http://www.mallettcars.com/solstice-conversion.htm


Ok, so I read this quickly and thought, holy carp, 18k for 400hp CAR. But then I realized its only for the engine upgrade (plus, clutch, lsd, etc).


After the initial purchase of the Solstice (around 20k) is paying 38,000 for a 400hp car worth it?

Me thinks not.

I think it is... the LS2 comes from the C6 Corvette... which base price starts at 44,900. If you want Corvette power but could care less about the looks... this would be the more cost efficient way. I would still rather get a Z06 though... :drool:

Not to mention most conversions never carry a warranty... and this one does... nice touch!

I want to drive one. :D

You also have to think though, 400HP on a car not much bigger than a Miata. Sounds Hella-fun to me!

sounds like a shelby cobra wanna be to me :roll:

now why did they keep it a single exhaust :roll: with a Y-pipe wtf it should of been duel exhaust!!!

$5000 to upgrade to non adjustable shocks..?? $13000++ for a supercharger upgrader..?? be a pretty amazing car, but for that kinda money.... you could have anything you want pretty much hahaha

"Preferred Package - $19,995

Everything in the Standard Package PLUS:
Air conditioning (Vehicle must have been originally equipped with air conditioning from factory)"

lemme get this right... after about $38,000 out of your pocket, you still dont have a/c? you gotta dump about $2,000 more for the preferred package- which is basically a/c?

o well. i guess that's the price ya gotta pay to surprise the corvette driver next to you, and keep your windows up in a hot summer day at the same time. :silly:

for $38,000, id rather get my 12.8 seconds and 1.02g from somewhere else... like a tuned mr2 (supras don't seem like "sleepers" to me anymore, and they probably start around 30 grand USED anywaiz).

just my 2 cents.

i dont think that the price includes the car....i read the pdf and it still doesnt make sense to me

oh and for clarification on Gm engine uses, cuz im sure that a couple of you are confused

LS1. 5.7 V8 in C5 corvetes and 2004/2005 GTO/SSR
LS2 6.0 V8 in ZO6 C5 Corvette
LS6 6.0 in C6 Corvette an 2006 GTO/SSR
LS7 6.0 in ZO6 C6 Corvette

all are all aluminum small blocks, ~385 CI

i dont think that the price includes the car....i read the pdf and it still doesnt make sense to me

oh and for clarification on Gm engine uses, cuz im sure that a couple of you are confused

LS1. 5.7 V8 in C5 corvetes and 2004/2005 GTO/SSR
LS2 6.0 V8 in ZO6 C5 Corvette
LS6 6.0 in C6 Corvette an 2006 GTO/SSR
LS7 6.0 in ZO6 C6 Corvette

all are all aluminum small blocks, ~385 CI


I thought the LS7 was a 7.0 L. It should be, I think.

it is a 7.0, see what happens when you copy and paste chidren, you make stupid mistakes

sounds like a living nightmare to control and not spin.

http://www.mallettcars.com/solstice-conversion.htm


Ok, so I read this quickly and thought, holy carp, 18k for 400hp CAR. But then I realized its only for the engine upgrade (plus, clutch, lsd, etc).


After the initial purchase of the Solstice (around 20k) is paying 38,000 for a 400hp car worth it?

Me thinks not.
:rofl: holy carp :rofl: i just had to notice that small typo
sorry for the randomness

check this out...www.monstermiata.com They install V-8 engines in miatas... A lot cheaper than the solstace shown above...Miatas are a lot cheaper and can be bought used.

sounds like a living nightmare to control and not spin.

Yup, there's a reason why high output cars have EXTRA LONG wheelbases. . .

Short wheelbases are only good on less powerful cars.

check this out...www.monstermiata.com They install V-8 engines in miatas... A lot cheaper than the solstace shown above...Miatas are a lot cheaper and can be bought used.

