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Hybrider

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Posts posted by Hybrider

  6. Posted · Report reply

     

    So, you try to accelerate just enough for the ICE to kick in? In general I would think that the slower you accelerate (less power demanded) the better. You want to avoid "jack rabbit" starts, but according to what you're saying, you're also better off not accelerating too slowly?

     

    If your HVB SOC is on the high side, say 5/8 to 7/8 of a full charge on the FFH gauge, then it can become almost impossible to get the ICE to kick on when starting up from a dead stop, no matter how hard you press the accelerator pedal on an FFH. But when the SOC is at a normal level on the HVB, one which is typically maintained by the computers on a level road, you can press the accelerator pedal close to what an average person would typically do from a dead stop, and the ICE will normally start up almost immediately. Then you can feather back off of the accelerator pedal and accelerate as slowly as you like, even slower than a typical granny if you like, and the ICE will continue to remain running until the HVB SOC reaches the normal point of charge level where the computers will turn the ICE back off.

  8. Posted · Report reply

    A year ago I paid $2000 CAD (~$1500 USD at the time) for the PremiumCARE ESP from my dealer - negotiated a decent price plus $0 deductible if I used that dealer ($100 elsewhere). It extended my warranty to July 2019 or 100,000 km.

     

    One year later I feel that it probably wasn't the best use of money. I've "saved" about $160 getting the TSB 13-5-24 (clicking noise in brakes) repaired, and any real mechanical/electrical issues would likely be covered by the powertrain or hybrid components warranties, which last longer than the bumper-to-bumper warranty...

     

    But you can never fully evaluate the savings of an extended warranty until after it has expired. There are still 3 years left on your extended warranty which could still be a smart investment if any major cost items break down during those next 3 years which aren't covered. There are still many items which could break down on an FFH which aren't covered by the powertrain and hybrid component coverage which could easily cost more than the $1500 you paid for your extended warranty.

  9. Posted · Report reply

     

     

    I get this in pretty much any car I drive. EPA tests are done under ridiculously ideal conditions - conditions so predictable that Volkswagen was able to program its cars to cheat the test.

     

    My lifetime average is about 37.3 mpg. I've had trips where I easily broke 45 or even 50, usually if downhill driving was involved. I've also had trips where I didn't even make 30 mpg - they were long uphill journeys on mountain roads, or in exceptionally horrible gridlock.

     

    Traffic conditions and the climate can have a big impact on fuel economy. Hybrids perform best in stop-and-go conditions, but if things are 95% stop and 5% go, the engine will start turning on without the car actually moving, and that kills fuel economy. Liberal use of the heater in the winter is also a great way to sap fuel economy - I personally set mine to 16-17 Celsius in defog mode, because my jacket already protects me from the cold and the seat heaters are more energy efficient anyway.

     

    While I agree with most everything you said above, I do disagree with the part where you say "Hybrids perform best in stop-and-go", at least as far as FFHs go.

     

    I get the best fuel economy when I am able to just "go" with no "stop", since the FFH uses up much more gas to accelerate back up to speed, then it does if I can drive at a constant 30-40 MPH, due to the effects of inertia and all that Newton's laws stuff. It takes me much less gas to keep going at a constant slower speed than it does to get the heavy FFH accelerated again from a stop. It is very much the same effect as watching the needle on the gas gauge visibly move down in the gas-guzzling V8s of old when you floor the accelerator pedal on them.

     

    The recoup of energy from the regenerative braking is much, much less than the amount of energy which was expended on accelerating in the first place. You can't stop unless you first go, and that initial acceleration is the crux of the fuel economy degradation in the FFH. :)

     

    For my specific commutes, each stop, and therefore the subsequent acceleration from a stand-still due to the stop, translates to less MPGs than I can get by keeping the mass of the FFH at a constant relatively low speed, thanks to Newton's laws.

  13. Posted · Report reply

    The warm spring days are back in full force in Arizona, and so are my MPGs. :dance: During the winter here, when the temps ranged from 35° lows to 65° highs, my MPGs dropped down to around 52-55 MPG, even though I didn't really need to use the climate control much except to clear the fog off of the windows sometimes when the temps were lower than 45°. I almost thought there was something wrong with my engine causing the lower MPGs, and then realized it was probably just the colder temps were increasing the friction in the engine and transmission due to thicker fluids, and maybe due to lower battery performance in colder temps also.

     

    The temps here are currently ranging from 55° lows to 85° highs, and as you can see below my MPGs have increased dramatically back to where they were before due to the higher temps now, about 20° higher than the deep winter temps here.

     

    post-12539-0-40912800-1458084345_thumb.jpg

    GrySql reacted to this

  15. Posted · Edited by Hybrider · Report reply

    So as GrySql used to like to say, the FFH Forum strikes again.

