I"Heart"556HP

[Vettezuki]

Saw this on a license plate at Sears today on a Pearl White Cadillac CTS-V. It's a pretty good looking car in pictures. It's even more striking in person.

[blackax]

I love the recaros in the new V, i want to look in to a swap at some point

[Gary Wells]

After having mine with Recaros for a year, I would not have one without.
When a new Cad CTS-V gets up beside you at a light, be careful what you wish for, I know at least a couple of those running on the street in the So Kali Republik that lay down over 600 at the rear wheel. BTW, mine's bone stock, because that other 125 or so RWHP does not come free.

[BADDASSC6]

Mr. Wells,
Please expand on the "does not come free".
Thanks,
CNJ

[Gary Wells]

Due to the very few tuners & tune shops for those cars, very few manufacturers for speciality equipment, I would guess that to get at 600 RWHP on an auto, you would probably be looking at about 8K minimum maybe, and that would be with you doing a little of the work. Headers on sale are about 1900. This includes the x-pipe, & piping back to the factory muffs. Labor: probably about 6 hours, at about $95 average per hour. RWHP gain on an auto would probably be about maybe 8-12 (without a tune). 600 RWHP on a stick would probably a tad cheaper, as the stick has about 40 RWH more than a auto on a dyno, even though the auto is a tad quicker on the street as a general rule. Just educated guesses on my part, but I know that it costs more to build on these than most other cars.

[Gary Wells]

blackax:
you kool for tomorrow?
Should be about 7 or a few more CTS-V's & STS-V's along.

[Shaolin Crane]

why not just do the work yourself?

[BADDASSC6]

There are quite a few tuners that will work on a CTS-V in Socal AZ area. A&A, RPM, Supieor automotive, and Excelsior I have used on my vette. I got kooks long tube headers, a halltech intake, Corsa cat back exhaust installed in my 2007 vette for <$4k which included parts.

Long tube headers on vettes are worth ~35 rwhp with the tune. Exhaust and CAI are worth ~20 rwhp each.

I would definitely get some good headers, pulley, and CAI for your car. I bet you could hit 600 rwhp easy.:bigthumbsup:

[Gary Wells]

I bet not. Mine's an auto. Right there I am about 40 RWHP farther away from 600 RWHP than a stick right out the gate. I am kicking around a 9" or 9.5" lower pulley, 160˚F or 165˚F thermo, a ECM & TCM tune, probably a cai, although I don't know whose manufacture yet, and I have a brand new in the box Alky-Control alcohol-methanol injection kit specifically designed for the '09 Cad CTS-V which I may or may not have installed of the 1st set of mods, and I probably won't do headers for a while. I am not too sure that I want to violate both the warranty and the smog Nazis at the same time this early in the game. I am not too sure how far that I would like to go on this yet. I definitely do not want to over-do it. I am planning on having D3 in Signal Hill do the work.

[Gary Wells]

why not just do the work yourself?
Sorry, Shaolin, I did not see your query. I am actually afraid to. I'm afraid to even work on the turbo Buick. I guess that I have gotten old & lazy, I just like to be the hammerer, not the fixer. I got a bud that helps me on the turbo Buick.

[Shaolin Crane]

Sorry, Shaolin, I did not see your query. I am actually afraid to. I'm afraid to even work on the turbo Buick. I guess that I have gotten old & lazy, I just like to be the hammerer, not the fixer. I got a bud that helps me on the turbo Buick.

Maybe im brain damaged, when i first got my 7.3L dually i had the entire top end off to pull the turbo and and upper intake to squeeze more HP out if it. If you are too afraid to yourself i have no issue throwing wrenchs at someones car to make it go faster. Have you ever talked to Adam at ST about tuning, he is the oh holiest of tuners when it comes to anything domestic

[Gary Wells]

Who's Adam and what is ST?

[Shaolin Crane]

Who's Adam and what is ST?

Adam at Spankin Time motorsports, deals ALOT with PD style blowers

[Gary Wells]

Thanks, Shaolin, I will look into that. However, D3 will probably still get my work and vote as they work exclusively on Caddies, actually only on Hi-Po ones such as the V1 & V2 CTS-V's & the STS-V's. I think that they are hard to beat.

