We had never before tinkered with our cars w.r.t. performance, but, this time around the situation was different.
BHPian GautamJ recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Sprucing my White Hippo aka Ford EcoSport S:
I will be dividing the write-up in three parts for ease of reference and acting as a shortcut to tastier content:
- Part A: Prelude on buying EcoSport.
- Part B: Fancy modifications (not aiding in performance).
- Part C: Performance modification.
White Hippo
Part A: Prelude on buying an Ecosport:
This car was a replacement for my never-ending niggle Tata Tiago and will be sharing the garage with a Skoda Rapid. The requirement was very straightforward:
- No TATA: We had enough experience from last two ownerships to conclude that a garage without the TATA badge will be peace of mind.
- No compromise on safety.
- Apple Carplay, not necessary but good to have.
- IIRC back in 2019, we had only 4 options in the crossover segment:
- MS Vitara Brezza: I did not like it after driving my uncle’s Brezza, so ruled out.
- Tata Nexon: Badge was enough to strike off the name in our list.
- Ford EcoSport: Age old structure, but still drooling over the looks, shortlisted .
- M&M XUV3OO: Amazing car, really loved the overall package, but, being recently launched hence avoided.
Ford Ecosport too isn’t flawless;
Cons:
- Horrible fit and finish.
- Gearbox isn’t the best, it is notchy.
- No brand to take care of it anymore.
- Speakers are horrendous even for an average owner preference.
- Poor choice of tyre size (205/50 R17), though corrected later.
Pros:
- Reliable 1.5L TDCi.
- High speed stability is good.
- Cornering too is reasonably acceptable for a hatchback on stilts.
- Features, features and features, it’s a long list.
Back in 2019, TATA was picking up pace even in the used market, the sole reason why SC Ford gave an unexpected deal which made us stick with our buying decision. The car was booked, there was no waiting, hence managed to get the car in a week’s time. Dealer experience was B-A-D, but all in all we managed to get the best BS-4 diesel car in that specific price range. After two and a half years, we are still happy with the decision sans any regrets.
Part B: Fancy modifications:
ICE upgrade:
As I mentioned before, audio quality is horrible. Where competitors are giving JBL branded speakers, which may not be great, but I am sure it’ll be way better than these Ford speakers. But, it isn’t all that bad as the staging is good, my car has 5 speakers (4 on the doors and 1 centre speaker) and 2 tweeters.
I had few products from my earlier car, so the only additions to this Hippo was Sony 4-Channel Amplifier and a SoundStream 350W Sub.
Outcome? It’s wonderful to my ears. Here’s a small peek.
3000K LED bulbs:
This again was picked from another car, I thought it to be dead after an accident, but voila it worked. Honestly, this upgrade isn’t much required as the OEM 19W Halogen bulbs are powerful enough. I had sourced it long time back from AliExpress as 3000K colour temperation was hard to source here in India.
FORScan coding:
For enthusiasts willing VCDS level of customisation, you’ll be disappointed. Quite little I was able to do:
- Cornering fog lamps: Sadly, I did not want it to work with side indicators as they are in the same housing, but the same is not available as an option.
- Splash screen: Ditched the usual Ford splash screen for the ST Performance one.
ST Performance splash screen:
All the coding work was done at The Mechanix Automotive.
Roots Windtone horn:
Believe me when I say, this mod was unplanned. Ford ASC was acting up and driving without horn can be dangerous. A quick commerce mind calculation helped me to conclude on the cheapest aftermarket horn fitment. I am happy with the sound, but the connections are done by splicing wires which I am not happy with. Lately, after installing, I realized that the connectors can be bought from Amazon (link to purchase). I will be correcting this install soon in a correct plug and play way.
Tiny bits:
Added OEM TPMS for the fifth tyre, as my Hippo was a victim of Ford’s cost cutting and TPMS was given a miss. Quite helpful during 5 tyre rotation.
Had also got DDPai Mini DashCam hardwired, tapped Fuse 6 (Parking sensor fuse).
Part 3: Performance Modifications:
Probably the tastiest content.
Brief:
We had never before tinkered with our cars w.r.t. performance, but, this time around the situation was different. My hippo’s biological parent had left it alone in this country, and my experience serves me right, Ford has been stingy for warranty claims. A reliable engine and getting in-house funding, wanted to give my investors the best result. We decided to get the car Stage 2, as that’s the max any tuner has done on the 8V SOHC engine. Stage 3 might be possible, but then investing cash and time on R&D wasn’t my cup of tea.
Hard EGR delete:
Before starting off, let me apologize to the environment, EGR delete is said to increase emissions. Keeping the bitter con aside, it aids in performance, improves engine health and also the ‘kitna deti hai’ aspect. As per Mates and Mods, no CEL light came up after fitting plate for Hard EGR delete.
