Hybrid Maverick Modifications?

[vabchusa]

The best way to improve MPG is to change and fine tune your driving habits. Allow the vehicle to take off in EV mode till about 15 mph before speeding up. I use cruise control on my C max but can actually extend mpg by watching the battery guage and then raise your foot a bit to kick the EV mode till ICE kicks in and repeat.

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[BMCGC]

I sat on top of two screaming Detroit Diesels for a good part of my working career.

I like quiet.

 

[fbov]

Huh, who's comparing them? What happened here? ...

OP asked aout hybrid modifications.
Only half jokingly, @MysticRob suggested gutting the vehicle for weight savings because it helped an early-model Insight.
I responded why weight savings no longer matter (bigger motors allow functional regen braking)

You read things between the lines that weren't there.

... can you modify the gas part of the Maverick to improve MPG and or performance? .... I've seen another tread talking about opening up the intake on the 2.0

A turbo and an Atkinson have very different design goals. Folks have become comfortable with turbo operation and what they can do with aftermarket parts. Atkinsons haven't gotten much love, partially because power is not the goal, and there's little available as a result.

Anyone who tries to modify a hybrid for performance will be disappointed in the end.

To be fair, Ford does rate the Plug-ins for a little more power (10 HP?), but the gains in a hybrid are typically aerodynamic modifications and low RR tires. We have a lot of documentation on the C-Max forum; grill blocks are the easiest (yes, in addition to the shutters). Wheel covers and fairings help, and some folks like vortex generators.

If you want to gain performance, do a "tuft test" to find where there's dirty air you can clean up. The video is far more interesting, but too big to upload.

Spoiler, nearly all the drag reduction opportunity is at the rear of the car, which is hard to change. Remember, the Hindenburg had a Cd of 0.05.

Welcome to the soulless future...

We said goodbye to horses over a century ago.

 

[STARCOMMTREY1]

That’s I think you’d be better suited addressing aero & roll resistance rather than intake/exhaust.

Factory intakes and exhaust are notoriously restrictive, bring them up is the easiest power you can do on any ice engine

 

[es7129]

Factory intakes and exhaust are notoriously restrictive, bring them up is the easiest power you can do on any ice engine

I highly disagree on the intake. Most CAIs and short ram intakes are nothing more than noise makers and aesthetics for the engine bay.

 

[BMCGC]

The hardware on a modern car is well engineered by the manufacturer.

If you look at aftermarket intakes and exhausts, the dyno's generally show peak gains at high rpm's. Much higher rpm's than normal driving.

The better hp/tq gains in the drivable rpm range are usually found by downloading an aftermarket tune. I don't know if anyone offers tunes for hybrids, I have never looked for one.

I plan on no mechanical modifications to my Maverick. With regular maintenance, I plan on this car/truck lasting me until my driving days are over.

 

[STARCOMMTREY1]

I highly disagree on the intake. Most CAIs and short ram intakes are nothing more than noise makers and aesthetics for the engine bay.

I didn't say a CAI. I just said better. Can be as easy as upgrading to aftermarket filter. Now my 350 for a good example, came with a great factory filter. Didn't need the upgrade. The exhaust, however, was a different story. I gained 2 to 3 mpgs changing that thing out.

 

[Bmr4mav]

Do not touch any part of the hybrid drivetrain. The gas engine is already designed and tuned to run at maximum thermal efficiency. No one would tune it for you anyway because they already know this.

There is also nothing that can be done with the electric motors or their control to improve anything.

The only potential upgrades are more batteries and a plug in option and neither of those is going to be affordable to diy.

Zero offense here but you should seriously consider getting the Ecoboost instead.

 

[Bmr4mav]

More info. I've owned a Prius v for almost 5 years.

No one wants more MPGs than the Prius community who have been going at this for a long time. There are a ton of educated owners and NO ONE has been able to get more mpgs from modifying the engine.

You get more mpgs from Hypermiling.
Pulse and glide
Keep your foot on the pedal just enough to stay out of regren while coasting so you can coast with less friction
Improve aero (think rear wheel covers and low rolling resistance tires).

How you drive is the single best modification you can do to improve mpgs. I used to drive 25k miles a year. I've had entire tanks that were almost 50mpg before when I was focused on hypermiling. Now I drive less than 5k a year and don't care anymore and now most of my tanks average low 30s.

