I "REALLY" hate cold weather, What to expect in MPG.

[ptjones]

Great point. In freeway driving the air intake temp with my upper grille cover is about 10-15 degrees warmer than ambient when the ambient is below freezing. In city driving the intake temp is 30-40 degrees warmer than ambient temp when the ambient is >32 degrees. I will pay more attention to the intake temp going forward to try to garner data about the relationship between ambient and intake temp.

 

One question, where is the intake? If it's right behind the grille then it will get more cold air than other areas under the hood. On the FFH I believe the air intake is up high, above the upper grille, at the line where the hood seals.

The intake is getting air from sides of radiator and maybe top too. Radiator fan use to come on at 215degrees but I'm not sure with the update. My CMAX is finally getting fix on the 9th and they are going to give all the pieces off the front of car. I will be taking pics of new pieces to see how it all goes together. In Georgia we don't have front license plate, but I noticed one in trunk of my rental FFH. It looks like it covers up part of the lower grill which makes it hard to install lower Grill Cover. I think it is important to cover all the grills to get max benefit during the winter months. My Grill Covers don't block all the air from getting into the radiator. BTW shutters open when you stop the car, Grill Covers slow the cooling process. To reiterate I used my full Grill Covers in AZ with temps up to 105degrees with no problems including using AC and in fact I didn't see a significant difference with the covers off in AC operation. :)

 

Paul

[Charrua]

Today on the way to lunch I only recorded 30 MPG since the car was warming up for half the trip, but on the way back from getting carry out I got 60 MPG! That averages out to 45 MPG, or exactly what the car is rated at. I can't wait for winter to pass so I can see what the car is truly capable of.

 

Your average for the round trip was NOT 45 MPG, it was only 40 MPG.

 

If the trip was 20 miles one way (distance does not matter, the result will be the same) you used 2/3 gallon (20 miles / 30 MPG) to get to lunch. On the way back you used 1/3 gallon (20 miles / 60 MPG). Your total fuel consumption was therefore 1 gallon. So your MPG for the trip was 40 (40 miles / 1 gallon).

[Riggo]

I had always thought the mileage suffered with the heat or a/c on because it takes extra energy from the engine and/or battery when these are on. The thing is, I've been driving without heat for some time now because of the chemical smell problem i've had with the hvac. While driving without the heat I've seen big drops in MPG when it's much colder out, 40F or so and below. I compare this to 60F+ days when I also didn't use any hvac. Today when it was in the middle to upper 50s I saw a pretty good jump in MPG on the same trips I took prior in the week when it was colder. So is it that the cold just makes the engine work harder and that's a big reason the MPG's drop? It's just odd to me how different the MPGs are on colder or warmer days when all of the other variables are the same.

[hybridbear]

I had always thought the mileage suffered with the heat or a/c on because it takes extra energy from the engine and/or battery when these are on. The thing is, I've been driving without heat for some time now because of the chemical smell problem i've had with the hvac. While driving without the heat I've seen big drops in MPG when it's much colder out, 40F or so and below. I compare this to 60F+ days when I also didn't use any hvac. Today when it was in the middle to upper 50s I saw a pretty good jump in MPG on the same trips I took prior in the week when it was colder. So is it that the cold just makes the engine work harder and that's a big reason the MPG's drop? It's just odd to me how different the MPGs are on colder or warmer days when all of the other variables are the same.

Check out this thread: http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7408-ffh-warm-up-stages/

[acdii]

Its the cold air it ingests that also has some impact on fuel economy. Denser air requires denser fuel charge.

[DeeCee]

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday the temp was 72 deg F and my normal round trip commute of 37 miles yielded 55 mpg. today the temp was 36 deg. F with rain and a northerly wind and the same trip yielded 48 mpg. Expecting freezing rain tonight and then the temps drop to the teens. May be a day or two before I get to make the trip again depending on road conditions. The cold is predicted to remain for the next several days so will check the same route again once I can get back on the road. (I live in a hilly area and when we get freezing rain on the streets it is impossible to get anywhere until conditions improve. We are not well equipped here for this kind of weather.)

[ptjones]

What a difference a day makes! Yesterday the temp was 72 deg F and my normal round trip commute of 37 miles yielded 55 mpg. today the temp was 36 deg. F with rain and a northerly wind and the same trip yielded 48 mpg. Expecting freezing rain tonight and then the temps drop to the teens. May be a day or two before I get to make the trip again depending on road conditions. The cold is predicted to remain for the next several days so will check the same route again once I can get back on the road. (I live in a hilly area and when we get freezing rain on the streets it is impossible to get anywhere until conditions improve. We are not well equipped here for this kind of weather.)

Have you tried covering up the grill?

