[GautamJ]

Sprucing my White Hippo

aka Ford EcoSport S

I will be dividing the write-up in three parts for ease of reference and acting as a shortcut to tastier content

1. Part A: Prelude on buying EcoSport
2. Part B: Fancy Modifications (not aiding in performance)
3. Part C: Performance Modification

White Hippo

[GautamJ]

Part A: Prelude on buying EcoSport

This car was replacement for my never-ending niggle Tata Tiago and will be sharing garage with Skoda Rapid (My Skoda Rapid Style 1.5L Diesel DSG Ownership Review). The requirement was very straightforward :-

• No TATA: We had enough experience from last two ownerships to conclude that a garage without TATA badge will be peace of mind.
• No compromise on safety.
• Apple Carplay, not necessary but good to have.

IIRC back in 2019, we had only 4 options in Crossover segment :-

• MS Vitara Brezza: I did not like it after driving my uncle's Brezza, so ruled out.
• Tata Nexon: Badge was enough to strike off the name in our list.
• Ford EcoSport: Age old structure, but still drooling over the looks, shortlisted .
• M&M XUV 3OO: Amazing car, really loved the overall package, but, being recently launched hence avoided.

Ford EcoSport too isn't flawless;
Cons :-

• Horrible Fit and Finish.
• Gearbox isn't the best, it is notchy.
• No brand to take care of it anymore.
• Speakers are horrendous even for an average owner preference.
• Poor choice of tyre size (205/50 R17), though corrected later.

Pros :-

• Reliable 1.5L TDCi
• High speed stability is good.
• Cornering too is reasonably acceptable for a hatchback on stilts.
• Features, Features and Features, it's a long list.

Back in 2019, TATA was picking up pace even in the used market, the sole reason why SC Ford gave an unexpected deal which made us stick with buying decision. The car was booked, there was no waiting hence managed to get the car in a week's time. Dealer experience was B-A-D, but all in all we managed to get the best BS-4 diesel cars in that specific price range. After two and a half years, we are still happy with the decision sans any regrets.

[GautamJ]

Part B: Fancy Modifications

1.ICE Upgrade
As I mention before, that audio quality is horrible. Where competitors are giving JBL branded speakers, which may not be great, but I am sure it'll be way better than these Ford speakers. But, it isn't all that bad as the staging is good, my car has 5 speakers (4 on the doors and 1 centre speaker) and 2 tweeters.
I had few products from my earlier car, so the only additions to this Hippo was Sony 4-Channel Amplifier and a SoundStream 350W Sub.
Outcome? It's wonderful to my ears.

A small peak

https://youtu.be/9SlnogTK0CA

2. 3000K LED Bulbs
This again was picked from another car, I thought it to be dead after an accident, but voila it worked. Honestly, this upgrade isn't much required as the OEM 19W Halogen bulbs are powerful enough. I had sourced it long time back from AliExpress as 3000K colour temperation was hard to source here in India.

3. FORScan Coding
For enthusiasts willing VCDS level of customisation, you'll be disappointed. Quite little I was able to do:-

• Cornering Fog Lamps: Sadly, I did not want it to work with side indicators as they are in the same housing, but the same is not available as an option.
• Splash Screen: Ditched usual Ford splash screen for ST Performance.

ST Performance Splash Screen

All the coding work was done at The Mechanix Automotive.

3. Roots Windtone Horn
Believe me when I say this mod was unplanned. Ford ASC was acting up and driving without horn can be dangerous. A quick commerce mind calculation helped me to conclude on cheapest aftermarket horn fitment. I am happy with the sound, but the connections are done by splicing wires which I am not happy with. Lately, after installing realised that connectors can be bought from Amazon (link to purchase). I will be correcting this install soon in a correct plug and play way.

4. Tiny Bits
Added OEM TPMS for the fifth tyre, as my Hippo was a victim of Ford's cost cutting and TPMS was given a miss. Quite helpful during 5 tyre rotation.
Had also got DDPai Mini DashCam hardwired, tapped Fuse 6 (Parking Sensor Fuse).

[GautamJ]

Part 3: Performance Modifications

Probably the tastiest content

Brief :-
We had never before tinkered with our cars w.r.t. performance, but, this time around situation was different. My hippo's biological () parent had left it alone in this country, and my experience serves me right, Ford has been stingy for warranty claims. A reliable engine and getting in-house funding, wanted to give my investors the best result. We decided to get car Stage 2, as that's the max any tuner has done on the 8V SOHC engine. Stage 3 might be possible, but then investing cash and time on R&D wasn't my cup of tea.

