[Carspook]

Very nice thread. Enjoyed the pictures, Lal Ghoda is in top form.

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by dean5545

Great going with the Endeavour !
Loved the subtle mods done to your truck.
I envy you guys up north, a trip to the Hills is so convenient. I have been postponing it since the past 5 years just because it's going to take 2-3 days to reach the foot of the Himalayas.
Kudos to you for fully utilising the Endeavour as it's meant to be.

Thank you Denzil! I know, in a similar fashion we also miss doing a trip deep into Western Ghats, in-and-around Deccan Plateau, or the famous national parks like Kabini which are much closer to you guys. I am sure you will have a good snow experience soon - patience is a virtue my friend.

Originally Posted by jithin23

Amazing updates in your Lal Ghoda. The beauty of Fords is that we can play around like VW using forscan and parts are available across the globe.

Have you tried displaying TPMS in the sync 3 screen?

Could you please elaborate the process of sync 2 to sync 3 conversion and how much time and cost it takes for the mod. Please share the part number of the new speedometer as well. Also I'm keen on the sync 4 USB hub as well.

Thanks Jithin, thank you for documenting some of your mods on Sync 3. I have been thinking about doing it but do not have enough time to sit around and get this done because of my current work schedule.

I agree, very much like VCDS, ForScan unlocks so many of customization opportunities for Fords. On your queries -

1. With my current instrument cluster, its not possible to display TPMS, the module isn't physically compatible. Through ForScan, I can enable the TPMS in BCM to work on alarm based system (which I have), however in the IPC - TPMS Placard, Menu, Reassign and Hard Reset can't be enabled because of incompatible configuration. In order to do this, the instrument cluster needs to be replaced with the unit that came in Facelift Endeavours post 2018. I had the part # for the instrument cluster noted somewhere, I am unable to find it now. Will get it from Ford Service Centre next time and will share with you.

2. The OEM Sync 2 to Sync 3 conversion units were very VFM priced in AliExpress days - around INR 50k plus custom duties. Unfortunately, AliExpress doesn't work anymore. I found a seller in Karol Bagh, Delhi who had the Ford OEM Sync 3 kit - Got it for him for 75k all inclusive (Sync 3 APIM and Display, OEM GPS Antenna and OEM single Type-A USB Hub. Still okay, but not as VFM as it used to be in AliExpress era. Other alternative can be sourcing it from spare part sellers sourcing from accidental cars. Fitment isn't a problem, its a plug and play system and installation will be over in under 2 hours. However, sourcing it from such sellers can be hair pulling experience because of uncertainties involved around hardware and no post-sale service support.

Since my OEM USB Hub was single port, I started looking at alternatives and found about the new Type-C USB hub and hence sourced it from the US.

Below are the 3 options available as USB Hub for Sync 3.

OEM Part # of Single Type-A USB Hub 'HU5Z-19A387-A' is what I had received in the Sync 3 kit
OEM Part # of Dual Type-A USB Hub 'HC3Z-19A387-E' which was OEM fitment in some cars in India
OEM part # of Type-C USB Hub that I have now is 'HC3Z-19A387-B', its comes factory fitted on F-150 pickup trucks equipped with Sync 4.

Originally Posted by yatesh.92

A very well written detailed post on the endeavour. Truly enjoyed reading it!!! I regularly watch your group's trip videos courtesy Anshuman's YouTube channel. Here's wishing you many more amazing memories with the Lal Ghoda

Thank you yatesh.92, as they say the best is yet to come!

Originally Posted by Carspook

Very nice thread. Enjoyed the pictures, Lal Ghoda is in top form.

Thanks Carspook.

[Ace F355]

Apologies for possible photo bombing... but I managed to do another snowdrive past weekend!

Photos from our Jan 1st week drive to the mountains had left my better half green with envy, lo and behold... past weekend happened to be another Western Disturbance bringing big pile of snow to Himalayas. The plan, very much like our other snow drives, was impromptu and this time we travelled as a family. A couple of friends with their families including BHPian nkapoor777 in his Pajero Sport also joined the trip.

