A new Continental I saw at the dealer's yesterday had Michelins, so there's some relationship there. I wonder if the new LS tire will be the same size. While browsing Tire Rack's site I noticed the selection was pretty weak in the 235/50-17 size. There was nothing at all in what they list as true high-performance tires. Seems we have a bit of an oddball size on the Sport package cars.
ls1bmw0, Thanks for ridding me of the X-10 ads. Just another example of truly useful information coming from this group. This supports the old line, "No one of us is as smart as all of us put together."
Hey Scott...after thinking and checking out other tire sites, I decided to hop on Tire Racks deal on the Firehawk LH's as well. I personally have been very pleased with the Firehawks in all aspects. The selection in tires for our LS Sport Packaged cars is REALLY small. justtires.com and discounttiredirect list NO tires for the LS Sport Package. And the alternatives on tirerack.com are significantly pricier. As I have the full-sized Sport Package rim/Firehawk for my spare, I opted to order 3 Firehawks. Plan to swap the spare with one of my current rim/tires. My total came to somewhere around $342 including $24 for shipping from the Delaware warehouse. I got my confirmation call yesterday as well.
Got 34,xxx miles on my LS right now. Plan to probably have the tires installed just before the 1st winter snow hits, so I can get the most life out of my current original tires. Hoping these 3 tires will fit under my bed until that time!
In an earlier post (which I can't seem to locate, probably due to not taking the time to re-read every message), someone made the comment:
"the LS - well, it's a Lincoln" in a kind of disparaging manner, but without explanation. I'm wondering what he meant, did he own or know people who owned Lincolns that had a lot of problems with them, or is it just an image thing that he feels he won't look exclusive/rich/whatever enough if he's in a Lincoln? While the Audi and BMW are both fine automobiles, they are much more expensive (perhaps that's not a consideration), they haven't shown superior reliability in my opinion, and are more expensive to repair and harder to find dealers for. I looked at the A6, but the only local Audi dealer has a horrible reputation as having the worst repair technicians this side of Elbonia.
With regard to tires, when I bought my 2000 in early October, 2000 (LS V8 Sport) part of the deal was I didn't want Firestones (and not just because of the latest Explorer problems, Firestone made tires that had massive tread seperation problems with the 500 in the 70's and the 721 in the early 80's). They gladly changed tires (and I got a good deal on the car) to Michelin XGT Z's, 245/45ZR17. Much better, I had driven on the Firestones about a week before the tires came in, and the Michelins are much smoother, corner better, and have much better turn-in. Perhaps Michelin will be the supplier, or perhaps Goodyear or Conti. It'll be interesting to see, but I'd bet Goodyear or Michelin.
Another interesting thing, there are 3 LS's at the office complex where I work. A pearl white LS V8 Sport, an estate green non-sport LS, and my estate green V8 Sport. The other day we managed to all park together, I'm half expecting my LS to turn up pregnant anyday now.
Also, I've been playing with the select shift. I've found that on my route to work, with pretty heavy traffic, that shifting myself and more aggressively (not upshifting as rapidly, holding a lower gear while waiting for a chance to squirt into a traffic break, etc.) the car performs better but manages to get at least about 3 mpg less than the auto mode. Guess the tranny guys optimized it pretty well for fuel economy.
I owe you an apology. I have got to stop reading posts while I'm at work. After dealing with a problematic ERP implementation all day and dealing with knuckleheaded users, I shouldn't look at posts until I've had about two hours to wind down, otherwise my sense of balance seems to disappear.
I went back and re-read your initial post. You don't call it a defect. You noticed an issue and reported it. I jumped on your case. Sorry about that. I'll do better next time.
P.S. Can you open the trunk after you lock the doors with the key fob after this happens? Can you open the trunk if you just insert the key into the ignition without turning it to the start position?
1. I just wasted 30 minutes looking through the LS owner's manual trying to find the Part # for the Cabin Air Filter. I think this came up before that the P/N was not in the manual. Can whom ever posted the P/N repost. By the way Brian, nice how to on your site. Could you add the filter P/N to your how to?
2. OK I guess this is really the 3rd question. For Brian again. I haven't had much time to visit this site or LLSOC recently. I tried to log into the LLSOC chat to see if the cabin filter info was there, but the LLSOC chat now goes to CNBCI and it doesn't recongnize my log in. Has the old LLSOC chat been wiped out and replced buy the CNBCI stuff?
Your #2 son has good taste in cars :-D! I bought an 87 Fiero GT for autocrossing to avoid the wear & tear on my LS. If he follows web forums send him to Pennock's Fiero Forum for some like minded chat and good info.
You just HAVE to join your sons some weekend in your LS and at least try it. In fact, working the course is almost as fun as driving it. It's a great reason not to do yardwork and get some quality time!
The filter is a FP25, part number is XW4Z-19N619-AC.
slunar: Thanks. I've added the ford PN for the filter to the how-to.