"monstermiata". sounds like an oxymoron to me if i didn't know what the site was about :silly: . lol. no disrespect to the miata crowd out there, i think they're nimble little sports cars, but "monster" is not the first thing that comes to my mind. haha.

anywaiz, back to topic... V8 engines stuffed in miatas sounds just as good as the mallet solstice- but cheaper ;) i'm still stickin to my ideal sleeper as being an mr2.

still on my 2 cents.

Well, when you hear one scream by you, and wonder 'what the heck was that?'...you understand the "monster" part of it. I agree though...a miata is far from a monster...lol.

"Preferred Package - $19,995

Everything in the Standard Package PLUS:
Air conditioning (Vehicle must have been originally equipped with air conditioning from factory)"

lemme get this right... after about $38,000 out of your pocket, you still dont have a/c? you gotta dump about $2,000 more for the preferred package- which is basically a/c?

o well. i guess that's the price ya gotta pay to surprise the corvette driver next to you, and keep your windows up in a hot summer day at the same time. :silly:

for $38,000, id rather get my 12.8 seconds and 1.02g from somewhere else... like a tuned mr2 (supras don't seem like "sleepers" to me anymore, and they probably start around 30 grand USED anywaiz).

just my 2 cents.

Being a true open roadster Pontiac chose to make A/C an option. A lot of people will probably not get AC when they buy this car. For 48k you also get a 2 year warranty on the car which you wouldn't with the mr2.


Though for 40k you could get a brand new elise!

"Preferred Package - $19,995

Everything in the Standard Package PLUS:
Air conditioning (Vehicle must have been originally equipped with air conditioning from factory)"

lemme get this right... after about $38,000 out of your pocket, you still dont have a/c? you gotta dump about $2,000 more for the preferred package- which is basically a/c?

o well. i guess that's the price ya gotta pay to surprise the corvette driver next to you, and keep your windows up in a hot summer day at the same time. :silly:

for $38,000, id rather get my 12.8 seconds and 1.02g from somewhere else... like a tuned mr2 (supras don't seem like "sleepers" to me anymore, and they probably start around 30 grand USED anywaiz).

just my 2 cents.

Being a true open roadster Pontiac chose to make A/C an option. A lot of people will probably not get AC when they buy this car. For 48k you also get a 2 year warranty on the car which you wouldn't with the mr2.


Though for 40k you could get a brand new elise!

elise. there. another car probably worth 40k that's also a good performer, but probably not as good as this solstice in terms of power and/or acceleration. i think handling would probably go to the solstice as well, by a hair.

btw, does that 2 year warranty come from the GM factory or from Mallet? or does it even matter? and is it CARB smog legal?

Do you really believe the Solstice will outhandle the Elise? Wow. I haven't heard how the Solstice handles, but I hear nothing but good things on the Elise ( I saw one on the 101 a month ago...sweet!). Roughly 200 HP and roughly 2000 LBS....fun fun!

I just did a little research on the specs on BOTH Solstice AND elise....If I had the money, it would be Elise ALL THE WAY. All the numbers look better. I really don't think the Solstice can out-do it by any means except the price. Comparing the 'mullet' solstice to an elise is not very comparableeither, being the Solstice weighs 2900 LBs BEFORE they shove that heavy V-8 in there. Stock, it is 50/50 weight ratio, but after the bigger engine is put in there, it probably throws that off, as well. LOL, there's no way I'LL evern know whats better...except for the numbers I see right now, that is.
Elise wins HANDS DOWN.
I mean, come on...they compare it to a ferrari 360 and the Porsche gt3....What are they going to compare the solstice to? A corvette? A GTO?

being the Solstice weighs 2900 LBs BEFORE they shove that heavy V-8 in there. ?you'd be surprised how light that V8 is. I wouldn't doubt it weighs about the same. Just because it is a V8 doesn'y mean its heavier.

