mike s2 rst

hi i have just bought my first ford! a 1990 escort rs turbo. i bought it with the aim of getting around 240-260 bhp from it!!iv been reading and loads of people are running 1.9 or 2.1 blocks are these straight swaps from others engines??or this there lots of work involved for not much gain??thanks for any advise.

mattseries2

iTrader: (1)

Its the zvh conversion mate, basicly u use the bottom end of a 2.0 zetec and bolt the cvh head and gearbox on! its not as simple as that tho u need a custom engine mount, water ways blocked up on the zetec block and a few other addapter plates but its a very common conversion!

teahan

hi there, for that type of performance providing your engine is sound, maybe just changing to efi with all the other mods (fmic, cam, suitable turbo, etc) would be a cheaper way of getting your power? i'm just putting this out there, i'm interested to see what routes others would recommend.

JamboRS

stick to the usual chip,cam, cooler,turbo upgrade route, get suspension and brakes sorted and enjoy the motor,should see 200bhp easily,250+ bhp is another ball game,it needs bigger brakes,decent gearbox and imo adjustable to suspension to see the gain from the extra power

if u must seek 250+ then get the cheque book out

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

190-210 is achievable and very drivable imo in an Escort RS with a few well chosen mods mate so you may want to get up to that power and see what you think. You been in anything quick before and want that power or you just fancy those numbers?

I've always been of the opinion that 180-210BHP is where a properly sorted fast RS Turbo should be at with brakes and suspension to suit. Getting more out of that then as above chassis tuning should be looked into more.

notroubleclubber

I got a turbo cab and its running 14psi on standard turbo,pace intercooler,samcos,k&n filter,stainless exhaust,stage3 head with piper cam and been properly setup.I havent get any figures but to be honest wouldnt want it to go any faster as it has trouble putting the power down as it is. At a guess its running 180-190bhp max.

rstel1

notroubleclubber is about right thats good power in an rst (180-190), as said a GENUINE 200bhp rst is a quick car due to its low kerb weight. any more than 220+ you will need sorted handling and geometry

notroubleclubber

In fact - in this weather its bloody terrible!!! I get wheelspin in 3rd easily.Is there anyway of getting the car running so it boosts with a bit less kick?!?! I suppose turning down the boost is the only option!!! The way its goin i cant see my new standard clutch lasting long. Is there any other way of limiting the wheelspin? It seems to start wheelspinning in 2nd when coming on boost then when it hits about 10psi the cam must kick in and i get more wheelspin!!!

JamboRS

good tyres and adjustable arms will sort the wheelspin,my moneys on its lowered too much and the tyres not gettin full contact on the road

Karlos G

iTrader: (4)

It's expensive but you could run a electronic boost controller with Gear/Boost mapping and RPM/Boost mapping, that way you can get rid of the boost spike that kick starts the wheel spin and back off the boost in 1st and 2nd a little.

mike s2 rst

i was thinking fmic ,low comp forged pistons and rods ,fast road cam and a BIG turbo!!should be good for 200bhp!!fuel injection sounds good!the cars already got big brake kit and adjustable suspension all round.iv got a renault 5 gtt that i race which has 240bhp and ways sod all so i figured 250bhp was a good place to aim for!!

pani_k

iTrader: (1)

Can it put all 240 horses down and properly? As said above aim for 200 and see how you get on mate, should be good fun none the less!

rstel1

quafe atb diff
adjustable tca's
fast road geometry
good stikky tyres

darrenb16two

Mate im running around the 200bhp mark, maybe a touch more and ive got a decent brake and suspension setup and there aint much on the road that touches it. It certainley surprises a few of the new hot hatches! Its a proper good laugh to drive aswell

mike s2 rst

200bhp sounds sensible and reliable!!!!!il let you know how the build goes!!!il try and upload sum pics in the week!!thanks for all the advise!

Rab

Sounds it, but trust me, it ain't

Stu @ Claims Care Centre

iTrader: (1)

Mfi isa big issue at that power imo no doubt mfi can take that power and more but its like a time bomb and its not very reliable best mod is get a good aftermarket efi ecu and get a good spot on fueling map for 200bhp as the rs turbo system just aint what it used to be as metering heads are getting older and older

Rab

Yeah, and all it takes is ONE little issue with that fucking flap and you melt your engine as it runs lean at 20psi

Gotech fitted and mapped for 900 quid from Jamsport. It's a mega basic ECU but it'll be 10,000 times better than MFi! I mean, even the fucking furniture shop with the same name has had the good sense to go bust, all because of the Bosch crap fitted to the RST!

mike s2 rst

iv been hunting and gotech or omex efi is on the way!engine is stripped and rebuild bits all getting sourced and ordered!!!!!! figured i might as well do the clutch while its stripped so looked into that and found a great ap cluch then i relised how many diffrent bits you can actually buy for fords!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i rebuild/race renaults and its soooo annoying not being able to get bits!!!not the case with ford as iv just seen a spec 2 gearbox with lsd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! just hope my girlfriend dont see the bills!!!!!