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-   -   FFE for Aveo U-VA EDIT - Got it now. 1st in India I suppose (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifications-accessories/58930-ffe-aveo-u-va-edit-got-now-1st-india-i-suppose-2.html)

oh kool.. congrates buddy.
where did you get FFE from? waiting for pics and writeups.

The story:

Like you know already, I’d been researching free flow for my car for a couple of weeks now. It so happened that I needed to travel to Bombay over the last weekend. On a hunch, I decided to take the car for the trip. Friday is when I called up Jignesh (Viper) and told him I’m going to be in town on Saturday and would want to meet him. My initial plans were not too firm about getting any mods done. It was more of a research.

Pushed off from Vadodara at 4:30 AM on Saturday and was expecting to get to Bombay by 10:00 AM. However, battling the trucks on the highway and the numerous diversions around Surat and Ankleshwar, I finally reached Andheri around 11:30. Jignesh had promptly called me up at around 10:30 to find out where I was. After I had reached my destination (where I was to drop off my wife and son), I called Jignesh and told him I was on my way to his office. Not familiar with the changed roadscape and Bombay traffic any more, we (me and a friend) got lost on our way a few times and finally ended up at his office at 3:30 PM (more than half a day wasted).

We got together and talked about almost everything automotive and then came to my car’s free flow requirement. He had arranged for his guy to come in and take the car to the workshop already. I clearly mentioned my requirements (low and mid end torque improvement for drivability and no growls under 3k RPM). I had reservations because mine was going to be the first U-VA he was doing (or anyone else in India for that matter). I even texted him later in the night to tell him to ‘non-destructively’ remove my existing exhaust system! We were very clear that if the job was not up to my expectations, we’d put the stock back on, no questions asked. I must mention – Jigesh is a very convincing person and I had to keep my guard up while talking to him all the time (no offence mate!) lol:


Jignesh mentioned that it would not be possible to do anything for the remainder of the day except maybe take off the stock exhaust. He said he would try and get some work done on Sunday (which is a week off) and get the whole thing finished in any case by Monday late afternoon. I had a pressing requirement of getting back to Vadodara by Monday night.
Called Jiggy bhai in the morning on Sunday – bad news, nothing was happening on the car! But he was still sticking to the timescale of Monday afternoon. Sunday was thus spent travelling in the locals and touring around downtown with the family (shopping) and friends (having general fun).

Come Monday morning and I and my friend were off to Viper’s again. Got to his office by 12:15 (again were unfortunate with a local train we took and the morning traffic nightmares). He had gone out of office by then but did mention to me that the resonator, intermediaries and the muffler were done. They were just waiting for the headers and the mating plate for it (which was being custom done). Decided to wait for him to return and take us to the workshop. Whiled away an hour and a half at the Café Coffee Day opposite his office in Colaba with a few colored crushes (the ones that you drink :D)

He came in at 2:30 PM and we then waited in his office for news on the mating plate. It would not be done before 4 PM, we were told. No sweat. I mentally prepared myself with the fact that we would not be able to leave town that day. Meanwhile, we chatted about Jignesh’s upcoming project (hush…hush!) and the goodies he had brought from his recent trip to Singapore/Bangkok. While he educated me on autos, I passed on some of my education to him about computers.

We left at around 4 to go to the workshop. The plate had arrived and the headers were being done. I and my friend went behind the car to look and were floored with the exhaust tip. It was a generous 2.5” shiny one that now suits my car perfectly (instead of the puny stock pointing downwards). My friend could not stop grinning and said that the whole trip to Bombay was worth having that exhaust tip! Jignesh had a few words with his guy and I was very sure that the guy knew what he was doing. Unfortunately, Jignesh had to rush out because of a personal emergency but he made sure every detail was in place.

The next few hours were spent talking to the guys there, having glasses of tea, omlette buns and supervising the work being done. The headers were tack welded and aligned. They were then finalized and welded, a layer of paint put on them, and plug mounted for the secondary oxygen sensor and then came the assembly. It was finally called done at 7:30 PM. I ran the idle-learn procedure for my ECU after connecting the battery back on and the car was started. The humming was GOOD! We pulled out of the workshop for a test drive. Unfortunately, this time in Bombay is peak traffic. I could not really push the car much. Went for a short and interrupted drive around the block and came back to the workshop. I looked and sounded okay. We decided to take off. Viper’s guy was courteous enough and offered to lead the way on his bike to direct us to the Western Express highway. He also said that if there was anything on our way that looked like a problem, we should call him immediately. I raced as much as I dared with the traffic around and reached Andheri at around 10:00 PM.

I had decided that if I like the exhaust job, I’d take the plunge and drive all the way back to Vadodara in the night. Well, it looked like I did like how the car was pulling and the growl. Plonked the stuff and the humans into the car, cleaned the windshield and took to the highway at 11:00 PM. Called Jignesh before leaving that I will give him an update after reaching Vadodara.

