I was briefly tempted by an Infiniti FX50S until...

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
03/15/2016 at 19:50 • Filed to: None

I’ve pretty much decided my next car will be a lightly-used Infiniti G37xS coupe. My gf !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! this idea. I hit up my local Infiniti store to get more familiar with the car, and also drove an FX37 QX70 3.7, which I actually rather enjoyed. So I started looking at its discontinued big brother, the FX50S.

The FX50S is a rwd-biased awd crossover with a 390 hp, 5.0 liter V8, adaptive suspension, the optional big brakes from the 370Z/G37S, and 7-speed automatic with downshift rev matching. Oh, and it has my two favorite vehicle features: ventilated seats with extendable thigh shelves at the front. I love thigh shelves.

I kinda enjoyed the QX70 3.7 because it’s actually pretty fun and tossable, but has the ground clearance for all of the ridiculously steep driveways here in Wisconsin, and is roomy for when I want to spread out some, like on road trips, or on my way home from the gym. Throw in a big honking V8 and the belief of the general public that it’s nothing more than a gussied-up Nissan Murano, and it’s the perfect incognito bruiser.

The FX50S also comes with 21" wheels and the stock tire size is 265/45-21. There are three tires that come in this size: a snow tire, an all-season tire, and a summer tire. The summer tire is the Dunlop SP Sport 01, which in 265/45-21, costs $379.25 each at Tire Rack.

Nope, I’m not going to be getting an FX50S.

UPDATE: Well, I did a little more digging, and there are a few more options in 275/45-21 that are more like $275-$350 per tire. The Michelin Latitude Sport in 275/45-21 is $284 per tire, but back ordered at the moment. Which isn’t great , but at least that’s not quite as ridiculous as the OEM size.

So....maaaaaaaaybe this changes things? That’s a good $360 less than the OEM size per set of tires.

DISCUSSION (33)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 16:59

*raises hand*

Yes hi what is the utility of vented seats anyway?

Textured Soy Protein > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/15/2016 at 17:02

They keep your ass cool on hot days, especially when you get in the car when it’s been sitting outside for a while.

Also, I shower at home after the gym rather than at the gym so they help prevent the sweat from getting all up in the seats.

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 17:02

GUH! I thought my tires were pricey.

Kinja'd!!!

Pictured an FX50 buyer before and after tires

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/15/2016 at 17:04

(0_0)

On a hot day or when you’re sweaty they are the most marvelous thing even concieved

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 17:05

We looked at the FX35 and 50. They are fantastic to drive. It ended up coming down to the lack of visibility, and the interior just feeling more closed in than the stuff from BMW and Volvo. Still, an excellent crossover.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/15/2016 at 17:06

So it’s not cooled seats? It’s like... literally ventilating air through the seat? Please remember the nicest car I’ve owned is an 8 year old Pontiac.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 17:06

I just sold my 2009 FX50 and man that thing was a blast. Handled so damn well. It’s probably one of the most under-rated cars out there. Yes tires are expensive, but that car was damn reliable too. That car still gets me excited.... But I wanted a manual transmission. So I sold it after I bought a 2006 Subaru Outback XT.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/15/2016 at 17:07

Ventilated seats also prevent fatigue when driving long distances. Drove 13 hours straight through in an FX50 with cooled seats. Only had to stop for gas.

Ash78, voting early and often > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 17:12

Congrats on doing your research. Back when everything came with 15"/16" and optional 17", I remember thinking about how an extra $200 for tires was going to eat people alive. When I sold cars, I had customers complain about it on cars like the Lexus IS. And then Dodge started putting 20" on their trucks and people really got pissed when they started spending $1,000 on a set ("My old truck was $350 for a set!"). My point here is that nobody likes surprises, and doubly so when you car only wears ONE particular brand or style.

Textured Soy Protein > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/15/2016 at 17:19

I dunno if it’s blowing cool air from the air conditioner, or just blowing air thru like a fan. Either way, it’s one of those things that when you experience it, you will understand.

Textured Soy Protein > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/15/2016 at 17:21

For me, I’m not much of a big crossover or SUV guy. I have a Grand Cherokee as my winter car but it’s not my only car. To me the FX is like a tall wagon on stilts for trouble-free driving up Wisconsin driveways, that still handles nice in spite of the ride height. So it would be my only car. Those replacement tires though...

spanfucker retire bitch > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/15/2016 at 17:21

That’s how “cooled seats” work. They blow air through little holes in the seat fabric/leather.

Textured Soy Protein > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
03/15/2016 at 17:22

Was yours an S with the 21" wheels or did you have the regular FX50 with its “reasonable” 20" wheels?

PS9 > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 17:24

You could always swap out the rims for something smaller.

