Mister, can you Spare a Speedline?

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After my recent tire fun, I decided I would like to have an extra front wheel/tire available for my 2008 Cadillac STS-V.

Today I got this package in the mail:

Cadillac STS-V Speedline Front Wheel

Cadillac STS-V Speedline Front Wheel

This Italian beauty technically comes from Speedline, but it came along to me via our friends at Direct Performance, the top ebay seller for new and take-off Cadillac wheels.  This example is a new, never mounted wheel.

I always enjoy doing business with Direct, and highly recommend them if  you need wheels.

STS-V Speedline Front Wheel Rear View

STS-V Speedline Front Wheel Rear View

The back shows the Speedline info as well as production lot and sizing info (18″ x 8.5″ x 51 mm) for the wheel.  It was produced on line “A” 06/09/07, at 2:16:08 by shift C as noted along the wheel circumference, and accepted by Inspector 43.

Next I’ll be headed over to Discount Tire to have some rubber added.  I am going without a TPM, since this is for a spare and I won’t want to reprogram the TPM system each time it goes on.

 

ContourHD video on suction cup mount experiment

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I am experimenting a bit more with my Contour camera, mount, and placement.

This video was done with the ContourHD on a ‘windshield’ suction cup mount on the front hood, passenger side.  The video is captured at 720p and youtube offers a variety of data rates to suit your download speeds.

The camera audio is mostly wind noise out in the wind, but could be muted; I left it in for illustration.

Mount available on Amazon

Suggestions, comments, ideas, requests?

Aligned at Crest Cadillac

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Ran by Crest Cadillac this morning at 7 AM for a suspension alignment for my 2008 Cadillac STS-V.  Alignment is something that does not HAVE to be done at the dealer, but Crest makes it easy to get in and out and on with my day.

2008 STS-V Suspension Alignment before, spec, and after

I went in with the expectation that the current alignment was okay, but after my recent tire issue I wanted to be sure.  The alignment report shows the car as a STS base model, but Cadillac only issued one alignment spec for the STS.

I scheduled ahead of time online with Crest, and they emailed and called to confirm.  I asked for a 7 am start, and my Service Advisor Gene met me as soon as the door opened.  It took just over an hour for the alignment, so I enjoyed the Customer Lounge, and wandered out and looked at the new Cadillacs.

Line of new CTS-Vs waiting for Happy Cadillac Owners

Based on the inner-edge wear on the original Pirellis I thought if anything was off in the alignment it would be the camber.  The alignment results show that the camber was in spec, but the Toe-In was off slightly left front and right rear.  Normally one might expect a saw-tooth wear pattern across the tread if the toe-in is off.

I have read other owners experienced a similar wear pattern with the Pirelli runflats, so I am not certain what to conclude.  I’ll keep an eye on the wear pattern for the new tires and we’ll see.  In the mean time, I’ll keep enjoying the STS-V.