[an_and]

Getting the dct at 7.7 Lakhs with 3 yr warranty. Is it a good deal?

[dragonov007]

Posting my query in this thread as there is hardly any activity in the tyre upgrade thread of Aspire for over a fortnight.Mods please move it to that thread if it is deemed appropriate.

Since taking delivery of my TDCi Titanium+,I have driven only inside city limits and have never gone above 90 Kph.Was thinking of upgrading to 195/60/R14 on stock Ford alloys and had decided to go with the Yokohama Earth 1s,hearing that the Earth 1s are 'Made for India' tyres with a tough construction(Now I am not exactly a corner-craver,nor do I drive at insane speeds.I will appreciate a bit of ruggedness and puncture-resistance than pure performance/comfort)

But after going through this excellent thread on Team BHP:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...overrated.html
I am having second thoughts about upgrading my tyres.Will 195 patch ones significantly improve ride/handling/braking?

[d3mon]

Originally Posted by dragonov007

Posting my query in this thread as there is hardly any activity in the tyre upgrade thread of Aspire for over a fortnight.Mods please move it to that thread if it is deemed appropriate.

Since taking delivery of my TDCi Titanium+,I have driven only inside city limits and have never gone above 90 Kph.Was thinking of upgrading to 195/60/R14 on stock Ford alloys and had decided to go with the Yokohama Earth 1s,hearing that the Earth 1s are 'Made for India' tyres with a tough construction(Now I am not exactly a corner-craver,nor do I drive at insane speeds.I will appreciate a bit of ruggedness and puncture-resistance than pure performance/comfort)

But after going through this excellent thread on Team BHP:
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...overrated.html
I am having second thoughts about upgrading my tyres.Will 195 patch ones significantly improve ride/handling/braking?

My personal opinion is that the tyres that come with the Titanium+ (lower variants get a different model) are quite grippy. The body roll is the bigger issue while cornering hard.

I once had to brake very hard on a slippery, muddy surface from ~100kmph and there was little to no drama. There are no wheelspins to worry about either, unless you are dumping the clutch in first from high revs. However, giving it the full beans in first gear after a gentle start does not get the tyres to spin at all. This is because the Aspire has a torque limiter in 1st and 2nd gears to protect the IB5 gearbox. It's only in gears 3rd and beyond that the full fury of the 215NM of torque is unleashed.

[msd63]

If any member owns an automatic version of the Aspire, I would be interested to know what fuel efficiency can be expected in city driving. I own a Vento TDI (2010) and a Celerio AGS. I am beginning to enjoy the hassle free driving of an Automatic and thinking of changing my Vento.

[dragonov007]

Originally Posted by d3mon

My personal opinion is that the tyres that come with the Titanium+ (lower variants get a different model) are quite grippy. The body roll is the bigger issue while cornering hard.

My car comes with Apollo Amazer 3G Maxx tyres.Going by Team BHP reports,Apollo seems to manufacture acceptable tyres which have a balanced blend of comfort,sturdiness and grippiness for regular driving.So I am having second thoughts about changing the stock tyres.

Originally Posted by msd63

If any member owns an automatic version of the Aspire, I would be interested to know what fuel efficiency can be expected in city driving. I own a Vento TDI (2010) and a Celerio AGS. I am beginning to enjoy the hassle free driving of an Automatic and thinking of changing my Vento.

I think you can ask fellow BHPian Methecupid about it.Though he owns the Figo DCT,I guess both the cars will be quite similar in fuel efficiency departments.Allow me to post a link to his ownership review-

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...automatic.html

[samaspire]

Completed one step of bringing my car up to spec with higher models. Added chrome highlights to the interiors. Here's a link to that thread.

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/diy-do...interiors.html

[samaspire]

On a sombre note - this is my car now.


Details posted in this thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3879012

[novicefreak]

OMG!!! what a mess!! I am yet to read the link, but its very sorry state!! feels so bad to see this pic.

I remember your posts contain lot of excitement about your new car and your decision making process n the enthusiasm.

Lets hope Aspire gets proper service, n its up n running in few days!

[KreativeGeek]

Originally Posted by samaspire

On a sombre note - this is my car now.
Attachment 1453938

Details posted in this thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3879012

That is some serious damage to your Aspire, pains to see it in this condition however thankfully you and your family did not meet with any serious injures that's most important. I recollect having a similar encounter preventing myself from hitting a buffalo herd crossing the road in 2008. I could not see one of the buffalo emerging from vegetation planted on the road divider and suddenly two/three buffaloes ran from behind which gave me just enough time to react and pull the hand brake as the regular brakes could not slow me down and I was driving Alto at that time which spun once and came to a halt with a big screech without hitting any pedestrians on the side of the road.