Are you sure you meant the chat room and not the message board? The chat room has always been hooked to NBCi(this is going to change in the next couple of months to our own). The message board was changed about three months ago to the Ultimate Bulletin Board. It does require you to register to post.
If you have questions about it email me at brian.gowing@llsoc.com and I'll help you through it.
To other Edmunds readers, Do not be sucked in. I clicked on the URL supplied and got the X10 home page, not a place to eliminate the ads. I do not know if ls1bmw0 intended your information as a joke or to take us to the x10 home page (if so, shame on you), or you have a legitimate site that will delete those damn pop up ads. personally, I HATE THEM. Not way I would ever buy something from that company.
If you notice there is more to the URL than is highlighted. For whatever reason this board won't let me put the whole thing in and highlight it. There is a second line underneath the highlighted one that goes along with it.
And if you enter the whole thing it will take you to the supress page, which is what you want. This isn't something I would ever think of as a joke or gimmick because I really hate those pop-up ads.
Brian: Thanks for the fast response on the cabin air filter F/N. Also, just brain fade on my part on your Message board vs. chat room. It's been a few weeks since I was on your site and just forgot which was which.
One more thought on my never ending vibration saga. I had lunch today with a friend who bought a S-Type 3.0. He was curious if I had any problems with my LS, which I replied "Nothing significant other than my 72-73 MPH vibration, which so far is uncurable". My friend said that there has been a lot of discussion on the Edmunds S-Type forum on vibrations in the S-Type. It got me wondering if the extreme wheel offset may contribute to the problem. That is any out of round or shape distortion in either the wheel or tire becomes more of a problem with a high offset wheel vs. one where the hub is more to the tire / wheel center. Trying to think logically about it, if there was a 1/16" bend at the inside of the wheel it is magnified by the 7" wheel width that is to the front of the wheel where it attached to the hub making it act like a 7/16" imperfection. If the hub was in the center of the wheel (width) the worse case is 3.5" x the 1/16" imperfection. Any dynamic analysis type ME's out there who have any thoughts on this?
Took my baby in for the leaking red fluid. Turns out that a high pressure hose broke at the pump and it's gushing ps and cooling fan fluid all over the place. Is the hose in stock? Heck no! They say on emergency order it won't get here until Mon or Tues. BUMMER!! I've yet to have to go this long without my LS! At least I didn't get a livingroom with a steering wheel (TC). This time I got an Infinity I30. Not too bad, but it isn't my LS!
The Irvine event in January showed me what these cone courses were about, so I'm interested in seeing what the LS will do against other vehicles. Many of us hope/think the LS is competitive against the "ultimate driving machine," the 300M, the I30t, various Acuras and who knows what else, but actual performance on these courses would tend to prove the point. Seems no one brings actual data.
I'm not inclined modify the car at all, as opposed to many of the participants, who tweak their vehicles heavily to do well on these things. Just curious I guess.
Still disappointing to me how few of the people who buy LS's do so because they want to drive the thing rather than ride in it or (worse yet) be seen in it.
The only reason I go back to my selling dealer for warranty work is that they provide LS loaners (V8 non-sport). I had the TC one time. I would have rather had a focus or a taurus. They do charge me the sales tax on the "rental" which I don't like but since they are no longer obligated to provide a loaner I can live with it.
Per my previous post on tires, the new T Bird is sporting the same size tires as the sport pkg LS: 235/50R17 but they come from the factory with Michelins in this size. I'm almost positive they're MXM4s (H and V rated grand touring). Those are definitely in my future, although I have to admit I can't complain about the Firehawks. But nothing beats Michelins in my book. Also remember that 245/45R17 is an acceptable replacement size as well. I think there are at least 30 or more choices on tirerack in that size and speed rating.
I like mail order for many things, but am uncomfortable buying tires this way. I want to be able to reach out & touch someone if I have a problem, and still get Tire Rack's prices.
I printed the specs & price from Tire Rack, then went to my local Discount Tire dealer who has provided excellent service over many years. As I walked through the door, too far away for him to read it, I held the paper up & said "can you match this?" He said "yes", and he did, no questions asked.
The current issue of Tire Review Magazine(http://www.tirereview.com/) has an article entitled "Road Force Variation" that goes into some of the hard to diagnose vibration issues that have been discussed here in the past. It's at a pretty high level but gives some insight into why the problems are sometimes difficult to deal with. A little bit of real-world data never hurts...
Mike, wonder if your hose breakage had anything to do with you trying to keep up with me last weekend ;-). Just kidding, but I am still smiling. Hope they fix you LS good so the next time we can hit the curves even harder.
Can be sorta tough. Yeah, the times are a good yardstick, but driving skill makes a huge difference. Also, there's sometimes things that aren't readily visible.
