Well, fellow Sol-sters, I put about 60 miles on my new GXP last night. Impressions, though keep in mind that I was very easy on it-
Really great suspension settings. IMO. Excellent balance between "rock-hard race" and "Lincoln float". Steering and brakes good, linear performance while feeling somewhat "dead". The sucker holds the road well, but doesn't provide a lot of clues through the steering wheel or brake pedal. Clutch is sweet. Light action, quick, linear take-up. Throttle response is as described elsewhere. If you didn't hear the almost inaudible BOV "whistle" between shifts, you'd swear it was a small block V-8. Wonderful, willing response starting real low in the rev range. I can tell this thing is going to be my "ticket to tickets" soon !!!! Interior looks uncluttered and well done to me. Controls are generally well laid out and easy to operate. Drink holders and storage are another story...... Stereo sounds real nice (monsoon system...haven't played a CD yet). Interior noise levels surprisingly quiet (premium headliner). Just enough leg room for me (I'm 6'2"). Haven't gotten the seat adjusted quite right yet. A little lower back pain after an hour behind the wheel. At idle, the engine sounds absolutely pathetic. More tractor than car. Once rolling, sound becomes more "stern", but certainly not too much. One thing I did notice on the down side (and has been reported elsewhere) is some driveline lash if I shifted poorly or at exceptionally slow engine speeds.
This, of course, is totally subjective. But it appears the overall goal was to create a comfortable, intimate, quiet envelope in which two people can cover ground in a hurry!!!. Overall, for the dough ($29,600 out the door), I couldn't be more pleased!!!! I haven't even touched on the looks. I ordered Deep, after much indecision. I regretted up until I saw my car. The grills aren't really black. More a dark charcoal grey. They look sweet against the dark blue. Makes a kinda "happy" looking car look a little sinister (which is exactly what I wanted). Thanks to GM for having the vision to create, and the balls to build the Solstice Hopefully, by the weekend, I will have my break-in miles behind me. I'll report back again when I get the chance to "light the fuse"!!!!!!!!!!
Part II - This morning
Put some more miles on going to work today. The more I drive it, the more I like it. I don't think you'll be disappointed!!! The one thing I didn't report on last night was the gear box. I've seen it "bashed" on the forum by various people. Obviously the new stiffner has worked wonders. Shifts are positive and have a nice "snick" as you move into gear. Of course, I haven't done any shifting "in anger" yet, but at this point I like the feel. There is some very pronounced driveline lash if you take your foot off of the gas a little before disengaging the clutch. Bad shifting technique. You have to time it just right for it to occur. Obviously, to avoid it, just don't do it. I had a chance to hear the exhaust note from the outside for the first time this morning. Definitely sounds a lot less "tractor" from the outside. A hoarse rasp, with a slight background rumble. Evil, just as we'd hoped . As far as the steering and brake feel, it's time to start investigating possibilities. Any idea what the steering gear rack bushings are made of? What type of brake lines are on the car? A friend has a modified WRX STI. Amongst the things he did was to change the steering rack bushings from factory rubber to aftermarket urethane, as well as stainless steel brake lines. I can tell you it was like driving a different car after he made those two changes.........
__________________ Yes,actually, I am driving that Deep GXP!!!!!
Awesome report.
You folks with your GXPs have been gentle with the break-in period. I don't think I'll be able to.
Good to hear (again) the headliner is worthy of the $150.
Good to hear shifting is good.
My dealer has a used '06 that I might try test driving just to get the feel of a Solstice and it's layout, then I can be surprised with the GXP power on delivery rather than trying to get acclimated to a brand new car that's mine.
Well done, and enjoy!
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#7981 (Arrived at dealer 11/30, pick up from dealer 12/7): Solstice GXP, manual, aggressive, darkside, ebony leather w/ red stitching, headliner, A/C, prefered package, premium package, and convenience package.
Just installed: 2-subwoofer full stereo system. Still waiting on pics.
Coming next: probably nothing unless my wife wants to get my a new exhaust (yeah right).
Location: Wilds of Canada, or the Pac NW, or the Upper Penninsula of MI...
