Interesting Encounter w/ a previous Explorer Engineer.

[quern]

Hello Group

I purchased my wife a CPO'd 2014 Explorer XLT in June after becoming fed up with the quality of my '11 Durango. I said enough was enough. To this point in time I must say this is the best decision I made and I love our Explorer!

I have been lurking on here for a while and wanted to post details on an interesting encounter I had recently.

I was traveling with my family from Cleveland to my home town in West Michigan and we stopped off at a rest stop for some quick McD's. A very nice gentleman walked up to me and asked if the Explorer was mine. After stating yes he showed me is GM badge and then went on to tell me he was one of the key engineers that helped develop the Explorer. I guess he no longer works for Ford but was so excited to talk about the Explorer and provide his insight (he also said he was looking to buy one himself since he was due for a new truck).

The biggest things he told me (after asking how we liked it and if we planned to keep it) were:

1. The Explorer used Continental ContiProContact tires during development and he said this is what should be on it. He explained that the MI State Troopers went with Goodyear and is why they didn't use Conti (contract) but he explained to get the most out of the car to dump the Hankook's and get Conti's.

2. He suggested to use 5w40 or 10w40 oil. 2 qts synthetic the balance standard. He claimed Ford was thinking of going full synthetic but after various testing, etc... found that it wasn't required. Claims if we run 5w40 the engine will last over 200K

3. Suggested a full transmission flush at 20K miles after it was broken in. He said that they did this on the PI models when they were testing them in Nevada and that this will ensure the tranny lasts much longer than if you didn't. His explanation was that as the bands break in they shed and the material is like sandpaper so if you flush the transmission after it is fully broken in it will extend the life greatly.

Those are the three biggest things he told us. He spoke with us for well over 20 minutes and went out to the truck to see what tires were on it. Take it for what it is but I found it interesting and thought I'd share.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Jerry

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum quern.
Very interesting post. Thanks for sharing that information Jerry and Happy New Year to you and yours.

Peter

 

[supr squirrel]

Just read the part about the Conti Pro Contacts to my wife and she smiled. Thanks for the read.

 

[Sgt1411]

The ContiSport Pro Contact "Z" rated tires are still an option code for the SPORT only. $800usd option for 2017.

They are the soft summer "Z" rated version, not all seasons that the Explorer has now. They would be a very poor overall choice for the other models of the Explorer. They wear faster and perform poorly on anything but a dry surface. Ford even puts a caveat on the order guide about this.

Im not sure where he's getting his information about the Continental tires being considered for the Interceptor Program. I was involved in the testing with the engineers at LASD EVOC Course in Pomona CA and at Ford's own (APG) Arizona Proving Grounds.

Goodyear and Firestone were the only "Police Rated" tires that were tested when I was there and Goodyear was selected for the production tire because of its overall performance which included braking, steering, wear, curb strike 30MPH, and heat dissipation.

Cost of the tire was never an issue.

Michigan State Police Vehicle Test is simply a benchmark test for Agencies to use when buying Pursuit Rated vehicles, same as LASD Car Test every October. They dont advise Ford on which tires to choose for production. Although their EVOC program were involved in testing the PI Utility and Sedan at Gratton Speedway on many occasions.

 

[Uaglio]

The ContiSport Pro Contact "Z" rated tires are still an option code for the SPORT only. $800usd option for 2017.

They are the soft summer "Z" rated version, not all seasons that the Explorer has now. They would be a very poor overall choice for the other models of the Explorer. They wear faster and perform poorly on anything but a dry surface. Ford even puts a caveat on the order guide about this.

OP said ContiPro Contact, not ContiSport Pro Contact. The former are all seasons, not summer tires. No experience with these, but looks like they get good to fair reviews on TireRack.

 

[quern]

SGT1411. It has been a couple weeks since my contact with this gentleman and maybe I confused where he claimed the tires were tested and used. He did write down on a slip of paper ContiPro from Tire Rack for the '14-15 explorer. I pulled it out to check what he wrote after reading your awesome in depth post.

 

[Sgt1411]

I drove a Sport back in 2015 at LVMS with the Continental Z rated tires and the difference was noticeable on the Sport. I wanted to get those Continental Z rated tires for my Sport but of course here in Canuckastan there is some ridiculous Transport Canada regulation forbidding the factory putting them on so I couldnt get them. Even with contacts inside the CAP.

So you can buy the Conti Z tire in Canada but you cant get them installed at the factory for a Canadian build.

Anyways the current OEM Hankook Venus Noble 2+ get a very good all season rating as well.

 

[reserved50]

I wouldn't do a flush on the trans but have it drained and filled every 4rth or 5th time the engine oil is changed, the PTU/transfer case I would change sooner if possible. For engine I would use full synthetic 5/ weight and change it before it gets to about 20% especially on the turbo models, the synthetic keeps the oil from coking the turbo seals and wearing internal components/chains in all models a little better.
Dodge...enough said , their quality is similar to poorly made European cars. They have had a few decent cars , but that's a needle in haystack and you only realize this after they're a few years old, by that time that certain unicorn model has been discontinued.

 

[Slorch]

Strange encounter. There are no bands in a 6F transmission, and it seems odd for an engineer to be recommending home-blending motor oil.

 

[quern]

Strange encounter. There are no bands in a 6F transmission, and it seems odd for an engineer to be recommending home-blending motor oil.

Sorry. I used incorrect terminology. Meant clutch plates.