Car Insurance

The hybrid sports utility vehicles (SUVs) are high performance vehicles that are compatible to using two distinct sources of power- the gasoline engine and the electric motor. This provides a fuel efficient source of power.

The ‘milder’ hybrids are dependent primarily on the gas engine. They use a small electric motor/ generator to supplement this. There are also ‘strong’ hybrids in which the electric motor is given a larger role enabling it to propel the car on its own at low speeds.

Hybrid SUV Models

Toyota and Lexus are providers of hybrid SUVs. Honda provides the mild hybrids. These are the ones that rely mainly on the gas engine while using a small electric motor or generator to supplement it. Toyota Prius and Ford Escape Hybrid are examples of strong hybrids which have a larger role ascribed for the electric motor.

Features and Functionalities of Hybrid SUVs

The pathway of energy for the Hybrid SUVs can vary to wide extents. This depends upon various conditions and demands of the driver. Usually it is the electric motor that provides most of the momentum while driving at lower speeds despite the engine revving. The excessive power from the engine is absorbed by the smaller motor or generator and then routed back to the main motor to be used either for providing the energy to move the car or for charging the battery pack.

A simple system is involved in the Hybrid SUV setup. No rotating belt is there as in case of conventional Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). There are simply two electric motors and a gas engine that is permanently linked together using a planetary gear set. The driver can perceive nothing but only a smooth flow of power in spite of the fact that there is a lot of variation in the different modes.

There is a third electric motor or generator in case of the RX400h and Highlander Hybrid 4WD-i – two models of Hybrid SUVs. It is worth noting that the front-wheel-drive Highlanders do not have this motor. These Hybrid SUV models have none of the typical elements present in an all-wheel-drive system, namely, individual drive shafts connecting the front and rear axles and a center differential varying the power split. The independent third electric motor or generator rated for 68 hp and 96 lb-ft of torque is instead built into a rear transaxle. It is only in times of need like during hard acceleration or starting on a slippery surface that the rear electric motor comes into play. While moving under force of gravity (coasting) and braking, this rear electric motor acts as a generator. In other circumstances the two models work as front drive SUVs.

Your car is bursting at the seams with children, sports equipment, groceries and pets. You think it may be time to trade up to a larger car. But is an SUV the right choice to make for your family?

First and foremost, as anyone who watches the evening news knows, the price of gas has skyrocketed and SUVs are notorious for poor gas mileage. Or are they? Depending on what make and model of SUV you choose, some get as good or better gas mileage than some large cars. For example, the 2004 Honda Element gets 22 miles to the gallon in the city, just 2 miles per gallon less than the 2004 Honda Accord. At highway speeds, the Element gets 8 miles per gallon less than the Accord, a larger, but not huge, difference Also, more and more auto manufacturers are designing hybrid gas-electric SUVs that provide better gas mileage along with the traditional extra space and power of SUVs.

Another major consideration when choosing between a car and an SUV is safety. Most people assume that, because of their larger size, that SUVs are safer than cars. However, crash tests conducted in 2003 proved that large SUVs were only slightly safer than mid-sized cars and were actually slightly more dangerous than large cars. SUVs also can roll over when taking turns at high speed, something that cars are far less likely to do. Drivers who are switching to SUVs after many years of driving cars may need some practice to learn to drive their SUV safely.

Many people think that SUVs, due to their larger size are more comfortable and have more cargo capacity than cars. To a certain extent this is true, but it depends heavily on what make and model of SUV you choose. Some SUVs actually have limited cargo space, though almost all have the power to haul a trailer. As far as comfort, many drivers prefer being higher up from the road, but older drivers and those with disabilities may have a hard time getting into the raised seats. Additionally, buckling a child into a car seat installed in the recommended back seat center position may be difficult for shorter moms and dads.

Finally, if you do a lot of city driving and, more importantly, parking, SUVs are less maneuverable and harder to parallel park than traditional cars. Even in the suburbs where most people park in lots, the spaces may not be wide enough for certain SUVs.

Ironically a lot of folks complain about the spiraling high cost of gas in the United States when, for goodness sake, a cheaper fuel alternative known as Water For Gas. A clean and convenient technology that turns water into potent gas for running any type of engine, at a very much lower cost, is available under their noses.

Many people who own SUVs are trading them in for smaller vehicles due to the burden of high cost of gas. Because they are unaware of the Water for Gas or HHO fuel alternative, also known as Brown’s gas. I now use water for gas to achieve over 200% mileage gain and a higher engine power at 70% lower than the cost of running an SUV entirely on gas.

Funny enough, water for gas has been around since 90 years ago, but was suppressed by big business and Government for obvious reasons…the huge investments in gas field and refineries. SUVs are not expensive to drive if you use Water for fuel alternative. So, my friend it is up to you whether you continue to suffer the high cost of gas or change over to Water for Gas that is both cost effective and environmentally friendly.

Right now, some SUV owners have them packed in their garages because gas prices are too expensive. Even though just a bottle of water, some minor electrical connection and a little current from their cars’ batteries are all they need to get going with incredibly increased mileage and drastically reduced gas costs. More information on water for gas fuel alternative is available online.

Many owners of Ford F-series pickups (F150, F250, & F350) and full-size sport utility vehicles (Explorer and Expedition) manufactured for model years 1999 through 2003 are dealing with a very frustrating — yet very common — problem with their odometer. The digital odometers in these vehicles seem to have a mind of their own. One minute the odometer is working fine and a moment later the digital mileage display suddenly grows extremely dim or vanishes altogether for no apparent reason. Sometimes the display can be restored by a firm smack on the dash. At other times, nothing seems to help. The display often returns unexpectedly, works fine for a while, and then disappears again later. This erratic cycle becomes progressively worse until the odometer eventually does not work at all.

