Hassen's Ford Focus 1.6 Tdci Build Thread

[Lenny]

I didn't know that bit about the 3 year expiry. Good to know. Cheers Lenny. Gonna ring around today to find out if they have a pair in stock. I would normally get new tyres but funds are low at the moment with house renovation. Every little helps☺

yeah its 3 or 5 years came in to effect two years ago as i remember my mother having to purchase a brand new spare wheel,

Easier to fit a can of foam.

[tazzman600]

Nowt wrong what so ever with part warn tyres. I've been using them over 25 years with NO issues. Many times driven well in to 3 figure speeds and cornered like a demon too. Yeah ok you don't know the history of them ut within a few hundred yards you'll know if they're good or not.

[tazzman600]

I downloaded the MOT test info for Ireland and a car will only get an Advisory if the tyre is 6 years or older.

Hassan. Make sure that the tyres you get have either an 'e and number' or E and number in either a circle or rectangle then it's been tested as roadworthy.

[Hassen]

That's some very useful information there guys. Thanks a million.

Next issue: deciding what tyre to go for? I need a few options as they might have them in stock. So far I got:

1. Avon ZV5

2. Toyo Proxes Cf2

3. Hankook Ventus Prime 2

Any others I should consider? Needs to be fuel efficient, quiet and good grip in wet and dry conditions. Doesn't need to be a sports tyre but that would be a bonus. Needs to have a good lifespan e.g 20000 miles of motorway driving.

[Lenny]

That's some very useful information there guys. Thanks a million.

Next issue: deciding what tyre to go for? I need a few options as they might have them in stock. So far I got:

1. Avon ZV5

2. Toyo Proxes Cf2

3. Hankook Ventus Prime 2

Any others I should consider? Needs to be fuel efficient, quiet and good grip in wet and dry conditions. Doesn't need to be a sports tyre but that would be a bonus. Needs to have a good lifespan e.g 20000 miles of motorway driving.

Michelin Primacey tyres were stock from ford efficent tyres,

Avons are fantastic in every way except fuel efficency

[Hassen]

Cheers Lenny. I realised very quickly about the Avons. They are great except for fuel efficiency. My commute going to be 200km return/day in a few weeks, so it needs to be running on more efficient tyres.

Got a place in Mullingar that I'm gonna call at lunchtime abd another recommended in Dublin over the weekend.

[Lenny]

Cheers Lenny. I realised very quickly about the Avons. They are great except for fuel efficiency. My commute going to be 200km return/day in a few weeks, so it needs to be running on more efficient tyres.

Got a place in Mullingar that I'm gonna call at lunchtime abd another recommended in Dublin over the weekend.

Sounds good mate,

When doing that much miles theres really no point in paying out for new tyres all the time,

Best to get friendly with a tyre place then get discount through friendship,

I got 10 euro off two Avon ZV5 this month at my local,

I suggest joining AA RoadSide assistance aswell

Very cheap only 7 euro per month

[Hassen]

That's a good plan as I will be going through tyres at a quicker rate soon. Always good to get discounts, whatever the amount. And yea, no point in shelling for new tyres for me from now on or I won't be able to run the car. Also, there is still the remote possibility of me upgrading to a different car in the near future.

Got roadside assistance for free as part of servicing the car regularly at the Ford garage. Works within Europe which is kinda cool. I should probably ditch the spare tyre and get a can like you did at this stage. Any weight saving will be good.

[Lenny]

That's a good plan as I will be going through tyres at a quicker rate soon. Always good to get discounts, whatever the amount. And yea, no point in shelling for new tyres for me from now on or I won't be able to run the car. Also, there is still the remote possibility of me upgrading to a different car in the near future.

Got roadside assistance for free as part of servicing the car regularly at the Ford garage. Works within Europe which is kinda cool. I should probably ditch the spare tyre and get a can like you did at this stage. Any weight saving will be good.

