Automatic Cadillac CTS4-V Blackwing Doesn’t Have Titanium Rods
Only manual-transmission versions of the 2022 Cadillac CTS4-V Blackwing have titanium rods, for a good reason.
As most are already aware, the new 2022 Cadillac CTS4-V Blackwing is equipped with the same twin-turbo 3.6-liter LF4 V6 as the now-discontinued ATS-V. But there’s one major difference between these applications that was recently discovered by GM Authority – while this engine utilized titanium rods in the ATS-V with both the six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic transmissions, only the manual gearbox-equipped CTS4-V Blackwing gets titanium rods.
Those that opt for the GM Hydra-Matic 10-speed automatic transmission will instead get heavier steel rods. On the surface, this seems like a strange decision, but as it turns out, there is a very good reason to build two different configurations of the LF4 for the Cadillac CTS4-V Blackwing – the new 10-speed gearbox simply doesn’t need them.
Titanium rods are used in performance applications because they’re lighter than steel rods, and since they’re part of the engine’s rotating assembly, that makes a big difference. Lighter rods make it easier for the engine to speed up and slow down, which is important in lower-geared automatic or manual transmission-equipped performance vehicles. With both, the RPMs drop significantly in between shifts, and we want to keep the engine in that sweet spot for optimal performance.
With more gears, the 10-speed does a better job of keeping engine RPM in the right range for maximum power. Thus, GM determined that titanium rods were unnecessary and that the heavier steel rods were perfectly suited for this particular application. As a side benefit, steel rods are also cheaper, so the automaker saves a few dollars in the process.
“On the autos, what we actually found out on the ATS-V is that the titanium rods were really not needed,” Cadillac Blackwing Chief Engineer, Mirza Grebovic, told GM Authority. “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,” Grebovic continued. “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.”
It came as a surprise to many that GM bucked current trends and offered a manual transmission in the Blackwing, but clearly, it didn’t just do it to appease purists. The automaker also worked hard to ensure that the manual was as competitive as possible. And for that, we have to give credit where credit is due.
Photos: General Motors
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