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My snows are 215/60-16's on Ford steel wheels. You'll also want to run tire pressure lower than most of us, at the placard level. A third thought is to look for tires with a good ride comfort rating. You can bias several things to one side and get some improvement even if they're little things. Frank

Correct, your blocking the wind. Just keep in mind the most significant factor will always be your driving style. The benefit of incremental improvements is magnified as you use less fuel. My favorite example is 91E0, ethanol-free premium fuel. It has shown me no benefit in highway driving, where I get 35-40 MPG, yet I see about a 4 MPG improvement on my back road commuting route, 54.8 to 58.6 MPG with the "better" fuel. I expect that, were I achieving 60 MPG in highway driving, better fuel would, again, be beneficial. Have fun, Frank

Part of it is the transmission. You're used to a car that has 5x the torque when it's stopped and downshifts to first gear. After the first upshift, you still have 4x the torque, down to "only" 3x at the next shift... eventually ending up at 0.8x with a typical overdrive final ratio. Gas engines need a high numerical ratio at rest because they have no torque at rest, requiring a "slip" of some sort (the clutch) to move a stopped car without stalling. You now have a 1-speed transmission, 2:57:1, effectively nothing but a differential, but with 177 ft lb of EV torque at rest, regardless of engine speed. Then there's the marvelous linkage to an internal combustion engine, and a second motor/generator, that allows the ICE to run any speed, independent of road speed. Those two things make the car completely different to drive. 1) When you floor it, there's no waiting for the tranny to downshift or the engine to rev into the torque band. You get full EV torque right now. The motor is current limited below ~1700 RPM to the maximum 177 ft. lb. rating. EV torque falls at higher RPM, even as ICE torque rises. As you speed up, there's little change in torque. 2) Engine speed no longer depends on vehicle speed. It's more like setting a "power level" because, without upshifts or any loss of torque, a given power level will keep you accelerating until you back off. There's no 5x reduction in torque due to gear ratio changes. Ever find yourself tailgating? Learn to be patient and wait for the car to take off. Surrounding traffic always eager to pass me when we start up, but given space in traffic, I'll normally pass them as part of the normal pulse-and-glide hybrid driving approach. The car loves following the terrain. HAve fun, Frank

There are reasons to do a lot of things, but they usually start with a problem, something you want to change. If things are working, I don't see any benefit to a reset. Now, if the radio loses its mind, or won't shut off, you may need to pull the fuse. Mine's needed it twice since 6/2013... I can live with it. HAve fun, Frank

That sure sounds fishy... too bad Engineering Mode doesn't show HVB status. I'd leave it with Ford for a night to see if they see anything. Best of luck, Frank

Welcome, and I hope you enjoy your 2013. I have the same car, and my lifetime average is 41.1 MPG, despite true winters (ice storm forecast tonight). However, when asked what mileage I get, I normally say "between 30 and 60 MPG." - You'll get low 30's if you are driving in cold weather, doing a lot of high-speed highway driving, have high rolling resistance tires, or are a Consumers Union jackrabbit driver. - You/ll get to 60's in warm (no AC) weather, at city/rural speeds, over well-known terrain, using low RR tires at ~50 psi, grill blocks, premium no-ethanol fuel and knowledge of the car's tendencies. That last part comes from looking at the most-advantageous dashboard display. The options in the left dash area cycle among 4 options and a custom setting. Only two really help you. - Inform - Enlighten - Engage - Empower: Power (with engine on/off threshold) + Avg Fuel Economy + Battery Gauge + Fuel Gauge - MyView (custom): set to show Tach RPM and Coolant Temp. The most important thing about Empower is the "engine on/off threshold," a blue outline around the throttle setting display. When your throttle setting falls inside the blue outline, the system will turn off the engine and run on EV. As soon as you exceed the threshold, the engine starts. You will quickly notice that the threshold depends on the car's speed, and the amount of charge available from the battery. My general approach is to accelerate slowly uphill while charging, then glide down hill under EV power as far as possible. Others do better and worse than me, so it's not rocket science! HAve fun, Frank Oh, and in the event you speak this language, here's a diagram for how you can use energy driving this car. Thinking like this helps me. Maybe it helps you, too.

