CTS-V

[Unsafe At Any Speed]

Well, I found out my payment and buyback amounts. Once I get the car back, I'm going to see if it's fixable before anything else.

[Aaron]

Bad idea: Fix car.

Better idea: Sell car.

[Chase Race]

Bummer about the crash. Glad you're ok.

[Fastback86]

The Caddy blower is alot more efficient than the old 1.5 L. I'd venture to say at least 50%. The caddy is 33% better than the ones used on the Lightnings and Cobras.

Motortrend quoted Eaton boasting 76% thermal efficiency out of the new blower on the ZR1.

[The Dark Side of Will]

Well, I found out my payment and buyback amounts. Once I get the car back, I'm going to see if it's fixable before anything else.

The rear 1/4 panel that's crinkled is probably going to be the most expensive thing to fix (unless replacement fenders for the V are outrageous).

[crzyone]

I think a body shop would cut off the 1/4 and weld on a new one. Way too much labor involved with straightening that one out.

Bumpers and lights will probably be a bit pricey.

[The Dark Side of Will]

That's why I said it would be expensive. That's a labor intensive process.

I'm amazed that car manufacturers still build cars with ANY non-removable body panels.

[S8n]

That's why I said it would be expensive. That's a labor intensive process.

I'm amazed that car manufacturers still build cars with ANY non-removable body panels.

It's unibody. Outer skin is structural to the rear of the vehicle. Personally, I would not try to fix the vehicle. They totaled it for a reason. I see alot of salvaged-title cars come into the shop, and every single one should be in a junkyard. I would part out what is good, if you want to go that route, but trying to fix it will just lead to more and more problems. Just my thoughts and experience.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I know that's the way it's normally done, but in situations like this, bolt on rear fenders could keep a lot of dinged cars on the road...

The Fiero has a removable rear clip. The MR2 Spyder has fully removable body panels, like the Fiero, except made from steel.

[84fierotrevor]

sell it, take the money and put it down on a new audi S5

[Unsafe At Any Speed]

Either way, I plan to stay with a V. I wish it was a year from now. I would look into getting an 09. I was really suprised actually at the buyback price. Like I said, once I get it back I'll take a look into getting it fixed. If its iffy or way too expensive I'll just part it out. I figure it's worth looking into fixing though. Some people have ended up with nice cars for cheap that way.

[CincinnatiFiero]

sell it, take the money and put it down on a new audi S5

S5 FTMFW!!!

I was actually thinking about going to an STS-V for a DD, a buddy who rents and leases high end cars always has them for like 27k but I don't have that kind of cash right now, I need to finish the 3 Fieros and end the lease on the 328. CTS-V probably does better mpg than the supercharged V cars. Buy used though, the ass falls out of caddys.

[The Dark Side of Will]

I don't like Audis because the engine hangs so far out over the nose of the car. After hanging a V10 entirely in front of a clutch that's entirely in front of the front axle, they're finally starting to realize this...

But a V6 TT S4 and mod the shit out of it or buy an E46 M3.

If BMW realized that AWD is for performance, not just bad weather and yuppy soccer moms, then they could make a pretty badass M3X or 335CXi... and they'd put the front axle close to the front of the engine...

[Series8217]

The N* is done, as are future DOHC V8's in Cadillacs for now.
http://news.windingroad.com/etc/cadilla ... ction-v-6/

The 3.6 HF V6 is the new king.

[S8n]

I don't like Audis because the engine hangs so far out over the nose of the car. After hanging a V10 entirely in front of a clutch that's entirely in front of the front axle, they're finally starting to realize this...

But a V6 TT S4 and mod the shit out of it or buy an E46 M3.

If BMW realized that AWD is for performance, not just bad weather and yuppy soccer moms, then they could make a pretty badass M3X or 335CXi... and they'd put the front axle close to the front of the engine...

Who says that you can't buy a 335iX coupe right now? They are available....

[The Dark Side of Will]

This decision truly mystifies me... It seems incredibly short sighted, counter to everything that GM has been working toward in the last few years and generally a step backwards.

GM has spent a lot of money and effort rengineering Cadillacs to be world class, citing BMW as their primary target, with other high end marques like Mercedes and Audi likely in the scope, if not in the crosshairs.

I would be EXTREMELY surprised if tightening fuel economy standards caused Merc and BMW to stop offering V8 and V12 engines in the American market. It could almost be guaranteed that Ferrari is not going to stop building V8's and V12's and that Maserati isn't going to start using V6's.

