cmd01

hi, im new here so helo every body, i have a 2000 mk1 ford focus 5dr 1.4 im still learning to drive so aint really on the road yet, but i want to get my self some new wheels as i do not like the wheels which are on now. what wheels do look nice on focus's that i can get cheap maybe on ebay?

and also how much should i drop my focus by? should i get coilovers or will i be fine with just shortened coils and shocks?? I have seen this but do not know anything about them:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ford-Focus-98-...item439de1d298

thanks

phil_focus

firstly welcome to the site and i'm glad to see another fellow 2000 mk1 focus owner (though i've got the 2l zetec )

what trim level have you got as the zetecs handle really well as standard?

also, as your still learning to drive and i assume you are 17 unless you have several thousand to spend on insurance then i wouldnt botha looking at mods till at least a year down the line when you've got a years no claims as otherwise you will find you are limited to a few companies who will charge you silly money, unless you can find a cheap company before you do the mods.

suspension wise on the road coilovers are a bit too back creaking for daily use. you can go 30-40mm lower with just springs on standard shocks and if you do that the best springs to go for are the eibachs as they make ford racing springs.

if you want shocks aswell then i'd go for the koni street kit as under £300 and come with a lifetime guarantee. wouldnt bother with Pi or G-max as they dont seem to be any good on fords from what i've heard.

the other thing is that in a years time you may want (and be able to afford) something faster as the 1.4 is unfortunatly pathetic as the focus weighs sooo much. so, anything you spend on mods now you will not get the money you paid for them back and is basically throwing it away.

i know exactly where your coming from though wanting to get modding straight away but trust me if you start off slow and gain some experiance driving and just generally maintaining your car then when you've got more money down the line and insurance is cheaper you'll be in the perfect possition to do a decent job.

i learnt to drive on my mum's 1.8 focus and had to use that for the first 2 years i was on the road as i was a named tdriver and couldnt afford my own car and my bro was on it so had to contend with 2 others for use!!! then when i got my escort insurance was decent and i could finally mod....till i crashed it a year later, luckily i'd done very little by then which was all cheap so didnt lose out and accident was never reported and no claim was made (as 3rd pf&t and noone else involved). now i've got my 2l focus and am making a dam good job of it and insurance is only £660 a year fully comp all mods declaired and with 3 points for speeding and i'm 22 with 2 years ncb.

hope this helps and doesnt disapoint too much.

cmd01

thanks alot for the lengthy comment, yeah i get you about the 1.4 being slow haha, ok ill take what youve said on board might be chainging it in a year or so aswell so thanks for the comment i might aswell just leave it as it is after reading that haha didnt really think about loosing money on pointless mods. might as well leave it until i get my second car then

thanks

COCHYN

Don't knock the 1.4 Zetec SE, I started out with my first Focus in that form and Nitroused it. Then swapped for a turbo engine, then had a Focus RS and now onto a Focus Cossie. So you can only go upwards

To give yourself a clearer view of choices, look up some pictures of Mk1 Focus's on this forum. I believe there's a specific thread on here with just Focus's.

phil_focus

well most people would see you cant go worse when you start with a 1.4 focus but give it to a chav and it'll still be worse ...even with a cossy conversion which is soo fucking uba cool in my book 8)

i'm not saying dont do mods and if its a top notch shell that'll be good for a future engine conversion then you can do everything else in the mean time and then drop a bigger lump in!

its just the costs involved with modding at 17 with no experiance and the fact theres a high risk of an accident (might not be but just statistically so i'm not commenting on your driving in particular....am i? ) you dont want to do mods and be dead proud of it and spent a fortune insuring it to then have it all taken away.

juni0r

If you got the £££ get coilovers. Then you can set it at what ever height you want!

I had Gmax -35mm springs on stock shocks and the rear sat VERY high and felt rubbish

Then had Spax -50mm springs on stock shocks sat better but still felt rubbish.

Then got Gaz coilovers wound right down. Sat perfectly and the ride was amazing. they have 28 stiffness settings!



then had some -30mm eibachs on my 170 and that was best for handling and comfort....just not low enough for my liking.

