Quick background:
I am in the market for a 2006 GTO/M6. I have one in my sights and hope to have it in the garage by 3 August. It’s out of state. Delivery is a pain.

Questions:
Mine will have 18K miles on it and was driven since new by a 24 year old male. I was 24 once, I know how I drove. How strong is the stock clutch/trans? Is it a t56?

The stock stereo is_______! (Insert correct adjective)

Is wheel hop a big issue on a launch?

Mine has the 17 tires. Was it only the 18” tires that ran into strut rub? Currently there is no rub according to the seller.

Short shifters really make a difference?

Long tubes and Magnaflows will cause a noticeable drop in low end power?

Will every turd burglar in a civic think I want to race them or does the car blend in a little better than that?

This will be my under warranty DD. Minimal mods will be done so I am curious how guys who have left theirs mostly stock still like them after 6 months-1 year ?

Lots of questions I know. Just trying to be sure this is the car for me. See my sig to see what I am used to driving, lol.

 

Stock clutch isnt that strong... i'd upgrade asap.

The stock stereo is_decent sounding_! Its really nice to have a 6 disk in dash player...but its still a stock stereo.

Yes wheel hop is an issue.

If you keep the front aligned you wont have a problem.

Dont have a short shifter, yet.

Dont have long tubes.

Car blends in better. I had more trouble in my WS6.

Mines mainly stock and i still love it. I have a maggie kit thats sitting in the room while i think about installing. Im not to sure if i want to change how well it drives.

 

Thanks for the input. The Maggie wont effect the driveability. Just make it pull stronger and scream.

 

The trans is plenty strong. The stock clutch isn't that bad, I have 115 strip passes on mine and its still fine. the LS7 clutch is a good upgrade should you decide you need a new one.


not terrible but not great.


If you're thrashing is hard you will get wheel hop. Drag bags are the cheapest "cure".


17" had (have) strut rub. Not 18"s. It is easily correctable with a good alignment and a careful eye.


I'd suggest a tranny fluid swap first, then if you still aren't happy get the GMM.


Without a tune you may notice a little drop. With a tune all you'll notice are gains. About 20 RWHP!


No one every wants to race me Even when I was stock I didn't get many takers. Your results may vary depending on how many turd burglars are in your area. In general its a pretty low profile car.

I left mine stock for about a year, then went with headers then everything else VERY quickly afterward. Modding is a disease worse than what Lindsey Lohan has

 

Supposed to be here Wednesday

 

Q.The stock stereo is_______! (Insert correct adjective)

A.There are some twaeks that help out a little...so a search on ls1gto

Q.Is wheel hop a big issue on a launch?

A.with stock tires and susspension yes...Pedders+good rubber on mine, no more hop.

Q.Mine has the 17 tires. Was it only the 18” tires that ran into strut rub?

A.as far as i know its the 17"s that rub due to them being 245's


Q.Short shifters really make a difference?

A.HUGE

Q.Long tubes and Magnaflows will cause a noticeable drop in low end power?

A.No way..

Q.Will every turd burglar in a civic think I want to race them or does the car blend in a little better than that?

A.50/50 with the turd burglars

Q. This will be my under warranty DD. Minimal mods will be done so I am curious how guys who have left theirs mostly stock still like them after 6 months-1 year ?

A. Great DD in stock form OR modified IMO

Lots of questions I know. Just trying to be sure this is the car for me. See my sig to see what I am used to driving, lol.

 

-Stock clutch is alright. Transmission is decent. Shifter sucks *****.
-Stock stereo isn't too bad. Doesn't like to read CD-Rs
-Wheel hop or sitting and spinning. Have to work on a good medium
-My 17s rub very slightly. Tires wear evenly/as expected
-New shifter= good idea
-My shorties, catless mids, and cutouts had a noticable HP&TQ gain. No loss.
-Get more looks than race opportunities.
-With 100 miles on the car, I took the mufflers off and went to the drag strip. 20K miles now, no warranty work done. Bolt ons +street tires

best time 13.04@109.5 2.0 60' w/stock tires
dyno uncorrected 371HP/379TQ

 

Its in the driveway. Will get the temp tag tomorrow. Not that that stopped from from doing a few quick 0-100 test runs. 3rd pulls pretty hard

 

welcome to the club. i've been enjoying mine for over three years now. it still gives me a grin.

the stock clutch isn't that strong.

it is a T56 six speed unless of course it's an automatic

there's a stereo? i dunno, i just drive and listen to the sweet engine

wheel hop is an issue. i upgraded my rear suspension a lot and now it only stutters if i really dump it. hop is a function of the independent rear and tire traction.

the 18"s are more prone to rub (and hop 'cause you get less traction)

the shifter sucks. anybody that tells you differently has low expectations for a shifter. currently the GMM and Billet are the top dogs in shifters. the GMM is the first mod i did to the car and if i was only going to do one mod that would be it. it makes a huge difference.

no, LTs increased the power across the board but of course that was after tuning which you'll need to do or get done

the word is slowly getting out that GTOs are something to lightly mess with so i don't hardly ever get challenged. <sigh> the exhaust scares them away i think.

good luck on keeping it mostly stock. that's what they all say ... and then you do a gateway mod like the shifter or intake, look or ride in another GTO and a madness will overtake you

good luck and welcome

 

Well, I have had it 3 days and I already ordered the Bassani cat back and am seriously looking at headers. I'm going to start smoking crack because I think its cheaper than modding

 

^^^ Probably true, and i'm nowhere near where I want to be.

 

Sigh, I knew you were right.....

Bassani cat back is on
K&N intake is on
JBL speakers are in my garage
Catless mid pipes are in my garage
Pacesetter LT's are in my garage
GMM shifter is in my garage
EFI Live V2 cable is shipped
TNT plate wet kit is shipped.

Thinking about cut outs and 3.91 gears. The only thing I know will void the drivetrain part of my warranty is the wet kit. Everything else shouldnt be too big a deal.