The drive was amazing. My wife and son went off to sleep soon after and it was just us and the highway. I happened to catch an FM station that was playing good 80’s and 90’s rock bands. Kept it at a barely audible volume and drove along. We raced and cruised and overtook everything on the road (including some Swifts and Accents with really loud endcans !) Reached home at 5 AM. 6 hrs flat with a 20 min break in between.

The experience:

I now have a complete free flow with MS headers and a custom resonator and muffler. I can safely say a few things about this exhaust job –

1.It has improved my fuel efficiency by at least 15%.
2.The torque in first and second gears has improved significantly. Earlier it was a struggle to take off.
3.The sluggishness of a heavy car like a U-VA is very less pronounced now.
4.I do not feel a lack of power anywhere in the rev band. It’s very linear if you ask me.
5.I love the sound – just a mild hum at idling, not loud while cruising at lower RPMs and a distinct growl above 3k RPM.

All in all, I’d definitely recommend the Viper treatment for free flows. Thanks Jignesh for what you have accomplished.
Next in line are a conical air-filter test, some OWS treatment and an ECU learn sequence (because I did not get time to do it yet). A check on the clutch plate is also in order as per Jignesh’s recommendation.

Pics coming soon!

EDIT - I just realized this is my 100th post on the forums!

Congrats on the job. I'd love to know what his next project is, since he's selling his monster City. Anyways, pics and a video awaited :)

Awesome job dude!!

Actually my mom also complained that her U-VA is slightly sluggish! So I was searching around for mods and found your thread. :D

btw what were the damages like?

and, can anyone help me regarding this? cuz I'm in Delhi. Any custom FFE builders around NCR?

I don't know about custom FFE makers in NCR. Maybe the guys from up north can help with some recommendations.

Just so you know, I have the following on my U-VA:

1. K&N stock replacement filter
2. Custom full FFE
3. Mobil1 Synth in the engine
4. NGK Iridium sparks
5. OWS additive in the gearbox (to improve the notchy U-VA GB)

I am now in the process of designing a dual pipe induction modification for the air intake.

Pics and price?

Also, where did you source the NGK Iridium sparks from? What price?

EDIT - My 900th post!

Hey Massssk, those are great details you have provided. I am looking at somethinh like you have done.

Some additional Torque would make UVA a fun to drive. I think I would be trying Viper for my UVA. I was watching this thread closely for updates.

Another point that I have here is

1. My UVA is under 3 yrs no maintainance plan. 1 yr and 2 months done. Adding FFE will void the plan. What is your take on that, would it void warranty? (Sometimes the 3 yrs no maintainance becomes pain )
2. Is the increase in torque is result of only FFe or combination of all five items and FFE?
3. Any changes in NVH at idle?
4. How is the drive with AC switched on?
5. Can you PM me Vipers contact details? I would like to have a word with him.
6. Last and important, how much did it set you back in the bank account?

Also can you provide more details on the item 1 to 5 you have mentioned?

The NGKs were sourced from a performance parts dealer in Ahmedabad. You can possibly get the details of your nearest dealer from the website - NGK

I don't remember the exact price but I can look it up in the invoice and post later.

I realize that pics of my ride and mods are long overdue! Will try doing the needful asap :thumbs up

@FireBird - see my comments below:

Great Dude. Thanks for the details. I am not really sure about the prices of FFE, however I am ok with 12K.

Thanks in advance, since you gonna put forward some words for me.

The requirements you have specified are just perfect for UVA. Low and Mid range torque.

A question - Would change in FFE get registered with ECM?

I think its high time I get a FFE done.

The exhaust change after the FFE does get registered with the ECM. I suggest you do an idle-relearn procedure after the FFE is done. This makes sure that your idle does not bounce around immediately after reconnecting the battery. Also, you would see the idle RPM fall by around 35-40 after the FFE is done.

Just for reference, here is the idle relearn process for the U-VA:

Turn the ignition ON for 5 seconds.
Turn the ignition OFF for 10 seconds.
Turn the ignition ON for 5 seconds.
Start the engine in neutral.
Allow the engine to run until the engine coolant is above 85°C.
Turn the A/C ON for 10 seconds.
Turn the A/C OFF for 10 seconds.
Turn the A/C ON for 10 seconds.
Turn the A/C OFF for 10 seconds.
Turn the ignition OFF.
The idle learn procedure is complete.

While this procedure is on, you would notice the the engine would have started at a high RPM (around 1100). The RPM will slowly start settling down through the process.

After the idle-relearn, I would suggest that you do a spirited run of the car. This will start storing a little aggressive maps in the ECU.

Even later, if you want to reset the ECM (for whatever reason), you can do it by pulling out two fuses for the ECM from the fuse box in the dash on the driver's side panel. No need to pull out the battery terminals. I can confirm that this works because my ScanGauge II resets and reconnects after I pull out these fuses.

hey was going through the threads on aveos..well on a yuva im not sure but on an aveo i believe i was the first...running on an ffe since 2006..lol!:D