So... break-in matters? I recall a Car and Driver testing a Mercedes V8 sedan at 800K miles. All original drive train. Mileage and top speed were slightly better than new. Have fun, Frank

It has no "hybrid" operating mode that recharges the battery?

Actually, I see less problem with an EV-only vehicle. The far larger battery is less likely to be substantially depleted every day, so it won't need to be charged every day. With a 200 mile range, my 30 mile/day commute would require charging about once a week. I wonder how many users do that... Have fun, Frank

Well... if it can't, I'll be horn swaggled! It's 36" between the rear shock towers, long enough for an 8' stair chair rail, and tall enough for a drop leaf table behind the front seats. Just watch for damage on the bottom from the seams and tie-downs. HAve fun, Frank

Well... if it can't, I'll be horn swaggled! It's 36" between the rear shock towers, long enough for an 8' stair chair rail, and tall enough for a drop leaf table behind the front seats. Just watch for damage on the bottom from the seams and tie-downs. HAve fun, Frank

+1 Sounds like Toyota's approach!

Then you have 13B07. The original PCM SW would not permit EV over 63 under any circumstances. You've found EV to be weak but accessible. Anything you find on safercar.gov is not optional. What did you find for your VIN? Frank

This nicely shows the potential benefit of premium, ethanol-free fuel, which benefit clearly increases as temperatures rise above freezing. Sorry, Paul, but it still doesn't get cold in Georgia... Frank

Screens, not filters perhaps?

1) My "lifetime" mileage is 41.1, but that's since ~11K miles when 13B07 PCM update was applied and the mileage zero'ed. 2) When I was commuting, my mileage varied between mid-30's and low 50's from Winter to Summer. Now it's all short trips. 3) Battery issue was nearly all with SE's; we have an SEL and have the original battery with no failures. In fact, my only unexpected failure was the RCM module, which lit up the dash nicely when it died, but was covered under warranty, and a recall as well. 4) I switch to snows for Winter, so I'm rotating by tread depth on each side, never crossing. I'll get 36K miles from the OEM if I replace them at 3mm, 44K if I replace them at 2mm tread depth. 5) Heres something I can fix... I HAVE PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES. Maybe now y'all will hear me. My rear rotors warped at 49K, and it's starting again now at 59K. I think the slide is hanging up on one side. It shows up as a loss of braking as you enter a turn, when the car is trying to switch from straight-line regen braking to friction braking in a turn. It's an odd feeling, like brake failure without actually losing the brakes. My front rotors dissolved at 51K and 4 years in service. I blame a high regen score (disuse) and road salt for the rust. As to how you might get better mileage... I think it starts with understanding because terrain and timing matter like never before. I'm a scientist by training, so I see things in terms of energy... producing it efficiently and then not wasting it. 1) try to run the engine at low RPM and high load to get the most energy from the fuel. Once you get good at this, you will see benefit from premium fuel and avoiding ethanol (although never to cost equivalence). If not, buy gas based only on price. 1a) try to also keep the HVB charging whenever running the engine. Long slow acceleration both charges the HVB and uses fuel effectively. 2) once the car is moving, conserve that kinetic energy within the restriction of the parasitic losses. 2a) use regererative braking to convert speed into charge on the HVB. 2b) being stopped at the top of a hill is the same as having high SOC in the HVB - both are stored energy. 3) Pay attention to your route(s) as terrain matters 3a) use the ICE uphill, hopefully while simultaneously charging the HVB 3b) try to crest hills with a full battery, so you can use the down slope to extend your EV range. FWIW, I get better highway mileage in Ohio than New York because the NYS Thruway is flat while NE Ohio is full of rolling hills due to glacial moraines. YMMV for a large number of reasons! HAve fun, Frank

