[danlalan]

Originally Posted by sanju.sreekumar

Why does everyone think that there is no point on modding an Ikon?? I too have an Ikon and planning many mods on it!

Cheers
Sanju

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY. The engine that comes with this car is horrible at modding. This 1.6L 91ps engine has been made to a certain specification for Mass production like ALL others.. but theres something different about this engine.
It has been said that an aftermarket air filter will give you hardly any increase in power, It will only sound good. Also Headers will not make much of a difference. Ecu remap will be more for driveability then anything else. Will all these Stage1 mods max 10bhp can be attained.

Instead 1.8zetec turbo engine swap will put a B16 to shame. Try it.

[muneemmk]

If u are considering an engine replacement i would suggest the Toyota 2C over The 2N due to fuel effiency issues.(16 for N and 20+ for C)

[GTO]

Originally Posted by sanju.sreekumar

Why does everyone think that there is no point on modding an Ikon??

Compared to other cars from its bracket:

1. The Ikon is not the most reliable and certain part failures are common place.

2. Lack of readily available bolt-on parts.

3. If something does go wrong, the Ikon is not the cheapest to fix.

4. Faster, lighter and more efficient Japanese options for modding

[abhik]

Originally Posted by akshay1234

i really dont think an endeavour engine will fit into the ikon. plus the gearbox probably wont take the torque and the suspension will have to be beefed up for the extra weight.

I actually meant endeavour as a verb not The SUV.
The SUV can probably eat my car whole forget about transplanting engines.

[abhik]

Originally Posted by GTO

Compared to other cars from its bracket:

1. The Ikon is not the most reliable and certain part failures are common place.

2. Lack of readily available bolt-on parts.

3. If something does go wrong, the Ikon is not the cheapest to fix.

4. Faster, lighter and more efficient Japanese options for modding

Forget all that, you need to get an cold air intake pipe(after the air-filter) custom designed whereas for most cars you just pick one off the shelf

[abhik]

Originally Posted by autopsyche

i second that... for that much of an exercise on an ikon, youd rather get a different car.

Arush i thought i would be heading to you for the same for a complete do up with the engine transplant.:-(

[pawan]

unless you plan on keeping the car for some 5 years or so because you wont get any resale value at all and the car would no longer be fun to drive.

[abhik]

Could'nt log in yesterday to follow up on the thread.
But thanks a ton for the response guys.
But let me try and collectively answer common questions and suggestions.

Agreed that the 1.6 ROCAM engine is not at all a mod friendly engine apart from exteriors, is difficult to maintain, parts are DAMN expensive(somehow only Ford OEM parts suit it best), not very easy to repair especially by local mechanics, somehow soft mods dont bring about much of a difference as compared to other cars with the same.(Not reffering to extensive internal mods.)[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]And FE? Well lets not even go there, its actually comparable to Porches, maybe a Porche would out do the Ikon in all parameters (ofcourse! no comparison there) and FE as well .[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Among a few plus points are its sharp handling, stable chasis, suspension set-up, excellent acceleration due to low-end engine response and a free-revving engine.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Now why i want to keep it.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]*Well! Its my 1st car that i have bought with my own hard earned money(second hand) and thus a sentimental value attached to it.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]Really wanted to do up the car completely, even exterior mods and keep it.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]*Spending/investing on a new car is not an option for me for a couple of years as i really want a diesel compact sedan (Maybe Verna, have Pete's as an option there, dont like the Fiesta lookswise) if possible or the Swift DDiS, none of which will be near the 2.5lacs bracket in the near future. I can get an engine and exterior mods done within that price and even save aswell.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]*Diesel is a priority due to the reasons mentioned in my first post.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]*I have heard of these Toyota engines and also they being used in other cars and returning excellent FE aswell. But power is more important than FE to me so i really dont think with those FE figures they would be low on power aswell.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]*I was looking at a 100-120BHP motor about 1.9-2.0L capacity and sort of a small block to fit in the engine bay but mounts and suspension set up would be an issue maybe apart from all other things.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]BUT[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]*If the above, which i know would be quite an endeavour especially sourcing the engine and its re-build and tuning might just be too much of a wait, money and effort.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]*Sourcing a 1.8 ZETEC would again be quite a hassle and hard to find and source apart from its price. Again being a Ford Engine it would be complex and maintainence would be an issue.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=black]*As far as maintenence is concerned, even if i get the Toyota engine, it will be an issue. Issues will also include engine and chasis number not matching and registration of a new engine. This will be a major problem when crossing borders apart from in city cops aswell. This is risking impounding of the car.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]Due to the above factors i am having second thoughts and it might just be a good idea to just run the car as it is now since i have already replaced most of the wear and tear parts and a lot more(spent 1lakhs approx. excluding CNG) Dont ask me what all because its a huge LONG list, only repainting is left. . My early experiences with a local mechanic proved disastrous, from then on i have insisted on Ford OEM but that proved costly and i didnt have an option. And strangely the engine is untouched, only related parts had to be changed. The engine has done 105000km but whoever has driven it has told me that the engine is good for another 75000kms so again i am in no hurry for a change either.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]So these were my thoughts and I guess in the process I might have partially answered my questions but still need your opinions.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=black]If the above is a NO then I would probably be better off saving for a DDiS or look out for a good second hand deal.[/COLOR]