Started early morning amid really heavy downpour!


Some Foggy Sections as well...


On NH1... Still Raining


Entering Mountains... Still Raining!


First View of Snow Clad Mountains... Winter wonderland still some distance away


Chasing Snow while enjoying beautiful winding roads and Deodar Cedar forests


First View of Snow at around 5000ft above sea level. We knew its gonna be an amazing time further up!


Caught up with rest of the convoy! with nkapoor777's Pajero


Rest of the convoy... L663 Defender and Isuzu DMax.




I am personally mighty impressed with L663 Defender! This must be one of the only few LRs in India doing what it is meant to do. It came with 20" alloys and Good Year AT tires from factory - but because of the offroad usage, currently has BFG KO2 AT tires in 255/70/18 size on OEM LR steelies (and boy do they look good in white!)


Characterful! and in its elements!


It had snowed a lot and we had plenty of fun! At some places, upto 6-8 feet of snow had accumulated. Oh well! No Problemo! Below is BHPian nkapoor777's mighty Pajero equipped with offroad ARB bumper and snow chains on all 4 wheels - acting as a snow bulldozer and clearing way for rest of the convoy!


Our friend Vivek trying his 'The Hulk' mode on a snow pile... Haha!


Having a 4x4 doesn't automatically mean you feel invincible in such conditions. Common Sense still applies. The black Endeavour Sport below had slipped into the mountain within 100 meters of entering into what I would call moderate snowy conditions. On top of that, the driver and passengers were clueless about 4wheeling and had no snow chains! Poor preparation means hard times when the going gets tough! Lucky for them, we were passing by - one good snatch did it take to bring the stuck black Endeavour back on its feet! We told them some basics so that they can go ahead! But found them stuck after some time once again!!! Oh well!

[yatesh.92]

Those are some really amazing shots from the snow drive 👌. Even I had plans to visit Uttarakhand earlier this month. I had even included Mussoorie in the itinerary since I wanted to experience the first snowfall of my life. Flight booking, stay everything was taken care of. Sadly I had to back out due to some last minute hiccups and my friends completed the trip as planned.

[Ace F355]

I am glad to say that it has been raining trips after trips in past couple of weeks... post 2 snowdrives, we kept thinking about a weekend gateway specifically for OTRs and a friend happened to invite us to visit his orchards coupled with a Sat-Sun OTR to Hanumangarh-Sri Ganganagar in Western Rajasthan. What better way to spend the weekend we say! Enjoy the details below.

Enroute our destination... witnessed this awesome sunset.


Reached a bit late... entering the farmhouse our eyes twinkled seeing the orchards!




For fun, had a quick OTR session around mid-night! Tonnes of fun I say...


Night temperatures were a bit nippy. Open Barbeques to the rescue...


Next day, reached our OTR destination by noon...

The views around were amazing, you could see the canola/mustard fields at their full bloom all around our dunes!

Post a few random dune bashing sessions, we decided to mix it up a bit and carved a trail for timed-runs, each of had 2-3 times runs in our vehicles. Best was .anshuman's run in petrol manual Thar @56 seconds dead! In comparison, Lal Ghoda's best run was @60 seconds... Petrol Thar is a hoot, coupled with .anshuman's driving skill was a high set standard to beat! As you would imagine, we had tonnes of fun during our OTR.

One action shot of Lal Ghoda from the timed run...


Enjoy these action-packed GIFs too...




Another awesome sunset from the dunes!


Sunday was very relaxed... we spent most of time in orchards














Enjoyed riding a 4wd tractor, played some Kinnow Cricket




Took a couple of drone shots from the fields...




So this is how past weekend was spent... And I am sure many more to come. Cheers folks, I hope you enjoy this quick travelouge of sorts.

[Ace F355]

No updates in general are considered a good thing in our world. Car is inching towards 90k kms on the odo now and there hasn't been much to report except for it being a great mile muncher for my family. Our kiddo is now over an year old and she enjoying the roadtrips as much as we do. W as an extended family are 7 members so the whole all seats occupying in Endeavour is kinda becoming a norm now a days for me. Reliability of the car has been top notch, dare I say at par with Toyotas out there, so my earlier apprehensions on how the car would fare under my specific use car seem to be all things of the past going by my experience so far.

