In for the long haul - Minor mods coming

Binny · 09-10-2016, 02:32 PM

I'm coming up to the point in the next 6 months where I normally trade in on another 2-3 year old car with lower k's. As my car is the primary family car ( my wife has a beetle!) I tend to buy 2 or 3 y/o cars and keep them for about 3 years while they are still reliable.

I've been mulling over my Mondeo recently as we bought a house recently and I could be doing other things with the 10-15k I would spend on the trade in.

Anyways I really like the Mondeo and it makes a great family car, I have my Firestorm for weekend fun when I get the chance but I spend over 10 hrs a week in the Mondy. So I've decided I would rather just keep it and spend a couple of K on some mods to improve what is already a great car. It has been faultless so far and if the dreaded powershift sensor failure occurs I will just suck it up and get a transmission specialist to do it. Still much cheaper than buying another car! Sailaway's happy post about his still running great at 230,000 is very encouraging.

The exchange rate with the UK Pound is pretty decent at the moment so I have a Bluefin on the way with Bonus K&N. I also have an Airtec Intercooler upgrade on the way as well. I don't know what sort of difference it will make so we will see I guess. It can't hurt to have more cooling in our climate. I also managed to find a site that sells it without taking the mickey on shipping or pocketing the VAT.

Before the end of the year I will also get some new wheels and tyres in Titanium size 18 inch.
Next year some time I'll do a suspension overhaul including new shocks and springs.

I'll use this thread to keep you posted on the the Bluefin and Airtec if anyone is interested.

Cheers

cobrin · 09-10-2016, 05:45 PM

Boooooooo!

Now I have to wait for your updates, lol.

Mondaveo · 09-10-2016, 06:03 PM

I like the sound of it. Subscribed.

What badge is your car Binny? LX, Zetec? I'd consider an LX a prime candidate for swapping in a multimedia headunit, like the Eonon ones if you're interested in that kind of functionality. That was my plan anyway so I could get a reversing camera happening. But as it happened I ended up with a Titanium and I don't want to muck around with the existing integration.

I do wonder a bit now whether I should've bought an LX and pocketed the difference to fund my own mods (and keep a Powershift emergency fund). That would've included adding DRLs and picking a set of wheels (so I could also make a full-size spare). In the Titanium I most liked the safety features - lane-keeping aid and collision alert - and the novelty of the sunroof, but the latter has turned out to be a real drawback - I didn't notice the loss of headroom personally but it's become a real issue for lifting my child in and out of the infant capsule.

I've also been wondering about the point of having a more recently manufactured vehicle. When I sold my 2004 Astra, I didn't want to replace it with anything older than the 2009 Barina we were keeping. That ruled out a few more interesting options I might've liked to own (including turbo Territory and the better-looking Liberties). But as the number 1 thing I've come to appreciate is space, what does it matter how old the car is if it still does the job?

All that said I don't think I chose wrongly to get a Mondy and for better or worse I'm intending to keep mine for some years to come too

Binny · 09-10-2016, 07:11 PM

Yeah its a povvo LX. That doesn't bother me much as I'm not big on all the wiz bang safety tech. I"m a bit old school I guess. The main things I miss are some nice alloys as the steelies and hubcaps are crap and it would be nice to have a large touchscreen media system. But I'm happy with the current setup using the Drivemode app with my phone in a cradle. Its just a bit of bother plugging it into the Aux every day due to no bluetooth streaming.

rondeo · 09-10-2016, 07:40 PM

I have an MC Zetec wagon and an MC LX wagon. I prefer the LX. I reckon The steel wheels with Michelins give a better ride on country roads. I put the hubcaps into a dark corner of the shed.

I think the the lower profile tyres on the Zetec are noisier and absorb less shock, though they are Toyos at the moment,

I prefer the manual climate controls on LX, although defogging is sometimes a challenge, cognitively.

I'm not really missing the points and carby though, as per 48 years ago.

