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#41 ·
the only time a larger diameter tb is required is if u get really aggressive cams or a roots type blower like the JRSC. The engine is not gonna benefit from it. now as for the gains from a tb, really what you get is WOT earlier. you wont have to floor it to get the same effect. This can be accomplished by grinding off the wedge on the stock tb plate. that is all. so, save your money and invest in a good exhaust first.
 
Discussion starter · #42 ·
Just ordered the Volant air intake and the Magnaflow. Combined $630, not too shabby. The Volant was $110 more than the K&N, but everyone here seems to rave, so I got that one.

As for TB, I am just going to talk to my mechanic and ask him to do this, so long as it doesn't affect mileage or such. Not going to upgrade to a 65mm or 67mm, especially since that would be $200 P&L for such a small gain. Just porting my existing will do the trick.

As for rims, on Edgeracing.com, they have brand new rims, with 17" starting at $115 a piece, and they actually have Enkei 18" rims starting at $100 a piece, but I decided against the 18" size from the info here in this Forum thread, it makes sense. As nice as those rims are, and how I actually would save $100 getting the bigger rims (yes, weird, but cool), I am behaving and going with 17". I just want to know about the quality of the brands, like SSW or ICW. I only know Enkei.

There is a cool ICW rim, the 005S "Adrenelin" rim, I can get for $115 a piece locally. 25lb a piece, not too shabby. BUT, is it a good rim? That's what I am trying to figure out. Lots and lots of research.
 
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#43 ·
As a small note, your stock 15" wheels are only 16.5lbs each.

I strongly recommend sticking with something near a 24" outer diameter, as your car will feel peppier with that sort of height.

I think overall you're on the right track. My little Zetec put down 125whp/137wtq with an intake, exhaust, chip, UDP, and a ported stock throttle body.

It was really fun to drive at that point... not sure why I bought a supercharger to be honest.
 
Discussion starter · #44 ·
The tires I am looking at are in the 23" to 24" outer diameter range, so I will be ok then.

Horsepower for the standard ZTEC 2.0 I4 engine is factory at 130. Omnifocus, yours is 125, isn't that technically less? I don't understand. Is there a difference between BHP and WHP?

Has anyone heard of Katera rims, or "Sport Edition" rims? Both are on TireRack. The Sport Edition rims, 17" going for $89 a piece for a six spoke. They are a bit plain, and 24lbs. But for that price, not bad. Plus, they are 7.5" width instead of 7", so I could do 215 or 225.
 
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#45 ·
Discussion starter · #46 ·
Thanks BlkThunder. I am def trying to explore all my options, since there are basically too many of them, and few "reviews" online in the magazines.
 
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#47 ·
np... the thing about tires is that they all have to do with polar moment of inertia. the greater that factor is the more power it'll take to get them moving and stopped (ie. acceleration and braking). in that eqution the biggest factor is actually diameter moreso than weight. so, if u get say 17" rims that weight the same as the stockers, it'll still lose power becuase the mpi is still greater.

Moral of the story: bigger is not always better.

Rims are rims. but rotas and centerlines are usually the best bang for the buck lightweight rims. you could spend some serious cash and get magnesium rims that weigh less, but realize you'd be puttin a 2k set of rims on a 7k car.
 
Discussion starter · #48 ·
Not doing anything crazy with rims like that. I just want a decent looking set of rims. That is why I am looking in the low range, trying to stay below $120 a wheel. There are def choices, but I don't know if they are good or not. Do you have a website that sells Rotas and/or Centerlines at a good price?
 
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Discussion starter · #50 · (Edited)
No "wheel deals" this week I guess. Plus, no online pricing. I will call and see what their pricing is. The rims look cool, and are very lightweight.

Big O Tires just takes you to TireRack/WheelRack.

Thanks much.
 
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#51 ·
Not QUITE what you're interested in, but... I have the 15" "Sport edition F2" rims from the Tire Rack, along with a set of Kumho KH16 tires for autumn and spring driving. I chose these wheels for their relatively light weight (17.2 lbs according to Tire Rack) and price (at the time, $81.00 per rim), and the tires for their indicated long life (60k miles approx), as my car is a daily driver that is driven about 550 miles each week in my daily commute.

