Taz

Is the EcoHitch about the only option for a 2" receiver. I can't find anything else that has a 2". I want to share one bike rack across multiple vehicles. It is a 2" one.

Under inflation is relative. Quite often car manufacturers choose a PSI level that is a compromise, like almost all other aspects of the car. Most often on a "normal" car, they bias it toward the lower end of the spectrum for better ride quality but not so low as to maybe have a significant hit on mpg. Higher PSI does reduce the risk of hydroplaning. I experienced it very severely already in the car at stock tire pressures. I am currently at 48 psi and the car has been driving great. Best mileage so far and tire wear is very good. Ride quality didn't suffer as much as i thought it might. The car is a bit more nimble too which is a nice plus when trying to conserve momentum through turns. Only on a fairly rare occasion am I reminded that the pressure is higher than stock.

Glad you are ok. That is the most important thing. Congrats on the new ride.

Thanks, very helpful. I may attempt in a parking lot somewhere in LA.

Good find. I had stumbled across some nice drop in replacements for the Cmax a few weeks ago but I forgot to bookmark them. They were 4500k and 5000k and good reviews. I hate to do my search over but I may have to as I should have bookmarked them. I am traveling almost every day for work and have no place/time to build anything. I really can't stand the lights any more.

There is more to hydroplanning than just tire pressure. If the road is grooved like some highways that lessens the risk. The amount of tread on the tire, the siping, etc. Whether you want to believe it or not, there is a relationship between tire pressure and hydroplaning. You don't have to believe me though, go here. http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/TPMS_FMVSS_No138/part5.6.html and here https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=3

Thanks for the info. I have been looking around for LEDs and most are 5500k or higher. I really can't believe how crappy the stock lights are.

Thanks for the info. It seems like their quote of $156 is a total rip off then. That puts it at about $300/hour for the work. Anyone else make a 2" hitch? I have a Thule rack I want to use from my Flex.

I was looking at the Ecohitch until I checked with the local "authorized" installer here in LA. They (Rack N Road) said they wanted $156 to install it. They don't seem to stock them either though on their website it seemed like they might. How long did it take you to install the hitch for those of you who did it? The problem I have is there is no place I can really work on the car to do it myself. i am prohibited from working on it where I am normally at. If not too long of an install, I might just try and wing it and do it in a remote parking lot myself.

Great news. I am not only interested in saving some watts but also much better headlights. How well do the new likes work in this respect? What is their color temperature? I am looking for something more around 4500k and not over 5000k if possible.

Did you have to do a timing belt change on your TDI? That was a pretty spendy maintenance item on my TDI. Just because YOU didn't pay for the maintenance on the first 40k doesn't mean it didn't cost something so it isn't accurate to say it was cheaper to maintain. VW just added it into the price of the car. I've owned a lot of diesels in my lifetime and still have a TDI. I tend to agree that the fuel costs may be lower but often there are a lot of other associated costs that people don't look at. All the little sensitive things like a bad load of diesel and you need to change your fuel filter. Really cold weather so you add some diesel fuel conditioner to help it form gelling. I could go on and on. I spent so much time on a farm working with diesel tractors and bulldozers I think my hands permanently smell like diesel. If I was 100%, or close to it on a highway, I'd consider a diesel (or another Prius). Other than that our C-max is great. I don't know if it will last as long as my longest running diesel at 470,000+ miles, but for now it is a good option dealing with LA traffic and the weekend trips.

Did they do away with some of the views for the 2014? I can't find the tach or the water temp option in the display? I access it via Torque but that isn't always handy. As for batteries, if they last 100k, I'll be happy. Almost every mile I drive is written off. So if I make it to 100k, I'll have paid for the initial purchase price of the car almost 3 times over. I originally planned on just have it for 2 years or so and for my wife mostly. I end up driving it the most since it is so cost efficient.

I have no DRLs at all. It this a selectable option? My headlights are never on my SEL (energi) unless I turn them on. I actually thought about going to a drive-in this past weekend and was worried about the headlights. I checked and noticed then that I had no DRLs.

What has worked well for me is use electric from a stop but max of 2 bars up to about 20 mph. From 20 up to cruise speed I use the ICE. Then I left off the throttle and let it cruise in electric as much as i can. I use a gentle pulse and glide without huge speed variations. If I let it vary more, I get better mileage. In traffic I keep it about a 5-7 mph variation. Current tank in the city is at 55 mpg with no pure EV running on my Energi's main pack. It is currently depleted and no chance to charge until Monday so it is in pure hybrid mode. For comparison my last tank was 39 mpg on a high speed run from LA to San Francisco in 105+ temps. That was a lot of cruising at 80-90 mph on the 5 northbound. I also had a few chances to test out the top speed limiter. Experiment with your car a bit to see what works best. My mileage really started to improve once I had over 5,000 miles on it.

Glad you got your car back. It would have been better if you got the thieves as well. Most of the time they steal it and drive it to a "cooling off" area to see if anyone shows up to get. After a day or 2 they come back for it. Did the cops check for prints? What I don't understand is why did they steal it? These things aren't exactly flying off the lots as it is. Maybe they had an "order" in for one for one from a body repair shop. I made sure to etch all my glass so they can't easily re-use that. I put a code on every window to identify where the glass came from if they steal it.