NZ XR6 · 10-10-2016, 03:58 AM

I've had the MB wagon for over 5 years from new. I use it for work, although I don't do many long trips now and it's only done 65,000 km. I've looked at new cars, but nothing I've driven makes me want to change. Must admit that I am avoiding the MD though!

I have thought about an upgraded head unit as I have the povo pack wagon. It's the one part of the car that does seem dated.

Completely agree with Rondeo about the larger wheels. I fitted a set of Zetec 17" wheels with 235 tyres to a MA. They affected the balance of the car - it didn't ride nearly as well and the steering felt twitchy over mid corner bumps. It did have more grip on smooth roads, but we don't have many of those in NZ!

After talking to a tyre guru about this, I found out that there is more to the sports suspension than just lowered ride height. It is designed for the larger wheels, whereas the standard suspension is optimised for 16s.

I subsequently sold the 17s and bought 16" alloys. After all, the diesel wagon isn't a sports car, but does have a good ride and handling balance and is still an enjoyable drive.

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Binny · 10-10-2016, 09:18 AM

Cheers for the feedback fellas.
Yep I understand where you guys are coming from re: the ride of 16" wheels and tyres. I've been experimenting with pressures lately due to the tramlining issues mentioned elsewhere and the ride difference between 35 and 40PSI on the front is very noticeable.
However I have other factors also determining my decision.
A) I have had balance issues with the steelies since I got the car.
B) It grates on me to pay 18 " tyre money for those odd size 16" tyres.
C) Looks. While its less of a priority to me than a lot of people the steel wheels and hubcaps do look horrible and scream povvo pack.

I could get some 16" alloys but that doesn't address Point B and only partially addresses point C.
I haven't made any firm decisions yet. I may take the middle ground and go 17". Good 235/45-17 are cheaper than the equivalent brand and model 215/55-16 as they are such a common size.

cobrin · 10-10-2016, 11:43 AM

yeah having 17" they feel a tad firm and you need to be in the 32psi range for anything comfort to be felt but that's low to introduce some tyre roll when turning and just doesn't feel right. Up @ 40psi you get a much better cornering feel with less tyre roll but at a cost of comfort.

I'd be interested in hearing about 16's and how you find them.

Binny · 10-10-2016, 10:52 PM

Apart from experimenting recently I usually run 36F 32R. I find any more in the rear just makes it harsher and can skip around without any gains. They are only there to stop the back dragging on the ground really lol.
With the weight of the diesel I find 32 feels to heavy. 36 makes the steering feel nicely weighted without riding too harsh.

NZ XR6 · 11-10-2016, 04:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binny

Cheers for the feedback fellas.
Yep I understand where you guys are coming from re: the ride of 16" wheels and tyres. I've been experimenting with pressures lately due to the tramlining issues mentioned elsewhere and the ride difference between 35 and 40PSI on the front is very noticeable.
However I have other factors also determining my decision.
A) I have had balance issues with the steelies since I got the car.
B) It grates on me to pay 18 " tyre money for those odd size 16" tyres.
C) Looks. While its less of a priority to me than a lot of people the steel wheels and hubcaps do look horrible and scream povvo pack.

I could get some 16" alloys but that doesn't address Point B and only partially addresses point C.
I haven't made any firm decisions yet. I may take the middle ground and go 17". Good 235/45-17 are cheaper than the equivalent brand and model 215/55-16 as they are such a common size.

Balance issues are usually the tyres, not the rims unless they are out of round. After the OE Dunlop's and a set of Falkens, I could not believe how much smoother the car is on Michelin Primacy 3 tyres.

But yes, looks alone are all the reason you need to ditch the ugly steel rims!

I did have problems finding alloys to fit the Mondeo. They have a lot of offset and an odd PCD. Focus wheels also fit.

If you do go to a larger diameter wheel, then you could run the MC size 215/50 tyres. I think the problems I had were more to do with the 8" rims and 235 tyres.

