Ceej

Howdy! A neighbor! Enjoy your Transit! I've had mine for a bit over two years, and love the little critter. CJ The thriving metropolis of Halsey

I guess it goes without saying. Don't step on the end covers. A co-worker decided to get a better view of my ladder rack, and busted the plastic cover off the corner of my van the other day. The wires were pulled out of the clearance light, and his fat feet busted the clips that hold the plastic jobber to the van. I managed to get the light working again, and the cover is staying put with the remaining clip. Sigh. Another trip to the dealer. Some H&R gorilla smacked my van in a parking lot last year, so I had to drive a caravan for three days while the transit was repaired. It was nice to get back in my van after herding that goofy dodge down a lane. The caravan handles like a pogo stick in a swamp. CJ

Interesting. I've not had any leak problems. Getting the TPMS reset, yes. There is something to be said about the high tire pressure differential connection though. The pressure difference when rotated front to rear is way over the percentage normally acceptable for inflating/deflating tires and running them. While this is much more important when working with racing tires, these little buggers spin down the road pretty fast, even at legal speeds. I've run mine many miles at 70+. Be nice to have an allowed LT tire that can run at 50# front and rear. Ride would suffer, but durability should be enhanced. Unsprung weight would likely overcome any rolling resistance decrease, so I doubt any fuel savings would be seen with combined operation, and likely a decrease in an urban setting. Tire choice is up to our lease company of course. I think the price would play into it more than anything else. Continental has always been a reputable brand. In the states, Continental's presence has been highly praised in the motorcycle industry. I ran the rain treads on touring Guzzi's back in the late 70's and early 80's. Most were H rated, so didn't translate well to extreme performance on Ducati and Laverda. Too much sidewall compliance for high speed road holding with the big 900's and litre and above bikes. When I started playing with Alfas and so forth, they were an option, but one too many triple digit speed wobbles in my two wheel litre bike youth kept me from mounting them up. Went Pirelli for the track car. Pretty sure they don't make drag slicks or front runners, so it's unlikely I'll be buying a set for the rail soon. One would think that Toyo would make a decent LT for this size. It would be difficult to get Domestic tire manufacturers to tool up a 15" Truck tire. Pretty much have to look at asia IMHO. CJ

Maybe we can get the admins to come up with a solution. We send in 5 bucks a year, we don't have the adverts or double click tag alongs. I'd pay that. Having to bust through the junk just to get back to the main menu is awful. CJ

I hadn't reallised how loud the worn tires made the interior on rough pavement. New tires have quieted things down substantially! I can hear the stereo and bluetooth much better now when traveling. :D CJ

How many layers of double click and spyware do we have to wade through to navigate this forum now. It's just plain annoying. Wanna clean the leaches out Admin? Still loving my Transit, but the changes here are just awful. 2¢ CJ (Shutting my browser off now to peel all the garbage off.)

I have found that the tire store people, and the Ford garage, don't know how to reset the system. Every time I've had Ford rotate the tires, and when I had the "Preferred Tire Vendor" for the lease company reset the system, it only took about 20 miles for the system to trip. Twice at Ford, once for new tires. I Should have known the tire outfit didn't do it correctly. The horn never sounded. Every time, I've asked the service manager "Did you reset the TPMS system?" They always swear they did. The two other rotations were done by my local repair shop. They asked how to do it. I showed them, and no issues. I think the kids in the shop are airing the tires up and hitting the button on the reset tool. Not understanding that the sensor in the tire doesn't care. The brain in the van is what needs to be reset/trained.They are not following the procedure. This is evidenced by my returning home with the light on, and resetting the system myself. It's just not that hard. 1. Turn the key to the run position without starting the van 2. Turn the hazard lights on and off three times within 10 seconds. 3. The horn sounds once. You now have 2 minutes to complete steps 4 thru 7. 4. Let air out of left front tire till horn sounds 5. Right front, beep 6. Right rear, beep 7. Left rear, beep 8. Turn off key. If horn beeps twice, you took too long. 9. Air tires back to specified pressure. 10. Start van, light goes out until the next time service is done by the "Experts." I'd still be using the Ford dealer if they hadn't ticked me off over this issue. It's the little things, you know? 2¢ CJ

Just curious, how long are the Continentals lasting in the real world. I was starting to have adhesion issues, so stopped off at a "preferred vendor" for a check. All four tires were down to 3/32" in the center of the tread, and 4/32" on the shoulders. The lease agency replaced the tires with the OEM Continentals. They would not allow any other tire. My Transit has 32,000 miles on it. CJ

I'm over 30k miles, and this little van hasn't stepped wrong yet. My mileage tanked with the ladder rack. I get about 20 sometimes as high as 21mpg now with an 8' and a 16' extension up there. It screwed up the aerodynamics something fierce. Wouldn't take them off though. I need ladders. Works fine on ice and snow. So far no issues with brakes or tires. Tried out the snow mode; 2nd gear select for starting out. Worked the same as the Transmission in my '65 Galaxy XL500 convertible. Start out in 2nd, with minimal wheel spin. The Transit is better though. The Galaxy didn't have heated mirrors! Great little rig. Lot's of room. When they make me turn this one in, I'll be asking for a new one as a replacement. I don't see anything else on the market that comes close to meeting my needs. I'm hoping the Ecoboost finds it's way into the Transit. It would be an excellent choice for those of us plying the freeway and periodic mountain driving. I'm not sure if it would be available as a corporate lease option for us though. Did I mention I really like my Transit? CJ

Got my first 28 mpg run between a couple 27 mpg tanks. Of late making a 100 mile one way trip daily. 66-70 mpg with hills. Letting it shift down on the cruise control. The little bugger is doing well. About 600# of stuff in the back. Lots of passes, and heavy AC use late afternoons. It may go out the window if my ladder rack ever arrives. CJ

Did the owner's manual reset method, aired the tires back up, and it worked fine. All happy now. Sorry. I like the dog with the balloon. CJ

It'll out run most motorhomes. I just weighed mine tonight. 4120# going across the scales. My Transit is a mobile tool box. It's not going to win stop light to stop light against the neighbor kid with his fart pipe honda, but it does fine for normal, sane driving. Pulled a long hill today at weight, and there were no complaints from traffic. It rambled over the hill at legal speeds just fine. 2¢ CJ

I just tried Woody's magnet method. The horn didn't sound. Tried a stronger magnet. Pushing the TPMS test button? I take it that is on the reset tool. If not, where is the reset button on the vehicle? CJ

Edit: Was able to see them. What is the stud? 12 x 1.5 pitch? CJ

Thanks! That was the one. CJ