Discussion
just reading a small article in this weeks autocar, just thought it may be of interest to a few of you on here...
"The big difference between the original monaro and the new one is the engine: whereas it used to be 5.7 litres 385bhp. it's now 6.0litres and 400bhp. But the headline numbers can't do the new engine justice. In practice the 6.0 litre is a good deal smoother than the 5.7, it sounds better and responds more crisply low down in the mid-range. So that it? Not by a long chalk.
The rear dampers have been uprated, as has the plumbing for the brakes; there are new bushes for the steering rack and, most importantly, the engine weighs 20kg less than the 5.7, which has a crucial effect on the ride and handling. With the damper and steering bush upgrades the reduced weight over the nose means the 6.0 feels notibly more agile than the 5.7;
It changes direction more incisively, theres less kickback through the steering over rough surfaces, it stops better because it weighs less and the ride is smoother. I reckon it has better traction too: not that this was ever an issue with the 5.7 unless you were on a wet road and had turned off the traction control (which is half the fun in driving the monaro in the first place).
Also better is the gear change, probably the 5.7's biggest failing. It's not perfect because fundamently its the same gear box (and, amazingly same as used by the 16 year old lotus carlton). But modifications to the selector have made the shift slightly shorter in throw and a fair bit lighter in weight; overall it's a good 15 per cent better than before."
I thought it was a good read.
"The big difference between the original monaro and the new one is the engine: whereas it used to be 5.7 litres 385bhp. it's now 6.0litres and 400bhp. But the headline numbers can't do the new engine justice. In practice the 6.0 litre is a good deal smoother than the 5.7, it sounds better and responds more crisply low down in the mid-range. So that it? Not by a long chalk.
The rear dampers have been uprated, as has the plumbing for the brakes; there are new bushes for the steering rack and, most importantly, the engine weighs 20kg less than the 5.7, which has a crucial effect on the ride and handling. With the damper and steering bush upgrades the reduced weight over the nose means the 6.0 feels notibly more agile than the 5.7;
It changes direction more incisively, theres less kickback through the steering over rough surfaces, it stops better because it weighs less and the ride is smoother. I reckon it has better traction too: not that this was ever an issue with the 5.7 unless you were on a wet road and had turned off the traction control (which is half the fun in driving the monaro in the first place).
Also better is the gear change, probably the 5.7's biggest failing. It's not perfect because fundamently its the same gear box (and, amazingly same as used by the 16 year old lotus carlton). But modifications to the selector have made the shift slightly shorter in throw and a fair bit lighter in weight; overall it's a good 15 per cent better than before."
I thought it was a good read.
Can anyone confirm if the 6.0 is actually 20kg less than the 5.7? If so & its as reliable as the 5.7 great!
But I still have the thought in the back of my mind of GM engineers lightening/improving the Saab 4 pot engine & ruining what had been a simple but effective & reliable engine which had plenty of scope for tuning.
But I still have the thought in the back of my mind of GM engineers lightening/improving the Saab 4 pot engine & ruining what had been a simple but effective & reliable engine which had plenty of scope for tuning.
ukHSV, There is a saying that has been well used,been there,done that and do not want to have deal with 1600 competitors!!!! Prefer track days with only a dozen or so.Thats 12 in metric,ha,ha.Agree with you that these journalists really should do their homework,and research,before publication.
As a whole package I thought the 04 VXR weighed in at 1646kg and the 05 VXR ate a few pies to achieve 1658kg however the slight power hike offsets this slightly.
*reference:
www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/P2W/P2W.html
*reference:
www.juansolo.demon.co.uk/P2W/P2W.html
lee7 said:
just reading a small article in this weeks autocar, just thought it may be of interest to a few of you on here...
"The big difference between the original monaro and the new one is the engine: whereas it used to be 5.7 litres 385bhp. it's now 6.0litres and 400bhp. But the headline numbers can't do the new engine justice. In practice the 6.0 litre is a good deal smoother than the 5.7, it sounds better and responds more crisply low down in the mid-range. So that it? Not by a long chalk.
The rear dampers have been uprated, as has the plumbing for the brakes; there are new bushes for the steering rack and, most importantly, the engine weighs 20kg less than the 5.7, which has a crucial effect on the ride and handling. With the damper and steering bush upgrades the reduced weight over the nose means the 6.0 feels notibly more agile than the 5.7;
It changes direction more incisively, theres less kickback through the steering over rough surfaces, it stops better because it weighs less and the ride is smoother. I reckon it has better traction too: not that this was ever an issue with the 5.7 unless you were on a wet road and had turned off the traction control (which is half the fun in driving the monaro in the first place).
Also better is the gear change, probably the 5.7's biggest failing. It's not perfect because fundamently its the same gear box (and, amazingly same as used by the 16 year old lotus carlton). But modifications to the selector have made the shift slightly shorter in throw and a fair bit lighter in weight; overall it's a good 15 per cent better than before."
I thought it was a good read.
That article was in Autocar a while back.
The gearshift is still poor, but the 2005 VXR is a great drive, all the same.
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