22nd Apr 2009, 15:21
Reply to Bob.
The suspension on the CTS comes in 3 grades; FE1, FE2 and FE3. FE1 is the softer "old school" caddy feel. FE3 is very tight and fantastic on the track. Finally FE2 is the middle ground between soft and performance. I think the softest ride possible would be the FE1 suspension with the 17 inch wheels (good news for you, it's also the cheapest).
29th May 2009, 13:47
My mom has had both a Town Car (loved it) and a Volvo (hated it) so I know what you mean about the harsh ride on the Volvo. Mom currently owns a Lincoln MKZ. It is not as soft riding as the Town car, but much better than the Volvo. The soft suspension on the CTS is very acceptable. My wife loves these cars and we drove a couple when she was looking at another car purchase. Since we drove used ones (2-4 years old) I'd think that would be an even better indication of how they should ride than a brand new one. Both the ones we drive were basic V-6's with the softer suspension and smaller tires. The larger tires should ride even better.
20th Jan 2010, 19:53
Has any owner of a 2009 Cadillac CTS with automatic transmission had a problem with the car engine missing while going up a slight grade between 40 -60 mph in 6th gear? I have that problem with my car. The two Cadillac dealers assured me the computer checked out the system and found nothing wrong.
31st Jan 2010, 14:34
I have that problem (engine missing) right now. It's at the dealer, but they don't know what the problem is either.
2nd Mar 2010, 18:44
Engine light finally came on while my car was missing, and they had to replace a fuel injector and rebuild the other five. It was fine for two days, and then started missing again while I was going 60 mph, but no engine light. It's back at the dealer.
28th Apr 2010, 19:27
I'm a Caddie tech, and absolutely love these cars. I caution all new owners about the oil life index and oil change intervals. I recommend changing the oil no more than 5k miles on synthetic oil. On vehicles that exceed this recommendation, I have found that I end up replacing timing chains before 50k miles. If these engines are run low on oil, you may experience poor performance and a noise in the front of the engine.
Most of the engine misses I have encountered have been the result of faulty ignition coils, especially for a single cylinder misfire.
6th Dec 2011, 16:28
I have a 2009 CTS, and it has over 60,000 miles, and the engine is missing, and all the dealer does is change the oil, but it keeps on missing. The engine light does not come on, but I know we have a problem. Please let me know, so that I advise the dealer what to look for.
8th Dec 2011, 15:32
If it has over 60K miles on it, why are you still going to the dealer with it? Take it to a better mechanic and get it fixed properly. Dealers are known to have the lowest paid entry level mechanics. Ask around and see if you can get a good recommendation for a decent shop that is honest. Dealers are good for free service and warranty repairs only. Beyond that, you are just paying too much.
10th Sep 2012, 09:57
You have a missing engine? Well I would say you do have a major problem.
Don't bring your car back to that dealership -- I'm not sure how they could miss the fact that the engine was missing!
23rd Oct 2013, 23:21
How do you keep the 18" tires from deflating in -20 degree weather? Please do tell, I'm dying to know, for on several occasions in extreme cold my 18" tire deflate, and talking to the tire store, this is typical.
6th Feb 2014, 12:47
Never had that problem with my 18" wheels. I took it to the dump once and got a nail in the tire, but that's the only time I had a slowly deflating tire.
I have done 4 winters with this vehicle and the same set of tires (minus the one with the nail), and every winter the tires lose approximately 2 extra PSI when parked. But when I get back to driving temps, they are back to normal. I probably add a few PSI here and there about 2x per year; totally normal.
But deflating sounds like a completely different issue all together. Sounds a little fishy actually, especially when tire shop says that's normal - thus requiring more vehicle service. Proceed cautiously my friend.
13th May 2014, 06:38
I drive a Cadillac BLS 2006 (SAAB based); it is a V6 2.8L turbo with 255 HP.
I had the same problem with my ignition coils. One after the other began to fail. I replaced all 6. Problem solved.
31st Dec 2015, 20:19
I had a 2010 CTS with the DI engine, the car fell apart the second it hit 40k, and I could not afford the constant repairs on it. But I have driven non turbo 4 cylinder engines with far better low end power than this claimed "304 HP" engine (and I have driven maybe a dozen more, they're all the same).
The entire time I owned the car, I was terrified to pass someone doing 30 in a 55 in a 2 lane highway with nobody in sight! I would need to wait for the slow transmission that keeps it in the highest gear possible to downshift once just to accelerate a little, and twice to actually begin really accelerating. Add in 11-14 MPG on the AWD model in the winter doing mostly highway driving (15-18 in the summer). The brakes were also too weak to stop my car if I let it get above 10 mph before I make it down the hill and roll into the adjacent road at the intersection.
I now drive a 2007 Acura RL, which on paper has less torque and 300 HP, and only weighs 10 lbs less, but has no problem accelerating below 4000 RPM, or 2000 RPM for that matter, and gets me 23 MPG doing the exact same commute. Plus it is not direct injected, so the power and mileage are not nearly as strongly affected by the cold. The point is if you think the engine in the Cadillac is remotely decent, you haven't driven much else...
31st Dec 2015, 20:21
Hey Bob, I know this is years late, but I hope you didn't go out and mail order a CTS. The Town Car was more like the DTS or older Deville, a soft, cushy ride. The CTS was one of the most overly stiff cars I have ever driven, like driving a car with no suspension (even after replacing all of the struts, which died prematurely I might add).
25th Mar 2009, 01:18
I would like to know how the suspension feels on the 08/09 CTS. I like a soft Lincoln TOWN CAR type ride, however, I do not like the Volvo stiff suspension. Bob.