I beg to differ - I tried this a few times when the idea was first suggested, and on two occasions, when I put it into "N" with the ICE off, it DID come on again! I can't remember if I was stopped or coasting downhill in N, but I was NOT going over 40 mph, I know that. Maybe it will work only if the car is stopped? (I may have been braking, and the battery got full, so the engine had to come on to deal with the "overcharge," even though I was not going over 40; does braking still charge the battery if the car's in Neutral?)

 

QUOTE: Pravus Prime I'm assuming you're doing this because you're not ICE off for the whole stop normally? As an alternative, when the ICE is off and you're stopped, you can shift into Neutral. When the ICE is off, in N, it will not come on, no matter what. (Just as if the ICE is on, in N, it will not shut off, no matter what.

Sweetbeet - On the 'does braking still charge the battery if the car's in Neutral?'. Unless anyone with more knowledge says different - I would say a diffenant 'YES' because motor/generator is still in the drive train and therefor generating juice for the battery.

Pravus - Yes, what I was trying to say was if the ICE was running turning the ignition off - say I have just left the house and came to a red light knowing that it would be some time until I would be moving again - I would shift into P, turn the ignition off to shut down the fuel buning ICE. If the opposit happened - 'stopped in EV' - then leave well enough alone - UNLESS - the ICE comes back up and I know that I still have a long wait - shut it back off. Fuel burned while sitting still just goes up in smoke When I am driving - most of my trips are 1.5 to 2 miles and not enough time to get things warmed up and charged so I have to try every trick in the book.

 

The engineers I spoke with explained in quite a bit of detail that the system will not change state while in N. If the ICE is running when put in N it will stay running, and if it's off, it will stay off. Also, there is no regen going on when in N.

Maybe you did something that is the exception to the rule. We know that there is no true neutral since the eCVT is technically always engaged, so maybe the ICE spun up to prevent damage to the system.

Besides, shifting into N while moving doesn't make sense to me anyway because you're losing any potential regen, and if you're trying to coast with no resistance, you can do so with slight pressure on the accelerator pedal.

 

Since Continental doesn't even seem to want to promote the existance of the EcoPlus at all, I'm not surprised that Ford would be the only supplier.

 

Steve, thanks for that reply, I value your opinon most highly! I now have over 300 miles on that donut and can't even get an estimate as to when I can get a replacement.

How much can this tire help the FEH fuel savings? I know the donut is not helping at all. Its thin and has 50psi but is not better, I can tell from my earlier test with the stock tires.

VietVet'67, I like your thinking of "I have tried every trick in the book" . There maybe more tricks, but its up to us to find them. WE have a past that that will not change, We have a future that can change. I have a donut that needs change. Lets change!

Gary

 

Sweetbeet - I was WRONG about your question 'does braking still charge the battery if the car's in Neutral?'
I have the Nav system with the graphic showing what is going on with the ICE, EV and battery - today I was going down a hill and shifted into N and hit the brakes - well nothing happeded as far as regen in N.

 

Not only do they not want to PROMOTE the tire, it seems they don't want to admit it even EXISTS. I looked at the Conti Tire website and it isn't listed anywhere - a search for EcoPlus or Eco Plus turn up nothing. Kinda weird.

It must be an OEM only tire that Ford owns the rights to? Hopefully we can get these tires 2 or 3 years from now when we start wearing them out.

 

I suspect they'll start showing up eventually. When we got our Prius in 2002 nobody had the (rather miserable) Bridgestone RE92 in the XL load rating as a stock item. Today I can get them from Costco within 5 days. Eventually there should be some worthy alternatives that carry the low rolling resistance as well.

 

Still no tire. I called and talked to the parts man at the dealership and he said maybe Monday. He also confirmed that he had to give the dealership code before Continental would ok his order. It also sounded like he had to claim it as a defective tire because he didn't know the cost and said something about warranty. In addition, he said he would call me so I could pick it up. Must be a freebe.

Injoy the Eco Plus tires you have because it looks like they can't even be bought from a dealership.

Gary

 

Hi GaryG:

___Your ability to find the Eco Conti to replace your damaged one is indeed discouraging as I would love to replace the Contitrac’s on my Ranger with the Eco versions once its time. They have to be of lower rolling resistance manufacture then the std. Conti’s but I bet we will never see the specs on them. Remember the YaHoo group we were speaking of yesterday? I bet Mike could pick up more details on its construction, specs, and availability with a few well placed phone calls given his connections?

PS: It was nice talking to you and I wish I did not have to cut you off so soon. Our Thanksgiving Day dinner was at the table with all the guests …

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes