Neighbor's New Solstice GXP: Can I Take It?
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From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
Neighbor's New Solstice GXP: Can I Take It?
My neighbor and friend just got a new roadster; a 2007 Pontiac GXP fully loaded. It's a 2.0L I4 turbo making 260 hp and 260 TQ on a 2900 lb. 2-seater. I get the feeling he wants to run me and that he's confident he can take me. I drove it and there is a little turbo lag but it really is a quick little car. It weights about 600 lbs. less than my 2006 C350 Sport and he has a manual 6-speed and I have the 7G-Tronic automatic 7-speed. I did some Googleing and found a Car & Driver test of his and a MotorTrend test of mine. They seem pretty dang close. By the factory numbers, he'd win. But by road tests in magazines, it's a much closer call. I am definitely going to give him the chance. Who do you think will be quicker?
2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP
2006 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport Sedan
2007 Pontiac Solstice GXP
Manufacturer’s Data
0 to 60: 5.4 sec.
Car and Driver Test
0 to 60: 5.6 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.2 @ 98 mph
Road & Track Test
0 to 60: 5.5 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.0 @ 99 mph
0 to 60: 5.4 sec.
Car and Driver Test
0 to 60: 5.6 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.2 @ 98 mph
Road & Track Test
0 to 60: 5.5 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.0 @ 99 mph
2006 Mercedes-Benz C350 Sport Sedan
Manufacturer’s Data
0 to 60: 6.1 sec.
MotorTrend Test
0 to 60: 5.4 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.1 @ 99 mph
Road & Track Test
0 to 60: 5.7 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.2 @ 100 mph
0 to 60: 6.1 sec.
MotorTrend Test
0 to 60: 5.4 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.1 @ 99 mph
Road & Track Test
0 to 60: 5.7 sec.
1/4 mile: 14.2 @ 100 mph
Last edited by Drop-a-Daimler; Jul 8, 2007 at 08:15 PM.
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From: orange county NY
'05 C55(sold)'05 E55(sold)'06 911C4S(sold)'06 ML350 '06 CLS55(sold),buncha slo bikes
it will be down to who gets a better start.If you get the jump he may not be able to close the gap&vice-versa
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R35 GT-R, EvoX
If winning is very important to you then take out your spare tire, race on 1/4 tank of gas.
You have an auto with 7 speeds. It will shift perfect every time. He has a manual and may not get perfect shifts so you have a good chance of winning. But it should be very close. Goodluck and have fun
You have an auto with 7 speeds. It will shift perfect every time. He has a manual and may not get perfect shifts so you have a good chance of winning. But it should be very close. Goodluck and have fun
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From: Los Angeles
2005 C55
If he wants to race then race him asap, the reason why is because he needs to learn how to launch the car in order to duplicate those mag test numbers, your car is auto so it's more predictable just remove the traction control. He should spin alot and you will get the jump, once that happens I dont think he will reel you in.From a roll it will be close.
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From: Monterey
1989 560sl and 1997 s500
Well i say race from a roll because looking at the Quatermile times and trap speeds it would very close from from a dig and i think you will take from a roll. Though the above post do mention that he does have a greater chance of misshifting or shifting slower than your 7G gearbox. Goodluck
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From: Phoenix, AZ
E550 and Z4 3.0si
Uh, unless his ECU is programmed to be adaptive or has a race gas program in it that he can switch to, isn't this a waste of money? New to MB, so not certain, but most factory ECUs do not adapt to take advantage of higher octane race gas...
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From: Sugar Land, TX
BMW E39
Race gas will do jack in a bone stock 350.
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From: orange county NY
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From: Houston
C63S
Yeah, it works. My car is set for pump gas via Renntech tuning. However, if I add 1/2 a tank of 100 octane race gas, my dyno numbers jump about 20WHP. If I use 100 octane non race gas, I get about 10WHP.
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From: Phoenix, AZ
E550 and Z4 3.0si
I don't believe that 100 and above octane effects a totally stock car...anyone got a dyno to show it? Modded cars are a totally different story; I am talking bone stock... I cannot imagine that if I dump 101 octane into either my E550 or my Z4 3.0si, both totally stock, that I will get any benefits because neither computer is going to recognize the additional octane and adjust the timing to compensate...
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From: orange county NY
'05 C55(sold)'05 E55(sold)'06 911C4S(sold)'06 ML350 '06 CLS55(sold),buncha slo bikes
I don't believe that 100 and above octane effects a totally stock car...anyone got a dyno to show it? Modded cars are a totally different story; I am talking bone stock... I cannot imagine that if I dump 101 octane into either my E550 or my Z4 3.0si, both totally stock, that I will get any benefits because neither computer is going to recognize the additional octane and adjust the timing to compensate...
The oxygenated VP Fuel I was referring to is 96 octane&that will absolutely make a bone stock car see some HP improvement.It basically crams more "air" into the combustion process by it being in the fuel.Since a gasoline engine is basically an air pump,more air equates more power with all other things being equal.
