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is a gen I v for me? help me decide.

1K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  D3l7a3ch0 
#1 ·
ok, I have been looking around, trying to figure out what the main issues and concerns are with a Gen I V. So far it looks like the Diffs are the major fail point I need to worry about IF I were to buy a V. With that being said, let me say a bit about how a V will be driven under my Ownership...

Right now my Weekend toy/cruiser/hot rod is a 2001 Ford Lightning. My DD is an 05 CTS with the 3.6. I love the CTS. It works perfect for my life. Room for the kid, drives well, handles well, good economy, etc, etc, etc. The Lightning is modded and runs 12.6x @ 109 in the 1/4. I beat the crap out of both of them. The Lightning gets new rear rubber roughly every 8,000 miles and I have slicks for the track. The CTS gets about 15k miles on the rears (summer tires, the blizzaks are treated nice). I literally drive them like they are stolen. Every time I drive its sideways a bit, or spin from a stop sign, break torque tires into smoke, etc. While its not always extreme, i drive to have fun, but Im smart where and when I do it. With that being said, Im sure a V would not stay stock. Im sure there would be a lot of 5 grand clutch drops. It would see the drag strip and make 30 or so passes a year. I would be hard on it.

This leads me to believe that although a V would be a lot of fun, my wallet isnt fat enough to plunk diff after diff into it. However, it seems to fill what im looking for. The Lightning will go away if the V comes in. I want a V cuz I now a CTS fills my needs and works for my life. But is the V a car that will hold up to my abuse? The Lightning does. And I havent touched the internals of the driveline other than the trans got a shift kit. But its a truck. It handles like a truck and drives like a truck. I want a car thats useful, fun, and quick without spending thousands to make it sound before I can even make it more powerful. I can accept a thousand dollar price tag to beef it up, but it had better not fail. If it cant be done for a grand and hold up at stock power levels with street tires, I dont think I want to go that route.

So, is a Gen I V my car or do I pass and look for something else? Help me decide.

Chris
 
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#2 ·
Chris,
After a lot of looking and test driving I finally just bought an 06 V with 3800 miles. I paid 1/2 of what this unit cost new, so I figure there's plenty of room to play. The beauty of this forum (and LS1 Tech) is that newcomers can learn from the research of others and not make the classic mistakes. So far: UUC short throw shifter-why screw around, get the good one. 3M Clear Bra system: car is literally perfect and I want to keep it that way. I paid to have it done professionally and added wheel areas, door edges, trunk lid and rear bumper for a few bucks more. They guarantee it in writing for 6 years. Picked up a decent stock rim with a nearly-new stock tire on Ebay-I learned in this forum that the runflats basically suck and you need a spare to convert to standard tires. GForce axle kit: Not yet, but it's next on the list. The axle hop issue has to be the most discussed problem since these cars first appeared and mine hops like a bunny on meth. This seems to be the most sensible and economical solution to the problem and the hopping most likely leads to diff disintegration. I guess the 06 has the most upgraded version of the differential, so it might be a good idea to either start there or buy one that has been upgraded. CAGS eliminator: ordered today on Ebay for $27-I like to decide when to shift, thanks. So, so far I've invested a little over a grand, not counting labor. I'm seriously thinking maggie (supercharger). Magnuson wants about 6 grand for the kit, giving the V about 500 or so RWHP. I just now came from the Lingenfelter site, where they sell a bunch of engine upgrades for CTS-Vs. They will take my 06 and do the maggie for 11 thou, guarantee the whole thing for 3 years. OR, skip all that noise and buy a used 2009 CTS-V. Looks like you could grab a nice one somewhere in the low $40s or so, if you're lucky. Wheel hop gone on those, they supposedly come with a short throw shifter, auto tranny available (don't know why anyone would do that!), maggie is already there and they sure LOOK NICE! Oh, and you can get a coupe or a wagon, to boot! Anyway, I digress. Waited long enough for this baby, now time to enjoy. My V is actually stashed in the garage, waiting for Spring here in Massachusetts under 4 feet of snow. Snow tires are on my Camry, where they belong. Hope my philosophy has helped a bit, but it's a buyer's market for high end stuff right now and you should snag a CTS-V soon!
leo
 
#4 ·
Leo, thanks for the input. I have read the GeForce threads and the axle set would be my first purchase and I can do the work myself saving the labor. I would probably do bushings while I was under there as well. Also looked at the UUC shifter and would drop the coin on it as well. I wish the KARS III was still around, I would do that as well. I will be looking for and 06-07 and if its at a dealership, I will pick up an extended warrenty if its less than the cost of a new diff. Then I will go break it. Im sure some rev limiter clutch drops will do it in. as for power adders the plan would be heads, cam, headers with full exhaust, CAI, and a tune. I like superchargers, but I want a nasty sounding NA machine this time. But if a 09 V pops up for the right price, I might go that route and be happy... but I doubt it.

