Thanks! What an interesting thread. Sounds like the AWD TB SS could be awesome with a 6L80E.

 

I was just going thru the site that GTPprix linked us to, and am kinda getting excited about the AWD TB SS. Which is weird, because I'm not a truck guy, I usually won't consider a car with auto trans, and I'm very sensitive about the weight/complexity/cost penalty of AWD.

 

Yup...you aren't a truck guy.....but your wife drives a Sport Ute as I recall!!!

 

Yeah, but she has a new car.....and I'm needing one soon.

I don't know why I can't find any TB SS's to check out.

 

Here's the first one I've seen in blue.....looks sharp, I think.


http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=3138

 

Hmm. But you are an IRS guy. Check out Carroll Shelby's comments in the Jan 06 R/T on IRS on his namesake Mustang. I do take his comments with a grain of salt, since he'd be trying to sell what he's got.

Btw, I don't mean to restart that debate again. I had just read the article in the previous hour, and then I read your message, and the irony struck me.

I'm confident (hopeful?) that the Chevy team found a better way to do it

 

That does look sharp in blue!

I really want to see one on that Jewel Red color too... and I read somewhere that in addition to Jewel Red, the Dark Grey Metallic was added (I hope so, that is what I wanted above all others)

Black and Blue look great, IMO... Problem is, I've had balck, and while it looks awesome, it's such a PITA to keep nice lookingon a daily driver... and the blue, while it's my favorite color overall... I just had it on the GTO....Silver and White, I don't like so much on the TBSS... need to see the other(s) color(s) still.

I keep having this ping pong match in my head... TBSS... Av Z71... TBSS... AvZ71.... sigh. I'm going to drive myself nuts.

And by the time the Lease Pullahead catches up to me, I'll probably have more choices to contend with... sigh.

 

I'll try to catch that story, I haven't read it yet. But I do have different expectations for different vehicles. The TB is...after all a truck. I'd expect a reasonable trade off between it's overall utility and it's handling. Sure, I 'd want some level of satisfying chassis dynamics - but I wouldn't expect it to be a road leech in the way I'd want a Z/28 to be.

 

This truck is a helluvalot of fun It should run mid 13's or so after we get done tuning it; not bad for a 4800 lbs truck!

 

Those TB guys crack me up. I loved the huge thread about the SRT8 where they tried to prove the SS was better.

 

Isn't the TB getting ground-up revamped soon? I hope so. That's a cool drivetrain and chassis but that interior has GOT to go. Please see the GMT-900 trucks... GM got the right idea on those for the most part.

I hope they keep the SS model when they do the redesign and don't take several years to add it to the lineup like they did with this one.

That 0-60 time is pretty bad, though. Most other non-performance marketed V8 SUVs in that class are not too far behind if behind at all. Heck... sounds like the Jeep SRT8 would eat its lunch without a doubt, and the new V6 Rav4, though not intended to be in the same class, would be neck'n'neck with it, unless somebody can improve on that time.

Anybody catch the STS-V comparison in MT this past month? The CLS AMG model absolutely destroyed it performance-wise. GM has always been known for its class-leading powertrains in terms of performance/power output but recently it seems some others have been giving them a hard time.

 

Eh my SS hit 60 in 5.3 seconds bone stock. How is that bad for a 4800lbs truck? hehe

 

No way most mags will see a 6.2 0-60 for the TB SS. Edmunds must really suck. I'm guessing ~5.3-5.6 seconds will be normal.

As for the STS-V, I didn't see a MT article. But Car and Driver tested against the M5 and the CLS55 AMG. The two Germans were quicker, but also at least $15k more expensive. They actually ranked the STS-V ahead of the Benz. Even though the Benz was faster, they liked the overall ride/handling/performance balance of the STS better, as well as its interior.

I actually wonder about the test unit they got. The 0-60 time was 4.6 seconds, which sounds about right (the other two were a couple of tenths quicker IIRC). But the 1/4 mile time was something like 13.3 @ 107, which is slower than the CTS-V they tested, which is down about 60-70 hp from the STS-V. I would expect something closer to 13.0 @ 110, at least (a CTS-V can do that, and I'd expect that 70 hp at the upper rpm to come in handy for a good trap speed). 107 mph sounds suspiciously slow for some reason.

I figured the Benz might be a tick or two quicker (it is running a supercharged 5.5L, vs. the supercharged 4.4L in the STS - similar peak power, but the Benz has a significant torque advantage), and obviously the more extreme (and less comfy) M5 would be quicker, but I didn't expect such a low trap speed in the 1/4 mile. Something doesn't add up there.

 

Ditto. And it needs to be able to tow a trailer with some authority. I expect to have mine within a month.

 

It's in this month's issue (the one with Civic as COTR)

The article is titled:
Cadillac STS-v meets Mercedes-Benz CLS55 AMG
Blown Away