Just test drove a V!

[Glock3540]

Hi Everyone,
My wife and I were out and about today and I asked her if she minded going by the Cadillac dealer so I could see if I "fit" in an XLR.
I knew this dealership has a 2005 base model.
On the way over there, we stopped by another high end used car dealer and sat in a SLK convertible and a SL550.
The SLK was way too small for me. The top was down and the top of
the windshield was about my eye level!
The SL550 was nice but I see these pretty often on the street. They look nice but not very exclusive.

When we arrived at the Cadillac dealership I saw a white on black
2008 XLR-V. Man, It looked nice! A salesman saw us pull in and when I looked at the car I'm sure he saw dollar signs. It was in perfect shape and had 20,000 miles on it. They were asking 56 K for it.
The salesman went to get the key and I was admiring the exterior of the car. It looked great from any angle. When he got back, I sat in it and it
fit me like a glove! More headroom than a SC430 I once test drove.
I asked him if I could look under the hood and then to put the top down. He was knowledgeable about XLR-V which impressed me.
When he started it up, I was standing behind the car and I was blown away. I was expecting a muted sounding exhaust but what I got was much louder! It had the distinct V-8 sound but not like the Mustangs I have owned ('88 5.0 and a '67 big block). It sounded like a cross between an american V-8 and an exotic like a Ferrari or a Lambo. I was Very Impressed.
At this point I am trying not to get too excited. It is well above what I want to spend as I was originally thinking about a 2006 model.
He asked if I wanted to take it for a spin around the block and I could not resist. My wife stayed at the dealership. I guess he was a little afraid of letting someone he just met take all that horsepower out by ourselves!
We only went a couple/few miles but it was Very Nice. The ride was slightly stiffer than I expected but not bad at all. The handling was good but the power was great. It felt like a turbine. It pushed you back in the seat and the revs just kept on climbing.
We got back to the dealership and of course he asked me to come inside.
Once inside I spotted a new CTS-V coupe. I asked and we sat in it.
A different experience than the XLR. The CTS's seats felt much better.
Not that the XLR seats were uncomfortable, they were fine. It is just the CTS's seats were made by Recaro so you can imagine the great feeling side bolsters. The headroom in the CTS was not as generous as the XLR but the seat would go back much further. Overall, I liked the XLR-V better and the fact the CTS 556 hp listed for 70K!

In fact, the only thing that the XLR-V is severly lacking is any kind of luggage space. I mean a couple of gym bags in the back is about it.
I cannot remember a car that has less space to put your luggage.
If I get one, it will have to be with the understanding that my wife and I
will have to travel EXTREMELY LIGHT!

I talked with the salesman and his manager for awhile and they took my name, number and email address. I told them I would not be talked into anything and I am "low pressure" and do not like to be bothered.
They treated me with respect and I appreciated that.

I can tell you without a doubt I like this car better than the SL550,
much better than the SC430 and it is tied with the XKR Jag.
If you throw in the XKR's insane engine replacement pricing
(I plan to keep whatever I purchase for a long time. After even long term extended warranties run out) , the XLR-V wins hands down.

Someone has said that driving an XLR-V makes you feel like a rock star.
Very Well Said. (In fact I believe Wynonna drives one).

Hope this helps someone.

Blessings,
Brian

 

[Cadillac Tech]

Brian, it's great to hear that you had a fun drive today. Hopefully the V will find a new home in your garage.

 

[speedway]

Brian, glad to hear you enjoyed the "V" and after reading your very well wriiten critque I was quite surprsed you didnt buy it. Sounds like the car fits you.

Speedway

 

[richardyoo]

In fact, the only thing that the XLR-V is severly lacking is any kind of luggage space. I mean a couple of gym bags in the back is about it.
I cannot remember a car that has less space to put your luggage.
If I get one, it will have to be with the understanding that my wife and I
will have to travel EXTREMELY LIGHT!

You are mistaken.