+1

The can's of Holtz tyre weld can be purchased from Tesco get points back on purchase,

Or use Halfords discount card to get 15% off whichever is cheaper,

Bare in mind the cans look identical but there different sizes,

You will need a can which covers 17" and above,

They start with 13"-16" sized can.

Final word then,

Always good to carry a spare H7 bulb in the glovebox as its 60 euro on the spot fine if driving with only one,

This stuff is also awesome for keeping rain off windscreen,

See the rain drops run off glass like asteroids

Sparco shoes also make a difference,

Designed for driving they have curved heals and pointed toes,

Very comfortable and flexible had a pair for many years.

[GingerFlame]

+1

The can's of Holtz tyre weld can be purchased from Tesco get points back on purchase,

Or use halfords discount card to get 15% off whichever is cheaper,

Bare in mind the cans look identical but there different sizes,

You will need a can which covers 17" and above,

They start with 13"-16" sized can.

Final word then,

Always good to carry a spare H7 bulb in the glovebox as its 60 euro on the spot fine if driving with only one,

This stuff is also awesome for keeping rain off windscreen,

See the rain drops run off glass like asteroids

Sparco shoes also make a difference,

Designed for driving they have curved heals and pointed toes,

Very comfortable and flexible had a pair for many years.

I use carbon collective glass.. and I have to admit, it's VERY entertaining watching the water drying the windows as they sheet off!

As soon as you hit 30mph the water dissapears in a matter of seconds. I think I've used my wipers twice maybe since I treated the glass in March, and the effect is yet to deteriorate :)

Thank god I don't live in Ireland with the bulb business.. as in England you can just about blag yourself out of trouble with a blown bulb. Now that I've fitted projectors into my headlight, not only would I have to remove the headlight as usual, I have to undo some pretty annoying clips and carefully slide the delicate bulb out of a rather absrasive metal slot :(

Now, If I had to do that with a police officer watching over me.. I'd end up making a mess of something! Haha

[Hassen]

Wow that does look and sound like the business. Need to check if they have it in Halfords. Well worth it with the weather we have here.

As for H7 bulbs, got a pair in the centre console always, even though it's the cheapo ones just in case I get stopped. Always be prepared lol

I used to have a pair of Adidas/Goodyear driving shoes. Sadly they wore out but they were so comfortable to drive with.

[Hassen]

Lenny, can you recommend anywhere for part worn tyres as I need 205 50 R17 and it's kinda hard to come across part worn here.

[Lenny]

Lenny, can you recommend anywhere for part worn tyres as I need 205 50 R17 and it's kinda hard to come across part worn here.

Try local tyre places family run businesses,

Place at traffic lights on the N2 just past turn off for Tayto park may be able to supply,

Its not worth traveling too far to get em either mate,

Maybe price four 16" steel rims then your guranteed to be able to get part worn tyres for around 35 euro each

16" are most common,

17" uses to be very common with toyota avensis, nissan almera, primera, mitsubishi lancer, renault laguna, all 17"

But most are 16" now more efficent with less road noise.

Maybe worth fitting 16" for the few months i dunno mate.

[Hassen]

That's a good suggestion about the 16“ rims. It would work out cheaper and less road noise. I still have to check out the places in Dublin. They might have a bigger stockpile. Hoping I can get the partworn ones or else the local Ford garage as usual gave me a deal on the Avon ZV5.

[Hassen]

Update: Walkinstown Tyre Centre have my size in new stock part worn. Going to head there over the weekend to have a look. €40/tyre including fitting. Going to get fronts and see how they fare.

[Lenny]

Update: Walkinstown Tyre Centre have my size in new stock part worn. Going to head there over the weekend to have a look. €40/tyre including fitting. Going to get fronts and see how they fare.

Not a bad price atall mate,

Part worn 16's are €35 each fitted in my local thats a good price for 17's

[Hassen]

I thought so too. Just depends on what brand and model they have. They bring them from Germany and a friend of mine who does a lot of miles recommended them.

