Cadillac goes with Alpha & Omega

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Cadillac apparently has internally approved development of a modified Zeta platform called Omega.   The Zeta platform is the GM Full-size Rear-wheel Drive platform.  GM platforms lately have received greek letters for their internal references.  The Zeta was originally designed as a replacement for the W, H, and K platforms, but was not used, instead becoming the underpinnings of the Chevrolet Camaro.  The long wheel-base version of Zeta has also arrived in the form of the Chevrolet Caprice police vehicle.

Zeta has an independent suspension utilizing MacPherson struts coupled with a dual ball joint lower A-arm in front and a four link independent setup in back.   Holden is working on a variant of Zeta to make it lighter and more economical.  One would suppose the new Cadillac Omega platform would be lighter and more premium — utilize more expensive components for the same platform in order to save more weight and improve performance.

GM Zeta Rear Wheel Drive Platform

The upcoming Gen V V-8 is the suggested powertrain for the new Top-Cadillac.  This seems a good selection to me as it should give terrific power and relatively good fuel economy for what promises to be a heavier vehicle.

The upcoming ATS will be on the Alpha platform, and the refresh of the CTS will also go onto a long-wheelbase Alpha.  Alpha was originally designed as a small rear-wheel drive program.  The advantage of the new Omega platform perhaps is that it allows for a even longer wheelbase for the upcoming Top-Cadillac.  Also, with the addition of the Omega platform for the larger Top-Cadillac (ULS?) Cadillac will have a nice mix of platforms to develop from.  The upcoming XTS is on the Epsilon II Front-wheel drive platform, although it may be all-wheel drive with rear-wheel drive bias.   It will be interesting to see how the XTS, ATS, CTS, and SRX fare in the showroom.

With help from TexasJim, Re-Tired

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Sunday after my tire incident the STS-V had been towed to Frank Kent Cadillac in Fort Worth (60 miles from home).

Sunday night TexasJim called to volunteer to join the STS-V at Frank Kent, which is his regular Dealer, and make sure they knew it was there, etc.  I hated to infringe on Jim’s time but the best thing to do when someone offers to help and you need help is say “yes!”

Jim arrived over at Frank Kent as soon as they opened, and discussed the situation.  They said nothing for it but new tires.  Jim trimmed the errant tread off the tire, then carefully drove it over to Discount Tire.  We had previously discussed this as an option.  He arrived there before they opened, but waited with the STS-V for them to open and serve the coffee.

Jim got me on the phone and we discussed options with the Discount Tire.  I had in mind some Hankook tires, but they would not arrive until Wed/Thurs, so we picked some Continental tires they had in stock.  Jim stayed with the Cadillac until the tires got on, and until I finally got through rush hour traffic to the tire place.  I dropped Jim back at Frank Kent, and ran home to my other appointments.

Jim’s help was terrific and instrumental in helping things along.  Thanks Jim!

#Pirelli, @OnStarConnect, @Cadillac Roadside Assistance, @FrankKent & STS-V

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On the way home from Fort Worth to Plano this morning in my 2008 Cadillac STS-V I began to hear a loud “wap-wap-wap” sound.  I looked for a safe spot to exit the highway, then pulled into a parking lot to investigate.

Pirelli Eufori tire tread problem left front tire from the back looking front

Now, I am not a tire expert but I am certain the tire should not have part of the tread hanging off.

The STS-V is a performance sedan and uses Pirelli Eufori extended mobility runflat performance tires, in sizes 255/45-18 on front and 275/40-19 in back.  There is no spare, since the run flats can get you to the next place without going flat, and the wheel/tire sizes are different front to back (so no one size fits all).

I used the OnStar button to discuss with OnStar and to get Roadside Assistance.  Roadside Assistance arranged for a tow truck to come and take the STS-V to the nearest Cadillac Dealer, in this case Frank Kent Cadillac in Fort Worth.

STS-V loaded on flatbed tow truck

The Tow truck arrived in about an hour from the first call to OnStar, which is good service for a Sunday.  Unfortunately, Frank Kent is not open this morning, but the advantage of having the Cadillac taken to a Cadillac dealer is that they have a secure lockup for delivery after hours.

So, my son came and picked me up from the stopped spot.  If I were further afield I would have had to take a taxi to a rental car place and get a rental car setup for the duration.  I believe the Cadillac coverage would cover the rental car fee.

Tread on the front tires didn’t look bad except for the ripped part.

Right Front Tire from the Front looking back

Left Front Tire from the Front looking back

So I am not sure what caused the tire to have this sort of failure.  The tires had 18K miles on them when I purchased the car, and have 19.2xx on them now.  I assume they are the original equipment tires that came with the STS-V.

Next will be to talk to Frank Kent to determine the correct replacements.  The Pirelli’s run $377 each for the fronts, and $488 ea for the rears at discounttire.com

The trade off on run-flats is they have somewhat worse performance, but they don’t leave you stuck beside the road.  This morning I felt stuck beside the road, so I am not sure I want to put run-flats on again for the new tires.  With the V at the Dealer though I’ll have to see what the choices are.

My experience with OnStar was good.   They were helpful, polite, and got me connected to who I needed to talk to.

Cadillac Roadside assistance was helpful and got the car to the right place to be serviced. We discussed various options — such as which Cadillac dealer to tow to, or whether to tow to a tire store instead.

The Towing company sent the right kind of truck for the V, and the Driver took appropriate care to get the V up on the truck without scraping the front spoiler.

OnStar, Cadillac Roadside service, and the Towing Company all communicated clearly back to me.

I wish roadside assistance worked where a van pulled up with a new rare tire, and ready to mount it on the wheel.  Unfortunately, that’s not happening.  But I am glad that I was able to get the car lined up for repair and I got back home safely.