So, Ford DID tweak things......

[Adair]

A guy came up to me in the parking lot at Target.

 

the guy says: "Do you like your Hybrid?"

 

me: "Yeah, I love it!"

 

guy: I work on them at Ford. Transmission."

 

guy: Did you get the upgrade? And the more miles?

 

me: Yeah, I got it, and we've been debating whether you guys did something to improve the mpgs

 

guy: (big grin) yes, we tweaked some things. Glad you like it. Gotta go.

 

If I run into him again maybe I can grill him   ask him some more questions.

Edited July 11, 2013 by Adair

[jmckinley]

That's really interesting.  Wish my update had of worked yesterday.  Who knows when I'll see my car again?

 

One of the advantages to living in the Detroit area.  You can always find someone who has the inside scoop on things automotive.

[plus 3 golfer]

Interesting because it appears that I am seeing better FE after the update on May 29 than I expected.  In essence, my FE seems to be the same at 110+F ambient temps after the update as it was at about 95F before the update yet my climate usage has nearly doubled (from under 0.5 kW at 95F to nearly 1.0 kW at 110+F on average).  It's difficult to tell given all the variables but it may be between 1 - 2 mpg difference on 40 mpg average.  I need temps to drop back into the 70s / 80s to get better comparative data.

 

We need someone to run a few "controlled" tests before and after the update.  

[Sparky]

guy: Did you get the upgrade? And the more miles?

 

me: Yeah, I got it, and we've been debating whether you guys did something to improve the mpgs

What is this "upgrade" of which you speak?

[jmckinley]

MFT 3.5.1 

 

Cars built before about Feb 2013 had an earlier version which doesn't work as well.  If you don't have it, you should have gotten a letter from Lord Motor Company telling you to go to your dealer.

 

Ford's story is that it fixes problems with phone pairing, navigation and other stuff. Some of believe it also has something to do with drivetrain programming and will actually improve mpg.  Cars built after Feb get better mileage and several people have reported improvements after the update.  Jury is still out, but anecdotal evidence points to some change.

[salsaguy]

they must have used Jus'es data at the Irvine meet and updated their algorithms accordingly after they saw what he could do. ;)

yeah I'm sure car companies can do a LOT of stuff behind the scenes without us knowing now that cars have so much tech and computes embedded in them.

[raymond963]

Wonder if they're planning any updates for those of us with SE non-"Touch" models.

[salsaguy]

that's true though if they wanted to improve FE for the car in general they'd have to have an update that would be forced (with a letter from Ford) for those with an SE that don't have the touch screen) since more buyers buy the less expensive SE model which would affect their overall FE perception in the market more than the SEL buyers.

[jmckinley]

SE will be next, I bet.  They will come up with some other excuse to get the car in for wipers or something and then reprogram the Engine/drivetrain controller at the same time.

 

They're not likely to admit that they are changing the basic programming to improve the mileage because then they would be admitting that they screwed up and that would impact the class action lawsuits currently in progress regarding fuel economy.

Edited July 7, 2013 by jmckinley

[Jus-A-CMax]

they must have used Jus'es data at the Irvine meet and updated their algorithms accordingly after they saw what he could do. ;)

yeah I'm sure car companies can do a LOT of stuff behind the scenes without us knowing now that cars have so much tech and computes embedded in them.

Mate, that was such a long time ago but improbable because that was in mid Feb sometime and the new CMax with 3.5.1 were already coming out...but thanks for the mention anyway, lol :rockon:

 

As for me, I am not seeing significant improvements at all, Yeah, 1 or 3 MPG but my hill climb is still that, and it still sucks. Now, I didn't really drive surface streets like I did for my 800 tank with the 3.1.3. I guess I need to do a run to Camarillo one day to see if there are any but my quams is that I am not sure if this is still due to engine breakin or not. Don't forget, I did document increasing MPGS from 300 to 12,000 based on my car and coming from Mammoth with same load and temps and exact same route. I think Matt also reported engine breakin improvement post 15,000 as well.

 

Its a hard one to prove either way but if you are now enjoying better MPG, lets shaddap and jus enjoy life.

 

Adair...do we need to waterboard this guy to get the full goya? :stirpot:

Edited July 7, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[Adair]

"Adair...do we need to waterboard this guy to get the full goya?  :stirpot:"

 

Nah, he's a newbie, and we don't wanna scare him away. He was pretty forthcoming, right off the bat, so he may share unless it's *classified*.

[catsailor]

I have not seen any major improvements after the update and really think there is too much Kool Aide being drunk by a few here. I think the warm weather has more to do with FE improvements. Now that I am forced to run heavy A/C all the time I am working harder to maintain +47 mpg. This weeks heat wave of +90 F with high humidity is only netting me 45 mpg's so far all done in city driving.

[Jus-A-CMax]

"Adair...do we need to waterboard this guy to get the full goya?  :stirpot:"

 

Nah, he's a newbie, and we don't wanna scare him away. He was pretty forthcoming, right off the bat, so he may share unless it's *classified*.

