Black plate (30,1)
Cadillac CTS/CTS-V Owner Manual - 2011
9-30
Driving and Operating
The tachometer display indicates
which gear the vehicle is in. The
number indicates the requested
gear range when moving the shift
lever forward or rearward.
CTS-V vehicles use tracer
lights around the outside of the
tachometer as a performance
upshift light. These tracers flash to
indicate when to shift to the next
higher gear to avoid the engine
speed limit. See
Tachometer on
page 5
‑
13
for more information.
While using the DSC feature, the
vehicle will have firmer, quicker
shifting. You can use this for
sport driving or when climbing or
descending hills, to stay in gear
longer, or to downshift for more
power or engine braking.
The transmission will only allow
you to shift into gears appropriate
for the vehicle speed and engine
revolutions per minute (RPM). The
transmission will not automatically
shift to the next lower gear if the
engine rpm is too high, nor to the
next higher gear when the maximum
engine rpm is reached.
If shifting is prevented for any
reason, the currently selected gear
will flash multiple times, indicating
that the transmission has not shifted
gears.
While in the DSC mode, the
CTS automatic transmission will
automatically downshift when the
vehicle comes to a stop. This will
allow for more power during
acceleration.
The CTS-V automatic transmission
will not automatically downshift
on hard acceleration when in
DSC mode.
When accelerating the vehicle
from a stop in snowy and icy
conditions, it is suggested to shift
into second gear. A higher gear
allows the vehicle to gain more
traction on slippery surfaces.