[PhillyFromTheWest]

Damn! Was really hoping you got the focal ps165fx, as I'm interested in fitting these, but think the tweeters will be too big to fit in original housings. But interesting read non the less :)

[Hassen]

The size of most Focal Speakers are similar if I recall correctly. Maybe check if GingerFlame member here got that one as he got a set of Focals as well. Do you have a build thread so I can have a look?

[GingerFlame]

I have the Focal PS165f's

[PhillyFromTheWest]

What's your thoughts on these? The reason I am keen on the FX flax cone series, is because they really emphasis the fact they give a really low deep bass, which is exactly what I'm after. The standard titanium ones in mk2 focus are quite bassy, but can't go too loud, and you need to make sure input ie vol on MP3 player is set

Just right etc. the focals you have I believe have tweeters that'll fit without too much cutting but the fx series seem a lot bigger, so I'm tempted to see if I can buy the fx midrange and the smaller tweeters separately.

[Hassen]

Interesting idea. My humble opinion: The Speakers and tweeter combination are designed to work together. Mixing them up from different ranges might not give you the desired results and even muddy the sound. Also, if you want deep bass, the best option is to get a subwoofer. It doesn't need to be a big one, any decent 8-10 inch sub would do a better job at reproducing the low end frequencies better than the 6.5 inch mid range drivers(their frequency range doesn't go as low as the frequencies a subwoofer can reproduce) that will be in the doors. Even the flat underseat subwoofers will be a big improvement on sound. You can always upgrade it further down the line when you get bored/have more funds/want an upgrade.

My recommendation: Get a good 4 channel amp pushing enough rms watt to drive the Focals. Just get one pair of component Focal Speakers (Flax or even the KR Kevlar ones-yellow in colour). Run 2 channels off the amp to power the Speakers in the front. Disconnect and forget the rear stock speakers for the moment. With the other 2 free channels off the amp, bridge them and power a small sub in your boot. It doesn't need to be something fancy.A 10 inch second hand subwoofer in a good ported or vented box will make do for the moment. Go bigger if you don't mind losing some boot space and you want more bass. If you have the funds, get a 10 inch JL Audio subwoofer and a custom subwoofer enclosure for the car like I did. Links in this thread.

I think the above setup will be a big improvement over stock as the Focals offer very good dynamics, note definition and clarity.

What headunit are you going to have in the car?

[GingerFlame]

What's your thoughts on these? The reason I am keen on the FX flax cone series, is because they really emphasis the fact they give a really low deep bass, which is exactly what I'm after. The standard titanium ones in mk2 focus are quite bassy, but can't go too loud, and you need to make sure input ie vol on MP3 player is set

Just right etc. the focals you have I believe have tweeters that'll fit without too much cutting but the fx series seem a lot bigger, so I'm tempted to see if I can buy the fx midrange and the smaller tweeters separately.

I work in Technical theatre, in both sound and lighting.

I work with Tech ranging from £50 Argos jobs that idiots like to tour, to our 250k in house L acoustics DV DOSC PA, and even better touring PA.

Hence, I know rubbish sound and good sound when I hear it. I've also seen the massive range of build quality. It may also mean I'm slightly deaf :p

I purchased my Focals on recomendations from Hassen, and the headunit paired with it from Lenny. Before I review anything.. here's my setup.

* Headunit - Pioneer AVH2600BT

*front door Speakers - Focal PS165F

*Powered by - Blaupaunkt GTA470

*Subwoofer - 10" JL Audio in custom sealed enclosure.

*Powered by - JL audio JX500/1D

Both front doors are fitted with boom mats (lenny also uses these, perhaps hassen too?)

I have also used Vibration deadening materials in the doors.

Out of the box, the Focals (main drivers) eat breath and cry out build quality. With metal frames & "flax" cones they're a sight to behold.

They're relatively heavy for what they are, although this is no bad thing.

The tweeters are plastic in construction, with a metal grill and several mounting brackets/clips. They feature a pretty standard paper cone I believe, which up until now I've believed offers the better listening experience.