I will share further updates on the mechanical bits once the car is past 90k service from Ford, for now please enjoy some pics below.

A late night shot on GFR in NCR when Bougainvillea plants were at full bloom!


A shot from Sunflower Fields


Roadtrips are a norm for us! Please excuse the kiddo being in her mother's arm - it was a particularly long multi-hour journey and she had to be taken out of her child carseat for a short distance.


She has been made to sit in the car seat since she was 5 months old... so she is pretty calm and comfortable in sitting during our roadtrips (except for those 6-7 hours long journeys that I mentioned above, where as much as us adults, she would need to be taken out of her seat to relax for a short while).


Now a days, she has her personal lounge in the Endeavour , iPad on a portable stand for her to watch cartoons.


She seems to enjoy rides in the Endeavour in particular and playing around the car.





Sharp eyes would have noticed ambient light in Endeavour in one of the above pics... Yes, I got the Merc style lighting done in the car some time back, just to keep the car interesting enough and keep the upgrade urge at bay

Its by a brand called Cardi, a 20 piece lighting kit. A quick screenshot of how it looks at night below (you can pick any color you want, control the brightness via a phone app)


Similarly, tail lamps have been replaced by aftermarket LED lights. Mine being a Trend model, had halogen lights from the factory and one of them got damaged recently so I replaced the complete set with LED ones. I think the contrast of tinted tail lamps goes well with Sunset Red of the car.

Next item on the agenda are the tires, my current set of Falken Wildpeak ATs are nearing the end of the lifecycle and I am planning to get BF Goodrich KO2s as my next set (hopefully this will happen within next few weeks).

[Ace F355]

Continuing from the above post...

We did another camping trip in the mountains few weeks back... On our way enjoying the twisties and the scenery








Endeavour and .anshuman's Isuzu during our way to the mountains


The mountain trails that we do are mostly 4L types, because of 9000+ feet altitude, the engine tends to lose bit of its power in such mountains


Cameras can't catch up some of these inclines and declines, at times you are 22 degrees up looking at the sky over your bonnet... Endeavour's rear diff lock is a big help in such treacherous conditions


Reached our destination well within daylight to spare


Jampacked lineups... Isuzu,Thar and Ford... and a Trek Bike too






Setup our Night tents, you can see BHPian nkapoor's Pajero Sport in the pic as well






Some peaceful me-time to rejuvenate from the city hustle-bustle


Sunsets are always amazing in the mountains... an example below


Enjoying the amazing sunset in the mountains, a coffee to keep up with heavy schedule we usually tend to have in such trips.


Bonefire at night to keep us warm in temperatures that can be nippy even during these months


Apple Orchards seen from a distance (this is shot on Samsung S22 Ultra, at 30x Zoom)




Visiting a few orchards as well...


Lal Ghoda sharing its shade with Apple Orchards


Also did a local trek, pic below from a breath taking vantage point




Wild Strawberries are common, you can see strawberries runners all around... they taste great too!


It may be a Land Rover, but can't help but smile at Ford's spirit in many part design elements


Lal Ghoda on top of the Hills




Yours truly Happily Posing with Lal Ghoda

[Ace F355]

Another post since I exhausted my picture upload limit above...

Night skies are absolutely awesome in the mountains, no pollution means sky looks full of stars that you can't even imagine in the city limits. Below are a few shots of the same from our camping nights. Please excuse the quality, these are clicked on my phone only...











Also, sharing a few GIFs to showcase a timelapse in one of the orchards, and a few offroad action scenes...

[Ace F355]

It happened sooner than later... Decided to take plunge for BF Goodrich tires now that they are sold officially in India and backed by warranty etc.

