As far as pure power go, header will give you the best gains.
But if it were me, i would get a tuner. It will help you here, and for future upgrades.

 

From your list I would do the SCT Xcal2 first. It will certainly give you a boost, it will get rid of some of the drivability issues caused by the factory ECU tune - though I'm not sure how obvious those are with the Auto. It will also give you a better platform for future modding.

It's hard for me to be a great reference on the BS Delete as I did it at the exact same time that I did my CAI and didn't drive the car inbetween, but I certainly think the motor spins up a little faster now. When you really look at it there are a few other benefits like being able to run with extra oil, and not having the egg beaters frothing the oil you do have, not to mention, less weight is less weight and the unit is fairly hefty at nearly 20lbs.

>8^)
ER

 

I should really get around to doing the BS delete. Maybe couple it with the Steeda Tri-Ax and a nice tranny mount.

 

whats the diference from the first SCT XCal and the SCT XCal2 ?? im thinking of getting it, peace

 

a nice tranny mount

NOOOOO!! Don't do it

I just took mine off the car. The vibrations were driving me nuts. I was afraid to have passengers in the car, since they kept asking me what was wrong with the car at every stop light (the car had tremors)
Also, at a stop when I pressed the brake pedal down hard something would vibrate like crazy (never figured it out). After I took the mount out, it's gone.

I mean I thought it was a good mod at first and the shifts felt better, but now that I'm back to my stock mount....it wasn't that great of a mod.
Just caused more vibration.

Now I'm vibration free with the stock mount

I'm not dogging the VF mount, because I DID love it on my SVT, but on the Duratec it caused a lot of vibration & some weird rattling.
just a heads up

 

I have a FS CAI, 2.5" Borla, and Cossie Flex. I'm happy with my suspension set-up.. What kind of mods should I do next? My choices are:

1. Header - $300+
2. SCT XCal2 - $350
3. Lentech Valvebody - $380
4. Crower Stg 1 - $350

Some cheap ones I can do are:

1. BS Delete ($30, but is it worth it?)
2. Tranny Cooler ($80)

Forget everything you've written above.

YOU NEED SOME MORE GEAR. As in ring and pinion.

That is all.

 

a nice tranny mount

NOOOOO!! Don't do it

I just took mine off the car. The vibrations were driving me nuts. I was afraid to have passengers in the car, since they kept asking me what was wrong with the car at every stop light (the car had tremors)
Also, at a stop when I pressed the brake pedal down hard something would vibrate like crazy (never figured it out). After I took the mount out, it's gone.

I mean I thought it was a good mod at first and the shifts felt better, but now that I'm back to my stock mount....it wasn't that great of a mod.
Just caused more vibration.

Now I'm vibration free with the stock mount

Well the vibration when coming to a stop can be blamed on the ECU - it's just enhanced by the mount to the point where it becomes noticeable.

Are you sure when you installed it you put the bolts in the right spot? If you reverse them the larger bolt will hit the steering rack apparently.

I just don't see how yours could be so much worse than mine - and I'm fairly picky when it comes to noises and vibrations. Besides, when people ask me about the stuttering, I just tell them its a P.O.S. Ford and they understand completely.

= = = = =

BTW: When is the last time you did the ECU reset as outlined in the Focus Owner's Manual. I have Z63R to thank for telling me it was in there. If you have disconnected your battery for any length of time, and not followed those instructions after reconnecting it, your idle trims will be hosed and that could add to the amount of vibrations you were experiencing. Something to look into...

>8^)
ER

 

The bolts were in correctly...no doubt about that.

The AEM 2.5" exhaust that was on the car (now sold) was a tight fit and with the engine mount made the exhaust vibrate a little (against the heat shield).

As for the vibration in the front when I hit the brake pedal at a stop...I have no idea what that was. Kind of hard to be at a stop light with your foot on the brake and outside of your car trying to hear it.

I put the exhaust on & the rear mount on the same day. And I took the rear mount off & the exhaust off on the same day as well. So I never got to try the mount by itself.

So who knows

Oh well.

I'm fine with the stock mount anyways.

 

BTW: When is the last time you did the ECU reset as outlined in the Focus Owner's Manual. I have Z63R to thank for telling me it was in there. If you have disconnected your battery for any length of time, and not followed those instructions after reconnecting it, your idle trims will be hosed and that could add to the amount of vibrations you were experiencing. Something to look into...

>8^)
ER

Just read the manual & did this.
Now my car idles smoother and doesn't dip in the RPMs like I complained about before (a month or 2 ago).
THANKS!

 

BTW: When is the last time you did the ECU reset as outlined in the Focus Owner's Manual. I have Z63R to thank for telling me it was in there. If you have disconnected your battery for any length of time, and not followed those instructions after reconnecting it, your idle trims will be hosed and that could add to the amount of vibrations you were experiencing. Something to look into...

>8^)
ER

Just read the manual & did this.
Now my car idles smoother and doesn't dip in the RPMs like I complained about before (a month or 2 ago).
THANKS!

Cool - I was thinking that might be the problem as the other night I bypassed that step and the idle was much rougher - a lot more like what you described. Next time you get under the car for an oil change or something, consider putting the lower mount back in place. You might find that with the improved idle settings and the lack of your vibrating exhaust, that it is just as tolerable as you remember from your SVT.

>8^)
ER

 

Just read the manual & did this.
Now my car idles smoother and doesn't dip in the RPMs like I complained about before (a month or 2 ago).
THANKS!

Awesome. When in doubt, whip it out.

T3h manual, that is...

 

Cool - I was thinking that might be the problem as the other night I bypassed that step and the idle was much rougher - a lot more like what you described. Next time you get under the car for an oil change or something, consider putting the lower mount back in place. You might find that with the improved idle settings and the lack of your vibrating exhaust, that it is just as tolerable as you remember from your SVT.

>8^)
ER

Well...I actually sold the mount last week...so I can't put it back in.
I don't think it's idling any better, because it's where it was (before I reset it) and should be.

BUT before when I was rolling up to stop signs or stop lights in neutral, the revs would dip a little and then come back up to idle. Well now it doesn't do this anymore.
I mean I'd taken the negative off the battery like 10 times at least and I never reset the idle trim, so obviously this helped solve one of my problems.

Maybe in the future I'll get the VF mount again...I dunno. But in the meantime, I gotta get my Steeda intake on & then I'm gonna order me up a FS Stealth Exhaust.

 

Stupid question, but what is a BS Delete and how much gain do you get?

 

A balance shaft delete. It takes out approximately 14 lbs of rotating mass in the oil pan. There are a pair of shafts there that rotate to cancel out the motion of the engine. They give a smoother ride, but makes the engine work harder and rev slower. There's a kit put out by Marcy Motorsport to remove them and seal up the space they leave, and another kit due out from Cosworth sometime in the near future.

Edit: Forgot to mention gain. I think people are seeing 1 or 2 horsepower, but that's not the real benefit. The engine revs much more easily, like adding a lightened flywheel.

 

Thanks pitchblack23 that helps.

 

I think the engine runs smoother if your driving it hard, especially during shifting. It is a good Mod if you got the time and effort.

 

Does it make a difference if you have ATX or MTX? I have ATX. Also I see that the kit offered is for the D23. Does it also fit the D20?

 

the 2.0 does not have balance shafts, so no........lol