[Ricky_63]

IF & ONLY IF you wish to keep the car for a number of years.

Go down to Mayapuri & get yourself a Jap diesel engine. The engines are fuel efficient and relatively easy to maintain - but do this only if you are able to tie up with a garage who will do the conversion for you & has done some similar work before.

Just to make you feel more confident. I have seen an Opel Corsa running a Japnese diesel engine very successfully over the past year & a half.

I do not personally know the guy but have seen teh car from up close & it runs well


Cheers

[autopsyche]

Ill need answers to a few questions...

1. Whats your budget for a diesel swap or an estimated cost that you might have got
2. How many years are you planning to keep the car
3. How much mileage do u put on your car every month / year
4. What fuel efficiency do you get from your pesent car

[abhik]

Originally Posted by autopsyche

Ill need answers to a few questions...

1. Whats your budget for a diesel swap or an estimated cost that you might have got
2. How many years are you planning to keep the car
3. How much mileage do u put on your car every month / year
4. What fuel efficiency do you get from your pesent car

Answers

1. I have an estimated 50K for a Turbo Diesel, possibly Toyota, high on power output and FE about 15kmpl in city.(AFAIK people have swapped engines with Toyota Engines and have have bought the engines for 20-25K and overhauled them aswell.)

2. If the swap is done then i can keep it for the next five years.

3. At present 1200-1500kms/month but with a diesel almost every weekend will be an outstation trip for me so 2500-3000kms/month.

4. On Petrol the car delivers-> 5-7kmpl with-without A/C, and this is only if i stick to 50-60kmph and shifts at 1500-2000RPMs. Even lesser FE with spirited driving. Imagine the FE if i had to fill petrol worth Rs.700 @ Rs.45/ltr approx. and i just went from Saket to Shipra Sun City(GZBD) to Hauz Khaz back to Saket(Approx. distance 57-60kms) and every bit of fuel was used up,thats about 4kmpl with spirited driving between speeds of 80-100kmph, a mix of open roads and evening traffic jams, 50% A/C usage. The car did not start the next morning and i had to fill 5ltrs from a can of fuel that i walked up to a nearby pump and got, to start it.
On CNG it returns about Rs1.25-1.35/Km with spirited driving and A/C all the time.

[pawan]

just a heads up make sure quality parts are used during the install since some of the toyota transplanted cars i have heard of have caught fire.

here is a picture of a ikon with the toyota engine i saw long back:

[abhik]

Originally Posted by pawan

have caught fire.

Caught fire You are scaring me man, if after spending a good amount of money on my beloved first car, then watch all of it go up in flames!!!
Ok! Another reason to change my mind!

BTW any idea on the specs of these engines, this one looks small and the air-intake is way too long.

[esteem_lover]

Originally Posted by GTO

Best to sell the car and buy something else which suits your need better.

I agree. There is no reason why you should stick on to a gas guzzler when you cant afford it. As said by all modding the Ikon is not a simple cheap job. Ask around for anyone who has done any mods at all in their Ikons.

[abhik]

Originally Posted by esteem_lover

I agree. There is no reason why you should stick on to a gas guzzler when you cant afford it.

Not that i cant afford it! More like i dont want to!
I am sure even you would'nt want to spend that much on fuel for a 1.6 when there are people out there getting twice as better FE in the same class.