New shoes!

So, after eleven months, and just a few hundred miles short of 15k, I had to act to replace the OEM  Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires due to the wear bars showing.  Doing some research on my options, I selected Nitto Motivo tires.  I was particularly intrigued by this review:

http://www.motortrend.com/features/consumer/1203_nitto_motivo_tire_test/

Got them installed 2/13/13 at Discount Tire for $986.25.  I opted for the road hazard warranty to cover the set for an additional $149, as these tires have a written 60k mile warranty, and I had to replace a Supercar tire at just a few thousand miles.

So far I love them - the ride seems smoother, very grippy, and there seems to be less road noise than before!  Time will tell if they stay this good - maybe I will throw another update out there in 6-12 months.

Early 2013 SYNC update...

Been a while since the last update!  Recently I received a letter from Ford advising of a new upgrade to the SYNC software that runs on the Taurus.  Visiting syncmyride.com showed that an upgrade was available for download, but that I must have an updated maps SD card in hand before upgrading.  So, I submitted the form to get the new maps (free, BTW, which is a rare gesture these days) and literally the next afternoon, I had a FedEx package with the new SD card.

Following the instructions online, I was able to easily create a USB key to do the upgrade.  As soon as you connect the key, you are prompted to upgrade the system.  The downside?  An estimated 45+ minutes to do the upgrade, in which the engine must be running.

I had to meet someone to sell an old tablet system, so I started the upgrade when I left the house.  Drove to Richardson, transacted some biz, and then headed back home, stopping at Walmart for some cold medicine on the way.  The upgrade wasn't quite finished, so I left the car running and locked it while I went in for the NyQuil.  By the time I returned, the upgrade was complete, and asking for the updated SD card.

I installed the card, and we were done.  What is probably the biggest upgrade I have noticed so far?

The outside air temperature has been added back to the center stack display. :)

The system does in the last couple of weeks seems faster, although at times I am still frustrated by SYNC's inability to distinguish voice commands on noisy roads.

Coming VERY, VERY SOON are new tired.  Current mileage - 14,500.

I close with this cell phone pic of my car outside a local pub.  Turned out pretty good, in my own biased opinion. :)