Chinto

Yes Illinois requires a front license plate. So you think that the material application + license plate will cancel 2/3's of the potential mileage gain? At best then you are thinking I will only gain 1 mpg with this setup?

The past few days have been in the teens (5-20 degrees) so I decided to try ptjones technique for improved gas mileage in cold weather. I simply applied foam water pipe insulation tubes (for 1/2" pipe) to the middle and lower grills. (see photo) I have obstructed 95+% of the grill opening with the foam tubes. I used a zip tie on the two long tubes to anchor. The shorter tubes are only pressure fitted in place so if needed I only need to pull them off for increased air flow. I have not been driving much since the application so I have no conclusions yet on mileage improvements. From the little bit of driving so far I have noticed that the water temp gauge will approach the half way mark on the gauge whereas before would barely approach the first bar on the gauge. Also I think the heater works better warming the cabin. I will be watching my mileage #'s starting today now that I will be back to my usual driving routine. I expect that my short trip to work will not benefit much but hope that the other miles will compensate for those short trips. I would have thought that the built in radiator shutters would have performed this task more efficiently. I am guessing that the auto shutters are set to open to soon to allow the engine to hit the optimum operating temperature when it is below 32 degrees. Is that something that Ford can address? :sos:

It appears that the C Max prefers warm weather temperatures to achieve the best gas mileage.

With your modifications in place have you found that your radiator temperature gauge is showing a consistent increase in water temperature? I have noticed that my gauge will barely pass the lower third of the gauge while cold out. When it was warm outside the gauge would consistently be around the half way mark of the gauge. Of course now that it is cold out my gas mileage has dropped to 38.

So far so good. I thought it was going to get very hot. It is only 28 degrees. :yahoo:

That is impressive. Only 10-15% degradation after that much use. Comforting information - Thanks.

I find it amusing that so many reviewers think the C Max is "strange looking" or something similar. I however have a hard time telling one brand from another. I would bet if you would line up the top 10 compact SUV types and de-badge them most folks could not tell one from another. Nice review.

I have certainly noticed the outside temp difference with mine. Mine was consistent at 45-46mpg when is was warm but now is stays around 40-41 in town. Better on the highway. The 47mpg rating regardless of town or highway is to me very misleading. This hybrid is still subject to driving variations just as much as any other car. To have the same mileage at 20 30 40 50 60 mph would require that the hybrid not be influenced to the driving variability.

No issues with mine. Is yours manual or powered?

The C Max has active shutters that close and open automatically to maintain optimum temperature. THe system closes to speed warm up which so far I think this car warms faster than any car I have ever had. Adding any kind of grill covers may interfere with that operation.

Love to hear their reply.

Love to hear their reply.

On the colder days after it has sat out all day I find #3 is about right for me for about 20 minutes and then turn it down or off. When we are at zero or below I probably will like #5 for a while.

I have noticed this also that air temperature seems to affect my mileage more than any other variable for me. When it was warmer I consistently hit the mid 40's to low 50's all the time. Now that it has been colder I seem to be high 30's to low 40's. I attribute this to having a short commute or several short hops where the car cools or never really warms up for very long periods. The longer the trip then I gain better mileage. So I guess the old joke about being a warmer weather car applies to this hybrid. In fairness however, my 2010 hybrid (Mercury Milan) has a similar mileage drop too. Having said this, my mpg is still way better than any other non-hybrid car I have ever owned. The non-hybrid car's mileage would also drop (high teens) in the winter months as well. So I am still happy with the mpg that I am getting because it is still 100% better than before hybrids.

I found the shutters on mine. I discovered the shutters were in the open position while it was in the garage this morning before backing the car out. Backed the car out of garage and stopped to check if that changed. They were already closed. That would seem to explain why it warms up so quickly on the colder mornings. Seems like a cool feature. From the limited viewing it appears that the radiator is completed shrouded with this housing and the only air flow is with the opening and closing of the shutters.

The Ford C-MAX 2013 3M Scotchgard Paint Protection Film Clear Bra Upper Kit is now being listed on Ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-C-MAX-2013-3M-Scotchgard-Paint-Protection-Film-Clear-Bra-Upper-Kit-/321036223986?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4abf4005f2&vxp=mtr

Sounds good on paper. The promised 1.1 mpg improvement would require the wheels be really cheap to have any return of investment. So do they at least look cool?

Walmart sells Naugahyde steering wheel covers to slip over any wheel. They also have the lace up type for a more factory feel. I remember applying the lace up type to my old cars that would have the hard plastic wheels and hang a peace sign necklace from the rear view mirror back in the day.

That is a very nice look. I was thinking about adding something similar to mine that I saw on ebay.

Welcome - I have had my C Max about 6 weeks. We have been very happy with everything about it. I hope you will enjoy yours. Would like to hear your impressions of the Energi especially the electric only operations eg. How many miles, how long to charge, power band in electric only mode etc.

Now that will get things fixed faster. Nice to know however that Ford will fix it.

I found the driving coach to be helpful. By watching the Gauge for braking accellerating and cruising I come to learn how the C Max performs the best and my mileage began to show it. So I learned if I drove it like a Rousch Mustang on track day my MPG suffered. Set your my gauge on driving coach for a while and drive it to maintain all 3 bars at 100% and you will have mileage gains. I sure did.

Mixing systems will give you a headache. Your imperial gallon is not the same amount as a US gallon of gas. See below for the amount difference. One imperial gallon is approximately equal to 1.201 U.S. gallons. One imperial gallon is exactly 4.54609 litres, whereas one U.S. gallon is exactly 3.7854118 liters. Read more: http://wiki.answers....n#ixzz2Ci5fxzIw

I have had mine a little over a month now (1200 miles). It is fun to drive and when we go somewhere I always check the trip summary. This is where it tells you the mpg for that trip, miles for that trip on EV verses gas motor. Seems to consistently by 1/3 EV and 2/3 gas. Some times I can bump it up to 40-50% of the time but mostly about 1/3. The results are like receiving a grade on how well I did (driving wise) on that trip. This past weekend we took a short trip where I averaged on different legs of the journey 46-52 mpg. Very happy with the results :wub2:

Wow, I did not realize they made them that compact. I will look into it. Thanks