CNCGeek

That was one of the things I bought for my tool kit. The instructions on the mobility kit say that using it will require replacing the TPMS (not sure if that is always the case, but I'd at least count on buying a new one), and since the repair kit will do the same thing without breaking the sensor, it would be the first resort for me if I had to patch a nail hole.

All the tech you mentioned has been available at least the 90's and spares were standard then - it is the fuel economy standards which will kill the spare tire. TPMS is not gonna help if you need a spare since it can only alert you to a problem, not fix it. In the city I agree though that carrying a spare is not necessary, and I won't be hauling one around on my normal commute. But on road trips there are too many variables to getting roadside assistance (cell coverage, distance from service, the possibility of not being near a tire store which can get me going again in less than half a day). I've been stranded several times in other people's vehicles due to mechanical breakdowns, and it is not fun to spend a day in some podunk while they wait for parts from the city to show up - and just getting to a competent garage can be a matter of luck. With a tire is not likely you'd have to wait a day, but possible, or you may have to settle for a less than ideal new tire. On the flip side I've had a blowout on a road trip and been delayed only a couple hours after changing to my spare, and was able to go to a tire store where I had a roadhazard warranty. I'd also consider the limits of the roadside assistance offered - the terms for Ford's say they will tow to the nearest dealer within 35 miles, not the nearest tire store. They also do not say they will bring a tire with them so it means waiting for roadside assistance, a tow or ride to get a tire and a ride back to the vehicle to change it out - or a tow, you could easily blow half a day on that if all goes right. Changing a tire is not a challenging thing to do, having a spare just makes it a whole lot simpler ;) But like I said to each his own.

Make it for Android and I will be impressed :D

It was not some mass paranoia that made a spare, a jack and an iron standard equipment until recently ;) A spare was simply the victim of better fuel economy standards, but it is not a foolish thing to carry. I don't have the miles that you do, but I have had to replace several tires on the side of the road for myself and others, in less than favorable conditions. I have never used roadside assistance, except for towing when the vehicle was disabled. Although roadside assistance is no doubt a great thing, and I may give it a try if I am in the city and need to, sometimes there is no choice but to address a problem yourself :sos: . Blow outs happen, road debris which rips the sidewall happens, punctures larger than a nail happen. Carrying a spare is a good idea, and I plan to do so on any road trips where there is the probability of being miles from service, going through areas with possible spotty cell coverage, or when staying on schedule is important for whatever reason. The hit to fuel economy is likely small on a road trip, which would probably have many highway miles in a car packed with gear anyway. To each his own, but please don't call me paranoid, just prepared (preparanoid maybe? :) ). ...That said, I think the Ford Mustang spare (17") and jack may work - but I am open to suggestions. I plan to buy or make a bag (which will be re-enforced with some nylon webbing) for the spare and some tools - including a good iron since the ones they give you with spares are almost universally too short to get the proper torque to remove a tire. The bag is going to be secured to the cargo tie down points to keep it from becoming a projectile in a crash, but it will be easy enough to remove for normal city driving.

Gotta pic, I can't seem to visualize what you are referring to (seat post).

I agree, you probably won't get 47mpg, maybe 42, without resorting to hypermiling or mods, or maybe 38-40 if you just drive it reasonably. I try to drive for economy, but am not going to be the guy holding up traffic to do it, fortunately I drive often when other people don't. The C-max is a nice car and you should just enjoy it, the economy is still good (I'd of bought it if the more likely 42mpg was the EPA number).

I think you should contact Fuelly with your concerns, but I doubt that Prius owners or really anyone has so pathetic a life that they would try to skew the Fuelly numbers for any car.

Some people are just a-holes, I just keep gradually slowing down if they get too close. I usually keep up with traffic, except when coming up to a red light where some idiots just zoom up and squash the brakes, but I've seen some people get aggressive for no apparent reason while I'm keeping up with traffic - likely after seeing the hybrid tag. I have a buddy with a Camry Hybrid who has the hybrid tags taped over for that reason - still some ignorant knuckle draggers evolved enough to turn a key around here.

