Hey everyone,

Im going to be trading in my 2001 Eldorado for a Lightning.

The Eldo is a beautiful, beautiful car... but I put a lot of miles on it and ever since I bought it Ive wanted to have something *faster*. The Eldorado is fast... but somehow its not fast enough. Maybe this stuff is like weightlifting in that youre never BIG enough. Anyhow, I figure the Lightning will quench my thirst in the speed department.

I also didnt want to get something that everyone has. I have some sort of "Red Light Syndrome" where, if you have a car that stands out and some kid pulls up next to you at a red light, there is the sideways glance followed by a 100 yard race. I actually never lost in the Cadillac but I never went looking for trouble either.

I actually have 4 questions;

1. Anyone here ever make a change like I am about to?

2. Any of you ever have a red light encounter with your L?

3. I do a decent amount of long distance driving. Will I be miserable?

4. I have my eye on aftermarket rims already... just need to find a place to sell the ones that come with it. What other stuff can be done fairly easily to enhance the look and / or performance? I dont know a hell of a lot about this stuff and I have seen all the ads for "Add 15 HP to your vehicle with a 2 minute installation!". I dont know about that, but at least I know enough to say I dont know and to ask.

Thanks everyone for your input... I appreciate it very much.

Josh

 

First off let me say welcome and good luck with getting your L. This board has a ton of info, lot of your questions can be answered by reading the FAQ. I would read through that first then ask more specific questions. Good luck again.

 

Welcome!

I went from a big SUV to the truck. Very glad I did

Red light encounters are fairly frequent. In the L there will be very few losses...

The Caddy is going to win in the comfort department on long trips, but the cab in the L is spacious and the seats are decent. The suspension will be a bit stiff compared with what you're used to, but you'll get over it after flooring the L a few times

There are many aftermarket parts for the L, now (it wasn't like this several years ago).

The big mods are computer chips, air intake kits, and pulleys. It goes on from there to making big HP numbers...

Enjoy!

 

Hello,

Welcome to the 'family'.
I agree with the other guys, you will get alot of would-be racers' attention, but seldom will anyone be able to beat you.

I have driven my '99 Lightning from Phoenix to San Diego several times now in the first year of ownership and would say that it is a very good distance vehicle. Comfortable, and with the tonneau cover on. . .gets fairly good gas milage (It is a supercharged V8, so it's only gonna get about 16-18 mpg on the highway).

Funniest thing about the Lightnings is that everytime I find something that mildly annoys me about the truck, it is instantly cured by placing my right foot firmly down on the accelerator pedal, or taking a decreasing radius turn faster than I can in my modified '91 Mustang GT. Amazing vehicles indeed.

And they get ALOT of attention. . .even in bone stock form.


See you around,

 

I went from a pretend Cadillac (Catera) to a Lightning, so maybe I can offer some insight.

You will love the speed of the Lightning. It's a major kick. However, the ride will take some getting used to. It is definitely still a truck. It's not bone-jarring, and the L handles extremely well for what it is, but it ain't no boulevard cruiser.

Similarly, you will not be ensconced in the lap of luxury inside the thing. The Lightning's amenities are fairly bare-bones. No auto climate control, dimming headlights, heads up displays, and the stock stereo sucks.

However, the seats are very comfortable for long hauls. I've done 12 hour drives in it, and come out at the other end just fine.

All in all, though, my Lightning is the BEST vehicle I've EVER owned in 30 years.

 

My 01 l is the best vehicle I've owned in my 62 years .... No, it's not perfect but it has it's redeeming values.

As far as a long trip vehicle, maybe Masterloggie will chime. He just dropped by my home to show-off his new headers and cat-back system. He now has the baddest-sounding, sweetest sounding L in middle Ga.! He just got back from a round trip to the Pentagon--took him 11 hours from Warner Robins. He's made at least one trip from here to Ohio also. He was grinnin' from ear-to-ear--took me for a short WOT run so I could hear the scream of his s/c mixed with the smooooth roar of his exhaust.

He and I will be 1/4 mileing tomorrow night--both of us looking for new best ets--and then we will drive our Ls to work and back on the week days. It's a blast, wherever it takes you.

