I HAVE FOUND THE ILLUSIVE MPG SWEET SPOT!

[MacGyver]

Well, to add my two cents worth, I drove from Washington, DC (Bethesda,Md) to the Skyline drive today.  Out and back on I 66. Up and down the Skyline Drive.  30-35 MPH on Drive, 60 on interstate.  Used the button on the gearshift lever to slow on downward sides of mountains and ECO on the interstate.  Got 55 MPH going out and 51 coming back--more traffic.  Temperature in the 30s on the mountains, 40s going out on I 66 and 50s coming back.

 

I'm pretty sure you meant 55/51mpG?

[mtb9153]

Not speaking for ptjones, but I think his intention for the grills was for the temps 60F and below. From what I am able to gather (as I don't own any grills), these are removable via velcro so to take 'em off and on, is an absolute  cinch.

 

ptjones has done a lot of testing here and I believe some owners here have purchased and used the product with some good results. I have no need for the grill covers because here in LA, its summer all year long, well, almost always  ;)

Jus-A-CMax rub it in about the weather in SoCal...LOL I know it can be like Hawaii allot of the time down there.  Fortunately some of that nice warmth is making it's way up north, we've been seeing upper 70's and low 80 temps over the last week.

[Adair]

Jus-A-CMax rub it in about the weather in SoCal...LOL I know it can be like Hawaii allot of the time down there.  Fortunately some of that nice warmth is making it's way up north, we've been seeing upper 70's and low 80 temps over the last week.

Oh hush up, both of you!!!  :redcard:   We had one nice day in a row last week, then it was back into the 20s in the mornings.

Edited April 22, 2013 by Adair

[MacGyver]

Well you've got a C-max, it would only cost you like $20-30 to drive somewhere warm, even if that's hundreds of miles away....

 

One of the great moments was when I realized how little it would cost me to drive up to San Francisco to see family and friends... It's more a question of being able to make time...

[Tom]

I'm pretty sure you meant 55/51mpG?

Yes. Thanks.

[oxnard]

Very neat!  It's flat there.  Also were you travelling West or East? ;)   West bound you will have a high battery from the grade.  

 

 

 

It works, even with a fully loaded CMax...the secret sauce is the high battery. Let eco-cruise regen the battery as much as possible before double clicking down, the best thing is that it works > 65mph!

 

This was taken on the 101 between Las Posas and Carmen drive...note the speed, note the battery...note the high instant MPG.

 

 

 

Used this many times with my trips to Mammoth as well. 

I tried it and got the same results on the same stretch of road.  It does work.

[Jus-A-CMax]

:yahoo: Yes! Yes! Yes! Awesome Oxnard, thanks for the confirmation - that is good assurance to the rest of our members  :rockon:

 

:worship:  to the Gen for the original post and his find  :rockon:​ 

Edited April 23, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[Generalbeluga]

I feel vindicated and appreciated!  Thanks Just-A-CMax and the gang for verifying my findings!  I will continue to enjoy my C MAX and report any MPG saving tips that I find.  

[acdii]

I have found this exact same thing in the FFH. With a full battery speeds above 60 return better MPG when fully on ICE. The one I had was broken, and Ford wouldnt fix it, so in my experimenting to try to get anything above 40 I ran across this same exact thing, only not by using the cruise control, but with my foot and watching the instant meter and SOC.  As long as I kept it above 60 MPH, I was able to get the instant to stay at or above 40, but as soon ass I had to drop below 60 and it started to cycle EV, the MPG would sink like a boulder. As long as I kept the battery charged and stayed out of EV at high speeds, it did much better. There was at least a 7 MPG difference between EV/ICE and pure ICE. 

[Jus-A-CMax]

I have found this exact same thing in the FFH. With a full battery speeds above 60 return better MPG when fully on ICE. The one I had was broken, and Ford wouldnt fix it, so in my experimenting to try to get anything above 40 I ran across this same exact thing, only not by using the cruise control, but with my foot and watching the instant meter and SOC.  As long as I kept it above 60 MPH, I was able to get the instant to stay at or above 40, but as soon ass I had to drop below 60 and it started to cycle EV, the MPG would sink like a boulder. As long as I kept the battery charged and stayed out of EV at high speeds, it did much better. There was at least a 7 MPG difference between EV/ICE and pure ICE. 

So whats the latest with your FFH? 

[acdii]

So whats the latest with your FFH? 

Someone else's problem now.  Dealer stepped up on the trade value and I have a new Flex instead. Its a long story, but in the end, it was more of a want vs need issue. I wanted the new Fusion, but really needed the Flex. I made a huge costly mistake when I traded in the original Flex for an F150, I didn't need a pickup, just the Flex. Once I had neither, it quickly became apparent, OOPS, uh, we now need to take BOTH cars to get almost what I would put in the Flex.  Very happy with the Flex. Relieved to no longer have that problem child too. 

[Jus-A-CMax]

Someone else's problem now.  Dealer stepped up on the trade value and I have a new Flex instead. Its a long story, but in the end, it was more of a want vs need issue. I wanted the new Fusion, but really needed the Flex. I made a huge costly mistake when I traded in the original Flex for an F150, I didn't need a pickup, just the Flex. Once I had neither, it quickly became apparent, OOPS, uh, we now need to take BOTH cars to get almost what I would put in the Flex.  Very happy with the Flex. Relieved to no longer have that problem child too. 