They look fine on the focus, and are relatively easy to clean, to boot.

--Scott
 
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Discussion starter · #52 ·
Thanks anyways greentengu, but yes, I am going with the 17's. I wanted 18's, but they would affect my mileage too much. But I still want some larger rims. The stock 15's I have on there now aren't too bad, I would just keep those. I just want this car to look good. My last "commuter car" of a Civic was a nightmare to look at, completely embarassing, but I didn't have the money to improve it, spend all my money repairing it.

Plus, I found some Centerline rims that are 17" and only 17lbs, not too shabby.
 
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Discussion starter · #54 ·
Well, I unfortunately have to report that on Tuesday night, my Focus took a hit from a couple of kiddies who ran a red light. So, my performance installation will be about 3 weeks wait. Bites, because my mechanic just got the parts in. I'll report back then. Until then, still doing my work on research. Trying to find either Centerlines or Enkei's for a good price.
 
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#55 ·
tbirdfiver said:
Horsepower for the standard ZTEC 2.0 I4 engine is factory at 130. Omnifocus, yours is 125, isn't that technically less? I don't understand. Is there a difference between BHP and WHP?
Click to expand...
When they rate HP for cars, they measure the HP at the crank...which makes the HP rating higher....

BUT manufacturers don't take into account for drive train loss...

You lose some power as the power is making its way to the wheels.

OMNI posted his "wheel" HP (whp). That is how that number is considerably less.

Most foci have a wheel hp rating of 108-110 and a crank hp of 130.

dave.
 
#56 ·
Precisely. Most cars rate an average accepted driveline loss of about 15% when comparing wheel horsepower to crank, or flywheel horsepower. What you see is often listed as BHP when you read the magazines, and that is measured at the crankshaft. What you see on a dyno is NET horsepower, or power measured at the wheels (WHP). Cars vary, as do drivelines. Different configurations of cars, such as Front engine, front wheel drive, front engine, rear wheel drive, all-wheel drive, mid-engine, rear wheel drive, etcetera, will all have different rates of loss from the driveline components. 4WD/AWD cars tend to lose the most, as they have the most moving parts in their driveline system to sap power. Fortunately for us, front wheel drive is relatively efficient at getting power to the ground. Now if only we could control that ridiculous wheel hop...
 
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#57 ·
Whump! thanks for the props. I'm sure you'll be happy no matter what you do. You might also want to take a look at the "Exterior mods" forums for some cool ideas for wheels, painting them, and all that jazz. My friend Brian just got me into thinking about how to take my car from looking bone-stock (except the rims, which really aren't very "look at me"-ish anyway) to something a tad more unique (but NOT "hooptie car'd).

Hope all works out for you with your ride and any repairs.

--Scott
 
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Discussion starter · #58 · (Edited)
Thanks for the info on the BHP vs WHP, and thanks again to all who have put in their info in this thread. I definitely have learned, and I eventually will be enjoying this info....when my poor car comes out of the shop. I finally get to go see it today with the insurance adjusters.

According to a quick check, the body shop says that the frame is not bent. I tell ya, the Focus is one tough little car. The kid who hit me was doing 40mph with no braking whatsoever, and the only body damage was a scrape on the rear left panel and the bumper molding was knocked loose. The wheel/wheel assembly took the hit when I was spun around. Technically, I am more damaged than the car is.

At least it means I get new rear suspension and a discount on one of the wheels, and also some time to continue to try to find rims at a decent price. Have to find the silver lining in life's little events, right?!?

P.S.-Just got the call from the adjuster, $2520 damage, almost completely mechanical.
 
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Discussion starter · #60 ·
Picked up the car from the body shop, with its new rims and tires. Insurance ended up painting a few existing scratches on it as well, so the body looks great. The wheels/tires look awesome. I had them paint the brake assemblies red as well, so the car is truly shaping up. It is now at my mechanic getting the intake/exhaust/headlights/taillights all installed. After that, I will FINALLY post pics.
 
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tbirdfiver
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