeling to have someone interested in your car… not really something that I’ve ever felt before.

I had hoped that we could line-up at one of the many traffic lights on N. Vasco Rd, but there was never the opportunity. At one point the GTO got stuck behind a slow moving car and made a quick pass (to catch-up with me). It was great to run down the road, a G8 and GTO!

I decided that I shouldn’t drive all the way up Vasco (a REALLY long way home) and took the last left onto Dalton Ave. I hoped the GTO would follow for a little fun on the back roads, but I didn’t expect it. The rest of the drive was fun too, but heading into commute traffic made for a less than relaxing drive… unlike the road at the same time on a weekend.

“Hey, I like your G8”

I was walking through the halls at work today and heard someone say “Hey, I like your G8”. Of course I stopped and turned around to address the wonderful comment. Turns out the guy has been looking at buying a 2010 Mustang or Camaro. I gave my $0.02 of course… highlighting the features of the G8 GT that I like most (361HP and 385 lb-ft of torque).

I think is is looking for something 2-Door, so the ‘refined’ and ‘grown-up’ nature of the 4-Door G8 GT may not be his style. To be honest, I don’t really know if I’d want him to buy a G8… One of the things I like best about the G8 is that it’s rare. Having two of them parked next to each other in the parking lot would be cool… but I’d no longer be unique.

Questions from the Guards

As I drove into work I was honored into a special club… one reserved for either hot females or owners of cool cars. I actually had one of the guards ask me, “Is this one of those new Pontiacs? How do you like it?” Typically all I get is a “Have a good day”, but to be acknowledged above and beyond by someone who must ‘see’ thousands of people a day was kinda cool.

I have been waiting in anticipation for one of the guards to comment on the G8, but until now it had not happened. I told the guard that it was a ’09 G8 GT and that I love it (which I do). He commented on how it looked like an Acura… to which I pointed out that it has a 6.0L V8 (not some wimpy 3.2L V6). He asked about gas mileage… and I pulled-up my average (18.6MPG). The guard even called over to his buddy at the other shack to ask what he thought of the G8! At this point a line of cars had formed behind me (which the other guard commented on), so I drove off.

While it may seem trivial, this sort of attention is new for me. Having driven less than special cars the rest of my life, knowing that people are interested in what I am driving is very cool… rather than mundane.