# New GTO Purchase, tips/opinions wanted!



## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Guys (and girls), I went to the dealership today, and I will most likely be taking delivery of a brand spanking new GTO tomorrow or Saturday. I'm sooooooo excited!
Currently, I drive a supercharged 2003 Explorer Sport Trac, which is pretty fast...for a truck. For the explorers, the #1 thing to buy is a performance tuner (we used SCT, but I think diablo is more friendly to the GTOs). Is the case the same with the GTO? What is the FIRST thing I should buy for performance?
Please don't say "supercharger"...I WILL be adding one, but not right away. I want to break the motor in a bit before jumping in and adding a couple hundred horses. I'm looking for the most "bang for my buck" here.
Another thing...what in the world is up with the 1-4 shifting thing at part throttle??? I keep hearing about it, and I've heard that pulling a fuse allows me to disable it, so which fuse do I need to pull when I leave the dealer's lot? I want to be able to shift through my gears properly...after all, that's why I got the 6-speed instead of an automatic!
I'd like to be an active member of this community, just like I am over at the sport trac community. I'm really going to be bummed out not having much in common with the guys over there at the 'trac site, and not hearing from them as much, but hopefully I'll find the same camaraderie here at the GTO forums.
Every new vehicle is a learning experience and I do enjoy learning, so any great posts that are worth reading, or any good tech articles that should be read, please pass 'em along to me.
Up until the sport trac, I had never owned a vehicle with fewer than 300 horsepower. I've had a long line of Trans Ams, Camaros and Mustang Cobras (wait...that's a bad word here isn't it?), and I really missed the performance aspect when I bought the truck. Slapping a supercharger on a vehicle with only 170 rear-wheel horsepower, turning it into a 300+ horsepower beast is a pretty impressive transformation. Lots of fun and lots of challenges. It'll be nice to have something quick from the factory, which I can improve upon and have a truly FAST car.
So, any tips, tricks, documents, or anything else that you guys can provide will be greatly appreciated by a new GTO owner. By the way, it's YELLOW (this is my THIRD yellow vehicle haha). Don't flame me too much for the yellow though, I kinda enjoy standing out. 
Have a nice evening everyone.
-Scott


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

get back mike iam first lol. well dude the most we do first is get a CAI of some kind and a new cat back. good luck


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Cool, those were high on my list. I was just wondering if a tuner was more beneficial to get FIRST or after a few other mods. With most of my other cars, I haven't had the stock exhaust or air filter/intake on there for more than a day anyway. The poor sport trac didn't even make it 2 hours with the stock exhaust. haha


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

use the search bar to find boo coo info on stuff like tires, catbacks, CAI, mods, u name we talked about it. welcome to the club and hope u enjoy. post some pics when u get here


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

from what we here they dont or have not yet release the programmer for the 05's


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

btw lock up skip shifter and it tells you how to bypass the fuse and how much it cost$30 maybe


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

ah, ok. I have a lot of reading to do on what IS and ISN'T available yet.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

we also have a sound data base to check out how a 05 or 04 goat will sound with differnt exaust http://www.gtoforum.com/showthread.php?t=3564&highlight=exhaust


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks guys.
So you can't just pull a fuse and be done with the shift issue? That's nearly enough to make me get the automatic! So many choices, so little time!
Tonight is going to be a LOOOONG night since I go over there tomorrow to finalize everything.
It's been a while since I've driven a manual transmission vehicle and I'm actually looking forward to it quite a bit, but I am NOT looking forward to that screwy 1-4 shift. What in the hell was Pontiac THINKING?!?


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## GGTTOO (Oct 6, 2005)

If you do not drive like a granny you will not hit the 1-4 shift issue.  No seriously there are several picktail products out there, just do a search. One that comes to mind is SLP.

Welcome.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

LOL, I love your icon GGTTOO, do they make a sticker like that?
I doubt I'll be doing much granny driving, but there are times in traffic where it would be a lot more fun to go 1, 2, 3, 4 like a normal vehicle instead of being stuck 1-4. 
Those of you who have automatics, if you had it do to over again, would you get a manual? (and vice versa)


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

Hello Scott, welcome to the forum and enjoy the new GTO.


