Yes Again, Ford Sucks!!!!

[BigAL]

Went on a long weekend up to SD to see my wife's family and my economy car ended up being a Ford F150. I really didn't like the suspension or steering on it, but my biggest gripe is every time I came to a stop the truck would turn off and then as soon as would lift up off the brake it would restart and go. I think driving through town in stop and go traffic it must have turned off and restarted like 30 times and that was just in a 5 mile drive. IMO this has to be the worst design ever, that starter is going to go out quick as shit.... Anyway, Fords Suck!!!!!

[oletrux4evr]

All to comply with government mandates, and not unusual in new vehicles.

[Dan Barlow]

Sounds like a golf cart .

[Deaf Bob]

Think of all the gas you saved not idling in traffic...

[malc]

Volkswagen tried that on their Santana back in the eighties.....never caught on.
Now it's new again.

I reckon it's a starter motor manufacturer's idea, like
speed bumps for shock absorbers.

[ratpatrol66]

Not all Fords suck, I have a 23 Model T Touring and a 29 Model A Fordor. The new stuff sucks, at least what I've ridden in. The damn seats are way to hard.

[Beagle]

Care to guess what this button does?

[DanStokes]

I don't think this is Ford-only. Welcome to the future.

Dan

[Dan Barlow]

Care to guess what this button does?

Make the truck not act like a golf cart ?

[Loren]

A friend doing bodywork asked if I could drive a new BMW with that deal across town for him. Neato, kind-of weird, but I couldn't get past the feeling that it was just another thing that was going to fail. I'm sure the starter-ring gear etc. is all upgraded for it however and they did a nice job of making it work smooth, once you got used to it and adjusted yourself a bit. Like everything else though, it will fail...can you imagine what the factory will be charging to fix? Much more than what was ever saved in fuel, I'm sure. The technician driving to work to fix cars with worn/failed re-start systems will use more fuel than that.

Anyway I always marvel, when getting out on the road, of the amount of vehicle traffic all going one way while the guys on the other side go the other, If you could save a little fuel on each car while they sit there idling it would add up although in terms of percentage of total used for the trip...not much.

Now if, sorta on this subject, you'll allow me one short rant:

What would really help is for cities to, beside encouraging layouts that reduce commuting distances, simply time traffic lights so thirty tons of cars didn't all have to come to a stop, sit there idling, then accelerate back up at every intersection in the first place. I drive a major stretch where there are perhaps a dozen intersections w/ lights and it's common to have to stop at every single one, you get in a pack of cars and all of you have to do that each time. You can sit there at a stop and see the next intersection down the road green with nobody there, when you're all going again and almost to it, red now. (Make two lights, you're having a lucky day.) If the federal and state governments actually gave a crap about fuel usage and emissions they would be requiring cities to time lights, I'd bet for many sections of road, at-least around here, they could cut emissions produced along those sections literally in half and save people a bunch of time and car wear as well.

However, I did once commute in an area where that was often done...the San Fernando Valley...and it didn't much work because the lights were timed for for the speed limit but instead of just working with it everybody would go flying around you at ten mph over to be in front, then they would all have to stop at the light which wasn't ready to turn green yet and and make you stop because you were behind them. At each intersection there would be a bigger wad of fools, people who looked at you in annoyance as they flew past because you were going so slow (again, the speed limit) and soon you'd just be missing the light altogether because of the amount of cars stacked up in front of you who all who had to come to a stop because of their speed and they were not actually getting across the Valley any faster for all their huff and rush.

Stuff to fix when I'm President.

[Barry Donovan]

I like the light idea.
there is sensors to know a street is empty.
keep a green light go for the flow on the main drags.

I found if you can't be in a think bigger environment, driving bigger vehicle sends the same thought.
peoples brains are like the size of their cars.

when the midget plague finally leaves american trucks, we'll be better off.

[Gateclyve Photographic]

Ford versus Chevy . . . just as in the days of Spider Gears Man . . . . (before forums became passe')

Start-stop systems are great during the 99% of the time you're not wanting to throw revs at the stoplight. I'd much rather have a start-stop system on a real V8 than a 1.0 three-cylinder ....

BTW, fewer stoplights and more roundabouts are better.

[SuperBuickGuy]

they've gotten onto the roundable cheering team here in Washington. We have them on highways. Yes, highways. You're blowing along at 60, then roundabout. Did you know you could drift an H3 Hummer? I didn't.

[Deaf Bob]

In Salem there used to be signs between traffic lights "SIGNALS SET FOR 23MPH"

[Gary 351C]

A few months ago we rented a Chevy Malibu for an over-nighter to Pismo Beach. It had this feature, freaked me out every time it shut off because I thought I'd have to push it out of the intersection. I will never buy a new car, if they ever outlaw cars more than 20 years old I will be shopping for a nice used horse.