Auto Rain Closing Sunroof/Windows?

[clegg78]

Hey there, I tried searching but didn't see anything about this.

 

In the past in the VW world and a few other cars I've owned there were tweaks or factory settings to auto close the sun roof or windows in the case of rain (with rain sensing wipers kicking off the event).

 

There anything like that in the Ford world? Just went from a Touareg to an Edge Sport and am happy to find this forum. (been a member of NASIOC, VW Vortex, FocalJet, and others in the past)

 

Diggin the car so far, but this is a key thing I was curious about.

[akirby]

Not that I've ever heard of, but that would be a useful hack if it existed.

 

My wife could have used it on her Escape when her idiot husband left the moonroof open one night.....

[Waldo]

Too much liability. Imagine if you leave the windows cracked and your dog inside the car. A brief shower comes by and the car closes the windows, then 10 minutes later the sun comes out and an hour later the dog is....

[pedro2u]

and the rain sensor would have to on when the key is off. Or maybe the dog could have a remote?

[akirby]

At some point you just gotta say screw the lawyers and make it a user selectable setting with a disclaimer. Same thing with using the Nav while in motion.

[IWRBB]

Nav in motion can be done with Forscan.

[akirby]

Nav in motion can be done with Forscan.

 

That's not the point. Most owners wouldn't use Forscan.

[PaulSchott]

When I installed my Nav head I grounded the emergency brake wire to eliminate the installation hassles. I can also watch DVDs while driving. Doesn't mean that I will.

I do use the Nav on occasion while driving. It is very distracting. I only use it to set already programmed destinations, only 3 touch screen operations. I signed the release forms in blood before the car would start.

[akirby]

When I installed my Nav head I grounded the emergency brake wire to eliminate the installation hassles. I can also watch DVDs while driving. Doesn't mean that I will.

I do use the Nav on occasion while driving. It is very distracting. I only use it to set already programmed destinations, only 3 touch screen operations. I signed the release forms in blood before the car would start.

 

The point is to allow a passenger to use it, not the driver.

[clegg78]

 

That's not the point. Most owners wouldn't use Forscan.

 

So this brings up a good question I was about to ask (and a change in topic)... is it possible to use Forscan to keep the Nav working while driving? Just ran into that issue the other day. I searched but I am not sure the right lingo/search terms since I couldnt find anything about using Forscan to enable nav in motion.

[akirby]

Doubtful they would have a parameter to control that.

 

In ford's defense I have found voice control to work great for navigation while moving.

[IWRBB]

I used forscan to turn on nav in motion on my 2013 F150. It can probably be done on the Edge as well- depending on the year and what hardware it has.

[akirby]

Interesting they would have a parameter to control that. I thought it would have been hard coded. Maybe it's there for testing purposes.

[IWRBB]

As I understand it, the nav in motion change in Forscan is to a line of data that represents the "country code". So I'm thinking it may be illegal for the OEMs to have nav entry while in motion enabled in the US, but not in other countries. Making that change also disables Sirius Travel Link, I assume that's because they think you are not in the US and have no use for it.

 

I haven;t seen much on the new Edges, but there a ton of stuff the guys with F150s and Superdutys have figured out. On my '13 F150, I turned on the turn signals as DRLs, enabled nav in motion, disabled the TPMS, and removed the Sirius inputs from the headunit list.

[akirby]

Why would you want to disable the TPMS?

[IWRBB]

Three main reasons-

I don't need it. I've driven many thousands miles over 30+ years without it, I can manage without.

Second was I bought a second set of wheels and tires and didn't want to spend $150 on sensors.

Third, I don't like the pressure settings- Ford calls for 44 psi in the tires, and the light comes on at 38. I run about 36 psi running around unloaded.

[akirby]

44 psi? Which tire size? The light only comes on when they are 25% low so even at a recommended 44 psi the light wouldn't come on until 33 psi.

 

And if Ford is recommending 44 then 36 sounds really low.

 

The big advantage of the tpms is when you have a tire going down it can alert you before you feel it and give you time to stop safely.

[enigma-2]

Ford calls for 44 psi in the tires and the light comes on at 38. I run about 36 psi running around unloaded.

If Ford calls for 44 psi and your running 36 psi, your wasting gas, wearing your tires out faster (they run hotter and heat causes heat) and throwing off the alignment. Not to mention loss of traction (especially in cornering) and stopping distance.

 

Remember also that pressure drops 1 psi for each 10°(f) drop in temps. If you set pressure at 36 at 72°, you'll be running 32 psi at freezing. Far too low for safety.

 

Should always maintain the sticker pressure in tires.

