Beta Don

Is your '13 a passenger van or a cargo van? Don

Welcome to the forum! Sorry to hear about your issue with the seats. I've got the leather power seat in my TC and never noticed my butt sliding forward . . . . and leather is a bit more slippery than other fabrics. Never had this problem in my MX5 either Can you add a spacer to the bolts which mount the front of the seat to get a little extra elevation? Probably would not take very much - Half an inch might make all the difference in the world If you do find anything which solves your problem, please post the solution here so it may benefit anyone else who might have the same problem Don

Gen 1 or Gen 2? Don

Your project is really coming along nicely! Way back when I rode a dirt bike down the Continental Divide from Canada to Mexico, I carried a self inflating foam camp mattress that worked very well. When inflated, it'a an inch and a half thick and when deflated it rolls up to be only 4 or 5 inches in diameter. To inflate it, you just open the valve and in 3 or 4 minutes, the foam expands and fills with air and then you add a few breaths of air to adjust it to your desired comfort and close the valve so the air can't get out while you're sleeping. To stow it, you open the valve and begin rolling it up slowly while the air is slowly expelled and then close the valve so no air can get in The following link isn't the exact one I used, but it's very similar and very affordable https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Self-Inflating-Air-Pad-Regular/dp/B01928HSB4/ref=sr_1_13?s=outdoor-recreation&ie=UTF8&qid=1500162917&sr=1-13&keywords=thermarest+sleeping+pad Don

I didn't have a clue, so I did a search. The 'skylight' is actually called the 'Vista Roof' and yes, it appears it does come with a sliding panel (a power one no less) to block the sun in the daytime http://www.buyford.com/carresearch/Vehicle-Quote.html/year_2016/make_Ford/model_Transit Connect/trim_LWB Titanium/id_32578/confid_buyford/section_Options/ Hope this helps! Don

I suspect one of us (probably me) is having an 'operator error' when it comes to power seat adjustments In our XLT equipped with leather seats, as the seat goes back, it lowers, like it or not and as you move it forward, it raises, like it or not. Originally, this made perfect sense to me because a driver who needs the seat forward is likely a shorter person than one who needs it farther back, so raising as you move forward makes sense . . . . or does it? My shortish wife likes it up and forward anyway I would rate the leather front buckets about an 8 out of 10 for comfort - All we use our TC for is long road trips . . . . we have electric cars for shorter trips. The back leather 60/40 seats in ours are a bit on the 'firm' side - I suspect the XL cloth or vinyl versions would be more comfy Don

That 'work around to avoid the tax' ended in 2013 Don

You two guys need to get together! Park them side by side, do a little drilling and bolting, then shake hands and go your separate ways Don

Assuming the opening in the body is the same for both barn door and liftgate models (which is not a given, IMO) changing from one to the other would involve cutting away hinges and welding new hinges to the body. I assume the hatch mechanism probably is in the same place for both models because on the liftgate version, the latch is offset to the left side where (I assume) it would need to be for the barn door version Long story short, without doing a bunch of welding and repainting I doubt it would be practical to change from one style to the other Don

http://fordstnation.com/focus-st-tires-rims/8868-19-vs-18-rims-focus-st.html "Avoid 19's. Unless you live somewhere with ice sheet smooth roads. The 18's on this car are already a bit thin on sidewalls. I know a guy who has bent 4 wheels of the course of 1 year (normal street driving), and I bent one enough to where I replaced it. 17's are much nicer (I have those for winter)." If the 18's are that easy to bend on a Focus, they eon't be any less likely to bend on a TC 'Nuff said Don

Need some context - Home solar? Solar on a trailer, boat or vehicle? I used a pair of 150 watt solar panels connected to a pair of 6 volt AGM golf cart batteries (200 AH rating) on my boat to run the DC refrigeration system. I got the panels for about $300 and bought the batteries at Sam's Club for $180 each If you don't need it to be 'portable' this represents considerably more power for much less money than the Yeti system you are considering Don

