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Gimp

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Everything posted by Gimp

  1. Regarding the frequently mentioned 5K break-in for max MPG: For my first 5,000 miles of driving the MPG averaged out at 25.376. At 45,000 and 50,000 miles I averaged 25.434 and 26.135 respectively, with my lifetime average now at 25.8. From my personal observation, there was nothing significant happening at or around 5,000 miles in terms of MPG improvement. While the MPG does seem to be improving very slightly, it's 1/10th of an MPG at a time over the long term. Perhaps someone else has had a different experience than this.
  2. Here are a few other things to consider: It's been observed in these discussions that initial fuel economy is often quite a bit lower than expected due to new owners spending a lot of time idling the vehicle in the driveway as they familiarize themselves with, and adjust all the settings. Also, others and I have noticed that the gas pump wants to kick 'off' during fill-ups when the tank is still quite a bit less than full. That has something to do with the capless tank I believe. I estimate that the fuel flow kicks off when there is room for another 2.5 gallons of fuel. Once that happens I have to trickle fill the gas into the tank. That's probably my only real complaint about the vehicle. If you're in California you've got those big evaporation capturing fuel nozzles so I imagine it even harder to get a truly full tank of fuel. If you're starting out 2.5 gallons short of full, you get to 3/4 of a tank on the gauge really quickly. I've been documenting my fuel economy since I purchased my Edge and my lifetime average now stands at 25.8 MPG after 52,000 miles. (See the discussion thread "Ecoboost MPG Results at 35,000 Miles) From experience I can tell you that going much over 70 MPH on the highway starts to drag the fuel efficiency down very quickly, as does stop and go traffic. The optimal speed for fuel economy is closer to 55 MPH at a steady speed. (I suspect it's tuned to do best at about 50 MPH to get maximum results on the EPA highway fuel economy test, but who can drive at that speed.) I've also observed that my fuel efficiency drops badly when either my wife or daughter drive my Edge. They both like the feel of that turbo kicking in as they jack rabbit start from every single stop so they can get to the next red light ahead of everyone else. The Ecoboost engine has a lot of low end torque and that allows for very fast and satisfying acceleration from a stop. It's an aspect of the vehicle that made me choose it over the larger engine. But I also know from experience that doing it really lowers my MPG. Thus I drive a little more sedately, try to time the lights and endure the complaints about "driving like an old man".
  3. I had my transmission fluid changed at 51,000 miles last month. I absolutely agree that the shifting is much smoother now.
  4. Start at the back of the tunnel strip and push in with both thumbs while pulling up with your finger tips to pop it free of the bracket. Once you get one end free the others are a little easier to get your fingers under, or you can just pull backward on the strip and it will slide off of the brackets.
  5. Atlantan - At only 18,000 miles I'd want to know if it was just a bad sensor or if it was fouled. If it was fouled, my questions would be why(?), and what are they doing to rectify that problem. If it was fouled and they just replace it, it will happen again at about the time that you're out of warranty. I've got 51,000 miles on my Edge Ecoboost without any O2 sensor problems and I don't recall anyone else mentioning it as a problem in this forum. I also don't know if the Edge Ecoboost has one sensor or two. That's another question I'd be asking because if it has two I'd want the dealership to tell me about the condition of the other. Please keep us posted on your results as I'd like to know if that's something I need to start watching for.
  6. Your answer is given in the discussion under this title: "Installed Factory/Thule roof rack on a vista BAMR" I believe that it will tell you that the factory side rails work fine. The factory cross bars don't work as they will make contact with the glass when it is being opened. You will need to use aftermarket cross bars that rise above the cross bars. The factory cross bars are kind of useless anyway. If you look through these discussions you will find another one where a member described the mess he had when an object hit his cross bar and deflected into the Vista roof, breaking it into many small pieces. That's something to consider as well.
  7. DBundy - Did you have any problems getting them to enable your DRL's? I asked my Ford maintenance department and they told me it couldn't be done. I insisted that it could and they said they would check. When I picked up my vehicle they said again that it couldn't be done. I got the impression that they didn't think they should do it so they didn't even try. Ortonville is close enough for me to go there.
  8. The estimate of 3.7 years is correct at the $3.50 per gallon point. When I was deciding on which engine I wanted 2 1/2 years ago I put together a spreadsheet of several possible fuel prices ($3.50, $3.75 & $4.00 per gallon) and used the official average fuel efficiency ratings for both vehicles which without looking it up was about a 2 MPG difference. I calculated that the $1,000 would be paid off somewhere at around 3 1/2 to 4 years with my 20,000 mile estimated annual driving distance. I normally keep my cars for 6 years at a minimum so it gave me a long term savings. I just wasn't impressed by how much that savings was and leaned toward the larger engine. What sold me on the Eco-boost was the greater low end torque which I really liked. The one unknown factor in this calculation is resale value of the Eco-boost. If I get any part of the extra $1,000 back in resale, the pay-off period would grow shorter. At 50,000 miles, I can say that I don't regret my engine choice. If I'd gotten the 3.5 liter engine I doubt that I would have been curious enough to track my fuel efficiency as I have.
