akirby

Wrong, wrong, wrong. X plan rules haven't changed at all. You can still get one for friends and family. What was happening with the BON forum is that dealers were actually telling customers (who were probably ready to buy anyway) to go to BON and get a X plan pin. There were a LOT of posts saying "just ordered one and need a PIN" or "did the deal, just need a PIN now". That's not what the X plan pins were intended for. They're intended for Friends and Family of Ford employees and that's how they should be used.

Yes, but I'll have to find them. The stock calipers and rotors with the Porterfield pads stopped within a few feet of a prototype Stoptech big brake kit (as tested by the Stoptech engineers). They were very impressed both by the pads and the LS stock brake system. Don't know if the Edge will perform similarly but it should be quite an improvement.

The Porterfield R4S pads on a Lincoln LS definitely squeal and they definitely don't work very well when cold. This was verified by at least 3 different LS owners including ME. I still liked them and they stop like you threw out an anchor except for that first stop of the day. I'd still recommend them for max stopping power and it's possible these problems were unique to the LS application. But they are real.

You must have missed the height adjustment on the steering wheel. It can be both telescoped in and out and adjusted vertically.

But you're missing the point. Owners aren't complaining about the braking - only the magazine reviewers who used pre-production models. Owners who have actually tested the brakes say they work perfectly fine. You're getting carried away with test numbers much like some people get carried away with 0-60 numbers. Find one with Michelin tires and you'll be fine. If you want to upgrade the pads that will help even more. Why do you need to see test numbers? Relax!

No, I haven't seen any new tests. Motorweek puts the Outlook braking at 135 feet, or 11 feet shorter than the Edge. I would bet that Porterfield pads would make up most if not all of that difference (based on tests performed with a stock Lincoln LS) and would almost guarantee it with both new pads and Michelins. My question is how did you decide that 135 feet is the magic number? If 135 is that much safer than 145, then why not go for 125? Wouldn't it be even more safer? Where do you stop? Think about it rationally - when will it make a difference? Only when you're doing a panic stop where you have no room to steer around something and only when the distance to stop is between 135 and 146 feet. If it's more than 146 you'll stop anyway. Less than 135 feet and you can't stop. And then what's the difference? A minor fender bender? Unless you're headed for a cliff the extra 10 feet isn't going to make a big difference anyway.

There isn't a 30 foot difference. Motorweek tested both an Edge and a Nitro. The Edge stopped in 146 feet from 60 and the Nitro in 140 feet. Most of the poor stopping distances for the Edge came with pre-production models. Motorweek's test was a production model. Stickier tires make a big difference and that's already been addressed on the MKX with Michelins. Not sure about the Edge. Porterfield R4S carbon kevlar brake pads work great but tend to squeal and aren't great then they're cold. EBC is another choice. Don't you find it interesting that owners who know about the brake complaints don't seem to have a problem with them?

:wacko: :wacko: :wacko:

Yes. Ford just increased the powertrain warranty to 5 yrs/60K miles. While it's possible they would increase it further to match Chrysler I don't expect it - at least not anytime soon. It would require some extensive analysis for the business case and that can't be done overnight. It's too risky.

There is NO benefit to running premium every 5th tank. You're just throwing money down the drain. That's a leftover from the days when Premium contained a lot more detergent than non Premium which is no longer the case. While it's true almost all modern engines have knock sensors and will retard the timing to prevent knock, at a certain point the timing cannot be retarded any further and knock can occur - typically because of bad gas or internal engine problems. This is ONLY true IF the engine management computer is designed to ADVANCE the timing to take advantage of the increased octane. An engine designed to run on 87 octane which is NOT programmed to advance the timing will NOT get more power or mpg with higher octane. It's not the octane that's generating the power - it's the timing advance. The octane ALLOWS the timing to be advanced without creating knock. You're confusing cause and effect here. If you keep the timing the same then changing the octane won't increase power or fuel economy. If you advance the timing without increasing the octane you'll get knocking.

If I push really hard on the break pedal - what will it break?

