I was coming back to Southampton today on the M27 and there was a guy in a new Focus RS next to me in the middle lane. There was quite a bit of traffic so speed was only about 60mph but he kept on speeding up a bit to make it pop and bang and I just cant see the point. To me it just seemed there was something not right with it. Surely you can drive them normally without all the backfiring? He kept looking at me and other drivers around him to see if we were "impressed" I guess.

 

I'm pretty sure they need to be in sport, track or drift mode for it to be popping and banging, they don't do it in normal mode iirc.

Not a fan of the popping and banging myself but I'm not a fan of the overall sound of them either

 

More to the point did you kick its ass with the saff ?

 

If your car has had the PCM update then it can pop and bang in normal mode if you build up the pressure etc.

It'll pop and bang in sport mode all day long in Sport - I rarely use Normal Mode (but down the country lanes I prefer Track but with the suspension set to normal as the 4wd is configured better to how I enjoy it) and have never used drift mode.

The exhaust valve in "sport" gives you the pops.




It's a gimmick at the end of the day. Sport just makes the throttle linear instead of progressive and over-fuels a bit to create the pop.

 

Unfortunately there was to much traffic but I would have loved to have left his popping and banging car wondering how come an old Saff was a lot quicker!!!

 

Seems to be the way of it now. Most hot hatches have some kind of pop and bang map. My Golf would pop on upshifts in Race mode and would pop a little bit on over-run. My Megane does it too, though not quite as much.

 

Of course he did then the saph starting smelling of burning oil and leaking coolant

 

That's just from the cracked block on the focus

 

I guess I walked into that one

MK2 five pot is pretty sturdy though and it pops n bangs nicely

 

Until the 5 pot inlet implodes..

 

Not from my Saff!!! Engine is A1 thank you!!

 

My one won't it's metal

Anyone who's anyone who has owned a cossie will tell you myself included at some point it will break something they are temperamental to say in the least

 

Agreed Charlie and you can't get quality parts easy these days so at some point where do you stop trying to run a old sierra I've had 4 now and will never see another in my garage as I for think the values are stupid and the cars are certainly not worth it also I love Ford's heritage but a cossie I have never really felt at home with and still don't understand the road car hype .

 

I just respect my cossie for what it is. Maybe when they were new in 1991 they were a brill performance car but technology changes and cars have got better.

 

Of course with a 1990 built car things will wear out but to me that is normal. I have recently changed the original power steering rack, had a new alternator, new starter motor, new rear wheel bearings and various other bits and bobs but do you think in 27 years time the new Fords will not have had things wear out?
I have never got bored or fed up with mine in nearly 23 years of owning it and performance wise its only 450 bhp but still a pretty quick car compared to most modern cars.
I know a new Focus RS is so much smoother and easier to drive but I still prefer my old Saff but thats my choice. Each to their own.

 

I like the whole "event" of getting in the Cossie after driving other modern cars/vans all month, I feel like a teenager again, puts a smile on my face

 

Can't get my head round the last bit? Why go on to own four if you've never liked them lol?

 

Good info...
We offer a service to turn of the pops and burbles in normal mode caused by the latest PCM update, becase some old people like us, dont like it.

We offer all manner of crackles options for all cals, including all tunes via the COBB Handset too.
As much, or as little crackling as you like, especially if the cats are removed so we can disable the CAT thermal control routines.

Its a VERY popular feature.

P.S:
Just to clarify, its actually targeted lean to cause the crackles, but its still technically over-fuelling, since normally there is none at all. LOL

 

Well the first 3 were shit spec nailed together most 450 bhp the last one was a lot more focused and I believed with a beam correct suspension and 500+ bhp it would be a exciting car well it felt the best cossie I had ever driven but still shite lol and coupled with arthritis ect it became a ball ache to own and look after as it really wasn't worth it yo me lol. So the tried 2wd 4wd medium power and good power and still not a great car to own lol

 

I agree. Its a special time for me when i drive mine. This is only cause i hardly use it these days. This is down to my little boy though cause he takes up alot of my time.