I don't think that Cadillac will go without V8's; they'll probably use the pushrod architecture. Will the "normal" lineup have a V8 option, or will the use of V8's be restricted to the V series? If the normal model range won't include a V8, Caddy might as well put away the RWD and go after Acura. While HondAcura builds fine cars, they don't build anything that has the prestige of an S500 or a 750i, much less the S600 or 760Li

At the pace of technological advance, the product to replace the Northstar must be in development NOW and the product to replace the pushrod architecture will have to start development within a couple of years. I hope GM has this planned or they'll find themselves in the same predicament they were in back in the late '90's when they were nursing the obsolete architecture one more year (LT4 Corvette) until the next generation was ready. Despite increasing efficiency and output, port injected pushrod engines are already on their way out. Variable valve timing is limited and no direct injected architectures have been proposed yet. Direct injection will be almost a necessity in the near future and port injection will not be viable for many more years. This writing has been on the wall as far back as Cadillac's inadequate LeMans effort, in which their port injected efforts were repeatedly beaten by Audi's direct injected cars that drove further and made more power on the same amount of fuel and air.

The problem, as I see it, isn't that V8's aren't good enough, but that V6's have gotten extremely good. A 5 litre V8 built to the same level as the 3.6 DI would make at least 400 HP and get better gas mileage than today's 4.6. A premium DI V8 would have an even higher specific output than the 3.6 because it would be set up to run premium fuel instead of regular and probably have 13:1 compression instead of 11.4 (not that 11.4 on regular gas is in any way bad...), and still maintain the Cadillac levels of civility that the 3.6 achieves.
BMW has experienced this phenomenon also... The 535i has been called more fun to drive than the 550i because the 3.0 DI turbo I6 makes nearly as much power (300 vs 360) than the 4.8 valvetronic V8 in a lighter more nimble package. However, they reacted to this situation in an infinitely more appropriate way than GM: They developed a turbo DI V8 that makes more power and torque out of less displacment than its predecessor. This is progress. Killing your high end product and depriving yourself of the fruits of that level of development, in both prestige and trickle-down to the lower models, is NOT progress.

Without better leadership, GM will go out of business or be relegated to the back burner of the auto market. Bob Lutz is great, but he's only one man working against a deeply ingrained corporate culture of mediocrity which is either going to die itself or take GM to its end.

[Unsafe At Any Speed]

I'll be sticking with a V for now.

As for a STS-V for 27k? That's got to be a typo or thats the CTS-V price.

Also, supposedly the 2010 CTS-V is supposed to be available with AWD.

[Aaron]

So are you going to rebuild your's or have you not decided yet?

Let me know, we're very interested in using the powertrain for our 55.

[Unsafe At Any Speed]

Picked up a badass new car this weekend. Pics to follow...

[Unsafe At Any Speed]

They STILL haven't gotten my damn car back to me. The insurance company, (USAA) despite all the good stories I've heard about them, is really pissing me off. It's been about a month now and it's not completely resolved. My loan has been paid off and I've received a check for the remainder, but no V.

On a better note, I think I'm about to buy a Mallett V. Here's an article on it:

(08:30 May 31, 2004)
M5-Killer: The Mallett Cadillac CTS-V
By BOB GRITZINGER

From the exterior, little distinguishes the Mallett from the standard silver CTS-V.

MALLETT CADILLAC CTS-V
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $66,495 (including $16,500 Mallett performance package)
POWERTRAIN: 5.7-liter, 471-hp, 433-lb-ft V8; rwd, six-speed manual
CURB WEIGHT: 3890 pounds
0 TO 60 MPH: 4.3 seconds (mfr.)

This speaks volumes: as we sit idling at a rural intersection waiting for traffic to clear for our Cadillac CTS-V, we can't help but notice a teenage boy all but ejecting himself from a passing school bus window, pumping his arms to get our attention. When, we ask, was the last time anyone under 20-hell, anyone under 50-really noticed anything with a Cadillac crest on its grille?

Times have changed. Cadillacs, even Cadillac sedans, are cool again, and worthy of attention, acclamation and, yes, even tuning. While Cadillac is responsible for laying the foundation for this renaissance with its hip-hop-friendly Escalades, Corvette-based XLRs and Nürburgring-bred CTS sedans, we have to admit that the car provoking the grinning middle-schooler's double thumbs-up is no garden-variety CTS, or even an ordinary CTS-V. This rumbling, low-slung, black-lacquered beast is the 2004 Mallett CTS-V, a 471-hp version of the Corvette-powered performance CTS-V now on sale at your Cadillac dealer.



Picking up where GM engineers leave off with the CTS-V, Mallett reworks the 5.7-liter LS6 V8 heads with custom ports and adds a special cam and valve springs with lightweight spring retainers. A performance stainless-steel exhaust system completes the modifications that boost the horsepower by 71 over the 400-hp stock CTS-V; torque increases by 38 to 433 lb-ft at 4600 rpm.

Suspension modifications are limited to beefier front and rear antiroll bars and a three-quarter-inch-lower ride height, a tribute to the base car's already strong platform. Steering is enhanced to allow more immediate response and a tighter turning radius, despite an upgrade from standard 18-inch CTS-V tires to wider 19-inch wheels and tires (though at lock the tires sometimes lightly scrub the wheel wells).

Mallett's billet short shifter improves on the already competent shifter in the CTS-V, providing noticeably more precise control over the Tremac T56 six- speed gearbox.

