I actually had the first problem on my car this past week. My seat motor took a crap and wouldn't adjust to my settings, so I shipped it off to the dealer two days ago.

Anyway, long story short they gave me a Saab 93 to drive since they were out of Caddies. I know this rental is not comparable to the V in terms of features, but no kidding aside, this thing is a pile of sheit and I don't think it's a cheap car either. The doors are flimsy, the controls suck, the seats are brutally uncomfortable with few ways to adjust them, the car is loud and the 2.0t engine can't get out of it's way at low rpms.

All I know is I'll be giving my STS a big hug when I get her back (hopefully today). Do we realize how nice our cars really are? I now do and I dedicate this thread to spreading love to our cars.

Thank you, peace out brothas.

oh yeah...plus it seems like I get less hassle w/anything related to warranty or service issues. Just bring it in and they make it happen. Sometimes Id have to argue a point w/the CTSv...not the STSv...they just do it.


F

I actually had the first problem on my car this past week. My seat motor took a crap and wouldn't adjust to my settings, so I shipped it off to the dealer two days ago.

Anyway, long story short they gave me a Saab 93 to drive since they were out of Caddies. I know this rental is not comparable to the V in terms of features, but no kidding aside, this thing is a pile of sheit and I don't think it's a cheap car either. The doors are flimsy, the controls suck, the seats are brutally uncomfortable with few ways to adjust them, the car is loud and the 2.0t engine can't get out of it's way at low rpms.

All I know is I'll be giving my STS a big hug when I get her back (hopefully today). Do we realize how nice our cars really are? I now do and I dedicate this thread to spreading love to our cars.

Thank you, peace out brothas.

TRU DAT!:thumbsup:

How good are these cars?

I've had a 1993 BMW 750iL V12 for 11 years. About 4 years ago my wife and I were invited to this Lexus event in which we got to autocross (no kidding) the entire Lexus lineup plus the latest E and S class Mercedes and 7 and 5 series Bimmers. With the exception of the latest BMW 7, we left yawning and shrugging our shoulders, as none of those cars were any better than what we already had. The new 7 was a brilliant chassis shrouded under a technological/maintenance nightmare, so we passed.

The STS-V is the ONLY car we've ever driven that persuaded us to get rid of the 750.

How's that?

Our Cars Rock ! :blurock:

i still drive around with fogged up headlights....so that tells u how much i like this car. !! p.s. my friend took it for a spin and said that he even likes it better than his friends e55 and m6....not kidding..

The STS-V is hands down the best car I have ever owned and I have owned at least 25 cars in the last 7 years. My wife's 2007 Escalade is also hands down the best SUV we have ever owned. I am sticking with Cadillac for the rest of my life!

SG

At the Cadi dealer I worked at in MO, we used to have in house loaner cars. We were a 5 badge dealer.
Olds, Pontiac, Cadillac, GMC Truck and Buick.
Our loaners were new (at the time) Grand Ams.
When our Cadi customers would come in complaining about squeaks and rattles, we'd give them a Grand Am loaner for a few days then whether it was fixed or not they didn't complain anymore! :histeric:

(we did fix them by the way, I just always thought it was funny)

Oh great, then I have a grand am to look forward to to fix my squeaky seat :eek:



;)

So wait to you hear this. Yesterday here in the Northeast we were projected a snow/rain storm for the afternoon. I bring the POS Saab into work and hoped the storm would be mostly rain (as they predicted) and I would have no problems getting home.

Well, at 12:00 I got the call that the V was done. By 2:30 it was snowing pretty good but not sticking to the roads, so I headed out to get the V and take it home. My trip home was mostly freeway and I had no problem until.............I got home and off the freeway exit. I live in an area that always gets more snow, so I was just praying that they had salted/plowed. By that time I was crapping a brick. Here I am in my beautiful car with GSD3 tires in the middle of snow storm! Wrong thing to do. Anyway, I tried to make it go even up slight inclines with just a slightly snow covered road and she didn't want to go. Spinning horribly, even when at a stop (in drive). I gave up and coasted backwards onto a side street and parked her at the curb and called my wife to come pick me up (in her monster SUV and only about a mile from my house).

