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-   -   Project Sigma: Journey of my pre-owned Ford Fiesta 1.6 (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/183877-project-sigma-journey-my-pre-owned-ford-fiesta-1-6-a.html)

Before I begin writing this, warning : this will be a long one. This is my journey of building my dream car the Ford 1.6.

Backstory : 2011 was the time I got my drivers license. My first car was an Esteem 1.3 that my dad gave to me. It was my daily ride to my college, the city routes and occasional highway driving. I got the car at around 72000 kms and used the hell out of it till 158,900 kms. It had an engine rebuild at 1,23,000 kms and eventually it had to go because of a bad accident which made the car too unsafe for me to drive.

Buildlog :
1. 15" Wheels wrapped in 195/45/15 Nankang Rubber
2. HKS End muffler later swapped to BorlaProXs with a decat system.
3. Green Cotton Storm air Intake(The cover broke)
4. Vogtland lowering springs.
5. Some DIY's here and there.

Pictures followed for the journey.
Inspiration :


Engine Build :


PreMakeover:


PostMakeover :





Unfortunately, it had a sad end as I got rear ended by a truck on the highway due to the front car suddenly braking, thats when I realised the brakes weren't good enough and I had to let go of it. Still Regret it :
:deadhorse

As I sold my car, I was looking for another drivers car. Wanted something that came as close too the Esteem with the springs(handling improved only post that).

The options I had :

1. City VTec Type 2: A friend had one for sale, but the car was too old and NGT issues otherwise it was my first options. Also the parts weren't available everywhere.

2. Fiesta 1.6/1.6S : I tried to find the S, but either it wasn't in a good condition or the options were way too expensive. The Fiesta MK6 I had driven before made me fall in love with it, the handling was good so was the comfort so was the power delivery, but it lacked the outright response of the 1.3MPFi(More on that later)

3. Civic 1.8 : This was the last option on my list, the options I found were mostly beaten and once I drove the car, it didn't give me the same feel the Fiesta did.

4. Fabia 1.6 : Oh man, this hatchback has no comparison even till date, the cars I have driven. Ford DCT, GT Tsi or the Swift Vxi(Turboed) all fall down in front of a good Fabia 1.6. Couldn't find one in Gurgaon. Sadly it shall be a dream.

So, I was at a dealer's shop and I saw this Fiesta 1.6, quite beaten up but drove well, everything was in order except for the suspension(which I have to swap anyways). I knew a good detail at Dazzle(Notorious on TBHp) could bring it in good shape. Enquired the price, the car was run for 68,500~ kms and was for 1.70 Lakhs. I was sold, and I picked the car. This was the car at the day I got it.



Buildlog on the Sigma 1.6 Duratec :

1. Swapped the exhaust to the BorlaProXs, waiting for a good CatDelete with a Map.
2. Wheels changed to Lenso PDX 16" 7J.
3. Yoko A Drives 205/50/16. The tires are absolutely brilliant, sweep the corners so well.
4. Revamped the interiors.

Future Buildlog :

1. BMC DIA, first on the list. Waiting for my friend to send me his DIA which was on the Polo 1.6 before. Good deal
2. Pete's Map, I have my doubts on the "10 BHP" gain on NA promised. This shall be a heart over mind decision completely. Planning around March end.
3. H&R Springs, stuck in customs hoping for them to be dispatched so that I can get the lower look back and take corners better.
4. Bilstein B6 : Planned around May/June end if I dont get a new car by then. But definitely will get them sooner or later.
5.Cam Upgrade : Still planning on them, and will decide later if I need them.
6. Tarox G88 Rotors, in the pipeline by May/June. Currently running Bosch pads on stock discs.
7. Omex RevLimiter : For better launches, and timely gear shifts. And the pops/bangs. Video Attached.
8. 1.6S bodykit, doubts over poserboy attitudes. lol:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn5RBQf_NyI

This is the car now, will update as and when parts arrive.

Special thanks to BHPian Notorious, Prithwi and Petrolhead_Neel for the help on the Fiesta 1.6.

Thank you again for the support guys :thumbs up

Got the springs delivered last week. They took a long time to get here but came through the official India dealer which is AutoPsyche Delhi.