 

I agree with you, its still a special feeling when I am out in the Saff, hard to explain but it is unlike any modern car and also when I want to overtake anything I know its got plenty of power to do it safely. The other thing I love is you never know what modern car driver thinks its just an old car and thinks it will be slow and then gets a shock at how well it performs. Old, rattly and noisy it may be but what fun to drive!!!!

 

Undoubtedly Cosworths are cult cars and have a massive fan base and following, I dreamed of owning one as a 15 year old kid when I first layed eyes on a moonstone three door in Ealing west London

I owned my 4x4 Sapphire for 13 years and pumped thousands into it as you do, it was stage 3 for many years but when I strapped a gt30 to it the fun began but after spending a load of money on the transmission and chasing 500 horse power the engine let go (ends started to rattle) so I'd hit an imaginary wall with it and it was time to go. I didn't want to pump any more money into a 24 year car at the time and I wanted something newer after buying my mrs a ford s max, after driving that I said to myself I want a newer vehicle.

Many cossie owners I know went for the MK2 focus rs because say what you will about it "it's a Volvo" etc etc they are still a great car, I was asked by someone at rs Combe this year "do I regret going over to the new skool?" My reply absolutely not, I would not have a 20-30 year old car again after owning the MK2 frs

Saying that if I had the spare money or came in on the lottery lol I probably would have another one escos or sierra 500 but until that day I'll stick with my focus rs, great car, aggressive styling, very tuneable, sound great, I'm still smitten with it 3 years after buying it

 

My mk3 mondeo v6 drives so much nicer than my cossie but i just love the cossie and love the looks if gets when im out in it.

I like the newer fords but they just arnt as special to me. It would be a sad world if we all liked the same things though.

 

Thing is, you can't really be surprised that a 30 ish year old car producing 2.5 to 3 times it's original power isn't going to be as good as an overall package as a much newer car that's no where near as stressed mechanically lol. Or that it might break lol.

I've given up on the chasing power side of things now, not because I was bitten financially but because I'd rather just go for a nice ride out of a Sunday afternoon and enjoy my 3dr for what it is, without worrying about the speeding ticket that might be on my doorstep for the following 2 weeks lol, I had a 400bhp mk2 frs and they really are a fantastic car, for me that is about perfect for road use in one, with decent suspension and brakes they're hard to beat imo.
But, for me anyway, as someone said above, the cossie makes me feel like a teenager when I take it out lol, the focus didn't really have the same effect.

 

Fair play I wish I had a daily as nice as a 3.0 mondeo, Transit Connect is my daily hack although I wrote my 55 plate one off just before Christmas last year, I now have a new model one a 64 plate 15 reg and it's like driving a car a vast improvement over the older models.

My focus gets a few looks when I'm out in though I must say the noise of it and the matt black finish makes it stand out from the crowd

I totally agree with you Karl, I treat my Focus the same was as I did my Cosworth but it does feel special to me when I get it out of the garage from a Connect to frs a big difference

 

Maybe I have been lucky but despite the thrashing mine gets its been reliable.I never worry that its going to break down and dont have a boot full of spare parts every time I go out in it! The thing is you can drive it slowly and its effortless but when you want some fun drop it down a couple of gears and all hell breaks loose, that is its Jekyl and Hyde character that I love. From the outside apart from it being lowered and bigger wheels/brakes there is nothing to advertise if its bog standard or modified and that is what makes it fun to drive against modern cars.
I have driven a Focus RS and yes it was impressive how smooth it was but to me everything was to predictable and did not make me want to rush out and buy one but if we all liked the same things it would be boring.Maybe one day I will want one but for now I will stick to my old Saff!!

 

Couldn't say it better I love driving the frs and especially after my daily mk6 1 4 diesel fezzy.. I get more of a buzz driving a 360 bhp frs than a 550 bhp cossie


At 450 yours should be reliable as it's not stressing it that bad but then again a proper power engine should stress that badly if built right but everything is lifed and if you build a cossie correctly you end up with a new car due replacing tired parts but they are still vaige and not one have I driven feels connected to the road fully it's horses for coarses I spose . The funny thing is now most who said to me don't sell as the cossie will be go up so much in value. For me its not aboit the money or the looks it gets it's a shitty old sierra with a tuneable engine which was cool in the 80's and early 90's and it's like owning a reliant robin if your willing to put up dier handling issues lol and it's querks then fair play but I'd rather do 400miles in the focus than a old sierra

 

agree totally in 2008 i sold my stage 3 saff and soon after bought a Focus RS (2003). The saff would be worth almost Ł20k now but could i imagine living with it for the last 9 years.

i recently bought a mk3 RS and it makes my Mk1 feel like an RS turbo. Cant wait to try the stage 2 kit, SCC Revo demo car, but im a wimp cos i want to keep my warranty, but 440bhp is tempting!!

