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What have you all done to your CTS?

22K views 91 replies 24 participants last post by  DavidBoren 
#1 ·
What has everyone done to make their CTS better?
What sort of custom mods have you engineered to fill the void in the available aftermarket?
Has anyone ported/polished/blueprinted/balanced/done anything to the internals of their LY7?
Anyone using MACE cams?
Does anyone on this forum have a forced-induction LY7?

I have not done much to mine, just a Hayden external transmission cooler w/ temp gauge, Volant intake, and a RX breather cap.

This is just pathetic; considering I have the RX Ice-lator, NGK Iridium spark plugs, RX dual valve catch can, drilled out PCV tube, CS diff bushing and block, and a brand new transmission mount w/ RevShift reinforcing block all just sitting in my trunk. All of that, probably $1000 worth of toys, sitting in my trunk waiting to be installed.

I, personally, am a mad scientist, and I like to hear about peoples' tinkerings. Tell everyone about your CTS, and what makes it yours.
 
#2 ·
I personally have been starting to look into a turbo set up. The reason for the turbo setup instead of the supercharger is that the turbo system is pretty crude and allows for imperfections. I was looking at maybe a T25 which is the stock turbo from the Eagle Talons and many other cars I am sure. I believe low boost on that was around 7 pounds and 16 was pretty much it's limits. It's a small turbo that spools up very quick and trims off at about 5500-6000 rpm. Since our cars are more torque than top end Hp I figure it will work great. I was going to just make my own exhaust manifold to mount the turbo and go external wastegate. Running it at about 8-12 psi should be fine on the motor. My hang up is going to be the computer and MAF. I need to do some research on the limits of the MAF as far as incoming air. Also, I'm not too sure how much compensating the Computer will do for the air.

So basically my beginning shopping list is a T25, external wastegate, boost controller, intake piping, wide band O2, injectors, and some ideas for a manifold and room to mount the turbo. Most of these parts i have, or have easy access to. Info on the MAF and ECM is need.

What do ya think of that Mr. Mad scientist? Lol. Have any insight?

I want to get ahold of Rev Extreme. They will have much of the needed info on the MAF and ECM.
 
#18 ·
I personally have been starting to look into a turbo set up. The reason for the turbo setup instead of the supercharger is that the turbo system is pretty crude and allows for imperfections.
What do you mean by that?

I was looking at maybe a T25 which is the stock turbo from the Eagle Talons and many other cars I am sure. I believe low boost on that was around 7 pounds and 16 was pretty much it's limits. It's a small turbo that spools up very quick and trims off at about 5500-6000 rpm.
How a turbo behaves on a 2.0L I-4 is not how it will behave on a 3.6L V-6. Maybe if you used 2 of them it would work, but a single turbo that small on an engine nearly twice as big is not going to work well at all.

Ported Maf
Was there some sort of ECU reflash to go along with that? If the MAF transfer curve hasn't been rescaled, then the ECM doesn't know how much air the engine is actually bringing in, which is bad. That MAF transfer curve is the heart of the ECM's fuel/air management, if it's not correct, then you've most likely hurt performance more than you helped it.
 
#3 ·
GhettoMike intake
All white LED inside and out
Clear fogs (WHAT A PITA!)
Disabled DRL
Smoked side turn signals
Sueded door inserts
Headphone line from Sirius radio
Debadged
Detailed
Tints

Thought about a matte wrap a while ago, but decided that it's too much work and money for this car. I'll save it for a more expensive car.
 
#4 ·
Blayne said:
I personally have been starting to look into a turbo set up. The reason for the turbo setup instead of the supercharger is that the turbo system is pretty crude and allows for imperfections. I was looking at maybe a T25 which is the stock turbo from the Eagle Talons and many other cars I am sure. I believe low boost on that was around 7 pounds and 16 was pretty much it's limits. It's a small turbo that spools up very quick and trims off at about 5500-6000 rpm. Since our cars are more torque than top end Hp I figure it will work great. I was going to just make my own exhaust manifold to mount the turbo and go external wastegate. Running it at about 8-12 psi should be fine on the motor. My hang up is going to be the computer and MAF. I need to do some research on the limits of the MAF as far as incoming air. Also, I'm not too sure how much compensating the Computer will do for the air.

