Well i have had my 2005 CTS V for just over 4 days now. about 400 miles driven and i have some concerns. 1st, i was driving through some neighborhoods looking for a house with my wife, and as we turned around in a few cul-de-sac, the rear end was a bit squeaky. 2nd, i am having trouble with smooth shifts. dont get me wrong, i havent drove a stick for 5 years, but i drove them for 10 years before the past 5, and i have never drove such a finicky clutch. Is it me or is it a possible issue with the car?

Shifting: seems very jerky and sometimes a bit hard to get the shifter in gear. even when i shift into 4th and 5th it still seems very rough. My wife was literally getting car sick from it and i was getting pretty discouraged about the car. I know its a bigger motor than i have ever owned, but is learning the shift points that difficult for this beast?

Also this 1st-4th shift... can i turn that off? it is about the most stupid thing to put in a car like this.

thanks for any responses.

hey man! i too have a 2005 CTS-V, so let me try to answer some questions :)

these cars rear ends are notorious for problems... you may want to get it checked out.

the transmission/clutch are pretty finicky, but give yourself a few more days, and i'm sure you'll get it. if not, then it's very possible there's something up

finally, the 1-4 "skip shift" nonsense can be eliminated, either with a tune, or with a CAGS skip-shift eliminator. run a search on that, and you'll find a hundred threads explaining either how to buy the piece to eliminate it (like $10) or how to make your own.

Your squeeking may be the GM 'wheelhop fix'. Probably nothing to worry about. Shifting the V takes some time to get used to. I drove manual transmission cars for 11 years straight prior to the V and it still took me about 3 weeks to get it right. If your having trouble getting it into gear, the first thing I'd do is bleed/replace the clutch fluid. You'll notice a huge difference, I do mine about every 4,000 - 5,000 miles along with oil changes.

If you don't want to bleed your clutch, check to see if it has had the clutch service bulletin done. The dealer will replace your clutch and it will be bleed and have new fluid in it. I found this helps with the shifting also. I have also found that shifting 1,3,5 or 2,4,6 will get rid of some of the clunking and jerkiness. :)

4th --> 5th is a horrible gear change with no major benefit, most people just 4th --> 6th
CAGS removal helps with the 1st --> 4th issue

I have never really become use to this clutch. I have logged many miles on a stick before, Jimmy truck and 318 BMW. This clutch to me is strange. Huge travel distance with really only a little bit of the travel distance doing anything.

I think the large amount of torque causes the jumpiness which you mentioned with it being a large engine. If I have a passenger that I am trying to be gentle with I either go from 1st to 3rd to 5th... being careful with first only to generate some forward momentum, or just start in second gear. My GF made a comment on how she has never seen a car start out so easily in 2nd gear.

Drove with my girlfriend's parents in the car last week and I knew that any jerks and they'd be b!tching, so I used 1st-3rd-5th. When I'm by myself I don't mind it (and it is prolly smoother than with people in car because i'm not thinking about it) so I shift through em all.

Get rid of that PITA 1st-4th skip shift. I got the !CAGS and then I had a StealthV tune that also removed it. I guess that someday if I was doing some weight reduction I'll remove the !CAGS....

jwall09, do a quick search because I think a member was selling some form of anti-cags device for like $14 shipped and would be worth every penny.

get a short throw shifter.

get a short throw shifter.

I have the UUC and zomg is it a world of difference from the stocker, but I still get jerks that come from finding the right RPM to work the clutch. My shifter clicks through the gears and there is no play in the stick. I believe there is one for sale in the classifieds right now.

The noise when turning corners could mean you need some more slip diff additive, or to change your differential fluid out as the slip pack are binding. I had this noise and I replaced my diff fluid/added slip diff additive and prob solved.

I too use the 2nd-4th-6th series. Extremely easy to take off in 2nd. Sometimes to change it up, I'll do 1st-3rd-5th. If you want to use all gears, running up to about 3k RPM I've noticed it shifts alot smoother as well. The 4th to 5th jerk is completely ridiculous and I hate it too. I wont even go 4th to 5th if I have passengers.....I'm tired of apologizing!

