Feirstein

"Better fuel economy from 16" but not better handling. The Edge has a 60 series profile in 18". If you went to 16" you'd need to go to 70/75 OR a skinnier tire and that won't handle better." Of course. But my point is that if Ford decided to give the customers what they need instead of what they want (huge wheels), then they could have fit the Edge at the factory with 16" wheels and any aspect ratio tire of their choice, including state of the art 45 series profile. At the factory Ford could have adjusted the gear ratio's and spedo for accurate reads with such tires. Still far less weight and superior handling.

I just did that and have confirmed that they do have a built in clip on the pads that serve as a warning device. I plan on changing them out in the next few days.

That is my question. Do the OEM pads had a worning device?

We were down to one key for our 2007 Edge. I ordered a new key with remote functions off of ebay for $35 and had my locksmith cut the new key. I then needed to have the key programmed. Every Ford dealer I called told me it would take over an hour of labor and would cost between $70 and $120. After discussing this with my locksmith he informed me he had just sold a programing device to a local used car dealer. This guy used a device to pull the code directly from the car's computer and programmed the new key for $40.00. I carefully timed the work and it took about 12 min. I have reached the conclusion that the Ford service departments I spoke to were not telling the truth and found a nich where they can overcharge with impunity. Of course, my local BMW dealers would not even think of programming a key that they did not sell.

Just noticed that my 07 Edge with 62,000 miles started to make a unique sound from the front left when I hit the brakes a bit harder than normal. Is there a built in noise device to worn when the pads need replacing?

The 22" wheels and tires add lots of weight. Stiffer springs and more damping from shocks are mandatory. There is little if any performance advantage, and the extra weight is felt in fuel milage and handling since it is all sprung weight. Heck, even the 18" wheels and tires on my 2007 Edge are heavy, and replacements are a limited choice and quite expensive. Double that for 22" replacement tires. Perhaps it is contrary to current taste and style, but 16" wheels and tires might have been a better choice all around. Better fuel economy, better ride, better acceleration, and perhaps better handling. And many more tire choices at significantly lower prices. If they would just lower the ride hight 2" you would loose much of the gap in the wheel well and get even better handling. But what do I know?

So let me see, Ford with all its money, technology and brains, can't put out an Edge with more porwer and better fuel economy merely by tweeking the chip settings. I just don't buy it. There is no way to run the Edge on regular octane fuel while meeting Federal Clean Air requirements, and acceptable operation in all weather conditions, and still pull this off. If it could be done, Ford would have done it. Can you swap clean air for more power under certain driving conditions? Yes. Can you swap more power for less fuel efficiency and less acceptable motor performance under all weather conditions, yes, but then again there are those clean air requirements. If you want more performance there is no easy substiture for increase displacement and increased compression. On the other hand, Ford can afford to provide Direct Fuel Injection, combined with turbo chargers, and reduced vehicle weight. Give them another year of two for this to become a common approach to give us our cake while we gain improved fuel economy and perhaps improved performance, all on regular fuel.

I too have noticed a rare but occasional blip in reception, even when I am not going under an overpass. I have a 2007 model.

"The ride is rougher than most cars I've driven with the exception of a Jeep Liberty." The very large and heavy wheels and tires Ford uses on the Edge is a major contributor to this issue. I know many fans love the look of the 22" wheels, but even the 18" wheel tire combination is very heavy. I must admit that I cannot fault the ride of my 2007 Edge with its 18" wheels, but my wife notes that our 2004 Chrysler Town & Country seems to ride a bit softer. It sports 16" wheels and mono-tube rear shocks, a part not yet available for the Edge from any vender.

Even a small leak of oil from a shock is no reason to replace the part! The best way to tell if a shock needs replacement is to stand outside the vehicle while someone drives it over a bump. If the wheel's movement is dampened in one cycle it is good to go. Currently there are no performance shocks offered for the Edge. A mono-tube shock from Bilstein or KYB would be nice but talks with company reps show no interest in providing performance parts for our vehicle. Perhaps the 2011 rear shocks will provide a superior substitute but I just don't know.

Especially if you use synthetic oil. 7,500 miles is very easy on today's oils if the car is driven under normal conditions.

Hi: I too recently acquired a 2007 SEL+ AWD model. It has 60,000 miles and has been perfect. The only modifications we have made so far is to activate the Sirus Radio and improve the headlights. I replaced the OEM bulbs with new lowbeam H9 bulbs in place of the low output H11's. I replaced the 9006 highbeam bulb with HIR9011 (HIR1). You would not believe what a huge improvement this made. Soon I will be looking for replacement brake pads and shocks but for some reason the Edge has not attracted many venders to provide replacement parts.