Quote:
Originally Posted by 51gxp
...Any idea what the steering gear rack bushings are made of? What type of brake lines are on the car? A friend has a modified WRX STI. Amongst the things he did was to change the steering rack bushings from factory rubber to aftermarket urethane, as well as stainless steel brake lines. I can tell you it was like driving a different car after he made those two changes.........
Take a look underneath, 51GXP. There are no bushings at all - the steering rack is metal-to-metal hard mounted to the structure.
Wanna change your steering feel? Change your tires.
Take a look underneath, 51GXP. There are no bushings at all - the steering rack is metal-to-metal hard mounted to the structure.
Wanna change your steering feel? Change your tires.
Ya, I tried to work a trade with the dealer for some Goodyear D-3's before delivery, and he wanted the first male born child in exchange. SSOOOOOO, I'll just have to "melt" the OEMs quicker. Any idea on the brake lines?????
__________________ Yes,actually, I am driving that Deep GXP!!!!!
Have to agree on the tires creating the "dead" feel. The base Sol's all-seasons imparted a lot more road feel than the GXP's performance tires. Also noted that the GXP tires seem to have a very slight tendency to "hunt" on irregular surfaces - something that I didn't notice in the base Sol.
Nice report. Keep adding the miles so that you can give the real answers to the questioning public soon...as soon a you finish the break-in period.
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Mysterious / Black Leather / Chrome / all other options except On Star and smoker pkg.
Ordered: 8 Sep Delivered to dealer 15 Dec(Watched her come off the truck)
Will you be in Denver for the 2009 Summer Solstice?
12
Wicked 2009 Solstice GXP Coupe on order 24 October 2008
Location: Wilds of Canada, or the Pac NW, or the Upper Penninsula of MI...
You prolly have green brakes, if you feel like they aren't responsive. give it a good 1200 miles of normal useage and re-evaluate.
Same for the steering - it takes time for the ball joints and especially the rack and pinion to break in, too. By the time you get 1200 miles on your car, your steering smoothes out, your tires gain grip, your brakes feel better.
I also hear there are potential pads out there (Cobalt SS Supercharged front pads) that can help your brake feel, too. If you don't like your brake feel, changing your brake lines now is a bit premature, IMO, until you've explored more agressive pads first, and until all of your car is 'broken in'. Kinda like starting to restore a car by starting with new windshield wipers... there's other things to look at first before going to steel braided lines and substantial modification.
My dealer has a used '06 that I might try test driving just to get the feel of a Solstice and it's layout, then I can be surprised with the GXP power on delivery rather than trying to get acclimated to a brand new car that's mine.
This is a great idea that everyone should do if at all possible, in order to understand what the GXP is offering that's not available in the base. Run it up through the gears and get a feel for what the base car can do before driving the GXP, you'll have a much clearer picture.
You prolly have green brakes, if you feel like they aren't responsive. give it a good 1200 miles of normal usage and re-evaluate.
Same for the steering - it takes time for the ball joints and especially the rack and pinion to break in, too. By the time you get 1200 miles on your car, your steering smoothes out, your tires gain grip, your brakes feel better.
I also hear there are potential pads out there (Cobalt SS Supercharged front pads) that can help your brake feel, too. If you don't like your brake feel, changing your brake lines now is a bit premature, IMO, until you've explored more aggressive pads first, and until all of your car is 'broken in'. Kinda like starting to restore a car by starting with new windshield wipers... there's other things to look at first before going to steel braided lines and substantial modification.
Sage advice, indeed. One point though. It's not that the steering and brakes aren't smooth. Quite the contrary. They feel almost "antiseptic". In a few other great cars I've driven over the past year, they all had a certain "connected" feeling through the steering wheel and brakes that currently isn't there to the same degree(at least my perception). Don't misunderstand. This is strictly a "quibble". This car is a great package, even more so when you consider the price. I love my GXP . At this point, it's capabilities far exceed mine!!!!!
__________________ Yes,actually, I am driving that Deep GXP!!!!!
. As far as the steering and brake feel, it's time to start investigating possibilities. Any idea what the steering gear rack bushings are made of? What type of brake lines are on the car? A friend has a modified WRX STI. Amongst the things he did was to change the steering rack bushings from factory rubber to aftermarket urethane, as well as stainless steel brake lines. I can tell you it was like driving a different car after he made those two changes.........
the more I read about the cars being delivered ... the more excited I become. 
