Modifiying My Car In Search Of More Power

[xtopiana]

Okay so I am very new to the forum so hello everyone!

After buying the worst ford focus you could possibly buy on the side of the road for £500 and it going to the scrapyard I now have a lovely Mk1 1.8 Ford Focus Zetec Collection and I want to get more power out of it. I am not in search of anything much, 150bhp+ but I would love to know where to start! I literally don't know what to do first.

I don't have very much money, £3-400 but I really don't want very much more out of it, just something to separate it from the rest!

Many thanks guys! I will happily post pics of any work done!

[artscot79]

To be honest all you'll get is an exhaust from eBay and an induction kit neither alone will give more than 5bhp you could get a piper cam that'll use all ure cash or find an st170 cam and swap them but you'll need a decent exhaust and sports cat easily £1000 you can also fit an st snorkel to the air intake and add a panel filter all are easy enough theres nothing engine wise thats going to seperate you as most 1.8s have had the money spent and push at least 150bhp you cant do cams without a remap or exhaust or filter remap £399 exhaust £160 cams £300-400 filter £40

Chexk burton power website look under zetec e and you'll see what can be done

[FOCA]

I agree in general what A, is saying - to get a big power hike you will have to spend "proper" money but there is some "low cost" things you can do -

Quick Shifter - (about £30)

Shortens the gearshift and repositions the linkage giving a shorter throw - enables you to change gear faster without "missing" a gear reducing acceleration times slightly, more positive "sporty" feel

K&N panel filter (£25-£40)

Increases airflow through the filter (slightly, depends on car/ engine) especially important on a NA (Naturally Asperated or non-turbo) because the suction/ airflow is realatively weak - can help the engine rev better at the top end, on a modern car if it actually flows more air it will lot run lean as the MAF sensor + ECU will automatically compensate by increasing fuel (to maintain air-fuel ratio) (may be worth 2-3Hp)

Dont fit a cone filter - it just makes more noise and loses power as it draws worm air - and the stock airbox is "tuned" to increase torque

As A. has suggested - fit an ST snorkel, you can also "gas flow" the stock airbox, and remove the "webs" don't drill the bottom of the airbox, it just makes more noise, draws warm air - loses power

You can fit larger throttle bodie/s (5Hp?)- could be expensive - low cost option "knife edge" the butterfly (not for the novice, though) you can port & polish (the inside!) the inlet manifold, and match it to the head

Total loss breather / catchtank (£30-£60)

The breather is fed back into the air intake - this can loose a little bit of power and contaninates the intake - a catchtank can help to reduce this - you can get "trendy" polished alloy ones (1-2Hp)

Remap - £180+ 5-12Hp

If you are doing a lot of phisical mods its worth doing the remap last (to take the phisical mods into account) a good one will do a rolling road/ dyno and give you a before/ after printout

Eehaust and sports cat/ custom stainless steel system with equal- lengh manifold (£lots) 5-15Hp

Exhausts vary in price/ quality - you can spend a lot, but you can heatwrap your manifold/ downpipe for about £20-£30 (heats the gasses in the exhaust, aiding scavenging and reduces heatsoak into the inlet, increasing power) 2Hp?

Lighten the car -

Ditch the junk - the spare etc / don't add that sub / fit the lightest wheels you can afford(bigger, heavier wheels will just slow you down) / fit a lighter flywheel when you need to change the clutch etc, etc

Finally - just buy a faster car! (if you go diesel all you need is a remap- it would save you all the hassle!)

[xtopiana]

Thank you so much! That's exactly the kind of information I wanted :) where could I get myself a quick shifter, and that's a really good idea about the snorkel from the ST model. I know of an ST model being broken near me. Are there any other parts I should consider snatching up?

[FOCA]

Thank you so much! That's exactly the kind of information I wanted :) where could I get myself a quick shifter, and that's a really good idea about the snorkel from the ST model. I know of an ST model being broken near me. Are there any other parts I should consider snatching up?

The wheels, the interior, the bodykit, (off the top of my head)

[artscot79]

As far as tuning goes, it’s simple to bring an 1800 up to RS1800 spec
with Ford cams or Kent FZ1802 cams - you would need a 130bhp ECU
though, or aftermarket re-mapping. A power boost valve will help
eliminate the flat spot between 3,300-3,500rpm.
You can actually
use the standard injection combined with a new Weber Alpha kit that
works with the OE inlet manifold. Fitments are for the silver top
1800s, and both silver and black top 2.0 engines. Power achieved is,
approx 150bhp for a 1.8 130PS and 160bhp for the 2.0. However, these
are really the limit of the standard induction and further increases
are not possible, unlike their other kits. It has to be said that
although these kits have been developed for the kit car market, we do
not see any reason why they can’t be fitted to a FWD Zetec engined car.
Webcon cannot confirm fitment but like us believe it should work. If
you want to go beyond the range of the standard induction though, we can
supply a Weber Alpha kit, which replaces the system altogether and is
incredibly comprehensive - all is there for you to bolt it straight on,
including manifold, linkage, even air filters. On an 1800 130PS
engine, you should see 155bhp and 165bhp on a 2 litre.
Either of
these two systems will provide enough fuelling for plenty of future
modifications. Fit one of our stage 1 heads plus a pair of Kent FZ2002
cams and you should see power around 185bhp. If you want to go beyond
this ‘Fast Road’ stage then you’ll need our Stage 2 heads which feature
larger inlet valves.

do not put a catch tank in

To avoid upsetting the fuel/air mixture, the PCV valve must regulate
the evacuation of these blow-by gases
and vapours (which will be minimal at
idling speed but will intensify as engine speed is increased). Since
manifold vacuum is highest at low
engine speeds, the PCV plunger will be drawn forward
to a position that will restrict crankcase ventilation to a
minimum thus ensuring no unsettlement
of the air/fuel mixture. As engine speeds are increased
the manifold vacuum will drop thus reducing the ‘pull’
on the plunger which will slide back to
a midway position allowing a greater flow rate from the crankcase.
Since the engine demands more air/fuel
mixture at high engine speeds, the
escalation of crankcase vapours into the combustion chambers should not
affect performance.

