become a GC SRT8 owner.

The FX 45 had 20" wheels/RS tires, front and back, and the ride was bone jarring at times. At 8K mi the RS tires were replaced with Proxes which helped but the handling was not as crisp and after 4K mi the tire noise was excessive. This along with all the noises due to body flex helped with my decesion to sell it.

I did a search on this and found very little about the ride quality. To help with my decision your comments would be appreciated especially from those who have 8K+ mi on the clock.

A test drive in a new FX did not reveal these quirks so instead of a GC test drive I'm relying on you to help with my decision.

During the search I found many comments about the impressive performance. As an owner of a S/C Viper GTS I'm familiar with high HP cars so I'm asking that you ignore this aspect of the GC SRT8 for the moment.:D

Rick

Hopefully this will help you out.... My prevous car was a 95 M3 heavily modded. I had it so low that the key for the car, standing upright, could not fit under the front lip. I lost teeth every time I hit a bump. The Srt8 is obviously better, but it is still rough at times. But I dont have to avoid cracks in the road like I did with M3. My buddy has an Fx 35, and I know thats definatly a softer ride, but he doesnt have the 20's on there. So, I might have to say the ride may be a bit harsher than your Fx45 was, but everything else about the Jeep will make you forget about it!!
Good Luck bro!!!!!

From riding in an FX and owning an Infiniti G35 Coupe and SRT8, the SRT8 is a good bit more rough of a ride, especially in the rear. You will beat rear passengers to death on long rides if the roads are not very good. I have taken several trips and most complain about the ride quality in the rear.

If ride quality is concern then the SRT8 is probably not the right vehicle for you. While I was surprised that it rides as good as it does it is still harsh like a stock M3 but more "jumpy". The tire noise is excessive on certain surfaces, it tramlines, it has lots of drivetrain noises and the interior has all sorts of rattles...all annoying if you care about comfort. Apparently, for me, this doesn't matter b/c I constantly proclaim this vehicle the most fun I've ever owned and I've owned some good stuff (96 M3, 01 CLK55, 01 M3, 02 M5). It rides alot worse then an E39 M5 and alot better then my Chevy Z71 PU :)

Don't have the SRT yet, but I guarantee if you lose the run flats for normal tires......it will absolutely improve ride quality.

Run Flat tires as a whole, completely stink.

As I've said before, same applies to the BMW 5series equipped with run flats. All people do is complain about them, once they switch out the tires....much improved ride quality.

From riding in an FX and owning an Infiniti G35 Coupe and SRT8, the SRT8 is a good bit more rough of a ride, especially in the rear. You will beat rear passengers to death on long rides if the roads are not very good. I have taken several trips and most complain about the ride quality in the rear.

Web,

You should check us out over on our new G35 site www.6mt.net! It's new and improved :)

Going a bit farther out on the spectrum, I came from an mr2 Spyder roadster and that car beat the crap out of me compared to the SRT8 jeep. It was loud, low to the ground and picked up every little bump. I feel like I'm in a Rolls Royce compared to that car in ride quality in my daily driving.

I think too, it depends on what areaa of the country you live in, and the overall condition of the roads you travel the majority of your miles on. I have over 20,000 on mine. Live in Fl. Good roads...Hit a seam, or where new black top meets old with a one inch bump or so, you'll feel it in rear. Only tramlines under heavy throttle and lane change. WOT on decent curve or on ramp, you'll get a little torque steer. No excessive body flex, perfectly even tire wear, (34 cold) no tire noise to speak of. Probably have 40% left on tread. Pleased with this and overall tire feel.

Don't have passengers to be concerned with. Only me 95% of the time. Drive up through NJ,NY,CT,MA, with lousy road conditions, pot holes, freeze/thaw cracks...you will definitely feel the effects. This is definitely not a point, steer, and kick back kind of vehicle except under optimal road conditions. You need to "drive" it under certain conditions. To me that adds to the fun factor not the pita factor.

I have no drivetrain noises, except for standard system check "klunk" at 20 mph on first start up. I have no rattles of any kind. It does ride somewhat similar to my M3 with 19's, but amazingly also handles very close to it for everyday driving regarding cornering, and acceleration....but obviously not for drifting.....(should you decide you want to kick that tail out a bit.)

Towing...just over 2500 pounds or so, don't even know the trailers there. It cruises well, hardly ever downshifts in mountains. Over 12,000 miles doing this.

I would strongly suggest however, if overall ride is going to be a deciding and crucial factor in your purchase decision, find one to drive. For me it fits all my requirements and don't find myself complaining about the ride.

Kind of hard to leave comments about performance out...so let me just say IMPRESSIVE....good luck in your search.

become a GC SRT8 owner.

The FX 45 had 20" wheels/RS tires, front and back, and the ride was bone jarring at times. At 8K mi the RS tires were replaced with Proxes which helped but the handling was not as crisp and after 4K mi the tire noise was excessive. This along with all the noises due to body flex helped with my decesion to sell it.

I did a search on this and found very little about the ride quality. To help with my decision your comments would be appreciated especially from those who have 8K+ mi on the clock.

