[SlickShoes]

Small end rod failure due to overheating of that one rod during pin install. Small end went and the rod was free to punch around.

Wheels lock up, 5 quarts of oil dumped everywhere. Chaos I say. Chaos... This along with my axle exploding at 140mph near a concrete wall pretty much shriveled my nuts for the weekend.

http://www.wilkerstaff.com/2003-ECHC-Lowes-kaboom.WMV
Damn nice save. That Prelude was definitely loose in that banked turn!

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=603818

 

[BUR_ZX3]

WOW... he was at the redline for a long time it sounds.... yeowch!

 

[UltegraSTI]

as long as the straights are at VIR (kinda monza-like), somehow i see that happenin to a bunch of foci who go for that g2g in nov.

-Ult

 

[teamDFL]

as long as the straights are at VIR (kinda monza-like), somehow i see that happenin to a bunch of foci who go for that g2g in nov.-Ult

Whatever swammi. I have driven VIR in a Focus and you haven't so please keep your unsubstantiated garbage to yourself. It is assclowns like you that stop people from coming out to the track and having a good time.

I've got close to 1500 on track miles on my Zetec and my last student, upon exiting my car, said to me "you beat the piss out of that car." Until you have comprable experience, shut up and go away.

 

[1turbofocus]

I put over 100 miles on my car at VIR last year and running it as hard as it would go,,I dont know any other way,,

To say something like that is crazy ,,That car was at Charlotte and if it is the one i am thinking about his rev limiter recal read 12,800 from where he down shifted going into the turn if you watch it again you will see it happened when he down shifted ( I was there )

Tom

 

[UltegraSTI]

it was my opinion, and i'm entitled to it. i

i'm still entertainin the idea of goin thank you, far from detracting people from goin, i do just about anythin to get people out to the strip, so that doesnt hold water for you. i coulnt help but think that when i viewed the video. you dont think i dont think about that when i'm windin out every gear i'm in at the strip (same thing here just connected by corners instead of a return road)?

edit-tom, precisely, granted we rev lower, but my concerns were also w/downshifts from very high spd.

so refrain from your silly insults for another time and another person, well not even that, no person deserves that rubbish.

-Ult

ps-if thats your way of incitin somethin w/me as to get me to come down, fill up 1 of the spots, b/c you think your gonna whip up on me in a closed course, than thats pretty funny.

 

[1turbofocus]

I ment NO insult

You should NOT be down shifting from higher speeds anyway role the car into the turn then down shift leaving the turn this helps to not upset the car

Or thats what i do and understand anyway

Let the PRO`S point you in the right direction

And i hope you are still coming to the event

Tom

 

[teamDFL]

it was my opinion, and i'm entitled to it.

Yes, you have the right to ignorance. Flaunting it is just poor taste.

i'm still entertainin the idea of goin thank you, far from detracting people from goin,

You obviously have no idea what you say then. If saying you think a lot of people will go home with blown engines is not deterring (not detracting, btw) participation then you obviously have no concern for the well being of your car. Since from other posts it is easy to deduce otherwise, I'll go back to the ignorance answer.

i do just about anythin to get people out to the strip, so that doesnt hold water for you.

Glad to hear it. But I don't care about you encouraging people to drag race in this thread because you mention VIR. Last time I checked, that was a road course, not a drag strip. So the relevance of this comment is what?

i coulnt help but think that when i viewed the video. you dont think i dont think about that when i'm windin out every gear i'm in at the strip (same thing here just connected by corners instead of a return road)?

Well actually, no, it is nowhere near the same thing. Instead of driving the car hard for 15 seconds or so, you are driving the car hard for 20 to 30 minutes. Along with that, you are going through corners, sloshing the oil about and making things even harder on the engine. Are you beginning to comprehend why your uneducated commments can be so damaging?

edit-tom, precisely, granted we rev lower, but my concerns were also w/downshifts from very high spd.

You clearly do not have the slightest idea how to drive. The rpm that results from a downshift is no higher than that before an upshift. Furthermore, since proper technique dictates that you downshift while braking, there is minimal load on the engine, reducing the liklihood of damage.

so refrain from your silly insults for another time and another person, well not even that, no person deserves that rubbish.

ps-if thats your way of incitin somethin w/me as to get me to come down, fill up 1 of the spots, b/c you think your gonna whip up on me in a closed course, than thats pretty funny.

