Hassen's Ford Focus 1.6 Tdci Build Thread

[jeebowhite]

The bronze I think looks fine, but it's those particular wheels, they just don't seem to have the right spoke pattern for a lowered focus. I can't find the right way to word it lol

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[Hassen]

Hmmm, I think I get what you're saying. It might be a case of looking at a 5 spoke pattern rather than 6. 

[Dan P]

I think the bronze is a bold move and you'll certainly stand out. I'm currently considering some bronze Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 for my new Fiesta (which will be white).

[Hassen]

4 minutes ago, Dan P said:

I think the bronze is a bold move and you'll certainly stand out. I'm currently considering some bronze Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 for my new Fiesta (which will be white).

I was just looking at them! They do look ace but sadly not in my budget at present. I think the bronze will look good against the white. I have seen a few fiestas here with black alloys but never with bronze ones. 

The way I see it is, if I am going for aftermarket alloy wheels, I might as well go for a colour that will stand out. There no need for it to be subtle lol

[tazzman600]

Mmmmm a black car with bronze wheels. Oh the days of the JPS formula one Lotus's.

Hassen. How about finding a wheel you like and we'll within budget (never mind the colour) and get them sprayed bronze.

[Hassen]

Mmmmm a black car with bronze wheels. Oh the days of the JPS formula one Lotus's.

Hassen. How about finding a wheel you like and we'll within budget (never mind the colour) and get them sprayed bronze.

Oh JPS Lotus F1 car was around when I was growing up too. That and the Gulf oil livery on race cars made a huge impression on me then.

Thought about getting the alloys resprayed but this would add to the costs. So far as I can see online, Gunmetal/Anthracite are the most popular and some wheel manufacturers have the bronze colour discounted. Thankfully I am in no rush and if need be, will just save more money to get the right one. Just gonna get my current alloys balanced properly at the Ford garage as they done it before to a very good standard.

If anyone has links to online shops, I would appreciate it. Thanks

[Lenny]

9 hours ago, Hassen said:

If anyone has links to online shops, I would appreciate it. Thanks

http://www.eastcoastalloys.com/

http://www.rotashop.co.uk/# 

[Hassen]

Thanks Lenny :)

[Hassen]

Found this interesting set of pictures of Ford Focusses/Foci with different aftermarket alloy wheels. Worth a gander :)
 

http://www.focus-sport.club.tw/viewthread.php?tid=334704

[Hassen]

Just a quick side by side comparison of the stock Style ride height compared to my car with the Eibach springs for anyone who's interested in getting these. Father in laws car in silver and mine in black. 

 

[Hassen]

Quick question: 

What width alloy wheels would I need for my tyres that are 205/50/17 please?

I recently bought tyres and not planning to get new ones fitted with the alloys. Was gonna just move the current tyres to the new alloys when they are bought. So far my Google search says 7inch or 7.5inch 

Would the Team Dynamics Pro race 1.2 with ET 38, PCD 5x108 and size 17"x7 be a suitable replacement for my current alloys? I am a total noob at this and just want to get it right without too much trouble. Thinking of Gloss Anthracite on the black car. It is also available as 17"x7.5 but unsure if that would be at the limits of my tyres.  

Decided to splash out a bit and not go down the cheaper route as I want something that will last :)

[Dan P]

Can't help much with the tyres I'm afraid - I've got 205/50/17 on my stock 17 x 6.5 rims.

As for the TDs... Great choice, I'm loving them on my Fiesta.

The fitment for the Focus is 5x108 but the stock offset is 52.

If you go to ET38 I think you'll be moving the outside edge of the wheel too far out. It would move outwards by 6mm on account for the rims being 1/2 inch wider (based on going from 6.5 to 7) and a further 14 by reducing offset from 52 to 38.

I've seen offset of ET45 recommended and this may be more reasonable.

If you're buying new then the store should be able to assist with recommended offset (DemonTweeks were very helpful when I bought mine) and should provide you with a fitting kit (spigot rings to account for the difference in hub diameter and nuts - although you'll probably have to buy a set of locking nuts additionally).

[Dan P]

Having done a little bit of googling, I think those tyres will be fine on 7" rims. Have a look here.

This site was also quite interesting at looking at the impact of changing tyre size.

[Hassen]

Thanks a million for the info Dan. That worked out with the online calculator and I am a bit more clued in now. Was actually gonna get the alloys from Demon Tweaks, so will give them a shout when I am ready. The TD wheels in Athracite look really well IMHO on my Panther Black Focus.

[Hassen]

In other news, I had been reading about Android Auto recently and being in the Google eco system, I was very tempted to get a headunit that could make the most of it. I drive a lot everyday and it would make my commute a lot more entertaining.

As luck would have it, Halfords had 15% off some headunits this Bank Holiday weekend in Ireland. I decided to go have a look today to see if I get a further 15% off with my FOC card. After speaking to a staff who checked it with the manager, got that sorted. I went with the Pioneer Avh-X8700BT. Well worth looking into as a headunit and reviews on it are good.

Now my next project is to install this in my car and my current headunit will be moved to my wife's 2006 Seat Leon. I plan on doing a gradual install of the headunit first and then as funds allow to upgrade her Speakers as well. As usual, I will be on the lookout from now on for an entry level set of Focal 17.5cm component Speakers as I have had a great experience with my set.