Ditto on the CAGS Eliminator

This car is not easy to drive smoothly without some practice. I never got smooth until I completely removed my foot from the accelerator in between shifts. I was always taught to ease up on the gas but not back off all the way. With all the torque that motor puts out, if there is any power still being applied it will jerk when you release the clutch. My little Audi A4 needs the gearbox to keep it moving. The V will ease away from a stop light in 4th gear it has so much torque. Backing completely off the gas will even work when your speed shifting. The drop in revs is minimal if you back all the way off the gas with a clutch in quick, shift quick, release and then throttle up.

Is it bad for the car to start in 2nd? I used to do it until a friend told me its not good.

It is not bad for the car unless you are excessively slipping the clutch. The V has PLENTY of power for you to take off in 2nd without slipping the clutch to much.

The car definitely wants more RPM if you want smoother shifts. Pushing the clutch in under 2k will only result in clunks and shudders, while 3k yields a much smoother shift. And the CAGS is good in theory, but they got it all wrong. When forced into 4th at 16MPG, my engine knocks. It did it to me on the first trip around the block when showing the car off to some friends, and I was mortified when it started knocking. Between the fact that they thought I missed a gear and that the car knocked, I just about let them out to walk back. At least it's a redline so when I got out my burning cheeks looked like some sunshine off the car...

Bottom line Jwall... these cars are finicky in general:bonkers:In fact, I've grown to understand that mine reminds me of my wife sometimes:hide:and if I don't treat her right, she's gonna bitch the whole damn ride!:helpless:

The best thing you can do is practice, and stay tuned to this forum, it's helped me tremendously. These dudes are all genuine, willing to offer credible advice, and flat out love their V's!

So:welcome:to the club!

I could never get consistent smooth shifts until I got rid of the stock shifter and replaced it with a UUC and bushings. It made a big difference. As said already, get the CAGS also or have a tuner remove the skip shift. These are must do mod's to better enjoy driving the V.

The car definitely wants more RPM if you want smoother shifts. Pushing the clutch in under 2k will only result in clunks and shudders, while 3k yields a much smoother shift.

I can't say I agree with that - I often shift between 1500 & 2000 when I'm just cruising, and it's as smooth as can be. The only time I get the
"parade" clunk is pushing the clutch in below 1k rpms. If you are getting clunks AND shudders up to 2k, there might be a problem...

:welcomeJimmyH:

Ok i feel much better knowing its not me as much as the car. As one poster said, and i agree with, I do so much better solo than with my wife in the car, and its because i try to be smooth and it just messes me up more. Ill try the 1-3-5 or 2-4-6 method.

Question: I read a lot of people doing B&M or UUC shifters and bushings. WIll that help with the problem i am having? or just make the shifter work better?

Jason

Question: I read a lot of people doing B&M or UUC shifters and bushings. WIll that help with the problem i am having? or just make the shifter work better?

JasonShifting will be easier but it won't help the clutch. You're just thinking too much. Focus on quick. Then smoothness will come. Don't sweat it too much...

It's definately not an easy car to drive...I sold my 03 Cobra that put down over 500 RWHP and it was simple compared to this. I feel like its work due to the extra touch necessary to get smooth shifting, stiff ride (FG2's maybe) plus the tight steering. I'm not complaining but just agreeing with everyone else. My Cobra had the same drive shaft clunk...nothing I wasn't already use to.

After about two or three weeks of owning my V, my heart rate fell to a reasonable level when driving. :lol: Seriously, that's when the shifting got smoother and I didn't have to think about it anymore. That's also around the time when I started perfecting driving sideways :D

My girlfriend said that I shift this car a lot better than my old acura integra, that pos.

Maybe you just need more time back in a manual trans?

After about two or three weeks of owning my V, my heart rate fell to a reasonable level when driving. :lol: Seriously, that's when the shifting got smoother and I didn't have to think about it anymore. That's also around the time when I started perfecting driving sideways :D

My girlfriend said that I shift this car a lot better than my old acura integra, that pos.

Maybe you just need more time back in a manual trans?

I think you are a physically younger version of me now. It is as if I had written this. (Other than having had an acura, my last car was a Prelude)