Looking to do a resto and rebuild over winter of my RS16i and thinking of changing the power plant. Hoping for something around the 170-180bhp or more bracket.

Need some details on how complex a conversion these options are and whats the best in terms of VFM and parts availability.

2.0L zetec - is black or silver top better, then get the head ported and change cams, run ITB's? What management?

Or

Duratec (ST150 or ST170?), would it need any head or internal work or could I just slap on some ITB's? Again what management?

I know there could be a lot of options, but ideally looking to retain my OE RS16i gearbox and find an engine option to slot in with minimal hassle.

What other parts would be needed for the conversion - loom, mounts etc?

Any links to threads doing this conversion or anyone who has done this before, advice is appreciated.

CheeRS

 

st170 is more zetec than duratec.

zetec would be the easy option

 

I would have thought that you could turbo charge you existing engine! you might, think about EFI, OFAB or OFAC even the OFAM module - the OFAM is a plug and play megasquirt 2 based ECU replacement for Fords EEC-IV OFAC and OFAB. Normally found in the Fiesta RS Turbo but used through out the Ford scene to convert other models to turbo. This looks quite interesting but I haven't any experience of ofam just read about it. You will probably want some beige injectors and may be a T25 hybrid to keep the lag down! They do spin up very quickly!

what ever you do HAVE FUN its what these cars were meant for!

 

If you want to go efi drop me a pm i have all the parts you need and have done the conversion myself on my 16i

 

I'd cvh turbo it with decent management

Its more pricey than youd think to get 170+ from a n/a blacktop, you could use an st170 ( which is a zetec-e still ) but i think the management is a pain in the arse so you'd have to sort a loom and management so pricey again

St150 is a proper duratec and fairly easy to get 170 ish with just bolt ons, lots of work tho

I'd go for a nice fresh new cvh turbo with decent ecu and a new loom

 

Duratec definitely.

I assume you're looking to keep the bottom end stock?

Forget the head work unless you're aiming for 220+hp. The ports are massive (even bigger on the 2008+ heads) and stock valve size is more than adequate.
No no need to change the inlet at all unless you want more than 180bhp. Any more than that and I'd look at the inlet Mountune developed for the Fiesta ST. ITB's don't come into play until you're looking at over 230hp.
A good intake manifold, exhaust and some mild "fast road" cams will see you close to 200hp with excellent drivability.
Gearbox choice is more limited compared to the zetec. You have either the IB5 as fitted to the Fiesta ST or the MTX75 in the Duratec 2.0 focus - not the early Zetec MTX's though, as the Duratec has a different bolt pattern on the bell housing.

The best out of the box Duratec/MZR is the engine fitted to the 2009+ MX-5. These had VCT and a forged crank. You pay a premium for these obviously.

Mazda parts are interchangable with the Ford engines, so VCT is an option if you use an MX-5 head.

As for ecu choices, if you're on a budget and not bothered about VCT, something like an Omex 600 or DTA S40 will do the job nicely.

 

I already have a 180+bhp RST so don't want to go turbo on this car. I like the idea of having a nice revving NA fitted. The 16i has been my car for many years but has been off the road since it developed problems with electrics etc so now its time to do a full overhaul. For that reason I'd like to make it a bit more modern and reliable engine wise with uprated brakes, suspension etc - idea is to do it once and then hopefully keep it and use it for the next 5-10 years. Budget wise I aim to try be as cost effective as possible while making the right choices.

Thanks for the inputs so far, some good stuff coming up.

Reason for considering the ST170 engine was I have seen some cars now selling for sub Ł1.5k, so could buy the car and take the engine, loom, brakes and anything else I want then scrap the shell - might be more cost effective than collecting everything separate?

How hard in terms of custom fabrication is a duratec for fitting? Am I right in thinking the zetec only needs a single modified mount and can mate with the original gearbox? How much work would be needed to get that sort of power from a 2.0 zetec lump? Where possible I'd like to keep the bottom end on eitehr engine stock and just work the head and cams, but can change rods, pistons etc if required. With the zetec I would need the 1.8 sump, fly & oil pick up?

I'm quite happy to pay for standalone management such as Omex, its just getting it mapped that could be a problem as I'm in north Scotland - so not much option around here.

 

Personally if I had a 180+ BHP rst id be keeping the 16i standard, be worth a hell of alot more in years to come but as its not my car id say a 2.0 zetec out of a st170 coupled with a rst led box and a decent bit of management

 

emearld management and jenvey throttle boddies on a silver top 2ltr, either zvh or full zetec, nice and easy to fit, you can keep the standard 16i box but use the 220mm clutch and flywheel from the later efi cvh as you will need a crank sensor anyway and this is the easiest and tidyest way to do it

 

Slider - sounds like a good option(s) there - what made you decide on a ZVH rather than full zetec and what sort of performance are you seeing? the more I think about it, 2.0L zetec using bike throttle bodies will be the way I'm most likely to go. I'm assuming as with any zetec conversion you need the 1.8 zetec sump & oil pick up?



The emerald management - is that a custom loom supplied or does it need to be made and how its it spliced into the OE loom?

 

Just checking in,i've got the head of mine just now and i'm not sure whether to put it back together or make it faster yet.