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Comments
And yet that alleged "superior power" doesn't show up in the 0-60 times. Interesting.
Woops, you're right.
I've sat in the rear row only at the dealer's before deciding to buy one. My impression then was that the middle and rear seats were fine for comfort and visibility.
But at this point I rate the Freestyle middle row seats as being far less comfortable on the road than the middle row captain's chairs in my 1995 Dodge Caravan.
V.I =169 and a very high TBN = 12.2
coldcranker also stated...
"One other thing to do to boost longevity would be to avoid changing the oil too often, as its been shown (engineering data SAE Technical Paper 2003-01-3119) that slightly dirty oil cuts down on wear. Yes, clean oil has a higher wear rate than slightly dirty oil."
I also heard about the above too but at that time I was somewhat skeptical. But since you mentioned the source from SAE Technical Paper it becomes more believable.The only thing is it is not that easy to determine "slightly dirty oil" to much dirtier oil.
The Freestyle is not high mileage driven by my wife and also 85%city/15%Hwy so I'll stick with 6 mos. OCI as the oil life indicator works to 5000 mi. or 6 mos.whichever occurs first on MC 5w-20.This will also prevent some acid buildup from condensation due to not enough driving and heat to burn the stuff off.
There is also some evidence that dirty oil has lower wear rates than clean oil from people who have done UOA (user oil analysis), sending oil samples to a lab every 1,000 miles regularly. Every time they change their oil, the UOA comes back with more metal molecules dissolved in the oil over the first 1,000 miles, which fades back later as the oil ages a bit, and stays down all the way out to 7 or 8 thousand miles or so. Changing oil a lot is a waste of time/money/ecology.
V.I =169 and a very high TBN = 12.2 "
Reply: Those numbers are'nt too much different than Mobil 1 0w-40, commonly sold around here for BMW, Mercedes, Volks, etc. Looks like the Esso is higher visc. than Mobil 1 0w-30. It shouldn't be a problem, because the 0w spec says it all for cold weather startup performance.
Well said.We are on common ground.Whenever I go to Wal-Mart I avoid the orange wall of death from Fram's radioactive oil filters.I got a good stash of FL-820S but in the past I've used Fram's Tough Guard and that's half decent. I do envy you guys down south with more selection and great prices compared to what we have up here.I've used Napa Gold and Wix oil filters (good stuff). You folks can buy Wix filters from filter1.com online with free shipping over $50 purchase at unbelievable price but won't work for me with extra shipping, Customs,taxes,etc.
BTW Motorcraft 5w-20 comes thru with excellent UOA from different users in the BITOG forum.
Reply: I've never had that happen. Are you putting new oil on the surface when you install it? They say to do that, and it may keep it from sticking on there. On Fram filters, in 1987 a Fram filter cut off the flow of oil on my Mitsubishi pickup truck. I remember shutting the engine off pretty quick when I saw the oil pressure light go on. And, there have been reports from http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oilfilterstudy.html that raise some quality questions about Fram.
I think it is a design thing. The Fram filter "cinches" the gasket at multiple points around the circumference. The Motorcraft filter just has it sit in a channel, relying on adhesive strength, I believe.
This does not speak to filter effectiveness, but after having a double-gasketed Escort blow half of its oil onto the road, I am sensitive to filters that separate from their gasket. I have used Fram, Motorcraft, and Wix filters in the past and had good luck with all of them.
The advice given here is good advice, but like the EPA says, your mileage (or your filter experiences) may differ. :shades:
My wife has spent many road trips in the 2nd row bench beside our baby in the carseat, with my mother-in-law in the 3rd row on several 8-10 day-long road trips.
I think the whole point of the 3rd row is not that it's needed every day. If it were needed that often then a minivan might be the way to go, but in our case we use the 3rd row a lot in the summer when we have guests, and occasionally throughout the rest of the year, but for the most part we either have it totally flat, or 1/2 way folded to give us the well to put groceries. I think that any crossover vehicle over 185 inches should have a 3rd row just to give it more flexibility.
Steve, Host
Odie
235 tires on a vehicle that tall is dangerous. First, it will roll over when beginning a skid. Second, the wide tires are not great on snow/ice compared to 215. And the big tires eat more gas and make the ride harsher. I also have a Ford F-150 pickup, and I'd never put extra wide tires on that tall vehicle. Rollover tendency would increase dramatically.