Now onto a subject I have yet to see much on... CAGS. wtf does it do with a manual trans? I can see if it was an auto, but how the heck does it work on a manual? does it close the shift gates up or something? CAGS and Torque redux/modulation are the 2 most retarded things on the planet. Torque reduction was the first thing to go on the Lightning. Unplug boost dump solenoid and it was off. lol

Chris
 
#5 ·
Now onto a subject I have yet to see much on... CAGS. wtf does it do with a manual trans? I can see if it was an auto, but how the heck does it work on a manual? does it close the shift gates up or something? CAGS and Torque redux/modulation are the 2 most retarded things on the planet. Torque reduction was the first thing to go on the Lightning. Unplug boost dump solenoid and it was off. lol

Chris
CAGS (or Computer Aided Gear Selection) is a EPA fix to force a driver to get better gas mileage. CAGS will activate under the following conditions:

1. the engine coolant temperature is higher than 169°F,
2. vehicles speeds are 15-19 mph and
3. The throttle percentage is 21 or less

When the above conditions are met, the computer will tell a solenoid mounted behind the shifter to activate and extend. When this solenoid is activated and extended, the shifter will not be able to go into second gear. This will force the driver to shift into 4th gear (but the driver can actually shift into any other gear as well).

as far as the diff goes. those where the Gen 1 diffs. there has been 4 different diffs used in the V. 06 used gen 3 and 07 used gen 3 and 4 in the later builds. most of the 04 and 05s and the market have had the diff replaced to a gen 3 or 4. i have not read of a guy blowing diff in an 07. most of use have busted an axle or CV. if you get the baid aids for the wheel hop and change the bushings in the rear, you will be fine as longs as you dont do anything too crazy. even though they have LS engines, the V1 is not a drag car. and it really should not be treated as one, unless you want to drop 10 large in building the driveline to make it handle the drag launches.
 
#8 ·
If drag racing and doing burn outs are your thing then the obvious choice for the money is the mustang. Its 250 pounds lighter than the v1 and was designed to be torched from 0 to whatever on the street or at the track. The aftermarket will also be endless for 5 liter mods. If you want a car that can haul 4-5 adults in comfort, all come fully loaded with nav, heated seats, etc.. and can hold it's own on the road course then the v1 is a good choice. It should come down to the type of track you like to race at, straight vs turns and if you need/want 4 doors and a usable back seat. If it was my money and I didn't need the back seat I would pass on the mustang, although very impressive and get a used C6.
 
#9 ·
This is just my $.02, but I would be very reluctant to do a 5K clutch dump in a V1 on any surface, and I think doing it with slicks on a drag strip is extremely likely to grenade the rear end. I know I wouldn't do it in my car and I have the 4th generation diff and the Gforce axles. But my car is a daily driver and an exploded differential would be a big deal to me - so if your V would be more of a weekend toy that you wouldn't mind breaking from time to time - then what the heck.

In that regard, I kinda like the drag racer's typical mindset, which is that they don't mind breaking something at the track because they've simply identified the weak link in their car, and that's the best way to improve it.

Having said all of that, I think there are a lot of hotrods out there that are much better suited to the kind of abuse (a/k/a fun) that you describe, including the Mustang, but you'd still enjoy the heck out of V1 - as long as you don't mind fixing it from time to time.

Guy
 
#10 ·
I hate mustangs (I'm a chevy guy) but I bet that new one will be a great drag car for you with a solid rear. Go for the mustang if you want to beat on it at the strip.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for all the input. I think a Gen 1 is more than likely not the best car for me. I would be breaking it constantly. While a 2011 5.0 would be fun, they are having manual trans issues worse than V diffs issues. Maybe I should try and find a Gen 2 V in a year or 2. I can keep the Lightning for now and still have fun with it. Then again, gas might be $10 a gallon by then and I will be looking at a volt or something.... time will tell.
 
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