Hard EGR Delete
Before starting off let me apologies environment, EGR delete is said to increse emissions. Keeping the bitter con aside, it aids in performance, improves engine health and also 'kitna deti hai' aspect. As per Mates and Mods, no CEL light came up after fitting plate for Hard EGR delete.

Full Exhaust System
Ideally for Stage 2 just getting an decat downpipe is more than sufficient, and the same was in my case. Also getting sole downpipe is cheaper, but also prevents cops eyeballs. Going with full exhaust helps only with noise or sound, as one may describe, and top end maybe at max for diesel cars. For me, I prefer this sound and my sister shared the same taste, hence, no brainer and we got a full exhaust set-up with dual exhaust tip. It is scary to say, but most likely Hippo won't be able to pass PUC Tests as the muffler and catback is missing.
Quad exhausts (dual tip each side) are what I would have gone with albeit having surplus Vitamin M, act of cost cutting prevailed and feared of being called an over-kill we chose dual tip on one side (right side) itself. Now comes the question of which exhaust tip to choose, our first choice was a spitfire exhaust tip, but, the same wasn’t available, hence settled for a basic dual tip.
We drove car for a day or two with stock map, and happy to report there was no CEL Light. Honestly, it is quite normal for the CEL light to show up, it will disappear after remap has been flashed onto ECU.

Cold Engine Start on Stock Map

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oC_IqwnZbuw

Cold Engine Start after Stage 2 Remap

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEpX8G49r78

Some for fun while passing through tunnel (Note: I was whithin speed limit)

https://youtu.be/G3_QictvNSE

Engine Remap
There are many tuners to choose from, and being totally newbie in this I chose the simple yet safest option, i.e. go with expert (a.k.a. BHPian Dr. Naren). I use to follow his thread on ECU remaps (ECU Remaps : About Tools, Software & Tuners!). Saw Doc recommending Wolf Moto for 1.5L TDCi hence, it was clear. Although Code6 quotes higher gains, I was not only looking for gains but also on drivability. After driving the car in the city, on the highways and twisty roads, I can vouch the car is a hoot to drive. Some more details :-

• Be it any gear, after 1600 rpm the car pulls like a locomotive, simply insane.
• Turbo lag though present, is minimised and has useable power (doesn’t feel dead).
• During ghat section driving, I was able to drive in 2nd gear as against 1st in a complete stock car. By mistake took one section in third gear, it struggled a bit (but obvious) but managed to cross 75% of the steep uphill.
• FE dips when the mood is for fun (expected), but cruise with balanced right foot and it rewards. Filled XtraGreen diesel, and FE for Lonavala trip is 21 kmpl as against 16.4 kmpl I got earlier on the same route.
• After a week sound has changed and it’s throaty and loud (not irritating by anyways). The engine is still supremely refined, way more than stock map.
• Even without the intercooler upgrade, saw engine temperature not exceeding half the mark (same as stock).

As per Wolf Moto team, Hippo is pumping out 125-128 BHP and 260-270 NM. I will be writing a separate post on the Dyno.

Bosch ECU had to be removed for flashing the tunned map

Performance Air-Filter
Many tuners suggests to get a performance airfilter even with Stage 1 too. There are 3 brands I am aware of dealing with performance airfilters, they are K&N, BMC and HPi. We were suggested K&N by Mates and Mods, hence decided the same. Do note, that there is a slight difference in dimensions of EcoSport's airfilter, so do a test fit before buying if possible, this was the reason why it was the last mod to complete Stage 2 saga. After the K&N airfilter, I did notice low end to improve slightly and exhaust note to be throaty.

K&N Performance Airfilter

Dyno

The Result Paper

After being utterly disappointed with KS Motorsport, I directly drove to N1 Racing Autowerks. They were supremely quick even after giving them short notice before dropping in.

https://youtu.be/az1O-ZgHsLA

Dyno Figures :-
Power - 132 HP
Torque - 301 NM

Reading dyno charts aren't my forte and hence dropping below charts for ready reference. Hope BHPian Dr. Naren to help me with these charts.

Dyno chart after SAE correction and figures at crank


Figures measured at wheel (difference is due to drivetrain loss)

Note: After dyno there can be ABS malfunction light showing up on the IC, this should go away after a short run.

