Hello all,
I just got my new 2005 Grand Prix GXP and am loving it very much the
5.3 liter V8 with Displacement on Demand lets me have my cake AND eat it too. Great power when I want it, plus very good mileage on the freeway. However, I have a couple questions and comments:- Are there any tricks or limiters I can adjust or remove on the car's computer system? (speed, performance, revs, ???)
- I have the on-board navigation system. Is there any way to hack the software in order to play real DVDs on this thing?
- Any recommendations for performace enhancements that I could do on this motor? It's so new that I'm not sure who might be making any after-market enhancement items. NOS would be really cool. A supercharger would be oooooohhhh so nice.
- I really don't like the wheels on the car. The huge 18" rims and W speed rated tires are cool, but I think the wheel design is rather boring - given the rest of the car's style and power. The rear wheels have a very funny offset and special lug nut situation. Does anyone have a good lead for companies making nicer wheels for this car?
- The displacement on demand is awesome; and I wish I knew more. Does anyone know where I can get more details on EXACTLY how this feature is programed? I've seen diagrams about HOW it works (by disabling half the valve lifters in a special sequence with special sleeves on the lifters), BUT, I want to know about the software. - Is there a minimum speed DoD will engage? (freeway only??) - Is DoD active at idle in park? - How lightly does the engine have to be pushing to allow DoD to kick in? - How many seconds of "lightly loading" the engine must be experienced before DoD will kick in?
I wish there was an indicator light on the computer I could look at to see if DoD was active or not. I'd like to see if I'm driving the car properly to get DoD to activate (or not). The only tool I have right now is to put the computer into to showing the "Instant Mileage" setting, and keep an eye on it. Even then, the motor changes so smoothly from a V8 to a V4 that it's hard to tell if DoD is active or not.
Thanks all.