-Ult

Actually, you deserve the insults because you are really saying something that is potentially detrimenatal to something I want to do: share track time with other FJ members. Hopefully, you will keep your ignorance out of threads that don't deserve it. That said, I would actually enjoy seeing you or anyone else show up. First, the knowledge you gain might put an end to comments like the one you made before. Second, I want as many FJ members there as possible. Finally, I would get a huge amount of personal satisfaction when you and I both drive our cars home with motors still in fine working order.

 

[UltegraSTI]

nope, no thx...if you truely wanted as many as possible you wouldnt have blasted me. should have been insight b4 insult. regardles of what both of us know or dont.
this is what drives people away, some1 acting in your manner.

personally, i'm no longer interested. thank you, have fun.

-Ult

 

[teamDFL]

nope, no thx...if you truely wanted as many as possible you wouldnt have blasted me. should have been insight b4 insult. regardles of what both of us know or dont.
this is what drives people away, some1 acting in your manner.

personally, i'm no longer interested. thank you, have fun.

-Ult

Are you going to take you ball home so no one else can play? Give me a break. If my comments made you not want to come, you weren't going to anyway. I'll take the odds, though. You can stay home, and the people who might not come because the ignorant keep talking about "the one time some guy blew up his engine on track" end up coming, all the better.

Grow up. You put out a line of complete [censored]:

as long as the straights are at VIR (kinda monza-like), somehow i see that happenin to a bunch of foci who go for that g2g in nov.

-Ult

and I called you on it. Get some sack. Either stand by your comment or say that you were wrong. So which is it? Lots of Foci coming home from VIR on trailers or not?

 

[MichaelXi]

OK Kids,
I'm This ! ! Close to "Cleaning" this thread.
Ult, Don't Wuss because of this little "Spat".
Rich, I'm NOT yet Cleaning this thread, because you've made good points about the Unliklihood of this Happening at the Aforementioned event.
I WILL Be there, Money Allowing. (My Wife's Pregnancy has kinda put a ??? in the works. I HOPE I can be there.

)
Ult, He has a point, in that you state that you Don't want to "Chase People Away", yet your words are dripping w/ "Gloom and Doom".
If Anyone Blows, it will either be the result of a TWEAKED Engine that is Improperly Tuned AND Pushed too hard, OR Someone who doesn't believe in Oil-Changes.
Remember, most either have Speed-Limiters, OR will not top out 5th gear.
Most people there will likely be people who shift At or Near Redline Frequently, and know better than to go beyond.
MOST Foci, even w/ chips, still have rev-limiters that will keep them in the "Safe" Zone if there aren't tuning problems.
I'd be more concerned about people driving "Over their Head" than Blowing Engines.
Now, C'Mon guys, Play Nice.

 

[zx3 focus racer]

all i can think of is the super man theme for MichaelXi. althoug it probably is not the superman theme in my head. its probably starwars or something

any ways i am enjoying the show!

 

[ZXmurph]

FWIW........I would say, according to the general populace of "the ZETEC is made of glass" naysayers, I was supposed to have 1 to 4 rods shooting out the pan about, hmmmmm......maybe 17k miles ago.........still waiting.


Too bad this thread got pissy, and I'm convinced it has something to do with Rich not getting any sleep for ?. I do share the frustration however, when people allude to a hard driven, but properly driven Zetec being a time bomb.

For the record, it is NO MORE likely to fail than anything else.

I don't go around flaunting how two friends with S2000 are on new shortblocks, a Type R owner is on #3, and another friend is has a nice chunk of BMWs rather growing M3 national parts bill.

They are all motors........flaws, misuse, abuse, and blind luck can all play big roles, and running a motor hard increases the risk on any of those factors rearing their head.

But keeping any of them in the driveway isn't much fun......

 

[BUR_ZX3]

But keeping any of them in the driveway isn't much fun......

Amen Brother Murph!