So basically my beginning shopping list is a T25, external wastegate, boost controller, intake piping, wide band O2, injectors, and some ideas for a manifold and room to mount the turbo. Most of these parts i have, or have easy access to. Info on the MAF and ECM is need.

What do ya think of that Mr. Mad scientist? Lol. Have any insight?

I want to get ahold of Rev Extreme. They will have much of the needed info on the MAF and ECM.
I guess I should add that I have done coilovers, 20" rims, LED fogs, tinted orange section of fogs, Volant, debadged, painted engine cover. Working on custom exhaust as we speak and ordering the Vmax and catch can next week. I need some brakes too lol
 
#5 ·
Volant
Ported Maf
Eibach's
Drilled/Slotted Rotors
Tints
Windows 7 CarPC w/ 8 in touchscreen n home made nav
Refinished center stack and shifter frame to Gloss Black
2 amps subs and speakers
Gutted V-exhaust
Clear Sidemarkers

Been the same for past 1 1/2 years I think this summer she deserves some TLC
 
#6 ·
RoyalFlush said:
Volant
Ported Maf
Eibach's
Drilled/Slotted Rotors
Tints
Windows 7 CarPC w/ 8 in touchscreen n home made nav
Refinished center stack and shifter frame to Gloss Black
2 amps subs and speakers
Gutted V-exhaust
Clear Sidemarkers

Been the same for past 1 1/2 years I think this summer she deserves some TLC
What did the ported MAF do for you? Any noticeable difference? I wouldn't think it would do much.
 
#7 ·
Blayne,
I really like the sounds of your turbo set-up. I think you should use the factory exhaust manifolds, bring them together with a cat'ed Y-pipe, and put the turbo where the factory resonator is. That keeps everything inside the engine compartment pretty much factory, so you avoid lighting your car on fire when you find out some electrical nonsense wasnt capable of handling the heat generated by the turbo. You could even plumb the turbo's intake up to your Volant filter/air box to make it all look pretty much stock under the hood.
You will probably need some new injectors, because the factory CTS injectors are kind of pathetic (23#/233cc). The LS2 uses the same shorty style injectors. And stock LS2 injectors are 33#, I believe. They may be a little excessive, but they would probably work.
About the MAFS... Jet Power offers a hi-flow MAFS for our cars that would probably work with low boost.

I would also like to know about porting the MAFS. It makes sense that paying good money for a cold air intake with nice smooth radius'ed piping, one would want a less restrictive MAFS as well. And taking a dremel/drill to the OEM unit is better than paying $250 for the hi-flow Jet MAFS. Will our computers read the extra airflow as a lean mix? Will it compensate? Is descreening a MAFS something you only do before a tune? Otherwise, why doesnt everyone do this? How hard is to get eliminate the MAFS altogether and tune the car to read speed/density?
 
#10 ·
Gross.

Im just playin. I cannot leave anything alone to save my life. Within two minutes of holding a click-pen I have disassembled it and messed with it. If its mechanical, I have to upgrade it or play with it. Its literally almost like an obsession or a nervous tick.
 
#13 ·
I have only done a few things to mine.

Strut tower brace(was meant for a different engine but I made it fit)
LED tail light(not just the bulbs but entire housing replacement).
PlastiDip on rims, anything chrome, tail lights, head lights and grill.
CCTV system(3 cameras + audio)
12' sub + amp
air horns
HIDs
K&N intake
mount for phone and tablet
FM modulator
LED running lights mounted behind grill
cheap(knock off) V grill
 
#14 ·
i had done way to much to mine, that it cost more in parts installed than it was actually worth...so i did the right thing and got rid of it and upgraded to better toys...as soon as Uncle Sam lets me come back to the states, I will look into an XTS or ATS along with tinkering with the EXT
 