With my LS I noticed one time there was a Lexus IS300 that was beating me by 1-2 seconds. At first I thought wow that's impressive. But then last weekend I was working the grid area and got up close to see it had a set of Kumho bubblegum tires on it. No wonder! Another week I ran with a 528i and a 540i. The 528 beat me by 0.5 seconds - probably the manual giving him an edge. The 540 was a good 1 sec+ ahead. But then again, it could be crappy driving on my part - hard to tell.
Last weekend I was racing my Fiero and there was a father & son team from the Fiero club racing too. Both cars with identical drivetrains 2.8L EFI V6 and 4 speeds. He had decent tires all around and Koni coil-overs. I had some work Pirellis up front and fresh Sumitomos on the back, all riding on 167k mile OEM chassis. Even with mine pushing BAD in corners, I beat the Dad by 5 seconds and his son by 3 secs (both drove the same car). To tell the truth I was just glad I beat the guy in the Dodge Dakota ;-D
on the OEM Firestones aren't new. I looked on Tirerack.com back when I bought my LS last year and they were just over $100 then. I wouldn't exactly rush to stock up. I'm sure with Ford's decision to boot Firestone, the prices will go up when existing production is sold.
WRT ordering tires on the Internet - I bought the two Sumitomos for my Fiero on tirerack.com for $50 each. My favorite tire place charged me $20 each to mount & balance. Not a fantastic bargain, but not bad either. I could have gotten something off the shelf for about the same, but this way I got exactly what I wanted. The tires arrived at my house in 2 days in perfect condition. It might be better if you ordered a wheel & tire package that ship already mounted/balanced. I've heard many speak highly of tirerack and my purchase was a good one.
Funny, Jeff, Lori said the same thing Now to all yous that think I'm obsessive. Since we're going out tomorrow, I have to wash the Infinity rental as Enterprise didn't wash it too well and they're water spots all over it and the windows are DIRTY!
The link was hinked up because the town hall software attempts to spot URLs with the "http://" string and the posted link had http in it twice. OK - I tried putting it inside html tags and the townhall software hinked it again. I also got an error about a word containing more than 115 characters. That would also screw up a long URL.
I used it and it looked legit. And I haven't seen any pop-up ads today either. If you copy the whole link from 3105 and paste it, it will work.
The Kuhmos and Hoosiers are the hot setup for autocrossing. I talked to someone who autocrosses on the national level and he told me that you could pick up anywhere from 1 to 2 seconds by using the DOT-legal versions of these tires.
For those of you who've bookmarked a LLSOC page to go to directly, try the default page of www.llsoc.com. We've added a new Flash intro. page, which we hope you like. It also has a skip intro button to bypass it. It doesn't have music because we wanted to keep the download small.
Thanks for link to the VVT article, Gary. Every time talk of VVT came up, I couldn't help but think back to a company called VariCam that did business in the 60's with a mechanical variable cam timing device. I remember my brother (an engineer) getting all excited about it way back when. I thought nobody except us even remembered it. So, when the author mentioned it, it brought it big smile to my face. Aside from the interesting and informative article, I got a trip down memory lane as a bonus.
I'm sitting here right now with a VariCam ad from the 6/67 issue of Hot Rod magazine. There's an illustration of a spring-loaded (and apparently adjustable) cam sprocket that goes in place of the stock sprocket "in minutes." "Gives you more low end torque...plus horses on the top end." Price:$65.00.
So, like ABS, air bags, and countless other advances, that old chestnut about there being "nothing new under the sun" has some credibility. It just took the IC to make these things viable and reliable for mass production.
Incidentally, if you or anyone else would like a copy of the VariCam ad, email me your mailing address @ amgreen2001@yahoo.com and I'll be happy to send you one.
gschwartz-Are you saying your local tire place matched the $106 price of TireRack on the OE Firehawks? Locally, NTB used to match Tirerack ads (it's possible they still do), but they didnt match clearance or "specials" as the Firehawks are currently advertised on Tireracks site.
Thomas_l: Its definitely possible the Firehawks have been on special for awhile, but with the recent decision by Ford to drop Firestone, I have a strong feeling production of these unique sized Firehawks may be going away. Additionally, Im personally not interested in the alternative size of 245/45 17 for other brands. Wider contact patch plus lower sidewall height usually means decreased (albeit however slight) ride comfort, and the Sport Packaged LS is stiff enough for me in stock form with the 50 series tires.
Plus, the Firehawks are the only tires for the LS that are in the All-Season Performance category. The other 2 choices for the Sport Package LS are listed as summer only type tires, and dont have all-season capabilities, a must for me in the DC area, as the winters are not bad enough to warrant separate snow tires, but the occasional snow storms that can hit, can cause issues if you dont have at least all-seasons on your car. Plus, I only need 3 Firehawks, where I would have had to order 4 of any other brand. At $106 per tire, its worth it for me to have ordered 3 now, instead of risking them being no longer available.