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## GGTTOO (Oct 6, 2005)

Yes they make a decal like that...http://www.decaldriveway.com/searchProduct.asp?Search=Pontiac


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## rippinbyu (Jun 11, 2005)

Welcome! :cheers 

These are a must:

Lingfelter Cold Air Intake 

Corsa


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## GGTTOO (Oct 6, 2005)

Man I checked the price of the Lingfelter CAI for the '04 compared to the '05...the '04 is $100 more. I can not figure out why...does anyone know what would make it soooo much higher? This is the only reason I have not purchased it.


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## Chimazo (Nov 14, 2005)

Baron,
From what I have read, a cat back exhaust for the '05's (compared to the '04) is not worth the $700-900 for maybe 5hp. The '05's have pretty decent 2.5" pipes. Headers are a better bang for the buck, apparently, along with the previously mentioned CAI.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

I will have to get them sooner or later though, the supercharger will probably require a bit better exhaust than factory. Of course the supercharger is a ways away still. I think the first thing to go on will be a CAI next week...or maybe even later today if I can find one. haha
Thanks for the suggestions. I'll post pics when I get the car.
-Scott


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## C5ORGTO (Dec 30, 2004)

The 1-4 Skip shift isn't that big of deal, and it can be disabled for about 20 bucks. If you are at least 20% throttle it won't interfere.


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## dealernut (Oct 22, 2005)

The skip shift bypass is EXTREMELY simple. I personally would reccomend a Manual over an auto. Even though the automatics are faster, the manual is more fun.

I personally would reccomend a CAI and a good tune for the car, once it is broken in properly.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

I went for my first drive in the GTO today, once I mashed on the pedal, there was NO WAY I could NOT buy it!! 

Wow! I go over to sign the papers at 6pm tonight. This GTO makes my old Trans Ams feel SLOW and they were pretty heavily built (cam, pistons, exhaust, cai, tune, etc). This is going to be the start of a beautiful relationship! Hopefully it's not a relationship with my local highway patrolman though. I was cruising up the highway and I looked down to see I was doing 85! lol
Now I'm more excited than ever to get it. I had ridden in GTOs before, but never actually driven one. I didn't even get the chance to go all-out balls-to-the-wall fast because the dealership girl looked kinda scared anyway. She was by FAR the hottest car salesman I've ever seen too, which makes it even MORE exciting to go over there!
Do you guys know of any good tuners in Missouri or the surrounding states? Most of the tuners I know right now are accustomed to tuning Fords. There's 2 mustang shops in St. Louis, but I don't know of any GM-based places. If you all know anyone, I'd really appreciate it if you could point me to their website. This thing is going to be a beast with a good tune. :willy:
Thanks for all the help and tips so far.
--Scott


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

is it an 05 or 06? if 06, ur the first on the forum with one


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

I went with the 05. I don't know if there was an 06 on the lot or not. I saw yellow and thought "must have it". I have owned 4 yellow vehicles and I love them. They're a heck of a lot easier to keep clean than black (which is actually the best looking color of most all cars). When black is clean, it looks amazing. The problem is KEEPING them clean.

By the way, is there a particular aftermarket parts dealer who supports the forums here? I like to buy stuff from people who support forums since I know I'll probably not only get a better price, but also they'll be more likely to help if I ever had a problem.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

gtodealer is ur guy steve is the name


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Great, thanks. Maybe i can save a bit on shipping if I order a ton of stuff to start off with. haha
It's always nice to find someone who not only supports the forum, but is also active in the forum. We had a couple of guys like that over at the sport trac forums. They were willing to help you with almost anything and they stood behind their products 100%, which is always a great thing.

This day is DRAGGING by...