The V sat there fortunately unharmed (thank god to that) until late last night when the roads were cleared enough to hobble it home. Bullet dodged, I was lucky as hell.

So, moral of the story, I love my V, but it don't love even a little bit of snow. It's in the garage now for the rest of winter and I'll just drive my truck for the next 6 weeks. That experience was just too scary.

Here at Lindsay we have some much nicer loaner cars than the guy I worked for in Missouri.
We use Enterprise but we also have some in house loaners. I think mostly CTS, and maybe some SRX.
They are smarter here, they loan you the cars they want you to buy!
:D

ewill - The local dealership has mostly all CTSs (06-07) loaners with a couple of SRXs and base STSs. I've gottten an STS once, all the rest have been CTSs.


Kadonny - anyone here running tires that handle the snow better ? Our wheels are so expensive I'm not sure if any up north would have an extra set to swap out.

CIWS, I believe someone was running the Advan S4s and maybe those new GY F-1 all seasons.

Still, the rear tires are so huge and the torque on the car so great I can even see moving in the snow even with all weather tires on.

CIWS, I believe someone was running the Advan S4s and maybe those new GY F-1 all seasons.


I've been looking at various tires (knowing it will be coming soon enough) and the Advan will probably be the way I go. But the F1 All Seasons do not come in our stock rear size, best width is 255 in a 19. Which has got me wondering how much effect / different it would be to run 255s in the front and the rear as this opens up all kinds of possibilities for tires.

Kadonny,
I have the Advan S4s on my V here in Chicago. I feel for your story, though, since the EXACT same thing happened to me last winter. Except I barely got out of the parking lot at work! Pull out, turn right, spin like a mother. Tried starting in 2nd and 3rd with the manual shift, and was able to nurse it home. It was the most stressful drive I have been in with the V. Took over 2 hours to do the normal 40 minute drive. That is when I vowed to get the second set of rims and tires.

I will say the S4's have considerably more traction then the crappy Pirellis did. Still not perfect, but manageable. I did have a bit of a slide last night - but I was changing lanes (where the plows don't go) and was on the gas, so the rear swung around and I almost got sideways. My own fault really, but since I have been driving in the snow for 30 years, the reflexes automatically righted the ship and I went on my merry way - careful not to change lanes through the slop anymore! Based on what you described, you could have made it home with the S4's. I also have the GSD3's - they are on the chromed rims tucked safely in the garage until late March or early April. I think the problem with the D3's is the compound - too stiff below 40F. Add the snow and you've got NO traction. Unless you want to get a second set of rims for the winter and put some Blizzaks or the S4's on, you are probably better off leaving it in the garage. Your cardiologist (and your wife/chauffer) will thank you.:D

Bob

Bob, the funny thing is I have a winter truck to drive, but I was picking the V up from getting serviced and that was the only reason I had it out yesterday. Hind sight I should have kept the loaner one more day and just paid for the extra day myself.

Live and learn. I had a similar experience with my 87 Rustang GT back 20 years ago. Not pretty and I vowed never to go through that again and what do you know, it happend again.

Good thoughts on the S4 tires, do you guys have hills and fairly steep inclines where you live? That's what just killed me.

i have the pirelli winter tires on the rears and blizzaks on the front...so far so good for me.

I've been looking at various tires (knowing it will be coming soon enough) and the Advan will probably be the way I go. But the F1 All Seasons do not come in our stock rear size, best width is 255 in a 19. Which has got me wondering how much effect / different it would be to run 255s in the front and the rear as this opens up all kinds of possibilities for tires.

As you go down in width but maintain the same aspect ratio, the diameter also decreases. Diameter wise, you need a 245/45-19 to match the stock rear diameter.