I would have to say at least50lbs, but is probably closer to 100lbs. Not a BIG difference, but enough to throw the weight ratio off....And we don't know how far forward that engine is going to be mounted.

i dont think that the price includes the car....i read the pdf and it still doesnt make sense to me

oh and for clarification on Gm engine uses, cuz im sure that a couple of you are confused

LS1 5.7 V8 in C5 corvetes/2004GTO (about 345 CI)
LS2 6.0 V8 in C6 Corvette/2005 GTO/2005 SSR (364 CI)
LS6 5.7 in C5 Corvette ZO6/CTS-V (about 345 CI)
LS7 7.0 in C6 Corvette ZO6 (428 CI)

all are all aluminum small blocks

I think its like this instead. Those are pretty light weight engines too so I dont think they would weigh much more than the 4 cyclinder. Upgraded drive train might though.

The elise is one of the best handling cars on the planet, by many subjective tests. . . I'm sure the Solstice is a great car, but really. . .

But I'm no pro on the subject, as I would probably never want to own either car.

im a fan of the elise myself. i think i might have misguided some people earlier. i was just saying that the solstice had 1.02g down for handling, and i wasn't sure the elise was better than 1.02g, but now i know it's damn close!

so anywaiz, to settle this, here are the specs of both cars side-by-side.

(so here are specs to the elise and mallet solstice according to the lotuscars.com and puresportscar.com websites and mallet solstice "details" pdf download.)

elise $42,990 MSRP; 2000 produced
1984 lb. w/ 2zz-ge (190hp@7800rpm; 138 ft/lb@6800rpm)
0-60 @4.7-4.9 seconds; 1/4 mile @13.1 seconds (mph not specified)
lateral grip @ 1.0g; weight dist. (f/r) 40/60

solstice around $38,000 MSRP; 100 produced
2800 lb w/ LS2 (400hp@6000rpm; 400 ft/lb@4400rpm)
0-60 @4.2 seconds; 1/4 mile @12.8 seconds & 114 mph
lateral grip @ 1.02g; weight dist. (f/r) 50/50***

*** the 50/50% distribution on the solstice was a semi-educated guess and not based on the sources( :rofl: ) since the LS2 can't throw off the distribution way off from the original 50/50 if it is indeed a light engine as some of you say.

(btw, in my opinion, i'd take the elise because it would save me gas (23mpg city and 27mpg highway!!!)... like mpg is a concern in this thread. LOL.)

The elise is one of the best handling cars on the planet, by many subjective tests. . . I'm sure the Solstice is a great car, but really. . .

But I'm no pro on the subject, as I would probably never want to own either car.

yeah. it is one of the best handling production cars on the planet (that's why i'm a fan!). as you can see from my last few posts, the solstice DOES outhandle the lotus by .02 g.

I just did a little research on the specs on BOTH Solstice AND elise....If I had the money, it would be Elise ALL THE WAY. All the numbers look better. I really don't think the Solstice can out-do it by any means except the price. Comparing the 'mullet' solstice to an elise is not very comparableeither, being the Solstice weighs 2900 LBs BEFORE they shove that heavy V-8 in there. Stock, it is 50/50 weight ratio, but after the bigger engine is put in there, it probably throws that off, as well. LOL, there's no way I'LL evern know whats better...except for the numbers I see right now, that is.
Elise wins HANDS DOWN.
I mean, come on...they compare it to a ferrari 360 and the Porsche gt3....What are they going to compare the solstice to? A corvette? A GTO?


just curious [and no offense], what specs were you looking at? according to my last post (ultimately in accord with lotuscars.com and puresportscar.com [for the lotus] and mallet specifications pdf download), the solstice "out-does" the lotus in every respect performance-wise (except weight and, most likely, mpg), and is cheaper (assuming one chose the $18,000 package).

(btw, in my opinion, i'd take the elise because it would save me gas (23mpg city and 27mpg highway!!!)... like mpg is a concern in this thread. LOL.)

Believe it or not that LS2 gets 28 mpg in the new Corvette on the highway.

I would take the Elise though over the Solstice if I could fit in it which I don't. They are tiny! Smaller than an xA. The Solstice is actually made for people who are tall. That was a requirement of Bob Lutz....he had to fit in it comfortably. LOL.