I drove my XLR-V across country (coast to coast) with my wife... we carried a 26" roller bag, and a 22" roller bag... two duffel bags, plus a 1st aide kid, fire extinguisher, and a racing helmet in the back. There was nothing "light" about our packing.

I actually feel like it has a much larger and usable trunks than most convertibles since its large and rectangular... as opposed to deep and narrow like in the SL or other similar cars.

 

[Glock3540]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

richardyoo, I have read many of your posts/replies here.
You are much more knowledgeable than I as you actually own a V.
You have driven it extensively, compared to myself that does not actually
own an XLR, so I respect your opinion.
When I looked in the trunk the top was already down. It looked like there was a carpeted "panel" that prevents sliding any flat items (such as a picture frame,etc.) under the roof while it is stowed in the trunk.
I thought, although it was wide and fairly deep, it did not have much depth to it (12" or so?). I did not see how we could carry any of our
conventional luggage such as a suitcase or a large garment bag.
Actually it is quite encouraging that you were able to put so much luggage into the trunk for your cross country trip.
I know if I purchase a V, and we make a long distance trip, the top will be down often so we cannot carry luggage that interferes with the top going down.

I have a few questions for you if you do not mind;
1. Did you make the trip before or after the modifications you've done
to your V? What was your overall MPG?

2. If I do any modifications to the car (I modify everything so I will
most likely do SOMETHING!), what are your recommendations?
I was thinking a Corsa exhaust and maybe an intake like yours?
The only thing that concerns me about the intake is from the
pics I have seen, the air filters look similar to K&N's oil gauze filters.
I have had K&N's on several of my cars and although they do flow
more air, I did not like the oil residue they left inside the Mass Air Flow Sensors that I had to clean out regularly. I'm also not sold that they filter the air as good as the Amsoil Ea filters I use now.

3. I also plan to ditch the run flats and replace with Michelins but
want to keep the stock wheels. I like the stock look.
I'm a Michelin guy. How are your Michelin's wearing? Significantly longer lasting and better ride than the stock Pirelli's? (as a side note; my late father worked for Pirelli for 20+ years and he said no one beats a Michelin tire. He worked in the laboratory for awhile and they would buy Michelin tires,as well as other brands,to test them. They were always impressed with the Michelin's performance and longevity).

4. Do you have any issues with your headers? Are they Jet Hot coated? On cars I have owned in the past, and installed headers,
they rusted fairly quickly (if they were not Jet Hot coated) and it seemed I was occasionally having to either tighten the header bolts or
put new exhaust gaskets on. They were not "maintenance free like the factory exhaust manifolds. Not bad, just a little irritating. Some of the headers I had made more HP but moved the HP peak up a thousand or so RPM's.

5. Last question; I believe from what I have read, that this particular engine is overbuilt for it's factory rated horsepower so it's longevity is not compromised much by modifying it a little. Any possible "strength" issues may come from the transmission. What do you think of the durability of this transmission? On any car I purchase, one of the first things I do is put
Amsoil synthetic trans fluid in it. I am a firm believer it is the best trans fluid on the market, but it can only do so much.
I read where this is the first time GM used this transmission in a rear mounted configuration so I was just wondering how stout you think it is.

Sorry to give you the "20 questions" treatment but I research so I
minimize future disappointments.

Thank You for any responses,
Brian

 

[richardyoo]

When I looked in the trunk the top was already down. It looked like there was a carpeted "panel" that prevents sliding any flat items (such as a picture frame,etc.) under the roof while it is stowed in the trunk.
I thought, although it was wide and fairly deep, it did not have much depth to it (12" or so?). I did not see how we could carry any of our
conventional luggage such as a suitcase or a large garment bag.
Actually it is quite encouraging that you were able to put so much luggage into the trunk for your cross country trip.
I know if I purchase a V, and we make a long distance trip, the top will be down often so we cannot carry luggage that interferes with the top going down.

Yes - if you want the trunk space, you will have to keep the top up... but this is true for all of the hard top convertibles in this catagory... arguably the SL has the largest trunk with the top down, but its still not "big" by any means and will most certainly won't fit a hard sided luggage.

