When Tom was looking for his...
When Tom was looking for his next car, utility was one of his main selling points. With 17.5 cubic feet of trunk space, there is room for plenty of stuff to roll around when he drives the car hard.
To turn the ideas into reality, he sought out Performance Tech, located near his home in Hollywood, Florida. He knew that you couldn't just install a supercharger kit and expect everything to be hunky dory. To compensate for the increased ingestion of air, Kooks 1.75-inch headers and a 3-inch-diameter axle-back exhaust were installed. The factory fuel system was boosted with a Kenne Bell Boost-a-Pump on the original pump, Aeromotive fuel rails, -8 AN fuel lines, and 65-lb-hr FAST injectors.
A D-1SC ProCharger kit was then installed, and it was set to boost air pressure to the engine by about 8 psi. Everything came together with the installation of a Fasterproms-ported throttle body and L92 intake manifold. Initially engine tuning was performed by an out-of-state tuner, but he later sought the expertise of Jeremy Formato, owner of Fasterproms in Tampa.
To hold up to the power, little was needed-a testament to the strength of the new G8 chassis. Augmenting the rigid factory structure are BMR subframe connectors, tunnel brace, and lower control arms. The rearend is held in place with Pedders differential and crossmember bushings, which reduce flex within the rear cradle. The factory six-speed auto was treated to a Yank 2,800-rpm-stall converter and B&M Supercooler to deliver the ponies through the factory driveshaft, which has a Metco safety loop.
The G8 cabin isn't short on...
The G8 cabin isn't short on creature comforts. Dual-zone climate controls keep the interior comfortable, and the standard radio screen is bright and clear. Tom elected to listen to satellite radio through his Blaupunkt stereo and has a mount for his MSD DashHawk, which functions as a multi-display.
To test the G8 GT's mettle, Tom took it to the track and was surprised to see that it was now blasting down the quarter in the low 12s on the factory tires. He was determined to get it into the 11s, so he shed his factory rear 245/40ZR19 Bridgestone Potenzas in favor of Mickey Thompson Drag radials mounted to 18x9.5 Liquid Metal Static wheels.
An SJM line-lock was installed so that he could roast the rear 265/40R18 Mickeys properly and not eat up his Hawk HPS pads. He eventually worked his way down to a 1.71 60-foot on his way to an 11.98 at 115 mph. This came with a 4,180-pound race weight, 18 psi in the rear tires, and flashing the converter on launch from idle. His shift points are set at a conservative 5,500 rpm, considering his peak power of 526 rwhp comes in at 6,100 and a tire-shredding 456 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm, with a dead-flat torque curve from 4,000 rpm on.
As the Pontiac sits, Tom is extremely happy. "This is easily the best car available for the money," he claims. "It was the perfect car for someone like me, looking for speed but retaining the utility I need for my kids, and the trunk space." In the future, Tom plans to take things up a notch and slide in a performance cam, and delete the Displacement-On-Demand. "Possibly, I'll add a methanol injection system or baby shot of nitrous, too." With just these two items it should put Tom in the neighborhood of 600 rwhp and deeper into the 11s. That's not too bad for a comfortable four-door, huh?