So far I've driven two cars with the GM 3800, mine and the family's Impala. It seems like from a dead stop and lightly tapping the gas, the impala has more of an instant feeling of torque. I always thought it was because it has tough winter tires on the front, where mine has Michelin Symmetry's. I read somewhere on these forums that the Dogbone mounts can have a good effect on something like that, so I decided to check the amount of play my Dogbone mounts have. This is what I found:
I compared it to the 2003 Impala as well. My mounts have much more play than the Impala's has, at both the place it mounts to the engine, and where it connects to the frame. Both cars have the same mileage, 109k. Could this be why I feel a difference in immediate power?