Textured Soy Protein > PS9
03/15/2016 at 17:29

I would probably buy smaller wheels to put snow tires on, so I wouldn’t really be inclined to downsize the non-winter wheels. Although I suppose I could try to find some forum member who wants the 21s and would swap their 20s from a base FX50 or FX37S.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/15/2016 at 18:20

No, ventilated is a fancy way of saying cooled.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 20:03

But...Bionic Cheetah!

Sam > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 20:17

Why summer tires, though? It’s a 5,000lb SUV, not a Miata. I don’t think you really need the extra grip and extra cost of summers. Of course, I could be wrong and all seasons could be the same price or similar to summers.

Textured Soy Protein > Sam
03/15/2016 at 20:31

All the tires, summer or not, are this expensive. The FX is a heavy, tall, raised station wagon built on the same platform as the Z, G, etc. It is surprisingly nimble. Since I’d get a set of smaller wheels with dedicated snow tires for winter, might as well have fun tires the rest of the year.

E92M3 > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 21:14

What are those 2 silver things above the gauge cluster on the dash?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Textured Soy Protein
03/15/2016 at 21:33

Great car. Definitely worth a look. Have considered them myself.

Textured Soy Protein > E92M3
03/15/2016 at 21:52

They’re buttons of some kind. From my test drive I believe the ones on the top left are the dimmer, not sure about top right.

valsidalv, reminding you that infiniti is an option > Textured Soy Protein
03/16/2016 at 09:06

At the end of the day it's a couple hundred bucks for tires on a car that you'll spend several thousands on. A drop in the ocean, if you will. It's a sweet car that sounds great - don't let tire choice stop you!

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Textured Soy Protein
03/16/2016 at 15:56

believe the 50's came with 21's and the newer QX37's came with 22's. Ours were in fact 21's.

Textured Soy Protein > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
03/16/2016 at 16:44

Tire Rack thinks the FX50 came with either 265/50-20 or 265/45-21 as options. But every FX50 I’ve found has the 21s on it. I do know the FX50S adds the sport seats, rear steering, and adaptive shocks.

Honestly I’m still probably leaning more toward the G37xS coupe. Sure, it doesn’t have a real back seat, or cargo space, or ground clearance, but those things aren’t particularly important to me. It’s a good $7-10k cheaper than the FX50S for similar year/miles.

The FX is fun because you don’t expect it to be as chuckable as it is for how big and heavy and high up you sit, but the G37xS is still more fun, it will be a lot cheaper to buy its 19" tires, brakes will last longer since it has identical brakes as the FX50S but weighs like 900 lbs less, and there’s no stuff like rear steering and active shocks to have go bad.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Textured Soy Protein
03/18/2016 at 09:24

Also, the FX50 is just terrible in the snow and who wants to spend $2k on 21" snow tires or smaller rims and snow tires? Not me.

Textured Soy Protein > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
03/18/2016 at 10:27

I would buy snow tires & wheels for either the G37 coupe or FX50, so that cost is roughly similar. I figure the G37 would have a bit of a traction advantage since the sport package adds the rear LSD, but the FX50 has more ground clearance.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Textured Soy Protein
03/18/2016 at 11:15

You’re already making me miss the FX, lol. That this was a brute and you really could toss it through corners like nothing. Also, towed a 12 ft trailer with it for 14 hours and it was really easy. I don’t tow much, but I swapped driving duties with my brothers through the trip and they both attest to it being the best tow vehicle they’ve driven. That is compared to huge pickup trucks pulling horse trailers and the like, though.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > sm70- why not Duesenberg?
03/18/2016 at 11:16

Definitely A/C air. Air is definitely cold.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
03/18/2016 at 11:16

Definitely A/C air. At least in this car it is icy cold air.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Textured Soy Protein
03/18/2016 at 11:17

It’s definitely A/C air. It can be very cold.

Textured Soy Protein > ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback
03/18/2016 at 13:13

I’m on the fence, just because part of this car purchase is I’m trying to not spend big piles of money it. I checked out an Acura TLX SH-AWD yesterday and I like that more than the G37x sedan, so my options I’m considering are now buying a used G37xS coupe, FX50S, maybe FX37, or lease a new TLX SH-AWD. I’ve still got a couple more months before I have to make my choice. First order of business is to sell my Grand Cherokee before the next payment which is due on April 18.

ArmadaExpress drives a turbo outback > Textured Soy Protein
03/18/2016 at 15:09

The FX50 was pretty reliable. Around 80,000 miles we ended up needing to replace the A/C compressor, and around 85,000 the power steering pump, and right before we sold it at 88,000 the rack and pinion started to seep.

Those are the only repairs we had to complete in the 4 or so years we had it. Always ran great and had no other issues to speak of. I miss the brute force acceleration and the sound of that high-strung V8. That V8 is what turned my wife on to cars. She’s not quite an auto-enthusiast, but she loves the sound of a nice exhaust.