I'll post a photo of my car with 16" alloys after I wash it!

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NZ XR6 · 11-10-2016, 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binny

Cheers for the feedback fellas.
Yep I understand where you guys are coming from re: the ride of 16" wheels and tyres. I've been experimenting with pressures lately due to the tramlining issues mentioned elsewhere and the ride difference between 35 and 40PSI on the front is very noticeable.
However I have other factors also determining my decision.
A) I have had balance issues with the steelies since I got the car.
B) It grates on me to pay 18 " tyre money for those odd size 16" tyres.
C) Looks. While its less of a priority to me than a lot of people the steel wheels and hubcaps do look horrible and scream povvo pack.

I could get some 16" alloys but that doesn't address Point B and only partially addresses point C.
I haven't made any firm decisions yet. I may take the middle ground and go 17". Good 235/45-17 are cheaper than the equivalent brand and model 215/55-16 as they are such a common size.

Balance issues are usually the tyres, not the rims unless they are out of round. After the OE Dunlop's and a set of Falkens, I could not believe how much smoother the car is on Michelin Primacy 3 tyres.

But yes, looks alone are all the reason you need to ditch the ugly steel rims!

I did have problems finding alloys to fit the Mondeo. They have a lot of offset and an odd PCD. Do make sure you get the right offset, and if someone tries to tell you a smaller offset will be OK, go somewhere else! Focus wheels also fit.

If you do go to a larger diameter wheel, then you could run the MC size 215/50 tyres. I think the problems I had were more to do with the 8" rims and 235 tyres.

I'll post a photo of my car with 16" alloys after I wash it!

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rondeo · 11-10-2016, 02:17 PM

'But yes, looks alone are all the reason you need to ditch the ugly steel rims!'

Well that's going a bit far.

Often I've looked upon my flat black steelies and and thought yes, they look good with moondust silver!

And the shade cloth on the grill.

And the insects splattered thereupon.

Binny · 11-10-2016, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

Balance issues are usually the tyres, not the rims unless they are out of round.
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Its had the same shimmy since I bought it 2 1/2 years ago. During that time I have had the wheels balanced 4 times at 3 different places, I have replaced all 4 tyres and I have changed the brake rotors and pads.
Not much left to blame. I thinks its more than 1 wheel so when I swap them around with the spare I still have the issue no matter what the combo is. It does change a bit in feel though when you swap them around to different places. Anyway I'm over it.
And my wife has 18s on her Beetle so I have wheel envy. I keep threatening to steal them so when the time comes to get some for the Mondy she shouldn't have an issue with it haha.

NZ XR6 · 11-10-2016, 03:46 PM

You should see what my son has on his BMW. 19s I think, and the rear tyres are 265/35 or something stupid.

And no, it doesn't ride as well as my car!

I ran the steel rims on the MB for a few months before I fitted alloys. I hit a pothole at night, which dented the rim and started a vibration. I don't know if those wheels are really strong enough for our roads.

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Scoobth · 12-10-2016, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binny

I'll use this thread to keep you posted on the the Bluefin and Airtec if anyone is interested.

Would you mind providing links and sharing where you purchased the blufin and airintake from?

I'm keen to see your thoughts once installed... Have you considered testing the cars power before and after mods.

Binny · 12-10-2016, 11:42 PM

Welcome to our forum Scoobth

The Bluefin and K&N came from Demon Tweeks. They have them on both ebay and their own website. I have a package waiting at the post office that came yesterday. I'll pick it up tomorrow but pretty quick delivery if it is.

The Cooler is coming from http://www.burtonpower.com/. Still not cheap but other sites wanted 299 pounds + 150 pounds shipping! I e-mailed them today to see whats happening and they said it should arrive from supplier this Friday to be shipped and arrive here early next week. We shall see I guess. Thats OK because I want to install the map and cooler separately to see what difference each makes.

