GXP FE3 Suspension not the FE3 from ZOK as advertise by GM

[LatinVenom]

Maybe my 1st 1k with the Eagle F1 GS-D3's is very close to a ZOK, I do not know since I have never driven one, but my GXP same tires is not as good as my 1st 1K car, is not perception is fact, but it could be my car was not aligned properly at the factory been one of the first GXP been sold to the public.

[ender]

Is a 1st 1K car anything special or different from the other non turbo Sols?

[DaveOC]

Originally Posted by ender Is a 1st 1K car anything special or different from the other non turbo Sols?

Technically, no. However, the assembly workers were still learning how to build them, and there were a number of minor engineering changes made during the run of the 1st 1K.

Since they took a bit longer on each car during the run, many of us with 1st 1K cars think ours were built just a little bit better than those than followed.

No one other than the people in the plant really knows the truth of the matter.

For what it's worth, I have driven a bunch of later production NAs and my 1st 1K handles a bit better at the limits, but I can change that by adding 3-4 pounds of air to my tires.

[Krazed Kanary]

Originally Posted by LatinVenom Maybe my 1st 1k with the Eagle F1 GS-D3's is very close to a ZOK, I do not know since I have never driven one, but my GXP same tires is not as good as my 1st 1K car, is not perception is fact, but it could be my car was not aligned properly at the factory been one of the first GXP been sold to the public.

mine was built jan 07, and didn't have a good alignment on it. Does your have the chassis brace?

[SolsticeMan]

Originally Posted by Krazed Kanary ... SM our GXP (zero option except AC) actual weight was 2944 with catback and 1/4 tank of gas.

Makes sense - Add back in the 55 lbs (10 gallons X 5 1/2 lbs) you are missing, and your car is 3000 lbs curb (the baseline I have all my measurements taken at).

[SolsticeMan]

Originally Posted by Krazed Kanary mine was built jan 07, and didn't have a good alignment on it. Does your have the chassis brace?

What is a 'chassis brace'?

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by todd_raleigh These posts have been very interesting, but we don't know the real reason. I would certainly like to get that go-cart feeling on the GXP. Kanary mentioned the rubber. That may be my next step as I continue down my AX experience.

I think we can conclude it is not the rubber. LatinVenom had GS-D3s on both cars, but the handling and/or handling feel is worse on the GXP compared with his base car.

birdliver has better tires on his GXP than he had on his base car, yet the handling and/or handlign feel is worse on his GXP than base.

Something is amiss and nobody knows what it is at this point.

All of you guys are credible and you can't all be just imagining the GXP handles and/or feels like it handles inferior to the base car.

Interesting enigma, no?

[ender]

I'd love to see some test results in a controlled environment:
Same tires, maybe restrict the GXP to the same power the nonn GXP has.

Then compare skidpad numbers and Slalom, Autocross & Road Race lap times.

[LatinVenom]

Mine were a control tests, the speed of both cars was always the same.
My car was build on August of 2006, prior to the plant shutting down, mine is one of the few build without the intercooler upgrade or change.
SM just touched on something that maybe is contributing to the problem, the factory weight of my car was change from the day I took possession by about 25lbs less in the rear(exhaust system upgrade), but if the distribution of the weight of the car front/rear has to be maintain within +/- a couple of pounds with a full tank of gas then.................

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by LatinVenom Jimbo: To answer one of your question the test was done entering a curve at a specific speed, meaning the desire speed was attained on the straight of way prior to entering the curve, at no time was the brake applied, both of my cars had LSD, the GXP feels as though the back end is straining vs the N.A. car feels flat. Same thing happens with 90 degree turns, at a specific speed the GXP tires will start to squeal vs the N.A. car does not.

I was just throwing out ideas because many people equate feel with a car's actual limits. If it feels better the limit must be better. Not always true. Often not true.

You guys are all credible. I know there is something here. Maybe you should post a poll on this and ask everybody who went from base to GXP to say if handling is as good, better or worse when they moved from base to GXP. I would be curious to see the result. But we have too many reliable people reporting that the GXP doesn't handle as well as the base car to conclude this is all just in your minds.

Interesting enigma. Im curious where this leads.

[ender]

Originally Posted by LatinVenom Mine were a control tests, the speed of both cars was always the same. My car was build on August of 2006, prior to the plant shuting down, mine is one of the few build without the intercooler upgrade or change.

Instrumented car with accelerometers, same pavement, same conditions, controlled test on skidpad, slalom, road course, etc?

[jimbo]

Originally Posted by Krazed Kanary I just cannot buy the assertion that the non ZOK would outhandle the GXP, given the same conditions.

Yes and know. It doesn't stand to reason to me that the non Z0K base car would outhandle the GXP. Initial information had it that the GXP had the same upgraded FE3 suspension that the Z0K had. Now, I don't even know if that is compeletely true.

One clue that is worth noting IIRC, is that 2 car magazines achieved higher skid-pad values for the base Solstice than they did for the GXP. That does indicate that the GXPs grip is giving up at lower speeds than the base car and therefore, the base car "handles" better.

I agree with you that the GXP on paper should outhandle the base non-Z0K car. But we are not on paper and people are reporting that is not the case. I just don't know how to resolve this short of maybe testing these out in a parking lot at the national meet. Have everyone take sharp corners in their base cars and GXPs and see if a pattern emerges that one breaks loose at lower speeds.

I dunno? :hun: I don't even know if this matters. At some point, with both cars being great handling cars, if one car feels much better than the other than having a car that feels more stable at speeds is more useful to us on the street than one that feels less stable at speeds, and is a real reason to own a base Solstice over a GXP if you are all about handling and handling feel.

I don't know. I'm stumped. I don't even know how to measure the handling and separate it from the impressions of handling feel. I just don't know?

[jimbo]

Don't we still have a couple of members who own a base and a GXP between them and the husband or wife?

I would love to hear from one of them after they drive the two cars back to back.

Any takers???

[LatinVenom]

Jimbo,
It has been reported that the FE3 suspension is not the same for the ZOK vs the GXP, because of the springs.
I posted the part numbers at the begining of the thread and the only difference is the springs and this is where the problem may be.

[LatinVenom]

Same pavement, same conditions, road course, no instruments just me as the driver.