Focus333

Right i have a Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec MK1 (2000), currently has 4-1 full decat stainless exhaust system, motorsport ht leads and plugs, and induction kit with cold air feed. I am about to come into some spare money, between £500-£800 and want to do something specail to my car before i get it REMAPPED in May.

I'm thinking cams and possibly inlet manifold to give me a lot more lower end power/torque, but not sure what to go for.

All ideas welcome but dont say something stupid like Turbo or Supercharger as if i could afford that, i would :P

If you have any ideas that would help my Focus be a wolf in sheeps clothing so to speak, FIRE AWAY

Xilent

the st170 inlet manifold is a good upgrade and can be picked up for a reasonable amount

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Don't you mean exhaust manifold?

Stick standard plugs back in as the motorcraft ones are what works best in the zetecs, and the induction kit is probably loosing you power due to the heat soak, so I would use standard air box and a good panel filter.

Thought about throttle bodies? Only problem is anything that you do to it that is going to get good, noticeable gains out of it will require aftermarket management, shich is all going to be way out of budget.

Why not strip the interior out, make it as light as possible, put some ST170 brakes on the front and put some decent suspension on it, as that will make a massive difference to how quick the car is without touching the engine at all.

Focus333

Throttle Bodies was on my list but the way i see it theres 3 different stages, 1 is put just a upgraded throttle body with the standard inlet manifold, 2 is do as mentioned above and stick the whole inlet from a st170, or 3 is stick some bike carbs/throttle bodies on it or weber aphla kit, but as you pointed out with management system be well out my budget.
I have found a JDM Turbo kit some has bought with all the fittings for a zetec, its new and never fitted, £600, but sinces it made to work with the standard engine im guessing its low pressure turbo. Also that would increase my insurance.
So what im thinking is decent set of FastRoad/Race cams, piper or kent, ST170 inlet manifold, fuel pressure regulator to help with that bit of lag at lower revs, and get it remapped and set up on rolling road.
Thought on that idea?
Thanks for input

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

Not sure what the point of using an st170 inlet manifold is, unless you will be swapping over looms/ecu etc to run the VVT, as that is the only difference. I don't think it has ever been done before as you would also need to change the inlet cam too as that is variable, which would mean changing over to an st170 head.

A fuel pressure regulator will do nothing on a car with fuel injection, it's all a big gimmick! If you do somehow manage to get more fuel into the engine, all it will do is make it run rich, thus lowering the performance anyway.

Cams sound like a good idea, while it's all apart you could stick some bigger valves in and get the ports opened up a bit!

Focus333

Yeah i read that a lot of people love the fuel regulator, and a lot swear its pointless....can never get straight answer on the net lol.
I have seen and read people using the ST170 inlet to help increase the air flow and throttle response, and from what ive seen it does make a difference, especailly when used with a upgraded exhaust manifold like i have.
The cams i can get are from a friend who work at Ginetta Racing in Leeds and he can get me cams and set it all up for me including shimming for bout £350, that combined with my exhaust manifold and if i do something to increase the air flow into the engine, after the remap i think it would be pretty good.
If just hard to figure out exactly the best way to spend my money on getting the best for the money, if that makes sence lol.

RichieST

iTrader: (2)

haha yeah i know what you mean, I gave up spending money on slow cars trying to make them faster, just went out and bought a car that's fast in the first place!

Do think about stripping out the interior and putting bigger brakes on it though, that will make you quicker!

hogdog

The only thing you listed there that's even remotely sensible for a zetec engine is the bike carbs/alpha weber kit...the rest (fuel pressure regulator, very dodgy turbo kit, bigger throttle body, ST170 inlet manifold etc) are a complete waste of money, you could get the same effect by setting light to some cash and then smashing your engine to bits with a sledge hammer.

If you want cams don't forget to put in the cost of valve springs, vernier pulleys, fitting and maybe a re-map...it's not cheap at all and won't gain you very much power.

For £600 you could buy a brand new 2.0 engine which would give you a large increase in torque, bhp and drivability. Any future mods would be more effective, you'd have a brand new engine as a bonus and you could get some money back by selling your 1.8 engine.

It's virtually the same engine so all you'd need to do is swap the injectors, clutch and flywheel.

Don't get carried away though, the weak spot on the 1.8 is the gearbox.

P.S if you really want to make it faster brakes and suspension is the best way as has been said.

Focus333

That was my original idea was to do a engine switch with one of these 2l 145 bhp upgraded zetec engine that like you said are bout 600, only thing is insurance, would have to tell them with going to a 2l, and i think also they would want it inspecting to make sure its done right.
But you are totally right, new engine, bigger gains in future, also add bit of value to the car. Also with the right tool and if no issues come up, can be done in a day as i had a mate that changed his in a day.

hogdog

Those 145 'upgraded' engines are identical to the 130bhp 'non upgraded' engines fitted to the Focus.

Although they're not technically breaking the advertising laws as I don't think they actually use the term 'upgraded' (they shouldn't be anyway) they are preying on the fact that the engine could make that power depending on how it's fitted (exhaust, mapping and intake)...it will only make 130bhp when fitted to an otherwise standard Focus.

It's worth checking with your insurance company what mods will make a difference...you might find it's cheaper to change the engine than it is to fit throttle bodies and/or cams as every insurance company is different.

Focus333

Ahh always a catch when something says its better like 145bhp lol, well maybe it would be good with my exhaust manifold and planning on getting map in may anyways.
One thing i will say is my mate that works Ginetta says he can get me Fastroad/Race cams, piper, and will need shimming and setting up but thats bout it, never mentioned vavle springs and stuff he said you only have to worry about that with rally cams and stuff.
Is that correct orrr? Im bit lost to be honest lol

hogdog

It's only mild cams don't require valve springs but the manufacturer will be able to tell you if they're required or not so make sure you check with them before you buy. I know Crower stage one cams don't need them.

Focus333

Right fair enough, just looking on eBay at Piper and Kent cam sets and they all could with valve springs etc, but only thing is it looks like it £350 and you only get one cam, i might be wrong it might be a set but only seem like one cam, and obv i need 2 lol.

hogdog

These are good cams that don't require valve springs, they won't give you a huge gain but will liven things up a little...don't forget some vernier pulleys and VAT on top of those prices and yes they do export. The exchange rate is about £1 : $1.65 at the moment IIRC.

http://focus.c-f-m.com/newitemcrower...uszetec20.aspx

Focus333

Ah yeah seen them on site before, but like you said will liven things up a bit, but really want as much as I can get out of them...but I guess they would still need shimming. I didn't think I would need pulleys, wouldn't the standard ones do?

hogdog

If you want as much power as you can get out of them then you need valve springs and whatever cams you fit they're going to need shimming. You don't 'need' vernier pulleys but if you want to extract the power out of the cams then you will have to get them dialled in...you can't do that effectively/easily with standard pulleys. I know people that lost power by fitting lairy cams simply because they weren't dialled in.

There really is no short cut when it comes to cams...it's an expensive business.

Davemurphy007

Focus333 - check my For Sale post in Non RS parts - I have loads of bits from my 150bhp 1.8 Zetec which I am selling - I'm only in Lincoln as well so you could colelct and I will be more than happy to talk you through your tuning options.