CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Non-repair car talk
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

Wow, done already. Curious what they charge for the tire sealing and out of date inspection.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

They claimed they checked the tires and found no leaks. Sigh. Not helpful. They aired them up of course.

No extra charge for the inspection. So I got 2 extra months for free...problem with that is that pushes my new month to November. Any further and I'm starting to impact taking the car off the road or even wintery weather. So overall, not the best situation. Could just set a calendar reminder...

It is hilarious how 45 degree weather turns on "Hellcat mode." Power goes up, traction goes down. Makes the car feel like an animal.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

I'll put this here. The twist would be, CTS-V impressions after driving the Camaro SS 1LE last weekend, and also the STS.

Spoilers: I still love the V. This car is so tight in the chassis that it feels like it has 25k on it. It has 121k.

There isn't as much torque from the LS6 as there is from the LS3, no huge surprise. And in addition, the PSS tires grip better in these conditions. The air was around 26 or 27F in my neighborhood though it warmed up to 36 or 37F as I got over the water and onto the island. Still, it had much less of that can't put the power down feeling.

Let me quickly breeze through the main systems and get back to a narrative:
- Steering. The steering is just not as good. However, for daily driver situations, there was no issue. It is just nowhere near as precise. I don't mind the lighter effort. This car really doesn't feel any heavier than the 1LE, and that's mostly because it's not.

- Brakes. I think the brakes actually feel better in the V. And the biggest reason for that is likely the stainless braided brake hoses I installed back in 2011 or whatever. There is a little less initial travel, and then it is firmer once engaged. I do also have the HPS pads and the 1LE has factory Brembos. I am not saying HPS is an upgrade, just saying as a reminder that they are different there.

- Shifter. That's another one. The T56 is no match for the TR6060. This is well documented and confirmed, again. Less precise, longer throws, less positive engagement, somehow more notchy at times. Yeah.

- Comfort and driving position. You can see better out of the V and overall I was more comfortable in it, but I am also more used to it. Hard driving while reclined, with a high belt line, is always going to be less confidence inspiring than a more upright sedan driving position IMO. I think this is not just my opinion. I will also add that the CTS-V's 5" narrower width contributes to more confidence in terms of where the extremities of the car are.

- Chassis. I still like the way this car rides and handles. It is definitely not as hard core as the 1LE, but there is still plenty of damping here, but with more suppleness for real world road conditions. And these are the track shocks on my car. Like Bill said about his Camaro, I can't believe they shipped the CTS-V any other way than with the FG2 shocks. Here's the thing about this and the last category: I bet I could whip this down a backroad about as fast as the 1LE due to all of these factors. I can push it harder due to the visibility, narrower body, and more compliant suspension. On a track, 1LE will be gone, no doubt. But for hard backroad driving especially in New England, I think I'd actually prefer to be in the V. It did prove itself on backroads down in NC also. One of the things I really like about this car is the accessible performance. I am very curious to see how forgiving the 1LE is in warmer temps but with the higher limits alone, I have my doubts that it is as forgiving as my CTS-V.

- Ergonomics. The CTS actually has real ergonomics. Nothing blocked anything, at all.

In short, the V feels like a properly tuned sport sedan with legit hardware, tuning and credential. The 1LE feels like a racecar, because it kind of is. Frankly, the 1LE is kind of like a Corvette....yeah I said it. You really could daily drive the V, throw snow tires on it, put the family in it, the whole bit (I would never). I feel like the 1LE is really a special occasion car, not to say it cannot be driven as much as you want. And I treat my V like a special occasion car anyway.

Oh, the BOSE in the V MIGHT be a touch better than the BA but I'd have to listen back to back.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

Drove it again. This time in low to mid 50s, but in rain. The tires improved noticeably. It actually turns in pretty crisply, even though the on center is pretty lame. In fact it surprised me how immediately it turned in, and how much better it felt with just another 10-15F in temps.

It does make me wonder how much better the 1LE will feel in warmer weather. It might really surprise me, even though it was already good.

Almost lost it last night passing a car that was turning off a main road (very slowly). I hammered in 2nd to go around and basically stabilitrack saved my ass.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

Put insurance back on. Driving it to work tomorrow. I needed to beat Bill to bringing his Camaro. It's a low bar of course.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

Drove it in. Still says low coolant, and has been for the past year of driving or so? Needs a coolant change.

Started right up after sitting since December in the same spot. Tires had no flat spots at all, and that's even more impressive given the leaky nature of 3 of them. God bless Michelins.

