17MKZ3.0TT

Great info, thanks for sharing it. Frustrating that a new module has to be "introduced electronically" to the car, but it's becoming standard to almost need a scanner to change a floor mat ?

Agreed, I went from the 19" to 18" for my four snow tires & aftermarket wheels & lugnuts, Blizzaks in 225/50R18 were the Tire Rack suggestion, and no problems. I put my portable Garmin GPS on the windshield for a while to compare to the car's speedo & virtually identical.

I bought my 2017 3.0T AWD with the optional 19" wheels and the driver's sill sticker says I should (and do) run them at 38PSI Cold. I seem to remember many years ago that the two sizes available on my Buick LeSabre had different tire pressure recommendations, with the smaller wheel/taller sidewall ones being a pound or two less. If anyone has a 2017 3.0T AWD with the std. 18" wheels, would you please a moment to check the tire pressure sticker as you're getting in and post back if it says 38PSI like mine? Thanks!

I am exaggerating, but it's certainly not anywhere's a quiet as OEM. That said, such an aggressive tire pattern by definition won't be quiet, and rotating the closest tire to me (the one I hear most, natch) from front to rear made no difference in sound heard from the driver's seat, and my passenger claims her front tire is the one she hears. In short, the tire noise is noticeable but IMHO the snow traction is worth it. It's possible I'm running a pound or three high, but I'll address that with a new post to see what's recommended.

Well, finally got a little snow for a test drive, and the traction is amazing compared to the OEM, but to be fair, we're also comparing NEW Blizzaks to 30k miles OEM. Steering, and braking with the front ones is everything I hoped for, and the added traction from the rear when the power shifts back makes you smile. As with any 4WD or AWD vehicle, I'll just have to use my head to remind myself I'm not Superman, ice can still beat me, and awesome traction often masks, "worse roads than I thought, officer". The only downside is the noise. Seriously, pulling out from a stop into a turn on dry pavement, you'll think you have two grinding wheel bearings to the point where I tossed the OEM fronts back on just long enough to go around the block and the front wheel bearings were suddenly healed ? Just like with my 134k mi. 1966 Fairlane-based 287 wagon in the mid '70s-use your radio for load noise abatement. Actually, I never notice it except for slow, turns with the tunes off, life is good and I'm ready for more snow (but not in a hurry, flurries in March would be fine).

Thanks, must have been a previous car or just CRS. Good to know that it'll update whenever a tire changes. For a couple of years I just checked & adjusted all the corners at once using my digital, and never bothered checking the car's readout (too lazy to change from Fuel Mileage setting?) until doing the Tire Rack thing and all the pressures were 2-3 pounds from sill sticker and each other. Thx again.

I may be thinking of an older system and/or other brand, but doesn't the car need to be rolling to get the updated tire pressures displayed after an adjustment in pressure? FWIW, my '17 had all 4 corners within a PSI of what I get with a good digital guage, with the OEM 19" wheels & tires. I just put on aftermarket wheels & Blizzaks for winter and 3 of the 4 corners were in agreement with the digital and one was 2 PSI low when cold and 1 PSI when up to highway temps on a 28° day, so I added a pound. CRS seems to be affecting me, because I don't remember if I ever looked at the psi just before going for a drive vs a couple blocks down the road.

I'm sure that's one way to look at it, and divert the anger that should be directed at FOMOCO. I bought a $200-$300 Garmin a dozen+ years ago with lifetime updates included. Takes me 5-15 minutes for me to update it via laptop depending on the amount of new data, but a $50k car didn't have the margin built in to design and include an easily updated NAV that the dealer could do by plugging in the car during an oil change or new tires? Pathetic. They'd make more money (dealerships) by having more people bringing cars to the dealership for service they're taking to KwikenLoober, currently.

I haven't, sorry I can't help beyond that.

Correct, if you get close to the car (with fob) and the mirrors are retracted, the "puddle lighting" will illuminate.

Mine's the AWD 3.0T

If you seriously start to consider the 3.0 TT make sure you drive it first, and get down on it in a lane change like you were passing somebody like ya meant it. The power comes on nice and quick, but the torque steer may keep me from getting another one. It likes to yank to the left, and then as you're considering/starting a correction to the right, the torque affect goes away and it's way to easy to pull it to the right. Not a good thing if you're just up to the driver's door of the car you're passing. I love my Z, but it's not a track day car unless you're willing to get some suspension work done, and for that kind of money I'd have to start looking for a different car.

Not sure if this matters, but in Sport mode in my '17 3.0, downshifts harder when you're lightly braking for an upcoming event like stop sign or red light. Is it the same for you in all 3 driving modes? I never use the paddle shifters ('cause I got an automatic car because I can shift to my heart's content on my motorcycles) but my understanding is the shift occurs when you release the paddle, not when you pull it in. I'll try and remember to check it sometime.

