As a new member of this forum, I would like to share some impressions of both my car, and this site, if I may.

I spent a few hours reading over the posts, and I found out quite a bit about this car that I never would have been able to read anywhere else. For that, I thank all the members of this forum.

Fortunately, I did not have the "squeaky rear end" problem. I guess my local dealer got the TSB on that one. I thought the radio display issue was in my head. I am glad it will be taken care of, and I am waiting for the TSB on that one, before I ask for it to be fixed.

I bought this car for it's looks and handling, not to race. To me the performance it quite good, and I can not see myself spending the money to have the engine upgraded. Before I bought my car, I tested the 350Z (my wife hated it) and the RX8 (I hit my head getting in and out). When we pulled in to the Chrysler dealership, we both said "that is the one", even before we got into it!

I do like the lighted sill plates. The might make a cool birthday present...

I was stopped at a red light recently, and a guy in a Prosche pulled up beside me. He put down his window and said: "I like your car betten than this one!" That is a compliment I will not forget.

It appears that the majority of the owners will not be driving their cars in the winter, but that is not an option for me. If there is one disappointment in the car for me, it is the lack of winter tire availability. The Continentals are really not snow tires. Their web site lists them for wet surfaces. The Continental rep said I should not think they should be considered as winter tires. That may have been a sales pitch, or a liability safety net. If anyone with those tires has any experience with them, I would like to know how they have handled.

Finally, I would like to thank the system administrator of this forum. It is quite a bit of work to set up and run one of these sites, and I think he should be commended for his great job!

I look forward to reading and posting.

I promise they will not all be this long!

jsisabella - #2476

 

Welcome and thanks for the comments! I too will have to drive the Crossfire in the winter. I think what I am going to do is buy a set of 17" rims and some studded tires for the winter because most likely, my next car will also be a Crossfire, so it won't just be a waste of money. This is the only thing I could really think of, and I'm pretty close to doing it. Yea, it won't look as good, but a rear wheel car with sport tires is simply not going to make it anywhere in the snow.

 

so what size 17" tires and rims do you think you will buy? With the weather here today, it looks like I may have to do something pretty soon.....

And this may sound like a dumb question, but will a 17" rim make the speedometer/odometer incorrect?

Thanks.

jsisabella - #2476

 

Welcome to the forum, jsisabella. And congrat.s on the new Crossfire. The compliments and the attention is something that I don't think will ever stop. Isn't it Cool?!?!?! When I had my Vette I didn't get anywhere near this kind of attention.

 

Guys, do yourself a favor and get a beater for winter. For what you are going to pay for the tires and wheels, you could buy yourself a 95 escort and liabllity for 2 winters. I hate to even think of your beautiful cars being subjected to winter conditions in NJ and Ohio! I've been driving a 95 escort for the last 3 winters. Cost $500.00! The Ins. is $250.00 a year. I also drive it to the supermarket and the mall. Park it in terrible places, who cares?

 

harry7 that is great advise.
Better to own and drive a beater in the winter, then try to get your Xfire fixed because somebody "slid" into you on slippery road surface. See how long it takes to get body damage fixed on a Xfire.

 

Check out pages 144-146 in the Owner's Manual. The recommended snow tire is a 225/40VR18 M+S. You need to get two more front rims for the rear, or buy a set of steel rims. Tire Rack has Dunlop Winter Sport M3's in this size for $157. They were rated best in the comparison on the web site.

 

OK, I see two ways to look at this:

I can buy a beater, and keep the new car in the garage for half of the year. This will keep it safe from possible winter damage. But then, who is to say that some idiot won't run a stop sign and hit me in July?

Or I can drive it and enjoy it for all of the year, with the risks involved.

I personally prefer to be in the car, not pass by it in the garage. That is why I bought it in the first place. I had similar conversations when I bought the first 1991 Dodge Stealth in this area (I was the #2 Crossfire buyer). But I drove that car every day for over 10 years, and put on 185.000 miles without any real problems. And I really enjoyed that car. It was the same with my 1973 Mustang Mach I. The cars I have really liked, I kept a long time. The cars that were just "OK" were gone in a few years.

I expect to have the Crossfie a long time!

So I guess I will be getting some snow tires and rims.

I guess I am just not one of those people that says "My other care is a Crossfire....

 

I drove this car with the Continental tires in Michigan winter conditions with little difficulty. (You probably get more snow than we do in Ohio.) Most of the snow we get here turns into that nasty glazing that comes from the tires of the traffic melting and refreezing the stuff into ice. I got around fine in all of it. The couple of times we had deeper snow had me feathering the throttle, but again, I felt comfortable. The Michelins, however, will not even move the car in the lightest of snow, especially with an automatic. (The idle torque alone will break the wheels loose and then there is no go at all...) If it said snow in the forecast, I couldn't take it out of my driveway.

I've talked to a number of people though that are buying a second set of winter wheels with winter tires. This is what they do in Europe every year. (They don't have all season tires there.)