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This is priceless!!!

What they said.... At the same time, some folks aren't going to participate in a process long enough to see if it works or not. Too many buy-backs documented here to believe this guy's not the cause of this own problems. Just imagine if he had a Hybrid SE! Have fun, Frank

Posting requirements are a double edge sword. I'd stick with typical levels... To be fair, there are legitimate complaints to be had, and while I share the fatique from responding to one-post wonders, I still hope in the back of my mind that they read some of what we post, and are ever so slightly different for the experience. HAve fun, Frank

Welcome to the forum, and the ranks of C-Maxers. You're discovering that reducing fuel consumption is possible at a price. The price is a trade-off: speed vs. enconomy, and heat vs. economy. We're coming out of Winter, and everyone's Fuelly numbers are skewed low as a result, regardless their speed, because a cold engine runs a lot. In my case, it's a double whammy, as I switch to expressways when the weather turns cold. Back roads don't run the engine enough to keep the heat up, so you have to choose... and if I choose heat, the back roads use more gas than the freeway. Go figure! Finally, just wait for your first good snowstorm... this car has the best snow visibility of any car i've driven since 1972! Have fun, Frank

Another Volvo convert here, although nothing as new as you folks; I gave up a 940... Back seats are not bad, but typical padded platforms more of a contour bench... Volv wins no-contest. Same with the back deck (945); boht have tie-downs, but the C-Max has no stop behind the seats. Front seats are not as comfortable as Volvo's if you just rate the seat, but driving is an integrated pursuit; more than your butt matters. I'm happy after ~13K miles. C-Max driving position is much better than Volvo's, primarily because you can decouple your upper and lower body. - set seat location, rake and height for correct pedal distance and leg comfort - set seat back rake and lumbar for head and torso comfort - move the instrument cluster and steering wheel so these controls are also comfortable. Of course there's one benefit you won't notice for a few months... this is the best car I've ever driven in snow. Traction's never been the issue in winter driving with snow tires, it's visibility. This car has the best visibility in snow squalls of any car I've owned (since 1972, and mostly Volvos, even with Euro headlights). You sit high enough and the headlight cut-off is low and sharp enough that you see over the veil of illuminated snowflakes. The jury's still out on FWD vs. RWD... FWD gives you so few options! The one complaint is that my wife has a hard time getting in the car due to seat height, but Marj has special issues that are at the root of this problem. For reference, my favorite chair is an Adirondack chair of my own making... Have fun, Frank

Paul, As we've discussed in the past, this level of benefit results when you a) replace the intake system (not just the filter) on b) a very restrictive intake system. Sounds like your Focus qualifies. Remember, point #1 was ORNL's conclusion; argue with their data if you think they found the wrong result. This just confuses things... Have fun, Frank

Take a closer look... sales haven't been the same since last August, about the time they announced the EPA rating change. 40K units shiped in the frst 12 months, ending in August, then -20% to -50% of the prior year, every month since last October... Glad Fusions are selling! Frank

The load rating is different, and it tells the story. Our cars came with P-metric tires; the others are Euro-metric tires. Per Tire Rack, they differ in load rating at pressure, only, but not like they were the same tire - Euro-metric 225/50-17 has 44 lb. higher load capacity at 7 psi lower inflation pressure! That implies a heavier tire carcass and associated higher rolling resistance, at the same inflation pressures. Conversely, Tire Rack says they used the euro-metric tires for their "Lean and Green" tire comparison, so our tires may be even lower rolling resistance then they found... HAve fun, Frank, who'd just getting used to Summer Tires!!

Here's a good rgeneral eference, and his viscosity paper. On the second link, scroll down to the first table, SAE engine oil viscosity. The left column is the viscosity rating. A 5W20 oil has the low temperature performance of a 5W oil and the high temperature performance of a 20 weight oil. Compare the 0W and the 5W ratings to understand the difference between 5W20 and 0W20. 0W has lower viscosity at -30F than 5W at -25F. Now, given that the cold viscosity ratings are maximum values, a 0W20 oil meets 5W20 specs. That's what made this whole things ludicrous. Have fun, Frank

Top's blocked, and I have a bicycle inner tube closing off the middle inlet, but the lower grill was longer than the tube would block, and too low to spend much time on before it warmed up. And be careful what you ask for... adding energy to a complex system usually increases the range of results before you see an significant average shift. One cold winter is no sign of a contrary pattern, given that large parts of the world saw record warmth. It'll be interesting to see what kind of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) we see once the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) flips back. And i just read today, that clouds in Antarctica are coorelated to Winter temperatures in North America, with a 2 week lag for the "message" to travel 12,000 nautical miles South, and rise 83 km. Our knowledge is dwarfed by our ignorance... so much more to learn! Frank

Finally! a rational statement from Ford on oil specs.