I guess I should jump into the trunk foray. Last weekend we had the "infamous" picnic with ice chest in trunk. I thought I had closed the trunk completely. The light was out, the doors locked automatically. After a few spirited turns I noticed the door/trunk ajar light illuminated. I looked in the mirror and the trunk and doors seemed secured. The light started flashing intermintently. I thought it was my door and opened and closed it to no avail. When we stopped at the park gate, my deck lid flew open. Somehow the latch either wasn't COMPLETELY latched (latched enough to fool the computer) or it came unlatched. It happened again after leaving the gate. When we parked my fob worked IIRC. It seems when we made a "dessert" stop I turned the chest around with the latch out. To rectify the problem, I have to put the chest in the trunk latch side in. I don't know how, but the latch must rub against the trunk latch and release it.
Does your car have an emergency inside trunk-release handle? The 2001 models have them, but I think they started adding them to late-build 2000's, too. (I might be wrong about this.)
Mine is a glow-in-the-dark T-handle that's on the passenger side of the trunk lid, sorta behind the license plate. If you have one, maybe it got caught on the ice chest somehow and caused the lid to release.
The July 2001 issue of Car & Driver has road tests of both the Panoz Esperante and Ford SVT Mustang Cobra. Got me wishing that LS8 could have the same engine and tranny combo. They both use the same engine (4.6L DOHC V-8 making 320 HP/317 lb-ft torque), transmission (5-speed manual), and have same gearing (3.27 final drive w/LSD and 3.37 1st, 1.99 2nd, 1.33 3rd, 1.00 direct drive 4th, and .67 overdrive 5th). Cobra weighs 3,472 pounds; Panoz 3,515 lbs.
Cobra went 0-60 in 4.8 secs, Panoz at 4.9 secs. Cobra top speed was drag limited 148 mph; Panoz governed at 155 mph.
EPA stickers both at 17/25. C&D observed 17 mpg in Cobra and 18 mpg in Panoz. Having the numerically lower 5th overdrive helps with highway mileage.
Johnnylinc, that's an interesting possibility. Mine is a 10/99 build and has the wonderful handle. I'm not sure how much sun actually hits it, but it's there all the same.
I just completed a small journey in my LS, 4672 miles to be exact. For the whole trip, I averaged 24.031 m.p.g., mostly at 80 miles per while the air was on. I thought that was quite respectable. Best tank was 26.8 and the worse was 18.68 in SoCal, must have been the re formatted fuel ;-)
The average for the fuel prices was $1.973, which isn't as good as $.35, but it something I'm willing to live with. It may sound expensive, but adjusted for inflation, fuel is still cheap. Nothing like the $4.00 per gallon I paid for regular in Ireland last October!
Like I said, most of the cruising was at 80. There were times when traffic allowed for a bit more, so I obliged. I was also able to enjoy some triple digit speeds, and the car handles those speeds like it were 70, a truly amazing chassis with a great planted feeling. Absolutely no float or bob along the highway, and the miles accumulate in an alarmingly comfortable fashion. 1000 miles make one wonder what a 1500 mile trek would be like. The car pampers the driver while performing it's act to a high degree of refinement.
Man oh man. I sure miss my LS! The Infinity is a very good handling FWDriver, but you can sure feel the chassis imbalance in tight turns. Sweepers are fine, but those tight ones cause serious understeer. Front end plow isn't as pronounced as on my Sable. The headlight controls are on the turn signal stalk and are not lighted. In the dark you must be familiar or turn on the overhead light to see. The analog clock is nice, however at night when the dash lights are turned down to my comfortable level, the clock back lighting is too dim to read the clock. Ditto on the radio and climate controls. The dash lights are white and are too bright for me. I don't have the hole in the roof, but my experience with this one will cause me to have one in the future. It's a fine car, but I wouldn't consider it.
Jlinc: the release was pretty far from the chest. Once I turned it latch in, the trunk stayed closed.
Given its $50,000 base MSRP and the ability to add upwards of $6-12,000 in options, not sure the Q45 is really a competitor with the LS. More in competition with LS430 and S-type 4.0. Like an Audi, the interior is striking and the materials are first rate.
To be fair to the Q45, it has to be at least as exciting as the LS6 automatic.
The rental Infinity is the gussied up Maxima, the I30. The one thing I forgot due to the hour that we got back from Sea World, was the stereo. It had the Bose system. I just have one word.....WOW!! It blows away the JBL system that is in my Sable! Clear highs and bass that goes through you. Now I'm thinking of adding more to LS!
Mike, also wishing all you daddies out there a Happy Fathers Day! We have a VERY important job!
Was at Grossmont Center yesterday (Radio Shack of course) and they were having a car show. Came up on the rear of the new Q45 and couldn't believe this car, so narrow in the rear, was the Q45 the badge indicated. Too small for the money. Besides, the new R&T tested it against the LS430 and it wasn't any better. I'll leave those boats to those who can afford it and unfortunately will never utilize their capabilities. Think of all those carboned-up combustion chambers! Lexus could build their version of a 540i-6 with the parts lying around but like Lincoln, don't know how to put the tinkertoys in the right order. Lexus is Luxury but Toyota is not Performance anymore. Not all the aging yuppies want rolling coffins. You could make the LS430 FWD and no one would know the difference. At least Lexus and Toyota would be consistent with all passenger cars being FWD! Stanny1, who remembers his five-speed Manual, RWD Cressida with respect for its advanced engineering for $12,900.
