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Old 11th September 2018, 11:49   #121
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re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vibhanshu0923 View Post
I had taken my car to the BIC open track day this Sunday and it didn't disappoint me one bit.
You are lucky. I wish I could do that on a F1 track in my car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Vibhanshu0923 View Post
Contrary to your observation, I could not find any improvement in the power. However, there was no loss either. It just behaved the same post the delete as before it.
Yes, actually it was placebo more than an actual increase. But, more importantly, the engine was not breathing in the same amounts of exhaust as before. Why didn't you do a complete block instead? I am guessing the package comes with both the plates.

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Originally Posted by Vibhanshu0923 View Post
Thanks a ton for this information. Going by your positive feedback, I have messaged the seller and just ordered a pack of 4 for my car. Shall update the effects post usage.
This will for sure make a difference. You need to use two bottles per tankful to feel it.
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Old 11th September 2018, 12:43   #122
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re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

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Originally Posted by tharian View Post
You are lucky. I wish I could do that on a F1 track in my car.
I guess this is the sole upside of living in NCR as you have access to the country's sole F1-grade racetrack. What a dream it would be if we could have a racetrack in the North, south, east and west to cater to enthusiasts all over the country

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Originally Posted by tharian View Post
Yes, actually it was placebo more than an actual increase. But, more importantly, the engine was not breathing in the same amounts of exhaust as before. Why didn't you do a complete block instead? I am guessing the package comes with both the plates.
True. The delete will surely help the engine breathe cleaner and reduce carbon buildup in the intake. I could not do the complete block as I was getting a CEL light when I inserted the the plate with no hole. So for now I resorted to the partial delete as that blocked around 80% of the valve opening. I will be getting a full EGR delete when I decide to go for a remap.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tharian View Post
This will for sure make a difference. You need to use two bottles per tankful to feel it.
I think they have changed the price and quantity per bottle. I got a bottle of 300 ml Cetane X for Rs. 465. IIRC, we need to use around 200ml for one tankfull of diesel. That is what the seller recommended me too.
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Old 21st September 2018, 18:34   #123
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re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Changed the air filter today since I had bought a couple of filters and stocked them few months ago.
The power felt reduced since last few kms and the smoke from the exhaust seemed to have increased a bit too.
The picture shows the old and new filters. It had run for just 4k kms.

In the mean while I fixed the BMC conical filter from my old car in the filter housing and took it for a spin. There was slight increase in responsiveness, but there was almost no black smoke when I revved in gear as well in neutral to around 5k rpms.

As much as I wanted to leave it on, I couldn't since there was a gap in the intake at the bottom of the filter housing and the filter which would suck in dirty air.
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Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd-ad776a0986774a3f9e112a1d3ab6aac7.jpeg  

Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd-6f6634955c974c338fd14fa0e66f7457.jpeg  

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Old 20th October 2018, 08:19   #124
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re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

A surprise second remap

It's been 9 months and 5000 kms since I got the Code6 remap done on my car. To begin with, the Code6 remap is fun when it comes to outright power. I had got the mild map which should have been around 120-125bhp and 240-250nm. The power delivery band was good too as it used to kick in at around 1700 rpms and used to pull strong till till around 3500-4000 rpms. The driveability in city was good as well and with just low end, I could a manage ovetakes. Overall I felt it was worth what I paid for since I got it for a discount.

At the same time, I was not that satisfied that the map couldn't be customized to my needs although I did get adjusted to the new characteristics of the map over time. The other issue was the dropping mileage over time. The city cycle had settled to 12.5-13 kmpl which I felt was low even for a re-mapped diesel. Highway was around 17 and this is if I drove sedately. With rising fuel prices, it reminded me of my old Figo and on the long run, it will make a dent. Then there was the EGR block which had to be done as well and a slight smoking issue on full throttle.
The smoking was not bothersome since I felt it was the soot accumulated in the pipes more often.
As for the EGR, fitting a full block plate in place of the partial block plate was hard work and the last time I did it, I had pain all over for couple of days, so I wanted it to be soft deleted instead and on a later date, I can get the full plate fitted if required.

