RB2004

Hi, I know this is a fiesta thread... and as yet seems to be nobody really complaining on the focus about buckled alloys.

But I have the rather rare, Sport Pack on mine which included 18" alloy wheels... combined with a rather heavy 2.0 TDCi engine.

It is a 2008 focus also, which was when sport pack was introduced.. so wouldnt surprise me if the same alloy on those fiesta alloys is being used on mine because its all around the same time frame for production / release.

But at 11 months old, Ford dealer told me I had a buckled alloy wheel on the front, which I went in for assuming it was also just a lost balance weight.

New alloy wheel, then the other side has now also developed a flat spot... which was causing steering vibration.. for the moment though until I can get it replaced ive shoved it on the back.

But when checking the rest with a dial test indicator, ive found another one which is slightly buckled by a few mm... not enough to notice when driving but buckled none the less.

So since owning the car, by the time I have replaced the 2 buckled alloy wheels again I would of replaced 3 out of 4 of them... and its likely it wont be the last alloy wheel either to buckle.

whats strange is, ST has 18" alloys also, but different style and no complains about buckling, so I guess they are stronger as they was designed around 2005... more expensive also to buy!

So next time, I might take the compromise of a similar but not identical style and go for ST replicas from a company which has a good reputation for quality... cant get replicas of my style because sport pack was an optional extra so quite rare.

But it is disgusting that ford, a good brand, has a problem with something stupid as alloy wheels... but it wouldnt be the first time a manufacturer has had problems, BMW also had problems with alloy wheels cracking.

Only explanation is, cheap alloy is being used

See, its better with the snorkel!

Not only is the snorkel probably designed in such a way to smooth out the airflow, which is why it probably has the hole in the bottom as well at the front, but it's now sucking fresh cold air in from outside rather than warm air from around the engine bay.

Problem with removing the snorkel, not so much on diesel with a turbo... but on petrol models without a turbo.

Is it can actually reduce performance, because the purpose of the snorkel is so it sucks in cool air from the outside of the engine bay through the front of the car.

Without the snorkel, its sucking in warm/hot air from inside the engine bay, which is less dense and can effect performance.

BUT, above as I said mostly applies to petrol models without a turbo, doesnt apply so much to diesel models with a turbo because you have the intercooler which cools the air down anyway, but it still will be a few degrees hotter when leaving the intercooler than it would of been because the air entering it is slightly hotter because its not only been heated by the turbo, but the engine bay as well.

Good thread though on K&N Filter, I was looking at the kit K&N do which includes a replacement improved airbox cover as well,

http://tinyurl.com/byfeonj

Now all you need is an Airtec Gen 3 to improve the airflow other side of the turbo and cooling the air charge and your car will take off lol

Search elmconfig there's a guide also on this site, you can enable with that.

its the connector for the reversing sensors. then there is another connector in the boot, right hand side behind plastic panel for reverse parking module.. and another connector behind right plastic trim at rear on drivers side for the speaker. towing loom connects in between the lighting loom so no connectors visible for that.. its a case of unplug lighting loom then plug towing loom in between.