From what I've read about aerodynamics, rear spoilers can reduce or increase drag. It's all in the shape. - For a low drag shape, look at your C-Max - nearly flat and parallel to roofline. - For a high drag shape, look at Porsche's spoilers on 911-based cars. The basic 911 body profile is low drag, but also highly unstable in crosswinds. Without the big wings on the Turbo or the little wall htat rises at speed on less aggressivly styled cars, the car will aim for the weeds in side winds. The drag at the back balances the force at the front, eliminating yaw (rotation about center of gravity). The two shown on the Vibe fit in the latter category; all show and no go, IMHO. The Loder one, not so much... HAve fun, Frank

Well said.

And you aren't! Conversely, looking at my car, I have to admit its performance is a lot closer to CU's mileage than the EPA's estimate. My Fuelly numbers are even worse.... Frank

As any good experimentalist can tell you, it's not hard to get the answer you want from a test, just change the test until you're happy with the results! Repeat it until you "pass." CU is a business. They have been known to sensationalize their results in the past because it's good for business; controversy sells. That makes them something less than the unbiased testing organization they proport to be. That doesn't mean their data is not useful, just that you can't take it at face value, even if you like what they say! HAve fun, Frank

It depends on who you are. To Ford, we're all part of the "great unwashed public." They'd go bankrupt if they tried to follow our recommendations because the vast majority of us are just not that good a troubleshooting very complex systems without documentation. Actually, no one is... but Ford's engineers have the documentation! Now, were you to buy 3,000 of these things, you'd expect special treatment, and engineers on-site when 100 of them lost their batteries. With lemon laws, I expect there are a few repurchaed vehicles commuting to Ford with full lab instrumentation. Remember, Detroit has real roads... and in most cases, engineers are real people. Note many of us routinely leave things plugged in 24/7 (dash-cam and OBDII sensor). The only thing I can say for sure is that the rear 12v is unswitched (dash-cam took pics 24/7), while the front (console) outlet comes on when I open the door, as the dash-cam chimes. I've also left the car sit for a month... no issues. This on an SEL with 302A and pano roof.

I just re-read the thread to be sure I hadn't missed something... I don't think I've ever seen ICE with EV unless I asked for them both via throttle position. Only when SOC indicator is full does the battery discharge with < 2-bar acceleration. Which brings me to the point; how prevalent is this behavior (ICE + EV until SOC runs out)? Any chance this is a symptom of something like a PCM update gone awry, but not terribly awry like JohnnOhio's first update did. A subtle failure mode that's either hard to detect (like me) or only present on a fraction of the population. Just a thought... Frank

What exactly do you think Ford does with the lemon-law buy-backs? They already have dozens, just judging by posts here! I work in industry. We sometimes have to replace a machine at our cost. These machines always come back to engineering for failure analysis, as something is wrong, even if it's an intermittent short from a pinched wire (in one recent case). As we've been reminded on the OBDII thread, these devices only access emissions-related information, not the full vehicle network. I'm expecting they interrogate everything on the buy-back cars. Have fun, Frank

Sadly, the C-Max has only made me even more aware of her jack rabbit starts and last-minute brakes. Conversely, I'm the one who's less aggressive, even if I've long used hybrid acceleration and braking techniques in normal driving, as a lot that can go wrong when you're aggressive at speed! Have fun, Frank

Ironically, Phil, "heavy stop & go city driving" is one of the high mileage usage modes, along with rural side-roads. The poster children for each would be Jus-A-C-Max and Recumpence, respectively. Now, I'll grant you that there's no way to get 50MPG going 75MPH, or even 40 if you're averaging close to 75, but that stop & go is what this car is made for. But it takes a different technique that may be better suited to San Fernando Valley traffic than Manhattan (or Miami). HAve fun, Frank

Two things... 1) don't expect your air filter to affect your fuel economy. Maximum power, yes, but efficiency? No effect whatsoever in fuel injected cars... 2) understand that paper filters become better filters with age. As the filter medium loads up, it does a better job trapping fine particles - it becomes a HEPA filter. I clean my hosuehold vacuum cleaner filter every use, but as long as I can see light through it, I won't replace it. If I were driving in dusty conditions, I'd refer to point #1, knowing that I rarely use more than half power and what a pain it is to access the filter... Have fun, Frank

No, don't quit driving; aim better... Try to hit things using the soft parts front and rear; they won't stay dented! HAve fun, Frnak

Heck of a regen score! I'm all for resurrection (of the thread, mind you). Things are starting to melt and we should have some warm days by June... Have fun, Frank

Anyone check the p/n of the shield these attach through? It would not be unreasonable for Ford to develop a new shield that fits the old car but accepts these things. just a thought... Frank

I think that was an HID kit, not LEDs...