[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Myth_sx

Any particular reason for switching to LM from Brembo ? How much would the equivalent Brembo brake fluid cost ?

The prices are actually quite low. The seller seems to have discount on the purchase of multiple units.

Pricing is more or less the same for Brembo and Liqui Moly(after discount). No specific reason as such, had good experience with many Liqui Moly products before .

[Dr.Naren]

I was free today and decided to visit Abharan Motors UDUPI for brake switch related error. It was a very good experience at Abharan and I was out within 1 hour.

The part costs Rs. 195, replaced under warranty

Complimentary gift

Current ODO

MC5 after 26k Kms ( 18k in S-Cross & 8k in SX4)..Extremely happy with tires, yes they are almost done!

Decided to try Perfinzas next time, Yes it's available in stock size (did not buy, just took a pic at MRF shop )

Couple of S-Cross in our group are facing issues with rear alignment and faster tyre wear. Rear alignment is fixed in S-Cross, mostly the beam is culprit. It's out of spec in my car too. Rear beam costs around 20k, need to claim warranty.

Lot of things are pending like turbo upgrade, stage 3 map, Dixcel M, KYB shocks, DOT 5.1 brake fluid etc. Parts are arriving and I am not getting enough free time. Hoping to get all of them done by March 1st week.

[Dr.Naren]

I got Dixcel M type pads installed at Mahindra first choice today.


Feedback after bedding in period / 500 kms.

I had driven around 3k kms with Dixcel ES pads. I was happy with the performance.

This was the condition of Dixcel ES pads ( after multiple high speed braking )


The outer coating of brake shims is getting peeled off. I guess it's poor quality or not able to withstand high temperatures.

Pads had around 70 percent life left. Thanks to my driving and slotted rotors

This particular pad had weird design or lines on it. Foreign body getting trapped between pad and rotor ?

I have given feedback to AM racing on these observations. Let's see if Dixcel got to say anything on this.

[Dr.Naren]

There was some delay, finally the turbo is in India...Can't wait to join 200 hp club

[Dr.Naren]

Bad News on Dixcel Front Brakes Upgrade:

ES Front Pads

All 4 shims were damaged and melted. One of the pads had lines (damage due to heat). I have used them for around 3000 kms. Braking was very good though.

M type front pads

I am currently using them. Initial bite is just great, but there was loud grinding sound on braking above 100 kmph. Still the braking was good. I have done around 1000 kms and there is no improvement in this sound. M type pads are advertised for low dust and rotor friendly. But, it was completely opposite in my case. There is lot of brake dust and rotors doesn't look good. There were also minor cracks on the surface of pads.


Dixcel SD Slotted front rotors :

I have done around 4000 kms on them ( 3k kms with ES pads and 1k kms with M type pads ). The rotors got damaged after using M type pads. Look at these pics !!



Overall this was not a pleasant experience after spending close to 50k on front brake upgrade from Dixcel. I have decided to revert to stock setup. Only other option for performance rotors is from Black Diamond UK ( Drilled + Slotted rotors). A friend has installed them and did not face any issues like in my setup.

[Dr.Naren]

Regarding Dixcel brakes, I have got few answers / clarifications from the seller. He was very supportive.

Shim melting / damage in ES Pads

The outer side of shims were made of rubber to reduce noise and that gave up with excessive heat during my braking at high speeds.

Uneven marking on Slotted rotors :

The rotors are fine. They are just uneven pad deposits of M type. It couldn't handle excessive heat. This was something which I did not expect from M type pads, Yes they have lower temperature resistance compared to ES, still it is advertised for fast road use.

It looks like M type was a disaster for my kind of driving. According to me, it can't handle high speed abuse like ES. I am planning to get rid of pad deposits and use my old ES type pads.

Regarding rear shocks change under warranty, I have got right rear shock replaced. Left side was not in stock . It will be done this week. I could already find the ride to be more comfortable on bad roads .

[Dr.Naren]

India First : S-Cross 1.6 Turbo Upgrade

I got it installed at Blackworks. They took less than half a day and it was almost plug and play as expected.

OE setup


Upgrade


Looks fully stock now !!


3rd Visit of S-Cross to Blackworks ( Downpipe, Fog projector wiring and Turbo install..Happy customer as always )


I have to get the map sorted out from Wolf to fully make use of the turbo upgrade. The car is running fine now and there is no issue with low end driveability.

[Dr.Naren]

New Tyres : MRF Perfinza 205/60 R16

I got new tires installed today at Madhus Bangalore. I wanted VFM tyres with good performance. Perfinza met my requirements .

It was a good experience as always at Madhus, this time it was even better as I got to meet Nikhil. He explained lot of things to me and made sure everything was done right.

WIP at Madhus







Few pics clicked after 200 Kms







Initial Impressions

Comparison would be with Continental MC5.

1. Perfinza betters MC5 in ride comfort, grip, tyre noise.

2. High speed stability and braking were similar.

3. Steering feel : MC5 is much better here. I have driven S-Cross with tires from different brands..MC5 had the best steering feel. This is something which I would really miss.

4. Wet road handling : Waiting for it

5. Sidewall feels stronger in Perfinza. I believe tread depth is also more.

[Myth_sx]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

New Tyres : MRF Perfinza 205/60 R16

Comparison would be with Continental MC5.

1. Perfinza betters MC5 in ride comfort, grip, tyre noise.

2. High speed stability and braking were similar.

3. Steering feel : MC5 is much better here. I have driven S-Cross with tires from different brands..MC5 had the best steering feel. This is something which I would really miss.