A test drive in a new FX did not reveal these quirks so instead of a GC test drive I'm relying on you to help with my decision.

During the search I found many comments about the impressive performance. As an owner of a S/C Viper GTS I'm familiar with high HP cars so I'm asking that you ignore this aspect of the GC SRT8 for the moment.:D

Rick

I used to have an FX45, fully loaded, tech, 20", etc.. The ride was, believe it or not, harder than my 350Z. And it cornered better..

But if you're looking for something softer, the SRT8 is NOT the car for you. The ride is much harder than the FX45. It's basically a sports car that looks like a truck (SUV). The FX45 was a "more sporty" suv. Not the SRT8. It's really a pure sports car, that's just huge. You will get more rattles and the ride is not as isolated (not as quiet) as the FX45. Plus, the new Navi (from the M45 is pure bliss in the FX. Jeep doesn't even come close.)

The recent-model-year FX45's 20/sport have been softened a bit, which will make more of a dramatic difference comparing to the SRT8. The first line out the factory (one of mine) was harder than this year's. The FX35 with 18's is a totally different beast. Much softer ride. Ironically, the first FX35's tech 20/ sport were harder than the FX45. Go figure.

In either case, the SRT8 is a chiropractor's best friend. Your spine will take the abuse and you'll take your spine to the chiro.

My M45 19" Sport has a hardest ride in the segment (mid-size lux, as in 550i, et al.), but compared to the SRT8 Jeep, it feels like an LS 430. The Jeep is definitely not a family commuter. But it's practical. I was about to get a G35 coupe, 6mt, or an RX8 mt when I got the Jeep. Neither of the smaller cars were practical to carry anything. And the sheer look on driver's faces, of cars such as the ones I mentioned, and others, when I smoke them like a canabis blunt, is priceless. You asked not to comment on this, but I will anyway, the SRT8 is stupid fast. And, very hard..

Hope this helps. If you need to take a ride in one for comparison, try finding someone on the forum, close to you. I'm sure they'd give you a ride. I would. Dealers aren't so willing. Especially since you need to break-in the car (first 1000 miles).

Good luck.

From November R&T, highlights for this thread in bold.....

INFINITI FX45

Maybe the armadillo look-alike crack is a bit harsh, but seriously, the crossover-ish FX45’s styling has always been a bit “out there.” It was updated for 2006 with a new grille, front bumper and 20-in. wheel design, while the suspension tuning was revised slightly with new dampers.
The FX45 is no spring chicken (to keep with the animal analogies), having been on the market since 2003. Yet we’ve never tested one. What we found out is that it’s simply one of the best performance SUVs in the world.

The FX45 is neither a bruiser like the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8, nor a capable off-roader like the Range Rover. But it gives the most sedan-like feel of any vehicle in this group, no doubt due to the Nissan FM (Front Mid-ship) car-based platform that it rides on. Because of its light weight (relatively speaking — 4530 lb. is not exactly light) and low-to-the-ground feel, the FX45 was more comfortable being tossed around in the really tight stuff than any of the others, its outright grip proven by tying the Jeep for best skidpad result.

Where the FX45 is lacking is in straight-line acceleration, at least amongst this group. Don’t get us wrong, its Q45-based 4.5-liter V-8 is no slouch, putting out 320 bhp and 335 lb.-ft. of torque. But what’s noticeable is the lack of bottom-end grunt and V-8 sound, especially compared to the throaty Americans. The FX45 is instead smooth and quiet, almost feminine and V-6-like in delivery.
Assistant Road Test Editor Jonathan Elfalan, strangely eager to prove the FX isn’t effeminate, said, “The FX45 makes up for what it lacks in brute power with less mass and superb handling. It responds well to trail braking and is the only one in which I encountered occasional instances of over-rotation.” Which is another way of saying he almost drove it off the road.

Most of us were impressed with the FX’s 5-speed automatic in manual mode (operated via the center console lever), its rev-matching downshifts an enthusiast’s delight; in full automatic mode, the shifts are near-imperceptible. Joe wasn’t a fan, though, twice accidentally knocking the lever from the manual mode into full automatic during spirited driving, which killed his corner exit…and his fun: “Really annoying and a bit unnerving,” he called it.

Other gripes were thrown toward the odd, buslike angle of the steering wheel. It could be electrically adjusted downward, but, because the instrument cluster moves with it, only so far before the gauges were blocked.

Marc was thoroughly impressed with the FX, calling it “the most enjoyable to drive on a day-to-day basis.” But he questioned its design, asking, “In 10 years will I still appreciate its bold styling or will it become just another eyesore on the road?”

We’re not sure, but for now, anyway, we’re enjoying the ride.

JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE SRT8

The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is the new bad-ass SUV. From its super-low front air dam — that screams “not even close to Trail Rated” — to its 20-in. chrome wheels to its dual-outlet central exhaust (for which Mopar builds a special, optional tow hitch to circumnavigate) to its big ol’ Hemi, trust us, it’s all good. And bad.
In outright speed, it flat spanked every vehicle here. Jeep has been bragging that the GC SRT8 runs to 60 mph in under 5.0 sec., wet or dry. They weren’t lying: In our testing it ripped to 60 in just 4.6 sec. and to the quarter mile in 13.2 at 104.1 mph. Those are sports-car numbers! Apparently this is what happens when you strap a raunchy-sounding 6.1-liter V-8 with 420 bhp and 420 lb.-ft. of torque to a 4800-lb. all-wheel-drive vehicle. Four-wheel powerslides come standard.

So what makes the GC SRT8 so good, so different, if you will, from a regular Grand Cherokee? Plain and simple, the gentlemen over at SRT (Street and Racing Technology). To put all that extra power to the road, they reengineered the all-wheel-drive system with a new transfer case, front axle and a sturdier rear with a Dana 44 differential. But the biggest difference is felt when you throw the GC SRT8 into a curve. In a typical Jeep, you’d be met with varying degrees of squish; with the SRT8, rock-solid handling. A 1.0-in.-lower ride height, Bilstein dampers, stiffer springs, larger anti-roll bars and 255/45R-20 front tires and 285/40R-20 rears transform the GC SRT8 from ho-hum SUV into sports-car competitor.

Not that it’s without faults. Road Test Editor Shaun Bailey complained that it “has little head room, tight interior space and hardly any ground clearance; there isn’t much utility to it.” Jonathan countered that “the Jeep’s seats are definitely the best of the bunch, the only ones with any kind of lateral support.” The Jeep would also benefit greatly in spirited driving if the 5-speed AutoStick performed rev-matching downshifts, like the Infiniti and Range Rover. And Marc reckoned the ride is “too firm for all but the most performance-oriented enthusiasts.”
Those are the ones this single-minded Jeep is aimed at; people who will go out and find its limits on a back road, and will find out that, yes, it can be provoked to oversteer on corner entry, and yes, again on corner exit as it spins all four tires. Maybe Marc summed up the GC SRT8 best when he said, “The Jeep is what the Cayenne should have been — focused 100 percent on performance; road performance, that is.”

Of note, the Jeep was the only one in our group that suffered from sporadic elevated engine temperatures. In truth, we were driving the heck out of it, like few sane people would. Still, a bit disconcerting.

:) I want to thank everyone for your objective and honest feedback. :) It's apparent that you don't make a living selling cars. LOL

I negelected to mention that my FX45 was a 2003. I heard the ride was softened but those who made comparisons could not detect the difference.

I live in N VA where the roads are good but traffic and local track officials limit spirited driving. As with the FX most of my driving would be limited to speed limit cruising. All the other aspects of the GC like seat comfort, ride, interior free of rattles pops and squeeks are equally important to me.

The local Carmax has a black 2006 with 2.6K mi on the clock, I could test drive that. However the information provided here, in addition to the test drive, are equally important in making a buying a decision. Rick

Rick PM sent.

:) I want to thank everyone for your objective and honest feedback. :) It's apparent that you don't make a living selling cars. LOL

I negelected to mention that my FX45 was a 2003. I heard the ride was softened but those who made comparisons could not detect the difference.

I live in N VA where the roads are good but traffic and local track officials limit spirited driving. As with the FX most of my driving would be limited to speed limit cruising. All the other aspects of the GC like seat comfort, ride, interior free of rattles pops and squeeks are equally important to me.

The local Carmax has a black 2006 with 2.6K mi on the clock, I could test drive that. However the information provided here, in addition to the test drive, are equally important in making a buying a decision. RickI bought an '03 FX45 when they first arrived & never could figure out the incessant whining about the ride. Yes, the 20" wheels and sports suspension gave a stiffer ride than all the other pig-like SUV's wallowing around every corner they took over 15 mph. My GC SRT8 rides very much like the FX45, even a little more forgiving over bumps than the FX. If you were OK with the FX45 the GC SRT8 will be NO problem at all.

become a GC SRT8 owner.

The FX 45 had 20" wheels/RS tires, front and back, and the ride was bone jarring at times. At 8K mi the RS tires were replaced with Proxes which helped but the handling was not as crisp and after 4K mi the tire noise was excessive. This along with all the noises due to body flex helped with my decesion to sell it.

I did a search on this and found very little about the ride quality. To help with my decision your comments would be appreciated especially from those who have 8K+ mi on the clock.

A test drive in a new FX did not reveal these quirks so instead of a GC test drive I'm relying on you to help with my decision.

During the search I found many comments about the impressive performance. As an owner of a S/C Viper GTS I'm familiar with high HP cars so I'm asking that you ignore this aspect of the GC SRT8 for the moment.:D

Rick I have a 2004 FX45 for sale, I loved the car untill I got the Jeep which is a joy to drive they both have a simular ride John

I managed the body flex pops by spraying the lift gate gasket with silicone which would be good for about a month. As time progressed it got to the point where the spray treatment would work for a couple of days.

Not what I expected from a $47K vehicle.(no Tech)

This along with dropping resale values it seemed like the right time to sell.

I will continue to search here and may stop by the Carmax to have a closer look at the GC SRT8 on their lot.:)