Contact Details and Helping Enthusiasts

Contact Details :-
As GTO says "PM just help a few, but post helps many", with this view dropping in the contact details from where I have got mods done and highly recommend. Do note, that I am nowhere connected to them commercially, but sharing as a satisfied customer.

• ICE Upgrades - Reliable Radio Service
  Contact Person - Amol Sali
  Contact Number - +918369484281/+919821684884
• Full Exhaust System, Hard EGR Delete and K&N Performance Airfilter - Mates and Mods
  Contact Person - Pawan Vig
  Contact Number - +919833891051
• Stage 2 ECU Remap - Wolf Moto
  Contact Person - Shreekanth
  Contact Number - +918848751374

Helping Enthusiasts :-

• BHPian Dr. Naren - His posts and tremendous efforts in collecting details helped us in preparing our Hippo.
• Gino Sir - I pinged him late at night, yet he took out time to suggest me the way and connect me with Pawan (from Mates and Mods).

Conclusion :-
By far we are extremely satisfied with this project, and hope will be satisfied for few more years. As far as the cost involved is concerned, we just stopped calculating once the project started exceeding our estimated budget.
Will I recommend getting car Stage 2?
Confused; as these mods are illegal, and for most it may sound like we are paying for illegal stuff, which isn't entirely wrong, but then as an enthusiast it is always a dream to prepare at least one project car. So, as an ethusiast, I will definitely say, if the dream can achieved then why wait, go ahead .

[GTO]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

Going to our homepage today

[tharian]

Very nice

I was looking for a video for quite sometime now on a free flow exhaust system on a 1.5 tdci just to know how it sounds like. Does your exhaust system has a any sort of end can or is it a straight pipe all the way?

So the dyno figures are more than WM quoted? I guess with the cat-con gone, the turbo spooling is much quicker.
With the EGR delete, the performance gain is nothing, it is mainly to keep the engine clean over the long run. Not sure if it aids in better fuel efficiency either.
A bigger intercooler will aid in better performance and efficiency. I would suggest keeping an eye on your temp guage after you do a spirited run. The temperature will for sure cross 90 or be around that. Safe not to be at that temperature for long.

Have fun.

[GautamJ]

Originally Posted by GTO

Going to our homepage today

Thank You GTO.

Originally Posted by tharian

Does your exhaust system has a any sort of end can or is it a straight pipe all the way?
The exhaust is complete straight pipe with catback and muffler delete.

So the dyno figures are more than WM quoted?
Yes, WM understated the figures which IMO is fair.

A bigger intercooler will aid in better performance and efficiency. I would suggest keeping an eye on your temp guage after you do a spirited run.
Even the WM Team suggested me to get an intercooler upgrade, but wasn’t able to find the right guys to either custom made one. For now, temperature gauge never went above half a mark even after spirited driving.

My replies in bold.
Thank You BHPian tharian for kind words and suggestions.

[tharian]

Originally Posted by GautamJ

The exhaust is complete straight pipe with catback and muffler delete.

I guess since you mentioned a downpipe, there is no cat con now. Cat back is when an after market or stock cat con is present in the system and the rest is modified.

Originally Posted by GautamJ

Yes, WM understated the figures which IMO is fair.

Totally. I have a Stage1+ on my Aspire from them since few years now and always wondered what the dyno figure would be.

Originally Posted by GautamJ

Even the WM Team suggested me to get an intercooler upgrade, but wasn’t able to find the right guys to either custom made one. For now, temperature gauge never went above half a mark even after spirited driving..

A 30 seconds top speed run will shoot the temp up. Not recommended though.
A bigger intercooler can be checked with Engineering Exponanents in Bangalore who are tied up with WM.. Maybe they can ship it to you.

[AKSarkar1]

The one word that comes to my mind with these mods is tasteful! The exhaust sounds extremely sweet, almost like a military-spec hummer.

Your car is also a prime example of how mod-friendly Ford cars are, when we think of mods we generally think of the VAG brothers but certain Ford cars have crazy mod potential too!

Looking forward to more posts!

[jithin23]

Congrats on the killer mod and power output Gautam. Don't worry about whether the remap is legal or not. Just enjoy the drive with your beloved car as this will be one of the last decades of ICE cars and BS4 engines are best of the bunch. Almost all BS6 diesel engines are having some issue of the other.

