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Difference Between STS4 and STS.

23808 Views 42 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  aegishjalmur
I have an '06 STS AWD and I wonder if anyone has a definitive answer as to what makes it different from an STS4.
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I thought the 4 just ment AWD?
I did too, but mine is AWD. I've been under it to look and it definitely is AWD but the emblem on the back says STS. I've seen others that say STS4 that look just like mine.
I believe the 4 was added to later units.
With gas almost $4, may the 4 stands for 4 cyl. Check carefully under hood. GM had a ton of L-4 engines left over when they discontinued the Celebrity and Lumina. Helps CARF too.
The 4 stands for 4 wheel drive. The STS is NOT AWD. All wheel drive is when either the front or rear drives the vehicle until it meets a slipping of those wheels and then the other wheels kick in creating AWD. On the STS4 the rear wheels get 60% of the engines power all the time and the front wheels get 40% of the power all the time. Hence, 4 wheel drive.:thumbsup:
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I believe the 4 was added to later units.
Actually the all wheel, 4 wheel drive thing is very confusing.

It really simply has to do with the configuration of whatever system they use.
I think adding the 4 to the AWD option vehicle was a mid year change.
I think all the newer STS and SRX with this option have the STS4 logo on them.

Which wheel "gets the power" depends on how you drive it.
I am not too familiar with the specific hardware they use on that vehicle since I don't deal with those systems a lot.
4WD is typically used to describe something with a selectable feature like "auto 4WD" or hi or low ranges.

Don't ask me for specifics because frankly I think the whole automotive industry is confused about this AWD, 4WD business.
Cadillac does refer to our systems as AWD.
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I have an '06 STS AWD and I wonder if anyone has a definitive answer as to what makes it different from an STS4.
The STS AWD and STS4 are the same. The 4 has been part of the STS emblem since day one if you have the AWD option. If your car has AWD and doesn't have the 4 next to the STS emblem, then it was removed.
The STS AWD and STS4 are the same. The 4 has been part of the STS emblem since day one if you have the AWD option. If your car has AWD and doesn't have the 4 next to the STS emblem, then it was removed.
That's weird because I've seen more AWD STS's without the 4 than with it on dealers lots. Why would the dealer remove the 4?
Actually the all wheel, 4 wheel drive thing is very confusing.

It really simply has to do with the configuration of whatever system they use.
I think adding the 4 to the AWD option vehicle was a mid year change.
I think all the newer STS and SRX with this option have the STS4 logo on them.

Which wheel "gets the power" depends on how you drive it.
I am not too familiar with the specific hardware they use on that vehicle since I don't deal with those systems a lot.
4WD is typically used to describe something with a selectable feature like "auto 4WD" or hi or low ranges.

Don't ask me for specifics because frankly I think the whole automotive industry is confused about this AWD, 4WD business.
Cadillac does refer to our systems as AWD.
A 4 wheel drive vehicle has no center differential, just a transfer case. The four wheel drive should not be used on paved roads. AWD vehicles like the STS option have a center differential. This allows all the wheels on the car to travel at the different speeds required to negotiate a corner on a paved road. The STS center differential also gives a 40-60 torque split between the front and rear. My guess is that the 4 was added to later units.
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I think part of an above statement is right.
I don't recall seeing an AWD STS without the 4.
I was thinking of the SRX when I said they added the 4 mid year.
The AWD SRX did not have the 4 until recently.

I don't know why someone would remove the 4.
Is your STS AWD a V8 or a V6?
The ones I have seen with the 4 are V8's.

GM transfer cases almost all use a "viscous clutch" inside the transfer case (what you seem to refer to as a "differential", to compensate for rotational speed differences. I can't really say much more.
I have no love for AWD or 4WD.
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I think part of an above statement is right.
I don't recall seeing an AWD STS without the 4.
I was thinking of the SRX when I said they added the 4 mid year.
The AWD SRX did not have the 4 until recently.

I don't know why someone would remove the 4.
Is your STS AWD a V8 or a V6?
The ones I have seen with the 4 are V8's.

