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fbov

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Everything posted by fbov

  1. Wow, I can beat Paul at something! 14.116 is my largest fill... but with a comment that it includes a partial fill. My largest single is 14.011... dang. My 700-mile tank was 13.3 gal., and the pump agreed with the car, a rare event you'll agree. Frank
  2. This links a more recent discussion http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/4959-radio-will-not-shut-off/ Find the fuse and pull it. Problem reoccurred, but not for several years. Frank
  3. Yep; I put an aluminum lip at the back of the front under-panel, where it meets the engine cover. It got ripped off the first winter. Even with the short nose, there's enough suspension travel that Ford's 2014 mods are about as far as you can go. Side skirts don't have a problem; the low spot's in the center of the car, not the edges. Have fun, Frank
  4. What would impress you? These are the best headlights I've owned to date. Must be aimed well? They excel when the weather's bad and make driving in a snow storm relaxing; I can see the road. And seeing the road when it's hard to see, is what makes them truly impressive to me. Perhaps we're looking for different things? Have fun, Frank
  5. That looks exactly like the lug nuts that came with the steel wheels. If so, they're 1-piece, and will rust. Frank
  6. +1 Tires are a trade-off. You'll like the X-ice in the white stuff, and they don't hurt mileage a bit. Conversely, they're only good for one summer when new. But I'll disagree about your climate comment; this is a fantastic winter car. Visibility is snow storms is unparalleled in my experience, and traction control can, at least, be turned off when it's a problem (some wheel spin helps in snow). It's the drive train that's in love with warm weather. Your trading mileage for passenger comfort down to 32F. Below that, it's the price of using internal combustion engines! Have fun, Frank
  7. These have all the hallmarks of an incompetent wheel man with an impact wrench. All show signs of improper socket seating (damage well above the flange) and excess torque (dishing on flats), consistent with incompetence. Mine are nearly perfect. I use leverage if things are tight, and my mechanic uses a torque stick on his impact wrench. If you don't see one of these on his impact wrench, invest in extra lug nuts, because he's not a qualified wheel man. Have fun, Frank PS I have a second set of lug nuts. They are not clad, and the chrome is rusting through.
  8. This has now happened twice, several years ago, and again about a month ago. Odd thing is that I was driving when it went "bad" entering a parking garage. I lost reception, but couldn't turn the volume down. Nothing happened when I turned it off, except the display said the radio was off. Still playing when I returned to the car. Stopped when I got home and pulled the fuse. Have fun, Frank
  9. My lug nuts are solid steel also clad; the snows are on steel wheels that came with their own lug nuts. I get to have both sets in my hands at once; no metal sleeves, just like the BMW. I am curious what happened that yours are deformed. I've used a Volvo lug wrench for decades; too much slop to notice this kind of thing. Let me know; I think I can scare up a second one. Does (Volvo) spark plugs on the other end. Have fun, Frank
  10. Here's what I've been seeing for tread life... projection for the snows is they'll be down to 3mm by 35K miles, another couple years. My OEM's won't see another Summer; an average of 3mm means they're real close to 2mm in a lot of places. I need to do a rolling resistance comparison with the CrossClimates on the wife's car. Have fun Frank
  11. I can say that 215/60-16's work well, but they're the same OD as OEM. You should see a small mileage drop to the diameter change but not the tire itself. My mileage data has repeatedly shown no change at winter tire changeover. If you had bad interference, you'd know it; snurds are always going to rub. A quick price online comparison today shows Walmart and Amazon want $131 today, Tire Rack at $117. I paid a lot more than that at Tire Rack because tires were a lot more expensive in 2013 than now (driven by oil prices) and I bought steel wheels, too. It pays to shop around if price matters a lot to you. Those Amazon discounts were a great find! New snows will ride very softly, more so than new OEMs due to the small, heavily-siped tread blocks. Conversely, the handling will be mushy for the same reason, even as it gives you a lot of grip, and a certain imperviousness to hydroplaning. And I'm assuming you're aware that snow tires have no tread-wear rating, as snow tires will not last a summer if you leave them on. Plan on a new set in Spring, or you'll need new tires in Fall. That $62.50 is a semi-annual expense. It's the economics of snow tires; there's a price to knowing that windblown snow on a bend in the road won't be exciting. If you've never had good snows, you're in for a treat!! Frank