Going by the claim, looks like stage 1+ claim is 125PS and 270Nm torque which is the same claim for your tune too. I'm yet to dyno test it. I'm not sure of a good dyno tester in Bangalore, bit I'll be taking the car to Coimbatore for dyno testing if I'm not able to get a good contact in Bangalore.

[rakesh_r]

Nice set of mods. The exhaust note reminds me of the truck from Steven Spielberg's movie Duel, sounds almost similar.
With the full exhaust, how do you manage to clear the emission test, especially when the cops in MH are happily checking PUC certificates?

[GautamJ]

Originally Posted by tharian

I guess since you mentioned a downpipe, there is no cat con now. Cat back is when an after market or stock cat con is present in the system and the rest is modified.
I stand corrected. Thank You for helping me gain knowledge in this area .

Totally. I have a Stage1+ on my Aspire from them since few years now and always wondered what the dyno figure would be.
WM Stage 1+ is quite famous, and they do quote good numbers. Even I am excited for Stage 1+ figures.

A bigger intercooler can be checked with Engineering Exponanents in Bangalore who are tied up with WM.
Thank You for the lead, will contact them and enquire about the intercooler.

My response in bold.

Originally Posted by AKSarkar1

Looking forward to more posts!

Thanks mate for the appreciation post, really happy to know exhaust note is being accepted well. Not many loves how a diesel car sounds with straight pipe. Posts should come in as and when cash is ready to be deployed.

Originally Posted by jithin23

Just enjoy the drive with your beloved car as this will be one of the last decades of ICE cars and BS4 engines are best of the bunch.

Thank You Jithin Brother, indeed these are the last set of engines one should enjoy on. I’ll be awaiting for your EcoSport’s dyno charts, Stage 1+ has a perfect value proportion IMHO.

Originally Posted by rakesh_r

With the full exhaust, how do you manage to clear the emission test, especially when the cops in MH are happily checking PUC certificates?

Thanks BHPian for kind words.
I had renewed my EcoSport’s PUC back in August 2021, hence the same is valid till August 2022. So, for now not much concerned over PUC, but need to find a way out. Will keep this thread posted during the renewal.

[veyron_head]

Great post and tasteful mods GautamJ. I own a diesel ecosport myself. I know no car is perfect. But this one is close!

I have asked this many times in the forum and trying once again. I have a trend variant that comes with that weird apple-shaped audio system. Been wanting to convert it to a proper touchscreen like in the S variant. When ford was still around I checked with them and they refused. Is there any way I can retrofit the original S variant system on my car?
Or any recommendations for an alternative and a place to get it done in Bangalore? Mine is a 2017 model. Many thanks!

[nightraven]

Great and much needed post about souping up Ford's TDCI. I also own a white Ecosport S and always looked forward to reading up on performance mods for Ecosport which honestly fell short so far considering the mod potential (most mods were limited to stage 1/1+).

Your stage 2 is a breath of fresh air and inspiring. Can you confirm if wolfmoto has removed torque limiter in first and second gears during the remap, since you are able to get on ghats now in 2nd? Our IB5 gearbox is old baggage (B5) from the 70s improved in 90s (hence IB5). It cannot handle high torque and that's something which bothers me from going all in. I look forward to hearing more from you about upcoming mods and will soon join you on the fun.

[GautamJ]

Originally Posted by veyron_head

Been wanting to convert it to a proper touchscreen like in the S variant.
Or any recommendations for an alternative and a place to get it done in Bangalore? Mine is a 2017 model. Many thanks!

Thank You BHPian veyron_head for the appreciation.
Getting Sync3 won’t be a plug and play and the headunit without any modules will cost roughly ₹70,000 IIRC. One of our EcoSport group member is working on fitting Sync3 in prefacelifted EcoSport, but he has made custom wire harness to make it plug and play.
Honestly, it’s too much of a hassle IMHO. Better off buying headunit from HyperSonic, I only know them who might be able to tick your headunit requirement.

Originally Posted by nightraven

Can you confirm if wolfmoto has removed torque limiter in first and second gears during the remap, since you are able to get on ghats now in 2nd?

Thanks mate for liking the modifications on the Hippo. It’ll be great to catch-up and getting your opinion on my car, suggestion are welcome too.
As far as GB goes, I am not well aware of the torque limiter as they already had Stage 2 tune ready and I did not feel the need of any custom calibration. But, I have noticed clutch slippage during quick shifts from 2nd gear to 3rd gear.