 

[Sprayin]

They are all motors........flaws, misuse, abuse, and blind luck can all play big roles, and running a motor hard increases the risk on any of those factors rearing their head.

But keeping any of them in the driveway isn't much fun......

well said

 

[OmniFocus]

Exactly... Besides.. Even if Zetecs were made of glass, a toasted Zetec is easily cured by a call to KSGerry.

Zetecs are so cheap that abusive play is affordable and worthwhile.

 

[P-51]

Rich, is that you?

I agree with comments from Rich and Murph.

Specifically, that those of us who know how to drive properly, and run a stock engine or modified engine with proper tune, have had NO problems.

I would say that the M3 and Cobra motors are WAY more fragile, as they are developing a reputation for blowing up for no reason whatsoever.

And as has been said, I can get a new engine for less than the cost of a set of forged rods... so why even worry?

 

[teamDFL]

Rich, is that you?

Yeah, its me. The unreserved side of me that you've seen a couple of times too.

Too bad this thread got pissy, and I'm convinced it has something to do with Rich not getting any sleep for ?.

Actually, it got pissy when I was well rested. Cannot write this one off on the baby.

After a couple of days of 'leaving this one alone', I figured I'd offer a little explanation to the regulars here on why I answered in the tone I did.

1) The comment was based on zero experience at the track.
2) The idea that a 'bunch' of motors would be blown is just absurd.
3) Long straights aren't really engine killers.
4) I've shared every problem and every part failure I have had on track, but the poster has contributed nothing of like value in this forum.
5) Like Rob said, there are some motors that do blow, so it is a real concern for some car owners, but the Zetec has not shown any weakness.

I am glad Rob and Murph said what they did. Between the three of us, I think we have the bases covered on this one.
Me - stock
Murph - hi-po N/A
Rob - boost
Just based on posts and my experience, I would guess a minimum of 4000 on track miles between our three Zetecs. Now, consider that a great track day is 100 miles, so 200 for the weekend. That means 20 Foci would have to run VIR to combine the amount of miles just the three of us have logged. I think we can safely say that our body of knowledge is substantial.

I apologize to Michael and the other moderators if my comments put you in a difficult situation and I hope that what I said makes people more comfortable with the idea of taking their Focus to the track.

 

[UltegraSTI]

as versed in this forum as you might be...still i wouldnt have chopped you down in such a vicious manner if you made an observation or gave an opinion similar in nature over in the drag forum. just b/c my opinion or forsight that you dont agree with falls in your 'domain' doesnt give you free license to pull out the flamethrower in such distasteful manner. its your actions that pushes people away, not those observations...any1 foolish enuff to think there isnt a risk in runnin your car hard in any form, is just that...a fool.

just think about it the next time someone says somethin you dont agree with in here next time. you (and thus this thread and all the impressionable foci owners out there) would have come out a lot better from this.

-Ult

 

[teamDFL]

just think about it the next time someone says somethin you dont agree with in here next time. you (and thus this thread and all the impressionable foci owners out there) would have come out a lot better from this.

Funny that you challenge me to think about the consequences of saying something before I post it. Here are a couple of things that you clearly did not think of:
1- You singled out a specific event that members of this forum were considering attending and targetted it as having a very high liklihood of multiple engine failures. Did you not think that this would deter people from attending?
2- You talk about a race track's design leading to engine failure. Shouldn't you have driven on road course or been involved with the sport on some level before making a conslusion to its effects on vehicle longevity?
3- You gave absolutely no backup to your "forsight". Shouldn't you have at least listed some reason why you thought failure was likely other than some vague comment about Monza-like straights?

As for me coming out better, I have only one regret, and I have already voiced in my previous post. As for other impressionable Focus owners, I cannot see how this could have come out better. Someone comes in with a unsubstantiated claim that going to a track event other members were attending would result in "a bunch" of engine failures. That person is shown to be a complete fraud, making claims with no basis by three people with significant track experience and cars in differing states of tune. Sends a pretty positive message about taking your car on track doesn't it?

Oh, and please answer my previous question:

Either stand by your comment or say that you were wrong. So which is it? Lots of Foci coming home from VIR on trailers or not?