Fear this face (no, really - the Ford, not the Porsche)

[Purrybonker]

Now I can look forward to winters - I get to drive the FAST car...



That's right, the one on the left (no, your other left).

The good folk at Cosworth decided to produce a bolt on supercharger/intercooler for the 2 litre Zetec Focus engine. This little beauty takes the Zetec from 130HP at the crank to about 220HP at the front wheels (even more with a bit of exhaust work or even "scary more" with a bit of cam and/or other mods). 300+ at the wheels of these little Zetecs is not unheard of.

The kit is amazingly well put together and the instructions well written. The cosworth lads even reflash the ECM via overnight courier (DME in Porsche talk) to provide proper firmware (AF maps, etc) for the SC unit. Darn thing is even CARB blessed.



That little "powerworks" box at the back of the transverse Zetec is the new manifold/SC/air-water-air intercooler that comes with the kit. All goodies (like a bigger TB, injectors, etc.) are included for $4750.

Install was pretty much a weekend project for me and another white-collar type armed with a crescent wrench, a screwdriver and babes to bring food and beer (well a few more "necessaries", but you get the idea).

This things goes like stink - even in station wagon form my car only weighs in at around 2700 pounds. Now I can spend my winter (and rainy summer, spring & fall) days looking for unsuspecting prey (like Carrera and SC drivers) in my plain-jane grocery hauler...

I LOVE this thing, it pulls and keeps on pulling like a pup on a root. I can't stop driving it - if only to hear that sweet SC whine. Go to the Powerworks site if you want more information (actually one of the regulars on this board is with Powerworks and also a Porsche/Focus driver - but I won't tip his hand - he can come out of the closet on his own).

Besides, driving/modding a Focus and lets you hang with young stuff (I mean cruising Focus boards, not highschools; you pervert). Thats makes for great intellectual countermeasures to the steady stream of dinosaur poop flying around on this board.

[pwd72s]

Sounds fun...Q ships always are! Now get thyself to pics of the R Gruppe Monterey gathering. There are a few cars there that could give your Focus a go. BTW, I saw a cool vanity plate last summer. It took me a spell to figure it out. "OUT OF" On your car, perhaps "IN"?

[Adam]

That is so cool!

I used to have an '03 Focus Zetec 3-dr - it was a great little car. I literally thrashed it every day I drove it, and the car loved it. Never missed a beat, build quality was top-rate for the dollars (we get German-built Foci here in Aust) and was good on (premium) fuel.

I badly wanted to modify it...

[dd74]

220 bhp out of a chassis and suspension designed for 130 bhp? Say hello to at least torque steer, at worst, half-shafts being pulled. I'm not knocking it at all, but I've modified some front wheel drivers before, only to find big torque and hp were not an economy car's friend.

Meanwhile, the Focus R, or whatever the thing was called, put out about 220 bhp, but it was AWD.

[Adam]

Focus has a feature called TRAMS. Torque-Roll-Axis-Mounting-System. It's basically a fancy set of engine mounts that allow the engine to move, rather than transmit the torque steer to the ground. I drove a heavily modified ST170 (like the US-Spec SVT) and it hauled serious butt - even hard launches provoked little torque steer.

Did you know that Ford actually produce an over-the-counter kit, sold at Parts Counters to convert the Focus to 4.6 DOHC Cobra V8 & RWD? It's amazing!

[project935]

Muahahahahaha!!

Mostly a Porsche wrench and a Focus driver ... the project isn't even rolling yet.

Glad ya like it.

My SVT is going under the wrench later this week with one of two prototype SVT kits ...

I like my job

[Purrybonker]

Originally posted by Adam Chaplin
Focus has a feature called TRAMS. Torque-Roll-Axis-Mounting-System. It's basically a fancy set of engine mounts that allow the engine to move, rather than transmit the torque steer to the ground. I drove a heavily modified ST170 (like the US-Spec SVT) and it hauled serious butt - even hard launches provoked little torque steer.