Code6, who was the first tuner was was ready to fit the full plate and then soft delete the EGR and I was also thinking of their aggressive map upgrade at the same time. The time factor and distance to their workshop was a problem for me and honestly, I wanted to try something else.
WolfMoto was a tuner I wanted to go with after all their positive reviews right from the beginning. But due to the price factor, I went with Code6 and that was not a regret either. Code6, with the discount was worth it.
Wolfmoto and me were in conversation from a year or so about a map for my car. They wanted me to try it out and I wanted something different along with the other stuff mentioned above. I didn't have to pay the usual cost either, which was the main reason that I took the leap too.
Long story short, I got couple of maps of which the first one didn't feel as powerful, a bit of tweaking was done and a second was flashed which felt much better. Since it's been just 50 kms or so since I got it done, I'll reserve my observations for later, and let the ECU adapt to the new map as well, but first impressions are positive. The most obvious was that the NVH has dropped quite a bit. The idle and low end engine sound is almost non existant. So much so that I can hear the soft turbo whine all the while now unlike before when the surroundings were quiet.
Smoke has reduced as well on full throttle apart from the puff which was usual when the turbo kicks in. This I will have to keep a watch on after some city driving.
The other initial observation was that the power delivery is become linear now which I had asked for. The stock power delivery of the Aspire was linear and nice which was lost after the first remap. It was like the old gen Verna or Swift when the turbo kicked in and pushed you back which I didn't enjoy much. Now it is much better and smoother and at the same time, similar output although it is not felt like before, This is something I will work with them on as per my needs. As of now the figures remain more or less the same as per the previous map, but the upside being, I can get it customized further.
EGR is finally soft deleted with the partial block plate and I need to observe the fuel efficiency.
Since there is a trip coming up soon, I will be able to guage the difference clearly and let them know what I need.
For now, it is like I am driving the same car with a different engine.
Attached Thumbnails
Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd-5edd6e60d86f4c17b67fcf8625422512.jpeg  


Last edited by tharian : 20th October 2018 at 08:32.
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Old 20th October 2018, 11:34   #125
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re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

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Originally Posted by tharian View Post
For now, it is like I am driving the same car with a different engine.
Welcome to Wolf gang .

Wolf maps are generally focused on better low end and drivability with not much smoke. But they do give outright power if we ask for it. Also you will find more difference after driving around 200 km, let the ECU adapt .

I also suggest you to time the car. I believe Wolf team has got Dragy with them. BHPian blackbandit Figo was just brutal with Wolf Remap after ECU adaptation.

Last edited by Dr.Naren : 20th October 2018 at 11:37.
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Old 29th October 2018, 14:06   #126
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Had the one of the best drives on a car that is mine.

It was a 800 kms round trip to Calicut. I had driven just 50 kms or so after the remap and was waiting for this trip to know the full effect of the new map. I had done this route many times on my old Figo and hated how it had to struggle to overtake the fast buses or stubborn cars on Kerala roads. It was a world of difference this time.

I had done three long trips on the Code6 map and although I liked the ease at which I could reach high speeds, I didn't like the sudden surge in power once the turbo spooled. With this map, the driveability factor was totally different especially with the linear delivery which meant no head banging for the passengers. The way the car can pick up speed and the way it does it was just what I wanted, with NVH in check too.

It felt like the engine was swapped out for a bigger one. This was especially felt when climbing the Wayanad ghats which had a line of traffic all the way to the top. Floor the pedal and almost with nil lag, I was able to pull off a multiple car overtake when I got a stretch to do so.
This was with the 3 pax and luggage. Most of the previous trips were done on expressways and it is difficult to guage the map then. Bangalore-Calicut has all types of roads which was perfect. The fun part is when time is not lost because of the car being not powered enough to pull off a quick overtake. Over a trip, this helps since the overall time is reduced as I realized when I headed to Calicut from Bangalore which took me 6.5 hours of drive time, which was a first.
The car has done 14700 kms and I got a fuel efficiency of 17.5 kmpl over 700 kms. This was good keeping in mind that the trip had just around 200kms or so kms that were expressway type in which I could keep a steady speed. The rest were either traffic or twists and turns.
I was looking out for visible smoke during the drive and noticed that twice in WOT, it did smoke which I need to get checked. Otheriwse, the smoking was less and hardly seen.

I had a chance to drive a new Ecosport S TDci as well which was in the family and although that car is heavier, I could anyway realize how much more powerful my car had become due to the remap. Overall, a very much worth it upgrade.

Posing with the Ecosport S
Attached Thumbnails
Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd-ef23a54546744d279735bca897956b15.jpeg  


Last edited by tharian : 29th October 2018 at 14:10.
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Old 21st November 2018, 20:37   #127
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Good news in the fuel efficiency department, especially with the diesel fuel price nearing petrol.

