[gadgetgirl]

I am about to order a fx 45 but would like to know if i can put 18 inch wheels on the car instead of the 20"?
thanks

 

[Ak1nza]

Yes you can. The regular non-sport 18 inch wheels from the FX35 will fit without any problems. You can also opt to use aftermarket 18in rims and wheels as well. Check out http://www.tirerack.com for some ideas.

 

[gadgetgirl]

if i go with 18" should i just go with the 35??

should i just get a 35 instead of the 45? i'm concerned about snow handling and gas mileage....

Yes you can. The regular non-sport 18 inch wheels from the FX35 will fit without any problems. You can also opt to use aftermarket 18in rims and wheels as well. Check out http://www.tirerack.com for some ideas.

 

[bradical]

well, here is the deal. the 45 will get about 2 MPG less than the 35 on average from my experience. ive had both and even though it says 16city vs. 15 city. its more like about 13.8 vs 15.8 city. the 35 will do about 3 mpg better at highway cruise on average.

with that said, 2-3 mpg for me is insignificant when we are talking the absolut price of these cars vs what i am really saving in gas.

if you get a _LOT_ of snow, conder getting a 35 with 18's. if it snows 3-4 times a season at about 3-5 inches like here in DC, then dont worry about it and get the bigger tires.

so here is my logic:

1) dont worry about gas milage
2) does it snow a lot? :
a) NO - then get an FX45 and keep the 20's
b) YES - then get an FX 45 and get a set of 18's for the winter



for me, there is a BIG difference in the way this car accelerates, especially at speed, with the V8 and i think it is much better suited to the weight of the car.

if you test drive em both, do it back to back and make sure you note how the car moves and very slow speeds, 0-60 acceleration, 0-60+ accelearation, and passing speed accelearation.

the 35 _does_ have slightly better balance and handling though since the weight distribution is better with the lighter engine.

 

[magician]

If you are concerned about sno...I would say get sno tires and you will have no prob...gas is a whole other story...you will get better milage with the 35 w 6 cy versus 8 cyl the 35 has alot of power and if you raced a 45 it will not beat you by that much...also if you like to play with your car there are alot more bolt ons with for the 35...BUT the 45 has some great torque and if you want something with 315 HP thats the way to go..remember that extra 35hp will cost you almost 10k...you have to decide if its worth it..
Phil

 

[gadgetgirl]

Thanks for the advice. i'm now trying to decide between the fx and the new mercedes e350. completely different automobiles but i'm trying not to have the more practical side of me win! i live in ny tri-state area so there's lots of snow. I just can't imagine trying to store the wheels, unless the dealer will (like my saab dealer here in ny).

well, here is the deal. the 45 will get about 2 MPG less than the 35 on average from my experience. ive had both and even though it says 16city vs. 15 city. its more like about 13.8 vs 15.8 city. the 35 will do about 3 mpg better at highway cruise on average.

with that said, 2-3 mpg for me is insignificant when we are talking the absolut price of these cars vs what i am really saving in gas.

if you get a _LOT_ of snow, conder getting a 35 with 18's. if it snows 3-4 times a season at about 3-5 inches like here in DC, then dont worry about it and get the bigger tires.

so here is my logic:

1) dont worry about gas milage
2) does it snow a lot? :
a) NO - then get an FX45 and keep the 20's
b) YES - then get an FX 45 and get a set of 18's for the winter



for me, there is a BIG difference in the way this car accelerates, especially at speed, with the V8 and i think it is much better suited to the weight of the car.

if you test drive em both, do it back to back and make sure you note how the car moves and very slow speeds, 0-60 acceleration, 0-60+ accelearation, and passing speed accelearation.

the 35 _does_ have slightly better balance and handling though since the weight distribution is better with the lighter engine.

 

[Punisher]

You should get the FX45 and swap me wheels!

 

[PINITI]

Re: if i go with 18" should i just go with the 35??

should i just get a 35 instead of the 45? i'm concerned about snow handling and gas mileage....

You've been asking similar questions since Aug. of '03 :? Plan on actually Buying soon? http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthreads ... st67497464

 

[2Fast4U]

I am about to order a fx 45 but would like to know if i can put 18 inch wheels on the car instead of the 20"?
thanks

GadgetGirl, .
If I'm not mistaken, at MBworld.org, I sent you an invitation to visit us here at the Org.
Over there my nick is: "U2fast4me" but over here... , it's a little bit different.
- You can buy the FX45 and trade it in with 18" wheels with SOME of the guy here at the Org. I can guarranty that.
Enjoy your stay.
Welcome aboard.


Oops, found the thread at MBworld.org
http://forums.mbworld.org/forums/showth ... ost1087718

 

[ShadyJC]

Thanks for the advice. i'm now trying to decide between the fx and the new mercedes e350.

gadgetgirl, I came to the FX out of a 2003 Saab 9-3 and a 2000 Mercedes CLK before that... my family has had several generations of E-Class MBs, and have had trouble with every single one of them. I'll never buy a European car again.

i'm trying not to have the more practical side of me win!

....nothing practical about having to go to the dealer for service every month! And I think you'll find that the FX is VERY practical... it is, after all, a "utility" vehicle.

i live in ny tri-state area so there's lots of snow.

Having lived in Long Island-Queens-Westchester-New Jersey most of my life, in my opinion there's no snow that the AWD FX would not be able to handle.

 

[BirdMan]

I have an FX35 with 20" wheels, live in NY (Near GWB/TZB) and had no problems this winter with the snow. Even went to Vt a couple of weekends, one when it snowed over 1 ft and no problems there either.

