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Ford Escape Hybrid Tire/Wheel Questions

PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
edited July 2014 in Ford
Discuss your Escape Hybrid tire and wheel issues here.
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    stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    "Every part in a Ford Escape Hybrid is “FORD” nothing from Toyota or any other car manufacturer – even down to the tires used on the FEH."

    Huh? When did Ford start manufacturing tires?
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    xcelxcel Member Posts: 1,025
    Hi Stevedebi:

    Huh? When did Ford start manufacturing tires?

    Maybe not today bit IIRC, Ford was the largest purchaser of Rubber in the world back in the 20’s. This was to make tires for the Model T ;)

    Good Luck

    Wayne R. Gerdes
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    philingaphilinga Member Posts: 4
    Thanks xcel – I guess what I was trying to say about ‘down to the tires’ is what great resourcefulness they went to so they could make the Escape Hybrid the most FE they could. I am not sure, but highly suspect, they had Continental manufacture the OEM tires to their specs. Just go out and try and find the tire that comes on a FEH and you are not going to be able to find one – or even one with the same specs. ;)VietVet'67
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    xcelxcel Member Posts: 1,025
    Hi Philinga:

    It is nice to see another active GH member participating here at Edmunds.

    I also see you are following GaryG’s Conti Eco replacement thread too ;)

    Good Luck

    Wayne R. Gerdes
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    canukvetcanukvet Member Posts: 6
    Hello,
    Just joining the group and would like to recommend some really good tires that can replace the OEM's on the FEH.
    I bought the Noikian All Weather, a Finnish made true All Season Tire.
    Here in the frozen depths of Alberta Canada they stick like velcro to the Ice and snow yet do not affect the MPG rates for the FEH.
    Might wish to see if you can find them. ;)
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    gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    yet do not affect the MPG rates for the FEH.

    Have you noticed a big drop in mileage now that it is colder?
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    canukvetcanukvet Member Posts: 6
    Sorry for the late reply.
    An answer to your question about the cold.
    The MPG does drop by 15% when the temperature hovers around -18 to -20 Celsius.
    That is to be expected here in my part of the frozen North.
    I had mine in for a Service on Nov 22 2005 and right after the Ford Service the mileage dropped and my RPM's when driving shot up to around 3500 at times without any reason.
    Before the Service the RPM's were 1500-200 climbing a hill.
    I emailed Ford and they said that this is normal, to which I say Yeah right!
    Have you or anyone else experienced this situation,of really high RPM's for no apparent reason.
    Even after driving almost all day and parking in the garage after work, the idle RPM's shoot up to 2500 at times.
    Yikes!!!
    I think it is a transmission issue but I can not find supporting documentation.
    I drove a PT Cruiser prior to this and if I got 25 MPG I was over joyed.
    The Hybred. has never let me down thus far.
    I have my old Mechanics service the gas engine now and they installed Quaker State 4X4 oil, full synthetic and I have upgraded the spark plugs to the highest Ford will allow.
    Has it helped?
    I think so.
    I can also get the little electric motor to go up to 30 MPH most of the time.
    I get the "Bird" a lot from other drivers but at $4.35 Canadian per gallon of regular gas, well I like birds anyway.
    Cheers! :shades:
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    3screwsloose3screwsloose Member Posts: 116
    As best as I can find out - Ford developed their system and paid licensing fees to Toyota to streamline the time and to hopefully avoid the lawyers. The tires we have are made for the Hybrid by Coninental. The gas engine models get a tire that do not say ECO on the sidewall.
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    larneslarnes Member Posts: 59
    That's interesting. I read that Ford bought the hybrid plans from Toyota and added their own twist. Makes me wonder how much of anything can be relied upon. :confuse:
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    cdoldcdold Member Posts: 34
    "I read that Ford bought the hybrid plans"

    If you search for "patents" and "Ford Escape Hybrid", you will find many, many, refernces to the same pair of numbers. 300 patents, 21 licensed from Toyota because of ambiguity, no outright acceptance of Toyota technology.

    From fordvehicles.com:
    "Where did Ford's hybrid technology originate?
    Ford Motor Company designed, developed and validated its own hybrid powertrain system In fact, Ford expects more than 100 patents to be issued
    covering this unique Ford hybrid system. "
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    PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    What tires are you running on your FEH? And has anyone tried those low rolling resistance tires to improve mileage performance?
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    mecheng1mecheng1 Member Posts: 161
    I'm confused by the question.

    The OEM tires, Continental EcoPlus, are LRR designed for the FEH. (In fact it has been reported that Continental will only sell them to Ford Dealerships - not to tire vendors) :surprise: In addition, most if not all Ford Dealerships do not stock the tire - so the potential wait time for a replacement has prompted many folks to buy an EcoPlus and install it as a full size spare.
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    PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Just got a little curious. ;) I have a friend who owns a tire shop and he was telling me about a hybrid owner who came in and ordered "special" LRR tires for his hybrid. (Prius I beleive) and the guy wound up taking them off after two weeks because they really weren't holding the road as well as he thought they would or should. His hypermiling tendencies had a definite tradeoff!