If you recall my earlier posts from this thread, I had mentioned our regular tire guy used to import all the fancy brands including BFGs, Toyo Open Country, Cooper, Mickey Thompsons, Goodyear Wranglers with Kevlar - you name the tire and he had it. The only issue was these tires being Grey imports never had the aftersales support, hence I had decided to get Falken WildPeaks back in the day on the delivery day itself.

Current odo of the vehicle is 88k kms plus and even with this many kms, Falkens had >3.5mm tread left. Apart from odd punctures here and there, my overall experience with Falken WildPeak AT3WA (don't confuse it with WildPeak AT01 which is a different model) rubber has been fantastic. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a brilliant all-terrain tire for their SUVs in India. Then why BFGs you say... which are heavier, relatively noiser and known to take toll on fuel efficiency of the vehicle.

Well, I believe my use case qualifies for BFG application, point #1, because of the off-roading that I do with my Endeavour, and considering I am inching towards one lakh kms on the odo, it is likely that this would be my final set of tires for this car, so why not get the best that is out there - that's point #2. .anshuman and a couple of friends from my offroad circle are already using BFGs and swear by toughness and traction properties of this tire.

With these ideas kept in mind - decided to get BF Goodrich KO2. Got in touch with Chirag of Dawn Auto in Delhi and he confirmed the stock availability with him. Freshly imported, 2022 manufactured and with ISI markings... with all that out of the way, sent my car to him and it came back with new shoes in less than 2 hours. Chirag is a wonderful person to deal with and I would highly recommend his store for anything related to tires (he deals in alloy wheels, tires and similar stuff for all high-end cars including big 3 Germans, JLR, Bentley, Porsche you name it).

I have already clocked 300+ kms on these tires and will share my comprehensive feedback once I have some decent mileage on them.

Impressions so far - adding dead unsprang mass in form of heavy tires (over 5kgs each when compared to Falkens BTW) is absolutely felt from driving seat. Having said that, surefootedness feeling of these tires is brilliant. They are considered among the best when it comes to off-road traction and I am sure I will make good use of these properties of this rubber. For now, please enjoy the pics below.

Car was sent to Dawn Auto in the afternoon... work begun promptly and wrapped up quickly


Another option that I contemplated - these Maxxis have almost similar tread pattern as BFGs and with 285/60 size I could have gained few extra mm of GC and my wheelwells would have filled a bit better. However, since the stock size has been working so well for me - we felt there was absolutely no need for tire size upgrade. Hence the decision to stick with stock size BFGs.


Fresh Rubber!


A comparison with Falkens, they have worn out well... my off-road usage seems to have taken some toll on them, but overall I would rate Falken 4.5/5 for an AT tire.


How they compare mounted on the vehicle side by side... BFGs, because of their design, tend to look a bit wider.


Post Final Fitment.


A few more shots from recent drives hereby... Touchwood, the car looks swell with new shoes



















Now back to mile-munching and creating more memories with this brilliant piece of automobile...

[ralto]

The wide stance of BFGs really enhances the look of the truck as you said.

Originally Posted by Ace F355

considering I am inching towards one lakh kms on the odo, it is likely that this would be my final set of tires for this car, so why not get the best that is out there -

Interesting to see what the next steed is going to be. Anything shortlisted yet ?

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by ralto

The wide stance of BFGs really enhances the look of the truck as you said.

Thanks, looks are the reason 99% people out there are upgrading to BFGs, no matter whether they have a use case for them or not... In my case, although looks weren't a priority, I absolutely don't mind good looking rubber mounted on my vehicle

As I am clocking more kms - these being LT tires, I am trying to understand the PSI part for the BFGs. Standard tire pressure for me from day 1 has been 30 PSI (as per Ford recommendation). While the Falken ATs ran fine with it, BFGs being LT with 3 ply sidewall feel harder (remember, this is despite my car having OME suspension that is more plush than stock) and now I am experimenting with 28-30 PSI to see what works best. From my limited experience so far, 28 PSI seems to be a good on-road tire pressure in my case (with 2 passengers in the vehicle). If the car is fully loaded, 30 PSI seems fine.

Originally Posted by ralto

Interesting to see what the next steed is going to be. Anything shortlisted yet ?

