[frankmehta]

Originally Posted by JRD

Frank,

I would recomend not using system G or premium fuel. These cars are specifically configured to cope with the low octane fuels in india. As long as you get unadulterated regular petrol it should be just fine. System G with do nothing but bog down your engine's performance. I have tried it with my esteem and corolla and have had disastrous results.

As per the 8kmpl dont worry about it just try not to make the engine knock or strain the engine(low speeds in higher gears) for about 5k to 6k and then the FE will come up on its own. You car needs some time to get used to your driving style.

Tyre pressure for 195/60/r15 is 32psi and since yours are 205/55/r15 (lower profile) 32 psi will be easier on the tyres and your back. My corolla (heavier then the fiesta) had 205/60/R15 and 32psi did the job quite well.

Ok.. So about 32-34 sounds better than Ford's utterly absurd figures for the 195s.

About system g, I am yet to find a difference between with and without it.. But asked, since majority of people here use it in their Fiestas.

The car is really silent, so its hard to pinpoint knocking (if any). Also, I shift to a higher gear at 3000. And do not shift to 2nd below speeds of 40. That's the best I can do. It's hard, very hard to restrain. But 8 is a little worrying with the kind of driving I practised. waiting for the next 3 tankfuls before passing a verdict

[VahanPujari]

Frank

You got a heck of a car there. Having owned a Ford earlier, IMHO Ford Cars are one of the best Fun to drive cars. Car & Parts are also extremely reliable & as you said the high cost of spares is the only thing to be looked after.

Regarding 8 kmpl FE, its mostly because of Mumbai B2B traffic. My Linea gives me tank-full to tank-full FE of around 9 kmpl (100% AC ON) at an avg speed of 16 kmph only. However, on saturdays (because of less traffic) she assumes different personality & always returns with an FE of a whopping 16 kmpl (100% AC ON in city) at an avg speed of 40-45 kmph.

[VahanPujari]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

About system g, I am yet to find a difference between with and without it.. But asked, since majority of people here use it in their Fiestas.

Regular & Premium Petrol - both has identical octane-ratings. No difference at all. Those days when premium used to be marketed with higher Octane-rating are long gone. The only difference between Regular & Premium is that Premium petrol contains certain additives (like System G or Friction Booster etc).

[shreyasma]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

Also, wanted to ask 2 questions:
1. WHEN should I start using Iftex System G? (or equivalent)
2. I don't mind tanking up with Premium fuels like SPEED or POWER. Should I do that? Or is Regular Unleaded + System G fine
3. What is the recommended tyre pressure for the fronts and rears? Ford recommends 36 and 41 for a loaded car with 4-5 passengers (front and rear respectively). I have 30 in front and the rear. What Pressure is recommended?

Thats 3 questions mate

[vnabhi]

I used regular unleaded fuel from Shell and IOC for the first 5000 kms, and started using system g on and off after that. I suggest you not to go for premium fuels, as you'd be paying Rs 3 extra per litre for them, whereas for system g, it is only a little over a rupee (299 bucks for 250 ml).

As regards your FE of 8,I think you need to wait for a couple of more tankfuls. But if you've read my review of my car, I'd mentioned that I'd met a 1.6 S owner who said he always gets 8 to 9 kmpl in Hyd city driving, which was a bit less than my avg of 11 to 12.5. The service advisor attributed bigger wheels and wider tyres on the Sports model for the lower FE figures.

[ada]

Running in needs to be done with regular fuel, (see running in thread, really helpful), if you use additives then the running in period might be extended.

[gaurav_chopra04]

Originally Posted by frankmehta

The Also, I shift to a higher gear at 3000. And do not shift to 2nd below speeds of 40. That's the best I can do. It's hard, very hard to restrain. But 8 is a little worrying with the kind of driving I practised. waiting for the next 3 tankfuls before passing a verdict

Sir ji aise chalaoge to 8 ki hi average degi. I havent driven the fiesta. So cannot comment on when exactly to change gears but normally in city try to change gears at a max on 2500 but thats max. I make sure I change to a higher gear as soon as I reach 2000 rpm. And since Cedia has very good torque. The need to shift to lower gears only come below 11-1200 rpm. I get an average of about 10-10.5. and yes when I drive it without care. its 7-8kmpl and when I drive at around 3-5000 rpm constantly like on delhi -gurgaon expressway (only sometimes though) it reaches 6.