The car's large stock brake rotors (13.9-inch fronts, 14.3-inch rears) are slotted and then the rotors and pads, along with the clutch plate and clutch disc, are cryogenically treated (read: frozen) to minus 300 degrees Fahrenheit, not once but twice, in a process traditionally used to harden military artillery barrels. Owner Chuck Mallett says the treatment improves brake and clutch response and increases service life, but he and Mallett engineer Dave Sarafian admit they're really not sure what the process does to the treated parts.



"It's a black art," says Sarafian.

Mallett badging, understated but evident, adorns the car's fenders, decklid and wheel centers; inside, seat headrests get Mallett embroidery, and each car comes with a Mallett serial number plaque and aluminum shifter ring. Mallett proudly notes his "serialized" conversion cars are built to a high enough standard that they receive a separate listing in NADA appraisal guides-some comfort to those spending big bucks on conversions with no sense of how much the car will be worth a few years down the road. Mallett also warranties his conversions for two years or 24,000 miles.

Is it all worth the $66,495 a Mallett-prepped CTS will set you back? After putting a few hundred miles on a CTS-V, followed by some street and track time in the Mallett CTS-V, we agree with that enthusiastic, arm-waving teenager. As much as we like what Cadillac has done with its performance CTS-V-which is good enough to draw stoplight dares from (gasp!) BMW M5 owners-this Mallett-tuned model would rise to that challenge even more. At 3890 pounds and 471 hp, the Mallett CTS-V's power-to-weight ratio takes on all comers, working out to 8.3 pounds per hp, which outdoes the C5 Corvette (9.2 pounds per hp), Mercedes E55 AMG (8.5 pounds) and-you guessed it-the M5 (10.2 pounds). On paper, the Mallett CTS-V's 4.3-second 0-to-60-mph time would readily dispatch the M5s of the world, but is it really that good?



Mallett thinks so-and his pedigree supports his assertion. The longtime Corvette tuner, whose Berea, Ohio, shop is lined with race-tuned Vettes, was champing at the bit two years ago to help develop the V version of the CTS. Mallett's shop worked on powertrain bits for the V, but Mallett didn't stop there. "I love the Cadillac program-it's the first time you have a four-door domestic sedan that runs like a sports car. It's a badassed Cadillac, that's all there is to it."

Running the racetrack at nearby Nelson Ledges (quickly, while a cycle racing clinic is on a lunch break), we find the Mallett CTS-V offers considerably more punch than the standard CTS-V, which itself is no slouch. We ran the car hard in "competitive driving mode," which shuts down all but the fail-safe stability and yaw controls, and found it easy to handle, not the major handful we expected based on experience in other top-end tuner models. The car's power is matched by its almost perfectly neutral handling. Steering is straight, true and responsive, yet without any sense of twitching and tramming we might expect with the optional extra-wide 275/35-19 Michelin Pilot Sport tires combined with super-sensitive steering. The beefy four-pot Brembos on the standard CTS-V are bled for maximum pedal response and it shows when immediate stopping power is demanded. But like the steering, the brakes aren't overly touchy in regular use.



Comparisons are hard to come by, but here is one that makes sense, not so much as a direct comparison between cars of different caliber, but at least as a way to understand CTS degrees of separation: Audi A6, S6 and RS6. While the base CTS is no A6 fighter, and the CTS-V would be hard-pressed to woo an S6 buyer, like the RS6 the Mallett CTS-V sits atop the heap, a refined rocket ship ready to run a racetrack one day and deal with the daily commute the next. No need to don your fire-retardant suit and driving shoes or strap on your kidney belt for every tour of duty; this super-tuned V is just as conducive to suit, tie and briefcase.

For those who need even more, Mallett offers a range of upgrades, including 6.1-liter and 7.0-liter V8 setups (515 and 580 hp, respectively) with billet cranks, rods and forged pistons. Still not enough? Building on those engines, Mallett adds turbos that push output to 615 hp for the 6.1-liter engine and up to 750 hp for the 7.0-liter. If you're looking at those options, be ready to add another $30,000 to your check made out to Mallett.

Other options include Mallett/Penske nonadjustable or double-adjustable custom shock absorbers, coilover suspension setups, competition brakes (with 14-inch front rotors), one- or three-piece forged aluminum wheels, performance tires, performance exhaust systems and body mods (front splitter, fender flares, custom hood and decklid, spoiler).



We've heard reports out of Germany that Cadillac performance engineers are running the 'Ring, readying their own CTS-V "Plus," a supercharged 480-hp car aimed squarely at the next-generation 500-hp M5 due next year as an '06 model. But for those who want a domestic M5-tamer today, the Mallett CTS-V package is available and can be ordered through Mallett (mallettcars.com) or through select Cadillac dealers nationwide.

Yeah, it will cut into your lunch money, but it will have you grinning like a school kid in no time.

Thoughts?