[peterjim13]

Originally Posted by joe_lightspeed

During this lockdown, the car is not being used as a daily as i'm working from home. Car is safely kept inside my garage attached to my home. Eagerly waiting to go for a night drive with my close friends after this lock-down.

Future updates will be added to this Thread.

Thanks everyone for reading the review. Please let me know any questions on my car and I'll be happy to answer. Drive Safe

Thank you
Joe

Hi Joe, that's one little beauty you got there.

On deeper inspection of the pics, the parking ground looked very familiar and it seems we both share the same parking space at the Infopark. I typically park my EcoSport on one of the first few reserved for my company.

This is somewhere I typically go out for post-tea evening walks as well. Looking forward to seeing this hot hatch in flesh post lockdown.

[joe_lightspeed]

Originally Posted by peterjim13

Hi Joe, that's one little beauty you got there.

On deeper inspection of the pics, the parking ground looked very familiar and it seems we both share the same parking space at the Infopark. I typically park my EcoSport on one of the first few reserved for my company.

This is somewhere I typically go out for post-tea evening walks as well. Looking forward to seeing this hot hatch in flesh post lockdown.

Hey peterjim13, Many thanks and so happy to meet you here.

My office is at carnival and I mostly park my car at Thapasya if I'm reaching infopark close to the shuttle's timing.

Looking forward to meeting you there!

[jraj]

What a fabulous looking car. Congratulations. What is your opinion on the Fordpass app. Have you started using it for remote functions in your car?

[Sk8r]

Hi Joe,

I own a Freestlye TDCi and I can relate to every word you have put out there.

Your thread has inspired me to do a couple of things post the 3 year mark :
- Add Alloys
- Go for Code6

Now that you have pumped up it's power, It's a little Hot hatch and it looks fabolous, especially the last pic of the rear three quarters made me drool at it multiple times !

[Kosfactor]

The tires + wheel upgrade and the lowering kit, especially the lowering kit has given it the looks the car deserves, well done. I don't think you need to add spacers, it looks just right.

And some reading material on diesels and throttle. Post BS4 your vehicle may have it as well.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techn...tle-plate.html (Explained: Why Diesel engines need a throttle body & throttle plate)

Please be very careful before you 'Delete/Block' anything connected to the engine , they are far too complex and consequences are often beyond the grasp of tuning shops.

[joe_lightspeed]

Originally Posted by viXit

LG V20 B&O Play and some Wharfedale speakers,
Quite the audiophile, eh?

Love your review and it was a great decision to change the rear bumper.
Looks way better that the unwieldy facelifted one.

Ford cars always have the best backlight colors.
I remember the amazing soft green instrument cluster with red needles on my grandfather's 07 fiesta.

Looking forward to more posts and maybe an ICE UPGRADE THREAD?
Expect a pretty balls to the wall system from you.

Many thanks viXit. Yes, my dad is a Hi-Fi enthusiast and he has some collections at home.

The cyan AKA soft green instrument cluster looks cool to me as well.

Currently there's nothing planned on the ICE department. Will surely update if I start with it.

Originally Posted by jraj

What a fabulous looking car. Congratulations. What is your opinion on the Fordpass app. Have you started using it for remote functions in your car?

Thank you jraj. My car is BS4 and it doesn't have the ford pass app connectivity. Have to check with ford on having the module installed in my car post lock-down.

[evilmessiah]

Hey Joe,

We seem to have a lot in common when it comes to cars:

1) We have a pre-facelift Figo at home in the same color as yours. I prefer the looks of this version to that of the facelifted one that you have. I think if you had an option, you would like to have the interiors and features of the new one with the looks of the pre-facelifted one (since it has much cleaner lines) and the handling of the Figo Sports (the handling part seems to be taken care of with the Eibachs).

2) I would have done most of the mods that you have done. I didn't find the Figo a slouch, but I would have also looked at the remap options only after 3 or 5 years of ownership. Like you, I would have been most interested in the Eibach Prokit springs that you put in. Would have also gone with 15 inchers with Michelin PS4s (our car is running on Michelin XM2s now.) Any specific reason why you opted for the Freestyle's rims? I would have loved Momos or OZs on this car. Each to his own in this case.

