Supercharged HSV? - Part 4

[mjrandom]

Great shots though a day of GTS ownership sure has aged you!

[jaykay]

Looks the goods Simon...does 577 on the plate relate to anything ?

[CSV Strada SiR]

Well I simply can't pick a preferred colour - black wheels really complicate the choice. I think the white looks best with the standard wheels but I have always been a " Blue color fan" but I do like the red GTS.
Oh well, guess I should wait to see them side by side.

[Vulture]

Looks awesome, congrats

Not helping my pain though

Torn on which wheels?

Thanks. The wheels are a hard decision. I think I would have been happy with either.
The fact that mine accidentally came with these on it made the decision for me.
I've always been partial to mesh style wheels and these are lovely.
They don't have the exclusivity of the GTS wheels, though. Depends on which factor is most important.

[Vulture]

Great shots though a day of GTS ownership sure has aged you!

Sure has! Look a lot like my old man now.

[kblume]

Looks the goods Simon...does 577 on the plate relate to anything ?

I'm guessing 577 horsepower?

[LS3]

Horsepower ?

[LS3]

Too slow you beat me to the post
I'm guessing you right though

[Vulture]

I'm guessing 577 horsepower?

Yes, that's right. I liked the idea of the old Imperial measurement.

[VFast]

The ride height is pretty well spot on:

Attachment 2648

Congrats Simon. Love the new ride and the red on black looks sh*t hot too!!! Wheels suit it very nicely too!

would you mind doing a measure up on the HTG front and rear too please? Just to get another check against mjrandoms...

[Vulture]

Yet to have an extensive 'shake-down' drive on a variety of roads as I've been very busy but the GTS is certainly a 'complete' car as mentioned by the journos.
Dad and I have been very impressed with the ride quality around town with the MRC despite running 40psi in the tyres. I'm flabbergasted that anyone would consider ripping this system out, but no doubt some people will in order to run slammed ride heights. It's great to have such adjustability with the suspension settings and changes can really be felt immediately. The electric steering hasn't featured prominently in my mind while driving as it feels not unlike a hydraulic system, though the additional weighting as cornering loads increase is slightly contrived but not at all displeasing. Haven't tried the parking assist yet but look forward to given it a try.

Engine performance is very stout! Sometimes seems variable depending on intake temps (as shown through the EDI) and I suspect the tune is conservative and pulls timing out when intake temps are up. To me, there is a noticeable drop in urge if the car has been sitting in traffic for while but once the intake temps drop it's back to normal again. My imagination possibly but who knows, it has been very hot in Brisbane last few days. Plenty of linear torque all throughout the rev range which tends to make the GTS deceptively fast as it pulls from idle to the higher rpm range without letting up. Would have liked some more supercharger whine but I guess the belt/pully system must be well sorted and efficient unlike some of the aftermarket installations over the years.

I'm not 100% sure how the bimodal exhaust works (maybe I should read the manual!) but in sport mode and above it keeps it opened at idle but I think it also opens further with full throttle as I can hear something else flap open (possibly this is the bimodal intake?). I am sure there is a lot to gain from a more free-flowing exhaust and intake but will resist fiddling for as long as I can.

I'm not all that enamoured with the Mylink infotainment system yet. It's a bit fiddly, but perhaps I'll find it better as I get used to it. Compared to my other cars it's not brilliant. Bluetooth streaming is working quite well with my iPhone 5S but occasionally I get bluetooth paused issue and find I cannot restart playback. I do like EDI. I run the intake temp and oil temp gauges (what can I say, I'm a purist)

Lane departure, the collision avoidance warning are all good additions and I'll need to adjust them to my preferences but they are useful devices.
The HUD works well but perhaps should be allowed to go a little brighter as I use polarising glasses when driving and this tends to cut the HUD brightness down as I thought it might. Might have to switch to non-polarisong glasses.

Bodywork and panel gaps all seem excellent and believe me, I am picky on this particular area.

Overall, the GTS is impressive. It is beautifully resolved and refined. It has a Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde dual character and is a car that rises to meet the occasion, whether that is balls out B grade roads or suburban cruising to pick up the kids.

[jaykay]

Simnn I have polarised glasses and have no problem reading the HUD....have you adjusted the brightness ?

[Vulture]

Simnn I have polarised glasses and have no problem reading the HUD....have you adjusted the brightness ?

Yes, maybe it is my particular glasses. Will depend on the angle the glasses polarise at. A slight head tilt changes it but not sure I can drive around with my head tilted over all the time.

[seldo]

The ride height is pretty well spot on:

Attachment 2648

Looks pretty flash Simon - Congrats!

[mjrandom]

Good description. I have the lane departure off unless I am on the freeway. I like the other stuff even if the forward collision alert goes berserk because of the armco railing when you punt into a hairpin bend!

I did a recheck of the hub to guard height and came up with 380 and 390. I think I had the tape on an angle the first time around. This time I measured ground to guard and then the hub height. Be interesting what you get Simon.