[Nicholas Judge]

Hi, I’m researching Pontiac Solstice mods for when I buy one in a year or two, and I wanted to know if you guys had any additions or changes to my list! I got most of these parts off of either this forum or YouTube so if you know ones that work just as well or better for cheaper or similar prices, those recommendations are greatly appreciated. I'm editing this as I go so I can get updated feedback.

1)$700: Pioneer AVH-W4500NEX Radio
2)$400: DDMWorks Brace Package
3)$375: Front Tires P245/45R18
4)$650: Magnaflow Cat-Back Exhaust 2.5”
5)$300: Norm’s Recessed Grills
6)$25: DOT4 Brake Fluid
8)$1,000: BC Coilover Shocks
10)$250: WindRestrictor Wind Deflector GXP
11)$35: BlackCat LED Instrument Lighting
12)$100: BlackCar 160 C-Style Instrument:
13)$175: Pontiac Solstice Car Cover
14)$130: Boyo VTL375HD Rear View Plate

New: Racepads/ TCE front and rear brake kits
Brake fluid reservoir
Wider tires & wheels
Roll Bar
Radiator upgrade

 

[shabby]

9)$7,000: Mallet 2.4L Supercharger

Get the gxp instead.

 

[Nicholas Judge]

Get the gxp instead.

do you have a recommended kit? Sorry, I screwed up with the supercharger I didn't read the 2.4L over the 2.0L

 

[kgschlosser]

Or you can take the turbo setup from a GXP and put it on your 2.4. It will cost far less then the supercharger. There are plunty of people here on the forum that you can get the parts from to be able to do this. Or you can by a kit that includes all of the pieces and it would be brand new.

at 6,995 for the super charger kit and that is only going to get you to 300 horse, you can get a GXP turbo setup for 3,500 and that will get you to 300 HP as well. for 3,750 it can get you to 400 HP.

The 7 grand is not worth it. if you piece together your own turbo kit it would save you 1,000 bucks

 

[kgschlosser]

the other crappy thing with the Mallet super charger is there is not a whole lot of added torque, stock is about 150ish an with the charger it is 200. that's horrible. your torque should be close to what the hp output is.

 

[kgschlosser]

7)$1,000: Brembo Brakes

not really needed, more for looks then anything else.

3)$750: Tires P245/45R18
you are going to want to go with wider tires in the back.

 

[Nicholas Judge]

the other crappy thing with the Mallet super charger is there is not a whole lot of added torque, stock is about 150ish an with the charger it is 200. that's horrible. your torque should be close to what the hp output is.

I may have screwed up with how I worded this. I want to buy a 2009 GXP, I know I messed up with the mallett supercharger because its a 2.0L engine in a GXP and not a 2.4L, I understand that now. If I already have the GXP as it is, should I get a supercharger or turbo upgrade? I want to race this car on the track and if I'm doing that, it would be best to have a supercharger because there's no lag to worry about. If you think either turbos or superchargers are better, do you know anybody on the forum that sells these kits or maybe a link to a website? If neither, just let me know.

 

[Nicholas Judge]

7)$1,000: Brembo Brakes

not really needed, more for looks then anything else.

3)$750: Tires P245/45R18
you are going to want to go with wider tires in the back.

Thanks for letting me know about those Brembos, but what tires or size do you think are best for the back wheels so I can add these to my list.

 

[phil1734]

Given your expectations for the car, you're going to want wider tires everywhere, which also means wider wheels, since even putting a 245 on a stock 8" wheel is pushing the envelope of what they can take.

If you plan to use the stability and traction control, you'll also want to keep the diameter the same between the front and rear or it'll become increasingly intrusive (fractionally larger on the rear is better than the other way around if you do have to run a staggered set-up for some reason.)

 

[Nicholas Judge]

Given your expectations for the car, you're going to want wider tires everywhere, which also means wider wheels, since even putting a 245 on a stock 8" wheel is pushing the envelope of what they can take.

If you plan to use the stability and traction control, you'll also want to keep the diameter the same between the front and rear or it'll become increasingly intrusive (fractionally larger on the rear is better than the other way around if you do have to run a staggered set-up for some reason.)

I appreciate the advice, I'll look into wider wheels and thank you!

 

[phil1734]

If you're planning on track use you generally also need a roll bar. There's the popular but a bit sketchy RPM bar, but if you want one that's guaranteed to get you on track, you'll need a custom one and a hardtop (if you want a top anyway. If it's a track-only car I'd just go without a top.)

You will still need better brake pads, and ideally a brake fluid reservoir that doesn't leak under hard deceleration like the stock one.