Not so. The number is in millimeters, and the 20 millimeter difference amounts to about 0.8 inches. Thats about 10% more tread width, and the contact patch is distributed laterally more than the 215, which is worse on ice/snow. You've also got about 5 extra lbs per wheel/tire of extra unsprung weight to make the ride harsher.
Full and mid-sized sedans and minivans had lower total fatality rates than full and mid-sized SUVs. More than 60% of fatalities in full and mid-sized SUVs were due to rollovers. For the aforementioned sedans, the rate due to rollovers was less than 24%. Lower centers of gravity relate to better rollover tendencies.
Go to www.nhtsa.gov, find "Latest News, Information and Features on our Site", then pick "JUST RELEASED: Occupant Fatality Rates by Vehicle Type & Size" to download the PDF file.
:shades:
The outside diameter of a 235/65-17 tire is 29 inches.
and
The outside diameter of a 215/65-17 tire is 28 inches.
Your ride would become less stable and you'd have more lean in corners.
Also, your speedometer would not read correctly.
Comments like;
"Your ride would become less stable and you'd have more lean in corners."
Larger tire = more grip allows MORE stability not less. Correctly noted though more width is a detriment in snow conditions only. So either get snows or assess the amount of snow you experience in a winter and decide whether such an incremental increase would be problematic to get a better tire than the Conti.
"There might be width interference"
Look at SPACE in your wheel wells and tell me what interference there would be.
"the added unsprung weight might be too much"
From a 215 - 235 change, not even close to "too much", the Volvo xc90 rolls on 235's and this is the same platform, hence should not be an issue.
are the reason's not to rely on forum advice for advisement on such important matters as tire size and selection.
I would NEVER go to a Wal-mart and such for tire purchases despite the perceived convenience...Tires are too important to the safety of a vehicle. Who on a forum is going to be held accountable when/if something goes wrong with their advice costing you time, money and most important of all potentially safety...SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP not forum help.
our escape has 235/70/16's.
The stock size of 215/65/17 is perfectly reasonable for the weight of the Freestyle. The size isn't wimpy unless you are purely talking about aesthetics, but I do prefer a higher speed rating than T. I like at least H rated tires for their increased margin of safety. Even though you may never drive over the T rated 118mph, even at lower speeds a higher speed rated tire offers more safety because of its more robust construction.
If you do want to change sizes here are some up sizing basics. First, if you change the width of the tire you are also changing the height of the sidewall. The '65' in the tire size is not a fixed measurement but an aspect ratio, so the sidewall of a 215/65/17 is not as tall as that of a 235/65/17. You are in effect raising the height of the vehicle which may alter stability and driving dynamics. If you want to go wider that is probably fine, but you also have to lower the aspect ratio to compensate so the sidewall stays the same height. So for the Freestyle here are the sizes that would stay about the same height:
215/65/17
225/60/17
235/55/17
245/50/17
You could do the same thing with the 18" tires as well. Keep in mind that at some point (I don't know where) you will run into clearance issues. The most common problem is in the front when turning the steering wheel at full turn. Just because the tire fits in the well doesn't mean you won't run into problems when at full turn, when hitting a bump at speed, or when the vehicle is fully loaded.
Lastly, wanting beefier looking tires is a bad reason to get bigger tires. Keep in mind that Ford designed the suspension on the Freestyle to run on this size and you can be confident that it is a good size for all around use. And the person that said wider tires are worse in the snow is correct. If you live in snow country then the 215mm wide tires are probably best.
All that being said I'll likely buy 225/60/17 tires when the Contis wear out because there is a much larger selection in that size and it is very close to the stock size, only slightly wider. And for those looking for snow tires for the Freestyle Nokian's WR model comes in this size. Nokian tires are very well built, but unfortunately not nearly as inexpensive as the stock Contis. Rated for 50,000 miles they should last a lot longer though and I can attest they are great in the snow.
- Chad
No, only the original Continentals, or a Goodyear Integrity seem to be available now. That will probably change 6 months from now. ( 215/65-17 size )
No known snow tires are available at all!! Strange.
If you go to the 225/65-17 size instead, which you could, other tire makes/models are available.
- Chad
I find myself turning them down from "2-burner" to "1-burner" anyway, about the time they're about to turn off.