Thanks for the update, sounds like it worked out better for you in the end. I saw your other post with the grill covers, it must be seriously bad to not have the grill covers have any effect in the colder temps. No worries.

[mtb9153]

Oh hush up, both of you!!!  :redcard:   We had one nice day in a row last week, then it was back into the 20s in the mornings.

Sorry to rub it in but the nice weather is why we pay so much for everything to live here :)

[RachelnLa]

I must not be doing something right. I tried this going to and from our camp. I set the cruise at 70 and then started bumping it down. I had high battery but the highest mpg I could get was 40! It just would not cross over the 40 line.

 

It was in the high 70s and I had the ac on low about 68 degrees.

 

Suggestions?

[Riddley]

I must not be doing something right. I tried this going to and from our camp. I set the cruise at 70 and then started bumping it down. I had high battery but the highest mpg I could get was 40! It just would not cross over the 40 line.

 

It was in the high 70s and I had the ac on low about 68 degrees.

 

Suggestions?

 

On a hot day with the AC set to 68, you are probably going to see MPG suffering. 

 

One thing you can experiment with is to set up your MyView so that it shows which accessories are drawing how much power from the system. Then watch what happens when you change your climate control temp and fan settings. Use the full range to get a better sense of the impacts - including turning off the AC and using just the fan.

[RachelnLa]

Good idea!

[Jus-A-CMax]

Depends on the load, the ICE High MPG will give you a good 39 to 40MPG as the bottom figure. However, whether it dances or not will depend on the road grade and the HVAC. I know when I do this travelling to Mojave where its 70MPH, I do about 68-70mph ICE High, the wifey has the HVAC on and I get around 40 MPG on the flats as well. Still, thats a lot better than the 15-20 instant MPG we typically get with no batt, ICE driving  :drool:

[RachelnLa]

Exactly my thoughts! 40 is awesome compared to my Tahoe! If all I get is 40 to drive 68mph being comfy - I WILL TAKE IT.

 

Thanks for the feedback. I will try next time to remember turning off the ac to see the difference.

[asb]

It's about 86 degrees out today.  I decided to take a look at how much of a power drain the AC is...and it is a lot.

[wab]

t h a n k s     ggggrrrrrr we run ac 8 months a yr

[asb]

t h a n k s     ggggrrrrrr we run ac 8 months a yr

 

 

We do, too.  It's just too humid here to rely on just opening the windows.  I did, however, set the AC for 76 degrees instead of 63, where I was running it.  It was a bit overcast yesterday, so the car was not as hot.  I'll keep giving that a try.  The question would be - is it better to run the AC at a higher temp (76) and a higher fan speed than to run it at a lower temp and lower fan speed.  I did discover that above 76, there was no way to be comfortable in the car.

[plus 3 golfer]

We do, too.  It's just too humid here to rely on just opening the windows.  I did, however, set the AC for 76 degrees instead of 63, where I was running it.  It was a bit overcast yesterday, so the car was not as hot.  I'll keep giving that a try.  The question would be - is it better to run the AC at a higher temp (76) and a higher fan speed than to run it at a lower temp and lower fan speed.  I did discover that above 76, there was no way to be comfortable in the car.

 

X3 on the 8 months in Phoenix too.  Yesterday we hit 100 F.  Today's forecast is 102 F.  I'll see if I have time to check kW usage on initial cooling and then when running after initial cooling.  I believe, I can then estimate AC's effect on FE in Phoenix.

 

I find if I set the temp above 75 F it gets uncomfortable -- "my seat and back" get too hot -- regardless of blower speed.  I believe cooled seats would allow a higher temp setting and reduce overall energy consumption while maintaining comfort.  Given that the AC compressor is electric and variable speed, I just let the auto feature regulate blower speed and hope that the algorithm to control the HVAC optimizes for comfort and energy consumption (there's certainly enough sensors to do such).

 

By using My View, you can watch the kW consumption of manually changing blower speed and temperature and perhaps determine consumption vs comfort for lower temp, lower speed blower operation vs higher temperature, higher blower speed operation.

[asb]

Thanks for all the info.  I never use the auto mode.  Perhaps I'll give it a try.

[Recumpence]

I ran my AC yesterday because it was 84 degrees. It sucks a HUGE amount of energy. This is because our cars are very efficient. So, the AC makes a difference. My wife's Highlander does not show nearly so much difference in mileage with the AC. That is because the engine is already inefficient. So, adding in the AC to the mix does not affect it as much.

 

What I found works OK with the C-Max is to turn the fan on recirculating, then turn on the AC. Once cool, I turn the AC off and wait till it gets a touch warm in the car again, then I turn the AC back on. This cycling is far more efficient than running it all the time. It is annoying, though. This is one hypermiling technique.

 

Matt

Edited May 1, 2013 by Recumpence

[Edsel]

_{There goes the mileage increase with the warmer temps.}

 

_{I ran my AC yesterday because it was 84 degrees. It sucks a HUGE amount of energy. This is because our cars are very efficient. So, the AC makes a difference. My wife's Highlander does not show nearly so much difference in mileage with the AC. That is because the engine is already inefficient. So, adding in the AC to the mix does not affect it as much.}

 

_{What I found works OK with the C-Max is to turn the fan on recirculating, then turn on the AC. Once cool, I turn the AC off and wait till it gets a touch warm in the car again, then I turn the AC back on. This cycling is far more efficient than running it all the time. It is annoying, though. This is one hypermiling technique.}

 

_Matt