[IWRBB]

The tires are fine at 36 psi. I don't need 44 psi in a 315/70/17 tire to run around with an unloaded half ton. I'd rather have a nicer ride than save on gas.

 

I appreciate the concern, but I'm perfectly capable of managing air pressures in my vehicle without anyone's help. If I'm going on a long road trip, or loading it up I'll bump up the pressures as needed. Slow leaks aren't a concern- i check my tire pressures. Just did yesterday. If it goes flat while driving, I'll pull over and change it. The light won't keep it from going flat.

[akirby]

So you're smarter than the tire/suspension engineers at Ford. Got it.

[IWRBB]

Well, since you asked- I'm at least as smart as them. Got my PE stamp right here.

 

You guys can scream "DOOR STICKER!!!!" all you want but if you are going to preach to me- at least bring the goddamn tech.

 

Tell me please, how exactly is 36 PSI too low? Why is 44 PSI the magic pressure? If 44 is safe, wouldn't 45 be safer? Why does Ford let it drop to 38 before turning on the light? What's too high? What's too low? Is 44 PSI the only pressure that is safe? Does it matter that OEM tire was C range and the current tire is E range?

 

I know why and how. There are printed specs on LT tires provided my the manufacturer. There are minimum pressures required to carry certain loads. My truck weighs 6000 lbs. According to the manufacturer of my tires, if it's aired up to 44 PSI, each tire can carry a load of 3000 pounds. The same tire aired up to 36 psi can only carry 2400 lbs. So even if I manged to get 83% of my trucks weight (4800 lbs) on one axle (not possible BTW), I am still safe to run all day at that load, and do it at the maximum speed the tire is rated for.

 

Let's say I actually DO load it up to the legal limit. Max payload is only 1000 lbs. Now I have 7000 lbs to carry. I'd have to get 68% of the weight on one axle to fully load the tires at 36 PSI. Again, not possible, but even if I could, it'd be safe to run that way ALL day and at MAX speed.

[akirby]

The reason it comes on at 25% below recommended pressure is because that's the federal law.

 

There is more to it than load rating - tire wear, heat buildup, etc. And I can almost guarantee your wet stopping distance will be longer.

 

The tire mfr recommendation doesn't take into account the vehicle weight, handling, suspension, etc.

 

But you know best, so carry on.

[clegg78]

I realize this thread is wandering, but I looked at the door sticker on my Sport with 21's and it lists 35PSI! ( I think it did at least... I am not in town right now but I will check when I am back home) The dealer sold the car with 41PSI in the tires... and you guys are saying 44 is the number This is madness

Edited August 23, 2017 by clegg78

[Waldo]

You don't have to be smarter than the OE tire engineers, you just have to know all the factors they are considering.

 

IWRBB, if you're basing your logic only on tire load calculations, then you are missing about 75% of the story. Load carrying does establish the floor for a tire pressure recommendation. But often there are other factors that require the OEMs to raise the recommended pressure above that floor.

- Fuel economy. Higher pressure = less rolling resistance = better fuel economy. For the purposes of generating EPA rating numbers, the vehicles are tested with the recommended pressure, so sometimes bumping up a couple PSI can make the difference between a 22.45 and a 22.55, which means 23 instead of 22.

- Handling. In trucks loaded handling is always the worst case and the goal isn't to make the truck go around a turn faster, it's to keep it from flipping over when it gets out of shape. One of the tricks is actually to raise pressure to reduce grip, thus allowing the truck to slide instead of catch and flip. Since Ford doesn't like to recommend separate pressures for loaded/unloaded (at least in the US), the compromise is always made for the loaded condition.

- Durability. The pressure has to be enough to prevent wheel strick-throughs on pot holes. Obviously this is a bigger concern on low profile car tires.

- Tire wear. This is usually a secondary consideration to the ones above, but adjustments can be made if strange stuff is found during testing.

- Ride. Generally lower is better so the goal is always to get away with the lowest pressure possible given the constraints above

 

So IWRBB, to be as smart as a OE engineer, you need to know which of the above is the one that drive's your truck's pressure to 44psi because as you've calculated, it's clearly not the load rating that is the restriction.

[omar302]

I realize this thread is wandering, but I looked at the door sticker on my Sport with 21's and it lists 35PSI! ( I think it did at least... I am not in town right now but I will check when I am back home) The dealer sold the car with 41PSI in the tires... and you guys are saying 44 is the number This is madness

44 psi is referring to IWRBB's F-150, not his Edge.

 

Also, vehicles in in stock or storage sometimes have their tires' pressure increased to avoid or reduce damage due to non movement, to prevent flat spots in the tires.