MeeLee

A lot of what you mention is very interesting, and I have to agree with a lot you write. The later models (on my FFH 2019), the electric motor is tuned to work at higher speeds. So long the electric motor output doesn't exceed 20kW, you can drive on it even at 75 or 80MPH (lowering speed as 75-80MPH really need 25-30kW to sustain the speed, with a strong back wind, or downhill for instance). On the other hand, the ICE engine, only stays on at speeds of above 65MPH. Below 65 MPH it's nearly impossible to keep the ICE running (in eco mode). It'll run fine for a while, but as soon as the battery reaches a certain charge, it'll disengage the ICE and run on electric, switching between electric and ice. The only solution to it, is to release the throttle, and slow down by about 5MPH, then engage the ICE to do a lengthy but very slow acceleration, slowly accelerating from 55-60MPH; during which phase the ICE won't turn off. It's entirely possible to stretch this acceleration to a good 2 to 3 full minutes. But keeping the ICE on in this acceleration stage, or even keeping it at 65 without engaging the electric motor, requires a VERY steady foot, because the smallest pothole might cause my throttle to move even a millimeter, and the ICE cuts off. The engine does this, because MPG increases actually by switching between the two. Despite the mention of the charging being less efficient, you don't have any internal ICE friction when it's RPM is zero. While the car runs more efficiently switching between ICE and electric (~50MPG @ 60MPH this way, vs 42MPG on ICE only, unless you hit that super efficient 52MPG at 25kW output doing ~1300-1500RPM), it does wear out the Lithium pack and ICE engine (and engine oil) much quicker. The start-stop isn't recommended on the highway. And the battery pack heats up exceedingly. If I see the electric motor go on at 60MPH, I try to switch over quickly. Personally, I try to keep 65-80MPH on highways as standard speed (which is on the higher end of the vehicles on the highway here), but chances of the ICE to turn off is lower. Besides on my 2019 model, doing 65 or doing 75 MPH gets me identical MPG ratings. I also run my car in ECO mode, because RPMs seem to dip ~200-400 RPM lower than in normal mode, and fuel economy seems to go up on the highway. I am a bit concerned at the charge levels with the ICE running at 2k RPM or higher (2nd line on the kW meter, which I believe is close to 44kW, since there are 5 lines, and the maximum ICE output is ~110kW; or 145HP); Concerned, because the charge is quite high in ECO mode; and a high charge will result in quicker degradation of the cells. Especially since the battery pack is a Lithium pack, which can suffer from dendrites forming quicker when heated (or higher currents flowing). Since the pack is using Lithium Ion cells, it should be a lot smaller than the metal hydride packs used in the 2010 models, and thus has place for more cells to be installed, and given an increased range. When I look behind the panel, I do see A LOT of space still that could be used for an upgraded model battery. I wished some company could increase the capacity from 1.4kW to 1.7 or 2kW. Advances in battery technology should be able to make this possible. In eco mode, I try to keep the RPM below 2k for accelerating, and between 1.5 to 1.8k RPM for cruising, to reduce the charge current on the batteries. On the kW meter, that's roughly 25kW to 40kW the ICE produces. Additionally, I prefer to use normal mode for accelerating (despite the throttle being a bit brisk/abrupt), and switch over to eco mode while cruising at RPM ranges below 2k RPM, which I think will allow the battery to last longer; as well as keep eco mode for highways. Since the battery will be nearly fully charged on any higher than 5 minute highway ride anyway, charge currents will be much lower.

If anything, installing a spare tire should increase the frame rigidity, and the tire is also an EXCELLENT kinetic absorber, so long lugging it down keeps it in place. Your car is SAFER with a spare tire, not less safe.

I'm sorry guys, but you're all wrong! So much chatter, and none seem to see my situation. A car standing still does NOT need to have his brake lights on! It's classified as a parked car. Your brake lights need to be on, when you are actively stopping. not when you are standing still, especially not when stopped behind a traffic light. Not in my state, and I believe not just about anywhere!

Just read this thread. Sometimes older homes have aluminum wires instead of copper wires installed (especially homes built in the 1970s). These power wires can only handle about 12.5 amps at 120V (or 1.5kWh). Sometimes people don't know, and change their fuses to 15A or 20A fuses, as they usually fit, but which are only acceptable for copper wires (1.8-2.4 kW). This is burst charge. Sustained you'd have to multiply it by 80%, or roughly 1500W for 15A fuses, and ~1900W for the 20A fuses. It's important to use an L2 charger if you have something on that same power line (like a water heater or other). L2 chargers only use between 6 to 8 amps per line, where as L1 chargers uses 15-16Amps for charging. L1 charging is recommended though. If the software allowed you to draw no more than say, 10-12A for charging, it would have been ideal. The slower charging is more efficient, and will DEcrease the charging time by only a few hours. Since most people keep their car parked anywhere between 8-10 hours per day, it's more than sufficient to charge the car overnight.