(btw, in my opinion, i'd take the elise because it would save me gas (23mpg city and 27mpg highway!!!)... like mpg is a concern in this thread. LOL.)

Believe it or not that LS2 gets 28 mpg in the new Corvette on the highway.

I would take the Elise though over the Solstice if I could fit in it which I don't. They are tiny! Smaller than an xA. The Solstice is actually made for people who are tall. That was a requirement of Bob Lutz....he had to fit in it comfortably. LOL.

28 in the highway? im amazed! that's relatively good milage for a v8 of that size from what i know (which isn't much). but then again, the four-banger in the elise has relatively bad milage for a four-banger of that size. wats the city mpg for this solstice btw? and does it use 91 octane like the 2zz-ge in the elise?

(i can't believe we're talking about mpg now, nonetheless, comparing a solstice to an elise :rofl:. but keep 'em comin)

and to the other point, i guess i could still dream about the elise over this solstice, assuming being 5'8" isn't too tall for the elise :pray: . lol. another reason to like the elise is because of its exotic-ness, even though the solstice is going to be way more limited than the elise. the solstice just doesn't have that same vibe the elise has.

on that note, i should probably shut up now. i've had my fair share of contributions to the "mallet solstice vs. elise" run. unless you peeps are alrite with it... lol.

again, just my 2 cents.

The elise is one of the best handling cars on the planet, by many subjective tests. . . I'm sure the Solstice is a great car, but really. . .

But I'm no pro on the subject, as I would probably never want to own either car.

yeah. it is one of the best handling production cars on the planet (that's why i'm a fan!). as you can see from my last few posts, the solstice DOES outhandle the lotus by .02 g.

I just did a little research on the specs on BOTH Solstice AND elise....If I had the money, it would be Elise ALL THE WAY. All the numbers look better. I really don't think the Solstice can out-do it by any means except the price. Comparing the 'mullet' solstice to an elise is not very comparableeither, being the Solstice weighs 2900 LBs BEFORE they shove that heavy V-8 in there. Stock, it is 50/50 weight ratio, but after the bigger engine is put in there, it probably throws that off, as well. LOL, there's no way I'LL evern know whats better...except for the numbers I see right now, that is.
Elise wins HANDS DOWN.
I mean, come on...they compare it to a ferrari 360 and the Porsche gt3....What are they going to compare the solstice to? A corvette? A GTO?


just curious [and no offense], what specs were you looking at? according to my last post (ultimately in accord with lotuscars.com and puresportscar.com [for the lotus] and mallet specifications pdf download), the solstice "out-does" the lotus in every respect performance-wise (except weight and, most likely, mpg), and is cheaper (assuming one chose the $18,000 package).

Sorry, I was a bit vague, but I was looking at only handling numbers. . . and I was comparing the standard solstice with the Elise, based on magazine comparos (yeah, not the greatest source). I was looking at slalom and skid pad numbers. I don't remember the numbers off hand, but don't recall the standard Solstice breaking 1.0G. . . did they upgrade the wheels/tires. If so, that's not a fair comparison. Both cars must have the same grade tires to be considered a fair comparison. You can stick race rubber on a Civic and break 1.0G for under 10k, so it doesn't really mean much in my book, especially if a car is modified. And if you put 1000mm width tires on a bus, I'm sure it would achieve high G's as well, but actual handling prowess would be in the pits.

Skidpad numbers are not always the best qualifiers for handling. Sure, it tells you the max grip (which is HIGHLY dependent on the tires), but it doesn't account for transitive handling and response.

I havn't really looked in this upgraded version very much, so I'm no expert, nor am I one anyway. . . so. . . yeah. But I do know that the Solstice isn't a POS either. I'm sure it's a great car. I would love to see some head to head tests. . . on a track, where you can actually see an applied difference.

The elise is one of the best handling cars on the planet, by many subjective tests. . . I'm sure the Solstice is a great car, but really. . .

