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FWIW, I came from decades of Volvos to this car, albeit with the power driver's seat of an SEL. I find C-Max seats offer a fine level of comfort for a fairly large person, and a wonderful level of adjustability between seat and steering module. I would expect that adjustability makes for a comfortable driving position for many people, albeit on that may be hard to find (especially after someone else drives your car...). Have fun, Frank

I got as far as a dual-manometer set-up, but needed help to run it. I planned a center-line sampling, moving one at a time using the other as a control. I think the tuft test predicts a low rear glass pressure, if only by the clean break at the sides (where Ford added things). I was very surprised by the low flow rate over the glass. Drag is a function of speed squared. Force = Cd x cross-sectional area x v^2. Not a big deal at walking speeds, but no big deal at 4 mph is 100x greater at 40 mph. And yes, placement matters. Tiny things matter. It's the data that makes Hucho such an entertaining read. Huhhh? You seem to have referenced data that says this doesn't matter. The Mitsubishi study doesn't really apply here. They weren't testing the drag reduction effects of vortex generators, they were optimizing a sedan with a wing. Cd and Cl (lift) are both important, and much of the result is from the wing as much as the rear glass. This is the classical application for roof-line VG's, but a fair test would compare a wingless sedan, preferably with a rear window angle a little steeper than 18 degrees, separation angle for rear glass if I recall my Hucho correctly. VG's are very effective at preventing separation as the angle increases, thus the common use in airfoils, where stall latitude is critically important to safe flight. If you're interested in automotive aerodynamics, Hucho makes for a great read. https://www.amazon.com/Aerodynamics-Road-Vehicles-Mechanics-Engineering/dp/0768000297 Have fun, Frank

Use yours... http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3129-tuft-testing-a-c-max/ My conclusion was the C-pillar fins are useless, but Paul's wheel well flairs should be great! Have fun, Fran

The Energi has an aux tranny pump that's outside the transmission. I'm of the opinion that, while the 2013 PCM update (13B07) was aimed at mileage, the annual updates since then (14E02, 15E03) are for reliability. After 14E02, I noticed that when the ICE starts cold, all motive power comes from the battery for 15-30 sec. Charge level doesn't matter, a depleted battery is still the only thing that gets me to the top of our hill, ICE running continuously, but not putting any torque to the wheels. That sounds like a reliability change, to allow more warmer oil to get to important places. But I'm speculating as to the motivation... Have fun, Frank, who's not worried about his 2012-era tranny.

That sounds about right... with all the approaches integrated, you can get to 70% energy recovery if you include the chemical plant. These researchers are looking at feasible options in a feasible application - seafaring diesels. The test engine is 2 liters per cylinder, albeit a single-cylinder engine, so there's room or things that don't fit a 0.5 liter displacement. I see this as a real advantage for ships, and perhaps trains, but not cars. Frank

No I am. I knew it was an even split... once upon a time at least. I still expect some fundamental limitation, like combustion temperatures vs combustion chamber temperatures. Your idea raises chamber temps drastically. What do you make use for your cylinder heads? Sometimes heat flow is necessary. HAve fun, Frank

First off, you're the first, to my knowledge, to do an analysis on "factory oil" for want of a better term. What you get might not be typical. I've just done my fifth oil change, and the fourth that Blackstone will analyze. This time I sent a sample of unused oil, for a baseline. Mobil 1 AFE 0W20. I also tried to get the car good and hot before changing, to drive down the fuel level and see if flash point comes back. I'll post a summary when I get the data. Absolutely true... Have fun, Frank

Paul, This is correct, the ICE does absorb very little heat. Most of the energy loss is in the exhaust gas itself, thus the Atkinson cycle and turbocharger approaches provide real improvement. But, since little heat is going into the ICE, there's little savings to be had insulating the engine block. Wouldn't it be nice if the exhaust gas heat could be used to heat the cabin? An air-air heat exchanger would have much less thermal mass than the ICE. HAve fun, Frank

Is the jerk you feel a pull, like the car speeds up? I think it's really the car slowing down less, which feels the same. I've noticed it in traffic, when slowing for a turn, the car would leap forward a little as I started to turn in. I'm now thinking this may be due to prolonged high braking scores; I trained myself to get ~95% regen, so the friction brakes aren't seeing much friction. Visual inspection shows the rotors have rusted a little, and as a result, there's less surface area contacting the brake pad, so less braking force. I've started braking hard from speed occasionally, in an attempt to level the rotors a bit. We'll see, Frank, who just changed his oil.

