I currently drive a Pontiac 2005 GTO. Absolutely love the car, so please no bashing. However, it's just not practical for a college student and being around where it snows .... a LOT. I'm really thinking because right now, I have to drive mom's Honda CR-V while the Goat sits at home basically collecting dust and my parents are stuck with only having one car to drive around. I am thinking of trading in the Goat for the SRT or Trailblazer SS. I have no brand loyalty as I feel that is just an ignorant way at looking at cars ... get whatever suits your needs the best, not by the company you root for. I'm leaning much more to the SRT because of the looks of it .... the TBSS really just doesn't do it more me, plus, I hear the thing handles like a boat. It has more cargo room I believe, but the difference to me is negligible. I'm not a chix .... I don't bring my entire being back and forth from school .... just a couple of bags :p The SRT is more than enough, and the GTO's storage room is about the size of my jean back pockets (yes, it's that bad).

Anywho, one thing is that the TBSS shares the same engine with the GTO which I am familiar with. I know what makes it go fast, what parts work and what don't, as well as the awesome potential of the LSx motors. I have heard great things about the Hemi's as well, but I don't know where to begin. My question is, will I be breaking the bank trying to modify this thing. As far as I know, the aftermarket support really isn't astounding on these Hemi's as of yet. I want to stay N/A. My aim would be to hit 500+ crank HP .... basically, I want enough to take out a Cayenne Turbo S :D What would be a guesstimated price on such a task. Specific things would help greatly as well. I've searched thru the forums a bit and seen that there ARE heads and cams available, but haven't seen any results posted from these mods as of yet. The LSx motors are very receptive to these mods, any knowledge on how receptive these Hemi motors are to a H/C swap?

Thanks a lot for your time folks.

Welcome aboard. NO brand loyalty or hate out of me either. I dig rides that fill your purpose. Well, and they have to look cool ;)

I'll let the power pros here answer most of your questions..... bt this one I can answer: basically, I want enough to take out a Cayenne Turbo S What would be a guesstimated price on such a task.

ZERO. A stock GCSRT will beat the Porsche.

Welcome aboard. NO brand loyalty or hate out of me either. I dig rides that fill your purpose. Well, and they have to look cool ;)

I'll let the power pros here answer most of your questions..... bt this one I can answer:

ZERO. A stock GCSRT will beat the Porsche.


Even the Turbo S?? *begins to feel tingly sensation in the crotch*

Well, stock for stock, the Jeep nudges the Porsche by a hair on the 0-60 looking at advertised times, so I don't see the Porsche being much of a problem with just a few minimal mods. With the turbos, it will most likely be better from a roll, but it's 5900lb curb weight compared to 4700lbs for the Jeep is really going to kill it.

From what my customers tell me, yes it even beats the s!!

Do a google search of the porsche vs the jeep - you'll see reviews of them being neck and neck in performance while others give the nod to either the Jeep or the Porsche (depending on the author) - and that's with a stock Jeep. Simply adding a CAI, cat back and maybe some headers, and you should outrun the Porshce for sure. But at $110K, I can't really classify the Porsche as being in the category of the TBSS or Jeep - If I dropped $80K into mods for the Jeep and then bragged about spanking every TBSS out there, I'd hope that the other drivers would cry foul. At some point, a vehicle that's 3x the price shouldn't even be looked at as competition. But that being said, I wouldn't hesitate to run against the Turbo S. Just my two cents.

Hmmmm, this thing is looking better by the minute, lol.

Seems like I will need a lot less in mods to lay waste to one of these Cayennes .... cam, intake, CAI, exhaust and tune would probably be more than enough to run away from one of those things ....

I gotta ask since you're so concerned about the S......how often do you see one?

I gotta ask since you're so concerned about the S......how often do you see one?

Hmmm. College student with a GTO, looking at buying a GCSRT8? My guess is he comes from a nice neighborhood.

:)

Alex

Thats what I was thinking, but all the power too him. If he is willing to do a few mods and spank the Porsche, it will give more credit where credit is due!
________
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www.dynamicracing.com
They got 420 AWHP with heads and a cam for $2100 a 75 AWHP increase. I believe that would be over 500 hp at the crank.
Here is a quote" Big News for 6.1L SRT-8 owners, with our heads, and the comp XFI268 "small" cam we have seen gains of 75HP and 76 FT/lb of TQ AT THE WHEELS with no other changes from the base line. The 268 cams idles and runs great in the 6.1L's with no tuning needed, just bolt on the heads/cam and go have fun with your new found power!"

Wow, those are some good numbers. Heck, they even have a bigger cam .... these cams all look so small compared to ones I was looking at for the Goat. Try 242/248 with over .600" lift on a 112LSA, LOL. Think I'll go with their biggest, as it is still seems very mild .... wonder if there are bigger cams in the works, you can definitely go bigger and still have a VERY streetable car, even with an auto as long as you have the correct stall ....

Here is the original thread when they tried the set up
http://www.cherokeesrt8.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1817&highlight=fast+matt

1) A stock SRT8 will take a Turbo S
2) You have would have to own a modded SS to match the Jeep's performance
3) Going to a larger cam without tuning capabilities is not advised

Car & Driver just tested the Cayenne Turbo S in the March 2007 issue. The following performance figures were attained:

0-60: 4.9
0-100: 11.8
1/4 mile: 13.5 @ 107 mph

Car & Driver tested the GC SRT8 March 2006 with the following figures:

0-60: 4.5
0-100: 12.0
1/4 mile: 13.2 @ 104 mph

As you can see by 100 mph the Turbo S is starting to gain back the ground lost to the GC SRT8. But the Turbo S does not pass the GC SRT8until after the 1/4 mile...the GC SRT8 gets a huge enough jump to hold it off. However, even with 500hp the GC SRT8 may not hold off the Turbo S above 100mph. Poor aerodynamics and shorter gearing may hinder the GC SRT8. Interesting coincidence..the new Car & Driver also tests the Hennessey SRT600. I will post separately on this item.