3) I'm also a relatively picky audiophile. Jinx- I also rock an LG V20 B&O edition! (love its HiFi DAC and solid build). I was also itching for a speaker upgrade. Yours has given me food for thought.

In short, beautiful and subtle mods done to a great (and honestly quite underrated) little hatch. Great to find someone who has similar tastes-this is mostly how I would have modded our Figo for sure if I was dailying it. Voted your thread 5 stars. Am liking and subscribing to this thread too. Keep us posted on the life of this sweet little hatch.

Would like to discuss more about the mods done on your car. I will PM you for that. Hope that I would be able to meet up with you, admire and check out your car in person when I come back to Cochin (once World War C dies down- fingers crossed).

[sahil624]

I absolutely love the Figo TDCi! What a fun little package it is to drive. I can just imagine the improvement in the drivability with the mods done. Have a fun ownership with this wonderful car

[Vibhanshu0923]

Hey Joe,

Your car is a treat!! Kudos to you for such well-executed mods. The 2015 generation of the Figo was a good car lacking only the build quality and handling of the earlier model. Your suspension upgrade has taken care of the handling part. Not to mention it looks smashing with that lowered stance.

I am the owner of a white Figo Sports 1.5 TDCi bought in 2017. This was my first car and I am running a stage 1+ remap from wolf moto since January 2019. The 1.5 TDCi motor is fairly quick in the stock tune itself and a remap just makes it a truly stonking motor. The grunt on offer is truly addictive and makes for 2nd gear wheelspins on flooring the throttle on roads with a bit of dust. I genuinely think that Figo is a car that punches above its weight in the mechanical department and my car has given me some of the most fun drives of my life.

I too would recommend getting a black roof wrap to complete the look. The Figo is truly an astonishing combination of performance and efficiency. Proves that you can have fun on a limited budget as well. Wishing you many more happy miles in your car!

[Stribog]

130 bhp on a hatch, your Weight / BHP must be pretty crazy. I pity the bigger flashier cars running up against you not knowing the power under the bonnet.

[BashfulKlutz]

That's a lovely hatchback! I'm also considering of recommending the Ford Figo 1.2 Dragon petrol to my grandfather to replace our 2002 Alto. Unfortunately, he is a person who will stubbornly trust Maruti, come what may. The only worry about the Figo is that intimidating-looking joint venture between Ford and Mahindra, which makes me persistently afraid of the former leaving India; otherwise the Figo has a heck of a lot going for it, with the six airbag Titanium Blu trim coming in just under our budget (on-road price through CarWale), and maintenance (rather, spare part costs) being equivalent to that of Maruti cars.

[joe_lightspeed]

Originally Posted by cjnigesh

A Freestyle owner from Thrissur here.

First of all, let me congratulate you for the awesome mods that you have performed on your ride. I have been considering sort of same modifications on my ride for the last couple of months. What has kept me paused is the warranty (standard warranty of 2 years due in August this year) concerns. I am a novice when it comes to a brand new vehicle ownership and maintenance part.

***It seems like you have had no issues for parts replacement under warranty even after the mods especially the remap*** Please correct me if I am wrong...

Notes:

Mine has completed the 20000 mark recently and completed the third service last month.

No issues to speak of other than the slightest lag in second gear while tackling speed breakers and the same dark smoke under acceleration.

The service advisor had asked me whether the car has been modified due to the several TeamBHP stickers!

My concerns are listed below:

1.) Are the 195/55/15 tyres direct fit on the Freestyle stock rims (2018 Titanium+ Variant), since you have mentioned about your concerns regarding the spacers? Pros and Cons if you may address!

Note: Stock Tyres: Bridgestone Sportmax 185/60/15

2.) If yes, what would be the ideal brand of choice of tyres?

3.) Petes piggyback tuning box or Code 6 remap? Again Pros and Cons! I am in the same boat as you when it comes to the realisation of resale value of a ford in our market. Hence I would love to keep it for as long as I can...

