brantyca

Scott, I put the same winter tires on my MKX and made the decision to not put the sensors on the rims (actually the suggestion of the tire store since it would have added about $400 to the cost of the rims and tires). All you have to do is hit the reset button every so often and put up with the idiot light until you take the winter tires off. It's a lot cheaper than putting on the sensors. You should really be checking the tire pressure regularly with a tire gauge anyway and not rely only on the TPS.

We have an '08 MKX AWD Monochrome (black) edition with 32,000 km on the odometer and are extremely happy with the vehicle. The fit and finish are great and there have not been any problems with it to this point. The AWD is excellent in the snow (along with winter tires). It is very comfortable and is great on long trips. We did not purchase the navigation system but we do have the THX system which is great! While most vehicles now have heated seats, the MKX has cooled seats that actually work well in the hot months (few have this feature). The huge sunroof is something I would not think twice about...it is wonderful (I am 6'2 and there is no problem with headroom). We have had the vehicle since November, 2007 and servicing so far has only been for oil changes. This is a great vehicle and would certainly make the purchase again.

I have installed winter tires on separate aluminum rims for my MKX and no sensors. Sometimes the system gives the me the message about checking they tire pressure right after I start the vehicle. I hit reset and the message goes away. Sometimes even if I have reset I often get the warning beep 15 or 20 minutes after I have started the vehicle in motion. I say sometimes because this does not always happen. There are times when the warning light does not come at all after starting the vehicle but after driving for a period of time (perhaps 15 to 20 minutes) it finally beeps its warning. I wouldn't worry too much about the system not giving you a warning until you have put your regular tires back on. With the sensors in place, the system should do a self check and if there is anything wrong will give you a warning. I had no problems once I put my regular tires back on last spring - no more warning tones or messages. Bottom line is that you should still check your tire pressure manually once a month and not rely completely on the system to tell you when the pressure is low.

I have had winter tires on my last 2 vehicles so I did not think twice when I put them on my 08 MKX AWD. They make a huge difference. Yes original tires may be OK during the first winter but they are not winter tires. Winter tires remain flexible at lower temperatures which is important for good traction (all season tires lose their flexibility below 7oC). Obviously tread pattern is important to traction as well. I put my winter tires on aluminum rims but did not install the sensors (suggestion from the tire shop and saved a few hundred dollars). Without the TPS's you need to hit the reset button each time you start the vehicle but that is really no big deal. Not matter what you do you should check tire pressure monthly anyway. I had no problems with the fit of the rims. The Toyo tires that I purchased are a bit noisier than the stock Pirellis but it is really no big deal.

I have an 'O8 MKX and last winter I purchased winter tires and rims without TPMS sensors. I agree with the previous post...all you have to do is hit the reset button and put up with the warning light. It is no big deal. Since you know that the monitoring system is not working you will need to check the pressure every so often during the winter - but you should do this anyway. When you put your regular tires on in the spring the monitoring system starts up again. This way you don't need to go back to the dealer to have them reset the system. It was actually my tire dealer that suggested I not get the sensors and saved $$ in doing so. Bill.

I took delivery of our '08 MKX Limited Monochrome late October last year and shortly after I put on winter tires. I decided to go with 18" since it was not worth the extra $ for the 20" - particularly for winter tires. I put on P235/65R18 Toyo GO2 Open Country with dedicated aluminum rims. I decided not to go with the TPS sensors - this is a bit of a pain since you need to do a reset to get rid of the message. The tires were great through last winter and there was no problem with fit and the brakes.

I took delivery of our 08 MKX monochrome at the end of October and did not notice any pulling with the 20" tires. I put 18" winter tires on in November so when I put the 20's back on I will watch for any problems.