I guess it is if you can call any car with an automatic a "performance" car. That's the first compromise that separates the car from a performance "driver". I doubt you'll see too many G-Meters on the dashboards of even GS owners. If you see one at the sloloms, make sure they have a defibrillator around. They probably have those at Lexus dealers for those 0-60 test drives. But seriously, would even an "enthusiast" Lexus owner know the difference between 5.8 and 6.8? As a real estate broker, I long ago learned that money, technical knowledge and taste are not synonymous. The old SC300 Manual was probably the most "sporty" coupe Lexus made. As long as "luxury" is foremost, performance will always be compromised. I think LM did a great job balancing luxury,performance, and value in the LS. It doesn't do 5.8 but it could. And if they don't compromise the existing chassis, it should outhandle the GS if given the power and a LSD.
I'll be a bit sad the next two weeks. Won't be drivin' my LS8 Sport on the family vacation out east to upstate NY and finally NJ. Not that she isn't a great all around sport sedan. Just that she can't quite cut it as an extended vacation family cruiser. Learned this when I drove to Savannah, Georgia, over New Year. Trunk too small and the intruding hinges eating up space. Way too little useable interior storage space for wife and two kids. (The '00 LS also needed a rear seat power outlet for the kid's portable CD player.) Means I gotta take my baby, the '96 Impala SS. She'll perform just as nicely, has the huge trunk, lots of interior space. Not to mention she gets better highway mileage and runs on regular 87 octane unleaded. That will save me some dough over the 3,000 miles I'll be driving. And given all the problems I've had in past with heated seats, airbag warning lights, etc. and fact I'm over 31,000 miles on the LS8, need to save some warranty miles.
I have had my LS8 for a week now, and I am very pleased with the combination of comfort, appearance, and performance.
I would like to add an idea for a future small convenience feature. I have remote entry key fobs for the LS, an Explorer, and my Ranger. If I try to carry all of these and those big black keys, I will have to wear cargo pants with very big pockets. I suggest having a universal remote that would learn the other codes so I could get by carrying only one. This would both reduce clutter and encourage multiple FOMOCO ownership!
Take all the remotes that you want to use on all the cars. I had one for me, one for the wife, and one for the one kid that had a license last time I did this.
Follow the directions in the owner's manual to have the car recognize a new remote. One the cars I did last time it involved turning the key in the ignition on and off five times. Then push any one button on each remote that you want that car to recognize. Then do the same in the other cars.
After doing this the one remote I had on my ring operated all three cars in the driveway at the same time. After starting the one I was driving I would hit the lock buton again and it would lock the other two. A running car ignores the remotes.
I went to out testing for my upcoming decision. Leasing around 500 per mo. I went to the Lincoln dealer here and asked to drive a V-8, he had 3 of them. He gave me the black LS-C. My wife and I took her out and I really liked it. Looks-wise the "C" stuff was not for me. It had a small spoiler and side trim. Very sharp but a bit to "look at me" for me. The salesman also pointed out the wood dash kit they had installed. It was a problem though, as during our test drive, my wife noticed the wood kit and it's glue inhibited the climate control setting buttons from returning to the center position.
My choice ius between the LS, i30 and tl-s. I've been reading here for a month or so, and I'm leaning LS. I really like the car overall. I have to have good legroom in back for the kids since they will have to ride with me SOMEtimes. I thought the LS was pretty roomy, although not as roomy as the i30, which I thought was a very well put together car offfering lots of confort. It ran very smoothly, albeit less exciting then the LS. The TL-S was a bit on the taut side not as attractive as the other two but certainly a speedster! With a nice tranny/shifter. Only worry about the LS is quality/Tranny issue..hmm. My neighbor, who is gonna get an LS as well, or so he says, has read up on the lS and read that the transmission is supposed to "learn" your driving habits and that if you don't like how it has "learned" them, you can disconnect the battery and start again. Anything to this?
What kind of lease deal has anyone received on a well equipped V-8?
Your neighbor is misinformed, although, to be fair, the LS owners' manual gives that impression. The transmission does not "learn" driving habits; the control module learns the mechanical characteristics of the individual transmission and adjusts itself accordingly. It also compensates for mechanical wear in the transmission as the car ages. There have been at least two upgrades (aka reflashes) issued for the transmission control software, and with the current 2001 models it is a non-issue. This has been discussed at great length on this board in the past and I've given you a thumbnail sketch here.
Quality is always a question mark with any make, and if you read all the anecdotal evidence you get from forums such as this, you can go nuts. Be sure to run the car you might buy up to 70-75 mph on a test drive; some LSs have had vibration problems at speed which have been difficult to diagnose. FWIW, my 2000 V8 Sport just turned 20k miles and has been flawless. If you can live with the back seat room, the LS is a great choice. You seem to be doing your homework so as to make a well-informed choice; I think you'll be happy with whatever you get.