The passive crossovers included do their intended job well. They're well made & even in my clumsy hands, made it into the car unscratched

When I first installed them (before installing the subwoofer) I powered them from the headunit itself. At first I thought "well.. that's nothing special". No matter what I did with the EQ & delays I couldn't get a "I'm a premium piece of kit" sound from them. This is because they require 70w RMS a side (or there abouts.. haven't fiddled in a while) and the headunit provides around 60w RMS meaning they were underpowered. Safe to say the headunit broke a sweat.

Next up I completely the amp install and wiring.

Straight away, with a flat Graphic & no delay, the sound was a worlds different to before! The lows were seriously low & clean for a mid range woofer.

The mids were lovely and warm, with a smooth transition between frequencies whilst running a frequency sweep, no jumps or skips.

Onto the tweeters, well... Somebody would think I had let a flock of birds into the car ;). For a "standard" tweeter included with the Focals they're amazing! Teamed up with the Crossover that came in the box, I couldnt believe what I was hearing for the price I paid.

Straight away I was noticing things in songs that I'd only ever noticed at work before now.

Once properly EQ'd and delayed by one of the full time engineers at work, I couldn't have been happier.

Once the sub install was finished and ran in, I began to adjust my crossover frequencies on the headunit. I set both amps to the highest crossover they had & flattened their curves.

I experimented with several different crossover frequencies.

I believe in the end I settled for a Low pass frequency of 100hz & High pass of 80hz?

This allowed a slight overlap of the sub and the mid range, but didn't work the Focals too hard on the bass. This allows them to concentrate on what they were engineered for. mid/highs.

All in all, myself and most the engineers at work are Impressed with the install. For the price, I'd say it hits the nail on the head. But, there'll always be better out there, no matter how much you spend or what you buy. Its all down to the opinion of the person listening at that particular time.

To sum up, it's 1:35am and I May not have written the easiest to follow piece you've ever seen. I apoligise, but I'd have forgotten to reply otherwise!

You can pick up the PS165F For £160 a pair now, even less in places. To this, I'd say do it.

I have to add. The Boommats make the sound much much better than them bleeding out into the door.

Edit; hassen beat my to it. Don't run these on their own. Install a subwoofer. I use a 10" so I get the punchy bass without the Windows popping out the car. Bigger will allow a wider frequency range. Smaller will be punchier.

Ported enclosures offer Louder bass. Sealed enclosures offer Deeper & punchier bass.

Here's a picture or two

https://instagram.com/p/wNLzr1m0_V/

https://instagram.com/p/wKc-iZG02s/

[Hassen]

Most people know how much I am biased towards the Focal sound but I agree with what Kieran said above. FYI, it's well past 2am here and it still makes sense what you wrote :P

If you are going to overhaul the sound setup in the car, do it in stages and you will definitely hear the difference. I highly recommend to amp the Speakers just like Kieran mentioned.

p.s: Kieran, I got the Boom mats too thanks to Lenny. They do make a difference and protect the Speakers from moisture/water.

[GingerFlame]

Most people know how much I am biased towards the Focal sound but I agree with what Kieran said above. FYI, it's well past 2am here and it still makes sense what you wrote :P

If you are going to overhaul the sound setup in the car, do it in stages and you will definitely hear the difference. I highly recommend to amp the speakers just like Kieran mentioned.

p.s: Kieran, I got the Boom Mats too thanks to Lenny. They do make a difference and protect the speakers from moisture/water.

Having tried both Jl audio and Focal, I have to say that They're both very well built. Sound quality I can't say as ones a sub, ones a mid range, ones a 4 channel amp made my blaupunkt, the others a monoblock made by JL AUDIO.

I may have to try the JL audio seem to have some very good offerings for even better prices though from what I've read recently. It'd be interesting to compare them side by side.

I thought you'd purchased the boom mats but couldn't quite remember!

Doing it in stages is the way to go, as you get to listen to the difference with every stage as Things progress, and you don't break the bank all at once! Haha :)