Haha, as I had mentioned earlier on this thread - with a car that has been punching way above its weight, next upgrade isn't going to be that easy. For now, I still have over 4 years of usable life within NCR and I am sorted on the registration side as well (considering HP allows re-registration of older vehicles so far). I have a feeling this car will stay for some time now.

When the right time comes though, I have my eyes set on Wrangler Rubicon , as in when it happens.

[navpreet318]

Originally Posted by Ace F355

......

BFGs being LT with 3 ply sidewall feel harder .....

Congratulations on this wonderful tire. Waiting to see your next set of videos. I'm sure a monsoon offroading is planned by you guys.
Oh and those are 8 ply sidewalls. Rock hard. And that is infact the best part. People have gone down to 10-12 psi for rock crawling in those. Just doesn't give up that tire!
Just the highway portions are a problematic.
I'm also banging my head over it.

[corneliu]

Hi Ace, newbie + longtime lurker on your threads. Really great content & information & congrats on the new tyres!

Originally Posted by Ace F355

BFGs being LT with 3 ply sidewall feel harder (remember, this is despite my car having OME suspension that is more plush than stock) and now I am experimenting with 28-30 PSI to see what works best. From my limited experience so far, 28 PSI seems to be a good on-road tire pressure in my case (with 2 passengers in the vehicle). If the car is fully loaded, 30 PSI seems fine.

I have been researching this topic a lot myself, since I have the same tyres (different specs though), and I see your tyres have a load range of D which is equivalent to an 8 ply construction. From what I understand, this means the sidewall is stiffer, and therefore does not like highway driving at lower pressures. In fact BFG advises its clients to run their tyres at much higher pressures (it sounds ridiculously high, and did create a bit of controversy in this forum):
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/tir...odrich.959663/

I have been going through some offroading forums of other countries, and can see most folks generally run their KO2s at 32-36PSI (many even go upto 40PSI) cold for highway runs, which means they're hitting 40+PSI once warmed up.

I did a long road trip recently with 35PSI nitrogen in mine and found that while the ride was definitely stiffer, I got 1+kmpl extra mileage easily, and found the handling lighter and easier on the highway. In fact I was getting the same mileage as the running the car on stock tyres at the factory specifications (29PSI in my case). Plus the latest tyre rotation showed very even wear in all the tyres. I am now experimenting by running them at 30PSI will check the tyre wear in the next rotation, but there definitley seems to be some truth to running these tyres at higher pressures. What are your thoughts on this?

[Ace F355]

Originally Posted by navpreet318

Congratulations on this wonderful tire. Waiting to see your next set of videos. I'm sure a monsoon offroading is planned by you guys.
Oh and those are 8 ply sidewalls. Rock hard. And that is infact the best part. People have gone down to 10-12 psi for rock crawling in those. Just doesn't give up that tire!
Just the highway portions are a problematic.
I'm also banging my head over it.

Thank you sir ji, these are 3 ply sidewall, would be 9 ply in total... Here is a photo explaining this bit on the tire.



3 ply sidewalls are typically used in Mud Terrain tires... the BigHorn 764s from my Fortuner also had 3 ply sidewall. Their properties are exactly how you explained... Stiffer sidewalls meaning more suitable for rock crawling in deflated tire pressures. Among the AT tires, only few brands in their LT (Light Truck) category provide 3 ply sidewalls. BFG KO2, Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx and Falken WildPeak ATs in their LT version are 3 brands I am aware of with 3 ply sidewalls.

Highway trips aren't bad at all... Like I said above, I am still experimenting with tire pressures and find 28 PSI perfectly suited to my driving style and comfort levels, albeit at the cost of little dip in FE.

Here is the ISI marking with specific details related to an India market specific BFG tire.

Originally Posted by corneliu

Hi Ace, newbie + longtime lurker on your threads. Really great content & information & congrats on the new tyres!

Thanks corneliu, appreciate your inputs and that link is an eye-opener and literally has the potential to open a pandora's box in terms of discussions. Some bits on the link that you shared, from the skin of it, seem to go against the knowledge that we have acquired through our personal experiences when it comes to ideal tire pressure as per various scenarios be it on or off-road.