COCHYN

Mine wasn't too chaved up IMO, ran 135bhp on Nitrous from the 1.4 and it lasted though countless track days, drag races and dyno runs, right up to the point I sold the engine and put a 1.6 in its place (later the Focus RS engine after that).

But that ran on 50mm springs, then coilovers on the same height setting. Here's mine, but stick to your own preferences.

phil_focus

i like that and running nitrouse, very cool and good power from the 1.4 there too.

if the OP wants to keep the shell if its a good one the brakes and suspension and body etc can be modded and even the 1.4 can be for bolt ons and then drop a 1.6 in at a later date and transfer the mods over. like if you wanted a turbod 1.6 you could turbo the 1.4 and keep the engine standard bar maybe cams and run only a few psi boost and build up a 1.6 to slot straight in.

one of my fellow club members on fordtorque is doing a turbo's 1.6 focus at the mo so it makes sense.

duderacing

Alloys don't normally increase insurance premiums too much on their own, and with 17's it'll still look ok even without lowering it. You can always change them back to the standards with no hastle when/if you decide to sell it. Make sure you don't increase the overall diameter of the wheel+tyre though or you'll make it slower.

COCHYN

Rubbish More to it than that!

cmd01

thanks for all the replys very helpful, I quite like the idea of putting a bigger engine in later on, so im not sure now

the height that your st170 sits at is the sort of height i want looks awsome in my opinion anyway, all i want to do is take out the fact that the rear end is higher than the front, I hate that haha. and if you have -30mm springs on that will it be the same sort of look if i put it on my CL ?? are the st170 suspension lower'er anyway??


thanks.....hmmm all i need to think about now is wheels :/ what sizes should i look for. 4x108 am i right and what all these et... and j and stuff sorry im confused with all this

cmd01

does anybody have any pictures of a focus with oz super t's on??

thanks

duderacing

More to what?
I found suspension mods to hike the insurance cost up quite a lot when I was younger, and touching the engine was pretty much a no-go.
I was just suggesting an approach which he could take which would be cheapest initially(but go some way to getting what he wants) and most likely for him keep what little money he's got to spend.

COCHYN

You said a larger wheel will make it slower, not necessarily the case is it.

cmd01

do 15" wheels generally look to small on focus's?? because today i was down at dads garage looking round and saw a pile of wheels so had a look and theres a set of brock b1's i think thats what theyre called

http://www.vissauto.lv/img/products/...cu32710_B1.jpg

not sure if they are origionals copy, or how expensive they are but i do know that they need to be refurbished lol

and i know the only way to find out is by putting them on lol but just thought as this is a ford forums somebody might know

haha thanks

juni0r

The 170 is about 20-25mm lower than a stock focus. for the same sort of stance you would need -50mm.

15s would look VERY small. Also most Brocks are VAG fitment so would be 4x100 and the focus is 4x108. (stud pattern)

cmd01

ahh right damn, ohh well il just have to carry on looking around for other wheels,

such as the oz super t's which i think look superb and also i like the look of normal st170 wheels.

which colour would you go i have a bright blue car i reckon white would look nice but to mcuh if you get me, so thinking silver wheels

juni0r

I'd go dark grey (anthracite) I did plan on doing it to the stock 170 rims on my old one.

(photoshop)

duderacing

Those Brocks would look mint if they were the right fitment, and it was decked. I think the focus can look really good with euro style, but always been a bit of a euro fan, coming from Vw's.
Cochyn, I'm not going to bother argueing, I've heard the zetec se is a pretty torquey motor in the midrange, so I may be wrong and taller gearing may suit it, but I wouldn't usually go for increacing the rolling radius on a car with a standard state of tune.

COCHYN

Arguing? Who's arguing, stop being so soft and defensive numb nuts

But then again, I wouldn't argue with me either regarding the Focus

gjc37

I have got some 18inch super Ts for sale in very good condition with very good/new tyres please pm for photos.