GM transfer cases almost all use a "viscous clutch" inside the transfer case (what you seem to refer to as a "differential", to compensate for rotational speed differences. I can't really say much more.
I have no love for AWD or 4WD.
Ref: page 4-194 '06 STS FSM, The Borg warner(BW) model 4479, transfer case is a one-speed, all wheel drive(AWD), transfer case. The transfer case provides power to both axles through an external planetary type differential, which has 2 different sets of pinion gears. The planetary differential provides a 40/60 torque split, front/rear, full time... The BW 4479 design of the planetary differential allows the use with the vehicle stability enhancement system(VSES) vehicles. I see no mention of a viscous clutch.
Years ago Zora Arkus-Duntoff had built a Chevy Engineering Research Vehicle, an open wheel racer, that used the torque converter from a Corvair to drive the front wheels. Jaguar used a power take-off on the countershaft of the manual transmission to get the torque split. As far as I know the first AWD to use a planetary differential to get the torque split was a British Ferguson. Mercedes uses an electronic center differential. I think some Fords and MoPars use a viscous clutch. I don't know about other GM models. All I needed to see the advantage of AWD was to watch how the Audi Quattros driven by Hans Stuck and Walter Rohrl with steel bodies blew away the Camaros and Mustangs with tube chassis and fiberglass bodies in the Trans Am series. The turbo charged 5 cylinder motors put out tremendous power and the handling in the corners was unbelievable.
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I wouldn't know why either as to why they want to take the "4" emblem off, really doesn't make any sense. However, the "4" has always been there for the AWD version of the STS. It wasn't until 2006 that they added the AWD "4" option to the V6 models. The V8 models had it as an option since they came out in late 2004. Here is a picture of a 2005 STS AWD. You can see the whole ad on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/05-S...QQihZ015QQcategoryZ124117QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

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I wouldn't know why either as to why they want to take the "4" emblem off, really doesn't make any sense. However, the "4" has always been there for the AWD version of the STS. It wasn't until 2006 that they added the AWD "4" option to the V6 models. The V8 models had it as an option since they came out in late 2004. Here is a picture of a 2005 STS AWD. You can see the whole ad on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/05-S...QQihZ015QQcategoryZ124117QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

What's strange here is that the "4"s that I remember seeing are larger than the one in the picture. In fact they are the same height as the STS. Is there a chance that the "4"s were added by dealers to enhance the sales?
hmmm....i don't know. That seems really strange if they would do that to increase sales. I haven't seen one any larger than what is on the car from the factory. It's really strange that yours is an AWD w/out the "4". Did you buy it new or used??
hmmm....i don't know. That seems really strange if they would do that to increase sales. I haven't seen one any larger than what is on the car from the factory. It's really strange that yours is an AWD w/out the "4". Did you buy it new or used??
I bought it new from a dealer and it had 49 miles on it. They had another on the lot with no "4" on it and one with a large "4". The window sticker says all wheel drive for $1900 extra. The tag on the spare tire cover lists the five speed automatic RPO MV3 which is specific to the AWD option and RPO MX7 AWD. I've been underneath it and it has a front drive shaft, a front differential and drive axles. It has a Northstar V8 and the performance is prodigeous.
The borg warners do use an open planetary gearset.
The New Venture gear cases use a viscous clutch. (typically).

The 4 is offset downward... not sure why.
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The borg warners do use an open planetary gearset.
The New Venture gear cases use a viscous clutch. (typically).

The 4 is offset downward... not sure why.
New Venture is the merger of the old GM Muncie plant combined with Chrysler's New Process transmissions. That's the old Jeep Quadra-trac Morse chain fiasco.
I do know the 2005's with AWD did have the "4". Just to add some more confusion to the issue of AWD versus 4WD...I know that some of the older Lincoln Navigators has several selections via the dashboard switch.

2WD
AWD
4WD(Hi)
4WD(Low)

:confused:
i always thought 4wd was a vehicle that was able to not power the front axel and AWD was the perminent engagement of the front axel

as far as STS4 AND SRX4
at the delaership i work out i see the SRX underwent a change this year where the srx with the AWD option now wears a smaller number 4 next to the SRX nameplate ....

I have only seen one awd STS and it had no 4 anywhere on the car , but the holes in the oilpan were full of cv axel so it was definatly awd we dont see many here in florida ....

I think SRX and STS got the number 4 for 2006.5

dokoz , did fairbanks get a cadillac dealer or are you still running down to anch to pick them up?
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