Honestly, if track use is your ultimate goal and you aren't otherwise attached to the kappa platform for some reason, buy a C5.

 

[Nicholas Judge]

If you're planning on track use you generally also need a roll bar. There's the popular but a bit sketchy RPM bar, but if you want one that's guaranteed to get you on track, you'll need a custom one and a hardtop (if you want a top anyway. If it's a track-only car I'd just go without a top.)

You will still need better brake pads, and ideally a brake fluid reservoir that doesn't leak under hard deceleration like the stock one.

Honestly, if track use is your ultimate goal and you aren't otherwise attached to the kappa platform for some reason, buy a C5.

First, I am definitely attached to the kappa platform, specifically the Solstice with how it looks. I want track use and practical use out of this car, so I'll ask my dad about how I can contact the SCCA's High Performance Driver's Education near me and ask what they would allow with roll bars. I did see a hardtop online that you can put on the convertible Solstice's, I believe it was called the Smoothline removable hardtop if that's what you were referring to with the hardtop (if you meant to get a coupe solstice GXP I can't afford that anywhere in the near future). For brakepads, someone had told me that brembos were more for looks than anything, but you just said that I should have better brake pads if I'm taking this car on the track, so what do you think I should do with this? Thank you for the response by the way.

 

[shabby]

I may have screwed up with how I worded this. I want to buy a 2009 GXP, I know I messed up with the mallett supercharger because its a 2.0L engine in a GXP and not a 2.4L, I understand that now. If I already have the GXP as it is, should I get a supercharger or turbo upgrade?

Gxp already has a turbo, it's 260hp. You might need a radiator upgrade if you plan to do any track racing, stock one might be sufficient but keep your eye on the temps.
The stock brakes won't last on the track either, either get some race pads or get some bigger calipers and rotors from tce, they have front and rear kits.

 

[phil1734]

Smoothline is an option, there was also a GM unit available at one time and they occasionally show up for sale. Norm's Fiberglass used to make one but it hasn't been avaliable for a while due to no longer having a source for the rear glass. Either option runs in the $2,000+ +shipping range.

The RPM bar doesn't meet any SCCA requirements, but some have used it to get on track for HPDEs. Generally your best bet there seems to be to not ask your local track if it's okay and hope/assume they don't actually know any rules when you go through tech. The RPM bar has the benefit of working with the stock top. SCCA guidelines are widely available online, but vary greatly depending on what class you want to build to.

FWIW, a Solstice coupe would not require a roll bar for most HPDEs since it's not a true convertible.

As far as brakes, "Brembo" is nothing more than a brand name. They honestly make just as many so-so OE brake systems, maybe even more, as they do performance brakes. The stock Solstice calipers and rotors are more than adequate for track use at stock or near-stock horsepower and weight levels. The weak point is the pads, which are relatively cheap and easy to upgrade with something from EBC/Hawk/Carbotech/etc. The stock brake fluid cap also leaks due to its orientation. You can get a different reservoir or a non-vented cap to solve the issue. It's been a long time since I've seen a cap come up for sale, but the non-leaky reservoir can be found cheaply on ebay from time to time as it was used on other GM vehicles of the era (mostly in Europe it seems.)

 

[kgschlosser]

OK since you want to track it... what you need to find out is what you are allowed to do to it, and also what is required in order to get it onto the track, every class is different so you need to know the specifics for the class you plan on running in. That is the first thing you should do before picking aftermarket parts. I would also find out if the RPM bar is going to be sufficient to use, and also if it is sufficient to use with a convertible. putting a hard top n the solstice doesn't change the classification of the car. it is still a convertible. IDK why some classes require a hard top even tho the hard top doesn't offer the driver any more protection. I think it is a way to shy people away from using a convertible on the track. It is an added expense that actually does nothing.

You can get a big brake kit if you want.. they are expensive with the cheapest being the Brembo and the price jumps to 1500 per axle from there.. There is only one company that I have seen that makes a rear big brake kit for the Solstice. II am not sure why the other manufacturers do not make it for the rear. if you do not upgrade the rear you are going to end up with the bias being off and that will effect handling under hard breaking conditions.

I am not sure what is up with the Solstice and the overflowing brake reservoir. some have said the fluid boil other have said is it splash out. I have not investigated the cause. A larger reservoir does stop the fluid from coming out.. If there is an underlying issue like the brake fluid boiling then all the bottle did was fix a symptom and not the problem.