With tankful calculated and the car run 450 kms since the last full tank, it was 16kmpl. Out of this, 150 was highway which was Mysore to Bangalore which was as good as city driving.

Smoke has reduced as well and come back to stock levels. It smokes very less on flooring the pedal unlike before when I could see a cloud of black smoke behind.

I stick to Essar fuel and visit the same pump which I know is good. On the return during the last trip, I filled up at a wayside Indian Oil pump and the difference in smoothness was obvious. Even with Cetane X , the engine felt rough and noisy most of the times.

With a diesel, the difference in fuel quality can be obvious.

Last edited by tharian : 21st November 2018 at 21:02.
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Old 29th November 2018, 16:10   #128
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

A general question from a prospective Aspire TDCI shopper:

How easy or difficult is the clutch to operate when driving in regular bumper to bumper office time and general traffic? Does the clutch become hard enough to become a problematic feature in the Ford diesels? Especially if one were coming from a petrol car (since your earlier car was a petrol Figo), how much of an adverse difference do the heavier controls of diesel car make in terms of the overall driving experience?

I recently did test drive of the Ecosport TDCI and the test drive vehicle had travelled 11000 odd kms. I found the clutch to be quite stiff, and with a rather strong kickback. It might not be a pleasant experience when doing 1st gear-2nd gear musical chairs in heavy traffic. Of course, I drive a Swift petrol, so the difference was significantly felt by me.

Also, since you have the Ecosport in the family, how would you rate the overall fun to drive quotient when comparing the Ecosport TDCI to the Aspire TDCI?

Last edited by arindambasu13 : 29th November 2018 at 16:11.
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Old 30th November 2018, 08:33   #129
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Quote:
Originally Posted by arindambasu13 View Post
A general question from a prospective Aspire TDCI shopper:

How easy or difficult is the clutch to operate when driving in regular bumper to bumper office time and general traffic? Does the clutch become hard enough to become a problematic feature in the Ford diesels? Especially if one were coming from a petrol car (since your earlier car was a petrol Figo), how much of an adverse difference do the heavier controls of diesel car make in terms of the overall driving experience?
Coming from a petrol car, the clutch definitely felt hard for the first few months. I don't drive in extreme bumper to bumper traffic, so cannot comment how bad it would be, but it is just a matter of getting used to. But, it is not as comfortable as a petrol car for sure when it comes to the clutch hardness. As for me, I have got used to it and I have't felt that the clutch is excessively hard and it has been the same feel from the beginning as well.
As for the driving dynamics, there is not much difference being a diesel. Once you get used to it, you can have as much fun as in a petrol car. Just that you have to unlearn certain things.


Quote:
Originally Posted by arindambasu13 View Post
Also, since you have the Ecosport in the family, how would you rate the overall fun to drive quotient when comparing the Ecosport TDCI to the Aspire TDCI?
Ecosport masked the speed quite well compared to the Aspire and felt quite stable due to its heavier weight and of course, you sit higher. On a Aspire, the fun is more since you can push the car, especially if you have the 15 inch wheels and it is quite direct in terms of feel and speed. Both are different when it comes to the driving experience. On a Aspire, you feel the speed once you cross the ton.
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Old 30th November 2018, 08:38   #130
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

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Ecosport masked the speed quite well compared to the Aspire and felt quite stable due to its heavier weight and of course, you sit higher. On a Aspire, the fun is more since you can push the car, especially if you have the 15 inch wheels and it is quite direct in terms of feel and speed. Both are different when it comes to the driving experience. On a Aspire, you feel the speed once you cross the ton.
Thanks for the insights. What I meant to ask was: given that the engine is the same (though in slightly differing states of tune) in both the Ecosport and Aspire, and the considerable weight difference between the two vehicles, doesn't the Aspire have better acceleration and higher FTD factor?

I am not just talking numbers here (I am aware there is a 2 -3 second difference in 0-100 timings between both vehicles)- I am more on the seat of the pants feel when accelerating in both the cars, from an enthusiast's point of view. Would be good to know your experience and view on this.
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Old 30th November 2018, 09:38   #131
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

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Originally Posted by arindambasu13 View Post
Thanks for the insights. What I meant to ask was: given that the engine is the same (though in slightly differing states of tune) in both the Ecosport and Aspire, and the considerable weight difference between the two vehicles, doesn't the Aspire have better acceleration and higher FTD factor?