  12. Check the door frame alignment. It's real easy to lock your keys in the car. I did it dropping the car off for service; left the fob in the car, closed the door and it locked. The had no way to get in better than prying back the door frame and hooking the lock tab with a coat hanger. Before they "succeeded" I had my wife bring the other fob. HAve fun, Frank
  13. Remote Start was an Energi-only option in 2013. As I recall, when you're plugged in, you can schedule start through a smart phone app so the car is heated or cooled when you enter. Frank
  14. Time to time the time-out, it appears. Still on the original battery here, and trip length is way down so perhaps I'll see an effect. Frank
  15. I have my original paper air filter, and I have no plans to change it. - it's paper, so as it loads with dirt, it becomes a more efficient filter. - it's a fuel-injected car, so the engine can't tell throttle from filter constriction. Never seen a point in a hybrid. Very different in a race car. Frank
  16. +1 Wife's car has HID on her new car. They came aimed at the trees. I asked her to complain, and ask to have them aimed. They came back aimed at the ground 20 feet away. Hyundai has a problem with simple stuff. Thankfully, they did a great job designing the adjuster. Conversely, they're still inferior to the standard C-Max headlight system. Anything work in good weather, nothing has come close to how well our cars' lights work in fog and snow, when good headlights really matter. HAve fun, Frank
  17. Paul, you need to come up here some February! Ned, we also have a full set of snows for the C-Max, so I was interested in a new tire design from Michelin, the CrossClimate+, for my wife's Sonata Hybrid. They are supposed to have the traction and braking of a dedicated snow tire, to the point where they bear the "3-peak snowflake" symbol. But they also claim it handles like a high-end summer tire, and it has a 600 A A UTQG. Unfortunately, the "+" is a new model, supposedly with a different tread compound, so the only test data available is from Europe, on the original CrossClimate. Several of the tests liked the balance of performance, as good as summer tires in dry and wet, but no where close to them in snow. My wife teaches, so she has to get to school whenever it's open. Last winter, she took the snow-shod C-Max on snowy days. This year, I wanted her to be less dependent on taking my car, and be better able to handle the highly variable snowfall rates characteristic of lake effect snow should she hit a squall. At the same time, I didn't want to swap snow tires on a second car... and I can't say anything about them yet as they're still in her trunk. Frank
  18. In the older cars, I'd always go for lower mileage, unless there's documentation the tranny's been properly fixed. Our 2013'ers are "special." Frank
  19. I would also raise holy hell with Ford, as this is a known defect, at least in my 2013. Frank
  20. "Engine" is the internal combustion engine (ICE) that uses gas. There are two motors, it's true, but only one that's connected directly to the drive wheels and in use when you're "EV'ing." The car uses one neat properties of electricity - it's reversible. - The drive motor also act as a generator to provide regenerative braking. - The second motor spins really fast in either direction. It can charge, drive, or do nothing, making it perfect for the car's powertrain control system. . As the color changes, you're switching between white (ICE) and blue (motor) sides of the drive train. How it switches depends on high voltage battery (HVB) charge level, and how hard your right foot pushes the throttle. It's easy to switch; take your foot off for a moment, then back gently, and you'll start to EV. From there, I try to use the ICE uphill and EV downhill, to get more glide miles out of the electric side. Have fun, Frank
  21. White zone means the engine is running. Blue zone means the engine is not running, you're using the motor. If you're seeing more white and less blue, you would expect poorer mileage. Something's different. HAve fun, Frank
  22. So do I. That's not them. Look on modern trucks for something similar, but much larger and aimed up where the driver can see them. Frank
  23. I've often wished for the whisker-like posts you see at the front corners of long-haul trucks. Wished, but not tried anything. Frank
  24. Most new drivers benefit from exposure to a wide range of driving situations, as there is no predicting what they might encounter on the road. This is never more true than for common vehicle operations. Parking a car is a common vehicle operation. You may want to reconsider, and give your new driver the opportunity to learn to park. Have fun, Frank
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