4.) Since I have got Sync III, all I want to have my speakers upgraded to either ‘Focal’ or ‘Rockford’ along with dampening all 4 doors and the boot lid. No Subwoofer for me as this is the only car we have got. So, your recommendation about the same would be greatly appreciated (price and reputable shop to do the aforementioned).

5.) What have made you to choose ibac over Bilstein B6 (I have got ‘0’ technical clue about both)? All I felt that the rear stock suspensions setup are bit saggy under spirited drives. Is it necessary to change the entire setup or upgrading just the rear would work the magic?

6.) Further explanation on EGR valve closing requirement would be greatly appreciated.

Nice meeting you here cjnigesh. You've bought yourself a very capable car. KL-63 is near to my place. I'll PM you and let's plan a meet after this lock-down. been hectic busy with my work and sorry for the delayed response.

On your concerns:

1.) Yes, The tire profile is direct fit and you can easily mount 205/55/r15 in the same rim. The width of the rim is 6.5J if I’m not wrong. The wheel spacer I would require is about 10mm is to align the rear wheels with the wheel arches (Consider that as my OCD). The car is currently running on Apollo Alnac's and the tire noise reduced to minimum at high speeds. As Alnac’s are not made for performance, it screeches while hard braking or taking a corner above 80 kmph.

2.) For freestyle, the tire height is increased compared to the profile of a Figo. if you’re looking for performance tires, my recommendations are Michelin PS4, Yoko S Drive or Bridgestone Turanza. One of my friends who owns a Freestyle have upgraded the tires to MRF Perfinza 195/60/r15 and he is happy about its grip and ride quality.

3.) I'm not much aware of the Piggyback ECU from Petes. I have only checked with Code – 6 and Wolf Moto. Plug in tuning box is a safer way in terms of warranty as its easily removable. Where remapping directly alters the ECU software and remapping procedure is entirely permanent and you will have to flash it back to stock configuration while claiming warranty for any engine related parts. (Depends on the dealer)

4.) Sync 3’s output is way better than the FlyAudio in my car. the stock speakers were not good in terms of the clarity and that was my reason for the replacement. I’m a person who prefer to listen vocals in clarity and Focal Coaxial’s are filling my needs. I’d ask you to have a look on the below thread from GTO before having the ICE upgraded. Experts say that Rockford is punchy and Focal is more into clarity. I'll PM you contact number of my friend who can help with ICE upgrade.

Originally Posted by GTO

Like good music? Who doesn't!

To many of us, music is a way of life. Heading out to an audio shop to beef up the sound system is a logical move. The benefit of a high-end audio system is obvious Pure sound quality. It's been 3 years since I got a tricked out ICE install, and every drive has brought an extremely pleasurable aural experience.

5.) I have never seen a Figo with B6 dampers and I’m not sure about its availability in our place. B6 isn’t height adjustable if I’m not wrong and I would consider buying a set of height adjustable coilovers for the price. The OE suspension with Eibach springs are a value for money combination and it’s up to the mark in terms of the handing. I would not recommend you to lower the ride height of the Freestyle and you can opt for coil spring buffers to have the ride quality improved.

6.) Hope the post will help you on the EGR part.

Originally Posted by joe_lightspeed

EGR is a functional strategy to control NOx emissions from diesel engines. EGR works by recirculating a portion of an engine's exhaust gas back to the engine cylinders. this recirculation leads to deposit carbon soot and makes the intake blocked.

Few of my observations on EGR delete are,
1) Improves the power output of the engine.
2) Improves fuel efficiency and the longevity of the engine.
3) It can prevent EGR replacement which can cost amount up to 8k.

Thank you and wishing you more happy miles ahead. Drive Safe

Joe

[MrBeast]

Originally Posted by cjnigesh

My concerns are listed below:

1.) Are the 195/55/15 tyres direct fit on the Freestyle stock rims since you have mentioned about your concerns regarding the spacers? Pros and Cons if you may address!