Know the limits of your vehicle and how to get the most out of the situation and you can make it with the 20" tires.

The "Snow" mode is key in the deep

 

[gadgetgirl]

Re: if i go with 18" should i just go with the 35??

You crack me up. Yes, i have been tracking this car since 2003, can you believe it! i wanted to make sure most of the production kinks were worked out before taking the plunge.
living with a 99 saabstory which has consistently crapped out on me i want to make sure whatever i buy is going to be fun to drive, manageable in ny and reliable...
i need to make a decision this month. REALLY :>


quote="PINITI-FX"]

should i just get a 35 instead of the 45? i'm concerned about snow handling and gas mileage....

You've been asking similar questions since Aug. of '03 :? Plan on actually Buying soon? http://forums.freshalloy.com/ubbthreads ... st67497464[/quote]

 

[gadgetgirl]

Thks. i took your advice and joined this board. Thank you to all you guys for your help and advice.

I am about to order a fx 45 but would like to know if i can put 18 inch wheels on the car instead of the 20"?
thanks

GadgetGirl, .
If I'm not mistaken, at MBworld.org, I sent you an invitation to visit us here at the Org.
Over there my nick is: "U2fast4me" but over here... , it's a little bit different.
- You can buy the FX45 and trade it in with 18" wheels with SOME of the guy here at the Org. I can guarranty that.
Enjoy your stay.
Welcome aboard.


Oops, found the thread at MBworld.org
http://forums.mbworld.org/forums/showth ... ost1087718

 

[gadgetgirl]

dealers in nyc area & service/advice needed

Thanks for the advice.
Service is very important to me. I'm tired of the sucky customer service experience i have had with Saab. I don't want a repeat performance.
Unfortanately in the past, every NY/NJ dealer (ie catena, park avenue) I have contacted and visited has been somewhat frightening and extremely disappointing. No followup and very little product knowledge.

on the more positive side, Have you guys checked out the new Infiniti dealer in NYC (run by same group who owns lexus and acura of nyc)
Should i be concerned that they don't have a serivce department up (still confirming location) and running yet (sales dealership has been open a little over a week) ?
how would they prep a car for me without a service center? (they told me that they will use Lexus service if car needs servicing before service center is up...how would the technicians be trained to do this??
Where do you guys take your car for servicing? if you don't bring it to the same location where you bought the FX, do you get a loaner??

thanks again for your help

Thanks for the advice. i'm now trying to decide between the fx and the new mercedes e350.

gadgetgirl, I came to the FX out of a 2003 Saab 9-3 and a 2000 Mercedes CLK before that... my family has had several generations of E-Class MBs, and have had trouble with every single one of them. I'll never buy a European car again.

i'm trying not to have the more practical side of me win!

....nothing practical about having to go to the dealer for service every month! And I think you'll find that the FX is VERY practical... it is, after all, a "utility" vehicle.

i live in ny tri-state area so there's lots of snow.

Having lived in Long Island-Queens-Westchester-New Jersey most of my life, in my opinion there's no snow that the AWD FX would not be able to handle.

 

[yang]

I bought my car in Ramsey, NY. Very easy to work with. They keep a huge stock of FX, so price is more flexible. The internet manager I bought my car from gave me the best price that no dealer in Tri-state area can match the first time without bargaining. After the sale, you can go anywhere for service.

 

[fastdaddycar]

Don't get the 18" stock tires just for the snow!!!

I have a FX35 non-sport, and I did not feel confident with the stock 18's in the snow. I did not find any better all-season replacements, so I sold my 18" setup and now have a set of stock 20" rims/tires. This winter I will be switching to the Toyo's, from what I read would be better than the stock 18's.

 

[fx45copper]

Slightly off topic --

for me, there is a BIG difference in the way this car accelerates, especially at speed, with the V8 and i think it is much better suited to the weight of the car.

if you test drive em both, do it back to back and make sure you note how the car moves and very slow speeds, 0-60 acceleration, 0-60+ accelearation, and passing speed accelearation.

One of the reasons why I purchased a 45 over a 35 was the torque. The 45 feels alot faster even though its only 7 tenths of a second quicker to 60. Coming out of a sports car this is the only SUV I can get along with. Tell you the truth I didnt realize the MPG was so close until after I had bought the car

 

[BirdMan]

The biggest diff between the FX45 and the FX35 can be felt quite noticably when the A/C is on and going up a grade or accelerating. We test drove them in Jan and got odd looks from the salesperson when we flipped on the A/C during our test drive

The FX45 has to overcome the extra 100lbs weight but more than makes up fro it with it's Torque

 

[gadgetgirl]

what happens to the A/C and what did you buy?

The biggest diff between the FX45 and the FX35 can be felt quite noticably when the A/C is on and going up a grade or accelerating. We test drove them in Jan and got odd looks from the salesperson when we flipped on the A/C during our test drive

The FX45 has to overcome the extra 100lbs weight but more than makes up fro it with it's Torque

 

[BirdMan]

what happens to the A/C and what did you buy?

The biggest diff between the FX45 and the FX35 can be felt quite noticably when the A/C is on and going up a grade or accelerating. We test drove them in Jan and got odd looks from the salesperson when we flipped on the A/C during our test drive

The FX45 has to overcome the extra 100lbs weight but more than makes up fro it with it's Torque

Turn on the A/C and you will see that the compressor requires torque to operate when it engages. On an FX35 you can feel less power is available, not so with the FX45

We went with an '05 FX35, the 45 was out of reach at +$6k