  9. Updated MPG (50,020 miles) results are edited into my original post.
  10. Gimp

    So long Edge Sport

    Nice car but too small for carrying things like sheepdogs around. Your pictures reinforced my impression that all houses around Pittsburg are on a hillside. Those roads have got to be a challenge when it snows.
  11. I have never had enough faith in the vehicle computer to give me an accurate reading on my MPG. I've viewed it mostly as an estimate for short term feedback. While reading this comment it struck me that it's certainly within my ability to record what the computer says along with my mileage whenever I fill up the gas tank. My spreadsheet gives me a per tank MPG based on my actual miles and gas used data, so I can certainly add an extra column to document what the computer says just to compare the two figures over an extended period of time.
  12. Another update: At 45,090 miles I've used 1,750 gallons of gasoline. My lifetime combined MPG is now 25.76 The average MPG for the last 5,000 miles is: 25.434 This is down just a bit from my 40,000 mile report. I attribute that to winter gas and several long, slow crawling commutes due to winter storms. I'm not sure if I'm going to continue documenting my fuel use. Not much is changing and my wife and daughter think I'm acting obsessive / compulsive in this data gathering.
  13. Nice report. Don't fret too much about ignoring the travel alert. In that part of Kentucky any detour onto the country roads would have taken you longer than the time you spent sitting. I've driven the Louisville, Lexington, Knoxville to Gatlinburg route many times. You're in mountains. The miles of climbing steep grades are not going to give you good fuel economy numbers. Going up and over the Smokies into North Carolina also involves a lot of steep grades although at slower speeds so enjoy the scenery and forget about the fuel economy.
  14. I put 40,600 miles on my factory Michelin tires and was down to about 2/16 of tread remaining above my tread wear indicators. It's November in Michigan and that was as far as I wanted to go with them when I'm expecting ice and snow. The new tires are all season Bridgestone Dueler Ecopia's. The first thing that I've noticed is that they seem to have a softer sidewall. It took a couple of days to get used to the new feel, but the compressed disc in my lower back appreciates a slightly softer ride. I thought the Michelins were very quiet tires, but these seem even quieter as I can hear outside noise from other cars a bit better.
  15. It’s important to understand where that Highway MPG rating came from. I'm not an expert but will explain it as I understand things. First, I can’t speak for Canada but in the U.S. the rating comes from an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) test (driving) profile that Ford and all the other auto manufacturers must follow. That profile is described at this website: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fe_test_schedules.shtml Using the Highway test as an example you can see that the profile distance is 10.26 miles. The average speed over that profile was a not so blazing 48.3 Miles per Hour. The peak speed reached was only 60 MPH. As Ford and all the other auto manufacturers need to get the highest fleet average MPG possible, it behooves them to tune or otherwise optimize their vehicle for the driving profile. So, in the real world you should see your best Highway gas mileage at 48 MPH or so. Once you start going above that you’re likely starting to descend the curve on fuel efficiency. The faster you go, the more inefficient the vehicle. If you were driving at 70 MPH on that highway in Florida, you are way past your peak efficiency point, and far below the top highway rating. Your beef then is really not with Ford which is rating the vehicle in the manner in which they are legally required to do so. The problem in my opinion is with the test agencies that establish those test profiles that don’t seem to have any relation to the real world. On the positive side, since all the autos are tested to the same profile, it’s easy to compare ‘apples to apples’ when you are comparing two similar vehicles from two different manufacturers. I have probably oversimplified the explanation on the testing, but my point is that what you, I and everyone else considers to be ‘highway speed’ seems to have little resemblance to what the government agency that controls the test considers it to be. Thus, we find ourselves greatly disappointed.
