mtb9153

Sweet!, looks familiar the way you positioned the Pods. I truly feel they are enhancing my performance, I hope you feel the same way? All this week I've been driving very conservatively and over as level roads as I can find in Northern California. I've seen my numbers rise from 42.1 to just today I hit 45.0. I find that even on the freeway my numbers stay consistent. Back in the summer when it was much warmer, that wasn't true. As long as I can keep in the mid forties I will be overly happy. We'll see what happens when old man winter really hits the area next month and into January.

there's one sitting on the used lot at my dealership, not sure if it was a buy back or return

Yes that Bozo doesn't know what he's talking about. Guys full of S&*T

Jus, that picture of your rear hatch logo's broken makes me sick. Now I'm paranoid someone is going to hit me from behind.

Sweet, good deal

why are these things always in SoCal? We are just as notable here in NorCal ;)

Below is the response I got from my contact at VIS Racing regarding concerns for a CF hood with a fiberglas core The reason it’s created like this, is cost. We can make a full carbon hood, but that would be about double or a little more than double for the hood. That layer of carbon does help the fiberglass, but we do make full carbon for certain race teams and cars. Any pads that would be on the OEM hood that the customer wants to retain, would have to be carefully transferred over, and the holes must be made to correspond those holes on the hood. Tedious, but I’ve seen it done a lot.

Most CF products are made this way for automotive applications, it keeps cost down since CF is so expensive to work with. As for the noise absorbing material under the hood? I will address this to the manufacturer along with your concern about using fiberglass. But I suspect the material can be reattached to the CF hood.

It would be interesting to know if Suzanne has any laminar flow testing results of her Pods from the front and if this would be a worth while test since my pods are magnetic as are most if not all of our testers?

My lifetime brake score is currently at 91% and my roofline vs. tailgate alignment is much like shown in picture, I have a1/8" or better drop from the edge of the roofline to the edge of the roof spoiler.

Frank, I do videography as my second business. I have considered doing what you have done and probably will do it for sure now. If you are willing and can get me your video footage I can capture it into my editing SW Final Cut Pro and create a short video account of your testing. I will supply you with a copy of what I create. LMK if you would like me to assist? I can extract clips of your footage and arrange them anyway you want in the final DVD.

Paul, as I've always said my MPG started to stabilize and improve from it's poor levels in the mid to upper 30's to my now lower to mid 40's most of the time. I see no problem recording upper 40's and low 50's regularly if I can continue to brake more efficiently. Braking seems to be my biggest factor for improving my AvMPG in increments of .1 or more. With careful braking I watched my numbers go from 41.3 to 44.4 in the course of a few days while driving my daily route from home and back each day. A good day's commute for me is driving surface streets over my round trip 30 miles and getting back home with either the same AvMPG as I started with or slightly better. Hope that makes sense?

I'm curious, how many owners do we have to the north in Canada? I find myself enjoying more lately on Netflix recent programs produced in Canada. i.e. Continuum. Great programming and actors coming from there.

Just to set the record straight, the time I was referring to it was unusual weather for the time of the year (April) in SoCal or for that matter NorCal which is my part of the state. The day I'm referring to it was rainy, cold (below 45 wind factored) and very not April weather for California. I'll be the first to admit that we Californian's are taken off guard by unusual weather patterns thanks to global warming or what ever it was. Nicer weather is why we live here and pay the high price for doing so. My idea of fun in April is riding amusement park rides like Disneyland, but you guys let some of your nasty normal weather patterns for April dump on the west bank that year. :noobie: :rockon: Lets see any of the Mid westerners and East coast folks try doing this :skateboard: :skateboard: in April. End of story. :wub2:

Thinking about doing the acrylic covers to Maxus. Was thinking of alternative ways to secure it without drilling and tapping holes like recumpence. Thought of securing with long nylon cable ties through the wheel spokes and back through the cover with two small holes drilled in the covers. I found a local plastics supplier which can custom laser cut four 17 inch circles to fit perfectly over the wheels. I have a question for recumpence, are you covering all four wheels or just the fronts.

Mine came today (Sat.)

I just can't imagine having to resort to taking this action, I love my CMax despite it's flaws which granted don't seem to be nearly as much of a struggle as you have been through. My Batteries have been 100% throughout my first year of ownership. Maybe that is a trend prone to September and earlier 2012 build dates? Jus, Maxine was another early build and I don't believe he had much if any trouble with dead batteries?

Yes wouldn't it, I think I'll start with doing some laminar flow tests using my GoPro camera and work my way up to the wind tunnel test if possible? And that's a BIG "IF" NASA is not in the habit of renting out time for their expensive toys to just anyone.

I have been toying with doing this and putting my GoPro on a boom rig to allow for external video shots of the laminar flow over the pods. Maybe I'll work on this over the weekend?

Here in the SillyCorn Valley at the NASA Ames Research Center they have a huge 40' x 80' x 32' wind tunnel just sitting there until NASA needs it for something. When my Father worked there back in 1966-1980 I used to get tours inside. They could taxi a aircraft inside from one end which opened to the outside. Park it in the test area and do a slip stream airflow measurements off the aero surfaces. It is cool stuff. I wish I could get permission to take Maxus in there to testing with the GasPods, we could finally put the speculation to rest as to how much functionality they bring to the CMax. I wonder if I still know anybody at the tunnel I could push for test run?

That's right Jus, if winter rains ever start up again and that can be anytime now, usually our rainy season is end of October to end of March or April. We sorely need a wet winter or next summer we will have a bad water shortage. I remember one April I was with the family at your end of the state visiting the Mouse House (a.k.a. Disneyland), it was cold, bitterly cold and it rained as well. SoCal usually is very temperate sort of the Hawaii of the west coast, but it can get cold and rainy in winter. With global warming its a crap shoot any more. This week on Tuesday we had a system push through with it's target set right on the SouthBay which is rare since most systems push through to our north from the Gulf of Alaska and we get the spiraling bands of clouds and moisture spinning off as it moves east. This system appeared very promising with plenty of moisture laden clouds passing over head, but we didn't get a drop. Instead it pushed east and ran into warm moisture coming out of the gulf of mexico. Forming a huge front stretching from southeastTexas to Michigan dumping lots of rain and high winds and hail. Maybe some of you experienced this today as I was watching the reports on the Weather Channel. Crazy times we are living in.

Awesome story Jus, maybe if everyone cared this much for another person regardless of who they are, this world would be a better place. World are you listening??

WAB, Dadgum Prednisone...where's that coming from? I am a major TV geek since the 1960's. I don't remember that if that's what it is from? Need more Data. :airquote:

Below is my latest conversation with regard to CF hoods for a CMax Hello Mike, The hood would weight around 25-35lbs roughly. As for the crumple, it would not come through the windshield, and is surprisingly rigid. They would be safer IMO if anything, because they are more flexible as a composite material. The top layer is carbon fiber, but the core is fiberglass. Best regards, I was discussing with the CMax owners forum your proposal regarding getting 20 advance orders/deposits for a CF hood. One question thrown at me was how much weight loss can be expected by switching to a CF hood? Also does the switch to a CF hood effect the Ford design of frontal crumple zone in a head on collision? Some are expressing concern of the hood coming through the windshield since CF crumples or is damaged differently over steel? Make any sense?

why did you return your CMax to Ford? Just out of curosity as I can't see any reason for getting rid of mine