Also, you definitely need to watch some video about how the hybrid system works including how an Atkinson cycle engine differs from a standard engine.

That's my Prius v next to a Mav I test drove.

 

[Larrythelunatic]

More info. I've owned a Prius v for almost 5 years.

No one wants more MPGs than the Prius community who have been going at this for a long time. There are a ton of educated owners and NO ONE has been able to get more mpgs from modifying the engine.

You get more mpgs from Hypermiling.
Pulse and glide
Keep your foot on the pedal just enough to stay out of regren while coasting so you can coast with less friction
Improve aero (think rear wheel covers and low rolling resistance tires).

How you drive is the single best modification you can do to improve mpgs. I used to drive 25k miles a year. I've had entire tanks that were almost 50mpg before when I was focused on hypermiling. Now I drive less than 5k a year and don't care anymore and now most of my tanks average low 30s.

Also, you definitely need to watch some video about how the hybrid system works including how an Atkinson cycle engine differs from a standard engine.

That's my Prius v next to a Mav I test drove.

If you are running the steelies, good looking wheel covers may be had for a relative pittance, and will give a touch better mpg, especially at speed. You just want to minimize the concavity at the four corners. Won’t do a thing for you at slower, city-like speeds. But that’s where the hybrid already excels.

 

[Bmr4mav]

Agreed but when I said wheel covers I actually meant wheel arch covers. My bad.

The Prius community has tried everything.

It is not a coincidence that the Ford hybrid system is pretty much a clone of Toyota's.

 

[Atisko]

OP asked aout hybrid modifications.
Only half jokingly, @MysticRob suggested gutting the vehicle for weight savings because it helped an early-model Insight.
I responded why weight savings no longer matter (bigger motors allow functional regen braking)

You read things between the lines that weren't there.

A turbo and an Atkinson have very different design goals. Folks have become comfortable with turbo operation and what they can do with aftermarket parts. Atkinsons haven't gotten much love, partially because power is not the goal, and there's little available as a result.

To be fair, Ford does rate the Plug-ins for a little more power (10 HP?), but the gains in a hybrid are typically aerodynamic modifications and low RR tires. We have a lot of documentation on the C-Max forum; grill blocks are the easiest (yes, in addition to the shutters). Wheel covers and fairings help, and some folks like vortex generators.

If you want to gain performance, do a "tuft test" to find where there's dirty air you can clean up. The video is far more interesting, but too big to upload.

Spoiler, nearly all the drag reduction opportunity is at the rear of the car, which is hard to change. Remember, the Hindenburg had a Cd of 0.05.

We said goodbye to horses over a century ago.

Right on 18 inch wheels-use Tesla wheel covers and raised the front 1 inch the angle of the windshield will be improved hitting the wind to reduced coefficient of drag-probably
Best to test in a wind tunnel

 

[Larrythelunatic]

Right on 18 inch wheels-use Tesla wheel covers and raised the front 1 inch the angle of the windshield will be improved hitting the wind to reduced coefficient of drag-probably
Best to test in a wind tunnel

But then you’ll be catching more of the breeze underneath the car. Probably not a good trade-off.

 

[Meintc]

Yeah i dont look up anyone that calls himself mr boom.

I looked it up, well actually he appeared on my feed in youtube. I find him annoying. I don't watch anymore. Two times were enough for me and I didn't finish either one.

 

[fbov]

It is not a coincidence that the Ford hybrid system is pretty much a clone of Toyota's.

But it's not a Toyota invention... the power split device is an outdated US patent.
" A power train is described which is comprised of a prime mover, two power converters, an epicyclic gear train, an energy storage device and associated control systems. ..."

raised the front 1 inch the angle of the windshield will be improved hitting the wind to reduced coefficient of drag-probably

But then you’ll be catching more of the breeze underneath the car. Probably not a good trade-off.

Anecdotally, in the mid-80's, GM engineers fudged wind tunnel tests of the redesigned Pontiac Firebird to achieve the target 0.30 Cd. They overloaded the trunk to lower the back end. That's the right way to reduce drag.

Raising the front increases frontal area, which increases drag force directly, and is a very bad idea. It also increases rear decay angle, which may lead to flow separation and huge increases in drag where it hurts the most.

Aerodynamics is an empirical science, even in the age of CFD. Not everything is self-evident. "Looks good" and "flows good" do not always coincide.

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