  16. Updated Results: Miles: 4,924 US Gallons = 194 5,000 Mile Average = 25.376 MPG Miles: 9,908 US Gallons = 388 5,000 Mile Average = 25.677 Miles: 15,154 US Gallons = 591 5,000 Mile Average = 25.816 Miles: 19,964 US Gallons = 778 5,000 Mile Average = 25.738 Miles: 24,969 US Gallons = 971 5,000 Mile Average = 25.938 Miles: 30,004 US Gallons = 1,165 5,000 Mile Average = 25.082 Miles: 35,045 US Gallons = 1,364 5,000 Mile Average = 24.65 (lots of road construction on my route to work pulled things down) Miles: 40,186 US Gallons = 1,557 5,000 Mile Average = 26.512 (road construction is over) Lifetime Average = 25.8 MPG You can see that my average is slowly increasing by just a bit, but the results are easily influenced by driving conditions. All it will take is a couple of good snow storms affecting my daily commute this winter and my next 5,000 mile average will drop down.
  17. What does it do to the fuel efficiency? Better or worse? It seems to me that people who are opting for the Ecoboost have fuel efficiency in mind. With the Edge, somebody who wanted more HP would have saved $1,000 (plus the cost of the tune) and gained 45 HP by selecting the 3.5 engine. If you told me that the tune gave me additional HP and improved MPG by a bit, that would make more sense as a vehicle improvement.
  18. I haven't heard that at all. I've got over 36,000 miles on my 2012 Ecoboost and have never experienced anything like what you are describing. As akirby said, you need to find another dealer to have it looked at.
  19. My Edge has settings to moniter the fuel efficiency at 5, 15, or 30 minute intervals. I use the 5-minute setting because it gives me a sense of how current driving conditions are impacting my MPG. Is it one of those settings in your display that you are observing? I don't consider it to be reliable for actual MPG calculations and have been recording my fill-ups from the first day of ownership in late November 2011. I'm currently at 36,160 miles with a lifetime average MPG of 25.69 which is better than the EPA rating of 24 MPG for combined driving. I've had a canoe on my roof for about 10% of my total miles and that additional drag pulled my efficiency down. As the Ecoboost is only rated 2 MPG higher than the 3.5 FWD (24 vs. 22 combined) I did created a spreadsheet prior to making my purchase and compared a couple of price points for gasoline (I think it was $3.50 per gallon and $4.00 per gallon) At the lower figure with my 20,000 miles of driving per year I figured it would take me nearly 4 - years of 2 MPG savings to make up for the extra cost of the Ecoboost. If the gasoline went up, that period became shorter. I convinced myself that it probably wasn't worth it. But then I drove both vehicles and personally felt that the Ecoboost had much better lower end pick-up and was more enjoyable to drive. With the slight fuel efficiency savings, and the better performance I decided it was worth the extra dollars. (note that if the Eco-boost commands a better trade in value the pay-off period gets shorter.) If you start to document your actual fill-ups you will need to be careful and patient. The design of the capless filler neck makes it very difficult to get a consitant full tank of fuel. From one fill-up to the next it can vary by 1 to 3 gallons. So, sometimes the MPG seems much to good to be true, and sometimes it seems to be much to bad to be true. Long term though my average seems to be fairly stable at 25.69. The closest that I've ever gotten to what may be the advertised 30 MPG highway was on a local highway that was flowing at about 50 for a long distance and then my 5-minute setting started to show 30 MPG or so. That makes sense when you look at the EPA testing cycle for highway at 48 MPH. I have no idea how the EPA came up with those numbers but you need to realize that all the car companies are tuning their engines, etc. to achieve the maximum fuel efficiency at exactly that test setting. That's how the government appraises them fleet averages and puts the pressure on them if it's too low. If you had bought a similiar competing vehicle you would probably be experiencing the same thing. I thought the old EPA test cycle was more accurate, but as I recall they made the change to adjust to todays driving style/conditions or words to that effect. Maybe that's the Washington D.C. driving style.
  20. Do you need to remove the OEM bars to attach the Thule cross bars? I never installed my cross bars but my Yakima cross bar attachments would have been clear of them. My cross bars are still in the box and the instruction manual shows the use of a ratchet with a T-30 (star) bit. You might find that bit at a good tool store. I would think that the ratchet, possibly with the use of an extension for clearance would have given you the ability to break the fasteners free. I installed the plastic covers on the feet and they easily snapped into place. My Yakima feet are covering them now so I can't check to see how easily they pull off. I applied some pressure on the upper, outer edge and it seemed like it would give if I pulled on it. The OEM cross bars are sturdy enough but much too close together to hold much more than a luggage rack on top. I carry a canoe and I know it would never have worked for that.