:noobie: ?  It is probably classified...voodoo magic... :future:

 

 

I have not seen any major improvements after the update and really think there is too much Kool Aide being drunk by a few here. I think the warm weather has more to do with FE improvements. Now that I am forced to run heavy A/C all the time I am working harder to maintain +47 mpg. This weeks heat wave of +90 F with high humidity is only netting me 45 mpg's so far all done in city driving.

I had consistent temps here, one of the rare joys of living in SoCal so for me, nuthin to barely. We'll know come this winter when most of the folks in the north east, where the most complaints were coming from, when those cold fronts hit. :swear:

Edited July 7, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[Noah Harbinger]

Try not to give too much personal about the guy! Wouldn't want him to get fired because he shared something we're interested in knowing, that Ford isn't so happy about spreading around. Include intentionally misleading personal details, if possible. The situation you described already might be enough for some pointy-haired boss to pick him out…. 

[bigalpha]

I did document increasing MPGS from 300 to 12,000 based on my car and coming from Mammoth with same load and temps and exact same route. I think Matt also reported engine breakin improvement post 15,000 as well.

 

This is refreshing.  We have about 5,900 on ours right now.  We'll be putting approximately 45,000 a year on ours so every mpg helps! :happy feet:

[RaPieR]

I finally got MFT 3.5.1 installed on my C-Max today and was surprised to see the powertrain control module as one of the items included inthe update. It might just be to allow MFT to display the charging discharge screen but maybe there were some tweaks included. I'll definetely be keeping a closer eye on my MPG on my weekly drive to Toronto this weekend.

[ScubaDadMiami]

We'll be putting approximately 45,000 a year on ours so every mpg helps! :happy feet:

45,000?  You must have some stories to tell about the places you go.  Let us know about your adventures!

[Laurel]

Try not to give too much personal about the guy! Wouldn't want him to get fired because he shared something we're interested in knowing, that Ford isn't so happy about spreading around. Include intentionally misleading personal details, if possible. The situation you described already might be enough for some pointy-haired boss to pick him out…. 

Good comments Noah.  Maybe Adair should go and edit her first post to protect him. Hey Adair what do you think?

[zhackwyatt]

It's possible there were tweaks but not a part of the Powertrain update that we got for MFT 3.5.1.  Maybe it's only on newer cars.  I haven't noticed any difference in FE since my MFT update.

[Jus-A-CMax]

This is refreshing.  We have about 5,900 on ours right now.  We'll be putting approximately 45,000 a year on ours so every mpg helps!

 

45,000 a year, that would be one of the highest here along with Matt and ptjones. ptjones is already 30,000+. Go for it fellas :headspin:

 

It's possible there were tweaks but not a part of the Powertrain update that we got for MFT 3.5.1. Maybe it's only on newer cars. I haven't noticed any difference in FE since my MFT update.

I don't see any significant FE changes either...but I have not done one of my Camarillo/Oxnard runs. No time that I have an 9-5 office job and how do I even factor any further engine break-ins with that also? Its really hard to quantify.

Edited July 11, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[bigalpha]

45,000?  You must have some stories to tell about the places you go.  Let us know about your adventures!

 

 

 

45,000 a year, that would be one of the highest here along with Matt and ptjones. ptjones is already 30,000+. Go for it fellas :headspin:

 

I don't see any significant FE changes either...but I have not done one of my Camarillo/Oxnard runs. No time that I have an 9-5 office job and how do I even factor any further engine break-ins with that also? Its really hard to quantify.

 

I live an hour and a half away from my job.  I drive to work and the ole lady drives home.  

 

From July 11, 2012 to December 4, 2012, we drove 16,039 miles in our Mazda 3 (28 mpg) until it got totalled.  

From December 11 to June 15, 2013 we drove 22,672 miles in our Subaru Impreza (25.6 mpg) until we got rid of it (crappy car).

From June 19, 2013 to July 10, 2013, we drove 2,821 miles in our C-Max (35.8 mpg)

 

Grand total: 41,532 miles.   I expect us to take a road trip/vacation this year, too.  With the amount of driving we do, I'm expecting to save about $100+ per month on our fuel cost.  Of course, that offsets part of our extra car payment but it's still nice. Any extra mpg's we can squeeze out of this baby at higher speeds is going to be nice.

Edited July 11, 2013 by bigalpha

[Adair]

How's that?

[bigalpha]

How's that what?

[Jus-A-CMax]

How's that what who?

Edited July 11, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[wamba2000]

I thought there was a subtle change in drivability since the 3.5.1 update, like the ICE was less likely to kick into EV mode unless you let off the gas in a more direct fashion.

 

My lifetime MPG has dropped from 43.7 to 43.1, but I attribute it more to A/C working almost non-stop in the 100+ degree Phoenix heat.

 

For those of you in warm locations: Very pleased with how quickly the a/c unit cools down the Cmax, even after it has sat out in the sun and baked a while.