Low MPG on new 2012 Titanium Hatch

[FordCustomerService]

Originally Posted by Tra1969

I have the 17" rims. After a short discussion with the service tech last Saturday, the Car is going in on Wed. 9-19-2012 to be hooked up to ensure everything is functioning properly. The car shows no signs of anything wrong that I feel would affect gas mileage. Does not miss, when I release the brake the car rolls forward right away. Tire pressure good and keep them rotated. The only issues I have notice is a slight shake occasionally when I start it, and not just when it cold. I will let you know what I find out, but I assume Ford is going to say everything is ok, we’ll see.

Hi Tra1969,

I want to escalate you to your region's Customer Service Manager. Please DM your VIN, mileage, dealer, and a good daytime contact number; I'll get things moving on my end.

Thanks!
-Crystal

[jsr72]

Originally Posted by YesMAN

Remember the Cruze Eco has big ole' 17" multispoke alloys, similar to our 17" wheels. So I think the solid wheel covers of the SFE are more of a marketing gimmick than any real savings provider. It has more to do with weight reduction; the steel wheels and plastic hubcaps weigh less than the alloys.

Also, if the Ti's 18" wheel option resulted in such a significant mileage penalty I would think the EPA would require them to test and rate them separately. But maybe I'm naive...

The Focus steel wheel is a considerably heavier than the alloys.

Interestingly, the Ti's 18" tire pressure is 4psi higher than the 17"s, despite having a much higher load index. Should help the rolling resistance a little bit.

[YesMAN]

Originally Posted by jsr72

The Focus steel wheel is a considerably heavier than the alloys.

You're correct, thanks. I think I was thinking of a next-size-up alloy being heavier, which is stating the obvious. Duh. This article on the C&D website was interesting. 16" alloys on a Golf were heavier than 15" steelies and caused the car to get slightly less mpg and was a little slower to 60. By this logic the Ti w/ 18's should be significantly slower than an S with 15's.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...d-tires-tested

I still think the SFE's wheels and hubcaps are a marketing gimmick though. Why else would several other hybrids and cars in "eco" trim get multispoke alloys if they significantly degraded mpgs?

[Wildsailor]

Originally Posted by YesMAN

You're correct, thanks. I think I was thinking of a next-size-up alloy being heavier, which is stating the obvious. Duh. This article on the C&D website was interesting. 16" alloys on a Golf were heavier than 15" steelies and caused the car to get slightly less mpg and was a little slower to 60. By this logic the Ti w/ 18's should be significantly slower than an S with 15's.

I still think the SFE's wheels and hubcaps are a marketing gimmick though. Why else would several other hybrids and cars in "eco" trim get multispoke alloys if they significantly degraded mpgs?

YesMAN,
It doesn't have just weight to do with the package but the tire width and the rolling resistance of the tire itself. Wider tires and softer compounds for higher grip tend to be higher rolling resistance and faster wear. Most high FE packages have skinny litle hard tires for improved rolling resistance.

The reason I was asking the question on the 18" handling package was to see if those that were experiencing the lower FE were a majority of the Handling Package drivers or not. One interesting data point that was tossed on the table is that the 18's have a 2 psi higher air pressure spec. It may indeed prove to be that the rolling resistance is higher (hence better handling and grip) and the wider width may also be affecting aerodynamic drag. The 18" package may be resulting in a drop in FE but not necessarilly from wheel weight.

[YesMAN]

Originally Posted by Wildsailor

YesMAN,
It doesn't have just weight to do with the package but the tire width and the rolling resistance of the tire itself. Wider tires and softer compounds for higher grip tend to be higher rolling resistance and faster wear. Most high FE packages have skinny litle hard tires for improved rolling resistance.

All agreed, but the SFE's tire width, 215mm, is the same as the 16" and 17" alloys available on the Focus. And while the SFE uses, as I understand it, the ContiTouringContact instead of the ContiProContact, I don't believe the Touring tire is marketed as a low rolling resistance tire. At least the Cruze Eco goes with the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max.

[suss6052]

Originally Posted by YesMAN

All agreed, but the SFE's tire width, 215mm, is the same as the 16" and 17" alloys available on the Focus. And while the SFE uses, as I understand it, the ContiTouringContact instead of the ContiProContact, I don't believe the Touring tire is marketed as a low rolling resistance tire. At least the Cruze Eco goes with the Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max.

Its not a contitouringcontact afaik its an LRR version of the ContiProContact tire with a far lower wear rating iirc.

[PratoN]

For the Ti handling package, you're sure to see lower numbers in stop and go traffic because of the increased moment of inertia due to the larger rims (tire width & rim diameter), however the summer tires are GreenX branded (LRR) - another reason why they'd be horrible in the winter.

So if you do a lot of highway driving (like me), you might end up getting fairly reasonable gas mileage. Plus, you waste less gas when you can take turns going 35mph... not that I do that... >_>

[YesMAN]

Originally Posted by suss6052

Its not a contitouringcontact afaik its an LRR version of the ContiProContact tire with a far lower wear rating iirc.

This Motor Trend test says the "Touring"s came on their test car (at the bottom). Could've changed since then, but tirerack.com does not list the OEM tire.

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...t/viewall.html

The only LRR ContiPro is the "With EcoPlus Technology" model, which I don't believe is supplied on the SFE. But not 100% sure.

[YesMAN]

Originally Posted by suss6052

Its not a contitouringcontact afaik its an LRR version of the ContiProContact tire with a far lower wear rating iirc.

And this SFE online is wearing Tourings....

http://www.cars.com/go/search/detail...&&aff=national

[Wildsailor]

I had no idea it would be this difficult to find the information on what shoes the 2012 Focii is wearing. What I have so far is:

S - 195/65-15 ContiTouringContact
SE - 195/65-15 ContiTouringContact
- 215/55-16 ContiProContact - Sport Package
- 215/50-17 ContiProContact - Sport Package Optional
SEL - 215/55-16 ContiProContact
- 215/50-17 ContiProContact - Optional
Ti - 215/55-16 ContiProContact
- 215/50-17 ContiProContact - Optional
- 235/40-18 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 - Handling Package

Not sure if any of this is relevant anymore but I was trying to find info on the Handling Package tires and the differences in rolling resistance. TireRack does not have many 'ratings' on these tires yet so it is difficult to try to see if there may be a rolling resistance issue with the Handling Package. Anyway, FYI...