mikejoconnor

Hey all, I wondering if anyone else is having problems similar to mine. I bought my 2013 FFH in February of 2013. I love the car, but randomly **all** of the safety systems fail simultaneously(Air bags, Traction control, ABS, etc), along with the power steering. I have had it into 2 separate dealers a no less than 5 times. Every time they replace a component of the system, reset the computer, and claim that it is fixed. Sometimes it works for few hundred miles, other times it is good for a few thousand miles. However the problem always returns.

I have a 56 mile drive to work, including 40 miles of non-stop interstate driving. I've been trying to maximize my milage for the 1000 mile challenge, but in the last week I've decided to see where my milage lands when driving more normal speeds (72mph). I'm planning on having the update done next time I go in for an oil change(fairly soon). As far as test methods, it would make sense to simply reset the trip when I hit cruising speed, and record it just before I exist the freeway. While that won't be perfect because of the occasional slowdown, it should average out over a week. This would give a solid 40 miles datapoint.

I had some spare time, so I followed a rather safe distance behind a semi, traveling 62-63mph. Used the ICE when traveling up hills, and electric mode on any down grades. I definitely don't "draft", because I don't want stone chips, or to hit a tire fragment on the freeway. However it seems following a 53' high cube even at 150-200' helps with milage. I also noticed that the mileage has been improving as I put more miles on it.

I've broken two personal records, in two days. 60.2 yesterday on the way to work. 61.1 today. Both trips were over 40 miles on the highway.

I'm a bit skeptical about the bump up in max speed for the non-energi ffh. The battery pack is about 18% of the size of the energi. I always assumed they limited the speed because the amp draw on the smaller battery pack was too great, and would reduce the lifespan of the battery. I have to wonder what long term effect this will have on that little 1.4kwh battery pack. I'm sure I'll have them apply the update, as I tend to be an early adopter. However I'll always have that nagging thought of why didn't they do this from the beginning.

Geremy13, I struggled to get above 40mpg during the first 5,000 miles. I'd say 43 is great considering how new the car is. Quite honestly I was disappointed in the my car, and thought I made a mistake until I had between 5k and 10k miles. I thought something may have been wrong with the car, my driving, or ford's marketing. Turns out I just had to let it break in. My average in the first 5k was around 38mpg. The 2nd 5k was around 41-42, and I'm on track to have an average of 45mpg at the 15,000 mile mark. So hang in there, 43mpg before the first oil change is great.

I really struggled to break 40 for the first 5,000-7,000 miles. Now I hit high 40's and low 50's fairly consistently. I just did a post with a few tips/tricks (http://fordfusionhybridforum.com/topic/7172-cant-get-above-42-mpg/?p=59971). However more than anything, I think these cars just need a few thousand miles, and a couple oil changes until they hit their stride. Once they do, you can tweak your driving to really maximize your milage (assuming you have a little extra time).

I have a 55-57 mile drive to work, depending on which route I take. I really struggled to break 40mpg consistently during the first 5,000 miles. Once the engine broke in, and as I learned a few tips / tricks, I've found my milage has greatly improved. I have a regular FFH, not the energi. First and foremost, focus on using the ICE for the heavy lifting. In most cases, I use the ICE going up hill, and EV mode going down hill. Since I drive so much on the freeway, I prefer to use eco mode cruise. When using cruise, you can tap the accelerator to enter ICE mode. You can tap cancel then resume to enter EV mode. By focusing on using the ICE for heavy lifting, you can maximize the distance your traveling in EV mode. Along the same lines, when traveling in the city, I always accelerate in ICE mode, and maintain speed in EV mode. Follow the same hill advice. When you have time, keep the car under 63mph. Aside from saving energy due to drag, it allows the car to enter EV mode when under light load(no grade, or down grade). Personally I find that due to traffic I have a hard time averaging much over 65-70mph on my drive home when I attempt to drive 75. Driving 62 is much more relaxing, and over my 56 mile commute, it makes a different of about 5 minutes, but 7-10mpg. When possible, follow a pack of traffic. Personally I normally follow a very safe distance behind 2 or more semi trucks. I don't really consider it drafting, considering I'm normally about 100-200ft or more behind the truck. However I've noticed that 2+ trucks seem to create a bit of airflow. If you've ever watched a piece of plastic, you've seen this effect. Minor items When weather is good, I run a few PSI extra in my tires. In snowy weather I drop down to factory recommended. The car does handle slightly better at factory PSI. Avoid climate control unless it's needed. If it's 75 outside I crack the windows. What are the results? Well when I'm taking my time on the way to work(driving 62mph), I can hit 50-57mpg on my way to work, and 45-54 on the way home. The prevailing wind helps me on the way to work.

I've been meaning to post these for a bit. I've gone through two rounds of the 1000 mile challenge. Its turning out to be a bit difficult to beat the 50mpg mark. While I can get the car into the high 40's, or low 50's, it's hard to get 1000 miles without my wife driving for 10% of that. I have a 56.5 mile drive to work every morning. The majority is on highway / freeway. My first run I averaged 48.9mpg, over 1000 miles and 23h55m. Average speed was 41.8mph The second run wasn't quite as good. Used the AC a bit more, had a trip home from work in a hurry, and the Mrs took a couple trips to town. Average 43.0 over 1042.2 miles and 27h13m. Average speed was 38.29mph. Just for bragging rights, I thought I'd add in my current drive to work record. 57.9mpg over 55.5 miles. It normally takes about an hour for that drive.

When I first got my FFH back in February, I was pretty dissapointed averaging 38mpg. However now that it's broken in, and the weather has warmed up I'm getting pretty outstanding milage. My lifetime average is 40.3mpg, Over the last thousand miles or so I'm averaging 44mpg. Since my last fill up I've driven 175 miles and I'm averaging 52.7 mpg. I just drove to the airport with a short stop at the office, and averaged 52.9mpg over 48 miles, and 56.7mpg for the other 24.6 miles. Pictures attached.