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

you will get here soon :lol: i no how u feel. i waited a whole year b4 i got mine. Every time i went to get it (btw it was to be a yellow jacket) she would say no you cant get :willy: so this past may she went out of town and i pulled the trigger. and also won a car in that same hour. gm hot button game. so she could not get mad :rofl:


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Haha, sounds like it was a good thing you won the car or you might have gotten a pretty serious butt chewing when she got back.
I don't think I have the patience to wait a year. I'm barely going to make it through the next 4 hours!! After driving that thing, the thought that I might get a mustang left my head at a very rapid pace. There's just NO comparison between the GTO and the Mustang GT. 
For the record, I didn't tell my woman either, but I doubt she'll care since I will quit griping about how often the truck tears up, AND I get lower payments to boot (which probably means more shopping for her, unfortunately). That's ok though, I can do donuts in the parking lot while she's in the store spending the extra money I save each month on repairs and high payments. arty:


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

yes i would have got it. when i pulled up in the goat (she was back by the time i was home) she said (with a pissed off look in her face) NO YOU DIDN'T 3x. lol


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

lol, you might have been DEAD! Sounds like she doesn't mess around!
I'm fairly sure that I'd get this car even if the woman said no, after all, I kinda doubt she can carry me to work every day on her back and she sure as heck can't do 0-60 in less than 5 seconds.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

I am now the proud owner of a new 05 GTO. My GOD that thing is fast!! I've been out driving for the past 3 hours and it took every ounce of willpower that I had to come back home and get some work done. I'm going to get as much work done as possible tonight so I can go out and DRIVE tomorrow. I don't think I've EVER had so much fun in the front seat of a car!!


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## GGTTOO (Oct 6, 2005)

Congrads in the new Goat. I love mine. Hope we can help you when you start modding.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

As soon as I hear back from GTODealer, the mods will begin. Hopefully I can have a CAI system here sometime next week. 
I couldn't even imagine this car with a supercharger. Even with traction control, there would be NO WAY to keep that beast on the road or get anything resembling traction. My brother has a 97 Trans Am WS6, he's going to be in a rude awakening when we race for the first time.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

congrad on the goat and let the moding begain


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Thanks! 
Has anyone Dynoed a stock 05 to see what kind of numbers they make at the rear wheels? I should probably get mine dynoed, then get it dynoed after every mod so that we'll have some idea what each thing adds to the overall rear-wheel horsepower. I'm sure somebody's done that, but the more data we can get, the better.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

they say stock is about 340 to 350 at the rear wheels


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

So it's got about an 18% loss like nearly every other vehicle.
I think I'll make my goal 500 rwhp. That should be plenty to dust 98% of the street-legal cars out there. I just don't want to ever have to hang my head in shame from being beaten by a mustang.


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## Loubo (Nov 3, 2005)

baron_iv said:


> So it's got about an 18% loss like nearly every other vehicle.
> I think I'll make my goal 500 rwhp. That should be plenty to dust 98% of the street-legal cars out there. I just don't want to ever have to hang my head in shame from being beaten by a mustang.


I just ordered my '06 and looking to supercharge it when I get the money. I can only imagine how fast the GOAT would be supercharged ! ! ! ! ! !


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Loubo, do you have a deathwish or something? hehe
I honestly don't see how you're going to get any traction without running slicks all the time.


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## JMJ80 (Sep 22, 2005)

Chimazo said:


> Baron,
> From what I have read, a cat back exhaust for the '05's (compared to the '04) is not worth the $700-900 for maybe 5hp. The '05's have pretty decent 2.5" pipes. Headers are a better bang for the buck, apparently, along with the previously mentioned CAI.


i agree, catbacks are only a mild gain, but you get to change sound with a catback. my dealer won't let me do headers because of warranty. unless i can find a gm part or an aftermarket company that is backed by gm

my dealer said i was ok with intake and catback. some dealers out there are more mod friendly and will not void warranty, check your dealer for THEIR limitations good luck :cheers


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2005)

Loubo said:


> I just ordered my '06 and looking to supercharge it when I get the money. I can only imagine how fast the GOAT would be supercharged ! ! ! ! ! !


which one?

PLEASE get a magnacharger!!!


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Whenever I finally decide to supercharge mine, I'm going to go with either Roots or Twin Screw again, the low end torque kicks some serious arse.
I drove over 300 miles today w/the new GTO. I would have never thought any car could be this much FUN to drive! I did my first burnout this evening too, my friend's mouth dropped open and the smell of burning rubber (which is one of my favorite smells) filled up the interior for a few minutes. I was beginning to think the thing would never stop spinning! haha
About the cat back, I really don't want to change the sound a bit. Pontiac did a GREAT job on tuning the sound.
I felt kinda special today when I started looking for other GTOs. I saw ONE all day...ONE! I stopped counting after 37 mustangs within 2 hours. EVERYBODY has a stinking mustang. Just makes me that much more glad I have a car that is a bit more rare. I didn't see a single other yellow jacket GTO. I think I've only seen ONE other one, and that was on the dealer's lot.
I live in a small town (2500 people), there are probably 15-20 of the new mustangs in town already, there are TWO GTOs. Those stupid mustangs are multiplying like rabbits, they're EVERYWHERE!