If you own one of these vehicles, you can most likely identify the status of your odometer as well as your own mental state as the intermittent odometer “disease” progresses through the following stages:

1. It Won’t Happen to Me. You have seen nothing unusual about your digital odometer. Congratulations! You are one of the lucky ones and you may never have to deal with the problem. But you might want to read the rest of this article just in case. Keep in mind that if you ever see the problem (even once), the odds are great that you WILL see it again.

2. The Odometer Problem is not so Bad and I Can Simply Live with It. Your vehicle has developed the problem, but it has only happened a few times and it is not yet bad enough to consider spending money to have it repaired. You will deal with it later IF it gets worse and IF it doesn’t cost too much to have it repaired. Besides, thus far it has been easy enough to simply thump the dash to restore the display each time that it went blank.

3. It has Gotten Really Bad and It is Causing Unanticipated Problems. Your odometer is blank most of the time. You have no way of knowing when to perform mileage-based maintenance such as fluid changes, tire rotations, wheel alignments, etc. Service providers will not honor your mileage-based warranties (extended warranties, tire warranties, major repairs, etc.) because they cannot determine whether the warranted miles have elapsed. You have thought about trading the vehicle, but you can only get a very low trade-in value. It is appraised as a high-mileage vehicle even though you know that the actual miles on the vehicle are very low for the model year. But you can’t prove it because the odometer doesn’t work. It is time to visit the dealer and have the odometer repaired. Surely it won’t be expensive to repair.

4. I Visited My Ford Dealer Today to See about having the Odometer Repaired. I’m Still in Shock! I was totally unprepared for the $600 estimate. The dealer said the instrument cluster is defective and the only way to repair it is to replace the instrument cluster with a new one. Over $400 for the cluster plus $200 for installation and programming the new cluster to the vehicle mileage and the PATS system. I decided that I could live with the problem for a while longer. I need to look for cheaper alternatives. I think I saw the odometer flicker on for a brief moment one day last week. Perhaps it can be repaired instead of replacing it. I will check with a few odometer repair shops.

5. I Spent Most of the Week Calling Odometer Repair Shops. I would be happy to pay the $150 to $200 that most repair shops charge to fix this problem. The only thing holding me back is the fact that I have to remove my instrument cluster and ship it to the repair shop. They told me that they would try to repair it next week or perhaps the following week if I could get the cluster to them by the end of this week. Unfortunately, I’ve never removed an instrument cluster and I’m afraid that I will damage it (or my vehicle.) Besides, someone told me that my vehicle won’t run without having the instrument cluster installed. Looks like I will have to rent a vehicle for a couple of weeks while the cluster is being repaired. That is, IF I can figure out how to remove the cluster without destroying something important. I’m sure that rental car is going to be costly. Maybe paying the dealer $600 is not such an unreasonable thing after all. If only I had $600 to spare. On the other hand, perhaps I should just try to live with the problem. Or perhaps I should just trade the vehicle. But I need to fix the odometer before I trade it. I’m s-o-o-o-o Confused!

The GOOD NEWS is that the common cause of most intermittent odometer problems has been identified and it CAN be repaired without replacing the instrument cluster. You don’t need to spend $600 to have the dealer replace the cluster.

The Better News is that there is nothing seriously wrong with your odometer. Your odometer is still working and accurately tracking your mileage. The display problem is caused by one (or more) defective solder joint(s) on a printed circuit board (located on the back side of your instrument cluster.) These defective solder joints are preventing the odometer signals from reaching your odometer display module. It simply cannot display the mileage due to the defective solder joints.

The Best News is that you don’t need to send the instrument cluster to a repair shop for repairs because…You can fix it yourself! A number of online forums can be found that discuss the intermittent odometer problem. These forums provide several years of feedback from many individuals who have repaired their own odometer problem. These pioneers discuss the lessons learned through their own trial and error and share the resulting successes and mistakes with other forum members. You should be able to fix your own odometer if you first carefully read these forums and apply the knowledge to your own repair efforts.

Don’t be in a rush and attempt the repair before you have read the entire threads, so that you can plan ahead and avoid the mistakes that many people have made throughout the years, some of which resulted in excessive work, broken headlight switches, damaged trim and paint, etc. All these can be prevented by learning how to remove each component the correct way before attempting to do it yourself.

If you still do not feel comfortable with attempting the repair after studying the forums (or if you would rather have all the information extracted and laid out before you in a concise, detailed and easy-to-follow guide), there is still yet even better news.

The Greatest News is that all of the information contained in these forums, including the lessons learned from the mistakes of others has already been meticulously extracted, combined with additional experiences of performing the repair, and transformed into a detailed and richly illustrated intermittent odometer repair manual, which will guide you step by step through the repair of your own odometer. If you can use a screwdriver and a low-wattage soldering iron (less than 30 watts), you can perform this repair from start to finish in about two hours and for relatively little cost.

If you are not proficient with a soldering iron, you can use the repair manual to easily remove your instrument cluster and identify the defective solder joints. Then you can have the actual repair (resoldering the defective solder joints) performed at a local electronics repair shop. In most cases, the solder joints can be resoldered in only a couple of minutes at a cost of less than two dollars.