The HIR2 is a 9012 bulb. It is intended for low beam use and is about as good as it gets for a legal 55 watt bulb (1870 Lumens) that will focus properly in your housing. The HIR1 is a 9011 bulb intende for high beam use and it puts out a huge 2350 Lumens output and draws 65 watts. If Ford used a low beam bulb in a high beam position then I could understand your concern for more light. I run the HIR1 in my 2007 Edge and am very pleased with its light output. The new HIR2 bulb claims to be a true HIR type bulb with a slight increase in output. Toshiba has apparently stopped making the HIR2 bulb.

We need to find a cost effective source for this and a list of part numbers for the plugs, etc. We also need a list of what 2011 parts will upgrade earlier versions of the Edge, such as shocks, springs, sway bars, brake parts, etc. This could be fun; and expensive. Richard

I too have a 2007 Edge that I acquired several months ago. While driving to Florida my wife called Sirius and paid to reactivate the service. It came on while we were driving. It worked the first time. Now we just wish the music had more dynamic range.

Call Ford. Several years ago I wanted to buy a Chrysler Town & Country with the sport suspension. Dealer said it could not be ordered on the Limited model. I called Chrysler and they phoned the dealer with instructions on how to place the order.

We recently turned on Sirius in our Edge and we generally enjoy the music programing on a few channels, and like the news channels. BUT the excessive application of normalization (to make everything sent out at the same sound level) and compression takes away a good deal of our sonic enjoyment. A decent FM station does not employ as much compression. Don't they listen to their customers? Every comment I read about XM and Sirius is about the excessive use of compression.

Many people like the look of the 22" wheels, but remember, they are very heavy adding over 100lb to the vehicle. The tires for the 22" wheels are very limited and very expensive. In my opinion, the Sport would be a more ideal vehicle, from a performance perspective, if it came with 18" wheels instead.

I use Mobil 1 Extended Performance oil and change it once a year, whether it needs a change or not. (About 12,000 miles). This has worked to perfection in my 3 other vehicles. I only recommend this after the Ford warranty is expired. Note, new oil standards have been released and the new oils now hitting the shelf should be good for 7,500 miles.

Ford made me proud. It responded almost instantly to the CU report and put into place a training program for its sales force and additional support for its customers. Honda used to be like this back in the day. But, in the end, someone at Ford bet the farm on the hope that the Sync Touch would be ready for prime time before it was let lose on the world. It lost that bet. Who knows if Ford will ever get this to function the way it intended.

I helped start up a fuel quality testing regulatory program for my state and learned from the lab guys from the oil companies, and related research, that once a motor is provided with a fuel with an adequate octane number increasing the octane level will have and cannot have any impact on motor performance or efficiency. The lab guys for the major oil companies assured me that except for octane levels, the various fuels were exactly the same across each brand. In fact, most if not all brands of fuel are provided from the closest refinery source, without regard to brand. What special additives may or may not be added at the fuel terminal before it is distributed I cannot comment on since that was considered to be a trade secret. They assured me that tracers were added so that they could confirm that the brand being dispensed was the same as the brand on the pump, but again they would not share the details with the reguator agency. In my opinion, if the motor does not ping or knock, there is little if anything to be gained by using a higher octane fuel. By the way, in my state I helped slip into the fuel quality law that each station pump also had to post the cetane level for diesel fuel. Richard

The HIR2 (9012) is a very bright low beam light bulb. It puts out more light than the H11 bulb. (1200 lumens for the H11 v 1870 lumens for the HIR 9012) and more light than the more typical 9006 low beam bulb. (1000 lumens). The HIR2 can replace a 9006 after one bulb tab is modified. The H11 can be replaced with the much brighter H9 bulb. (2100 lumens for the H9 v 1200 lumens for the H11). A slight modification is needed to one bulb tab. The HIR1 (9011) is the brightest bulb out there. It puts out 2350 lumens. It is intended for the high beam position. It is a great substitute for the 9005 which only outputs 1700 lumens. All of these make more sense than modifying a reflector housing to take a HID bulb. About the same output gain with proper focus.

Sorry, double post.

Ford increased the size of the front and rear sway bars for 2011. Best to order both but be sure to match front wheel drive v all wheel drive and also match the wheel size. They also increased the stiffness of the springs and the dampning of the shocks. A revised steering box is also part of the 2011 improvements. Changing that out will really cost you. We really need someone to confirm these statements from the Ford PR people. Since few performance parts seem to be offered from outside sources this is the best bet for improved handling, but doing everything will be costly. If you just stiffen the rear sway bar you may wind up with more oversteer, this may be taken care of by the stability control system, but on older cars I have experienced a 180 in the rain with just a rear sway bar upgrade.

Both are coated bulbs with REDUCED output and a short lifespan. The switch to an H9 bulb is the way to go if you want truly superior lighting from a bulb that will work in the housing with accurate focus (something that cannot be said for the illegal HID conversion kits agressively pushed here and on the internet.) Narva is a quality brand. I have seen some real cheap crap being offered on the internet.