Please come back & let us know what you decided on, and why.
Comments
Got 34,xxx miles on my LS right now. Plan to probably have the tires installed just before the 1st winter snow hits, so I can get the most life out of my current original tires. Hoping these 3 tires will fit under my bed until that time!
"the LS - well, it's a Lincoln" in a kind of disparaging manner, but without explanation. I'm wondering what he meant, did he own or know people who owned Lincolns that had a lot of problems with them, or is it just an image thing that he feels he won't look exclusive/rich/whatever enough if he's in a Lincoln? While the Audi and BMW are both fine automobiles, they are much more expensive (perhaps that's not a consideration), they haven't shown superior reliability in my opinion, and are more expensive to repair and harder to find dealers for. I looked at the A6, but the only local Audi dealer has a horrible reputation as having the worst repair technicians this side of Elbonia.
With regard to tires, when I bought my 2000 in early October, 2000 (LS V8 Sport) part of the deal was I didn't want Firestones (and not just because of the latest Explorer problems, Firestone made tires that had massive tread seperation problems with the 500 in the 70's and the 721 in the early 80's). They gladly changed tires (and I got a good deal on the car) to Michelin XGT Z's, 245/45ZR17. Much better, I had driven on the Firestones about a week before the tires came in, and the Michelins are much smoother, corner better, and have much better turn-in. Perhaps Michelin will be the supplier, or perhaps Goodyear or Conti. It'll be interesting to see, but I'd bet Goodyear or Michelin.
Another interesting thing, there are 3 LS's at the office complex where I work. A pearl white LS V8 Sport, an estate green non-sport LS, and my estate green V8 Sport. The other day we managed to all park together, I'm half expecting my LS to turn up pregnant anyday now.
Also, I've been playing with the select shift. I've found that on my route to work, with pretty heavy traffic, that shifting myself and more aggressively (not upshifting as rapidly, holding a lower gear while waiting for a chance to squirt into a traffic break, etc.) the car performs better but manages to get at least about 3 mpg less than the auto mode. Guess the tranny guys optimized it pretty well for fuel economy.
(I live in Southern Calif. San Fernando Valley Los Angeles Suburb).
I owe you an apology. I have got to stop reading posts while I'm at work. After dealing with a problematic ERP implementation all day and dealing with knuckleheaded users, I shouldn't look at posts until I've had about two hours to wind down, otherwise my sense of balance seems to disappear.
I went back and re-read your initial post. You don't call it a defect. You noticed an issue and reported it. I jumped on your case. Sorry about that. I'll do better next time.
P.S. Can you open the trunk after you lock the doors with the key fob after this happens? Can you open the trunk if you just insert the key into the ignition without turning it to the start position?
Brian
2. OK I guess this is really the 3rd question. For Brian again. I haven't had much time to visit this site or LLSOC recently. I tried to log into the LLSOC chat to see if the cabin filter info was there, but the LLSOC chat now goes to CNBCI and it doesn't recongnize my log in.
Has the old LLSOC chat been wiped out and replced buy the CNBCI stuff?
Thanks for any help.
Your #2 son has good taste in cars :-D! I bought an 87 Fiero GT for autocrossing to avoid the wear & tear on my LS. If he follows web forums send him to Pennock's Fiero Forum for some like minded chat and good info.
You just HAVE to join your sons some weekend in your LS and at least try it. In fact, working the course is almost as fun as driving it. It's a great reason not to do yardwork and get some quality time!
slunar: Thanks. I've added the ford PN for the filter to the how-to.
Are you sure you meant the chat room and not the message board? The chat room has always been hooked to NBCi(this is going to change in the next couple of months to our own). The message board was changed about three months ago to the Ultimate Bulletin Board. It does require you to register to post.
If you have questions about it email me at brian.gowing@llsoc.com and I'll help you through it.
Brian
If you notice there is more to the URL than is highlighted. For whatever reason this board won't let me put the whole thing in and highlight it. There is a second line underneath the highlighted one that goes along with it.
And if you enter the whole thing it will take you to the supress page, which is what you want. This isn't something I would ever think of as a joke or gimmick because I really hate those pop-up ads.
Brian
One more thought on my never ending vibration saga. I had lunch today with a friend who bought a S-Type 3.0. He was curious if I had any problems with my LS, which I replied "Nothing significant other than my 72-73 MPH vibration, which so far is uncurable". My friend said that there has been a lot of discussion on the Edmunds S-Type forum on vibrations in the S-Type. It got me wondering if the extreme wheel offset may contribute to the problem. That is any out of round or shape distortion in either the wheel or tire becomes more of a problem with a high offset wheel vs. one where the hub is more to the tire / wheel center. Trying to think logically about it, if there was a 1/16" bend at the inside of the wheel it is magnified by the 7" wheel width that is to the front of the wheel where it attached to the hub making it act like a 7/16" imperfection. If the hub was in the center of the wheel (width) the worse case is 3.5" x the 1/16" imperfection. Any dynamic analysis type ME's out there who have any thoughts on this?
http://www.onthenet.com.au/~billzila/vvtvtec.htm
has excellent explanations of the Toyota VVT-i and the Honda VTEC.
