Ford Focus 1.6 Zetec 2003

[Matt]

Hi Guys, I've had a focus 1.6 for almost 2 years, I've grown to like the focus more and more and am now thinking about getting a 2.0L one now that my insurance has come down. Modding the 1.6 has always been on my mind but I thought I would hold out for a larger engine and then start there.

The 2.0L engine only has around an extra 35 bhp, I am wondering if it is worth it?

I have also been looking at a few ST170s for sale, would this be a better choice and a faster car than a 1.6.

Many Thanks

Matt

 

[pgarner]

Hey and welcome back matt.
to get 35bhp more out of your 1.6 your looking at nearly £2k if not more

both 2ltrs, standard and st, will be quicker than the 1.6 ( not saying faster as it would sound like top speed ). which one would depend on your insurance. theres a big diffence between
2002 2.0 zetec 3 dr - 130bhp 130ftlb - insurance group 8
and
2002 2.0 ST170 3dr - 170bhp 145lbft - inurance group 15

 

[Matt]

Thanks pgarner, that seems like alot of money for a small increase. What would you have to do to the car to get the extra 35 bhp? How much more would an induction kit and cat back exhaust give?

I have checked out the insurance and was surprised to see that it was not much more than what im already paying, but for the ST170 there is quite a rise.

The ST has 70 more bhp than my 1.6, will there be a big difference in performance?

Much appreciated.

 

[obi_waynne]

Wait for the RS to come out and there will be a price drop on the ST's. 70bhp more will make a massive difference to the performance - check the 0-60 stats for an indication of this.

 

[pgarner]

yeah the difference that i was reading in the standard was 9.2 for 0-60 and the ST 8.2 dunno about mid range MSN only showed 0-60.

cat back and induction kit on a 1.6. at a guess id say 10-15bhp
35bhp - guessing again, induction kit full exhaust system inc sports cat / decat, cams, FSE valve, injectors and a remap to take into account everything

 

[Matt]

Thanks for putting that into perspective for me, im going to go for the ST170. The new RS looks awesome with close to 300bhp, I read it will be released some time next year.

@waynne, just what I wanted to hear lol, that's a good idea and although 2009 isn't that far off I was looking to change sooner

@pgarner, very interesting and something that I could do over time but better gains would probably come from the 2.0 engine - that extra 10-15bhp on my 1.6 would give me around 115bhp but on the standard 2.0 I could have close to 150bhp. Will the car produce a lower a lower MPG though?

A couple ST's I've been looking at are around £4500-5000 with around 60k on the clock. How does that sound?

 

[pgarner]

Will the car produce a lower a lower MPG though?

A couple ST's I've been looking at are around £4500-5000 with around 60k on the clock. How does that sound?

re MPG yeah it will be lower but not much it would depend on how you drive it. for instance my 1.4 civic gave me properly 100bhp (stock was 90) and returned around 35-37mpg on general driving, my bora gives me near enough double the power and averages 32mpg both on the motorway give around 40mpg if i hold around 75-80mph but i put that done to different gearing - 80 in the civic was 4000 rpm , borra 3100 rpm

re the £££ of the ST. not to sure mate. have you checked the like of parkers guide, top gear magazine also do listings for the prices.
as long as theyve been maintained then they shouldnt be too bad, at 60k make sure the timing belt(s) have been changed

 

[Matt]

Cheers pgarner, that parkers guide website is very useful. Good things have been said about the car aswell as one downside which came up, it's quite thirsty at 32mpg and lower with a heavy foot. The price range appears to be anywhere from £5-8000 with miliage being the biggest influence. I'll see if i can get a test drive somewhere i think. But 170bhp to me is high on the big grin factor. I'll keep that in mind too about the timing belt.

Going back to modding, I have never done anything like it before except install an induction kit in my focus. I am very curious though, say if i did go ahead with a cat back aswell, apart from a more welcoming sound will the performance be any greater - better acceleration and 0-60 time?

 

[obi_waynne]

Everything works together I knocked up a FUN calculator to give an indication of this

http://www.torquecars.com/tools/engine-mods-power-gain-calculator.php

The key point is that just adding one mod will give say 10bhp and when you add another the first mod is giving 15bhp

As for accuracy it is too vague to be anything other than an indicator and was not written with turbo engines in mind.

 

[Matt]

Nice little calculator there Waynne, I can see how it would work with combined modifications and also how much you would really need to spend to get a good amount more of bhp.

I took a test drive in an ST today after work, i was looking on autotrader and came across a garage that had one and was only 3 miles away from where I live which was a bonus. I gave them a call and said I was interested and if they would give me a test drive, however I had no intention of buying from them, just wanted to see what it was like - i'm wondering if this is wrong???

When I got there the car had to be jump started and I couldn't help but point out to them that there was a window missing, which apparently they accidently locked the keys in the car and had to smash the driver's side window to get in lol. The car itself had close to 100k, and it was a shame to see that the engine looked like it hadn't been looked after.

Apart from all that, when the car was ready it felt an improvement over my 1.6, the salesman drove first and blitzed it up and down this small road attempting to overtake other cars. It was quite an experience to be honest.

I'm thinking that if I could find one with lower mileage it could turn out to be a gem.

 

[obi_waynne]

Yup sounds like a bit of a dog. But if that impressed you then a properly looked after oen will amaze you. Sounds like you have a plan now.

 

[Matt]

Sorry for the late reply, you know what Waynne I think I have. All i need to do now is just keep me eyes open. Thanks alot guys, your advice has been much appreciated.

 

[obi_waynne]

Keep us posted and stay in touch Matt. (Theres loads of other interesting threads!)