2016 CTS-V Review from Boldride

[cal45]

A less then stellar hands on review from Boldride

https://www.yahoo.com/autos/s/2016-c...163032425.html

[chain777]

This is the first time I've read about heat issues on the LT4 in the CTS-V. I was hoping they sorted it out, but it's looking like the LT4 is the issue, not just poor cooling due to the Corvettes air management issues. This doesn't look good for the ZL1...

[SpeedIsLife]

Uh oh...

[King Sun]

2 steps ahead as far as design of the car but still 3 steps back

[Denis]

ugh...this is a problem.

[90503]

I wish they'd test a Vette and Caddy without these features that put the car into "limp-mode"...Correct me if I'm wrong, but that is perhaps an over-kill safety feature that is the problem, and not a savior from an imminent motor-lunch within the next 10 minutes...

Limp-mode doesn't mean the engine or trans have failed.....Unplug that system and drive one until it drops, if it indeed does....

It looks bad for sure, but I think their systems to protect the drivetrain may be the problem and are set too low....

Do like HAL suggested in 2001 Space Odyssey.....Can't find what's wrong? Let it go until it fails, they you'll know for sure....lol...

[EFI]

Unplug that system and drive one until it drops, if it indeed does....

Are you willing to put up your cash on that? Cuz no person with the right amount of chromosomes will just unplug a safety system like that hope it doesn't destroy their brand new $85,000 car.

There's a reason those safety points are put into the tune. And while they may be a little bit on the safe side, it's not like they are just there for the hell of it. And if the engine parameters get to that point, I would not want the tune to still command full power and continue letting the engine progress further and further into the danger territory.

Also, a supercharger and engine running at high temperatures aren't exactly operating efficiently. So just because you turn off the safety system doesn't mean the car will peform its best. Heatsoak still takes its toll on performance whether or not the limp mode feature is on. So testing the cars while heatsoaked won't exactly get you great test scores. Even more reason not to risk the car for little to no improvement in performance.

[90503]

Originally Posted by EFI

Are you willing to put up your cash on that? Cuz no person with the right amount of chromosomes will just unplug a safety system like that hope it doesn't destroy their brand new $85,000 car.

Not for a customer to unplug...lol....as I said in the first line of my post, I meant for GM to do it on a test car...

[90503]

Originally Posted by EFI

Are you willing to put up your cash on that? Cuz no person with the right amount of chromosomes will just unplug a safety system like that hope it doesn't destroy their brand new $85,000 car.

There's a reason those safety points are put into the tune. And while they may be a little bit on the safe side, it's not like they are just there for the hell of it. And if the engine parameters get to that point, I would not want the tune to still command full power and continue letting the engine progress further and further into the danger territory.

Also, a supercharger and engine running at high temperatures aren't exactly operating efficiently. So just because you turn off the safety system doesn't mean the car will peform its best. Heatsoak still takes its toll on performance whether or not the limp mode feature is on. So testing the cars while heatsoaked won't exactly get you great test scores. Even more reason not to risk the car for little to no improvement in performance.

Not disagreeing with you at all....But I just didn't see where it ran poorly before the limp-mode started....Maybe it did....but I didn't notice where it was stated that heat-soak was the actual problem, it was just assumed because it went into limp-mode and even then went into limp mode before any performance loss was noticed....

[EFI]

Not for a customer to unplug...lol....as I said in the first line of my post, I meant for GM to do it on a test car...

I'm sure GM has done plenty of testing on the engine without any nannies on, and that's how they came up with the limp mode after a certain time because they realized without it the engine would most likely melt.

But I just didn't see where it ran poorly before the limp-mode started....Maybe it did....but I didn't notice where it was stated that heat-soak was the actual problem, it was just assumed because it went into limp-mode and even then went into limp mode before any performance loss was noticed....

It didn't run poorly because the engine was still operating at the right temp.

The limp mode was put in to save from the heatsoak, but it's not like if you remove the limp mode the car will all of a sudden feel like a beast. It still has to deal with the heatsoak itself. It may be premature sure.

The point is, whether you have the engine with limp mode ON but operating at 200* or you have the car with limp mode OFF but operating at 260* is the same thing.

The limp mode is not the problem, it's the cooling. Once the cooling issues are fixed, then it will perform. Until then, whether or not you go into this limp mode is meaningless. The engine will still under-perform simply because it overheats.

[MrChrisLS3]

Could making the move to the smaller supercharger and spinning it faster be the achilles heal for the LT4? I don't know if it could really be something as simple as that, but it seems to me that anytime you spin anything faster in an engine, you're going to get more heat.

But I just don't get it. GM, if anything, hangs it hat on V8 engine technology. They, over the course of decades have produced engines with unparalleled power and reliability. With as much engineering and testing as they put into their powertrain program, you'd think they would have discovered this issue long before it was put into production. Then add that this is their 'big boy' engine, it's just unimaginable to me.

[MEDISIN]

It's not all that hard to get a car into limp mode. Was in a Huracan last year that went into limp mode after 4 laps. GT-R has done it on multiple occasions. 2nd gen CTS-V has been known to go into limp mode when the rear-diff gets hot. Manufacturers are pushing the performance envelope and building in conservative safe zones for protection. Very few production cars are what I would call truly "track ready". While the CTS-V has always offered excellent track performance for its size/weight, it is not intended to be a dedicated track machine off the shelf.

[shaffe]

I am going to have to agree with my good buddy MEDISIN, It is easy to put a car in safe mode/limp mode.

To me what is disappointing is that this has happened more than once on LT4 equipped cars and what makes it disappointing is that more people will remember the negative from these reviews than the positives.

[MEDISIN]

Originally Posted by shaffe

I am going to have to agree with my good buddy MEDISIN, It is easy to put a car in safe mode/limp mode.

lol

Originally Posted by shaffe

To me what is disappointing is that this has happened more than once on LT4 equipped cars and what makes it disappointing is that more people will remember the negative from these reviews than the positives.

It seems there are two issues at play. (1) the 8L90 equipped C7's with LT1 have been experiencing heat-related issues. (2) The LT4 primarily in the Z06 and now perhaps in the CTS-V experiencing heat-related issues (many blame the smaller, fast-spinning supercharger). Have there been heat-related issues with manual Z06's? Hopefully this doesn't carry forward into the SS, ZL1.