Southern: My CTS does not act the way yours does on the highway (or on the parking lot). Maintaining a straight line does not require much attention, and self-centering is pretty strong on the 'parking lot' test. I do have the FE3 suspension package as opposed to your FE2 which might make some differences, but it seems you need an alignment check.
After six monts of ownership the battery went belly up. The problem was resolved same day with a new one. I'm glad I was at home and not on the road. Took about five hours to get me up and running. Outside of that love the car!
...tire noise. At highway speeds there is definitely too much tire noise…
Amen! I absolutely agree. Other than myself and Malcolm (sold his '08 CTS and no longer posts here?), I don't recall anyone previously mentioning excessive road and tire noise. Each time that yet another infatuated new owner says their CTS is "dead quiet" or "the quietest car I've ever owned," I'm left scratching my head.
Cadillac did a great job of deadening engine, road, and tire noise in the front of the passenger cabin; so, in sharp contrast, the rear road and tire noise really stands out. My CTS is by far the noisiest car that I've ever owned. Admittedly I do a lot of driving on concrete pavement (intra-city segments of interstate highways). The noise situation improved slightly when my dealer removed my car's rear wheelwell liners, installed DynaMat and undercoating, and reinstalled the liners. So thank you GM for granting my dealer this discretion under warranty coverage. More sound-deadening is needed.
Homer and 928S, I have to disagree on the road noise. My CTS is definitely the quietest car I have ever owned... or road in. Most of my driving is concrete pavement and includes monthly 5-hour, interstate highway trips. Admittedly, I have never owned a luxury car before so can not speak to the CTS in comparison to other cars in its class. But it is far from "excessive road noise" on any account. That said, from my experience with other cars, tires contribute greatly to the amount of road noise... I'm curious if you've changed your tires or are running on the original set.
I'm still running the original P235/50R18 Michelin all-season tires on P63 rims. Agree that low-profile >17" tires are a major source of noise. But that's no excuse for a premium-brand mfr's cost-cutting omission of sound-deadening treatment and isolation around rear wheelwells and elsewhere as needed - in my opinion.
I repeat, GM/Cadillac did a great job in the front-end of the passenger cabin. And then they quit, leaving the rear-end au naturel and noisy.
928S
how did they deaden your car? Did they install DynaMat in the boot to cover wheel whells? And spray undercoat on wheel whell after removing underlining? I was planning to do the same..What is the result? Was it worth it?
I did deaden my Murano and the results were exceptional! I hope for something similar with the CTS...
I'm scratching my head when I hear people say their CTS is too nosiy. If you were driving a Lexus LS460 previously, then I might understand. But the first thing I noticed when I test drove my car was the near absence of wind and road noise on the highway, better than my Audi A6, better than my previous Nissan Maximas. When I drive my wife's Honda Accord V6 on occasion, I'm amazed at the road roar from the tires.
It's almost as if GM had a run of CTS's that didn't get proper sound deadening, based on some of the complaints I've read...
By the way, most media reviews I've read have mentioned a quiet interior...
I'm scratching my head when I hear people say their CTS is too nosiy. If you were driving a Lexus LS460 previously, then I might understand. But the first thing I noticed when I test drove my car was the near absence of wind and road noise on the highway, better than my Audi A6, better than my previous Nissan Maximas. When I drive my wife's Honda Accord V6 on occasion, I'm amazed at the road roar from the tires.
It's almost as if GM had a run of CTS's that didn't get proper sound deadening, based on some of the complaints I've read...
By the way, most media reviews I've read have mentioned a quiet interior...
Agreed, ambient wind noise is annoying in any car, whether it be a Ferrari or an Aveo. Tire noise??? May be annoying to the typical Cadillac customer, but shouldn't be for the "average" CTS enthusiast. Tire noise is somewhat of a byproduct of a communicative steering/suspension package, especially with Ultra High Performance Summer Tires. I love any attribute of a car that makes me feel more like a component than a visitor.
DynaMat and undercoat were both applied inside the rear wheelwells, above the removeable wheelwell liners. I have not removed the liners to see exactly what and how it was done. The resulting improvement was minimal, not something that I would have been willing to pay for. I am not a DIYer. If I could find an experienced professional DynaMat installer instead of the clueless high school drop-outs at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc., then I would consider spending serious money for serious sound-deadening.
According to (dubious?) customer ratings at TireRack, the Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 is indeed a noisy tire. Only 2 of 16 Grand Touring All-Season tires are rated lower for "noise comfort." The tire is also rated relatively poor for winter traction. On the other hand, the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity (235/50ZR18) is highly rated in both categories. So I am considering buying replacement rear tires, while continuing to run the OEM tires on the front. Less than optimal, but I suspect that this route may yield the most bang (and least noise!) for the buck. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/survey....jsp?type=GTAS
Dan V: Do you have FE1 suspension and 17" tires?
ngiardina: Do you own a 2008 CTS?
In 20+ years of driving some of the world's best high-performance cars, I never before had to tolerate such high levels of low-speed drivetrain/exhaust vibrations and high-speed rear road noise. My first Porsche 928S.back in 1986 (then the world's fastest production car, 172mph recorded on Utah salt flats) could run circles around today's CTS, and yet I was aware of only the tuned mellow drone of its V-8. As I have said many times, because Cadillac did such a great job of sound-deadening the front-end of the passenger cabin, the rear-end noises are annoyingly heightened in contrast. YMMV.
thank you for the info. I am a DIY person, I enjoy working on my car...I did deadening on my Murano and the results were exceptional! What I was planning to do with the CTS was to apply undercoating in wheel wells and dynamat or similar deadening materials, inside the trunk. It should significantly reduce the tire noise.
TireRack ratings - do not trust it! I lost any confidence in these "surveys". My experience was quite opposite to the ratings..
Re: Poll: 2008 CTS Satisfaction Survey 