[Hassen]

Can't wait to get a few hours to fit this in and set it up!

[Wheels93]

Can't wait to get a few hours to fit this in and set it up!

That's the headunit I've got Hassen.. had it in now for just over 12months, you won't be disappointed!!

[Hassen]

Seriously can't wait man. I love my music and sound quality is top of the list. I'm hoping with the expanded eq, it will give the Focals a lil more oomph!

Quite excited about starting on the wife's project too. Never worked on a Seat Leon, so it will be a learning experience. I will probably start a different thread to document the process as well.

[Lenny]

23 hours ago, Hassen said:

Can't wait to get a few hours to fit this in and set it up!

 

14 hours ago, Wheels93 said:

That's the headunit I've got Hassen.. had it in now for just over 12months, you won't be disappointed!!

+1 

I have last year's model the AVHX-8600BT excellent headunit, saved €284 at the time purchasing from Dynamic Sounds in uk via ParcelMotel compared to purchasing from Halfords at the time they wanted €833.99 for it, seems they have become more reasonable since then and the extra 15% discount gives a pep in the step on exiting the store.

For a HDMI socket extension cable and you can plug in an amazon Fire TV stick combined with a 4G WiFi dongle can stream like a Boss 👌

Also easily setup different audio profiles for when kids are in the car or out.

[Hassen]

11 hours ago, Lenny said:

 

+1 

I have last year's model the AVHX-8600BT excellent headunit, saved €284 at the time purchasing from Dynamic Sounds in uk via ParcelMotel compared to purchasing from Halfords at the time they wanted €833.99 for it, seems they have become more reasonable since then and the extra 15% discount gives a pep in the step on exiting the store.

For a HDMI socket extension cable and you can plug in an Amazon Fire TV stick combined with a 4G WiFi dongle can stream like a Boss 👌

Also easily setup different audio profiles for when kids are in the car or out.

Definite walked out of the shop like I was a total baller after my total of 30% discount in total. It was the cheapest I could find it anywhere, online included. I was telling the lady at the counter how the FOC card has paid for itself many times over at this stage. She was saying she had only seen 1 other in the store in Carrickmines. I was wondering if it was you Lenny! coz I don't think there are many in Ireland at the moment. 

I definitely will have to think about the streaming and also a rear monitor as my 2 boys are getting bigger now. I will do it in stages and know that I can rear video output it when require. Should be good fun doing that project :)

[Hassen]

Install was fairly straight forward as I had all the wires already connected to the previous headunit. Only ones I had to feed through were the 2 USB extensions for the phone and Ipod. Also, I had to remove the Pioneer block connector to fit in the new one. I did a slight mod to bypass the handbrake thing as previously. 

[Hassen]

Initial thoughts on the head unit:
1. My favourite thing is how responsive it is and how the touchscreen feels like that on a phone even though it's a resistive one. It makes life less annoying. The previous unit was not as responsive.

2. The sound: There is a significant improvement in sound. The ways that it can be customised are a lot more in depth than the previous unit. It even has time alignment which I haven't got a chance to sort out yet. And, you can completely cut out the rear Speakers which I like a lot with one touch on the screen. I will have to explore the options a lot more.

3. It looks a lot nicer IMHO and has a lot more features that I have yet to try out. 

4. Android Auto: It works very well. Only gripe is that the music dims when there is a notification coming in but I am sure there is a way to get rid of that. The voice search works so far for the maps. I haven't tried it with music yet. So far, I like it a lot as this was the main reason I decided to go for this unit even though I knew that in a few months, Android Auto will be available as a standalone app on the phone. Just having navigation on the big screen is a big plus. On top of that, you can still have the music playing.

 

I will do some testing over the next few weeks and also set up the system properly. So far with the minimal amount of time I used it, I am very impressed. It's a big leap from my previous Pioneer unit.

[Hassen]

Just spent a little bit of time tuning the new head unit. I am thoroughly impressed. Just from having the flexibility of the new EQ and also having crossover points etc. I think I will end up using the crossover in the headunit to control the subwoofer and maybe for the rear Speakers. The front Focals have their own outboard crossover network and I will not be messing with that.

The details in the songs now pop with just a simple EQ tune up. I can't wait to get some more time with the head unit to get to grips with it's potential and make the most of my other components. So far, very happy with it :)

[Hassen]

Just wanted to see what people's thoughts were about this:
My Panther Black Focus with Team Dynamics Pro Race 1.2 in Gloss Black 17" ? 

Yay or Nay for Black wheels on a black car? 

I know, it's only ones opinion but I am torn right now as there is a set going for within budget but I was hoping to get it in Anthracite rather.

[Hassen]

Also, clutch is on it's way out as mentioned before. Would it be wise to get the Dual Mass Flywheel changed at the same time since the mechanics would have access to it? I am a total noob about these things and  given the fact that it's a fairly expensive part/s, not to mention with the added labour cost, I am reluctant to go overboard. Planning to keep the car for another 1-2 years at least, so it needs to be reliable. If anyone has a link to the above parts for cheaper, I would appreciate it :)

Also, today till midnight, Euro Car Parts are doing 25% OFF most parts till Midnight!

I am getting a new Bosch S4 72Ah 100 battery after Lenny's recommendation for it as my current one is starting to show signs of poor health. Along with that getting some front Brembo brake pads as well.