2.) If yes, what would be the ideal brand of choice of tyres?

3.) Petes piggyback tuning box or Code 6 remap? Again Pros and Cons! I am in the same boat as you when it comes to the realisation of resale value of a ford in our market.
4.) Since I have got Sync III, all I want to have my speakers upgraded to either ‘Focal’ or ‘Rockford’ along with dampening all 4 doors and the boot lid. No Subwoofer for me as this is the only car we have got. So, your recommendation about the same would be greatly appreciated.

5.) What have made you to choose ibac over Bilstein B6 (I have got ‘0’ technical clue about both)? All I felt that the rear stock suspensions setup are bit saggy under spirited drives. Is it necessary to change the entire setup or upgrading just the rear would work the magic?

6.) Further explanation on EGR valve closing requirement would be greatly appreciated.

Hi cjnigesh,

Let me help you out this with a little.

1. The 195/55/R15 tyres will be a direct fit on the Freestyle stock rims and you may not worry about any issues. No spacers are required for the same. In terms of cons, I don't see any issue but there are a number of pros for doing the same. you will not only get a better grip but the power too will be channelled to the road in a better manner.

2. Go for Michelin or Yokohama tyres as these are one of the best. Other options from Apollo, Continental, and Bridgestone may also be considered.

3. Going for a proper remap is always better than getting a tuning box and thus out of the options you cited, I think Code 6 remap will be a better choice. The scope of customising the individual figures while remapping is always high and you can get an output which suits your driving needs.

4. While Focal and Rockford give great output, at almost the same costs, we do have better speakers in the market. Do try the new AVATAR speakers as they sound really nice and have a great bass punch. A single layer dampening on all four doors will make the setup sound much better. Here in Delhi, 2 pairs of Avatar 650 and four damping sheets will cost somewhere around Rs 15-18K.

5. As you mentioned that this is the only car in your family, I will advise you against suspension up-gradation. The stiffer springs and suspension will result in a harsh ride, especially at the rear. The Freestyle is a great car and is extremely comfortable on long rides. Suspension upgrading to stiffer springs and dampers will hamper the comfort levels.

6. EGR helps in recirculating the exhaust air and mixing it with the fresh air going into the engine at a predefined ratio. This helps to keep the emissions in check. However, in stock form, it may not be an essential step and is often done when the car is tuned. An EGR delete will help your engine breathe better and you may also see a slight increase in power and fuel economy.

[joe_lightspeed]

Originally Posted by Sk8r

Hi Joe,

I own a Freestlye TDCi and I can relate to every word you have put out there.

Your thread has inspired me to do a couple of things post the 3 year mark :
- Add Alloys
- Go for Code6

Now that you have pumped up it's power, It's a little Hot hatch and it looks fabolous, especially the last pic of the rear three quarters made me drool at it multiple times !

Hey Sk8r, Many thanks and happy to know you liked my thread and keep us updated with the mods on your Freestyle. Drive safe!

Originally Posted by evilmessiah

Hey Joe,

We seem to have a lot in common when it comes to cars:

1) We have a pre-facelift Figo at home in the same color as yours. I prefer the looks of this version to that of the facelifted one that you have. I think if you had an option, you would like to have the interiors and features of the new one with the looks of the pre-facelifted one (since it has much cleaner lines) and the handling of the Figo Sports (the handling part seems to be taken care of with the Eibachs).

2) I would have done most of the mods that you have done. I didn't find the Figo a slouch, but I would have also looked at the remap options only after 3 or 5 years of ownership. Like you, I would have been most interested in the Eibach Prokit springs that you put in. Would have also gone with 15 inchers with Michelin PS4s (our car is running on Michelin XM2s now.) Any specific reason why you opted for the Freestyle's rims? I would have loved Momos or OZs on this car. Each to his own in this case.

3) I'm also a relatively picky audiophile. Jinx- I also rock an LG V20 B&O edition! (love its HiFi DAC and solid build). I was also itching for a speaker upgrade. Yours has given me food for thought.