  21. I’ve been experimenting with both. I picked up my car in the winter (late November 2011) and ran it on regular for a couple of months. Out of curiosity I tried a couple of tanks of premium but didn’t notice any difference. In June 2012 I decided to try the premium fuel again. The weather was getting warmer and I was starting to use the air conditioner. My seat of the pants impression was that the premium fuel gave me improved acceleration from a stop compared to regular fuel. I also think that I was getting slightly better fuel economy. At the price of fuel then, premium was 5% or so more expensive than regular. If it gave me better pick-up and about 1 MPG better fuel economy, it seemed worth it. I’m not an automotive engineer, but I think that the better fuel economy is a result of improved low end torque on premium, which means that I can use a lighter foot on the accelerator than I would with regular to get the same pick-up. I’d love to see a comparison of the premium and regular torque curves on this engine. I used premium all summer last year although I experimented with regular a few times, and then switched back to regular full time in mid-September when the weather was cooling off. I tried premium fuel again for about 2,000 miles of driving in February of this year and didn’t notice any difference from regular fuel although I may have gotten a ½ MPG bump in my MPG. I switched back to regular and have stayed with that until my latest fill-up on Monday of this week when premium was only 20 cents (or 6%) more per gallon. Once again, I think it accelerates better from the stop. As I’m driving in a lot of stop and go traffic in my work commute this seems useful. If I were mostly driving on the highway as I was on my recent all highway trip it wouldn’t be worth it as I wasn’t stopping and starting very often.
  22. Edited with updates on 7 October 2014 I've been tracking my fuel usage since I purchased my Edge EcoBoost in late November 2011 and wanted to post my results for informational purposes: Miles: 4,924 US Gallons = 194 5,000 Mile Average = 25.376 MPG Miles: 9,908 US Gallons = 388 5,000 Mile Average = 25.677 Miles: 15,154 US Gallons = 591 5,000 Mile Average = 25.816 Miles: 19,964 US Gallons = 778 5,000 Mile Average = 25.738 Miles: 24,969 US Gallons = 971 5,000 Mile Average = 25.938 Miles: 30,004 US Gallons = 1,165 5,000 Mile Average = 25.082 Miles: 35,045 US Gallons = 1,364 5,000 Mile Average = 24.65 Miles: 40,186 Gallons = 1,558 5,000 Mile Average = 26.513 Miles: 45,090 Gallons = 1,750 5,000 Mile Average = 25.434 Miles: 50,020 Gallons = 1,939 5,000 Mile Average = 26.135 Miles: 55,060 Gallons = 2,128 5,000 Mile Average = 26.691 Miles: 60,008 Gallons = 2,313 5,000 Mile Average = 28.838 Lifetime Average MPG = 25.932 MPG (Up from 25.87 at my 55,060 mile update) Notes: 1. Most of my driving is a roughly 80 mile daily commute to work and home in the metro Detroit area. 2. I set the Trip 2 meter for the last 5,000 miles and came up with 26.3 MPG vs. the 26.135 that I calculated manually. The meter is much more accurate than I had expected. 3. I finally took a long road trip that didn't involve carrying a canoe on top of the vehicle. Carry three adults at fairly non-stop speeds of 73 and 58 MPH over 960 miles I showed an average of 32.3 MPG as calculated by re-fills. The meter on the car called it 31 MPG.
  23. Gimp

    Kumos ?

    I like to use the tirerack(dot)com website to compare tires. I've never once regreted a choice that I picked after down selecting a tire from that site. I still make the purchase locally, but that's a personal preference. I deal with a tire chain that's convenient to me for rotating tires and getting the occasional flat fixed. However, I prefer not to listen to their tire recommendations as I often found myself unhappy with the selection. I think it's because they push tires that they have in stock at that moment rather than risk losing a sale by making you wait on something that has to be ordered. I have had very good experiences with Kumho tires and have used them on two Mercedes auto's in the past. My wife drives a MB E-class and after 5,000 miles on the original Michelins I bought her Kumhos that performed better. However, after running my own 2012 FWD Edge criteria through the tirerack data base I found that the Kumho Solus is probably not my first choice.
  24. I can't speak on the F150 but the Edge and Edge Ecoboost do not have the same towing capability. The rated towing capacity of the 2.0 L (Ecoboost) Edge is 1,500 pounds. The rated towing capacity of the 3.5 Edge is 3,500 pounds. I don't know if it is specifically due to the engine difference, the transmission difference, a combination of the two, or something else but it is a pretty significant difference.
  25. I've experienced the same problem with every single fill-up (91 in total), at a variety of gas stations and I've driven the vehicle over 32,000 miles. Depending on the gas station and nozzle, the pump kicks off at between 3 and 4 gallons short of full. Then I have to 'trickle' the gas in carefully so I don't have an overflow. If this is being caused by the capless filler neck design, I'd prefer to have the old design back. It's annoying to people waiting in line behind me who are probably wondering why I'm taking so long, and it's annoying when it's the middle of the winter and I'm freezing as it takes me an extra minute to finish my fill-up.
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