The Irvine event in January showed me what these cone courses were about, so I'm interested in seeing what the LS will do against other vehicles. Many of us hope/think the LS is competitive against the "ultimate driving machine," the 300M, the I30t, various Acuras and who knows what else, but actual performance on these courses would tend to prove the point. Seems no one brings actual data.
I'm not inclined modify the car at all, as opposed to many of the participants, who tweak their vehicles heavily to do well on these things. Just curious I guess.
Still disappointing to me how few of the people who buy LS's do so because they want to drive the thing rather than ride in it or (worse yet) be seen in it.
Per my previous post on tires, the new T Bird is sporting the same size tires as the sport pkg LS: 235/50R17 but they come from the factory with Michelins in this size. I'm almost positive they're MXM4s (H and V rated grand touring). Those are definitely in my future, although I have to admit I can't complain about the Firehawks. But nothing beats Michelins in my book. Also remember that 245/45R17 is an acceptable replacement size as well. I think there are at least 30 or more choices on tirerack in that size and speed rating.
I printed the specs & price from Tire Rack, then went to my local Discount Tire dealer who has provided excellent service over many years. As I walked through the door, too far away for him to read it, I held the paper up & said "can you match this?" He said "yes", and he did, no questions asked.
It's at a pretty high level but gives some insight into why the problems are sometimes difficult to deal with. A little bit of real-world data never hurts...
With my LS I noticed one time there was a Lexus IS300 that was beating me by 1-2 seconds. At first I thought wow that's impressive. But then last weekend I was working the grid area and got up close to see it had a set of Kumho bubblegum tires on it. No wonder! Another week I ran with a 528i and a 540i. The 528 beat me by 0.5 seconds - probably the manual giving him an edge. The 540 was a good 1 sec+ ahead. But then again, it could be crappy driving on my part - hard to tell.
Last weekend I was racing my Fiero and there was a father & son team from the Fiero club racing too. Both cars with identical drivetrains 2.8L EFI V6 and 4 speeds. He had decent tires all around and Koni coil-overs. I had some work Pirellis up front and fresh Sumitomos on the back, all riding on 167k mile OEM chassis. Even with mine pushing BAD in corners, I beat the Dad by 5 seconds and his son by 3 secs (both drove the same car). To tell the truth I was just glad I beat the guy in the Dodge Dakota ;-D
WRT ordering tires on the Internet - I bought the two Sumitomos for my Fiero on tirerack.com for $50 each. My favorite tire place charged me $20 each to mount & balance. Not a fantastic bargain, but not bad either. I could have gotten something off the shelf for about the same, but this way I got exactly what I wanted. The tires arrived at my house in 2 days in perfect condition. It might be better if you ordered a wheel & tire package that ship already mounted/balanced. I've heard many speak highly of tirerack and my purchase was a good one.
Now to all yous that think I'm obsessive. Since we're going out tomorrow, I have to wash the Infinity rental as Enterprise didn't wash it too well and they're water spots all over it and the windows are DIRTY!
I used it and it looked legit. And I haven't seen any pop-up ads today either. If you copy the whole link from 3105 and paste it, it will work.
Brian
Enjoy!
Brian
I'm sitting here right now with a VariCam ad from the 6/67 issue of Hot Rod magazine. There's an illustration of a spring-loaded (and apparently adjustable) cam sprocket that goes in place of the stock sprocket "in minutes." "Gives you more low end torque...plus horses on the top end." Price:$65.00.
So, like ABS, air bags, and countless other advances, that old chestnut about there being "nothing new under the sun" has some credibility. It just took the IC to make these things viable and reliable for mass production.
Incidentally, if you or anyone else would like a copy of the VariCam ad, email me your mailing address @ amgreen2001@yahoo.com and I'll be happy to send you one.
Artie
Thomas_l: Its definitely possible the Firehawks have been on special for awhile, but with the recent decision by Ford to drop Firestone, I have a strong feeling production of these unique sized Firehawks may be going away. Additionally, Im personally not interested in the alternative size of 245/45 17 for other brands. Wider contact patch plus lower sidewall height usually means decreased (albeit however slight) ride comfort, and the Sport Packaged LS is stiff enough for me in stock form with the 50 series tires.
Plus, the Firehawks are the only tires for the LS that are in the All-Season Performance category. The other 2 choices for the Sport Package LS are listed as summer only type tires, and dont have all-season capabilities, a must for me in the DC area, as the winters are not bad enough to warrant separate snow tires, but the occasional snow storms that can hit, can cause issues if you dont have at least all-seasons on your car. Plus, I only need 3 Firehawks, where I would have had to order 4 of any other brand. At $106 per tire, its worth it for me to have ordered 3 now, instead of risking them being no longer available.