I'd love to Dyno it but don't have the cash or time to stuff around and get 3 separate runs done. I don't think there's any point doing it unless you do separate runs for the addition of the map and cooler to see what difference each makes.
I'll just have to rely on my butt dyno. As long as it feels better and brings a smile to my face thats all I care about really.

Binny · 13-10-2016, 02:58 PM

Look what arrived today.

I'm going to upload the map tonight so I'll let you know first impressions tomorrow.

V8kado · 13-10-2016, 11:03 PM

Cool ^
Look forward to your reply... What improvements are you hoping for with the Bluefin?

Binny · 13-10-2016, 11:25 PM

I've had motorbikes all my life so I'm not after outright speed. Just looking for even more of that effortless torque. The Bluefin is supposed to give it an extra 89nm @ approx 2000rpm right where I use it every day so I'll be really happy if I get that.

Just finished the map install. It was quite straight forward to do.
Plug it into the diagnostics port (behind the coin tray under the headlight switch) then just follow its instructions to download an a copy of the software off the car's ECU. Then I unplugged it, came inside and downloaded the Bluefin app from their website and installed it on my PC. Once I installed it I plugged in the Bluefin and it uploaded its data to the Bluefin site.
I got an e-mail within a couple of minutes saying the map was ready so I plugged back into the computer and downloaded it onto the Bluefin. Apparently if your ECU map is different to the norm it can take up to 8 business hrs for the updated map to be ready.

Took it back out to the car, plugged it in and followed the instructions again. While it is updating the ECU all sorts of alerts come up on the dash which are a worry but the manual does pre-warn you that it will do this.

I just drove it around the block to confirm everything was working and its all good, no warnings or anything.

Tomorrow I will be able to try it out properly on my usual 40k commute.

Lawry · 14-10-2016, 10:08 AM

Following!

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Binny · 16-10-2016, 01:36 PM

Well so far so good.

I put the K&N in on Friday morning as well before I started my commute but I doubt it made much difference.

Initially on Friday it didn't seem like much difference but as I did the 40km run to work via school and 35km home it got better and better. The transmission took a little while to get used to it but is now shifting beautifully.

As expected there's not a great difference off the line as the transmission has a large part to play in the slight delay stepping off. Once on the move you can really notice the increased torque between 2-3000 RPM. I've noticed it the most on hills where it was powering up the steep hills around the Brisbane western suburbs yesterday like they weren't there, even with 4 adults in the car. Also the rollon acceleration at motorway speeds is awesome. It will pull strongly from 80 in 6th gear without needing to kick down.

So far the new map has worked faultlessly without any error lights or glitches. As I said earlier it seems to be getting better the more I drive it as it learns or whatever.

Scoobth · 16-10-2016, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Binny

As expected there's not a great difference off the line as the transmission has a large part to play in the slight delay stepping off. Once on the move you can really notice the increased torque between 2-3000 RPM. I've noticed it the most on hills where it was powering up the steep hills around the Brisbane western suburbs yesterday like they weren't there, even with 4 adults in the car. Also the rollon acceleration at motorway speeds is awesome. It will pull strongly from 80 in 6th gear without needing to kick down.

So far the new map has worked faultlessly without any error lights or glitches. As I said earlier it seems to be getting better the more I drive it as it learns or whatever.

Thanks for the review, sounds a little underwhelming in comparison to the marketing I have read. Good to hear you still felt some gains.

cobrin · 16-10-2016, 03:28 PM

yeah for the price of it and in my case it looks like 20hp and 30Nm (or what have you) it doesn't seem to be cost worthy enough for me to move on one.

Binny · 16-10-2016, 08:27 PM

Yeah the figures on the Bluefin site certainly aren't as impressive for the 96 and 103kW versions.Hence the value equation isn't necessarily as inviting. Even the Dyno graphs are quite erratic whereas both before and after curves for the 120kW version are quite smooth and the torque comes in a lot earlier.
I wouldn't have paid the $899 they were asking for a Bluefin not that long ago but I thought circa $550 shipped with a free K&N was worth a go. About the same as a CR-Tech Pro with Boost control would have cost. I had a CR Tech 1 for a while but wasn't real keen on how it just modifies the fuel rail pressure signal. So thought I would give one of these remap widgets a go.