Over inflate? I'm not sure how you define it, but I think of "proper" inflation as bound by the car manufacturer's specifications, and the tire manufacturer's specifications. - Ford specs are on the door, roughly 38 PSI. This is the lower limit. - Michelin specs are on the sidewall, 51 psi on my OEMs. This is the upper limit. (Note that the OEM is a P225/50-17 with a 93 load rating. There's also a 225/50-17 with a 44 psi sidewall rating, and a 94 load rating.) Your TPMS is designed to protect against the lower limit, because there's a really bad hazard - tire failure at speed - that commonly results from low tire pressure. There is no protection on the upper end because there's no really hazardous outcome until way past the upper limit. Lots of us do very well near the upper limit, where we also get benefit of reduced rolling resistance, at the price of ride quality. Your choice. HAve fun, Frank

I vote for" Consumer Reports" mode.

I had typed a nice long reply, but then inadvertently got the pop-up-that-never-closes. Refresh. Start Over. This is why I left. Using this forum is an exercise in frustration. I'd like to participate, but the personal cost is too high. I am about to do an oil change, and would like to add the oil analysis to my past data. Paul, if you could please PM me with a private e-mail, I can forward you the data for posting when available. Sorry, but I don't see alternatives... that was in the deleted post. Frank

Been a month... still can't quote, still can't paste... really hard to participate! Quote from mstssl. You can't sue a company for complying with state law. An i3 REX that's compliant with CA law only has this problem because it complies with CA law. Sue California, or perhaps your elementary school for not teaching you reading comprehension. Waste of money, for everyone but the lawyers. And this car is far safer than a car that can run out of fuel. I've seen two cases of cars that stopped in the middle lane of a freeway. Both drew ambulances, one a mortician. Neither had an option to limp to the shoulder, or other safe location. Suing a manufacturer for your own idiocy is sadly a very American thing to do. Unintended acceleration anyone? Have fun, Frank

This is my last post. I am leaving out of frustration, having lost yet another post this morning when I tried to add a link. Simple stuff I've done in many forums for many years are no longer available to me here, and only here. No other forums I use have issues. I conclude this forum is no longer functional. I can't quote. I can't add links. I can't view the forum. Nothing but HTTP 500 errors since the forum upgrade. Issues elevated to no avail. I just retired from industry, ending the commute I've used to assess various things suggested to improve mileage. I have a bunch of last data I'd like to report, but I can't. The forum only takes text, like this post. That is unacceptable. We once had a useful forum here, I'm very sad to see it go. This is a very sad day for me. Frank, who is not having fun. PS this is posted single-spaced... yet another forum issue.

FWIW, I did the test. My hatch's kick feature works between the "x" in the C-Max badge, and the "H" in the Hybrid badge, but not under the license plate, as one might expect given the receiver's location. YMMV. Frank

Since this is your first Spring, your best mileage has yet to come. All my record MPGs and 700 mile tank were in June. Frank

Paul, Which Mobil 1 are you using? Advanced Fuel Economy (AFE) and Extended Performance (EP), the only two Mobil1 0W20 options, have different additive levels. EP is nominally 800 Ph, 900 Zn. I'd post a link to the spec sheet but paste one of several standard features no longer available to me... like viewing the forum. Still getting HTTP 500 error. Not having fun, Frank

To be clear, the hitch must cover the sensor in order to be a trailer hitch. "Kick" operation is much harder to activate. You have to find the residual sensor window. In my case, I kick the hitch right where the safety lines connect. I can't see how you'd activate it loading a bike on a rack, but I'm aware that Murphy was an optimist. Have fun, Frank

