Quick Update

Some observations about the car after a few days:

• Cold Starts. For the last year or so, the engine was a bit hesitant until it warmed up. Getting smooth shifts was difficult in the morning, so I just lived with it until it was warmed up (usually on the freeway). That's gone now, likely due to replacing the spark plugs, which is fairly common with this engine, if you go looking for it. So note to self: change the plugs again at 80,000 miles (which is when they're normally due).
• Brakes. The ceramic pads had me a bit worried, since an old timer told me horror stories about getting old school ceramic pads heated up properly, back in the day. I have none of that with these modern, ceramic pads. They work great when cold. In the morning, when I go down my drive way, I no longer have grabbing and clunking, which can be a bit scary, or noise as the brakes warm up. They should also be cleaner for those new wheels, which are likely harder to maintain.
• Tires/Brakes: As I mentioned before, the brakes with the new Super Sport tires provide a stopping power that is more linear and predictable. It's hard to tell which to give credit for this, so we'll say they're both doing a great job at stopping the car. Getting the front brakes done at the same time was part of my attempt to like the car better, as in addressing the braking issue 100%.
• Tires: I expected some tire break in, which so far hasn't been an issue with both stopping or acceleration. I get lots of grip with the Super Sports with only a few dozen miles on them and there's more cornering confidence. The mud and snow P-Zeroes were predictable, but the performance just wasn't there. If I were buying this car new again, I think I would start day one with new tires and sell the stock wheels as a set. Better tires just makes this car so much ... better.
• Wheels: My 8-year old likes the V710's less, which makes sense, since they're far less flashy. I do like them more than the Detroits. They're far less garish.