That's a very high tech (and very expensive) way to make portable DC and A/C power. I'm sure it's the perfect solution to some portable power problems I guess the real question is - Exactly what do you want to use it for? Powering a small DC fridge? There are many cheaper ways to do that - The Goal Zero Yeti would certainly do it, but at $2K, with an expected lifespan of 10 to 12 months or 500 cycles before you'll have to replace those expensive 18650 cells, I think I'd be exploring other options Don

For anyone who is into 'gliding' the Gen 2 TC's are made for hauling a pair of Segways. The tie down points are exactly where they need to be to strap them down. The front pair of tie points is spaced perfectly for the width of the Segs from the rear pair. One cargo strap across the front and one across the rear and you can cinch them down so tightly they cannot move at all. The two notched blocks of wood in the photo keep them from coming together when you tighten the straps Don

The 2014 and newer long wheel base (LWB) models are very popular with campers. There are numerous threads here on the forum where owners have either gutted and completely rebuilt the back into a camper, or have made temporary modifications to enable them to sleep in a wagon with the seats folded down. With the LWB version, there's plenty of room for even a 6 footer to sleep Don

What follows only applies to the 2014 and newer Gen 2 vans. IMO, which version you buy would depend more on the engine/transmission options than the cargo area dimensions, though your needs may vary. The Gen 1 vans come with a 2.0 liter engine and a 4 speed automatic, the Gen 2's have a 2.5 liter and a 6 speed automatic On the SWB, the rear seats are easily removable - Flip two little yellow levers and you can remove either the larger '60' side or the smaller '40' side or both. We frequently take out the smaller one and leave the larger one folded up against the back of the drivers seat. The seats are heavy, but they are very easy to remove and replace Also, the SWB has a lower floor, due to the way the seats in the LWB fold down. You cannot easily remove and replace the seats in the LWB version - They weren't designed to be taken out like the ones in the SWB model The rear dimensions between the LWB and the SWB are similar, except the LWB is about 16" longer and the SWB has a floor several inches lower than the LWB Don

My 2014 XLT SWB with leather seats also doesn't appear to have a way to fold the passenger seatback forward. Wish it did - I can see where that would be handy I also have the 6 way power drivers seat which I really like, but not on the passenger side - It's manual Don

First, I have zero 'paranoia' with upsizing to larger wheels - I've done it myself on more than one vehicle. So long as you stay with the stock overall circumference of the tires *and* you can find properly sized tires correctly rated for the vehicle you're driving there's no problem . . . . other than a rougher ride and the distinct possibility of bending a wheel All FWD vehicles use wheels where the spokes are about flush with the outside of the wheel and that makes the inside lip of the wheel very easy to bend. My daughter's Mazda 5 came with 205/50R17's and she managed to bend all 4 of the OEM alloys during the life of the OEM set of tires - None of them badly bent, mind you, but enough that the tire store refused to mount new tires on them. We bought a new set of Mazda 3 take-off wheels and she bent 2 of those with the second set of tires. Her car weighs 3,500 pounds and she never carries more than 2 or 3 people in it Gen 2 TC's are all rated at more than 5,000 lbs GVWR - I'm not sure of your definition of 'light vehicle' but ours are heavy enough that they require specially rated tires rated to carry the weight. Only a small percentage of the available 215/55R16's are rated for our vehicle and when you go up to 17's or 18's, the selection is even smaller. True, *you* can mount any tire you like, rated correctly or not, *but* you'll have to do a bit of hunting to find a tire store which would mount them - In the event of a fatal accident caused by the use of incorrectly rated tires, the store you bought them from would most certainly be held liable in the ensuing lawsuit You can take my word for it (or not) but the 18's from the Focus ST will be very easy to bend on a vehicle as heavy as a TC, so unless you have better roads in your neck of the woods than we have here, I would most certainly buy an extra wheel or two while you can find them - Likely you'll need one or two sooner than you think Don

I would agree with you that the CVT is a good match for a small engine without lots of torque *if* it's in a small car that you won't use to tow anything. It's an even more appealing idea if you regularly trade cars well before they see the 100K mark on the odometer, as even the latest, greatly improved versions have a history of failure before 100K miles. After the warranty expires, replacing it will be very costly - Many really good looking cars in the boneyard have failed CVT's and the replacement cost evidently wasn't worth it to the owner I wouldn't want one in a heavier car, or with any engine which develops plenty of torque - You don't see them behind V8's and for good reason. When they fail (not *if*) they usually cannot be rebuilt and replacing the trans typically runs between $3K and $5K USD. I would not buy one in a TC if it was offered - Too heavy and towing 2,000 pounds with one would be an invitation to failure Don

