Lets talk about the 2005-2006 GTO

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Lets talk about the 2005-2006 GTO

Posted: 6/2/2010 7:31:27 PM EDT

Watching these latley, they seem to be very very cheap for what they are. Granted they are kind of ugly. How are they when you start modifying them? I'm thinking exhaust, headers, cams, intake and heads and be done with it. Any issues?

Posted: 6/2/2010 7:41:19 PM EDT

[#1]

engine upgrades are easy and cheap

They don't have much going on for them as far as suspension and the rear end.

Posted: 6/2/2010 8:11:20 PM EDT

[#2]

I've heard of lots of issues with these.

Posted: 6/2/2010 8:15:32 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
I've heard of lots of issues with these.

like?

Posted: 6/2/2010 9:07:22 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I've heard of lots of issues with these.

like?

traction control system breaks alot

Posted: 6/2/2010 9:45:16 PM EDT

[#5]

I don't care what is under the hood, they look like a Cavalier

Posted: 6/2/2010 10:13:55 PM EDT

[#6]

Well, with the LS2 you can make pretty impressive power with mild mods. The interior received good marks and supposedly one of the nicest from GM for those years. There was some kind of shock/strut issue w/ the front suspension that caused premature tire wear I believe it was. Not sure how big of an issue that was or what the fix was, you should definitely research that issue further before buying.

I think they look pretty awesome myself, a little subdued but still mean. I can maybe see the cavalier comparison based solely on pictures, but in real life with some perspective the car is larger and more far more muscular than any crappy cavalier.

I was considering a GTO when shopping for my last car. Was thinking used GTO, used C5 Vette, or new Camaro SS. Ended up w/ a used '02 Z06...

Posted: 6/2/2010 11:51:09 PM EDT

[#7]

They look somewhat better once you get rid of the park bench on the rear deck lid or replace it with one that is more low key or body contoured.

Their rear diffs have been prone to develop a "whine" at 35- 40mph. If it was never replaced under warranty then its a $1800-$2000 part to replace since the dealership will not repair it, instead they replace it as the part was supplied to GM by Dana. You could get it rebuilt instead , which would probably be cheaper.

06 models which were built between late 05 (i think) and early 06 had struts with different specs . This caused the struts to fail. If I remember correctly the supplier used a different fluid in the strut that was out of spec.

There are suspension kits out there to tighten up the handling and Magna Charger makes a LS2 blower to pump up the volume under the hood so you can light up the tires.

Posted: 6/3/2010 12:13:52 AM EDT

[#8]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I've heard of lots of issues with these.

like?

traction control system breaks alot

Bullshit, unless you mean breaking the rear wheels loose. No issues with TCS that I've ever heard of.

Good cars, like another poster said though suspension is bad from the factory and I don't mean poor, I mean broken, collapsed strut mounts, leaking radius rod bushings, weak rear springs, etc. Nearly everyone replaces these items and it makes the car the way it should have been from the factory.

Posted: 6/3/2010 5:33:35 AM EDT

[#9]

Looking into it, it seems that the strut rub/leaking issue is not too prevalent. The fix for it from an aftermarket company is $400. I'll just have to be extra careful when shopping for these cars. I guess I'll have them throw it up on the lift so I can root around myself.

Posted: 6/3/2010 5:45:11 AM EDT

[#10]

The strut rub issue is mainly caused by collapsed strut mounts. You will have to replace those at a minimum. If you want to have it not ride like a boat then you need to do rear springs and front struts also.

Former 06 GTO owner.

Posted: 6/3/2010 11:38:28 AM EDT

[#11]

I have an 05 with a 6spd and it's a great car. They look a lot better without the rear spoiler. Plenty of power, good gas mileage and a comfortable ride.

I've only had one problem with mine- the ignition cylinder developed a small ridge inside that wouldn't allow the key to turn. It was an easy $0 fix though.

Posted: 6/3/2010 4:21:41 PM EDT

[#12]

A friend of mine had one I think it was an 04? though. It still had the 5.7 LS1, he put in a pretty big cam and valve springs, 1 7/8" primary headers, exhaust(can't remember which) and he had a 125ish? wet shot of nitrous. It ran like hell for as heavy as it was and much more comfortable than a camaro or ta.

He did have problems with the rear tires wearing on the inside faster than the outside, I don't think he did any suspension work on it. He went through 1-2 transmissions and stripped the teeth off the pinion in the rear end and changed to a 3.90? or 4.10? rearend. I think the tranny issues were from him slamming the gears all the time. He actually broke the shifter once.

Posted: 6/3/2010 4:30:42 PM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I've heard of lots of issues with these.

like?

traction control system breaks alot

Bullshit, unless you mean breaking the rear wheels loose. No issues with TCS that I've ever heard of.

Good cars, like another poster said though suspension is bad from the factory and I don't mean poor, I mean broken, collapsed strut mounts, leaking radius rod bushings, weak rear springs, etc. Nearly everyone replaces these items and it makes the car the way it should have been from the factory.

dude i love these cars, im just going off what a buddy with one had problems with, and what ive read online sometimes

Posted: 6/4/2010 5:29:34 AM EDT

[#14]

Awesome cars! Handle well and super comfy! We loaded down 4 guys in mine 2 at ~150 one at 180 and one at 300 and everyone had plenty of room and no one was cramped. It will run 155 with all that weight in it and still want more. Decently fast stock even better when its cold out as the motors like to heat soak. Handles decent up on the Dragon and the only problem I had was I warped the rotors and almost went off but luckily the ABS/TCS worked awesome and I just pointed and it went faster around the turn than I expected. With H/C/I it will be as fast as anyone needs and still get close to 30 mpg.

Former 06 owner.

Posted: 6/4/2010 6:59:03 AM EDT

[#15]

i had an '06 that i loved. sold it off after sitting down and weighing the payment vs. how often i drove it (was a weekend fun car, not daily driver)

to avoid any potential problems i rebuilt the front end with pedders stuff but never had any problem with the car other than i did get one of the '06s with the monroe shocks filled with the wrong fluid. drivers front started to leak and pontiac told me they would replace it but not the other one until it started leaking. that's when i decided to install the pedders........... the factory shifter sucks though, long rubbery shifts. replaced it with a ripshifter, big difference.

txlewis has a fun story about laying strips of rubber down the highway with it through 2nd with the traction control ON.