Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Ahh, some new pics.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

So, its been one week of ownership.

And in that week I have settled into the driving style the car seems to like. And that driving style is absolutely ham fisted throttle directed with the precision of a laser. It doesn't seem to matter what stupid stunt I try, I CANNOT upset the car on public roads. Even on the every day normal Michilen Pilot Supersports I cannot even approach its handling limits.

No matter how much throttle I think I can give it I'm always wrong. I blew through a cloverleaf that the ST could only do about 55mph in. The GTA I can reasonbly pull 60mph in, but its hard to tell how much grip is left with the GTA before it just lets go and spins you off into the ditch.

The RS seems to combine the grip of the GTA, with the confidence inspiring chassis of the ST. But where the ST will wash out with too much power, or blow the inside tire away, the RS just takes whatever you throw at it.

I did manage to finally get it to enter some controlled tail out antics, but I had forgotton to take the car out of the Cruise drive mode and so the ESC quickly stepped in to curtail the fun before I imitated a mustang.

But if you have the ***** to put the car into what I will affectionately call "Super Pursuit Mode" you can enter a realm where ever input is directly translated into effect. The car does not accelerate faster, there is no increased boost here. But the AWD system, steering, dampers, and god knows what else gets tuned for maximum grip and ultimate neutrality.



Livernois has produced what they call a "Stage 2" tune, which is just a PCM reflash with more aggressive timing tables and a tiny bit more boost. The end result is a 55WHP and 70AWTQ gain. Bringing the output to a solid 330whp, and near 385lb/ft. I am heavily considering this tune.

I think I will be looking at aftermarket catted down pipes, maybe an exhaust that keeps the dual mode valves, and basic intake stuff to go with the tune. I can see this car producing upwards of 360whp on boost.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

And the grin hasn't been wiped off my face yet with this car.

I've never driven a car that grabs so much attention. I have people taking pictures of it all the time, I come out and there are people staring gob-smacked at the car.

I'm glad it isn't the rip your eyeballs out visible Nitrous Blue. That can be seen from space.

Pretty much the attitude anytime someone sees it.



I also took two pics about 30 seconds apart, in slightly different lighting. You can see just how different the paint can look. Its pretty crazy for a non-metallic color.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Jesus. That didn't take long!

374whp, and 382wtq on an E30 mix. Look at that TORQUE. And in this tune, the guy says he artificially reduced the torque to be on the safe side. He was hitting over 400lb/ft to the wheels.



And the regular 93 octane tune.



____________________

Also, the Exhaust on this car is impressive for a factory setup. Its pure stainless and mandrel bent from the turbo to the tips. Its only 2.75", but as shown above? I don't think it matters.

RamIt

You are crazy.
So new and already giving up the factory drive train warranty?
Congrats, have fun and don't kill your self.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Mid 12s @ 111 are calling me. That's Chevy SS territory.

If I ever took the GTA to the track I'd be expecting low 12s around 115-118.

RamIt

I never thought of the RS as a quarter mile car before. I have done probably over a 100 track days and the RS would really shine there. Wouldn't Autobahn Country Club be a more fitting venue for the car?

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

I intend to HPDE it. But I can enjoy a few runs at the drag strip.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Autobahn has a HPDE 8/22, I'm considering taking the RS to it. But probably won't as I'm going on the The Chicago Garage's "The Gang Goes to Kentucky" tour and I've spent quite a bit on Hotels and have to budget for Gas and Food too. 4 days of cruising with a fairly eclectic but crazy car for cars bunch of people.

I missed out on last years Lake Circle tour where they drove around the entirety of Lake Michigan.

Just another day at work though.

PurelyPMD

iTrader: (3)

So who stole who's front end treatment?

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Similar, not the same.

Treatment actually came more from Ford when they stole the Aston Martin design a few years ago for the design language.

http://s3.caradvice.com.au/thumb/100...antage-S36.jpg

PurelyPMD

iTrader: (3)

Yeah, I'm not seeing that one....

3.8TransAM

That is not an front end treatment, anything with a butt ugly nose like that qualifies for designs in automotive abortion.

I've hated that look since it came out.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

You don't see the two triangles?

Ford used it on the Fusion first, then the ST line, now all of the cars are using the Aston front end.

3.8TransAM

That doesn't mean we have to like it

I'll add stupid high body lines/belt lines to the mix as well.

Maybe I want to put my arm out the window "Oh wait its at some unnatural angle".

New cars, drivetrains to die for, bodies you want to destroy.

Oh well, so hows the thing doing for you Bill?

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

The apperaance doesn't bother me. It is what it is, massive cooling and flow for the intercooler. So much so they added a block-off plate to reduce the efficiency of the intercooler. Thankfully its a simple plate to remove if I want. I haven't yet.

The handling lives up to every bit of hype out there. Its astonishing just how hard this car can push. I've seen more than 1G on on-ramps according to my phone's accelerometer.

Straight line the car is what I would call slow. Mostly low 13's around 105mph stock. There is a noticeable lack of grunt as compared to the GTA, even with the GTA having a bad Opti (ain't that something scary, GTA is down on power, acting crappy, and still faster than the RS)

One thing the RS has the GTA doesn't in stopping ability. Damned if it won't suck your eyeballs out of their sockets and bruise your sternum while its at it. Pedal feel is excellent, really lets you modulate to the edge of ABS kicking in nicely.

The communication the chassis offers is much better than the GTA, even if the GTA's ultimate limits are higher. But thats the advantage of 27 years of suspension advancement.

Fuel Economy is acceptable. I'm averaging around 23mpg combined right now, and it is improving as the engine breaks in, but I don't think it will get much better than 24mpg.

And being a 4 door hatch-back its very useful. The seats are to die for. So comfy, and though I worry for its long term, the alcantara seat bottoms and back are nice, even on hot days they never burn you.

Got a road trip coming up with The Chicago Garage. Round trip down to BG KY, and back with a few stops along the way. All told about 1100 miles over 4 days. That happens this Friday, hotels are booked.

Camarothatcould

iTrader: (3)

car looked good bill!

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Almost, but not quite. Fun as hell though.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

Well. Took the RS to Autobahn Country Club full course yesterday. Was a blast. I blasted any tires, and burned a crap ton of fuel.



Video's getting uploaded. I have never, ever driven Autobahn raceway before. And I had a ton of trouble getting used to the late apex designs on every single corner. It really made it hard to break my habit of apexing earlier like I would at Road America. I treated it like RA by habit, and that wasn't good for lap times.

As the day wore on, I got better and better. Smoother and Faster. But I kept forgetting to turn the camera on, so I only have my early sessions.

Those are uploading, so I'll post them in a bit.

But these were my pit mates.

A GT350, Supercharged SVT Cobra, and a Corvette ZR1.





____________

I worked my tires over a bit.

Thirdgen89GTA

iTrader: (5)

First time on Autobahn, so much to learn. No track map in my head yet so I'm having issues stringing corners together. I got much better as the day went on, but when you have to think less about line you need to take, and can concentrate more on braking, and acceleration you can get much faster.

Still, I'm not unhappy with my time, but am still seriously off the pace for where the car could be.