     

    As I mentioned recently in a different topic, my plan is to replace my 12V battery every two years, whether it is good or bad, just to ensure it doesn't go completely dead on me when I need it most. Well about 1 month before my FFH was 2 years old, I got my first Battery Saver Message (BSM). My FFH had been sitting for 3 weeks without being driven, so I was not too terribly surprised. But then after driving my FFH once again on a fairly regular basis, with no more than 4 days between drivings, I saw my second BSM occur upon me switching the car on recently.

     

    So I took my FFH to the dealership to get my 12V battery replaced, and informed the SA I was not leaving without having a new battery installed. So they ran the standard quick cranking amps test, and it passed with such flying colors that my SA stated that he seriously doubted it would fail the load test, which he referred to as the "floor test". It seemed to only take them about 15-30 minutes to run the floor test, but the SA came back and said it failed the floor test, so I was covered under warranty.

     

    So this Forum struck not once for me but 3 times, once for informing me how insidious the various problems can be that can result from having a 12V battery in a FFH going on the fritz, twice for informing that the BSMs can very well indicate a 12V battery in the FFH is going on the fritz, and thrice for informing there is such a thing as a more comprehensive load test and giving me the wherewithal to push them to run it, resulting in me getting a free battery before any other crazy low-12V_system symptoms started happening.

     

    And now I have a new 3-year, unlimited mileage battery too. The SA said the original battery had a 3-year warranty also, but only 36K miles on the original battery warranty, the B2B warranty coverage.

     

    Yay for the Forum...long live the Forum!

    tr7driver and gkinla reacted to this

  18. Posted · Report reply

    So..just a thought...you relocate from Florida to Michigan..would your car need this recall? Would it be covered?

     

    I would think Ford has extended this steering bolt FSA to just about all Fusions which are affected by now since it appears for mine here in AZ.

     

    You can click on this link below and enter your VIN (no sign-in required) and it will show the FSAs and recalls on that vehicle.

     

    http://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/RecallsPage&gnav=footer-owners

     

    This is what that page shows for my FFH.

    post-12539-0-11293700-1454964034_thumb.png

    hybridbear reacted to this

  19. Posted · Report reply

    My plan is to replace my battery every two years like clockwork, at my own expense. I do not want to take a chance on experiencing any of the multitude of bad issues which can happen in an FFH when the battery is not at full capacity.

     

    The heat here in the desert won't allow normal 12V batteries to last more than about 2-3 years anyways.

  20. Posted · Edited by Hybrider · Report reply

    Sorry but I was referring to the OP, at this point I question whether he is real because He has 1 Post and hasn't bothered to respond. ;)

    ...

     

    Not only has the OP not bothered to respond, but also his/her last login was the very same day and time he/she made his/her one single post to this forum. So he/she hasn't even bothered to check back to see if any of us have posted any solutions for him/her. :drop: :banghead:

    hybridbear reacted to this

  21. Posted · Report reply

    This is the sort of thing that can be darn handy - or the realization of "1984" dystopia. As long as it's tied to Personally Identifiable Information, I would opt out whenever, or not purchase the technology. "Big Brother" needs to be stopped.

     

    Anymore, I am more concerned about "Little Brother", such as Google, Facebook, etc.

  22. Posted · Edited by Hybrider · Report reply

    However, gizmag.com did make this comment below about the 2017 FFH and FFE:

     

    New electric motors will replace the current motors used in the hybrids, which should improve all-electric range and fuel economy in both electrified Fusion models.

     

    And Ford does say this below in their press release:

     

    New software in both hybrids delivers an even more refined and engaging drive for customers, while more efficient electric motors are expected to contribute to better fuel economy and a purer range of electric driving

    Now what is this "purer range" they speak of? :kookie: :doh:

    hybridbear reacted to this

  23. Posted · Edited by Hybrider · Report reply

    I'd be interested to know if there are any changes to the powertrain...

     

    I don't believe there are any major differences for the FFH. The 2017 web pages say the same old "hybrid 2.0L I-4 Atkinson-cycle powertrain".

     

    The major news for Fusion powertrains is the twin-turbo V6 (2.7L), which will now be available in the "gas" Fusion Sport.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    I just spotted that the Daytime Running Lights are back to being a fleet only option. So it will be back to battling dealers to get it enabled. :(

     

    The DRLs are listed in the same manner in both the 2015 and the 2016 Fusion Order Guides, under the "Fleet Only Options" section of options.

     

    I would expect there will still be the option in the Settings menus on the 2017 FFHs to enable/disable the DRLs, just as there is in the 2015 and 2016 FFHs.

  25. Posted · Report reply

    I'm pretty sure these photos from the build-and-price at ford.com are showing the White Gold color darker than it really looks. The build-and-price coloring on the Fusions has historically not been very accurate at all.

     

    I have seen some shots of the White Gold that make it look very close to the previous Tectonic color.

     

    So until you actually see these colors on the dealer's lots, it is anyone's guess what they will actually look like in comparison.

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