Tom

I think the only benefit you'll have with the TBSS is the higher ground clearance which allows for the ability to drive in thick snowfall. The front spoiler of the SRT-8 will plow after 7 inches - probably less on bumpy roads.
Other than that, price, towing and interior space, the SRT-8 is just a better, tougher and faster truck. However with $2000 - $3000 in mods (TBSS owners claim less), the TBSS can match a stock SRT-8 in speed - but NOT handeling and agility.

However with $2000 - $3000 in mods (TBSS owners claim less), the TBSS can match a stock SRT-8 in speed - but NOT handeling and agility.
Or exclusiveness.

8ball i'm in the same boat as you... currently drive a 2004 G35 coupe. it's fun to drive, but i find myself needing more room for people/stuff.

TBSS seems alittle more towards the Utility side (ground clearance, trailer hitch, cargo space) whereas the SRT is more SPORT, heck ALOT more SPORT.

my personal preference is of course the SRT, which is why i'm here on these forums. if i DESPERATELY needed to pull a boat or jump curbs or drive in several inches of snow, i might consider the TBSS. if you're just looking for something with BALLS and some utility to go with it, the SRT is your man.

the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger immediately on the SRT is that i'm currently commuting 80 miles a day round trip, and the gas bill would kill me right now

Several of us have come up with towing solutions and had hitches installed. That is the one place Jeep really let us down on. But if you are coming from a GTO, i am guessing towing is not a big concern.

I came from a 06 vette w/Z-51 package to the SRT Jeep. Now the SRT doesn't handle nearly at the level of the vette, but it is impressive for what it is. Still very fun to drive even thru corners.

I think a example to consider would be TBSS is to SRT8, as your current GTO is to say a 66 GTO. In a straight line, both fast and tons of fun. Start cornering and braking, suddently the new GTO stands out a lot better, as does the SRT8. Not saying the handing difference is that drastic between the TBSS and SRT as it would be for the GTO's that were 40 years apart, but it is a big difference. I say go drive both and decide for yourself.

the only thing keeping me from pulling the trigger immediately on the SRT is that i'm currently commuting 80 miles a day round trip, and the gas bill would kill me right now

Well, get that squared away because you don't want to fool yourself about this beasts fuel consumption. Especially because you won't be able to keep your foot out of it.

Does anyone else notice how quickly it FLIES from 1/2 to an 1/8th of a tank? :p

Alex

I say go drive both and decide for yourself.
i don't know where you guys are, but around here in NYC i've been to 3 Jeep dealerships and NONE of them will allow a test drive of an SRT8. the Chevy guys were more than willing to let us beat the piss out of one of their trucks though (my best friend is looking at the TBSS)

Huh, I just assumed they were available to test drive in most other areas of the country. Here in Hawaii, local dealers have only had 2 SRT8's last year, and they wouldn't let you test drive them. I bought mine out of state because they also are at $10k over MSRP here and the stupid dealers will not budge on price.
So i got mine from Colorado at employee price last year, flew up to get it, drove to Cali, took a week vacation, shipped it home, and still saved $11k over if I had bought it here. :) Never test drove an SRT. But trusted the judgement of members posts here, and for the price, I was willing to take a risk. If I got it back here and didnt' like it, I could have sold it easily and got my money back.

This actually made me remember something. I was considering a GTO a couple years ago. Went to the local dealer, and the salesman said I couldn't test drive it. I said that was crazy, and I wanted to talk to the sales manager. He said the same thing. I argued that how can you expect someone to fork over $40k and never drive what they are buying. He gave me some crap, i don't remember what. Anyway, I was also considering an Audi S4. I had an audi A6 at the time and my lease was coming up. So I left the pontiac dealer real pissed, and went to Audi. They were glad to let me drive the S4, I loved it, and bought it right there. Then went back to Pontiac with the new S4 just out of spite. Walked in, asked for the sales manager, he remembered me. Asked him to come outside. Showed him the $50k car i just bought, and made sure he knew that audi had no problem letting me test drive the car and I had bought it. Then called the GM of the dealership to let him know what happened, he was not impressed with the situation. Hopefully nobody got fired, but as a business person myself, I would have wanted to know about this potential lost sale which is why I called the GM. Call me crazy, but seriously, how are you supposed to buy a car that you never drove when it is sitting right there? Now if I was a 16 year old kid wanting to test drive a $250,000 Ferrari, I can understand the concern. But seriously, we are talking about a Pontiac here, and I am an adult, and was professionally dressed for work when I got to the dealership.

I know, I am ranting and a little off topic, but point is, I would not buy any car from a dealer that wont let me test drive it.

I had heard that dealers weren't letting people test drive them too. When I went to a nearby dealership in Indiana with a buddy they gave us the keys and told us not to get any tickets because they don't pay for them. Told us to take our time and enjoy. We drove the Jeep and the 300 and both had to be moved out of the showroom first.

I test drove with no sales person. The GM gave me the keys, asked me to keep it below 155. Yes, I bought 2 of them from there. If they would refuse to let me drive one, I would not buy one. Now if it was a Maybach 57S, the same would apply. I am insured, and they are insured. A Copy of my DL should suffice.