4. Wet road handling : Waiting for it

5. Sidewall feels stronger in Perfinza. I believe tread depth is also more.

Hearing good things about Perfinza. You are wearing off tire sets almost every year it seems. :P

I did not expect Perfinza to outperform MC5 in point 1. I believe MC5 outperforms XM2 or similar.

Looking forward to the feedback on wet road handling.

[Dr.Naren]

Originally Posted by Myth_sx

Hearing good things about Perfinza. You are wearing off tire sets almost every year it seems. :P

MC5's lasted around 28k Kms , that's better than my Elanzos haha.

I did not expect Perfinza to outperform MC5 in point 1. I believe MC5 outperforms XM2 or similar.

Perfinza is top of the line luxury cum performance tyre from MRF. Yes, I was not expecting ride to be better than MC5 as the sidewall is harder. But, Perfinza definitely feels more comfortable.

And I am really amazed by the grip these tyres offer, I took some corners at good speeds yesterday night and Perfinzas never gave up .

Quick wash at Ultimate Detailerz Mysore

I went for basic wash which costs Rs. 450. This is really VFM , look for details in the first pic below. They did a good job , I would recommend this place.

[Dr.Naren]

1170 kms done in last 4 days

ODO ( Start of trip )


ODO ( End of trip )


I got new turbo and tires during this trip. 500+ kms done after that !!

Turbo Upgrade

The car is running without any issues. I am happy to report that power below 2000 rpm has not reduced. It's still better than stock 1.6. Do note that I am yet to get Stage 3 map from Wolf. Mid range is same like before and there is good improvement in top end. I am sure it would be a riot after flashing new map, can't wait for it.

MRF Perfinza

I just love these tyres, performed very well on ghats. There is lots of grip and sidewall doesn't flex under hard cornering. I had felt steering feel was way behind MC5, surprisingly it improved after clocking few hundred Kms. I have no complaints now.

The trip was uneventful except for Dixcel M type brake pads. The sound got really worse and there was loads of brake dust. It was almost 6 pm and I was nearing Mangalore. A new garage named Wagen Tunen has opened up and I went there to check the brakes.

The car was put on lift immediately


Dixcel M status ( just 2500 Kms )..They are almost done and lot of cracks


Wagen Tunen is a good garage with professional work force. Happy with the service.

I got old Dixcel ES pads installed and drove to Manipal. It was really a bad experience with M type pads, pure waste of money. The seller has assured to work out something..let's see how it goes.

Few pics : Old vs New Turbo








Special thanks to Mr. Binoy from TVARA Performance ( Official Garrett distribuor ) for getting the turbo.

I need to try get the rear axle beam replaced under warranty. WA at Madhus also showed that rear right toe is out of spec. Maruti has modified the rear beam for face lift S-Cross and the old beam is not in production anymore. That explains beam in old S-Cross has issues.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Dr.Naren

A new garage named Wagen Tunen has opened up and I went there to check the brakes.

Wagen Tunen is a good garage with professional work force. Happy with the service.

Glad to know they are competent. Coincidentally its owned by a dear friend of mine and I got to know immediately once you reached there.

The owners are young and very passionate about cars.

Regards,
Shashi

[Dr.Naren]

I had got the rear shocks replaced under warranty. They cost around 6k for pair.



Observations :

1. The ride was very good. I could notice it immediately after changing the shocks. The noise was also much lower. This was for first 100 kms.

2. The ride became little bouncy after 100 Kms. But it's much better than my car with 48k+ kms run old shocks.

I am satisfied, just wish that ride was very good like how it was initially. Anyways I have ordered KYB Excel G for both front and rear .

Dixcel Brakes at it again

I am shocked to observe that rear EC pads lasted only 9k Kms. I had no issues with braking but the life is extremely poor. There is sound from wear indicator, need to source new pads. OE rear pads ( SGP, Made in Japan ) lasted close to 40k Kms.

[Dr.Naren]

1000 + Kms after Turbo upgrade :

The ECU did take long time to adapt ( close to 500 Kms ) after driving in various conditions. Now the car is running very good. I am very happy that low end is not reduced. Full boost is achieved 150 or 200 rpm late than stock turbo. You won't even figure this out while driving. Blackworks also did perfect job with turbo installation, no issues whatsoever.

IAT is also lower than before. There is no significant difference in 0-100 timings as I am running on old map. But the "feel " is lot better. Engine feels less strained and smoother, especially at higher RPM. We would be working on Stage 3 tune in 2 or 3 days. Hope everything goes well.

That's it for now...Stay Tuned

[Dr.Naren]

Stage 3 Map - Street by Wolf Moto :

Rajiv and team had come to my house in Manipal. We tested few maps for one full day. I am happy with the gains, but this should get better. Intercooler upgrade is very much needed. Tuner has also recommended to do rest of the exhaust , I am running only with decat downpipe now.

Stage 3 Map flash ( No need to open the ECU now, connections to be done outside )


0-100 : 7.48 seconds ( This is similar to Stage 3 Polo TDI's )


Yes, that's impressive for a cross over weighing close to 1300 kgs .

Quarter Mile : 15.43 seconds


Good timing again. This is on street map with zero weight reduction. If we shave off another 0.5 seconds that would be equal to Stock Octavia RS .

Do note that this is work in progress. I need to upgrade intercooler, exhaust and intake. Rajiv would flash another map ( read more aggressive haha ) later. As of now I am happy with the progress.

I had never put any Wolf stickers on my car , but got this now....