But the good news, is once you get to your destination and dump your luggage you can put the top down then.

1. Did you make the trip before or after the modifications you've done
to your V? What was your overall MPG?

Before... but my drip was for the Gumball 3000 so the MPG wasn't of much real world value..

2. If I do any modifications to the car (I modify everything so I will
most likely do SOMETHING!), what are your recommendations?
I was thinking a Corsa exhaust and maybe an intake like yours?
The only thing that concerns me about the intake is from the
pics I have seen, the air filters look similar to K&N's oil gauze filters.
I have had K&N's on several of my cars and although they do flow
more air, I did not like the oil residue they left inside the Mass Air Flow Sensors that I had to clean out regularly. I'm also not sold that they filter the air as good as the Amsoil Ea filters I use now.

I'm of the school of thought that once you modify you should forget about low maint... so I'm not concerned about the MAF getting dirty... but I think such issues are with over-oiling the filter, not the nature of the filter style.

But to answer your question - I would say the #1 upgrade would be to ditch the run flats and go get some non-funflat tires... the ride difference is just jaw dropping... and the grip is so much better as well.

#2 would be a dyno tune... its the biggest bang for buck... and it totally changes the drive characteristics...

The rest of the mods are just taste-driven... if you like noise, get an exhuast... if you like wheels, get wheels...

3. I also plan to ditch the run flats and replace with Michelins but
want to keep the stock wheels. I like the stock look.
I'm a Michelin guy. How are your Michelin's wearing? Significantly longer lasting and better ride than the stock Pirelli's? (as a side note; my late father worked for Pirelli for 20+ years and he said no one beats a Michelin tire. He worked in the laboratory for awhile and they would buy Michelin tires,as well as other brands,to test them. They were always impressed with the Michelin's performance and longevity).

I only have about 2k miles on the PS2's... the PS2 are "ultra high performance" tires... I can't imagine I'll get more than 12k miles on them... the stock Pirellis could probably double that. They're different kinds of tires...

4. Do you have any issues with your headers? Are they Jet Hot coated? On cars I have owned in the past, and installed headers,
they rusted fairly quickly (if they were not Jet Hot coated) and it seemed I was occasionally having to either tighten the header bolts or
put new exhaust gaskets on. They were not "maintenance free like the factory exhaust manifolds. Not bad, just a little irritating. Some of the headers I had made more HP but moved the HP peak up a thousand or so RPM's.

They're bare... but they're stainless... so far, they're maint free... no leaks, no cracks.... (knocks on wood)

5. Last question; I believe from what I have read, that this particular engine is overbuilt for it's factory rated horsepower so it's longevity is not compromised much by modifying it a little. Any possible "strength" issues may come from the transmission. What do you think of the durability of this transmission? On any car I purchase, one of the first things I do is put
Amsoil synthetic trans fluid in it. I am a firm believer it is the best trans fluid on the market, but it can only do so much.
I read where this is the first time GM used this transmission in a rear mounted configuration so I was just wondering how stout you think it is.

Its the same transmission thats in the Corvette... and the corvette guys are banging on the trans more than the this puny Northstare can put out... so I'm not worried.

Also - GM has putting transmisions on the rear on the corvette platform for years - I wuldn't say its all that new anymore.

Good luck!

 

[Glock3540]

richardyoo wrote;
"Yes - if you want the trunk space, you will have to keep the top up... but this is true for all of the hard top convertibles in this catagory... arguably the SL has the largest trunk with the top down, but its still not "big" by any means and will most certainly won't fit a hard sided luggage.

But the good news, is once you get to your destination and dump your luggage you can put the top down then"


A big "Doh" on my part for not thinking of that. That would solve 90% of the top down luggage space issues. We would not have the top down
that much on the drive there anyway. After "dumping the luggage" we could go out for a "cruise" before dinner.

Thanks for the advice on the Dyno Tune but not sure exactly what is done to the car. Do they reprogram the computers or something?
Who could do this? I live in Nashville and would not mind a little drive
but would not have a clue who to go to.