I run 110 octane in one of my bikes,but were talking 15:1 CR for that engine.It would melt pistons/valves with anything less.We tried 116 octane&it made less horsepower.Just enough to curtail detonation/preignition.
We added 110 octane to a bone stock GSXR-1000&it actually made 12 HP less than with 93 octane pump gas on our dyno
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From: Cave Creek, AZ and Newport Beach
'22 G 63 AMG, '21 GLE 53 AMG, '20 NSX
Well i say race from a roll because looking at the Quatermile times and trap speeds it would very close from from a dig and i think you will take from a roll. Though the above post do mention that he does have a greater chance of misshifting or shifting slower than your 7G gearbox. Goodluck
If you have ever seen the way magazines test cars, there's no way he'll drive his car that hard (unless he stole the car). Be careful out there.
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From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
Putting 100 octane in a car that has stock compression will actually generate a loss of horsepower.The least amount of octane needed to eliminate detonation will make the most HP.Higher octane generally causes the combustion to cool a bit,in a stock engine this will decrease HP....I run 110 octane in one of my bikes,but were talking 15:1 CR for that engine.It would melt pistons/valves with anything less.We tried 116 octane&it made less horsepower.Just enough to curtail detonation/preignition.
Last edited by Drop-a-Daimler; Jul 10, 2007 at 11:05 AM.
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From: orange county NY
'05 C55(sold)'05 E55(sold)'06 911C4S(sold)'06 ML350 '06 CLS55(sold),buncha slo bikes
Excellent info.So,do you think the oxygenated race fuel would work with the closed loop system?
If they make one for your bike,get a DynoJet Igntion Module,you can alter timing advance+/- 10degress in each cylinder over the entire rpm range
If they make one for your bike,get a DynoJet Igntion Module,you can alter timing advance+/- 10degress in each cylinder over the entire rpm range
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From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
You're right about that! I ride with a dude who runs that box. He's spent a lot of dyno timing setting it up at FastLance Cycles in Chantilly, VA. and he runs a good half second faster than me. Schit works.
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From: asdfasdf
One with 4 wheels
Is this a bad joke?
If you had an SLK, which is what the stupid Solstice is trying (but failing) to steal sales away from.....you can easily take it.
You can't compare a sedan to a roadster. People seriously should stop this odd need to race other cars that aren't even the same class of car.
Gee, I wonder what would win, a 997TT or a Honda Accord?
Stupid.
If you had an SLK, which is what the stupid Solstice is trying (but failing) to steal sales away from.....you can easily take it.
You can't compare a sedan to a roadster. People seriously should stop this odd need to race other cars that aren't even the same class of car.
Gee, I wonder what would win, a 997TT or a Honda Accord?
Stupid.
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R35 GT-R, EvoX
Is this a bad joke?
If you had an SLK, which is what the stupid Solstice is trying (but failing) to steal sales away from.....you can easily take it.
You can't compare a sedan to a roadster. People seriously should stop this odd need to race other cars that aren't even the same class of car.
Gee, I wonder what would win, a 997TT or a Honda Accord?
Stupid.
If you had an SLK, which is what the stupid Solstice is trying (but failing) to steal sales away from.....you can easily take it.
You can't compare a sedan to a roadster. People seriously should stop this odd need to race other cars that aren't even the same class of car.
Gee, I wonder what would win, a 997TT or a Honda Accord?
Stupid.
Right...isn't that why E55's race Vipers and 997TTs and S65's race Gallardos? Racing is about performance of the car, not the $ you spent on the car or the name brand.
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From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
Last edited by Drop-a-Daimler; Jul 11, 2007 at 06:23 PM.
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From: Northern Virginia
2006 C55 AMG, 2.8L Quattro, Softail Nostalgia 1550 (Stage III), Sporster (slammed)
Oh, OK. I guess I really took the bait, huh? I can be a little slow sometimes. I blame beer.
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From: OC
a quarter mile at a time
Dude, WTF?!? I'll race anything, anytime if there's a chance I'll pull out in front of them. 2-doors, 4-doors, ragtops, roadsters or limos. I don't give a schit! I got the bug and if they wanna go, then I say "run what ya bung". I sure hope the fact that I choose to drive a 4-door saloon doesn't preclude me from racing a coupe or a roadster? I've gotten into it with a 335i convertible, a 300C Hemi, an Impreza WRX and a Honda S2000 and although I didn't always pull out in front or stay there, I sure had a blast trying. So I don't like your rules and I am going to choose to ignore them. And your analogy? I write a post about 2 cars within $10K, 10 hp and 5 10th of a second of each other and you draw an analogy between a 3 second, $150K race-tuned car and a $25K-10 second economy car. We're talking about street drag racing here not a day at Summit Point governed by some sanctioning body. I say all's fair on the street. He wants a piece and I'm going to oblige him.
I'll race a lawn mower if he's willing to run!