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## JMJ80 (Sep 22, 2005)

mustangs multiplying like rabbits, huh? you might be on to something there!  :lol:


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Well, SOMETHING sure is happening out there! A month ago, there was ONE new mustang in town. Now you can't turn your head without seeing one. I drove one prior to getting my GTO, what on earth has people buying so many of these things?!? I really wasn't impressed when I drove the GT at my local ford dealership. I mean it was moderately quick, but it didn't have that raw power and low-end torque that the GTO did.
If they're not multiplying like rabbits, I don't know how else to explain it. They're kinda like roaches too, you may see only one, but you know there are a thousand more out there, lurking in the shadows...or wherever it is that mustangs LURK these days...other than the slow lane.


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## JMJ80 (Sep 22, 2005)

baron_iv said:


> Well, SOMETHING sure is happening out there! A month ago, there was ONE new mustang in town. Now you can't turn your head without seeing one. I drove one prior to getting my GTO, what on earth has people buying so many of these things?!? I really wasn't impressed when I drove the GT at my local ford dealership. I mean it was moderately quick, but it didn't have that raw power and low-end torque that the GTO did.
> If they're not multiplying like rabbits, I don't know how else to explain it. They're kinda like roaches too, you may see only one, but you know there are a thousand more out there, lurking in the shadows...or wherever it is that mustangs LURK these days...other than the slow lane.


i couldn't agree more. i really think the looks thing is getting out of control. i look way past the exterior. i always try to hope when i see one it was one i saw earliet that day but nope another one, and another one


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Today, during my extended tour of Southeastern Missouri, I went to the college town of Cape Girardeau. I stopped at the mall to pick up a couple of CDs (I had forgotten to put the ones in the car from the truck) and as I was driving through the parking lot, I got a LOT of looks. There was no certain age of people who were looking, everyone was. It may have been the thunderous exhaust, or the bright yellow color, or it could have been that they just don't see many GTOs around. I also caught these 4 guys, standing around a new mustang GT trying to take a peek at my car without showing too much enthusiasm. I saw 'em looking and I floored it in 2nd gear, leaving a nice set of black marks right behind where they were sitting, then I parked and went inside. I came back outside to one of the guys getting in his car and revving the engine, so I kinda watched as the doofus backed out and dumped the clutch, only to kill the car's engine. I don't know if he just didn't know how to drive a manual or if he was just an idiot...or some combination of the two. Maybe ford should have a competency test of some sort before someone is allowed to buy a Mustang. 
I just wonder if a new mustang owner hates getting out of his car when he pulls into his driveway? It usually takes every ounce of willpower to hit the brakes and pull in, instead of blasting right on by (there's a great road to drive, with lots of twisties and very few cops just out past my house). If life was perfect, I'd just drive all the time, me and the GTO and a couple of Mountain Dews. Stopping sucks.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

By the way, now that I don't own a truck anymore, I'll not renew my subscription to all my truck magazines. Is there a magazine that tends to cater to the GTO community? I know there's mustangs and fast fords, 5.0L and a dozen other magazines for the donkey...I mean pony crowd. I picked up December's Road & Track, they had the SRT-8 charger beating up on the GTO, I also grabbed another magazine because it looked like it might have some cool stuff in it, it's mostly a ricer magazine...so it's probably gonna go in the trash after I confirm that there isn't anything of interest in it. So...what's a good car-related magazine to get? 
I know that if I'd asked "what's a good magazine to get" that SOMEBODY would have gone down the list of every porn mag available out there and I'd spend the next 5 hours going through magazine names, trying to figure out which is porn-related and which isn't. I really don't have that kinda time.


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2005)

no magazine will tell you more than this forum, and nobody can provide more pics than me.