I'm well past my street racing years (back in the late 70's) and most of the time drive like an old man (last speeding ticket was in 1991 on a modified Yahama V-Max!), but I like power. Effortless passing and a little more punch than stock. I also like the uniqueness of the XLR-V and modifying it a little would make it even a little more rare in case I run upon another V. I do want to get max MPG out of it within reason. The intakes I have used in the past have provided a mile or so a gallon better than stock.
I know it sounds ridiculous that I am concerned about MPG with a car like this. Especially when I am going to spend some cash on mods.
It is just a mental thing with me. I like filling up the tank and going "Hmm,
20+ MPG, supercharged V-8, bunch of horses, Not Too Bad..."

After listening to the stock exhaust, I may just leave it alone or just do one of the bypass red wire switches you guys talk about.

I DO want to get an intake and am intrigued with the Volant system and the D3.
I wish someone would design a ram air "box" of some sort to keep the engine compartment heat off the air filters. With them exposed I would think driving down the highway they would get plenty of cool air but would be compromised a bit during "city" travel with not as much air coming into the engine compartment. I did something similar back in 88 on a 5.0 I had. It worked pretty well and it looked pretty good but I would be hesitant to do the same thing to a $100,000 car. Although I do believe that forced induction motors respond much greater to the "ram air" effect than do the naturallly aspirated engines.

Thanks for all the great advice and hope you get much more tire longevity from your Michelin's than you predict.

Blessings,
Brian

 

[richardyoo]

Thanks for the advice on the Dyno Tune but not sure exactly what is done to the car. Do they reprogram the computers or something?
Who could do this? I live in Nashville and would not mind a little drive
but would not have a clue who to go to.

You can do a lot of changes... richer mix... there's a supercharger bypass valve the can be disabled... more agressive transmission shifts... etc...

You'd have to find a shop who has a dyno and experience tuning the northstar engine, along with the 4L80e transmission... Corvettes of Westchester may not be too far from you - i think they're in jersey

I know it sounds ridiculous that I am concerned about MPG with a car like this. Especially when I am going to spend some cash on mods.
It is just a mental thing with me. I like filling up the tank and going "Hmm,
20+ MPG, supercharged V-8, bunch of horses, Not Too Bad..."

Honestly, I don't think my MPG has changed... 20+ mpg shouldn't be tough on highway driving...

After listening to the stock exhaust, I may just leave it alone or just do one of the bypass red wire switches you guys talk about.

The bypass switch was fine, for a little while and it makes a noticable difference on the dyno, but the drone at cruise was killing me... the Corsa I ended up putting on has zero drone, but boy is it loud at WOT... REALLY loud

I DO want to get an intake and am intrigued with the Volant system and the D3.
I wish someone would design a ram air "box" of some sort to keep the engine compartment heat off the air filters. With them exposed I would think driving down the highway they would get plenty of cool air but would be compromised a bit during "city" travel with not as much air coming into the engine compartment. I did something similar back in 88 on a 5.0 I had. It worked pretty well and it looked pretty good but I would be hesitant to do the same thing to a $100,000 car. Although I do believe that forced induction motors respond much greater to the "ram air" effect than do the naturallly aspirated engines.

The air comes from under the car and up - and is isolated somewhat from the engine bay.... ram air wouldn't make much difference since its already supercharged - you're already getting 9psi or so, ram-air can't possibly add any to that number... my reserach has shown that a larger intercooler radiator would be the way to go if you want a colder air charge than you're getting. And tuning it to disable the supercharger bypass valve will really wake it up - since the stock programming keeps the waste gate open until you're practically at WOT.

Thanks for all the great advice and hope you get much more tire longevity from your Michelin's than you predict.

Most of the people on tirerack.com who have the PS2 and drive "spiritedly" report about 12k miles as well.... so I think i'm being realistic on my estimate. My stock Pirelli's only lasted 22k miles so I think I'm close.... and I'm sure most people can easily get over 30k miles on their stock pirellis - but I drive much too aggressively for that.