Using SHO as an Uber

[DKSHO182]

Greetings,

I recently moved to Las Vegas and just picked up a 2016 SHO non PP. I plan to use this car as an Uber only car. I work roughly 50-60 hrs depending on the week. I plan to put as many hard miles on this car as I can in the extreme heat. How do you think the 3.5 and the transmission will hold up to this abuse? I have high hopes for no issues. I will keep posting the progress as to how the car is doing.

 

[SHOdded]

Hello. Being in NV anyway, and esp since you are expecting to do taxi service, at a minimum read up on and follow the SEVERE DUTY SERVICE intervals in the owners manual. "Lifetime" does not apply here. Full synthetic oil and Top Tier fuel should help keep the SHO running a good long time. I would extend out the warranty before the B2B is up, tho I don't know if they have a "taxi" exclusion or not.

 

[DKSHO182]

I plan on synthetic engine oil and possibly swapping out the other fluids for synthetic as well. I hope to get 300k out of her. I feel like I stole it from the dealer and couldn't have gotten a better Uber car. 4 doors, huge trunk and a seat that will cool and massage my rear end. Msrp was just over 46k, dealer was asking 37k and I drove it off the lot for just under 35k.

 

[SHOdded]

Be sure to ask questions along the way. It's always a learning curve, but it can be made a little easier

 

[DKSHO182]

Appreciate that. Estimating I will put between 50-60k per year of hard miles on her. Can't wait to see how it holds up and if it's close to the ecoboost torture test Ford did on the 3.5

 

[SHOdded]

Quick note: Ford did the torture test on the F150 3.5, not the SHO 3.5. They are somewhat different engines though very much related.

 

[ridered74]

I'd bet the car will hold up great, but a much better option if you are trying to make money off driving would be something that doesn't have as high a cost for gas and tires. I drive 95% freeway on flat terrain and my gas and tires combined cost me just under 15 cents a mile. If I was running it as a taxi I would bet the cost for just gas would be closer to 15-16 cents a mile alone, if not more. Throw in the cost of oil changes and other maintenance and you will probably be close to 20 cents a mile. It doesn't matter how well the car holds up if you aren't making enough money. If I was driving for a living I would want to make as much money per mile as possible, and a car that can easily get down to 12-15 miles per gallon when driving in city conditions would not be the ideal way to do it. A camry or accord would be the way to go, it just wouldn't be nearly as enjoyable driving around all day.

 

[SHOdded]

http://www.edmunds.com/car-comparis...0759703|sedan&show=0|4|6&comparatorId=2309081

I personally found the Fusion interior to be more roomy than the Camry.

 

[Barry Raymond]

I would have bought one that is a few years old with less than 30K on the clock. The car is going to be worth nothing in three years so its more than $1000/month in depreciation expense. You can alway buy warrantied tires starting on your second set.

 

[mybigsho]

Being that I work for a ford dealer with a big municipality service department I will say that the Taurus goes thru a lot of
ptu, brakes and turbos.. But these are police cars that go 24/7 and i'm sure there driven hard with no remorse..

 

[DMB]

Makes you wonder how much taxis like the Escalade/Suburban, 300/Charger with the hemi and various Ford products like the MKS, MKT, Navigator and Expedition with the ecoboost make per mile. I would have went with the smaller sedan as mentioned or the Ford Transit. Just like anything else in life there is always a better decision. I would be concerned the most with extensive idling in the heat with the a/c on waiting for the next call to come in. Should have went with the PP for the extra cooling.

Even though I think it's dumb to trash the SHO, more power too you and hope you have good luck with it.

 

[Devin]

It would certainly be a fun cab ride. License plate should be "BOOBER" or "TURBER"

 

[sperold]

Your car should almost get a premium while in Uber service. I would look for a way to vent off the heat from the engine compartment in the crazy hot weather.
Don't have any suggestions, but maybe that cowl hood bump could be used somehow.
I think there is someone out there who got a million miles out of a Volvo (or was it Saab) turbo car, built many years ago before the better cooling and oiling came into general use. They did it by letting the turbos cool down before shutting the car off.
Good luck.

 

[SHOdded]

Hood vents would work for cooling; temporarily could remove the weatherstripping piece at the hood/firewall area. Cracking the hood open after every hard "run" is probably not an option ...

 

[Devin]

Are there any good radiator and intercooler upgrades for the car? That and a lower temp T Stat could help.

 

[SHOdded]

So far, the only realistic upgrade has been a lower TStat (with a tune) and transferring PP cooling components onto a non-PP SHO. Unfortunately, the cooled PTU functionality has yet to be transferred.

 

[DKSHO182]

Being that I work for a ford dealer with a big municipality service department I will say that the Taurus goes thru a lot of
ptu, brakes and turbos.. But these are police cars that go 24/7 and i'm sure there driven hard with no remorse..

When cars come in for service for ptu or turbo, is there usually a general amount of miles on them or is it totally random? I hope to get at least 300k from the engine and trans before any huge failure.

 

[DKSHO182]

Your car should almost get a premium while in Uber service. I would look for a way to vent off the heat from the engine compartment in the crazy hot weather.
Don't have any suggestions, but maybe that cowl hood bump could be used somehow.
I think there is someone out there who got a million miles out of a Volvo (or was it Saab) turbo car, built many years ago before the better cooling and oiling came into general use. They did it by letting the turbos cool down before shutting the car off.
Good luck.

I have heard this before in the past about letting the turbos cool before shutting the car off, but I thought I read on here that modern technology has made this issue nonexistent any more. I know the turbos spin super fast and can produce lots of heat, but I was under the impression the 3.5 can still keep cooling the turbos even when the car is shut off. Is this not true? Either way not a bad idea to let it cool down a minute or so when killing the engine

 

[bpd1151]

The turbos are water cooled. Which the coolant is still cycling after engine shut off by the design of the turbos.

So although it might not be harmful to allow the turbos to cool down prior to engine shut down, it is not necessary in the same token either.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

 

[DKSHO182]

Hood vents would work for cooling; temporarily could remove the weatherstripping piece at the hood/firewall area. Cracking the hood open after every hard "run" is probably not an option ...

Totally understand what you are sayimg about popping the hood, but I don't plan on opening the hood after working. This is not practical for me as I will never put this car in a garage. I don't like the idea of leaving it outside alone with the hood open.