#15 ·
David, I like the idea of mounting the turbo in the resonators place. I think the current intake location would work. The pipes from the intake all the way to the turbo and back will be long so there may be a touch more lag when I get on the skinny pedal. Do the V injectors fit in our cars? That would be a painless swap if they did. As for the MAF, I have no idea what to do with that. I know that GM does have a 3" MAF that I may be able to use and just rewire the plug in for our car. I use to have a 3" MAF on my Talon but we had a translator box that was used with it. Going speed density was also done a lot but I am not too sure it will work on the Caddy. Like I said, I plan on contacting Tracy from RX and picking his brain. I hope I can get some support from him when I plan on doing it. Hell, I may even take some time off and drive down to Florida and get it tuned by him.......wishful thinking lol.
 
#16 ·
I was thinking that mounting the turbo a little further away, like where the resonator is, would eliminate the need for an intercooler. I was looking at it from a purely simplistic point of view, I wasnt even thinking about it causing performance issues such as lag.

Could always relocate the battery to the trunk, put the turbo where the battery was.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Well here goes my list.

Performance:
Eibach Pro Lowering Kit (1.2")
Rx Prototype Ram/CAI
Rx/Vmax Iceolator
Rx/Vmax Ported/Polished TB (As soon as molds are finished)
CTS-V Cat-Back with Resonator Delete
(14.5sec quarter mile before TB)

Aesthetics:
Various PlastiDip
Aftermarket CTS-V Style Grille (Dipped)
Red Grille Lights
Tinted Windows (20% All Around)
LED Swap
2 12" Subs
Aux Plug-in
Tinted Side Markers
Painted Calipers (Red Jewel)
Painted Wheels (Black Diamond/Raven)(Forget which)
Painted Engine Cover (Red Jewel)

Coming Soonish:
6000k HID Bulbs (Just Ordered)
New Sound System

Hopefully In the Future..Or in my dreams...
Headers
Stall
Tune
Forgestar f14's :bonkers:
 
#21 ·
Well here goes my list.

Performance:
Eibach Pro Lowering Kit (1.2")
Rx Prototype Ram/CAI
Rx/Vmax Iceolator
Rx/Vmax Ported/Polished TB (As soon as molds are finished)
CTS-V Cat-Back with Resonator Delete
(14.5sec quarter mile before TB)

Aesthetics:
Various PlastiDip
Aftermarket CTS-V Style Grille (Dipped)
Red Grille Lights
Tinted Windows (20% All Around)
LED Swap
2 12" Subs
Aux Plug-in
Tinted Side Markers
Painted Calipers (Red Jewel)
Painted Wheels (Black Diamond/Raven)(Forget which)
Painted Engine Cover (Red Jewel)

Coming Soonish:
6000k HID Bulbs
New Sound System

Hopefully In the Future..Or in my dreams...
Headers
Stall
Tune
Forgestar f14's :bonkers:
Got a picture of this?
 
#20 · (Edited)
AAIIIC, what I mean is that a roots blower.....no one makes one. Too much engineering to make one for our cars for the $ return. A belt driven blower is doable, but again, no one makes one.

Making a bit of power with a decent turbo. No sweat. Making lots of power with a decent turbo...more advanced. There isn't a whole lot to making power with a turbo. The only thing that needs to be precise is the turbo. Home made pipes and big exhaust. Other than the turbo, the whole system can be built to make power. I never said efficient power but still power.

The T25 was used on a 2.4L 4 banger. But I'm not trying to make 600hp. If I can get 50 hp and get to listen to my wastegate dump to atmosphere and here the BOV rip open all the time, I am happy. I could spend money on a $1000 turbo, but I will try with the brand new T25 I have sitting in my garage. If that doesn't work on my trial and error set up, then I will go bigger!!!!
 
