(Un)natural Progression: E90 M3 -> Cadillac CTS-V Sedan

[Veritable]

Gentlemen, gentlemen!


...

Anyways, Street Legals Drag Racing last Saturday night! Bring your own car, race for time-slips only. Did 10 runs total, but most of them were throw-aways due to massive wheelspin causing nearly 3 seconds 60ft times... or the race starting while I was still adjusting myself at the start line, thus getting the green light while I was still in Reverse

Run 1, and also capturing the action from pit lane to pit lane, showing the facility as well as the race procedure:

Run 3, actually managed a good launch without Traction Control:

Run 4 was a bad launch, but I decided to put up the video because I shifted like mad and reeled the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 (who obviously had no traction issues) in... but JUST ran out of track. Lost the race by 0.03 second

Run 7 was done with Traction Control On; not sure if the C5 'Vette was modded in any way, but her 12.8s time was basically what I was aiming for all night, so her run was my benchmark. Comparing the time slips, then, it's obvious that she beat my 60ft by that 0.5 second that I needed. I get that sub 2 seconds 60ft, and I'll get my high 12's.

I transcribed all the time slips for each run in the video description, so just click on Watch in YouTube if you want to look at them.

Last year, I went twice to the same venue with my 2011 BMW M3 Sedan M-DCT, where with M Dynamic Mode and the transmission on the fastest automatic mode then wooding the throttle from idle consistently netted me 13.3s @ 110mph, except for one over-achieving run where the car did 13.0 @ 111mph ("beating" my brother-in-law's 2009 Nissan GT-R as he didn't get a good reaction time). So, I was obviously looking for the V to easily go faster than that. Alas, it wasn't the case, as I explained to the club secretary of the BMW Car Club of BC:

The BMW had an intermediate traction control mode called M Dynamic Mode (MDM, we called it), which actually manages wheelspin to help the car move forward rather than cutting power and slapping you on the wrist. The Cadillac had no such thing, so it was either traction control on or off. TC On consisently netted me mid-13s, but that's no improvement over the M3. TC Off, on the other hand, and with so much power going through the rear wheels, demanded a level of throttle control that was unfortunately well beyond my skill level.

Also, despite the V's TR6060 transmission being an absolute joy to shift quickly at redline (for the first 4 gears, at least), looking back at the in-car videos I took on the same venue with the M3, the difference between M-DCT and rowing-your-own-gear is absolutely astounding. Being able to shift seamlessly, in milliseconds, with no interruption of forward momentum is... advantageous.

So, my takeaway after tonight is, I still believe the V is quicker than the M3 in the day-to-day stuffs. However, out on the drag strip where you are asking the driver to wring every last bit out of the cars, it was easier to do so with the 2011 M3 I had, what with the sensible and manageable power output and a very smart traction control system. The V is capable for much more, but my skills are not there yet.

Oh, and that M-DCT is witchcraft.

You might be interested in knowing that the V, fully loaded from factory, with 1/4 tank and me inside, weighed in at a portly 4365lb. The M3 M-DCT, mostly loaded except for Executive Package and leather interior, weighed 3785lb with the same 1/4 tank and also me inside.

Finally, one final note. The 6200rpm rev limiter on the V is HARD. Hit it in-gear, and the car bogs for at least HALF A SECOND on the next shift.

So, overall, MDM + M-DCT on D5 E90 M3 vs. no TC + 6MT gen-2 CTS-V, as of my skill level RIGHT NOW, I am faster on average with the BMW. Yeah, I'm big enough of a boy to admit that too Though, based on that setup, I won't ever go any faster with the BMW as it's all down to the computers, while my V times are merely the beginning; I will only get faster as my skills improve

[Majin Buu]

4300 lb? Wow. That is really the only thing keeping me from getting this car. Why is it so damn heavy? I can't imagine the tires or brakes liking that very much, especially if you drive on a track a lot.