[Shaolin Crane]

Thanks, Shaolin, I will look into that. However, D3 will probably still get my work and vote as they work exclusively on Caddies, actually only on Hi-Po ones such as the V1 & V2 CTS-V's & the STS-V's. I think that they are hard to beat.

Adam works very well with GM vehicles, he has a kenne blown '10 camaro in the mid 10's

[blackax]

I still vote for charlie at RPM i think he is one of the best tuners out there

[Gary Wells]

OK, considering that this is a non-partisan, or non-biased, forum, I know most of the players in the tuning game in SoCal. I would not hesitate to have Church Automotive Testing (CAT) in Wilmington tune my Cad, and the same is true for Charlie at RPM in Valencia, or Andy Green at A & A Corvettes in Oxnard, (I think), and I have heard good things of Dynamic Tuning Solutions (DTS) in Reseda, and I have heard good things of Cunningham Motor Sports down in Lake Elsinore. As far as mechanical aptitude & skill for building and working on my Cad, it would have to be D3 in Signal hill, or Andy Green at A & A Corvettes. FWIW & IMHO, a tuner is not always a good builder, and a builder is not always a good tuner.

[Vettezuki]

OK, considering that this is a non-partisan, or non-biased, forum, I know most of the players in the tuning game in SoCal. I would not hesitate to have Church Automotive Testing (CAT) in Wilmington tune my Cad, and the same is true for Charlie at RPM in Valencia, or Andy Green at A & A Corvettes in Oxnard, (I think), and I have heard good things of Dynamic Tuning Solutions (DTS) in Reseda, and I have heard good things of Cunningham Motor Sports down in Lake Elsinore. As far as mechanical aptitude & skill for building and working on my Cad, it would have to be D3 in Signal hill, or Andy Green at A & A Corvettes. FWIW & IMHO, a tuner is not always a good builder, and a builder is not always a good tuner.

:iagree: The rest is personal experience and even personal preferences for what kind of people you want to deal with. Generally speaking, regardless of business, if there is a business that narrowly specializes and has a good reputation with some history, it's a slam dunk for two simple reasons 1) they've probably seen your exact problem or challenge before, possibly many times 2) they depend on not screwing up their core business because it's what puts food on the table.

[Gary Wells]

I wholeheartedly agree.

[Shaolin Crane]

OK, considering that this is a non-partisan, or non-biased, forum, I know most of the players in the tuning game in SoCal. I would not hesitate to have Church Automotive Testing (CAT) in Wilmington tune my Cad, and the same is true for Charlie at RPM in Valencia, or Andy Green at A & A Corvettes in Oxnard, (I think), and I have heard good things of Dynamic Tuning Solutions (DTS) in Reseda, and I have heard good things of Cunningham Motor Sports down in Lake Elsinore. As far as mechanical aptitude & skill for building and working on my Cad, it would have to be D3 in Signal hill, or Andy Green at A & A Corvettes. FWIW & IMHO, a tuner is not always a good builder, and a builder is not always a good tuner.

Adam is both a great builder and tuner. Not just tuning engines but suspension as well. But i get your point, go with the people you know, just trying to give other options :thumbs_up:

[Gary Wells]

And I appreciate the suggestions and noting of other options, Shaolin, but I have had 5 turbo Buicks and if there's one thing that I have learned, it's make sure that you have a good turbo Buick mechanic and tuner for those cars. I am almost of the same opinion for the Cads. D3 works on nothing but the Cads, and has worked on virtually nothing but the Cads for several years now. Sometimes it pays to pay more for an item, or services performed, than it is worth. If you pay too little, you generally find yourself on the short end of the stick for quality related issues, or shoddy workmanship. If you pay too much, you are only out a little money, but the item services are generally top shelf / top notch. I have found this to be true in general on Motorcycles, cars, and firearms. A good gunny is probably going to charge you a little more than the going rate, a poor gunny is going to cost you much more that he charged you. I can tell you stories on virtually every gunny in SoCal, or I could a few years back. And I am sure that the list hasn't improved any. Sorry for the long post.

[SeanPlunk]

FWIW, for tuners in the area I hear:

CMS is the best for LS motors
Stack Performance is the best for Mopar/LX
RET is the best for Modular Fords and is now doing LSX and Mopar stuff too.