 

Paul

[DeeCee]

No I have not. We don't normally get extended extreme cold temps in this area. May have to reconsider if this keeps up.

[ptjones]

No I have not. We don't normally get extended extreme cold temps in this area. May have to reconsider if this keeps up.

Just for an experiment try covering up the grill with something and see what happens. :)

 

Paul

[DeeCee]

May be a while before I can try it. Got freezing rain and sleet last night and today. I live in a hilly area and the roads in the area I live are iced over and thawing temps not expected for several days. We don't have the equipment here to deal with this stuff as it is a rarity. My sloped driveway is iced over and even difficult to walk on let alone drive on.

[ptjones]

May be a while before I can try it. Got freezing rain and sleet last night and today. I live in a hilly area and the roads in the area I live are iced over and thawing temps not expected for several days. We don't have the equipment here to deal with this stuff as it is a rarity. My sloped driveway is iced over and even difficult to walk on let alone drive on.

Grill Covers won't improve your traction.LOL

 

Paul

[timf]

 

Your average for the round trip was NOT 45 MPG, it was only 40 MPG.

 

If the trip was 20 miles one way (distance does not matter, the result will be the same) you used 2/3 gallon (20 miles / 30 MPG) to get to lunch. On the way back you used 1/3 gallon (20 miles / 60 MPG). Your total fuel consumption was therefore 1 gallon. So your MPG for the trip was 40 (40 miles / 1 gallon).

Thanks for correcting my math. I know it sounded too good to be true.

[Rupert]

My job is 9 miles away from home. In my mostly city driving trip to work, I've been getting mid 30s to low 40s. I was getting mid 40s to low 50s in the summer. It's a little frustrating because I don't feel like I'm doing any less EV driving. I hope it won't get much worse. I got 422 miles out of my last tank. I can be content with that. I was getting 225 miles out of my 2010 Honda Civic during the winter.

[MXGOLF]

Cold weather here in Oregon too. In the Teens at night and upper 20's during the day. My mileage is worse also. I am working on a non-ethanol tank of gas too. This tank is down to 34.7 mpg about 1/2 way through. My trips are mostly short to work and the store, stuff like that.

[HenryVIII]

I noticed a drop in fuel efficiency as well.

 

Then I installed a K&N replacement panel filter. MPGs have gone back up (Indicated, I'm still on my first tank on it). So far this might be a viable option for FFH member. Not sure if K&N has a replacement filter for you guys yet. If not they should!

[ptjones]

I noticed a drop in fuel efficiency as well.

 

Then I installed a K&N replacement panel filter. MPGs have gone back up (Indicated, I'm still on my first tank on it). So far this might be a viable option for FFH member. Not sure if K&N has a replacement filter for you guys yet. If not they should!

I installed one in My CMAX which is the same as FFH. I not sure that it improved MPG's much though. I did test it and it has less restriction than FORD filter. I'm going for everything I can get. :)

 

Paul

[acdii]

I still dont trust a K&N to keep the intake clean, especially on a TC engine. When I had a 97 Exploder V8 I put one of those in, and 6 months later when doing a maintenance I found the intake coated with a fine dust after the filter. Needless to say that filter went in the trash. Any slight improvement from one is not worth the risk of a dusted turbo or worse a damaged engine. I have used AEM filters though and would recommend that over a K&N any day, had one in my 99 F350 Powerjoke and never had a dirty intake over 130K miles of use.

 

And now back to the topic, Today 13*, snow on the roads, stupid drivers, and me not caring if I get good MPG or not, still managed to get 40.7 MPG this morning to work.

 

What you can expect when driving more than 10 miles in this car, on hilly rural highways, and some suburban city traffic, right where I expected it to be last year when I bought the first 13 FFH, between 38 and 43 MPG this time of year. Of course YMMV, and I know there are still a few out there who are stuck with a brother of the Blue Devil, and I feel for you, been there done that, have the financial scars to prove it. Was it worth the loss trading it in for another, just for a few extra MPG? Some may not think so, but stopping the anger and frustration factor to me was well worth it. I know it will never get 47 MPG going from my house to the nearest town which is less than 10 miles, but I do know that under the right conditions it exceeds 47 MPG, been there and done that many times.

[timf]

My car seems to be settling in around 35 MPG (according to the computer) in the cold snap we are currently having. I have yet to fill up for the first time to do a manual calculation, so it will be interesting how far off it is.

[HenryVIII]

I still dont trust a K&N to keep the intake clean, especially on a TC engine. When I had a 97 Exploder V8 I put one of those in, and 6 months later when doing a maintenance I found the intake coated with a fine dust after the filter. Needless to say that filter went in the trash. Any slight improvement from one is not worth the risk of a dusted turbo or worse a damaged engine. I have used AEM filters though and would recommend that over a K&N any day, had one in my 99 F350 Powerjoke and never had a dirty intake over 130K miles of use.