I agree the numbers are what they are, but only if they are left unfiltered. I think we have to give some more time for more c-max owners to post at Fuelly to make a soild conclusion on real world average fuel economy. Hopefully the more data, the more any incorrect or outright bogus data points will be diluted. You will probably see your fuel economy go up as you drive it differently, and temperatures go up - gotta give up the lead foot for sure if you want to optimize mpgs - good luck :)

That is very arrogant, they may feel that the 47mpg EPA number is garbage for many people, but they can explain that in their reviews and articles. They don't have to revise the number which a casual reader would expect to be the EPA number.

FoutsNC, your statement about a "large audience out there that wants to see this car FAIL!" gives me the impression you are biased :)

So it sounds like starting it with warm oil and the covers does not let the engine keep the optimal temp, but with just the covers in place, the engine may have enough heat loss to keep temps in check. I don't have to worry about sub 30deg temps here, actually the opposite, but was curious about how the oil pan heater would work. If I did have to deal with freezing temps often I would certainly go for it. Did you try a test with the engine cold, heater off and the covers installed - to see if it still had the higher than normal temps simply due to the heater attached to the pan, but not on?

Calling the C-max a truck is like calling a turtle a moose. I hesitate to take my C-max on some unpaved roads around here (though I have on a few) - the minimum ground clearance is a mere 5.5". Of course calling the C-max a truck made some degree of sense when I realized that they did the testing in Hell (Michigan), in October. Surely it was at least a cool day.

36.1 to 34.5 mpg in 7.5 seconds flat!

Ugh, I was cringing when I saw that video. Sad to see the Prius V did not do well, hopefully these impacts are rare because it does not seem survivable for the driver. It has to be a challenging test for any car - I hope the C-max does better.

I just use the reflective square-ish ones and they seem to hold up well enough in my old vehicle. They fold up small enough too.

I checked amazon for Mito Mirror and it looks like the Gentex with a similar price tag, were you able to find a good price on them? How is the mirror when used as a mirror - and at night? Thanks!

I've only been able to get mine in by laying them flat, but I did get 2 in that way (with front wheels removed). Mine are all MTB's with one 29er which I have yet to try. They may go in upright, but I did not attempt it, did not seem likely and I didn't want to mar the interior trying. I think I saw an accessory to load bikes inside (upright) for the European C-max with the lower load floor, so that may be something to check out.

Great info, but I have a question - why do you suspect that the engine uses the pan for cooling, was it something you noticed when the covers were removed or based on the temps you saw? Also why would it be counter productive to use the covers plus heater (the heater is only on when plugged in to utility power, not while driving)? Also, were the temp increases you mentioned at startup or after some period of running the engine?

Good idea for the colder climates, but I think the velcro dots look weird. Looking at the pics it seems that there would be black velcro dots on the silver grill when it was removed. For a production model, some other attachment method like clips would be more visually appealing - though it would add to the complexity.

Hopefully they did not game the numbers, it would be pretty short sighted and would not do much for brand loyalty, and even less if they want to steal away Prius buyers. Right now I think that the problem is with the tests, but if on the other hand Ford tweaked the software specifically for the test (at the expense of real world economy), that would not be cool. EDIT: The way I read the statement from Ford here is that they did not play with the software for the EPA test. This is more damning of the EPA tests since the Prius V (a lighter, less powerful and slightly more areodynamic car) received a lower EPA rating (42mpg combined) than the C-max while the reverse is being seen with the real world data on Fuelly. Ford also said that it could take 6000 miles to break in the car with a possible 5mpg improvement - it seems like an oddly high number, but even so, I doubt there are many on the road with that many miles yet. It would have been great to have an eco button to let drivers detune the car if they decided that fuel economy was more important than "fun". Hopefully they will add some similar feature to future hybrids since few people buy a hybrid for "fun" over fuel economy.

I suggest an "Other" category for problems.

I have the base with manual seats, and they are comfortable for normal driving, but not as much on a longer trip. It is probably difficult to design a seat that is good for both short and long trips and it is probably a good idea to stop and take a brake now and then anyway.

Seems like these would be a common after market item, but I did not see any that looked as nice on Ebay. Thanks for the pics, they look really good.

Good to hear they fixed it for you, and at least you were offered a loaner. I've never had a vehicle with problems like you describe, and will double check the seams on my c-max for similar problems. Hopefully Ford is paying attention, though what you describe just sounds sloppy. My only suggestion - post some pics ;)