Here are my 2 bits on this -

Originally Posted by corneliu

I have been researching this topic a lot myself, since I have the same tyres (different specs though), and I see your tyres have a load range of D which is equivalent to an 8 ply construction. From what I understand, this means the sidewall is stiffer, and therefore does not like highway driving at lower pressures. In fact BFG advises its clients to run their tyres at much higher pressures (it sounds ridiculously high, and did create a bit of controversy in this forum):
https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/tir...odrich.959663/

Yes, its a tire with Load Rating D, with 9 ply construction as I mentioned above... (3+2+1) ply in tread and 3 ply sidewall.



And while I agree with BFG's response on running these tires with sufficient pressure especially considering their typical application (a good example would be a generic pickup truck in the US, with sufficient load - be it for work purpose or overlanding prepped rig), I do not agree with these tires needing to run seriously high pressure in our application.

Originally Posted by corneliu

I have been going through some offroading forums of other countries, and can see most folks generally run their KO2s at 32-36PSI (many even go upto 40PSI) cold for highway runs, which means they're hitting 40+PSI once warmed up.

If you would look at this bit on the tire, you would realize that for the LT higher load rating index, the max pressure is also much higher, 65 PSI in this case. Having said this, the gross weight of the vehicle does have an important role to play in this whole equation. With our vehicles, typically having kerb weight of 2000-2700 kgs (I am counting Fortuner to an LC200 in this range, and everything in between), I can't see a reason for anyone needing to go that high in terms of PSI... unless of course you prepare a proper offroad rig that crosses the typical vehicle weight range that we are discussing.



As a matter of fact, Ford does recommend a variable tire pressure guide for Endeavour. Below is the chart from my car...

For good fuel economy, of course Ford also recommends 35PSI (front and back), and upto 44PSI in rear in case the vehicle is fully loaded (4-7 Pax with loaded luggage).

That being said, for a normal driving environment - even Ford's recommendation has been 30 PSI front and back, and this is what I have been following so far and I honestly don't think 30 PSI being an under-inflated situation at all.

Originally Posted by corneliu

I did a long road trip recently with 35PSI nitrogen in mine and found that while the ride was definitely stiffer, I got 1+kmpl extra mileage easily, and found the handling lighter and easier on the highway. In fact I was getting the same mileage as the running the car on stock tyres at the factory specifications (29PSI in my case). Plus the latest tyre rotation showed very even wear in all the tyres. I am now experimenting by running them at 30PSI will check the tyre wear in the next rotation, but there definitley seems to be some truth to running these tyres at higher pressures. What are your thoughts on this?

During our past trip to mountains, you would notice .anshuman's Isuzu in one of the pictures in above posts riding on same BFG KO2 tires. .anshuman was running 35 PSI in this trip just for experiment sake, and noticed that while the vehicle was doing okay on highways with no major gains in FE, for everything else - it felt far worse. Handling was skittish and ride quality was harsh.

He typically runs on Isuzu's recommended pressure, i.e. 29 PSI in his truck. I am going to ask him to share his inputs on this thread as well.

All said and done, I am going to stay much close to Ford's recommendations on the pressure in my case, and not over-inflate to go beyond 35 PSI unless the load requires me to.

[corneliu]

Hi Ace, thanks for the detailed reply; very informative!

Originally Posted by Ace F355

considering their typical application (a good example would be a generic pickup truck in the US, with sufficient load - be it for work purpose or overlanding prepped rig), I do not agree with these tires needing to run seriously high pressure in our application.

This is a very valid point. Most of the guys on the foreign 4x4 forums do have either fully rigged overlanding setups or are into heavy duty trade work.

That being said, for a normal driving environment - even Ford's recommendation has been 30 PSI front and back, and this is what I have been following so far and I honestly don't think 30 PSI being an under-inflated situation at all.

Makes sense, I'm guessing from a daily use perspective it makes more sense to operate at these pressures to ensure a softer/plush ride.