Full exhaust system:
Ideally for Stage 2, just getting a decat downpipe is more than sufficient, and the same was in my case. Also getting the sole downpipe is cheaper, and also prevents cops eyeballs. Going with full exhaust helps only with noise or sound, as one may describe, and top end maybe at max for diesel cars. For me, I prefer this sound and my sister shared the same taste, hence, it was a no brainer and we got a full exhaust set-up with dual exhaust tip. It is scary to say, but most likely Hippo won’t be able to pass PUC Tests as the muffler and catback is missing.
Quad exhausts (dual tip each side) are what I would have gone with albeit having surplus Vitamin M, act of cost cutting prevailed and feared of being called an over-kill we chose dual tip on one side (right side) itself. Now comes the question of which exhaust tip to choose, our first choice was a spitfire exhaust tip, but, the same wasn’t available, hence settled for a basic dual tip.
We drove the car for a day or two with stock map, and happy to report there was no CEL Light. Honestly, it is quite normal for the CEL light to show up, it will disappear after remap has been flashed onto ECU.
Check these videos out:
Some fun while passing through a tunnel (Note: I was within the speed limit).
Engine remap:
There are many tuners to choose from, and being totally a newbie in this, I chose the simple yet safest option, i.e. go with expert (a.k.a. BHPian Dr. Naren). I used to follow his thread on ECU remaps. Saw Doc recommending Wolf Moto for the 1.5L TDCi hence, it was clear. Although Code6 quotes higher gains, I was not only looking for gains, but also on driveability. After driving the car in the city, on the highways and twisty roads, I can vouch that the car is a hoot to drive. Some more details:
- Be it any gear, after 1600 rpm, the car pulls like a locomotive, simply insane.
- Turbo lag though present, is minimized and has usable power (doesn’t feel dead).
- During ghat section driving, I was able to drive in 2nd gear as against 1st in a complete stock car. By mistake, I took one section in third gear, it struggled a bit (but obvious) but managed to cross 75% of the steep uphill.
- FE dips when the mood is for fun (expected), but cruise with a balanced right foot and it rewards. Filled XtraGreen diesel, and FE for the Lonavala trip was 21 kmpl as against 16.4 kmpl I got earlier on the same route.
- After a week, the sound has changed and it’s throaty and loud (not irritating by any way). The engine is still supremely refined, way more than stock map.
- Even without the intercooler upgrade, I saw engine temperature not exceeding the half mark (same as stock).
As per the Wolf Moto team, Hippo is pumping out 125-128 BHP and 260-270 NM. I will be writing a separate post on the dyno.
Bosch ECU had to be removed for flashing the tuned map:
Performance air filter:
Many tuners suggest to get a performance air ilter even with Stage 1. There are 3 brands I am aware of dealing with performance air filters, they are K&N, BMC and HPi. We were suggested K&N by Mates and Mods, hence decided on the same. Do note, that there is a slight difference in dimensions of Ecosport’s air filter, so do a test fit before buying if possible, this was the reason why it was the last mod to complete Sthe tage 2 saga. After the K&N air filter, I did notice low end to improve slightly and exhaust note to be throaty.
K&N performance air filter:
Dyno: The result paper:
After being utterly disappointed with KS Motorsport, I directly drove to N1 Racing Autowerks. They were supremely quick even after giving them short notice before dropping in. Check out the dyno run video here.
Dyno Figures:
Power: 132 HP.
Torque: 301 Nm.
Reading dyno charts aren’t my forte and hence dropping the charts below for ready reference. Hope BHPian Dr. Naren helps me with these charts.
Dyno chart after SAE correction and figures at crank:
Figures measured at the wheel (difference is due to drivetrain loss):
Note: After a dyno run, there can be the ABS malfunction light showing up on the IC, this should go away after a short run.
Contact details and helping enthusiasts:
Contact details:
As GTO says “A PM just help a few, but post helps many”, with this view dropping in the contact details from where I have got my mods done and highly recommend. Do note, that I am nowhere connected to them commercially, but sharing as a satisfied customer:
- ICE upgrades – Reliable Radio Service.
Contact person – Amol Sali.
Contact number – +918369484281/+919821684884.
- Full exhaust system, Hard EGR Delete and K&N Performance air filter – Mates and Mods.
Contact person – Pawan Vig.
Contact number – +919833891051.
- Stage 2 ECU remap – Wolf Moto.
Contact person – Shreekanth.
Contact number – +918848751374.
Helping Enthusiasts:
BHPian Dr. Naren: His posts and tremendous efforts in collecting details helped us in preparing our Hippo.
Gino SirI pinged him late at night, yet he took out time to suggest me the way and connect me with Pawan (from Mates and Mods).
Conclusion:
By far, we are extremely satisfied with this project, and hope that we will be satisfied for few more years. As far as the cost involved is concerned, we just stopped calculating once the project started exceeding our estimated budget.
Will I recommend getting car Stage 2?
Confused, as these mods are illegal, and for most it may sound like we are paying for illegal stuff, which isn’t entirely wrong, but then as an enthusiast, it is always a dream to prepare at least one project car. So, as an enthusiast, I will definitely say, if the dream can achieved then why wait, go ahead.
Keyword: Performance & cosmetic upgrades on my Ford Ecosport S diesel