Introduction of a rideshare driver with Outlander SEL
 

Hello everyone, just added myself on here and hoping to share knowledge/data over the next year or two of owning this vehicle. I drive for Uber/Lyft in the Seattle area with a new-to-me 2017 Outlander SEL -- got a decent deal with 17k on the meter. I am projecting to do 60k in a year with the car, hopefully the services needed on this car is kind to me. I like that it is roomy, can do XL rides (7 passenger), gets great gas mileage for an SUV, and looks fantastic.

Initial thoughts are great handling, comfortable ride, and very nice to sit in all day (although I do still use a gel pad as I am seated in the car for extended time).
Cons: poor braking - need to see if this is caused by the nature of the CVT and higher COG of the vehicle. Remedy might possibly be stainless brake lines, better pads, or bigger brakes (hopefully not this).

Things wanting to do in the near future:
-Pop in a K&N filter (done)

-Change fog lights to LED (done)

-Change the halogen in the projector to LED (delayed, needing adapter of some sort?)

-Install a EZ-106 fast oil drain plug

-Change the oil to synthetic as I do not know what is in there now. Seems to be 0w20 which would mean syn but I don't know the age of the oil, even if relatively clear looking. Also does having the car on for hours at a time, possibly a lot of stop/go driving mixed with long distances and hot temps warrant switching to something like 0w40? This oil weight is safe as it is used by the Aussies in these 4B1 motors, yes?

-Possibly downsizing to a lighter 17" rim to have more sidewall. Seems backwards but doing ride share I need a higher tire profile as the car is constantly getting close to curbs during pickup. I have already rashed the passenger front wheel and it hurt inside when it happened lol. Would a larger tire sidewall (same overall diameter as stock) result in a more comfortable ride?

-Tinting the front windows to match the rear

Figured an introduction would be proper. Maybe I'll start threads on the wheels and oil weight/interval as well as whatever comes up. Overall I am very happy with my new rig and as someone who grew up next to Mitsubishi cars in Asia, very proud owner of one. Sad their US market isn't thriving like the rest of the world but glad the quality on the Outlander is still high.

Cheers! :)

Welcome, and yes - you'll probably do better creating some individual threads on those topics.

Good luck with the driving and with the new-to-you Outlander.

Congrats and welcome. I've installed the fast oil drain plug. Much less mess when changing oil and no need to constantly get new crush washers. I experimented with attaching the hoses to get the oil out, but I found that it just shoots straight into a reasonably well placed oil drain pan. The filter is still a bit of a mess, but I've figured out a system to keep that cleaner by placing packing paper to protect the area below the filter that it drips over. No advice on the oil viscosity for your type of driving. I use the factory recommended rating Mobile One. All I can say is that you probably want to change your oil pretty frequently for city stop and go with that much mileage, maybe at least once a month/5k miles.

I know what you mean about more sidewall. My wife rashes the rims all the time. And with regular tire rotation, I get a nice even rash on all wheels :)

Anyway, I was actually curious about the LED fog lights. Do you have a link to the kit. Is it pretty straightforward?

Thanks for the welcomes! I will at least do 7500 but may push to 10,000 per change. With the quickdrain, sending samples to blackstone should be easy at the first 7500. I was thinking of running 0w40 M1 at 9-10k intervals if the UOA's say I can squeeze that in an OCI. I also use Liqui Moly (Lubro Moly, depending on your market) MOS2 additive to get more mileage out of a full tank.

I've got these, straight forward bulb replacement. I've had good luck with the brand in my previous car. The bulb is set up so that a projector housing isn't required - at least for this type of fog bulb.

The Hikari LED kit for the low beams however are highly recommended to be used in projectors, otherwise you'll need to get the alignment spot on and there's still chance of blinding oncoming traffic.

Stick with 0w20. If I were you, I'd change oil to get a known base state, then at 7500 miles, do a used oil analysis to see where your additive pack is at. Blackstone labs is pretty good. Bob is the oil guy forums is a great resource.

Did the oil change yesterday as well as putting Fumoto quick drain.
Using
Mobil 1 - 110A filter (extensed life *up to 20k miles)
4.4 qts M1 0w20
150ml Liqui Moly MOS2 additive

She has a nice smooth operation now, gas pedal feels more linear. Nice purr too - lower toned and feels with intent. Could be the brain but I swear the butt dyno feels real. I will drop some oil around 7000 miles to blackstone, I'm hoping results show 10k is within safe range of OCIs. Doesn't seem much to ask of modern oils..


The Fumoto drain plug I installed without the extension someone mentioned. I did buy it but after a few measuring the drain would be the lowest point in the undercarriage with the suspension fully in. The extension is NOT necessary, at least for a 2017 SEL. Went with the fumoto because of the safety clip on the valve, other than that the US made counterpart seems just as good.

Cheers!

PS I've already done ~2200 miles in 2 weeks and extremely happy with the Outlander.

Questions:
Is there a super extended filter people use? Not just in label but actual size as there's quite a bit more room for a long filter. Some of my older cars allowed longer Mahle filters to slide.. If I'm running extended oil changes, more filter media may be a good measure.