Lift the front wheels, I presume? If not possible, try towing in reverse?

Shortage of CPU chips, mainly those for the entertainment system in cars. If car manufacturers would be clever, they would bring the car with a modular entertainment system, and offer a free 'upgrade', when the new CPU chips arrive. It's mostly the only thing that bogs down production. Some cars however, can't do without that CPU, or you won't be able to adjust the climate, radio, (or even listen to the radio)... I think they should sell em with a standard transistor radio, and swap it out for a smart entertainment system (Sync 3 compatible), as soon as the supply shortage has been dealt with.

Then read some more autovlogs, and drive some more miles on your car. Since I use my car professionally, I can tell when time comes to do the oil change. Been able to detect all the signs on my last 2 cars too. Your sign will be the throttle vibration; the biggest difference is when the oil gets changed. If you're not able to tell when the throttle starts vibrating more than after an oil change, then register how much it does before an oil change, and how smooth it is right after. It's your car, but I'm telling you, you're wasting your engine if you think 10k oil changes are ok. Read the rest of the forums. High mile vehicles all do 5k mile oil changes. Not 8 nor 10k miles.

I don't know about the ffh, but my last 2 cars, the 'squeaker' is built into the grooves of the brake pads. Once the pads get too low, there is a small cavity in the brake pad itself, that will start resonating, and causing a high brake pitch. At least it was true for my 2014 Chevy Cruze, and 2017 Ford Fiesta.

And again, you're totally wrong! First of all, it was broad daylight. We all were stopped, including the car behind me. It was his car that started to creep forward, as the driver was looking around for some toy the dog had dropped under the pedals. You see, he relied on his brakes too much at stop lights because of creep, and it ended up being the cause of the accident! Had the guy been in neutral, like me, and like it should be, even with an automatic, the accident would have never happened! Before you make bold assumptions, please make sure you thoroughly understand what you're talking about?

True, but even then, their oil needs to be changed just as frequent as regular gasoline cars, due to the frequent start stopping, and the higher engine load while driving and charging. Especially in eco mode, when reaching 60kW (the second line on the kW output), where the charging drain is too high for my comfort. In eco, I try to keep the meter between 1 and 1.8.

What's your opinion on the hyundai sonata hybrid vs the Ford fusion hybrid vs Toyota Avalon Hybrid? Unlike the Toyota Corolla hybrid, which is a much smaller car, the Avalon is about the same size within an inch or two, from the FFH. I'm sure power figures aside (FFH and the Sonata basically use the same hardware), the hyundai gets 0-60 a tad faster due to lighter weight and better aero, but not because of higher performance. Hyundai tends to overrated their cars, and ford underrates theirs. The Sonata also has a bit more cargo space, despite being around the same exterior and interior legroom size (I think). It's a bit more expensive than the ffh. Mpg wise, hyundai always tends to overrate their cars, while Ford underrated their cars. Their 52MPG may come down to 48 actual, while the FFHs 42MPG might see more like 45 MPG actual. The difference isn't worth bickering about in real life, as the ffh easily makes up by being $2k cheaper. I haven't ridden in a Sonata hybrid yet, so I can't comment on cabin quietness. I wished someone had experience with these 2.

Not always true! The accident was a relatively low speed accident. Had it been a high speed impact, you may have been right. Some of the energy escaped by pushing the car forward a few feet in neutral, before collision assist kicked in. Had I held my brake pedal, the car wouldn't have rolled forward (by much) at all, and all the impact would have been taken by the bumper, with a broken bumper, and possibly deflated airbags.

10k oil changes have seen lots of cars break down after the 100k miles mark. With the comment I meant to say, that the lifetime of the engine is significantly reduced. The only million mile cars on the road, are those that do oil changes every 5k miles (which I think is a bit too soon). I've never heard of a car which problem free made it much past 125-150k miles, with 10k mile oil change intervals.

I'd have to agree that low city mpg is not a fuel injector cleaning issue, since 40% of city driving would be done on electric. Then again, I also don't think low tire pressure is the culprit, since you actually get much lower mpg on the highway from low tire pressure, than in the city. I think the issue is the way you drive the car, and how the car deals with switching between gasoline and electric. If you accelerate on the gasoline engine, and brake for red lights, without ever getting to coast on electric, your mpg may be low. My recommendation is to pulse and glide. Don't use eco mode. Just accelerate normally until you reach cruising speed of 35-45MPH (whatever it is). Then coast on electric, brake gently (Aim for at least 75% braking efficiency in the coach) when hitting a red light. Doing this helped me gain 5 to 6MPG easily. The car's switching logic, to switch between gas and electric, isn't too smart. It doesn't know when the most efficient time to switch is. You as a driver can manually switch, by blipping (or quickly releasing) the throttle for a second, and force the car to run on ice or electric.