So, no snow experience yet (and hopefully not for weeks, yet) but I've gotten some dry miles in including a mostly highway 300 mile jaunt today. They are obviously noisier than OEM, but not bad. I was surprised by the growling they make up front when pulling out from a light/stopsign in a 90° turn in an intersection. You'd swear it was bearing noise or rubbing the inner fenders, but absolutely not, and today up by my camper I pulled out in a tight turn on asphalt covered by pine needles-quiet as stock. Anyway, at least half today's miles were interstate highway running 70~80 mph (just keeping up with the flow of traffic, officer) including some fairly sharp curves at speed in S mode, and it was stable as could be, no sign of understeer or back end walking out. Not sure if it's good as stock, but I don't see how it could be with less contact area. That said, I'm not going to be doing track days and I can say they hold the road great. I can see why a few commented on reviews that they put them on the OEM wheels and were going to leave them on year round. I'm content to have them on aftermarket wheels and in 18", and put the 19"s back on in Spring.

Wondering how a red "MLZA" (Make Lincoln Zs Again) would go over?

Personally, I wouldn't wear it, though one that I currently wear is all cartoon pictures of various donuts, so there's no accounting for taste.

"are these cars expensive to maintain? Are they a money pit?" Yes, and yes. So are Cadillac and most other luxury cars. The more features you stuff into a car, the more will be available to fail, and unless you can do most/all diagnostic and actual wrench work, it'll always be a ticking time bomb. That said, some cars defy the odds, others only lose stuff you can live without. Personally, if $5k is a price range you're comfy with, I would not buy a hybrid or a turbo. You can drive for years without a heated steering wheel or seat, you can manually close and seal a dead sunroof with a tube of whatever, but you'll be walking to work if a turbo or hybrid system puts you in limp mode. As mentioned, the actual car is the determining factor, MKZ or Brand X. Timing belt/chain past due for changing? Front end and/or engine mounts worn & loose? Brakes ready for rebuilt calipers/pistons, or just going to need bolt-on stuff like new pads & rotors? Good hunting. Older cars are like a stock, you just have to be willing to walk away if it tanks, not buy more of it ?

Will do. It was an unseasonably warm 75° today, and hopefully the trend will continue and I won't see a snowflake for at least a month. I'll probably lose a corner off my Man Card for not putting off installing them until the car was covered in snow, but it sure was nice working in a sunny driveway with a nice breeze instead trying to jack up car corners in a freezing garage without hitting a car or bike with the jack handle. ? I took it out for a 15~20 minute drive to see if the TPMS would be freaking out, but so far no warning light. When I pull out from a stop sign or light, I can absolutely notice the tires being slightly louder, then in less than a minute I realize I've forgotten all about them. Expansion joints and other sharp jolts come through a little more noticeable than with the OEM 19" which surprised me, as I expected a little softer ride with the taller sidewalls. Maybe the Blizzaks have a stiffer sidewall, or maybe it'll all be different in 300~400 miles when they're broken in a little. Sometimes a few hundred miles of flexing completely changes the ride with new tires. It's also possible I've lost my perspective on tires this year. I got tired of barely being able to pull away from a stop light in even light snow with my E350 Van (in one of the above pics) so when the original Michelin tires needed replacing I stayed the OEM size, but in their most aggressive tread available in the load range needed for a 1 ton build.

And for the NASCAR fans, Look out bitchez, I'm coming out with four fresh sticker tires!?

The gray paint on the wheels was darker than their virtual showcase looked like on the TR web page, so I'm happy enough with how they look.?

Should have been part of the original grill, but Ford probably needed that for the bigger one ?

Probably be a little more tasteful if it were less bright, regardless of light temperature. They may have figured if the they were going to have that price point to make it worth developing, buyers might be disappointed with anything that didn't jump right out. I think it looks good.

Just a shot in the dark, but if the car rental chain has enough clout and negotiates a large enough order, many mfrs. will do a run of, "program cars" with a build combination unavailable through any dealer. I bought a brand new E350 Ford van from a dealer who orders a large large qty. to supply some Florida airport rental locations as courtesy vans. Front & back air/heat, 7 speaker radio, rear BU camera, 3 rows of seats behind the buckets and a very nice interior, but no thermometer or compass, no GPS.Insert other media

Got good customer reviews and looks aggressive enough for an unplowed street with less snow than the ground clearance. I'm self-employed and 99% retired, so in most cases it's not like I'm gonna get fired or start crying if I have to wait for the plow to come by, just figured with still under 20k miles on the car, now is the time to get off my duff and make a commitment, not like I'll be getting a new one in a year or two unless they bring them back from the board meeting grave.

FWIW, just ordered four average-looking 5 spoke light gray painted wheels paired with 18" narrower Blizzaks for Winter use, 225/50/R18 instead of my current 245/40/R19. Not sure when I'll put them on, but I'll eventually post a pic and a review when I've been able to try them out. The current Michelin "Green X" weren't horrible or anything, but I figure that was due mainly to the AWD, and I'm sure the skinny, aggressive tread pattern will be an upgrade to braking and steering, at least that was my opinion "back in the day" with my RWD Celica. Edit; image from Tire Rack's "see it on your vehicle" is decidedly bland, but if I really hate them I can paint them black next year on a rainy day.