 

And now back to the topic, Today 13*, snow on the roads, stupid drivers, and me not caring if I get good MPG or not, still managed to get 40.7 MPG this morning to work.

 

What you can expect when driving more than 10 miles in this car, on hilly rural highways, and some suburban city traffic, right where I expected it to be last year when I bought the first 13 FFH, between 38 and 43 MPG this time of year. Of course YMMV, and I know there are still a few out there who are stuck with a brother of the Blue Devil, and I feel for you, been there done that, have the financial scars to prove it. Was it worth the loss trading it in for another, just for a few extra MPG? Some may not think so, but stopping the anger and frustration factor to me was well worth it. I know it will never get 47 MPG going from my house to the nearest town which is less than 10 miles, but I do know that under the right conditions it exceeds 47 MPG, been there and done that many times.

 

I've been informed about this. I'm keeping track of what happens with the K&N. Apparently Air Raid has or is developing a filter that's similar to the factory filter but allows higher velocity air flow with lower micron filtering. I might just go back to stock for the winter and spring, where it's needed most. Good to know about the AEM, thanks!

Edited December 12, 2013 by HenryVIII

[ptjones]

To me it looked like the K&N filter has more surface area than the FORD filter. I will check things out when I get a bunch of miles on the K&N filter. I devised an very sensitive air flow test and an old filter with 42Kmi had twice the restriction of new Ford filter and the K&N filter was five times better than new Ford filter. What this means in real world numbers is probably that the old FORD filter had a 10% restriction, New FORD 5% and K&N 1%. Anyway something like that. :)

 

Paul

[hybridbear]

To me it looked like the K&N filter has more surface area than the FORD filter. I will check things out when I get a bunch of miles on the K&N filter. I devised an very sensitive air flow test and an old filter with 42Kmi had twice the restriction of new Ford filter and the K&N filter was five times better than new Ford filter. What this means in real world numbers is probably that the old FORD filter had a 10% restriction, New FORD 5% and K&N 1%. Anyway something like that. :)

 

Paul

What's the "new Ford filter" versus the "old Ford filter"? Or are you just referring to a clean Ford filter versus a dirty Ford filter?

[ptjones]

Clean vs Dirty :)

 

Paul

[acdii]

A K&N doesnt really filter anything until it gets dirty, up until that point anything that can get past that filter gets sucked into the engine. take a magnifying glass and look through the new Ford and the new K&N with a light behind them, every where you can clearly see light, dirt will get through there, and the fine dust that gets through is the worst kind of dirt for an engine. This is why you NEVER should use one on a turbo charged engine, it will eat the turbine blades. If you dont believe this, jsut gogle dusted turbos, and you will find plenty of instances of this happening.

 

 

If you do use a K&N, dump a bag of dirt from a vacuum on it, shake it out then put it in. Then you will be protected. I am not blowing dirt out my butt on this, I saw it first hand in my 97 Explorer.

Edited December 12, 2013 by acdii

[Geremy13]

I'm in Indiana.... we haven't had 0 degree weather..... but now having a hard time getting 30MPG on this current tank and might not make the 300 mile club on this one........ or much better.... Check my Fuelly for Geremy13 and see what you think.

 

Only thing I can figure is after the oil change in late October everything went to crap....... of course the weather went under 50 as well,, but this kind of mileage on a brand new car is starting to get to me... real bad.

 

If you check my Fuelly you can see that I know how to get in the 40+, but now even under the most conservative driving I can't get much over 30......

 

Bummed!....

 

Need someone to help me,,, give me some direction on what to do next. Haven't bought a new car in 10 years and now these payments are not justifying the decision that I made when my other car can do 30MPG...

 

Just Bummed!,,,,

 

Like the Topic said.... blowing off some steam.

[hybridbear]

I'm in Indiana.... we haven't had 0 degree weather..... but now having a hard time getting 30MPG on this current tank and might not make the 300 mile club on this one........ or much better.... Check my Fuelly for Geremy13 and see what you think.

 

Only thing I can figure is after the oil change in late October everything went to crap....... of course the weather went under 50 as well,, but this kind of mileage on a brand new car is starting to get to me... real bad.

 

If you check my Fuelly you can see that I know how to get in the 40+, but now even under the most conservative driving I can't get much over 30......

 

Bummed!....

 

Need someone to help me,,, give me some direction on what to do next. Haven't bought a new car in 10 years and now these payments are not justifying the decision that I made when my other car can do 30MPG...

 

Just Bummed!,,,,

 

Like the Topic said.... blowing off some steam.

Try reading this thread. Foam grille blocking makes a big difference.