The weight of almost two Hot Rods, but still fun. (off topic again)

Hope you don't mind me sharing a new driving experiance with you folks. I posted this on the the Caddy V forum. I know what your thinking, "that 4300 lb brick is a polar opposite of our Hot Rods, and on many counts your all correct. But for some of you gearheads that need a more refined ride, consider a 556 hp, 6 speed manual CTS-V with the GM approved top speed of 191 mph. Yikes, 4300 lb, 191 mph brick, how do you stop it? These are by far the most powerful, fade-free brakes, on a production car that I have ever driven. On to my posting on the V forum........


Bought it, parked it, but today, drove it, I'm a "V" believer

Long story short, after buying the V, 6-speed manual, it sat in the garage, didn't have any time to drive it. However, I did enjoy reading some of the posts here about the V driving experiance. I thought it was good entertainment but felt the V's attributes were a bit over-blown by the good folks here on this forum.

Well as my friends always seem to point out, I'm sometimes wrong and I'm wrong again about the assumption that the V is "just a nice but heavy, Grand Touring type of car". For as few of this units that are produced, we V owners are the recieptiants of some talented and serious engineering. Most of you don't know me, but I'm an old school gearhead, having owned many one off hot rods and many muscle cars. To put my forth coming evaluation of the V in perspective, I have a rod now that if the V shared the same power to weight ratio, it would need an output of 1075 hp, which upon reading this forum, I know it can be done, but I won't do that to the V.

The first "real" drive was eastbound on hwy 50 in California, over the Sierras at 7600' elevation, down into Lake Tahoe and return back to Placerville, all windy roads. I got my 92 year old Dad out of the house (when we get out of the house I cancel my physical therapy with him for that day) for this drive. I can hear you guys saying "What a fool, super crank and bank type of roadway and he takes Dad". That my new friends here, is part of the engineering beauty of our rides. To test my theory, I'd say "Dad, you know what speed we are going?", he replies 45 when going 65, 65, when going 85, etc. Combine that with cornering attributes that for the smoothness of all transistions and total lack of stiff or harsh suspension means I had a great time and dear old Dad was none the wiser. For you folks that are familar with the trans-Sierra route of State hwy 50 going to Tahoe you KNOW about the curves and few and far between passing lanes, this hwy the V rules. Imagine this, every yellow sign curve speed "recommendation", you can count on a 50% faster speed with flat cornering and your passenger not even knowing the speed. Now passing, though impressive for 4300 lbs, is sadate compared to my Track-T, but my T wasn't on the highway, other "normal" cars were, and this V really reals them in. I have never taken Dad over 100 mph ever, but today in those passing lanes, we did on 3 occasions and he had no idea. His comment was "when I was driving this road alot, they never slowed down in the passing lane, but sped up to make it impossible to pass". Things haven't changed, but the V at altitude just flys by all the normally aspirated cars like they DID slow down. Dad's perception at 92 isn't what it used to be, but if he felt the other drivers were slowing down so we could pass, I'll just let him keep that image for future trips to Tahoe.

I don't believe I've ever felt this good about a new car purchase, and the cars I've owned in the past set the bar rather high. Finally had to fill the tank, 14.9 mpg, not bad for pulling a 7600' summit and going over 100 on 3 passes. I guess I am V addicted and want to thank the folks on the forum for describing their driving impressions, even though I thought they were inflated, now I know they are not.

Geez, I finished typing this and scrolled up to proof read, and saw that I started this with "to make a long story short". Boy was I wrong, you just can't relate your first real spirited driving experiance in a short missive.

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