The Procedure .
1. Springs ordered through Arush in the second week of December.
2. Springs left on 3rd January because of the christmas holidays.
3. Springs reached on 6th February after customs clearance.
4. Landing cost was 25~ ballpark which is VFM.

Now, I have driven cars with H&R and had vogtlands on my previous car.
Overall, the comparison here :

1. Stiffness wise Eibachs win, they are as comfortable as the stock springs except for when I had to climb the NCR Hills/Breakers. They do affect the car on rumble strips too. H&R are close to eibach but slightly stiffer. Vogtland is the stiffest of all, really uncomfortable for city driving daily. Would not recommend them even if they are slightly cheaper. Also to note the fact Vogtlands come in 45mm but the other two are available in 35mm which is suitable lowering for our cars.

2. The car takes corners sweetly now, have done corners at 130-140 on wide corners, city traffic sweeping is an ease and the outright bodyroll has reduced to more than half.

3. Cost wish the Eibachs are placed between Vogtland and H&R hence making them affordable for our driving style.

As of September 2017, I have done about 10,500 kms with the lowering springs on the car.

Handling : The handling is still top notch, the car came with a good setup of springs+Struts. I had upgraded to the Eibachs on the sole advice of Prithwi-81 who recommended these over the H&R's.
The cars handling is about a 30% jump on the stock setup, basically its a breeze during corners, and it makes emergency braking a little easy due to less back bending at high speed braking. Its got a better ability to filter through traffic, even while I am at a higher gear.

For Eg: If you are driving at 100kmph on the 3rd gear, and you need to take a corner you do not need to slower down to 60-80Kmph as on the stock setup, the tirescreech is virtually gone.
Even at higher gears, when you are taking a corner the car doesn't lift off.
The vogtlands had a particular problem of lifting off at higher speeds, the eibachs are much better built.

Stiffness/Comfort : The comfort of the car is a compromise, yes it is. But at the same time its better than other springs in the market. The comfort is at a balance on normal roads, with slight bumpiness. But at higher speeds, the bumpiness is rightly felt. One a broken patch, the suspension feels very stiff and the back suffers a lot. You need to take the potholes and breakers carefully. Especially the breakers where it doesn't matter how slow you take it but if you have more than 2 people in the car, you need to go sideways and tackle the breaker or else the underbelly has gone for a toss.

Reliability : Hard truth, but the struts have gone out now and so need a change. I am opting for the BILSTEIN B8 for my car, which are far better than the stock struts and are built for lowering shocks. The struts had done a life of about 26000 kms in total. Its a worthy investment and should make the car much better at handling and stiffness along for reliability.



Pictures attached below.

I have driven the car for about 21000 kms now and its nothing but a good journey with the car. I have loved driving it daily, and apart from a few small problems the car is reliable for me.

Likes :

1. Handling : I have explained the handling in detail on the post about the springs, but in short the stock handling is far better than the other stock setups in the market.
   I also drive the Polo GT TSi twice/thrice a week, and the polo's setup is highly erractic, with bad bump absorption. The Fiesta fares far better in that sense. The boots however have lost their life, and need a swap at 88000~ kms. On cornering, they make a loud gnarly life.
   
2. Braking : In short the stock brakes are adequate and dont have a problem. They dont fade that fast and have a good life. On the stock springs under brake pressure, theres a flex in the car towards the front, but with the springs swapped the braking is quite stable.
   The stock brakes do however make quite a sound and dirt can get trapped easily, but a regular wash should sort that out.
   Plans are to shift to EBC pads when the budget permits.
   
3. Audio System : The audio system deserves an applause for sure, Ford has done a massively good job on the audio system. The components sound very good, and the HU has good tuning ability for a novice listener. An upgrade is on the cards in the next two months.
   
4. Space : Even when compared to the current sedans on offer, Fiesta offers quite good space both for the passengers and the boot, I have had five people sitting comfortably in the car, and the armrest is a good addition.
   The cupholders hold an average 12OZ glass but the position behind the handbrake is quite erratic and one needs to often bend the arm to get the coffee. The side cupholders can hold a full 1L bottle but the problem is with smaller glasses where the lid will come off eventually. The Polo doesnt have this problem with the tilted placement. Theres a space under the AC Controls for the coins and the charging port.
   There's also more than enough storage in the glovebox and can hold about 10 CD Boxes properly.
   