My point was that they said thry would match the deal I had on paper, before they saw the paper. I assume that they will match any valid price offer.
I thought wood was spelled wUd
So ends my trunk opening saga.
Mike
Mine is a glow-in-the-dark T-handle that's on the passenger side of the trunk lid, sorta behind the license plate. If you have one, maybe it got caught on the ice chest somehow and caused the lid to release.
JLinc, with too much time on his hands...:)
Cobra went 0-60 in 4.8 secs, Panoz at 4.9 secs. Cobra top speed was drag limited 148 mph; Panoz governed at 155 mph.
EPA stickers both at 17/25. C&D observed 17 mpg in Cobra and 18 mpg in Panoz. Having the numerically lower 5th overdrive helps with highway mileage.
I just completed a small journey in my LS, 4672 miles to be exact. For the whole trip, I averaged 24.031 m.p.g., mostly at 80 miles per while the air was on. I thought that was quite respectable. Best tank was 26.8 and the worse was 18.68 in SoCal, must have been the re formatted fuel ;-)
The average for the fuel prices was $1.973, which isn't as good as $.35, but it something I'm willing to live with. It may sound expensive, but adjusted for inflation, fuel is still cheap. Nothing like the $4.00 per gallon I paid for regular in Ireland last October!
Like I said, most of the cruising was at 80. There were times when traffic allowed for a bit more, so I obliged. I was also able to enjoy some triple digit speeds, and the car handles those speeds like it were 70, a truly amazing chassis with a great planted feeling. Absolutely no float or bob along the highway, and the miles accumulate in an alarmingly comfortable fashion. 1000 miles make one wonder what a 1500 mile trek would be like. The car pampers the driver while performing it's act to a high degree of refinement.
I cannot help but realize that this car is a gas!
PS..pic for best overall performance car is the BMW M3, which was described as having the best automotive chassis ever. No argument here.
Jlinc: the release was pretty far from the chest. Once I turned it latch in, the trunk stayed closed.
Mike
It's as exciting as a mashed potato sandwich.
To be fair to the Q45, it has to be at least as exciting as the LS6 automatic.
The way ezaircon drives I'd be willing to be the LS-6 automatic is way more exciting than the Q45. Bet he'd roll the tires off the bead of the Q!
gschwartz: Mashed potato sandwich? I'm guessing the boxed version, no less
Brian (wishing everyone Dad a Happy Fathers Day!)
Mike, also wishing all you daddies out there a Happy Fathers Day! We have a VERY important job!
I would like to add an idea for a future small convenience feature. I have remote entry key fobs for the LS, an Explorer, and my Ranger. If I try to carry all of these and those big black keys, I will have to wear cargo pants with very big pockets. I suggest having a universal remote that would learn the other codes so I could get by carrying only one. This would both reduce clutter and encourage multiple FOMOCO ownership!
Take all the remotes that you want to use on all the cars. I had one for me, one for the wife, and one for the one kid that had a license last time I did this.
Follow the directions in the owner's manual to have the car recognize a new remote. One the cars I did last time it involved turning the key in the ignition on and off five times. Then push any one button on each remote that you want that car to recognize. Then do the same in the other cars.
After doing this the one remote I had on my ring operated all three cars in the driveway at the same time. After starting the one I was driving I would hit the lock buton again and it would lock the other two. A running car ignores the remotes.
Mark
My choice ius between the LS, i30 and tl-s. I've been reading here for a month or so, and I'm leaning LS. I really like the car overall. I have to have good legroom in back for the kids since they will have to ride with me SOMEtimes. I thought the LS was pretty roomy, although not as roomy as the i30, which I thought was a very well put together car offfering lots of confort. It ran very smoothly, albeit less exciting then the LS. The TL-S was a bit on the taut side not as attractive as the other two but certainly a speedster! With a nice tranny/shifter.
Only worry about the LS is quality/Tranny issue..hmm. My neighbor, who is gonna get an LS as well, or so he says, has read up on the lS and read that the transmission is supposed to "learn" your driving habits and that if you don't like how it has "learned" them, you can disconnect the battery and start again. Anything to this?
What kind of lease deal has anyone received on a well equipped V-8?
Thanks!
James
Quality is always a question mark with any make, and if you read all the anecdotal evidence you get from forums such as this, you can go nuts. Be sure to run the car you might buy up to 70-75 mph on a test drive; some LSs have had vibration problems at speed which have been difficult to diagnose. FWIW, my 2000 V8 Sport just turned 20k miles and has been flawless. If you can live with the back seat room, the LS is a great choice. You seem to be doing your homework so as to make a well-informed choice; I think you'll be happy with whatever you get.
Please come back & let us know what you decided on, and why.
Scott