In short, beautiful and subtle mods done to a great (and honestly quite underrated) little hatch. Great to find someone who has similar tastes-this is mostly how I would have modded our Figo for sure if I was dailying it. Voted your thread 5 stars. Am liking and subscribing to this thread too. Keep us posted on the life of this sweet little hatch.

Would like to discuss more about the mods done on your car. I will PM you for that. Hope that I would be able to meet up with you, admire and check out your car in person when I come back to Cochin (once World War C dies down- fingers crossed).

Hello evilmessiah, Nice meeting you here! you said it right bro the pre-facelift one, especially the S trim is the best looking Figo to me too. The reason I chose the rims from FS only because I got the set for a reasonable price. It's already in my list to upgrade the wheels from the FS to a set of lightweight rims like Lenso or momo in 16 inches with PS4's. Its been 4 years with v20 B&O Edition the Quad DAC is one of the reasons still makes me to stick with it.

Your support for the thread is highly appreciated. PM me once you're back in Kochi.

Originally Posted by sahil624

I absolutely love the Figo TDCi! What a fun little package it is to drive. I can just imagine the improvement in the drivability with the mods done. Have a fun ownership with this wonderful car

Many thanks Sahil.

Originally Posted by Vibhanshu0923

Hey Joe,

Your car is a treat!! Kudos to you for such well-executed mods. The 2015 generation of the Figo was a good car lacking only the build quality and handling of the earlier model. Your suspension upgrade has taken care of the handling part. Not to mention it looks smashing with that lowered stance.

I am the owner of a white Figo Sports 1.5 TDCi bought in 2017. This was my first car and I am running a stage 1+ remap from wolf moto since January 2019. The 1.5 TDCi motor is fairly quick in the stock tune itself and a remap just makes it a truly stonking motor. The grunt on offer is truly addictive and makes for 2nd gear wheelspins on flooring the throttle on roads with a bit of dust. I genuinely think that Figo is a car that punches above its weight in the mechanical department and my car has given me some of the most fun drives of my life.

I too would recommend getting a black roof wrap to complete the look. The Figo is truly an astonishing combination of performance and efficiency. Proves that you can have fun on a limited budget as well. Wishing you many more happy miles in your car!

Thank you. Figo S is a beauty, moreover the car is an absolute fun to drive package. Looking forward to seeing some photos of the car.

Originally Posted by Stribog

130 bhp on a hatch, your Weight / BHP must be pretty crazy. I pity the bigger flashier cars running up against you not knowing the power under the bonnet.

Haha!

[tharian]

Originally Posted by joe_lightspeed

After 7 months of ownership, the only problem I faced was the black smoke coming out from the engine at high Revs. The amount of smoke was thick, and I’ve approached ford’s service centre to check if it’s an issue and I came to know that black smoke is common for all diesel engines.
Also discussing this issue with a friend of mine, who is an expert with cars taught me that the reason for said black smoke was that with more throttle, more fuel than needed is dumped. .
....
, they completely closed the EGR valve with a metal plate and updated the combustion ratio. The amount of engine clatter felt inside has come to its least. Black smoke produced when accelerating to its potential is not there anymore. The car smokes very less upon flooring the pedal unlike before. Throttle response has improved with the map. There is no drastic change in the FE, still I’m getting around 16.5 kmpl as average. It’s hard to drive the car like a normal person now.
.

I am surprised that you had black smoke on the stock map. Either the air filter was partially clogged or the fuel quality was bad. I never experienced black smoke on full throttle on my Aspire when it was stock. In fact it began when I had the Code6 map.
I agree that the engine gets smoother and quieter and the thrust once the turbo kicks is addictive with Code6.
But that was because of excess fuelling which showed in the fuel efficiency figures.
Now with a Wolf Moto map, there is hardly any smoke except when the turbo is kicking in.

I didn't understand what you meant by updating the combustion ratio.

Alnac4g's are good all around tyres for their price. I've pushed them on corners and hard braking and they hold. The only time I felt I needed better tyres were when I do a standing start.

Were the dampers replaced too along with the coil springs?

Happy driving the pocket rocket.