    I assume that the FEH tires are a designed with the possible uses of the vehicle in mind, while helping mileage as much as is practical .
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    bcaporasobcaporaso Member Posts: 3
    >>>>>>>>Have you or anyone else experienced this situation,of really high RPM's for no apparent reason.
    Even after driving almost all day and parking in the garage after work, the idle RPM's shoot up to 2500 at times.
    Yikes!!!
    I think it is a transmission issue but I can not find supporting documentation.>>>>>>>>>>>>

    Hello there. Well yes I do have this problem in the summer time under a heavey load (e.g. goin up hills). My mechanic said it's not the transmission. They don't know what the problem is. They are to send a Ford rep out next summer. The problem was documented before the warranty was up so they'll honor it. Apparently Ford doesn't have any record of anyone else having this problem. Let me know if they figure out the problem.
    Brandy
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    928s4t928s4t Member Posts: 1
    I am thinking of getting a lower profile tire for my Escape. It seems to me that it would lower wind resistance, reduce roll over likelyhood and improve handling on a tight roadway. I was told that it would screw up the computer and cause all sorts of problems with the hybryd system. Any thoughts?
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    bdymentbdyment Member Posts: 573
    Your rolling resistance will probably go up because the lower profile tire will be wider. Your gas mileage will suffer somewhat. The lower profile tire may very well screw up the computer. I would leave well enough alone. The very slight increase in handling performance, if any, will be offset by too many negatives.
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    mecheng1mecheng1 Member Posts: 161
    Tire changes for performance are possible - but are subject to the particular desires of each driver. If you want to maximize fuel economy, stay with the special formula, low rolling resistance (LRR) tires made by Continential especially for the FEH (EcoPlus). Inflate them to 40 to 44 psi like many of us do and you should see a 1 mpg increase.

    If you want better handling or less of a harsh ride, change to whatever rubber formula you prefer...some sizes are comparable to the OEM tires, some are not. You will probably see a decrease in FE.

    There is a process to adjust the computer for a different size of tire....and there are tables provided by tire manufacturers that tell you if the tires are the same or different from your original tires.

    So, the hassle involved with changing tires depends on what tires you choose and for what reason you are changing. And don't forget the recalibration process if you have the TPM (automatic Tire Pressure Monitoring) option.
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    jlorussojlorusso Member Posts: 1
    I just purchased a Continental ContiTrac EcoPlus from www.tirerack.com, place I buy tires from all the time. Pls check it out.

    jlorusso
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    mschmalmschmal Member Posts: 1,757
    Most Ford dealers offer a price guarentee on tires. Take the print out from tire rack into the dealership.

    I was also told by a NTB store that they match prices with tire rack.

    Mark.
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    dmousheydmoushey Member Posts: 2
    Ford was >95% done with their Hybrid development program when Toyota came in and said BTW here are some patents that we're going to sue you on for your Hybrid system.

    Instead of a court battle, Ford chose licensing.
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    mecheng1mecheng1 Member Posts: 161
    I understand that Toyota and Ford actually swapped licenses so that Toyota would not infringe on some diesel technology that Ford had patents on. I don't think a court battle ever had to be threatened. (?) (Ford's eCVT design had actually been started at Volvo.)
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    eatingpieeatingpie Member Posts: 1
    Ford does not offer the 17'' wheels as an option on the FEH, and their site says they require the V6 engine. I would like to add 17'' wheels (yes I know it will effect gas mileage).

    Is there any engineering reason I can't (wheel well depth, engine power, etc.), or should I just go for it?

    TIA.

    -Pie
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    mecheng1mecheng1 Member Posts: 161
    Just try and use a lower profile tire so that the effective rolling diameter is the same as the stock tires/wheels. There should be a way to "re-calibrate" the FEH computer to a new diameter....but I haven't seen the exact procedure. This would have to be done to keep the speedometer accurate.

    REMEMBER: this vehicle is driven entirely "by-wire".....therefore the computer decides how much throttle and how much brake is applied based on driver inputs and vehicle sensors. The computer actually monitors three separate sensors to determine vehicle speed (and therefore how much brake to apply, etc.) and changing the effective diameter at the wheels affects at least two of the three.
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    imcooknimcookn Member Posts: 7
    It's time to buy new tires for a 2007 FEH. My wife wants the quietest possible. Just Tires has Wranglers on sale is this a good choice? I've had good luck with Michelin's in the past on other cars. My Madza3 s Hatchback has Falken tires that are excellent but I don't know if they have a size for the FEH.

    What has been your experience?
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    cool_c77cool_c77 Member Posts: 1
    Hi! I'm new to the boards and I hope I can get some help. This past weekend my wife's 2008 Escape Hybrid caught a flat. I was able to jack up the SUV and remove the flat tire but I could not get the spare on because the jack would not lift the SUV any higher. I used the jack that came with the SUV (scissor jack). I took it to the shop and had a new tire put on. Fast forward to today: I bought a new jack that extends from 9" to 18 1/2". I extended the jack as high as it would go and the tire (fully inflated) still would not come off the ground. The "problem" tire is the rear right. I put the jack under the SUV according to the instructions in the manual.

    I've changed plenty of tires before but never for an SUV. Is there a certain jack that should be used? Shouldn't the jack that came with the vehicle be sufficient?

    Thanks in advance!
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