The upcoming 2022 Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing compact ultra-high-performance luxury sedan will have the same twin-turbo 3.6L V6 LF4 engine previously fitted to the discontinued Cadillac ATS-V. However, there is one difference between the two applications which can not be seen unless the engine is completely dismantled: the connecting rods.
Here, we must do some preliminary explaining so that everyone can make sense of what follows. For the benefit of anyone unfamiliar with an engine’s inner workings, the connecting rods are what join the pistons to the crankshaft.
Briefly, a fuel/air mixture is ignited when each piston is more or less at the top of its cylinder. The rapidly expanding gas exerts a force on the piston, which in turn pushes the rod, which turns the crank. The turning force of the crank is transferred through the transmission to the road wheels, and that’s how a car moves.
The LF4 engine can turn at over 6,000 rpm, which is 100 revolutions every second. During each of those revolutions, the piston and rod accelerate downward, slow to a complete standstill, accelerate upward and then decelerate to a standstill once more. The heavier those components are, the more they will resist doing what is asked of them. A very small reduction in weight (so small that it would make no difference if applied to a stationary component like a seat or a roof panel) will make the engine noticeably more willing to speed up and slow down.
A common (but expensive) method of reducing the weight of a rod is to make it out of titanium instead of steel. A titanium rod is lighter than a steel rod of the same strength. Titanium rods were fitted to the LF4 engine in the ATS-V with both six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions. The Cadillac CT4-V Blackwing will also use them, but only if it has the standard six-speed manual gearbox supplied by Tremec. Meanwhile, CT4-V Blackwing models with the optional GM Hydra-Matic 10-speed automatic transmission will have steel rods.
This is related to the reason why car makers have been cramming ever more gears into auto gearboxes in recent years. For any driving condition, there will be an optimal speed where the engine performs at its best. This works in favor of fuel economy, but in the case of the CT4-V Blackwing, performance is a higher priority. Under hard acceleration, the engine should be kept as close as possible to the speed at which it produces its maximum power.
This is much easier to achieve with ten gears than it is with only six. With the manual transmission, the engine will have to be taken well beyond the maximum power speed before each shift, and will fall below it immediately afterwards. But with the 10-speed auto, the engine will stay much closer to its optimal speed, and will not accelerate or decelerate to nearly the same extent. Therefore, steel rods will be sufficient for models with the automatic transmission, to say nothing of being significantly more cost-effective than titanium rods.
Cadillac Blackwing Chief Engineer, Mirza Grebovic, went into further detail on this subject during a recent interview with GM Authority Executive Editor, Alex Luft.
“On the autos, what we actually found out on the ATS-V is that the titanium rods were really not needed,” Grebovic explained. “With the eight-speed [in the ATS-V], it did help a little to spin up the mass, but with the 10-speed, our average rpm was so much higher that the benefit of the [titanium] rods was negligible versus the cost.
“So you can notice that our MSRP is significantly lower on these vehicles, and that was one of the reasons: we were able to pull out the titanium rods from the automatic vehicles.
“However, we did decide to leave them in the manuals because the parts already existed, the parts were already validated, and we wanted the six-speed to catch up a little to the 10-speed. That little extra reduction in mass does help the six-speed rev a little better. So we wanted to celebrate the only manual in its class with what we had, and give it a bit of a catch-up to the 10-speed.”
The LF4 engine in the CT4-V Blackwing produces 472 horsepower and 455 pound-feet of torque, and drives the rear wheels. All-wheel-drive is not available, even as an option. According to Cadillac‘s own figures, the top speed is 189 mph and the 0-60 mph time is 3.8 seconds.
The vehicle is scheduled to go into production at the GM Lansing Grand River plant in Michigan on July 5th of this year. It is priced to start at $59,990 (with the manual), though a fully configured example will cost $84,875. Rights to the first unit off the production line were sold for $165,000 at the recent Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale auction. All proceeds are being donated to the Black Ambition initiative.
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Comments
Another reason to get the manual while you can.
That is why performance cars have bespoke engines. The LF4 had humble beginnings. As we all know gms 3.6 V6 which is an excellent engine, not knocking it. Had we still been in the days of sports cars getting bespoke engines, Cadillac engineers could have engineered a better 3.6 V6 from the ground up.
With that said I hope this vehicle does well and can’t wait to hear how it drives. The new BMW m3 competition is a very attractive offer. I hope that Cadillac keeps the blackwings competitive and does a BMW. Meaning keep increasing the power. I’m sure this will drive excellent and potentially better than the Giulia Q.
Does the ct5-v blackwing with manual trans have titanium rods?
No LT4 has ever had OEM titanium rods; they are powdered-metal steel. The LS9 had OEM titanium rods.
GM should have made the CT4 V – Blackwing utilizing the 3.0TT instead of the ancient Chevrolet based 3.6 HFV6.
Just imagine the power they could have gotten out of that engine. Plus with a smaller displacement they could have sold in more markets much easier but we all know 9.5 out of 10 times GM will always go the easier route.
For the money they are charging, customers deserve better but I will give GM a pass on the CT4 V-Blackwing as their competitors are using Blown 2.0 Turbos and Audi is using a Blown 5 Cylinder.
Well that’s a first. An automatic cheaper than a manual.
Love it. The famous gm beancounters are alive and well and still applying expert “reason” to justify decontenting. Those titanium rods are implicit to the feel of the engine. It’s like comparing a pre-UPC code Lutron Architectural dimmer with a metal rheostat post that feels like it’s spinning in heavy oil to the later post-beancounter ones with plastic posts. Though they may look the same on the outside, you can (wincingly) feel every bit of quality engineered out of the later ones whenever you turn on the lights.
This shows good engineering and nothing to do with Bean counters. If it was the other way the price wouldn’t be less expensive than manual. Why add a component if it doesn’t do anything.
They substituted a lesser component to save money. And you’re okay with that. Responsiveness would’ve been superior with the original lighter rods mated to the efficient 10-speed and likewise resale value. Beancounters and gm – like peanut butter and jelly.
The more Cadillac keeps talking the cheaper and cheaper they admit their products are.
This MIGHT make good cost and/or engineering sense but from a marketing perspective I do not think a very wise move. An expensive/performance car is not a rational purchase…driven by emotion and I would much rather have a performance car with titanium rods than steel…just cooler. Should have kept and raised the price
you’re telling me, they were able to put the 3.6TT in the XTS without a problem, and now they can squeeze it into the smallest car in the portfolio, yet they can’t put it in the XT5?? WTF?!
2023 changes for CT4-V- 6 speed manual deleted. This of course is a prediction but we know how GM is so it wouldn’t surprise me in the least with cost cutting and low take rate cited as reasons.
I had read titanium rods were not good for street engines because they will eventually work harden and become weak and brittle. Fine for race motors frequently rebuilt but engine builders said not something for daily driving. Maybe these are not pure titanium or made in a different way.
😴😴yawn yawn… More old technology… Just make it hybrid or electric… Hell even the Corvette is going hybrid and will be faster then the top dog ZR1, besides what’s this thing going to get 15 to 20 MPG now gas cost by my state would be like $300 dollars a month electric by me is cheaper… Even still by going electric your still a dropping gasoline bill and if you have solar panels on your home cheaper yet! I have been waiting for this for a long time it’s going to be nice not to strangled by BIG O for a change.