5. Air Conditioning : Well, one place where ford excels is the AC. The cooling is pretty quick and with the fan speed at full I can shoot a hard rock video with my hair flipping :P
   

DisLikes :

1. Power: Okay, this might be a controversial discussion but I feel the car lacks power, the power delivery is good with the right gear ratios but the power is lacking. Its quick, and very good at the corners but a good turbo 1.5 would have made the car much quicker and would suit the weight, which is quite heavy. The car has to be downshifted to overtake often from 4th to 2nd.
   
2. Reliability: Its true, ford isn't reliable enough. Not as much as my old Esteem. Ford's service centers are problematic to deal with, and the paintwork I got from then was ghastly. It was costly at the same time.
   
   I had a problem with the washing too, they left swirl marks all over my newly detailed car and then refused to cut off the charges for it during regular service, when I had not asked for a wash.
   Avoid TANISHQ FORD GURGAON, unless you dont have another option.
   
3. Part availability : Ford has made sure the customers are left with no option but to reach to the service centers for parts. They dont sell B2C at their service centers but at their part distributor centers which dont stock most of the items.
   Case In Point : When I went in to pick the regular items for service, they didn't have the oil filter or air filter and I have never heard of a part shop to not have the basic filters in stock.
   

Well thats all I have for now. I will be updating the thread soon as and when new parts arrive for mods!

Thank you.

Congrats !! Pictures of the installations (even a small component, as they say
'a picture speaks a thousand words') would be much appreciated. Keep up the good work.

Hi Ill be putting up pictures in a day or two!

Congrats mate. Every time I see a Fiesta driver I suddenly feel the connect, I think all of them think the same way, that is to not care of the things like resale value and VFM and things like that.
Agree with you on your views on the Fabia, great car that. Did you also consider 1st gen Baleno?Cedia( slightly more expensive in second hand market)?

Thank you!
So the baleno was out simply because I had an esteem before this and most balenos were old or beaten up.
About the cedia, I restrict my views to it being a good car but a tad too expensive for what it is. Never liked the looks either.

Congrats @devilwearsprada

The ride looks hot! Can't wait to see what all mods you do. The 1.6 is a great car! The old school enthusiastic singing NA with great handling and steering feedback. The 1.6, especially the 1.6S was my dream car. It was sunset by the time I went shopping hence bought the GT TSI. So I know where you are coming from. Yes, it needs some outright power, which I think you will take care of in future mods.

I think with FFE, good air intake and then a remap the Duratec 1.6 can make about 131HP? I rememeber a tbhpian has done it.

Haha, I decided to have the best of both worlds so got the GT in February. loving both NA and Turbo!
Extracting more power is tough, unless I go the turbo way.

I doubt those maps are legit, none of them are dyno tested, and mostly farce figures in the air. The Intake won't increase BHP but will give the car a little more high end, in a car where the low end is already problematic.
The exhaust I do plan to go decat but the car is so close to the manifold its a tough job.

Hi!

Here is the message from the said Fiesta owner.
That said I own a Fiesta 1.6 too so interested in what mods you plan :)

I think I saw your car being worked on at Heera Motors. I remember it from the alloy wheels and the purple shade of your car. If that is the case your car had earned another admirer. It looks really good in person. Actually, I spent quite some time ogling her. :D Btw, did Heera help you out with some mods. I am his regular customer and this info might be useful.

Congratulations on your car! I am a fan of old ford's, just for their stock handling. Wish you all the best for the mods planned, and I hope it works out fine.

I have recently shifted on the outskirts of NCR recently, and purchased a Ecosport A/T from Tanish Ford. Fortunately, I have had good experiences till now (quite professional compared to other dealers I have dealt with in NCR), and I will servicing my car over there till warranty expires.

Can you suggest me any other place I can get it serviced, post warranty i.e.? I am scouting for good local options.

Thanks,
Simple_car