I did lots of research before buying our TC - The big question I needed answers to was did I want the 2.0 with the 4 speed auto or the 2.5 with the 6 speed. Hands down, that's a no-brainer, so we went shopping for a used 2014 or 2015 . . . . whatever we could get the best deal on - Once I did the research, we never looked at a Gen 1 We cruise at 2250 RPM at 70 mph and the torquey 2.5 can pull it OK up most hills without down shifting to 5th. 6th is a true 'overdrive' as 5th at 70 mph gets you 3,000 RPM and at that RPM it will pull just about any grade without needing to downshift again The fact that they advertise the transmission as 'maintenance free' is actually a good thing, IMO. If they don't expect transmission problems for those who bought the Ford extended warranty and don't do any maintenance, imagine how reliable it will be for those of us who are doing regular fluid changes. I do wish they had given us a dipstick to check the level though - The procedure we need to use is a bit labor intensive . . . . but then, it's only needed once every 25K The 6F35 was jointly developed by Ford and GM and it's an awesome transmission in my opinion. The ability to put it in any gear you like and keep it there has already come in very handy. Also, if you have the cruise control set and go down a steep hill, the computer will downshift automatically for more engine braking so you never exceed the speed you have it set for - I love that feature. I've never driven a better combination of small engine/transmission than the 2.5 mated with the 6F35. I'm 100% happy with it. I've driven several cars with small 4 cylinder engines mated to 4 speed transmissions and always found them lacking - You just need more gear ratios to get the best from small engines, even in small cars - Buying a 2.0 four mated to a 4 speed automatic in a 3500 lb van (maybe pulling a trailer, which we frequently do) would have left me kicking myself for not doing more research Don

The 6F35 Select Shift 6 speed transmission used in the Gen 2's is completely different from the 4 speed in your early model. There isn't a transmission pan on the bottom that you can remove and the filter is buried deep within the trans so you cannot change it Supposedly it's a 'Lifetime Fill' transmission which requires no maintenance during it's 'lifetime' but if you want it to last as long as your TC, everyone (including your Ford dealer) recommends fluid changes every 25 to 30K and since fluid changes are so much less expensive than trans rebuilds, it's a no-brainer in my book - I really hate to throw away money on something that regular maintenance can prevent Don

That sounds pretty doggone normal to me and likely not the fault of the bigger swaybar *If* you had lost traction due to the bigger front bar, you would have understeered off the side of the road - The bigger bar overloaded the front tires, they lost traction and you couldn't make the turn, but that's not what you said happened You spun out, which means the rear tires lost traction and that's what I would expect to happen, irregardless of what front bar you were running. You overcooked the corner a bit and then the decreasing radius made it obvious you weren't going to make it, so you lifted and trailing throttle oversteer caused the rear tires to lose traction (not the overloaded front tires caused by the bigger swaybar) and you spun out, as expected https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lift-off_oversteer Been there, done that a few times myself in my '94 Miata R package. It takes lots of practice to restrain yourself from lifting in an overcooked corner . . . . if you keep doing it though, the results will always be the same Don

On computer controlled vehicles, you need that +12 volt wire because that's what provides power for the trailer lights - The little box js just a switch box . . . . it sends the 12 volt power to the trailer when the car's turn signals are activated. The cars tail light wires cannot be used to power the trailer lights directly, good ground or no ground Don

The LED's I installed are for low beams only - I still have the OEM bulbs in the high beams Don

I think if I wanted a subwoofer amp, I might mount a pair of 6" subs in the rear doors for 'fill' - Otherwise, I don't see much advantage to rear speakers pumping out the same audio as the fronts in a two seater vehicle - Others may think differently of course Don

My OEM screen shows the date, time, temperature and also is the screen for the OEM back-up camera Don