Rusty, I have purchased winter tires for my last 3 vehicles. I would have to say that it is a 'snow thing' and really has nothing to do with chains/cables. Winter tires provide superior traction and braking in snow, slush and icey conditions compared to the "all season" tires (which are really only good for 3 seasons if you get snow in winter). In cold temperatures the rubber compounds in winter tires remain very flexible whereas the compounds in all season tires cause the tires to be very stiff considerable reducing traction. Tread design in winter tires is very different than all seasons leading to better traction for winter tires. This year I put winter tires on my wife's Zephyr (MKZ) and she can't believe the difference - the standard all season Michelin's just do not give the same level of control. Bill

I have an 08 MKX AWD monochrome black with the vista roof and live just up the highway from you in Toronto. I can provide the following observations: Based on the last few weeks of constant snow I would strongly recommend the AWD. I have installed winter tires as well and combined with the AWD you will not get stuck. We have a cottage in Muskoka and snow has never been a problem - control and traction are always on tap. So far I am not too concerned about gas mileage with AWD (winter is always bad). My previous Ford Freestyle AWD actually had great gas mileage (in my opinion). The MKX monochrome comes with 20" chrome clad wheels. I think they really look sharp. Will curb hits cause a problem with them? Perhaps depending on curb height but you may have to make sure you do your parallel parks a little more carefully. The 20" tires have a fairly low profile compared to the 18" tires. I have found that you can make a mess of aluminum rims on curbs as well. As I mentioned, I have installed winter tires but rather than 20" I have 18" on dedicated aluminum rims. I have not noticed much difference in handling - although I put the winter tires on about 3 weeks after I got the MKX so I have not driven that far on the 20's (but they sure are big and heavy when they are off the vehicle). I cannot really comment on the vista roof in summer since I have not gone through a summer. It is a huge opening! The MKX comes with cooled seats so I am sure this will help. My wife's Zephyr (now MKZ) has cooled seats and they are amazing in the summer. My previous vehicle was a black Ford Freestyle (camel interior) and in the summer it would very quite hot (even the camel colour seats). The sunroof helped during the initial cooling to get air moving but the air conditioning system was able to cool the vehicle fairly quickly. The sun shade will certainly help. I cannot comment on the issues with the red colour and it really is a personal preference. My last 4 vehicles have been black (really classy when it is clean something that's hard to do in winter). Bill.

I own an '08 MKX (black monochrome) and have posted pictures in the members gallery. You should check that area out since there many pictures posted.

I have an '08 MKX with THX and rather than use an Ipod, I use a 'memory stick' device (4GB). When I turn off the ignition and turn it back on again the song that was playing picks up exactly where it left off. Once finished that song, it continues to play all through the play list. I have not tried an Ipod yet since the memory stick holds more than enough songs for me.

I have a 2008 MKX and the controls for the vista roof do in fact light up at night. The buttons to open the roof have lights where you activate for opening and closing. The buttons to operate the shades light up as well but the labels "open" and "close" actually light up. Not much more than that and is quite easy to use. The only button that does not light is the tilt button but it is fairly obvious by touch since it sticks out further than the rest of the panel. This may be different on the Edge.

I have an '08 MKX and the maual has a section titled "Automatic Transaxle Adaptive Learning" The manual states: "Your tranxaxle is equipped with an adaptive learning strategy found in the vehicle computer. This feature is designed to increase durability and provide consistent shift feel over the life of the vehicle. A new vehicle or transaxle may have firm and/or soft shifts. This operation is considered normal and will not affect the durability of the transaxle. Over time the adaptive learning process will fully update transaxle operation. Additionally, whenever the battery is disconnected or a new battery installed, the strategy must be relearned." This does not really say how or what it "learns" but I know the shifting in our MKX is extremely smooth.

I have an 08 MKX and as in carbonegde's response there is reference to "change oil soon warning" and the message centre in the manual but there is no such warning in the message centre. My '05 Freestyle had such a warning but the MKX ( and I guess the Edge) does not, despite what the manual says.

I went with an 18" tire - specifically 235/65R18. This is very close to the standard 18" that comes with the MKX and Edge (non Limited model). The winter tires are noisier than the Pirelli's but I have noticed this on most winter tires anyway. The noise is from the tread pattern and not from the road itself.