Did you know that Ford actually produce an over-the-counter kit, sold at Parts Counters to convert the Focus to 4.6 DOHC Cobra V8 & RWD? It's amazing!

Wow - my Ford Racing parts guy never mentioned the Cobra conversion; he must be feeling sorry enough for me already. Modding the Focus - never thought I'd see the day. But I came to the conclusion long ago that the Focus was far and away the best vehicle buying decision I've ever made - so why not drop a few bucks into it? I plan to keep the thing forever.

Torque steer is now observable with the extra ponies, but it's pretty much only an observation, not even a distraction let alone a threat to managability. The driver is more concerned about keeping traction in the first two gears rather than worrying much about torque steer.

Adam - the ST170 is the Focus that I wish we had here - the SVT is a bit of a pale comparison. You might notice that I admire the 170 so much that I've already installed the upper grille and headlights from the euro ST170.

[dd74]

I stuck a rally engine my old Ford Fiesta - 9.3:1 compression, 450-lift cam, dual Webers, balanced/blueprinted, reworked head, racing header and straight pipe. The car would have been better had it had appropriate gearing for the narrow powerband, but it still revved up to 7,000 RPM. It was about 150 hp and got 12 mpg. But it was fun, fun, fun. Torque steer was commonplace - it was like arm wrestling with a gorilla. But it could give a 911 a lesson or two - while the car lasted...

I would agree FWD is much more advanced than in '78 when my Fiesta was produced. The Focus is a very nice car for the money, and seems strong enough to win the SVT badge of approval. The Cobra version...yummy! But wouldn't it be sort of nose heavy? Personally, I'd want to see if I could adapt a toned-down BDA motor in there - 2.0 liters, 300 horsepower, and very lightweight.

Purry - keep us up to date. Good luck!

[FrayAdjacent911]

I almost went with a supercharger on my Tiburon. About $2800 for a roots type blower, water intercooler... to take it from 155whp to about 230whp.

Decided not to spend any more money on that car... After headers, intake and exhaust, I'm probably making 170 at the wheels, and it's good enough for a daily driver. And I can drive pretty much anything around here year round.

[A Quiet Boom]

I've heard that by swapping in a few parts from one othe the european Fords you can convert a Focus to AWD, that would be cool. Think of it, an unassuming Focus wagon with AWD and 300HP. Slap on an SVT suspension and brakes and you'd really have a Q-ship.

My favorite Q-ship of all time was a 1978 Fairmont wagon, had a 351W with aluminum heads, nitrous and a complete Mustang GT suspension. The guy even ran super quiet mufflers and cut one tail pipe shorter so it looked like single exhaust. 15x7 steel wheels with hubcaps, the only real giveaway was the floorshifter for the warmed over auto trans. Another neat car I remember from my dragstrip days was an old Buick Electra 225. I don't know how but it ran in the 12's using shaved snow tires as cheater slicks. No nitrous and the car looked like a bone stock beater, even the engine looked tired.

[project935]

AWD isn't so easy in the Focus ... I've been looking at doing it myself. A few donor platforms out there (non-Focus, there are no 'production' AWD Foci anywhere), but all will take some significant rework and fuel tank relocation.

Someday I hope to tackle it on my SVT.

[dd74]

Originally posted by project935
AWD isn't so easy in the Focus ... I've been looking at doing it myself. A few donor platforms out there

Have you looked into the Sierra platform (European Ford)? I think it's AWD, though now that I consider it, it might be too long for the little Focus body.

I'm not sure Ford didn't produce a homologated AWD Focus for rally use.

[project935]

Sierra and Euro Escort have been considered, but it's adapting an entirely different transmission never before attached to a modern day Zetec engine.

The early Jag X-type AWD system uses a modern day 5spd MTX75-based trans. The '01-04 Escape also had a 5sdpMTX75-based, 4WD, 2.0L Zetec driveline. The problem is finding donor 4-cyl Jags and Escapes ... not many around (or in the wrecking yards yet).

The rally cars are all one off-custom driveline vehicles - VERY expensive transaxles - even more $ than an authentic upside-down 935 trans.