I must admit I am being quite measured in my assessment of the Bluefin ATM. Why? Because I have only driven it to work and back once and did some running around on Saturday. I'm not going to get on here and rave about it after such a short time with it. I don't want any of you guys to rush off and get one based on my raving for you to find it doesn't meet your expectations.

So far it is meeting my expectations. I didn't expect it to transform into a rocket ship, and I don't even give a hoot about the quoted 22hp increase in the top end. What I do care about is that the original 160hp peak now comes in 1000rpm earlier at 2800. And that the biggest torque gain of 89nm is at 2000rpm. All according to their figures of course. So far what I am feeling on the road correlates with those figures. The 20-something% increase in torque is very noticeable.

With any tuning there is also a risk of increased sooting as well. And of course you can't tell because the DPF is catching it. So I will be paying close attention to how often I detect it doing DPF burns. I do a 20k motorway run each way every day so I very rarely even pick it up doing one. When I have in the past its usually had some diesel that it didn't like. So I will see how that goes as well.

cobrin · 16-10-2016, 10:33 PM

A good indication will be when you go for a long drive on the HWY like a holiday trip and the situations needing to deal with traffic will be interesting. I think anyone whom knows of bluefin like many of us do accept the price, we'd have gone them long ago no doubt.

I'm still interested in your thoughts as you get them, it's always nice to have a bit more on tap over stock that's the nice thing about it.

NZ XR6 · 17-10-2016, 10:59 AM

It will be interesting to see the change in fuel consumption.

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Binny · 27-10-2016, 11:28 AM

Time for an update.

With respect to the Bluefin I'm very happy with it.The extra torque is very noticeable and there have been no adverse effects at all. It is making heaps of torque from as low as 1500 even in the lower gears (except 1st).
I drive through the Clem 7 or Legacy way tunnels daily and it never needs to change down to 5th to climb out of them at the 80 speed limit. It will even accelerate uphill in 6th from 70 without kicking down unless you give it a deliberate prod. The way it changes speeds with just a tickle of the throttle on the motorway is really nice. I am in a lot of situations where the traffic clears up or the speed limit changes and it will go from 60 or 70 to 100 so quickly and easily. And when you get up it in the lower gears it approaches the redline a lot faster. In manual mode the shift speed of the powershift is superb. It really is in it's element in that situation.
I understand some people may question whether circa $500 is worth it. In my opinion it is. An owner of a N/A car could only dream of these kind of gains for $500. You can easily spend over a thou on exhaust and CAI for maybe a couple of % gain.

On the intercooler front it hasn't arrived yet. The place I bought it from hasn't been very proactive with their communication but at least they have been responding on the same day when I ask them what's going on.
Apparently there is an issue with powder coating at Airtec which has delayed deliveries. They estimate it will be shipped mid to late next week.
At least it has given me some time to get used to the Bluefin tune I suppose before I add the IC to the equation.

Lawry · 27-10-2016, 11:32 AM

How goes the fuel usage (when not enjoying the extra power that is....)?

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Binny · 27-10-2016, 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NZ XR6

It will be interesting to see the change in fuel consumption.

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Not really any change so far. It has varied between a long term average of 5.7 and 5.8 @50k depending on what kind of run I have each day. Traffic has been pretty bad the last couple of weeks so it doesn't appear any worse than before. I'm realistic though and don't expect it to be better. I don't rate any claims made by chip or tune manufacturers about fuel economy gains. There are only very limited scenarios where that could come to fruition IMO.

Lawry · 27-10-2016, 11:45 AM

5.8?!? Is yours a diesel?

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