 

Jay As you say its each to their own but when I am going somewhere on a long drive with my wife I have to drive it slowly as she does not like going fast so its just like driving any other car and the Recaros are comfortable.The steering is now nice and light since fitting a new power steering rack and the hydraulic clutch helps to make it easier to drive. I dont arrive feeling tired or with back ache etc but just frustrated at not being able to put my foot down! If everyone decided to ditch their "shitty old sierra" Escorts, Capris, RSTs etc and buy a new Focus RS the Ford themed car shows would be even more boring.I can think of nothing worse than seeing 50 or more Focus RSs all lined up next to each other.

 

Mate they might as well ditch them as people would rather lock them up than use them lol
There are at least 20 cossies in my town and you never see one and I hate the fucking idiots sitting there in a line reving and poping there was a smashed junkie on the passionford stand at the Middlesex show doing it on off all day just retarded lol . Mine pops and farts when being driven hard but I wouldn't do it on purpose to please the council estate mafia lol

 

Lol 440 would be awesome

 

Charlie.. its only a 1200 quid 2.5 v6 zetec s matey. Its a bit tatty but ive done plenty of mods to it. I honestly wish i bought one years ago. But years ago i wouldnt of been able ro afford one lol.


I fookin love me saff, i fookin hate the price of parts. 200 quid for a rear bumper which is the same as a 1.6 LX saff. Robbing bastards.

Cossienut. I couldnt imagine what your 450 bhp saff is like. I think mines about 300 plus and thats quick enough lol.


I like conversations like these. Its interesting to here other peoples opinions.

 

I still use mine Jay 🤑

 

Thought the same on a BMW M2 the other day in Romsey, he was only going slow and let off and there were loads of crackles/ burbles.
It sounded nice but was left thinking what's the point?.
On the flip side the car looked great.
I use my escort when ever I can but life limits it to maybe once or twice a month at the moment.
Love driving it, its only about 360hp but feels fast enough on our country roads.
Had it for years and wouldn't care if it was worth Ł100 or Ł100000 tomorrow as it's value is irrelevant to me, it's the car I wanted as a child.

 

i will never ever tire of my cossies ,but then again none of them are driving at present

 

Same with me Karl , they are for driving ,not as a locked up ornament solely as an investment. Near me there is a white G reg Saff which is used every day.I use mine even in the Winter months , it loves a bright sunny day and when its freezing cold it goes like a rocket!!!
Jay seems to have a big downer on our old Saffs at the moment!

 

Pity you are not closer Glenn I would love to give you a ride in mine.

 

No downer mate just won't own another love seeing them out ECT and at shows just not for me

 

As for the noise the pops and bangs etc it's a gimmick and I like to do it it's fun, don't forget we all own these cars for fun and the enjoyment we get out of them, on the Cosworth it was the flamer kit that was the gimmick I used to love to get it spitting flames and see people's reactions, ranging from "wow that's awesome" to "SWITCH IT OFF SWITCH IT OFF"

I have a revo stage 4 map on my focus rs coupled with a section 59 exhaust and when I brought it home for the first time the mrs said "are you serious?" "Does it sound like that all the time?" having said that though I'm not one of these people who sits at meets or shows revving the nuts out of it, I find that pointless and annoying too.

And to clarify I don't think think older fords are shit, they may be older but I definitely don't think they are shit, I still have a 1983 2.8i capri tucked away in a lock up and would love to have a drive of it, just don't have he money at the moment to do the commission work on it and get it out on the road.

When my Cosworth engine went it was just that I felt that I wanted a newer car so I bought one, still love Cossies and always will

 

Yeh life doesnt exsits past leedsin this country lol.