[EludeR]

hey , whats up everybody , ive been visiting this site since i was 18 , since the focus first apeared on the scene and i always wanted one and i finally got a good deal now (20). and after i break my car in i wanna do some mods , i want a reliable car and i dont really need over 170wheelhp , just wanna hold my own against NA honda's , but iam more into a balanced car then a all out 1/4 brawler just want a more balacned car, iam looking into getting new wheels and tires , but iam not gonna get intot aht right now should i go turbo or stay NA , given i have a budget of 3500 , whats achievable , with both routes.

 

[airforcefocus]

You should get some good answers to this thread. I went the N/A route with a Focussport head kit with Kent Cams and adjustable cam gears. Exhaust is a must and you must decide if you want to stay legal or not. Race headers give the best gains (I also have the FS race header), but they are not street legal since they eliminate the catalytic converter. Other choice would be a shorty header with a high flow cat. With a shorty and cat, I was at 146hp 126tq. With the addition of the race header, I went to 158hp and 141tq. This is at the wheels. I also added a 2000 year intake manifild which bumped the numbers up more. The 2000 intake manifold is pretty cheap and flows better than a 2001+ model, good mod for the money. You will have to open up the entire exhaust to get the gains you want (once again....I have Focussports aluminized quiet exhaust

). A good intake is always good to have (ahem....FS cool flo). You should be pretty close to this with the budget you have.

If you don't want to commit to a head package, vince (focusonmyzetec) will probably be posting here soon. He has some good numbers without the head package, although he will never see my numbers without one.

I stuck mainly to one company when I decided to build the car. All of the parts were made to each others specs and it also made customer service easier, so I went with the best company around.

BTW: Where are you located?

 

[EludeR]

located in FL , pinellas park/st.pete , iam trying to deciede what would be more reliable , and less of a hassle maintence wise

 

[EludeR]

as far as the intake plenum goes , it sounds like i will definetely be wanting a aftermarket one as even the 2000 model plenum is very restrictive , i dont understand what all this fuss is about the duratec se is either , or the diffrence between the zetec and the zetec-se. i wouldnt really want ot spend 600 bucks on a engine that only makes about 10hp more and about 15-25lbft of tourque more , not worth it with that kinda money you can get a good turbo or something. wich brings me to my next conclusion , for some reason my heart doesnt trust aerocharger quality wise, ive been hearing alot of good stuff about tom's kit but it seems more like its setup for guys that just want to run on the drag strips , and i want something that will make more car more fun to drive with more upgradability in the future , kinda like the revhard kits for the honda's, man if i could get 195whp for that much money i would be satisfied , but i would not like to run a turbo without a intercooler , and proper oil cooling for the turbo , and a b.o.v. the intercooler isnt the real problem , its just that alot of these kits like the aerocharger ones dont even have a oil feed or return line for the turbo i think ( dont know about hte fmax or other kits) seems like you just pour in a bottle of their oil (wherever specified by aerocharger that is) and it doesnt seem likely to be very wise. if i went the turbo route iw ould want a kit with a dinky t3 that would spool fast remain reliable , and easy to maintain.

 

[airforcefocus]

Personally I think N/A is much cheaper and is very little hassle. I drive 120 miles per day to work and back. No problems at all. I may never see the hp and tq of a turbo, but that is not what I wanted. Good luck! If you have any personal questions about what I have done or N/A in general, feel free to pm me. Later, Chris

 

[EludeR]

thanx

 

[airforcefocus]

Oohh...I forgot to say that you can get some really good deals in the classified section here. I have used it a few times and it saved me some major bucks.

 

[TooleBox]

EludeR, Welcome to the Jet!

hope to see you joining us in the Central FL forum. we get together all the time and we have all types here... high HP N/A, Turbo, and Supercharged cars running around here... come hang out a bit and you'll get to see a little of everything

-Kevin

 

[EludeR]

whoa , cool toolebox, didnt know their was a strong focus following in FL , i guess that forum just slipped my eyes lol! ill definetely come join you guys

 

[doogie78]

Originally posted by EludeR:
located in FL , pinellas park/st.pete , iam trying to deciede what would be more reliable , and less of a hassle maintence wise

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I'm sure you can find some stuff in Tampa but you can always make a little trip to Orlando and check out C-F-M. Everything FC you need and Hector is a cool dude who will work with you. Go turbo

 

[EludeR]

C-F-M ?

 

[EludeR]

do you have any contact info on them ?

 

[imported_focus_rs]

Hehe... stuck on the same choice I have to make soon. I think I'm going N/A, but never leave the option of a supercharger. You can do your entire exhaust, head work, cams, the works, and still throw a supercharger on the beast if your still not happy. The only mod that would be taken away with a SC would be a ported intake manifold, which will easily sell on eBay or in the classifieds here on the Jet. For $3500, I recommend looking at the new Ford Racing head from McNews or NewEdge. Add some Crower Stage II Cams and adjustable cam gears to that and you'll be seeing some nice power. Complete your exhaust and grab a nice intake to help your engine breathe and you'll be pulling 140-150whp soon. Don't forget about your compression ratio. I would think that you'll have to make up your mind if you want to go with Forced Induction later on, but if you don't, raise your CR a few notches to gain a few more HP. All of these can easily be done for under $3500. So can a Jackson Racing Supercharger, complete exhaust, intake, and throttle body if you shop around.

 

[EludeR]

supercharging , hrmm , ive heard alot of nightmares about jackson racing superchargers from some honda guys so i dont know how much i would trust them.

 

[doogie78]

Originally posted by EludeR:
supercharging , hrmm , ive heard alot of nightmares about jackson racing superchargers from some honda guys so i dont know how much i would trust them.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Really? thought they were good? C-F-M.com central florida motorsports.

 

[EludeR]

their was a article about it at hybrid honda's site , i will post a link to when i find it.

 

[ukcuhp]

go all motor, much more fun and easy. and you can do it part by part instead of all the turbo components at one time.

 

[doogie78]

ukcuhp, what kinda power do you have at the wheels? I thought the kent cams where not a straight drop in and needed modifications.

 

[ukcuhp]

i had 124 at the wheels with cams only, i havent had it dynoed since. i am going to get it done soon though and get the cam gears dialed in. i can tell you that it pulls real hard all the way to the cut-off at 7100. im hoping for low 150's when i get it dynoed. about the drop in of the kent cams, i am not sure i wasnt there when they were installed, focussport hooked it up in exchange for runnin some tests on the car

. i would post in the focussport area for that question

 

[nazthug]

i made 166whp with my FC headpackage, and bolt ons and still on fairly mild cams

But then again, now with only 5psi(turbo) i am making 200whp+ on the dyno even while the clutch slips...

It really depends on what you want....its not all about power, its drivability, where the power is, torque, money, difficulty, upkeeping and all

NA is definetly super easy, no maintenence, no worry

With my turbo, i gotta keep an eye out on everything, its a completely different drive now....so it all just depends on what you wanna do...

But 166whp was super fun, and should be plently for most focus guys....it made great flat torque, pulled to 7000rpm easily and wasnt too pricey