As a Ride sharer, I've been testing the real oil change intervals, and they're much lower. I just finished 3 oil change intervals on full synthetic (colorless), and it's recommended to change at 6k miles. After 6.6k miles, additional engine vibrations can be felt through the accelerator pedal. I'm now testing semi synthetic 0W20. If you use Amazon Basic, or Mobil 1, you're good for 7k miles. I will further update this thread, because soon I'll test the cheaper bulk stuff you'll find your mechanic sells you. On my Ford Fiesta, I could do 8k miles on Mobil 1 or Amazon Basic oil, but only 6.5k miles on the drums at my local mechanic. The local mechanic recommends 5k miles oil change, out of the 6.5k miles they can do. I still have to get more oil changes to get to this exact number. Driving for ride share, my 1 month oil change mileage will be higher than if you do the same miles as I per year, as a lot of the additives lose effectiveness over time. Meaning, the 6.6k miles I can get out of the oil, in 1 month, may show better oil, than if you do the same miles in 1 year. Overall, I'd say: "Aim for 6k to 6.5k mile oil change intervals, slightly higher than the 5k your mechanic recommends. Definitely DON'T go over 7-8k miles.". If you honor the 10k mile oil change interval, Ford will honor their "lifetime of the vehicle" as 100k miles, and your engine will see significant wear at 100k miles, with pumps failing and the likes...

Not true. My method saved me lots of expensive $$$ last week. Stopped at a stop light, a guy behind me hit me. Got off with a paint scratch. I do believe the car did brake though (probably collision assist) Had I stepped on my brake, the rear bumper would have needed replacement. In neutral, most of the energy was absorbed by rolling forwards a few feet.

Let me correct what I said, I meant to say "50+ MPG on the ICE alone". Once I drop below 70mph, the electric motor kicks in, and reaching above 50mpg is easy. This car isn't the only one. The Sonata 2.0 Hybrid gets those same numbers (plus an mpg or two). The Lincoln MKZ Hybrid (I believe it was), is also based on the same platform.. And the Hyundai Elantra 2.0 with atkinson engine, should get the same numbers, but it's been a long time since I've driven one (approx 7 years ago).

Seems like it gets the same mpg as my ffh after a cheap Chinese tire swap. I'm thinking, once the tires wear out, you'll see much lower mpgs on newer tires, unless you pay the $600 surplus for installing identical than stock tires. My FFH got 45-48MPG (depending on how much city/hwy I drove), and now hovers around 40-42MPG. Cheaper tires work worse on the hwy with the vehicle's weight.

58k miles and still ok. Brakepads should have a little metal squeaker in them, they will begin to squeak the closer you get to the replacement. The rear brake may drag a bit, in humid places where the rotors rust quite quickly. If you mainly do short trips, and your rotors often are rusted, the rust causes lower brake tolerances, to the point where they mildly drag.

What? I just change the filter part itself. $16 for just the filter. Zero installatie fees. Takes a few bolts and about 10 min of your time. Why would anyone want to pay $+200 for an air filter swap, is beyond me.

MPG drops quickly once hitting the highway, and try to run on the ICE only (>65MPH). I do a lot of mixed city/suburbs/highway. Perhaps 15/45/30 ratio.

45.5 to 46.5 MPG avg on the stock tires, ~39.1 on cheap chinese tires. FFH 2019

No, it's not a requirement. There's no where that it states that you'd have to put your foot on the brake at an intersection.

It is theoretically possible for a ffh to get ~50mpg on gasoline alone, using a 3 cylinder, 1 liter engine. The 35mpg probably has to do with keeping the 20% incline in the calculation. From early on, GM created their cars to be able to tow an additional car their weight up a 20% incline. With modern advances in technology, and increased performance and efficiency, this is no longer a requirement. And few cars, like the ffh, use their cvt to choose a gear ratio where the engine is barely able to keep the car rolling at cruising speed, in order to maximize mpg.

It really depends on where you most often drive. If you often drive in an area with clean air, I'd say, swap it out at 100k miles, or 7 years. Whatever comes first. It's not because it's or may not be dirty, but the filter fibers start wearing out, and you don't want them inside your engine. Not to mention bugs, leafs, sand,... all get trapped in there. Air filters cost like $16. If you live in the city, closer to ~50k miles. I changed the cabin air filter at 30k miles, and changed the relatively clean looking engine air filter as well as the cabin air filter at 50k miles.