Dan

 

I have driven a few 99's and 2000's and while I love to drive any lightning the 2001's have a better ride. The Bilstiens do make a differance.

I have taken a few rides from Boston to NJ and all I can say it is verry confortable on long rides.

I used to have a 97 SHO which was a quick comfortable car, Like your Caddy a V8 front wheel drive car. I like the L much better.

If you are at a red light there isn't much out there that will even keep close to you. the L will smoke the Caddy.

As far as adding even more HP it is real easy, you can add 30-50 HP in about 15-20 minutes just by adding a chip. Then things like a filter, Pulley, Electric Fan will even add more power.

The only thing that sucks about the L is the stereo, but it is easy to upgrade the sound system.

This is who I use for all my mods
http://www.jdmengineeringinc.com/
He makes awesome stuff and in my opinion is the best tunner out there.

there are also
http://www.johnnylightningperf.com/
http://www.powersurgeperformance.net/
http://www.lightningforceperformance.com/home.html

you really can't go wrong with any of these 4 tuners. Call them all and decide who you feel most comfortable with.

 

Thanks a lot for all the info guys, I will be sure to let you know how my first few days with the L goes once I get it. Just need to pick a color now (leaning towards red since Ive only had black vehicles in the past and white gets dirty easily if it has anything to do with me).

I really appreciate it!!! I did read over the FAQ a few times before I posted my message but I wanted to ask as well. Peoples signatures will help me find doo dads to add as well.

Im psyched.

Josh

 

If you have never owned a truck, once you buy one there is a good chance you will never be able to be without one ever again. The utility is just so damn cool to have. I mean you never have to worry about any big purchases etc.

As for the transition for a Caddie, well it will be night and day in the luxo department. We have the Lightning and a Lexus RX300 and the Lexus is a much more comfortable distance driver but then again it doesn't exactly get the endophins going when you punch the loud pedal either.

I have taken the Lightning from Nashville to Baltimore and back in a weekend. It is not a bad distance runner but does get a little uncomfortable until you get the seats worn in. I managed to get 20 mpg on one leg of the trip and I averaged around 19 so is certainly isn't bad mileage for any truck much less a 380hp monster.

The worst part of owning it is that urge to keep it clean and having to constantly tell the devil on your shoulder, "the tires cost 200.00 each, we can't do WOT launches at every stop sign, or can we?"

I came out of a Toyota Tundra and have been very pleasantly surprised by the fit and finish of my truck. It seems to be a quality build. The stereo does however suck, actually suck doesn't actually quite convey how bad it really is.

I am not an audiophile and I did not grow up putting thousands of dollars of stereos in my vehicles, it just isn't my thing. Most modern stock stereo systems sound pretty darn good to me. That being said I yanked that Ford Visteon POS out faster than I could burn rubber off the tires. I replaced with 4 Pioneer 2 way speaker and a Rockford Fosgate MP3 head unit. I did the work myself, got some good deals, threw some dynamat in and voila it sounds great. I did all this for about $400.00.

Make sure you drive one before you commit to buying. Also make sure you can live with only having a regular cab, essentially two seat vehicle. You can fit three in a pinch but it isn't fun. Well actually you could probably fit 20 in a pinch but at 120 mph they would probably be sucked right out of the bed.

As for the feeling of speed that you will get there is nothing like the visceral feeling the monster torque of this thing gives you. I have driven faster cars but they are not as fun as the pure grunt this truck conveys. There is no finesse, no high technology, aerodynamic tricks here. No this is firmly a strap a big enough engine to a barn door theory kind of vehicle and there really is nothing like it produced period. Pure unadulterated grin machine. Bad day work apply right foot firmly to accelerator and watch your troubles and tires melt away.

Good luck on your purchase.

Chris

 

That was beautiful man....do you write for Motor Trend?

 

Unfortunitely I do not write for Motor trend. I think they require that you must be able to spell. :0(

 

Spell or not, it brought a tear to my eye.

 

Watch this video and keep telling yourself, it's just a truck! You will LOVE your new Lightning, guaranteed!

http://www.spikeengineering.com/quicktime/T3.mov