Does 2 sticks of dynamite burn hotter or faster than 1 stick? You're talking about an explosion inside the cylinder and how much force the explosion produces to push the piston down. It's possible the bigger explosion produces a bit more heat but that's a by product of the extra power - not the cause of the extra power.

It releases more energy because of the higher oxygen content. Same as Nitrous. But it doesn't burn hotter or faster.

I had good luck with the Porterfields on my Lincoln LS, although they tend to squeal and aren't that great when they're cold. Unless you're doing a full big brake kit with larger calipers you won't get any performance improvement with new rotors. If it's just for looks then you just have to make sure the wheels fit over the new rotors and it will also require a caliper or caliper mount change to adjust for the larger size. Unless you're running 22's I don't see the need for bigger rotors.

They are NOT programmed with a key that only works with one vehicle. The vehicle learns the key, not the other way around. If you have 2 keys you can program a third key yourself. If you only have 1 the dealer has to do it. This is to protect you from a valet or mechanic programming a 3rd key without your knowledge.

Rumor is the MKS will have the twin force engine next fall, but no confirmation on that. There is also supposed to be a 2.5L I4 twin force engine.

They share platforms, but they're different vehicles.

Ok, let's start with octane. You're still wrong, although I did make a typo. Instead of saying higher octane burns more slowly I should have said it's slower to ignite. Knocking occurs when the air/fuel mixture spontaneously combusts before the spark plug fires. The higher the compression ratio, the more likely this is to occur. Advancing the timing also makes this more likely to occur because you're delaying the spark. Retarding the timing, OTOH, fires the spark earlier which prevents knocking but results in less power and lower fuel economy. Octane doesn't affect how the fuel burns once it's ignited. If that were the case then running higher octane would always result in better power but that doesn't happen. You only get more power if you advance the timing - which may require higher octane to prevent knocking - but it's the timing that's providing the extra power, not the fuel. As for compression ratio - it's a simple volume comparison. The cylinder holds X amount of air and fuel when the piston is bottomed out and it holds Y when it's at TDC. The compression ratio is X/Y. There is not enough variance in modern engine components to make any type of significant change to the compression ratio, even with wear. Temperature, humidity and fuel may change the characteristics of the air/fuel mixture but that's not the same as changing the compression ratio.

Big Ass Moon Roof It's a technical term. :shades: That's the name the engineers actually used internally. Quite apropos I think. Also - you can use X plan pins to get Mazda S plan pricing. I don't think it's quite as good as X plan but it's close.

He means an overlay that adds wood or carbon fiber or some other finish to the factory surfaces. I did one on a 2000 Lincoln LS - it worked great. Matched the OEM finish exactly. Not too hard to install except around a lot of buttons. You might want to skip the pieces around the radio.

This proves you know absolutely nothing about engines. You can't change the compression ratio of an engine with software. You have to change the pistons or the heads so you have more or less air when the piston is at the top of the compression stroke. There is one experimental engine that has a variable compression ratio but it physically moves the entire head and I don't think it's production yet anyway. As for your theory on higher octane, you're dead wrong there, too. Higher octane gasoline actually burns SLOWER and has LESS energy than lower octane. The higher octane is required in higher compression engines to prevent the air/fuel mixture from detonating before the spark plug ignites (knocking). What tuners typically do is advance the timing, which yields more power and better fuel economy. But if you advance it too far you get knocking. Premium allows the engine to run with advanced timing without knocking.

Works great for a single opener. Not so much for a double opener. Wouldn't that also continuously generate the opener signal when you're driving with brights on? Using the flash to pass circuit wouldn't have that problem.

Ford's head units don't normally have pre-amp outs except for the subwoofer. Your best bet is a stereo shop or Crutchfield - they have the necessary wiring harnesses and instructions to connect an aftermarket amp to the factory head unit. You'll probably need speaker level inputs or converters.

That's the internal Ford formula to determine the X plan price. You will not see any of that on the invoice itself. You will only see the final X plan price which includes ALL fees including destination. The only thing you add to X plan price is tax, tag and title.

In other words, if they'd included it and raised the price $250 you'd be a blissfully ignorant happy camper?