Plus, check your math. I calculate 0.016MJ of potential energy (mgh) per meter of elevation for a 3600lb car, and references show 34.2MJ per liter of gasoline. With Cuba at ~450m elevation, that's about 0.2 liters, or about 1 cup. Now there are inefficiencies, especially in ICE combustion, but that's a 3x factor when we're differing by 10x. Aerodynamic losses, being a second order effect, should be very sensitive, and it is. A 5 MPH headwind at 70 is good for 15% greater drag force; at 60 MPH, it's a 17% hit. Drag is just harder to quantify in terms of fuel use. Have fun, Frank

In the FWIW department, Ford's synthetic blend 5W20 is coming out of my crankcase with 650 ppm of Phosphorus, and 750 ppm Zinc. Mobil's nominal levels for the AFE oil in current use are 650 and 750 ppm, and I'm darn near 10K on this oil. It will be interesting to see how it looks when it's done. Frank

What was the wind direction? Prevailing westerly's would give you a headwind on the return trip. It a bigger effect than you'd think. Frank

I think you're right... I was thinking about accessory mode, which will turn itself off. Sucks at drive-in movies. Frank

+1 That's what's in my crankcase now. Just hitting 10K on it. Curious to see if there's any difference in the used oil report. HAve fun, Frank

Tire, yes. Oil, not so much. Air filter has no effect. Tire Rack is now including fuel economy in their tire tests, and results are interesting; about a 10% spread across tested tires. OEM's darn near the best; my data above shows OEM Energy Savers vs. Michelin X-Ice 3 snow tire; there is no difference within noise. Key points: - high RR cannot be countered; the only remedy is new tires. - you can measure RR directly. Stop on the top of a hill where there is very little traffic (obviously) Put it in N and verify that car doesn't move (you're really at the top of the hill) Get out, and push the car off the top of the hill, about 1 foot at a time, for safety Find the point where the car wants to keep rolling, but you can stop it with your pinky finger. Put it in PARK.. Measure the angle of the road under the car. The Tangent of that angle is the RR I used a long level of known length. Hold it level, with one end on the road, and measure how far the other end is off the road. RR is that distance / length of the level. I've run two rounds of spec oil, Ford 5W20 blend, a "cheap" full synthetic 0W20 and "premium" "advanced fuel economy" 0W20. No effect. Anyone who reports an effect must either be in very odd operational circumstances, or they're confounding their data. And finally, air filters. I may never replace mine. Engine air filter discussed below, but cabin filter was fine at 36K. - no effect on fuel economy in fuel injected engines at operational RPM due to emissions controls - big improvement in filtration efficiency as a paper filter ages. Dirt blocks the big holes, reducing output particle size. - hybrid operating mode (partial use ICE, running at low RPM means there's little air filtered) I will not replace these filters until I can no longer see the Sun through the filter medium. Same criteria I use for our vacuum cleaner, and it's filter is still original. Now, if you have very dusty operational environment, you'll need to check more often than I do. Whatever you do, don't "upgrade" the filter; nothing beats paper. What does make a difference are: - LRR tires, at maximum indicated pressure (51psi for OEM ES/AS 225/50-17) - Blocking the three front grill openings so air cannot get thorough - Using premium, ethanol-free fuel (ONLY if you're already getting ~70% EV; no effect in highway driving) - you The driver is the biggest factor in fuel economy. Just look at the gap between my baseline and what I eventually got the car to do. It took me a year. Have fun, Frank

Either, jump start or slow charger. Just look up the connection points in the manual; nice red cap on the positive, but negative is an unlabeled post on the frame rail. Note that this cannot occur with keyless entry... car turns itself off. Conversely, you can lock your keys in the car very easily with keyless entry (did it at the dealer, they had no answer). This is unrecoverable without a spare key. (Dealer started bending the door frame...) Have fun, Frank