#26 ·
Is there a such thing as an E93 tune? I only feed my Cadillac premium fuel, generally Chevron w/techron, but Shell V-power is preferred as well. Anyways, can I get my car tuned to take advantage of the extra octane? Im not worried about not being able to use E85 fuel ever again. I do not plan on using it in my CTS anyways. I keep a bottle of techron in my trunk just in case I ever have to fill up with sub-grade gasoline for some ungodly reason. What sort of advantages could I expect?
 
#57 ·
E85 is 85% ethanol; I'm guessing that's not what you're using. E93 would be 93% ethanol. Do you mean 93 octane? If so, yes, you can get the ECU tuned for higher octane fuel. It won't gain you much, but it can be done.


AAIIIC, what I mean is that a roots blower.....no one makes one. Too much engineering to make one for our cars for the $ return. A belt driven blower is doable, but again, no one makes one.
A Roots (or other screw-type) blower is also belt driven. I think you meant centrifugal rather than belt driven. Yes, getting all the bracketry and belt routing / tensioning figured out on your own is challenging, but folks have done it. More often than not, though, the "home brewed" supercharger setups look like home brewed setups - pretty rough.


Making a bit of power with a decent turbo. No sweat. Making lots of power with a decent turbo...more advanced. There isn't a whole lot to making power with a turbo. The only thing that needs to be precise is the turbo. Home made pipes and big exhaust.
The only thing that needs to be precise is the tune. You risk having very expensive problems (broken ring lands, holed pistons, etc) if that part isn't right.


The T25 was used on a 2.4L 4 banger.
Ah well, I was off by a bit. :p Regardless, you're still proposing using that turbo on an engine with 50% more displacement. It's going to spool up very early and quickly, which will make tuning difficult and will put a lot of stress on the engine.


But I'm not trying to make 600hp. If I can get 50 hp and get to listen to my wastegate dump to atmosphere and here the BOV rip open all the time, I am happy.
You can buy a noisemaker that plugs into the cigarette lighter if all you want is the noises. :lol: And the T25 is going to fall flat on its face at such a low RPM that I don't know if even that 50hp will be achievable.


Also, have you noticed any hp drop from the V exhaust? Because of the V tubing diameter, it might not increase hp, and it might actually hurt hp. Dual 2.5" from the V is a massive jump over the dual 2" stock tubing. Dual 2.5" tubing is generally saved for bigger displacement engines, like 6L LS engines.
A larger exhaust will not hurt horsepower. It may shift the power band in a way that is suboptimal for a daily driver street car, but it will not cost horsepower.


I love it when Honda guys add a header and intake and a 2.75" or bigger exhaust. They lose like 15 hp doing that lol.
No, they don't.


If I go turbo I will still be going 2.5" instead of 3". I will need a bit of back pressure to help the turbo spool up quicker, even tho it won't be a huge turbo.
:nono: The whole discussion of backpressure and exhausts is internet junk science. Backpressure has essentially nothing to do with an efficient exhaust system.

I don't understand how backpressure would help a turbo spool up quicker. :confused: The turbo has a turbine in the exhaust. It spins up based on exhaust flow across the turbine. Putting backpressure in the system would mean less flow, which would mean slower spool. There's a reason that one of the first mods that everyone does to any turbo car to gain power is a bigger downpipe and freer-flowing exhaust! If you follow through on the turbo idea I would strongly recommend either dual 2.5" or single 3" exhaust.


But if I stay N/A I will try and stay 2.25" I don't thing a 3.6 flows enough air to warrant a 2.5 and N/A definitely needs some back pressure.
No, it doesn't. Do yourself a favor and just forget anything you've read about exhaust "tuning" and backpressure. Google for some articles written by David Vizard about exhaust system design.


I believe I will get better bo[d]y roll handling once I get a STB.
A strut tower brace will have zero impact on body roll.


i have no ideal what they did to the trany the original trany got burnt when i took it ti the strip on day well that what the mechanic said the mechanic is a really close friend of my dad and bought and modded the new trany for race not sure what he did but it working better then the old one
:confused: Does that make sense when you read it back to yourself?
 