I would ensure my kid wears seat belts while on the rear seat because he keeps asking for my permission to wear it whenever we go around in the city for short drive and I discourage him like a moron thinking what worse can happen, it does not matter how safe you drive but on your worse day any other vehicle being rashly driven can be the cause for your accident too and Pune is famous for this.

[The Rationalist]

Originally Posted by samaspire

On a sombre note - this is my car now.

Hi samaspire,
Did your car have ABS? If it had ABS and this happened I would be very very worried. Its so sad to see your new car in this state, but looks like only sheet metal damage no structural damage. So she can be brought back to shape.Drive safe mate.

The Rationalist.

[rsm97]

Originally Posted by samaspire

On a sombre note - this is my car now.
Attachment 1453938

Details posted in this thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3879012

Very unfortunate. Its not easy to take an all factors considered sort of decision at that precise moment. Seems quite nasty a hit. Good is that everyone in your family is safe.

I am not sure if ABS is a factor here. Seems the car swerved due to a very tight manoeuvre first and then from impact of the pole.

[sathya_g_m]

Originally Posted by samaspire

On a sombre note - this is my car now.
Details posted in this thread.
http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street...ml#post3879012

Sorry to hear this mate. Glad that you all made out safely. Wish your son to come out of the shock soon.
I was thinking that Ford's car are solidly built, shocked to see such an devastating impact.

[jowes]

So here comes my first bad experience with ford Figo Aspire... Filled my tank to the full and to our horror there was a huge drops of petrol leaking!! Now we are stuck near Salem about 10 kms. Called up the service center in Salem. First the service person said he will have to come by bus to reach our spot. Then he asked us to drive all the way to the service center We are still waiting. Will update how they resolve this issue.

[samaspire]

Originally Posted by The Rationalist

Did your car have ABS? If it had ABS and this happened I would be very very worried.

Its so sad to see your new car in this state, but looks like only sheet metal damage no structural damage. So she can be brought back to shape.Drive safe mate.

The Rationalist.

No ABS and your right - there might not be any structural damage.

I have always prided myself on being a very safe driver. For the last 20 years that I have been driving, I have not even had a minor accident, other than scraping the side once while parking.

Originally Posted by sathya_g_m

Wish your son to come out of the shock soon.
I was thinking that Ford's car are solidly built, shocked to see such an devastating impact.

My son is fine. He just had very minor injuries. He slept back 5 minutes after the accident. He is just very sad that his new car is damaged

Actually I felt the car is structurally very solid. What you see is only sheet metal damage, because I could not hear a single squeak or screech on my drive back home from the accident site. And the doors without direct impact are shutting cleanly. I shudder to think what would have happened if I was driving the Alto.

[dragonov007]

It is so painful to see such a thing happen to your car Sam!However she bore the brunt competently to keep you and your family safe,and that is what matters the most. Hitting a light-post at 60km/hr,even sideways,is no small an impact.I remember watching in Discovery Turbo some years back that how the unassuming light-posts are one of the deadliest things on the road.I do not remember in which country the documentary was being shot,but they were showing the testing of some new light post designs which had some amount of flexibility and crumple zones in them.

The bootlid portion of the Aspire is the thinnest part of the car,no denying that.However it is good to see that the outer metal portions crumpled to dissipate the forces without damaging the vital mechanicals or the fuel tank.After looking at the pics I couldn't believe it when you said you could 'drive' her home!However as someone has mentioned,monitor your son for any signs of concussion.I do not know his age,but please monitor him for any vomiting or any bleeding(however minute) from ears or nose too.

About ABS,I was looking at the ongoing discussion in the accident thread.But I wonder if we,who have never driven cars with ABS before,have the necessary skills to fully reap the benefits it gives.Emergency evasive maneuvers are reflex based,and until and unless you have trained yourself a few times in controlled situations doing such maneuvers,I wonder if knowing tons of 'theory' will do anything good.Because as per my limited knowledge reflex actions do not really depend on the judgement centers of the cerebral cortex,and reflex only develops when you train yourself to develop a muscle memory to act in a particular way.That is one of the reasons why racers/pilots etc train in simulators.My other cars are all decade old,and not ABS equipped.This time I have picked the Aspire with ABS,but I have no idea what it will feel,god forbid,if it kicks in during some dire emergency.It will be so good if some manufactures come up with some advanced level driving courses where we can learn what to expect from such electronic wizardry like ABS,EBD,ESP,etc. during emergency maneuvers.

Hope Ford does a competent job in fixing her to top condition.My best wishes with you and your family-drive safe and be safe.