🔧 BUILD CMNT's Cadillac STS-V

General Information

Stemming from discussion in the other thread about not many peoples cars/build threads, I mentioned this and people seem not to know much about it. So here it goes...

CMNT's 2006 Cadillac STS-V

They were produced for 4 model years (2006 - 2009), and only 2,503 were made. It's an STS that is obviously "V-ified". That includes;

- 1 hand-built 4.4L, supercharged, intercooled V8 (hand built at the GM Performance Center right alongside LS7's, LS9/A's, etc)
- 1 6L80E
- Rear wheel drive as God intended
- some suspension goodies
- Brembo's at all 4 corners
- 18" front wheels, 19" rear wheels
- then the visual stuff

There isn't a lot of aftermarket support due to low production numbers, but I have done both pieces of the intake (Spectre, none of that D3 expensive shit), Magnaflow exhaust, some intercooler work (the bane of any supercharged GM vehicle's existence) and then tuned by Jim at Speed Inc. It did 415/472 on Speed's dyno. I have never tracked it, more simply out of lack of time.

They came in three exterior colors;
- Light Platinum Metallic (what mine is)
- Thunder Grey Metallic (could also be listed as "Thunder Grey Chromaflair")
- Black Raven

Interior colors were;
- Light Grey (mine)
- Ebony
- Ebony with red accents

At the time I really wanted a CTS-V, but with the two kids in big, bulky car seats, I needed the bigger car, so I had to sacrifice a little. :p

So pics

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syP

Not Banned
May 24, 2007
30,096
357
Downers Grove, Illinois
We have had plenty of STS-Vs come into Cadillac of Naperville. No major issues. Mostly just routine maintenance. When I was looking at them I asked a few of our seasons techs and even the saltiest of Cadillac hating techs said the 4.4 is problem free. People hear “North Star” and instantly think it’s the same pile of shit as the junk 4.6.
 

CMNTMXR57

GM, Holden & Chrysler Mini-Van nut swinger
Sep 12, 2008
26,148
31,258
Elgin
We have had plenty of STS-Vs come into Cadillac of Naperville. No major issues. Mostly just routine maintenance. When I was looking at them I asked a few of our seasons techs and even the saltiest of Cadillac hating techs said the 4.4 is problem free. People hear “North Star” and instantly think it’s the same pile of shit as the junk 4.6.

I've now had it just over 7 years and despite all it's complexity it's been back for two things either under warranty or due to recall.

Item#1: Low speed cooling fan, two of the three screws that hold the plastic fan blade to the motor backed out and were grinding away. I started to take it apart late one Saturday afternoon, and after about a hour of dissassembly realized this wasn't going to be a quick fix and said "fuck it, it's under warranty..."

Item#2: was the fuel pump relay recall that affected most V-Series.

Otherwise the main problems are cam covers leaking, thermostat issues, shifter mechanism issues. And as I've posted before, my center carrier bearing on the driveshaft is going. Oh one more thing... Heated steering wheel on the 2006 & 2007's go out and GM doesn't make the wheel anymore. So you're S.O.L. Mine hasn't worked for 5 years now.

Weird. I never knew these existed. Probably the coolest Northstar car GM ever made. Makes you wonder why it didn’t just come with the same power plant as that generation CTS-V.

The target demo they were going after were higher end European cars, and as much as we all love LS motors, they are still a little too "hot-rodish" for that demo.

Google STSV RED INTERIOR. Pretty slick. Someone swapped those into a Grand Prix back in the day. Sexy

Yea, I hated them in pictures when I first started shopping. I then went and test drove a Light Platinum (At Heritage I believe) and both the Wife and I actually came away really liking it. Unfortunately the numbers just didn't work out. I ended up getting this one from a dealer in Jackson, MS. Flew down and drove it back.

Upon closer inspection, that engine bay does not look fun to work in at all. Where does that intake piping go?

It is VERY tight to work on, but once you learn your way around, it isn't so bad. Dare I say, in some aspects, being longitudal, it's easier to work on than the LD8 I had in my Bonneville GXP. So the intake comes in, "Y's" before the intercooler (the big black thing on top), runs down each side of the intercooler, then turns down behind it, into another "Y", into the TB, the then the supercharger blows it up through the intercooler, which then routes it straight back down into the intake valves.

Here is a pic of the Blower and intercooler off the car and you can see the runners down to the intake valves on the side;
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