My car is in for its 11th recall now; getting the 16S30 door latch done. 13B07 was the big PCM update that enabled EV above 63 MPH. 14E02 and 15E03 were subsequent PCM updates 13A01 was the SYNC update at that time 14C03 was a seat back replacement 14S04 was the RCM update (after replacement) My point is that there are a bunch of recalls, and they're not trivial repairs. Here's a bit more on the issue of recalls and used cars. The www.safercar.gov link and a VIN is all you need. https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/how-recalls-impact-used-car-buyers Best of luck, Frank

It's not surprising that Energi's HVB would suffer greater battery loss over time.It's being used in a more stressful application. - when plugged in, they are always charge to "full" - when used in EV mode, they discharge very deeply before starting the ICE in hybrid mode - the hybrid mode only uses 20% of HVB capacity, so 80% stays discharged until plugged in. The hybrid HVB may have similar charge/discharge limits, but it's SOC is in constant flux because it's being used as an energy buffer, not a source of energy. We rarely hit "empty" because the ICE intervenes, and I don't have the hills to hit full charge. And there's nothing a Li-ion battery likes more than to be held at mid-capacity. Have fun, Frank

Get a Prius? Looking at cars, given my love of the C-Max, I've been re-reading its reviews and those of similar cars. Car and Driver is in the same boat as Consumers' Union - neither organization has anyone on staff who knows how to drive a hybrid. - In a car with capability, like the C-Max, they diligently criticize it's poor mileage while driving it like it had gears - in a car without capability, like the Prius, they diligently laud it's high mileage. They fail to see that the lack of capability prevents the driver from using fuel, insuring high mileage at the price of the drivers' soul. I find human learning far more palatable than loss of soul. Have fun, Frank

I'd take that bet in a heartbeat! My front and rear were both serviced in 50K miles, and the rears appear to be going out again... rotors disintegrated. Road salt is not kind to brakes when you're not using them enough. But I still agree with your bottom line... even though I'm looking for other car-buying options, I keep coming back to a car that ceases production in May. Frank

Very disappointed in the CU article; just a wrapper on this year's winter tire test with minimal new information. The "all weather" tires are conventional asymmetric all-season tread patterns, optimized for a little more straight line traction. The "test report" is a 2-minute video, and I can't find much by way of reviews on the web for either tire. Really disappointing. My wife tells me her Michelin CrossClimate+ have been great this winter... they are a real "all weather" tire, if test reports run true. We'll see how long they last, as that's the real question. Have fun, Frank PS who publishes a winter tire test article in Spring?

This is a control system patent. Toyota is building on prior art, in this case the TRW patent and its successors. A controls patent is a natural and necessary result of the situation in 1973. From the article you linked: "... the modern hybrid era had its stirrings in the late 1960s at an aerospace, credit reporting, and automotive parts conglomerate named TRW. Researchers there invented the modern idea of a power-split hybrid using a planetary gear set, a gasoline engine, and two electric motors. ...in order to be efficient and useful such a transmission needs to be carefully controlled. A hybrid transmission control computer was not a realistic possibility at that time so its design was not really practical for use in an ordinary consumer vehicle." (emphasis added) Have fun, Frank

Yep; mine's in the passenger side seat pocket. There's also an insert for the cup holder... or so I'm told. Frank

Two thoughts. Fusion owners are attracted by looks, C-Max owners, by utility. As a result, more Fusion owners will drive it like a sports car. It works, too. Fusion is available with several drive trains, while C-Max is a dedicated hybrid (here, at least). I bet lots of Fusion Hybrid owners don't really understand they have a hybrid. Have fun, Frank

Perhaps patents affected GM's component designs, but there's never been a Toyota patent on the power split device. It was TRW's, and expired in 1990. https://patents.google.com/patent/US3732751 Frank