Plus you have upsized tyres. The FE will slightly be low as compared to a stock car.

Note from the Team-BHP Support Team : Please take the time to use proper punctuation as per Team-BHP rules. Avoid...typing...like...this. Thanks.

[anachronix]

Frank,

The FE figures looks pretty low. I am not sure if the tire upgrade has something to do here. But try to be smooth on the pedal for sometime and observe the FE. You need an awful lot of patience to keep the revs low.

I have completed around 9K Kms and the worst I have got so far with some insane driving is 10+KMPL.

The best I've ever got is 13KMPL. I was blessed so much with patience that day and the fuel from Shell did help!

[frankmehta]

Just got back from college. On the way back, I got my scuff plates fitted. Genuine ford ones. Good quality and a must, according to me..
Also got my single din dash kit for the ICE and the wiring harness to prevent cutting of wires to attach the head unit.
Scuff plates cost me 1100, wiring harness cost 500 and the dash kit cost 900. All are genuine ford parts and they are really good quality.
I don't mind if someone comes and tells me they've paid less for them before. Since I want quality work this time And I will not spare any expense to do so.
Only thing that remains now is the ICE and minor stuff like the keychain and tissue holder.

[VahanPujari]

frank

can you post pics of the scuff plates

[frankmehta]

Hi. Will do so when I'm home.

guys I am at the service center. There are a few STARTLING discoveries that I have made today. Don't worry, all of them are good!

1. I have changed my tyres from 195/55R15 to 205/55R15.

Today, the service attendant at shaman ford did not even utter a word, noticed the new tyre. Took a paper and noted it down. I thought he was going to complain to the manager about this and that this was for official purposes, to note down that warranty was void for this reason. But what happened after this was absolutely interesting. He walked back in a second with the Ford diagnostic pda(hp ipaq attached to the ford interface module!) in his hand. Connected the pda to the socket below the steering and just did a diagnostic test. What he did after that made me smile. he went into the programmable values section, changed the values from 195/55R15 to 205/R5515! Simple! Easy as 1-2-3. My ecu now 'KnOWS' that I have larger tyres! Awesome, init. Very professional and love the approach. No warranty void, in fact now the car will perform better.
According to what I had heard, the warranty would have been void. But...... Not!


2. The s ecu has NO other changes made to it, other than the tyre config. Since the car was recognised as a duratec petrol. No s nomenclature. So that's the only change of setting in the ecu. The attendant also confirmed this, saying no other changes in ecu programming have been made, since they will have a lot of different values from the normal Zxi, making service difficult for them.

3. The starting problem, was not actually a problem. Its just the crank sensor on the ecu. He said, since I am used to giving half a turn in the esteem for a longer period, the ford will take some time getting used to. The crank sensor comes into play when it senses a longer crank, or inversely, a half crank. It goes into protect mode and doesn't allow a start for some time. To reset the crank sensor one needs to turn the key (ignition) off and on five times. There, done.


This is what I remember. There is more I want to tell you'll. As I remember, I will post here. Phew! This is officially the longest mobile phone post!


Edit: what does this news mean for Fiesta owners?? It means a tyre upgrade can be done under the knowledge of the service centre, and the warranty is NOT void since they themselves have acknowledged it and made the changes without me asking for it,, doesn't it mean they have accepted it now? I am very happy to type this. :-)

[Vid6639]

lol. Frank most likely the ecu entry for tyre size is not for better performance with that tyre size. They entered the tyre size to correct the speedo error with the new size. That is what the ecu will take care.

[frankmehta]

but you're not getting the silver lining!! they acknowledged the tyre upgrade and let it pass!!!!! yaaaaaay!

[frankmehta]

Here is a photo of the scuff plate. taken with flash at night. excuse the quality. this is the only picture I have.



I just got back home and wanted to show several photos I have taken of the undercarriage of the car. There is one video. Sorry for bad quality in some pictures. Blame it on the small cmos sensors in mobile phones.

The discs are visible in the photos, and they are in perfect shape. There are no grooves on them and the braking is also top notch. Have many more photos of the discs, but look very similar to each other. Rest assured, they are in perfect shape.





















Videos:

YouTube - Underbody of my Ford Fiesta S 2009 Diamond white

[vnabhi]

Good news Frank---reg the ecu reset for higher profile tyres. Good to know this.

On the other hand, I was disappointed to know that the ecu setting is not different for the S model---I read somewhere that it was reset for the S for better performance.