Thanks for the replies Ray, Rich and John. My concern was that there has been alot going back and forth about "L" and to find a Ford Engineer stating he gets better mileage staying in "L" was a shock. Now that we all agree there are better options for better FE, mybe we can help get some newbies on the right track.

Everyone like yourselfs have their own driving habits and reasons for choosing how you drive. I guess my style of driving has become more of a hobbie since I bought my FEH. I was expecting a bigger hit during the summer with the A/C than I'm getting, but instead learned alot about battery performance. One of the things I'd like to pass on is, I don't have problems anymore with the ICE shutting down because of overheating when charging with fake shifts now. Running the cabin A/C must close the outside battery vent door and provide better cooling of the battery. When it cools down here this winter, I can see that I still may have to turn the cabin A/C on to cool off the battery during heavy EV use. I was having a hard time getting the battery full, and the drain was much quicker without the cabin A/C running. At least I know when things start acting up, to make sure the battery temp is ok.

Thanks for the kind words Ray!

GaryG

 

I also use D on the highway (most of the time) and keep it in L the most of the rest of the time.

 

Actually, slightly on topic, I want to thank you for your findings about AC use and battery cooling during the summer, I had been going without using the AC at all, which in MI, is usually fine. This week we were over 100 degrees for a few days, which happened to coincide with your post about using AC to keep the battery and yourself cool, so that was rather fortuitus.

I'll admit, I don't do much N gliding, just because my commute doesn't really allow it, mostly it's back and forth from D to L as needed, and at this point, I don't even really think about it that much, it's mostly subconcious.

Also, I'm thinking it may be time to retire this thread, it's 23 pages long. We can start a new L gear advantage II thread, and go from there, to help new people from trying to tredge through 20 pages looking for tips. Thoughts?

 

Great Idea Rich - It would be good to 'Start' it with some of the best post - leave out questions and other comments - and just have a small [Quote=??) portion to get the ground set for the new, improved and shortened 'L Gear Advantage'.

I know it would take a lot of filtering out to do it that way but I do think a ground needs to be established with good solid thoughts, observations and suggestion on the subject.

I don't know where 'My' L Gear fits in - my shifting, coasting in 'N', EV when possible, FS in 'L' to pump up the HV - for my 2.5 mile hilly commute it takes about all the tricks found here to get the avg MPG I get.

As from Gary - Thanks to all the guys that originally came up with this thread and everyones input.

 

Gary,

Are you sure about that statement? If so, why does the ICE start spinning when I coast down a hill in 'N' and the speed gets over 40MPH? My understanding was that the whole reason for spinning the ICE over 40MPH was to avoid overspeeding the MG. Am I missing something?

 

It's been a while since I've posted here, but I'm pretty sure you are correct. AFAICT, the planetary gearset does NOT disconnect from the transfer case in any of the running gears (it's unclear to me if it does when in Park), the selector is an electrical signaling device only. The only mechanical element is the engagement of the locking pawl in Park mode. The selector simply chooses which "program" the transaxle runs. This is based upon my reading of the factory service manual as well as experience with both the FEH and the classic Prius (which has similar but non-identical hardware).

 

I have to say, I have studied this vehicle inside and out. Both online, in print, and from behind the wheel. I have found no conclusive evidence that N disconnects anything mechanical. Every description, and observation of behavior agrees, that Neutral only removes all electrical power from both motor/generators. But again, the computer can, and often does override the human request for such, if the computer thinks it is best. I can NOT force neutral ( neither can you ) but can only request a "neutral-like" state.
This is what I have learned in 18 months of driving one.

However, N is reccommended for towing, at any safe speed, for any distance, with all 4 tires on the ground, so maybe there is a difference between N with the key on, car running, and key off???

Originally Posted by GaryG
" In "N", the axles are disconected from the traction motor, so you should not be seeing the charge needle moving with brake pedal pressure or coasting. If the ICE is running, the small generator may be moving the charge needle while charging."

 

There's another interesting point. If nothing mechanically disconnects, how can we tow it at greater than 40MPH? Unless N with the ignition off does actually disconnect?

 

I furnished Gary with two patent citations addressing this issue. The first patent shows that in "N" the drive system is disconnected from the wheels for a variety of reasons including towing and to disconnect a voltage surge from the motors through "regen" in an acciddnt situation. The second patent shows that above 40 mph where the ICE is always running, the FEH reduces "harshness" from engaging and disengaging "N" by trying to match the ICE speed to what the FEH "thinks" it should be at the vehicle speed.

 

That makes sense. If that's the case, is there really any benefit to coasting in N above 40MPH?