Pontiac GTO 2004-2006 - Power potential 04 to 05/06

im sure its answerd somewhere but im looking into getting a GTO but besides the 10k price diffrence between years. What kind of power diffrence would i be looking at from each engine for full exhaust,tune,intake. And for a H/C would it be huge diffrence from the ls1 to ls2? Which one responds better to those routes?

and rougly how much is it to swap the hood and rear bumper/catback?

Car will most likely never been turned into some huge HP car but i dont want to get an 04 and end up kicking myself

I have found that even with the 50 HP I got cheated out of. I am still within a tenth or so of LS2 GTO's at the track with the same mods as I have. I do not have alot of mods or power.

Both the LS1, and the LS2 respond very well to headers, heads, and a cam. But, the combo has to be right to gain the most.

I did my 05' conversion for $700. Gave me all the exhaust, and the full bumper with hardware. The hood was $500 and $200 for paint and install.

You won't be kicking yourself.

When you start talking mods, the LS1 can make just as much power as an LS2. Right now there are still more shops working on LS1s and more parts availability. Not knocking the LS2 by any means but IMHO the LS2 isn't worth the extra $10 K you're talking about.

The hood and bumper conversion will set you back about $2000 once you get the parts and get them painted.

10K difference?

Keep shoping, should be able to find one within 3-4K of the 04 price, easy

my area is awful to find decent deals ws6's are still going for low 20's it just seems the 04 is on average 6-7k less once i really search for one im going all over the country im guessing or private buyer from here or something

well, like said above... modding power will be simualr, but the LS2 will always edge out by a few ponies... but that don't mean crap if you can't drive the car right!!!

I look at it this way, do you want a throttle cable that you know will make you go, or do you want this "drive by wire" that is not reliable.... (petal sensors going bad all the time)

The choice is yours...

If you're changing the heads and cam, it's only the 18 cube difference.

A really aggressive head/cam combo on an LS1 should make more power than a mild combo on an LS2, everything else being equal.

I picked an 06 LS2 because this is my driver and I'm not going to get crazy with it, just bolt ons and an average cam.

are they any driveablility issues from the years or other certain things that would steer me away from the 04. Im just having a hard time thinking to myself why i should spend another 6k+ if HP is the only difference? Is there anything else besides the numbers?

well, the brakes are bigger in the 05/06, but a buddy of mine just did DBA rotors, hawk pads and SS brake lines to his 04 and he said that it stops better then any 05/06 he's driven.

The "drive by wire" TB is having problems with the sensor in the gas petal and the car goes into "safety mode" which reduses power and is a bitch to drive.

The 06 has a lock button, which can be bought and fitted onto the 04/05. (not a driveability thing, but you know...)

The transmissions are the same. The drivetrains are the same, though GM claims to have a "beefier" diff on the 05/06... but alot more 05/06 guys are having diff issues on ls1gto then the 04 guys.

Other differences are appearance, 05/06 gets 18inch whell options, hood scoops, split exhaust and the 06 gets a lock button, lighted steering wheel controls, black tails, and allegedly a faster seat motor that no one sees to be faster.

I'd say, if it were me..... If I were to mod the car, get the 04, if I were to leave it BONE stock, get the 06 for all the updates.

oh yeah, the 06 has a bigger power steering pump pulley... not that it makes a difference other then rubbing into CAIs.

You should buy the 05/06 just for the better looks and bigger brakes IMO. Shop around and they are only 4-5k in price difference.

I will let you know i have a 04 with afr 205's going on this weekend and pretty much every bolt on you can spend 10k on. sad i but i think it is true i have hit that mark.

should i be sad or proud? i have to wait to take her out for a spin with the new heads,cam,intake and t/b prob proud i am thinking.

i do love my goat.(must be why i kicked the ole lady out)

just to clarify i am not saying this round of mods was 10 k but 10 total in everything that i have done from stock

mike

so the ls1 would be more suitable than the ls2 considering you have more parts and perform the same

no not really .i am very unhappy at this point i want a iron blocked monster with lq9 heads!!! but i also have the 05 hood on my 04 .

i would go 05 or 06 over the 04. just for the hood and extra hp.

but for the power i am looking for iron block and stroked is the way to go.

all depends on the price. the ls1 is a good engine and so is the ls2 it is all up to what do you want to spend and what are youre end goals with the car.

if you want huge hp later then save money now and buy a 04 and put the rest in the new engine. if you just want a gto with good power buy a 05 or 06

i love my gto . i love to drive it on road trips it has the best seats i have ever sat in.

it is all up to what you want in the end.

mike

There are very few NA LS2s that have turned a better ET then my LS1. Of those the ones with simular mods are only a few tenths faster and they have changed gears while I haven't.

10K difference?

Keep shoping, should be able to find one within 3-4K of the 04 price, easy

There isn't even that big of a difference...I bought my 2005 GTO w/ 17k miles from a dealer for $20,000....I looked on Carmax.com the next day just to see if I did alright....and every 2004 with similiar miles was $19-22k!

People forget the little subtle differences between the 04's and the 05/06.

Things like a slightly thicker drive shaft, and half shafts.
Larger front brakes with PBR calipers.
A dual 2 1/2 exhaust system from the factor.
Oh and the LS2 with 243 heads and a less then stellar manifold.

But after you start modding the vehicle it will not matter any more because you'll probably start replacing most of the components that got changed between the 04 and 05/06 models.

Half shafts are the same. I have spares of both '04 and '05 and they are identical. Nothing in the rear changed except the gears getting treated, as far as I can tell.

I haven't compared the driveshafts but they're probably the same also.