This car is fun to drive though maybe a little too empowering. These days it doesn't really qualify as super fast or anything but in an absolute sense, and given the typical flow of traffic, it obviously is still pretty quick. Some WRX was doing stuff. I guess some of the upper end STIs are probably pretty close to my V but I think this was a regular late model WRX hatch. Those might still trap over 100 though.

In the cooler air (uh, mid 40s?) the PSS tires do some tramlining which, combined with the annoying steering play on center, makes it feel more old school than it is at times. Until you turn the wheel. The suspension still feels really tight though. I feel zero bushing issues or anything like that. I should do lower control arms on my STS because this car might be more compliant over certain sharp impacts, especially while the bushings are loaded in a corner.

Only 2 mode heated seats??? What is this, the middle ages? I have the turn the key to start it? So much work.

Can't use much throttle in 1st gear. Even like directly off idle just over 1,000 rpm. At least not until the temps go up a bit more. And of course as it starts to spin it wants to hop immediately, and then the T/C intervenes. I admit it would be nice just to rip 1st and bang 2nd and hang the tail out or whatever. If the car allowed that, I'd be going through expensive tires more quickly though so it's probably just as well. Like I was saying to Adam at lunch this week, that kind of stuff is a novelty but is ultimately trumped (imo) by other qualities of the vehicle. I had my first (and only) V8 Camaro back in 2004 (275 hp LT1, very responsive) and I was tired of it by 2007, because I need more than that kind of stuff in a car.
kevm14
Posts: 15200
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

No more low coolant warning obviously.

The chassis calibration on this car is interesting. I find the spring rates to be not that high, and probably for a more dedicated track vehicle, higher spring rates would in fact be recommended. But for street driving, the softer spring rate combined with very good damping from the FG2 shocks means a compliant ride, tire traction even under crappy road conditions (almost nothing upsets this car) and no unnecessary body motion. It also tends to make the whole car more forgiving than it might be with higher spring rates. This is all good stuff. The fact that it does it with no MR shocks is a big bonus.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

It is easy to take for granted how good the LS6 sounds with a Magnaflow exhaust. That is all.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusive

Post by kevm14 »

Just using this as my CTS-V thread....

I washed it this weekend after the SRX. I used my new foam canon. Pretty cool. I used too much soap on the SRX and not enough on the CTS-V but they both came out nice and it went much faster because I just foamed the entire car, and then washed it panel by panel (only rinsing the mitt in clean water in between). Then the final rinse with a pressure washer just because I had it out for the foam canon and original rinse (get the big stuff off).

But then I found two stick on wheel weights in the driveway. 1/4 oz each. Pretty sure they are from the CTS-V and I can confirm this morning that there are two missing weights on my driver's side front wheel. I may be able to get them to stick back on but obviously I blew them off with the pressure washer trying to clean the wheels. Side note, this car could use a new set of wheels. The chrome has gotten pretty bad. Functionally, this would also benefit me because 3 of the 4 are leakers. Of course one hasn't needed air in years. And one leaks pretty bad though less bad if I drive it (warmer rubber seals better maybe).

It is going to cost big bucks to get wheels for this car. I like the accessory wheels but I can probably forget about that. Not sure if I want to go used OEM (if I can find them) or perhaps new aftermarket replacement. I do not want to make any strength or weight compromises over stock though.

Probably should also mention that I've been driving the V to work since Friday. The SRX needs a #1 coil very badly so Jamie is driving my STS.
kevm14
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Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 10:28 pm

Re: CTS-V impressions after driving the STS almost exclusively

Post by kevm14 »

To round out my car speculation threads, I should probably value my V1.

Let's look at some comps and see if that does anything. I think I could get on the high end of market value for the mileage/age based on condition and perhaps the fact that I've had it 10 years. People like that. I think it has like 120k so I'll try to target that range. I could double check. It's not higher than 122k I think.

Silver 2005, 109,300 miles. Dealer in IL. Would probably be worth more in New England. Looks pretty clean. Damage reported on Carfax. $12,250. Mine's better I think. Although I should run my own Carfax I guess...I did have that headlight bracket fixed at a body shop. That would suck if it got reported somehow as an accident.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... =531539017

Stealth Gray 2005, 108,636 miles. Dealer in NE, on Cornhuskers Drive (are all roads called that maybe?). Again, I'm sure it would be worth more in New England. Lowered. Blacked out wheels and stuff on the front end. Looks ghetto. But what's this?
Included Packages
regular production accessory, performance shock absorber package
Oh my. Does that mean factory FG2 shocks? That would be something. Carfax shows accident. $13,400. Again I think mine's better.
https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sal ... =502930118

That's it for 05s around my mileage on Autotrader. Given these two comps, I don't see why I couldn't get AT LEAST $12k private sale. Maybe more??
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