low_bowtie83

So i have a question i have a 99 TA m6 full exhaust gears bolt ons ect... is it worth it to go to a 08 g8 gt? Speed wise how much will i loose/gain handling ect....

06blackGTO

iTrader: (20)

truthfully. I wouldnt. I sold my 99 black cammed. Ss. To get my 09 g8.
nothing but trouble. Lifter failed. Wiped cam lobe. When it was stock.
Their notorious for lifter failure.that was within 3mo. Of owning it. Thought my 4500.00 in mods would cover it. Nope. Cam bearings were also shot. My fault for not checking the back ones. So now 2500.00 more later.I'm finally picking the car up tomorrow from the shop. Been alot of trouble for me. Sorry for the rant. Lol. Nothing but heartache with my g8 gt.But I guess it all depends on what you need. My camaro ss put down 390rwhp. This g8 441rwhp. The camaro still seemed quicker. This g8 is a heavy pig. Have you checked into the gto's. I had a built 06. M6 one. God I miss that car. Lol.

06blackGTO

iTrader: (20)

Plus no m6. Unless you get a gxp. And their high. Plus for having cylinder deactivation. Fuel mileage isn't so hot. Avg. 21mpg. In mine.

low_bowtie83

Wow thanks man i dont need a new car i have a case of the WANTS...lol wife aaid i could build a 408ci motor for mine or get a new car and sell mine sooooo im thinking mamo will be getting a call in the near future lol

G8GTx2

While both of mine had a standard lifter fail (not a DOD lifter), the rest of my internals (except for the cam) were still good.
They are easy to work on, they handle well, they have a lot of room in both the interior and the trunk.
I'm sorry to hear that 06BlackGTO got a bad one. Mine and my wife's have been very enjoyable.
The cam issue sped-up my mod plans for mine. DOD deleted, 412hp at the wheels, still pulling 21mpg average, and a best of 12.49 at the track. Did the work at 125k miles and it's still running good at 177k+ miles, bought it new.

With hers we were a little tight, so I just installed all new lifters (DOD & LS7) and a factory DOD cam, and she's running good too.

They make great family cars for people who like GM V8 RWD. Plan to never sell mine.

06blackGTO

iTrader: (20)

I would do that. Same here. A case of the wants not needs. For what I spent. I could have put a hell of a big cube stroker in my ss.
If you browse the g8 forums. You'll see what I'm talking about. Has to be over 50% failure rate on these gt's. I knew I should have bought the vette sitting next to this at the lot. Lol. This car has been down more then it's been running. Hopefully this will be it. Trouble wise.

easy_rider

G8 will drive way better, way better chassis than the Fbodies. Powerwise is were it will need some work, stock they dyno like 300-315whp (mine did 309 with 87 oct 100% stock) and weight right at 4000Ibs if I had one car definaltey a G8. way more practical to live with than an Fbody. and a order of magnituide superior in fit and finish, never creaks like my fbody etc.

I had this dilema and ended up keeping my Trans Am as a weekend warrior and kept the G8 stock (now SS). The Holden V8s are the best value performance DD in my mind.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

Fbody is much more enjoyable from a pure driving perspective. G8 is a great compromise for utility, though. I have no regrets with picking one up; however, I want to get another Fbody for a fun car in addition to keeping my G8 as a DD.

97k miles and no lifter failure *knock on wood*

low_bowtie83

Yeah i cant get both of them right now and don't have a need for 4 doors just a want you know....i think i would miss my TA and my m6

ajrothm

I would switch to a G8 if looking for more practicality for daily driving/family hauling etc etc. They are great cars. They do have some quirks tho...front suspension issues and the mentioned cam issues.

I would NOT make the trade from an F Body if strictly looking for performance... After all, you're gaining 500+lbs over an F Body.

I will say my can tuned G8 ran the exact same ET/MPH as my 99' Trans Am did with 320rwhp M6.. So with "less" rwhp, +500lbs the G8 must be doing something right.

G8: 13.05@107.1, SuperChips tune only.
99' M6 T/A: 13.08@109, lid, Borla cat back, drag radials.

Personally, I would not build a G8 to race...I just don't see the point.. Light modding sure... But building one for straight up drag racing and **** I just don't get.. Way better platforms to do that with.

My G8 is the wife's daily driver, we bought it new, has 85k miles and only issue was the evap solenoid failure that required dropping the rear cradle to change... $1200 at the dealer..oh and a gas cap.

I'm waiting patiently for the lifters to fail. Lol.. If they do, I'll rebuild it and put the baby Lunati in it.

RevGTO

iTrader: (12)

We're original owners of our GT, 42k and zero issues. If the lifter issue develops (some do, some don't), we'll cough up the money and do the DOD delete.

But to your question, unless you need a sedan for people hauling and such, or are just tired of f-body discomfort, I would never get rid of an f-body to go to a G8. F-bodies are so much simpler and easier to service (except for changing spark plugs). I changed my evap solenoid on my A4 car while chasing down a problem ... the part was cheap and it took all of about 10 minutes. In so many ways, F-bodies are close to old school muscle - rowdy and uncivilized, but in the modern context, simple and easy to maintain.

demonspeed

iTrader: (7)

Even if one wants something a bit more "comfortable" than a fbody, I'd get a GTO before a G8 if one doesn't need the utility of a sedan. M6, LS2, lighter, cheaper, better aftermarket, etc.

my bandit

iTrader: (10)

$4500 in mods for a cam swap? What else did you do for mods? Depending on how bad the cam and lifter chewed up, I would have pulled the engine out to get it cleaned to have all metal particles removed from the engine.

Just like a bad business, when something goes wrong, everyone hears about it but when everything is perfect, it's silence.

The suspension issues are minor, the GM upgrade is out there so next time they fail, just spend $200 and get the new LCA's


OP, I have owned 3 G8's (2 GT's and a GXP). The GT was stock and the only issue I had was a faulty fuel pump that caused intermittent problems. On my other GT, I bought it with a blown piston (too much boost and a bad tune) and on my supercharged GXP, I had a lifter fail (oh but guess what, it was a prized LS7 lifter). Don't let them worry you too much about the lifter failure. In both G8's I currently have, AT LEAST 5 lifters are chewed up (cam also) and one completely mushroomed the tip. And they were all LS7 lifters.

If you like the car, get it. Go take one for a test drive. When I first moved from my T/a to a G8, the moment I test drove it, it was game over for the T/a. If you want something comfortable, roomy (trunk is huge, GTO=no trunk) but still quick, the G8 is it. It all comes down to what you are planning to do with the car. It's still a basic LS engine in the end

69Project

I have a 09 GXP with M6. Love the car. It is stock and really hauls the mail. Best handling car I have ever had. I do wish I had 2 doors vs 4 but I have two kids and I do haul a lot of friends around so there is the trade off. I grew up in a era though with 2 coupes were the muscle cars and anything else was either a sleeper or your mom's car.

It all depends on what you want. I would think the G8 is more comfortable than a F body. It should certainly ride better with the IRS vs solid axle.

If you want something different but still want a muscle car vibe vs a sleeper like the G8 go get a 5th gen F body. The 2010's have come down in price greatly.