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## EEZ GOAT (Jul 9, 2005)

big_mike said:


> no magazine will tell you more than this forum, and nobody can provide more pics than me.


true on both ends :cheers mike


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

If these GTOs suffer from heat soak, has anyone put a boost cooler on it? That could dramatically cool the temps and potentially make a fair amount of extra horsepower. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out:
http://www.snowperformance.net 
There are several other manufacturers, who make similar kits, but I haven't ever heard a bad thing about Matt or his products over there. On a supercharged/turbocharged car you get TREMENDOUS gains, but it should also help considerably with a car like ours, especially if racing. It would allow you to advance the timing quite a bit and not have to run race fuel all the time (which few of us can probably afford).


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## ToddO (Oct 26, 2005)

Don't but a cai. There are several threads on how to modify your stock box. No manufacture makes a true cai thats worth the money. The money you save put towards a set of long tube headers and a cat-back. I just replaced the stock resonator with a Magnaflow x pipe and replaced the stock mufflers with Magnaflows. Cheaper than a cat-back. Looks stock but don't sound stock. Then have a speed shop tune your car. Definately get a set of drag radials.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Tuning is VERY high on my list. Do most people use the diablo predator, or something else?
I don't think my xcal2 works for pontiac cars, unfortunately. 
I'll have to have a look at the airbox modification, hopefully it doesn't mutilate it too much.


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## Holytwinky (Oct 10, 2005)

baron_iv said:


> Thanks!
> Has anyone Dynoed a stock 05 to see what kind of numbers they make at the rear wheels? I should probably get mine dynoed, then get it dynoed after every mod so that we'll have some idea what each thing adds to the overall rear-wheel horsepower. I'm sure somebody's done that, but the more data we can get, the better.


Hi - a few things I went through that may help you:

A) Stay away from K&N CAI - although I have it. Even after three months & a tune, my car still stalls when I run the A/C. (YES, I reset the computer, like 50 times). Try LPE - I'm gonna get that one before next summer.

B) Don't waste your money on a skip-shift device. When you get your tune, the tuner guy can get rid of it by using the software.

C) A tune is probably the biggest improvement you can make. My GTO with cat-back & CAI ran stock: 320 RWHP & 308 RWTQ.
After the tune: 357 RWHP & 350 RWTQ.
My car was dynoed in 88 degree humid weather - now that the cooler weather is here it would probably do better.

D) Make sure your tuner is has worked on LS2's - I understand that they are a pain in the ass, and I've seen some pretty sorry dyno sheets posted - even after a tune.
I used a guy named Jeremy Formato ( http://www.revxtreme.com ), he is based in Tampa, but he actually travels around the country tuning GM stuff. Personally, I think he is great - he will go over everyhing with you and will answer all questions with no attitude.

Good luck! :cheers


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## Guest (Nov 21, 2005)

my camaro used to stall with the a/c turned on, and I then had my tuner bump the idle from 600 to 1000 and it never happened again.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

Excellent, thanks for the info Holytwinky. I actually had the Lingenfelter CAI in my cart, with about a dozen other things too. Customizing another car is always so expensive! (so fun too though)
Believe me, I know how difficult it is to find a good tuner. At least this time I have a bit of choice. With my last vehicle, there were only about four people in the entire country who tuned and only one who had any idea what the heck he was doing. So needless to say, I can tell if someone is feeding me a line of crap or if they really know what they're talking about when it comes to tuning...I kinda HAD to learn, after seeking out two tuners who didn't know jack and finally finding the one who did.
I'll definitely check out the website, thanks again.


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## baron_iv (Nov 17, 2005)

I got my first compliments on the car today. I was driving through a smaller town near here just as school was letting out (the day before Thanksgiving, most schools around this area let out about 1pm). I pulled into the local shell station to fill up. I went in to pay and get a mountain dew and I came back out to about a half dozen teenagers standing around the car, looking inside and talking. As I walked up, they all kinda backed off a bit and several of them said "that's a sweet car" and "nice ride". I said thanks, then got in, fired it up and gave them a nice, loud, smoky burnout to brag to their friends about later. 
There really aren't many GTOs around here, this is a small town. Mustangs are a dime a dozen, but the GTO is still a bit of a rarity and that's something I like.


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