I have not done the math to see if the stock Solstice master is able to move enough fluid to support 6 or 8 piston calipers. It might be on the line for being able to, if it is and you are planning on running claipers with more then 2 pistons I would suggest also changing the master for one that moves more brake fluid.

Tires are something you will pick once you know what you are allowed to do to the car. once you know that and you have figured out what suspension changes are going to be made and also what engine performance mods you are going to do you will have a better idea of the size and compound you are going to want to run. This is one of the last things picked.

What you need to do is talk to one of the officials for the division you want to run the car in. pick the class that you are wanting to run in and ask the official what you are and are not allowed to do. That is your starting point.

 

[phil1734]

.. putting a hard top n the solstice doesn't change the classification of the car. it is still a convertible. IDK why some classes require a hard top even tho the hard top doesn't offer the driver any more protection. I think it is a way to shy people away from using a convertible on the track. It is an added expense that actually does nothing. ...

They serve two purposes. 1.)A roll bar, or even a full halo cage, doesn't offer a lot of protection if you roll into a sand or gravel trap. The hard-top, even if just a few layers of fiberglass or carbon, or a net even, prevents the bar from simply digging into the ground. And 2.) just a roll bar sliding on grass can lead to pole-vaulting the car or collapse the bar if it catches something like an access road, making a "minor" roll-over event something much more.

 

[ConeHugger01]

You can follow along with what I"m doing on my AX and track car here: 2021 AutoCross/Track car build thread

FWIW, a guy near my track that runs Track Sprints said since the Kappa is later than 2005, its OK to run as-is, no rollbar needed for those events. But then again, it's been widely discussed that bar isn't actually fully-track approved. So, proceed with appropriate caution that what you do still might not let you get on-track. You'll have to put shoulder harness bars on it (if you want a race seat, and why not), such as this thread: Post in thread 'RPM Rollbar install'

Race seats need to fit and you've got to fit it within 19inches or less at the wide point at the front. The shoulder areas are wide too and might not fit also.

You also probably want the Werks rear bar too, I've got one and it's getting some additional bracing. Here's a thread regarding this: #16 again see my build on some discussion there too.

I plan to put Brembos, but if you ever plan to use the stock wheels with them, you NEED spacers. If you get another set of wheels, make sure you can verify they will have enough room. I've got a set of custom BC wheels, and they were able to send my vendor a cad drawing so I could verify the spacing. Here's a thread with wheel spacing: OFFSET FOR 18x11 WHEELS

I got this car and am working through the "challenges" - but also as stated, if you don't like challenges, parts shortages, or waiting, or affording weird custom parts, get a C5 cheap or a Miata (I know, I know, blasphemy around here).

 

[phil1734]

The SCCA might have changed their rules for TNiA this year... (!!!)

It used to be anything 2006+ required roll over protection if it had more than 4 cylinders or forced induction. So the GXP was illegal, but the base Sol was okay. The limit is now 6 cylinders and forced induction needs roll over protection. According to the website, a turbo 4 (or N/A V6) is now okay to run as long as it meets local track requirements.

This will need definite confirmation before I start showing up again.

 

[ConeHugger01]

I haven't driven much on the stock brakes, I'll say they are certainly adequate. And the right pads help a LOT, esp if it's AX or track vs normal street driving. But I'm going to put the Brembos on my Kappa. My point of experience that they would be beneficial is my other car, my Trans Am. That had floating 2 piston calipers, and for sure it was OK enough, and good with good pads. But, I got pad knockback a bunch, and they just felt ... a little less than "superb" ... after a number of years. I bled my brakes almost every winter, so it wasn't bad fluid. I put on 4p Brembo's, and the brakes were just more ... solid feeling. It was not that stopping distances were dramatically shortened, just that the pedal firmness was better. I felt better about hammering them hard and not having fade or simple weakness in a 20 year old system. On my TA, it's a definite upgrade from that standpoint.

 

[Kellysellsrv]

Start with 2007. Forged rods instead of powder. Much stronger.
Nothing works better than going bigger with front and rear brakes. I went with wilwood. Night and day difference. Your brace package is perfect. The rear makes a huge difference..
Bigger downpipe and 600hp cooler really helps. Keeps the engine cooler also. But radiator upgrade is recommended.
The factory exhaust works just fine. No need to spend money there unless you want to.
Vent the hood. Keeps the nose on the ground and keeps it cooler.
For a cheap power upgrade RPM can bore the turbo for around $700. That and the zzp $200 tune will make a huge difference. Don't forget the cat delete. Zzpcan turn off the rear 02 sensor on the tune. Need anything else let me know.