#29 ·
Volant CAI
LED in CAI w/hood pin switch
CTS-V Exhaust w/H-pipe
Dimpled/Slotted Rotors
VEE Springs
VEE Shocks/Struts
VEE Sway Bar
Blacked out Clear Fogs (three Times)
PCV orifice MOD
6000k HIDs
6000k FOGs
LED DRL/turn Signals
Stock NAV
Bose AMP
Infinity speakers and 2 12" Subs
Audio Control unit w/ AUX line out
DVD Headrests (that i don't use)


to do list/wish list -

rx iceolator
rx throttlebody

lowering springs
VEE bumper
New wheels (vossen concave)
hi-flow cats
Headers
switchback MOD (gotta finish the wiring lol)
Custom interior
Custom paint
 
#30 ·
Volant CAI
LED in CAI w/hood pin switch
CTS-V Exhaust w/H-pipe
Dimpled/Slotted Rotors
VEE Springs
VEE Shocks/Struts
VEE Sway Bar
Blacked out Clear Fogs (three Times)
PCV orifice MOD
6000k HIDs
6000k FOGs
LED DRL/turn Signals
Stock NAV
Bose AMP
Infinity speakers and 2 12" Subs
Audio Control unit w/ AUX line out
DVD Headrests (that i don't use)

to do list/wish list -

rx iceolator
rx throttlebody

lowering springs
VEE bumper
New wheels (vossen concave)
hi-flow cats
Headers
switchback MOD (gotta finish the wiring lol)
Custom interior
Custom paint
Hey is your v exhaust kind of crackely in the mid range too? Also nice idea with the led in the CAI...I may have to steal it. One more. Where/how much were your infinitys? :D I'm full of questions today.

----------

Did it come out kind of stripy? I found that to be the hardest part to paint on my other car. I never got it looking how I wanted it to, but the hood and trunk on it had come out decent.
Yeah then when I tried to fix it I ran out of dip lol. So part is fixed part isn't ha. I even tried going different directions to get rid of streaks.
 
#32 ·
I have rear V shocks sitting waiting to get installed, I just haven't felt like doing the MM mod but they are ALOT beefier than ours. The H pipe also gives you a bit of a growl from the v exhaust. I have it done and love it. Its kind of crackely for me in the mid range but there's no drone and it comes alive when your on it.
 
#33 ·
I am really hoping that the mid-range of the H-pipe exhaust will compliment the mid-range drone of the Volant CAI. If those two things line up, as in if the exhaust tone is most noticeable around the 2,000rpm area, then perfect.

But I will nix the H-pipe entirely if it makes my car sound rice. I will not stand for that at all.
 
#43 ·
What is your definition of rice? If its raspiness, there are stock Jaguars and Mercedes on the market right now with that.

----------

My VEE exhaust is not crackley at any RPM range as far as I can tell.
Thanks! I LIKE the setup. I believe I will get better boy roll handling once I get a STB. The VEE exhaust is better Than my old setup. I had a Borla resonator and two dynonmax mufflers. My current setup is deeper at all rpm ranges. Little to no drone.
The V exhaust can get crackly just like the stock exhuast. Simply remove resonator and mufflers. Been there, done that. Also, have you noticed any hp drop from the V exhaust? Because of the V tubing diameter, it might not increase hp, and it might actually hurt hp. Dual 2.5" from the V is a massive jump over the dual 2" stock tubing. Dual 2.5" tubing is generally saved for bigger displacement engines, like 6L LS engines.
 
#38 ·
I am really looking forward to the H-pipe/Vee exhaust. I think it is exactly what Im looking for.

And unless the OEM CTS-V suspension somehow adds to the existing body roll of the CTS-Jr, I would imagine that it is still an upgrade over stock. Putting that suspension in our cars is like reducing a Vee-car's weight by a quarter ton. And people would pay good money for that.

What I really, REALLY wish, was that the Ultra Racing chassis braces fit the gen-one cars. Did D3 ever make braces for the V1? I would love for every damn empty bolt hole under my car to have a stiff-ass bar bolted between them, front to rear, side to side. I do not want to have to settle for just a STB.
 
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