I am not just talking numbers here (I am aware there is a 2 -3 second difference in 0-100 timings between both vehicles)- I am more on the seat of the pants feel when accelerating in both the cars, from an enthusiast's point of view. Would be good to know your experience and view on this.
Yes, the Aspire has better acceleration, not just on paper, but in reality.
On the Aspire, you definitely feel the acceleration as well as speed. For me, that is fun because I want to feel the speed rather than looking at the speedo and then realizing I am doing some high speeds . That is what I meant by saying the Aspire is direct when it comes to speed and feel and that is mainly because it is lighter and add to that an engine with very less lag, in gear accelerations are quick which is useful once you start driving on highways.

I think the new Aspire rides similar to the old Aspire Sports because of the bigger wheels which makes it good since it requires those sized tyres and with that new gearbox, it will be much better.

Last edited by tharian : 30th November 2018 at 09:40.
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Old 24th December 2018, 20:00   #132
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Mod #3

Muffler Delete and full EGR plate fitted.

Since I was so used to some audible feedback on my previous two cars that had a FFE, that ever since I got the Aspire, I've been wanting to get rid of the muffler for some kind of note. I read up online on others who had done similar mod on their diesel cars. I was sure being a small capacity diesel, the sound was not going to be like a broken exhaust.
I had got a SS elbow pipe along with a down facing tailpipe that could be attached to it. The plan was to remove the muffler and fix this with the end aligning to the clamp so it could be attached. I had gone to Bosch workshop in Hoodi who did a perfect job in fitting just like I wanted with good workmanship. Simultaneously the partial EGR block plate that I had fitted was removed and the full block plate fitted. The EGR was blocked when I did the Wolf Moto remap, but I wanted to get this done since I felt there was a slight leak which probably was letting in air to the intake which was affecting the fuel efficiency. Now with the EGR physically and software blocked, I can be sure if it is my right foot that is the reason.

The sound when firing up has a nice bass which disappears once the rpm settles. On the inside, there is a low bassy thrum when I accelerate which again goes away as the rpm climbs. When flooring it, there is a deep diesel like sound, since it from behind the car, it's not like the engine is noisy and that's only when the revs above 2.5k.

After getting the muffler removed and driving for a while, since there is not much of a difference on the inside, I was thinking, having a small muffler can save costs for Ford instead of doing some other cost cutting.
The part that I liked the best is the clean look from behind which otherwise had the muffler clearly visible.

The video has a exhaust tip fitted just to see if the exhaust can be diverted away from the rear bumper.
Attached Thumbnails
Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd-f299d169fa224e79964d3685eab9f958.jpeg  

Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd-97b800fc78894832910d723699f35a23.jpeg  

Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd-78d564affc644dc1bbc5de454b329772.jpeg  

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Old 25th December 2018, 11:12   #133
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Here is another video of a close up shot of the straight pipe fitted. It can be barely seen just below the bumper on the inside. I will have to fit the down facing muffler top to avoid the bumper from being soot covered.

Car has run 15250 kms.


Last edited by tharian : 25th December 2018 at 11:19.
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Old 2nd January 2019, 22:40   #134
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

Done with another Madras trip with a total of 800 kms done. Car has run 16100 kms now.

Car was brilliant as always and it felt it has got quicker now. Onward trip, I felt the engine has become harsh and was thinking it was because of the muffler removed. On the return, I realized it was the fuel quality.

I had a good run on the return, doing Madras to Electronics city in 4 hours by keeping some good speeds. I had topped up with Shell diesel for a change and it was quite good on the NVH of the engine and add to that, it was revving quite smoothly. I was at 2500-3000 rpms most of the time and that gave me 17 kmpl on the return.

The sound with the muffler delete was just like how I wanted. It has a nice deep muted thrum like an intake sound when accelerating hard and otherwise, it is a very muted bassy sound everytime the turbo spools. At high revs, it does sound sweet and not too loud either. The good thing is, the note is clearly from behind which doesn't make the cabin noisy. With the windows rolled down, driving along side a high divider, a nice diesel exhaust burble can be heard at times.

No issues for now.
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Old 2nd January 2019, 23:10   #135
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Re: Rubicon: Ford Aspire 1.5L Sports, now Wolf'd

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Originally Posted by tharian View Post
Mod #3

Muffler Delete and full EGR plate fitted.
Hi ,I have an Ecosport which has run 145K, is it any beneficial doing EGR block now ? It's 5 yrs old. Also how is it done. Thank you.

Last edited by Gannu_1 : 3rd January 2019 at 07:05. Reason: Removing Youtube URL from the quoted post. Thanks.
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