Hi there, i'm new to this forum so bear with me if this has already been brought up. Anyway, i'm a newly passed driver, and i'm just looking for some cheap performance upgrades for my focus mk1. I've bought a k&n drop in air filter as mine needed replacing anyway so thought i'd get one based on the positive feedback they get. I've also tried running it on super unleaded petrol to see if there was any performance gain, but the car doesn't feel as urgent as it was on unleaded petrol. Is there a chance super unleaded is having a negative impact on performance? And also, what other cheap performance upgrades are out there, regardless of how big or small the gain is? Thanks.

Hi welcome :)

Zetec have knock sensors. So should react differently to better fuel.

does the engine feel ok ? Or do u just want more power ?

What engine do u have ?

Ah right, i didn't know the zetecs had knock sensors. I have the 1.6 zetec mate. The acceleration when i'm up to speed is fine, it's just after changing gear from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd, it takes time for it to start pulling. Is there any cheap upgrades i can do, or are they all the expensive ones such as exhaust or induction kit? Cheers.

The Bluefin is very cheap at £224, with a usful extra 9hp at the top end, and i fills the torque curve in a bit as well -

http://www.mybluefin.co.uk/curves/focus16.pdf

as always an NA (naturally asperated/ non turbo) engine shows smaller gains than a turbo one

a way to increase the poiwer-to-weight ratio is reduce the weight, like stripping un-nessesary junk out of the car,(like all the garbage in the boot/ boor pockets/ glove compartment etc) fitting the lightesst wheels/ tyres (makes a bigger difference than static mass because it is rotating mass) removing things like the spare wheel, and not adding any extra weight, such as subwoofers

you can fit a short-shifter, this will enable you to change gear faster, and less likely to "miss" a gear

driver skill comes into it, like being in the right gear, timing the gear changes perfectly, revving the engine the right amount (not too much, not too little- peak power is about 5-1/2k ) - what feels quicker to the un-initiated (ie - dropping an extra gear or braking too much into a corner etc) may feel quicker but is slower

finally, why do you really need more power? 100Hp is not underpowered for this weight of car, and should be adequate, perhaps you should just slow down for a while, keep out of trouble/ don't try to race/ keep up with quicker cars, and wait untill you are more experienced and can afford/ afford to insure a quicker car as an NA 1.6 has very limited tuning potential anyway

If your mates have faster cars and they are racing about in them its probably only a matter of time before they get themselves into trouble

Agree with above, you're a new driver.

As you've not long passed your test I'd lay bets your insurance is astranomical, if you do mods the Insurance companies will screw you, if you don't declare mods and have a prang they'll cancel your insurance and then bend you right over (without lube).

Really don't want to cramp your style or lecture you but wait until you have full points availability on your licence then look at mods.

Wouldn't want one of my bretheren peeling you off the windscreen after you lose it and find yourself going south on the northbound carriageway.

Hi William. One upgrade that shouldn't affect your insurance (because its not noticeable), is to change the plastic air intake to the air filter box to one off a 2.0 litre Automatic. Its a straight swap with no modifications and provides an increased air flow to the air filter box from behind the front grill.

From a main dealer this part is still cheap.

another good tip is to remove the plastic triangular sound suppressor from te top of the airbox youll get some real induction roar without fitting a rubbish induction kit very easy to do and makes a big difference you can also do the above with the air intake or do youre

resonator removal

http://www.ehow.co.uk/how_7467664_remove-resonator-ford-focus.html

Thanks for all the replies guys. Believe it or not, i'm not a boy racer or whatever you want to call it, but i like a bit of acceleration every now and then, at traffic lights for example and from a dead stop. I've got a black box fitted in my car so i can't go fast really anyway, i just want to get as much out of the 1.6 engine as possible without breaking the bank. Cheers.

Full service - spark plugs; fuel filter etc.

Get it running at it's best.

Hi everyone, been really looking into what i can do on the cheap to increase the power in my focus, and i've come across the fitting of an auto air deflector, the st170 snorkel and airbox. The fitting of the airbox and snorkel seems more complicated than the air deflector, would it be worth fitting just the deflector, they only cost 14 quid? Also, just a quick question, i was going to remove the resonator, but there is nothing where it should be, and the hole in the airbox is blocked off as if there wasn't a resonator there in the first place?! Cheers.

You are not goung to increase the power very much on an NA, engine, anyway

you need to the increase the power by at least 10% to notice any improvement, and that is unlikely, and will make hardly any difference to the acceleration off the line

About the most you can hope to do on a shoestring budget (as others have suggested) is make more noise

Im not a boy racer either, but i like sufficient power to overtake Golf GTIs, Mini coopers, etc , fhen they are accelerating flat out, and just happen to be going in the same direction as me (purely in the interests of safety)

I just like getting the best out of the things i own, but also respecting my budget as well. I like to know that the car is running as good as i can make it. Do you think the st170 snorkel and airbox, plus the auto air deflector is a good cheap upgrade to do, regardless of the minimal power gain?

On 12/9/2013 at 6:31 PM, salco93 said:

Thanks for all the replies guys. Believe it or not, i'm not a boy racer or whatever you want to call it, but i like a bit of acceleration every now and then, at traffic lights for example and from a dead stop. I've got a black box fitted in my car so i can't go fast really anyway, i just want to get as much out of the 1.6 engine as possible without breaking the bank. Cheers.

I'll have you know I have the same car and I also have a black box and I so want to do some mods.

I have the same issue with kick from 1st 2and but it may be that our clutches have seen better days or it could just be part of the economy of the engine.

Black boxes will also monitor the power of your vehicle so watch out for increases as you may find your insurance being notified of the increase in performance.

All around, the 1.6 is a great engine with good speed, more so from 3rd gear and great economy, and your still young, stick to keeping the engine in good condition with a good service and learn your car back to front, get a lowering kit and some decent wheels and breaks, get any dents or scratches sorted, get a few interior mods such as a good gear shift knob.