But I'm no pro on the subject, as I would probably never want to own either car.

yeah. it is one of the best handling production cars on the planet (that's why i'm a fan!). as you can see from my last few posts, the solstice DOES outhandle the lotus by .02 g.

I just did a little research on the specs on BOTH Solstice AND elise....If I had the money, it would be Elise ALL THE WAY. All the numbers look better. I really don't think the Solstice can out-do it by any means except the price. Comparing the 'mullet' solstice to an elise is not very comparableeither, being the Solstice weighs 2900 LBs BEFORE they shove that heavy V-8 in there. Stock, it is 50/50 weight ratio, but after the bigger engine is put in there, it probably throws that off, as well. LOL, there's no way I'LL evern know whats better...except for the numbers I see right now, that is.
Elise wins HANDS DOWN.
I mean, come on...they compare it to a ferrari 360 and the Porsche gt3....What are they going to compare the solstice to? A corvette? A GTO?


just curious [and no offense], what specs were you looking at? according to my last post (ultimately in accord with lotuscars.com and puresportscar.com [for the lotus] and mallet specifications pdf download), the solstice "out-does" the lotus in every respect performance-wise (except weight and, most likely, mpg), and is cheaper (assuming one chose the $18,000 package).

Sorry, I was a bit vague, but I was looking at only handling numbers. . . and I was comparing the standard solstice with the Elise, based on magazine comparos (yeah, not the greatest source). I was looking at slalom and skid pad numbers. I don't remember the numbers off hand, but don't recall the standard Solstice breaking 1.0G. . . did they upgrade the wheels/tires. If so, that's not a fair comparison. Both cars must have the same grade tires to be considered a fair comparison. You can stick race rubber on a Civic and break 1.0G for under 10k, so it doesn't really mean much in my book, especially if a car is modified. And if you put 1000mm width tires on a bus, I'm sure it would achieve high G's as well, but actual handling prowess would be in the pits.

Skidpad numbers are not always the best qualifiers for handling. Sure, it tells you the max grip (which is HIGHLY dependent on the tires), but it doesn't account for transitive handling and response.

I havn't really looked in this upgraded version very much, so I'm no expert, nor am I one anyway. . . so. . . yeah. But I do know that the Solstice isn't a POS either. I'm sure it's a great car. I would love to see some head to head tests. . . on a track, where you can actually see an applied difference.

as a matter in fact, this solstice is upgraded with penske coil-overs and a wide wheel-and-[sticky]tire is equipped, so this is pretty darn far from a "fair comparison" in my book as well. i'm not a fan of unfair comparisons as well (i actually commented about this comparo a few posts earlier), but heck, every one was goin off with this "solstice vs. elise" blah blah and i just had to have my 2 cents shoved in here as well. :rofl: .

and to the other points... i think the elise would have an edge with the transitive handling and response, and that's just a feeling, since the elise actually has a track record the solstice can only dream of.

but i think this solstice vs. elise stuff is getting old... so what's the next car that we can put up against the mallet solstice eh? :rofl: jk.

A nice comparo would be between a heavily boosted turbo Mazdaspeed Miata vs a Mallet Solstice.

A nice comparo would be between a heavily boosted turbo Mazdaspeed Miata vs a Mallet Solstice.

^werd... but with a bit more modifications like wide sticky tires and lightweight wheels, top-shelf coilovers, and other equivalent mods. i think we can all agree on that.

but in my book (not a very good book to begin with), you'd have to dump "heavily boosted turbo" for "v8 stuffed" in order to have a real comparison. i can just imagine all the complaints on how a boosted inline-4 is not a fair comparison to a LS2 v8, so might as well shove another v8 into another puny car to make it "fair" for those people.

again, just my 2 cents :yawn:

True true. . . but having driven some modified Z3's, I tend not to like small, short wheel base cars with too much bottom end. It destroys the agility of a small car. When your tail steps out from a .05mm too much throttle input, it gets REALLY rediculous. I can't imagine a V8, unless you were strictly drag racing. . . but that's me.