It is questionable how much, if any, performance would be lost by going to this size. Your contact patch will NOT get smaller. Tread width is irrelevant to contact patch size; only the shape will change. Much of the reason for mfg's putting these extreme aspect ratios and widths on the cars is cosmetic: the public wants this look so Cadillac is giving it to us. If Mr. Heinracy was left to choose tires strictly on what got the STS-V around the Nurburgring fastest, it's far from guarnanteed that he'd go with what's oem right now.

what are you comparing the 9-3 to? i just sold my 04 cts for an 07 9-3 and the interior and quality and placement are light years ahead of my cts. loaners are kept in horrible condition so that may make it seem much worse. everyone who has sat in my 9-3 and my old cts say the 9-3 looks and feels soo much better. yes the engine is small but its peppy enough with a turbo and 35mpg on the highway is something im happy i get. yes i can see some places where it is cheap but remember this car is supposed to go against cars like a acura tsx and other fwd near luxury cars.

what are you comparing the 9-3 to?

Look up at what forum you are posting in.

Look up at what forum you are posting in.

i know that, i just assumed he was saying overall the car was bad. you cant compare a 9-3 to an sts, my mom has a regular sts and you cant even compare it with that. the price between my 9-3 and a sts-v is more than $44,000 which just shows these cars are totally two different animals. for the price i paid for my 9-3 i honestly think that no car can touch it.

There is no perfect car. Tomorrow I'll be taking a load of cub scouts up to aski area for a day of innertubing. The V will be in the garage and my trusty-but-boring FWD Park Avenue will do duty. I wouldn't consider the V for that job even if it had winter tires on it, but which car do you think I'd take into the mountains on a nice spring day? ;)

i know that, i just assumed he was saying overall the car was bad. you cant compare a 9-3 to an sts, my mom has a regular sts and you cant even compare it with that. the price between my 9-3 and a sts-v is more than $44,000 which just shows these cars are totally two different animals. for the price i paid for my 9-3 i honestly think that no car can touch it.

Wow. As I said originally, I have owned lots and lots of cars and I'm not really comparing the 9-3 directly to the V, but still compared to even the CTS or even to my Ford Explorer Sport Trac, I'd take either over it. Yeah, I know loaners are beaten, still the flimsly door was not because it was a loaner, the uncomforable seats and lack of power were not because it was a loaner either. Compared to a ton of other cars, I was really disappointed in the Saab.

It is questionable how much, if any, performance would be lost by going to this size. Your contact patch will NOT get smaller. Tread width is irrelevant to contact patch size; only the shape will change. Much of the reason for mfg's putting these extreme aspect ratios and widths on the cars is cosmetic: the public wants this look so Cadillac is giving it to us. If Mr. Heinracy was left to choose tires strictly on what got the STS-V around the Nurburgring fastest, it's far from guarnanteed that he'd go with what's oem right now.

Eh? Come again? I'm no engineer, but a wider tire on a wider rim = more contact patch. Why else would the 'vette's rear tires and wheels grow in width as the power rises (or for that matter the Viper, any dragster, etc, etc...). Drive a car with 275s through a puddle and measure the width of the wet tire mark it leaves, then do the same with 245s- it will be smaller. Lower aspect ratios are also chosen to reduce sidewall flex under cornering loads.

I must have misunderstood your post.

Eh? Come again? I'm no engineer, but a wider tire on a wider rim = more contact patch.

Nope. Contact patch is purely a function of vehicle weight and tire pressure. Example: Assuming equal weight distribution on all 4 corners, a 4000 pound car with tires inflated to 30psi will have a contact patch of 4000 divided by 4 divided by 30 = 33.33 square inches of contact patch on each tire. Put another way, that 30 psi of air pressure will only support 30 pounds of car on each square inch of tire.

Your example was correct, but incomplete. Yes, the contact patch on the wider tire will be wider but it will not be as LONG. As I said, only the shape, not the size, changes.

This algorythm is accurate until the sidewall compresses to a line tangent to the wheel, i.e., until you start riding on the rim.

As for why wider tires are "better" for high peformance cars, this is an interesting question. The physics of how tire perform in the real world don't track very well with Newton's classic friction formula and I have to admit that I don't understand much of what is happening. There are reasons why wide tires with low aspect ratios work well in racing situations. How much of that is relevant to day-to-day street use is questionable, and I have a certain amount of skeptism about these big wheel and tire packages and how much they really do for us.

I like the 9-3 more than most cars in its price range.

