Originally Posted by
black_jack
The focus would be quicker - the Mini would need a lot more than a "stage 2" head to make it as quick as the Focus - it takes a lot of time/ money to get power out of these "A series engines" (i had a turbocharged one - more potential than suerchargers - supercharged "A" series = 120/130bhp max turbocharged = 160bhp max (approx)) there was a guy called Visard that wrote a book about tuning these engines that became a "bible" for tuners
The Mini brakes are "garbage" and they understeer like a bitch - as others have said things have moved on
I was out testing a new/ revised remap on my "slightly modified" mk3 Mondeo diesel, so i was testing the 0-60 30-70 etc (speedo & stopwatch) - while i was doing this i overtook a Golf - it tried very hard to stay with me but i easily pulled away from it right up to high speed (70, of course!- yea right) - it was a mk2 GTI 16v - maybee it was a bit tired but they may have been "performance" cars in their day but not any more (140hp 8secs to 60, 24secs to 100 )
It all comes down to the driver though
Yes, but whilst they are not deemed as having that much power these days, they do have a massive weight advantage, so in this case the Mini may have, say 70HP but it weighs less.
In regard to your comment re the derv Mondeo, as that has more torque, which is what really counts, especially in the mid-range tests you were doing.
Originally Posted by
STAFFY OWNER
My mrs has got a Focus Zetec and i wouldn't say it handles particularly well, don't get me wrong it's not bad but i wouldn't praise them up as highly as you have. My old Mondeo Si felt far more planted and gave me much more confidence if you were shifting on country or twisty "A" roads.
The focus is renowned for excellent handling, it's said to have the best chassis in it's class!
Martin