The PCV valve also acts as a flame trap. In the event of a backfire,
the resulting pressure through the
inlet manifold will force the plunger back into
the closed position, thus preventing an explosion of the
vapours in the crankcase. Various PCV
systems are in use but they all function in essentially the same way.
Earlier systems were known as ‘open’
systems that still allowed some vapours to vent
to atmosphere via the filler cap. ‘Closed’ PCV systems have
been the norm for some time now,
whereby the filler caps are not vented and air is recirculated via the
air filter. Left unchecked over a
period of time a PCV system will deteriorate and may
cause major engine problems as outlined above. Regular
maintenance is essential with some
manufacturers recommending the renewal of the PCV valve at every major
service interval.

as i said burton power are pros so have all the info you really need

[FOCA]

As far as tuning goes, it’s simple to bring an 1800 up to RS1800 spec

with Ford cams or Kent FZ1802 cams - you would need a 130bhp ECU

though, or aftermarket re-mapping. A power boost valve will help

eliminate the flat spot between 3,300-3,500rpm.

You can actually

use the standard injection combined with a new Weber Alpha kit that

works with the OE inlet manifold. Fitments are for the silver top

1800s, and both silver and black top 2.0 engines. Power achieved is,

approx 150bhp for a 1.8 130PS and 160bhp for the 2.0. However, these

are really the limit of the standard induction and further increases

are not possible, unlike their other kits. It has to be said that

although these kits have been developed for the kit car market, we do

not see any reason why they can’t be fitted to a FWD Zetec engined car.

Webcon cannot confirm fitment but like us believe it should work. If

you want to go beyond the range of the standard induction though, we (FOCA - who is "we"?) can

supply a Weber Alpha kit, which replaces the system altogether and is

incredibly comprehensive - all is there for you to bolt it straight on,

including manifold, linkage, even air filters. On an 1800 130PS

engine, you should see 155bhp and 165bhp on a 2 litre.

Either of

these two systems will provide enough fuelling for plenty of future

modifications. Fit one of our stage 1 heads plus a pair of Kent FZ2002

cams and you should see power around 185bhp. If you want to go beyond

this ‘Fast Road’ stage then you’ll need our Stage 2 heads which feature

larger inlet valves.

FOCA - How much does this little lot cost? - would you not be better (and probably cheaper) to just buy a ST170 start with that ?

do not put a catch tank in

To avoid upsetting the fuel/air mixture, the PCV valve must regulate

the evacuation of these blow-by gases

and vapours (which will be minimal at

idling speed but will intensify as engine speed is increased). Since

manifold vacuum is highest at low

engine speeds, the PCV plunger will be drawn forward

to a position that will restrict crankcase ventilation to a

minimum thus ensuring no unsettlement

of the air/fuel mixture. As engine speeds are increased

the manifold vacuum will drop thus reducing the ‘pull’

on the plunger which will slide back to

a midway position allowing a greater flow rate from the crankcase.

Since the engine demands more air/fuel

mixture at high engine speeds, the

escalation of crankcase vapours into the combustion chambers should not

affect performance.

The PCV valve also acts as a flame trap. In the event of a backfire,

the resulting pressure through the

inlet manifold will force the plunger back into

the closed position, thus preventing an explosion of the

vapours in the crankcase.(FOCA - this cannot happen in a total - loss system because the inlet is not connected to the crankcase- the PCV valve can be completely removed and a backfire could not ignite the crankase actually making a total loss/ catchtank safer) Various PCV

systems are in use but they all function in essentially the same way.

Earlier systems were known as ‘open’

systems that still allowed some vapours to vent

to atmosphere via the filler cap. ‘Closed’ PCV systems have

been the norm for some time now,

whereby the filler caps are not vented and air is recirculated via the

air filter. Left unchecked over a

period of time a PCV system will deteriorate and may

cause major engine problems as outlined above. Regular

maintenance is essential with some

manufacturers recommending the renewal of the PCV valve at every major

service interval.

as i said burton power are pros so have all the info you really need

FOCA - Fitting a Catchtank is standard practice in racing (on some circuts/ series it is manditory) and many performance cars - for example Sierra Cosworths are often fitted with them,-

Fitting a catchtank (correctly) avoids the problems mentioned - the car will run much better with one - NOT having a catchtank contaminates the inlet with oily residue, the warm gasses can bypass the MAF sensor, upsetting the fuel/ air mixture. The PCV valve can be completely removed with a total-loss breather system, eliminating problems with it being gummed up - it must be fitted/ plumed correctly

I must ask (with respect) where you got your information from? have you had any actual hands-on tuning experience, how many breather catchtanks have you fitted (correctly)?

Just as a matter of interest, what proper (actual performance enhancing) modifications have you done to your present car?