I like the 9-3 more than most cars in its price range.

for sure. i got a brand new one for 23k. thats barely a camry with a couple of options.

btw the power for that car imo is similar to my old cts but much more efficient so i dont think its a slouch. passing up is effortless, and 221lb ft. at 2500 rpm is more than enough in a car that size. most likely you are going to think its underpowered when you drive a car that has more than double its power. if you think the 9-3 in underpowered check out the tsx, feels like it has no torque.

I got stuck going down hill in shopping center going over a speed bump! No more snow trips.

hey hd750.....what part of Pittsburgh you from.....i am from Pittsburgh as well...

I may get my chance to "play" some tomorrow as the chance for freezing rain is in the forecast for the early morning and we're under a winter storm watch and I'm on the stock run-flats. :eek:

I got stuck going down hill in shopping center going over a speed bump! No more snow trips.

HD,

Glad to see you joined the dark side.

F

Well, I'm treating the car right. After the snow escapade last week, I dropped it off today to get a thorough detail. By tonight she'll be all clean and shiny and all thoughts of me and road salt and snow and spinning sideways will be out of my head.

The V will rest peacefully in the garage until I hear the birds chirping and I see the Easter Bunny hopping down my street.

While the GM of 1975-1995 is becoming a slowly fading, bad memory, pieces remain. I was reminded of this when I had to drain and refill the intercooler. There is no petcock so I had to remove hoses. The hoses on one side were heat welded to their connectors. No problem, there was a 2.5" little stub hose from a T connector to the circulation pump. So I cut it.

Well, it turned out that stub hose was not 3/4" heater hose like I thought. It was molded 7/8 at one end and 3/4 at the other. Oh well, I'll order one from the dealer.

GM will only sell that little 2.5" hose as part of the entire hose assembly for 1/2 of the intercooler routing. There is no credible reason for this in this day of computer data bases. When manual systems were used there was some justification based on the cost of tracking small parts. No longer. It's just The General trying to milk me for some extra cash.

I encounted the same problem when some little plastic gears in my Buick's power seats broke. GM will not sell them. To fix my seats I have to buy entire new frames at $2500 a pop.

In my BMW every single piece of the car was catalogued and available separately, including hoses and seat gears BTW.

Love the car but a rasberry to GM's oem parts division.

BTW, a 7/8 high temp heater hose worked fine. The General did not get my money.

I was just visiting this forum because I am intending to buy an STS-V but once I saw that people are appreciating how much Cadillac does and how much Cadillac and GM have improved I thought I would tell you this one....

I started with an Olds Aurora that came with the Northstar (Cadillac) engine and I had it serviced at a Cadillac dealer... the car went 180,000 miles with no trouble until my teenage son slid it into a fence during a rain storm and totaled it (thankfully the kid was ok... or maybe not so thankfully :thepan:)

In the midst I went to a salvage auction and bought an Eldorado ETS that had the front end demolished and rebuilt it. There was no damage to the northstar but everything else was creamed. I drove that car for four years and put over 120K miles on it and sold it. The person who bought it lives around the corner from me and in two years they have had no trouble with it.

I bought the CTS-V next (05). Only one issue the same as many, the singing rear end. Took it to the dealer, voila... new 06 rear end and I have not taken it to the dealer or anyone else since (28k miles) as there are just no issues with the car... ITS WONDERFUL.

Then bought my wife an 05 SRX. Other than the rattle in the huge sun roof the car is spectacular. You have to love the 08 CTS commercial about "does the car return the favor" of turning you on. I dont know about all of you, but my answer every time I turn a Cadillac key is YES!!!!:bouncy:

I have a choice, but I choose to only by Cadillac!!!!

STS-V and EXT are next for the wifey and me.

LivingtheDream
"Turn the Key and Smile"

STS-V and EXT are next for the wifey and me.

LivingtheDream
"Turn the Key and Smile"

That's great. Do you have any idea of when you might be looking at one ?

I liked my EXT - in the summer I took out the whole midgate on nice days. With the moonroof and windows open it was like a luxury safari truck. Quick too - better if you add a SC. My CTS-V was a great car - never had a problem with it.

Do you have a time frame on when your STS-V will show up ?