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Hassen's Ford Focus 1.6 Tdci Build Thread


Hassen
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So, new year and new upgrade plans.

Just wanted to hear the thoughts of anyone who has these in their cars:

1. Focal Performance PS165

2 New: Focal Performance PS165FX

Is the new material in the FX worth the price bump from the PS165. I have no way of hearing them myself in person and I can only rely on reviews off the internet. So far, no decent review on the FX but it did win some awards, so it can't be half bad.

Also, I found this off eBay and was wondering if it would fit my MK2.5 even though it is meant for the MK2:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Ford-Focus-Mk2-Custom-Fit-MDF-10-Sub-Box-Subwoofer-Enclosure-Bass-/360623710681

Plan would be to get the sub enclosure and also get this JL Audio 10" sub to pair it up with:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JL-Audio-10w0v3-4-10-Inch-25cm-300-Watts-4-ohm-Car-Sub-Subwoofer-/181082630165?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item2a295da815

Any suggestions regarding front Speakers and 10" sub woofers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks :)

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  • 2 months later...

So found a good deal that I couldn't pass up on eBay today. I got the JL audio 10W0V3-4 subwoofer after making an offer. I been looking for that for a while as I now plan on getting the subwoofer enclosure as above and also Silent Coat 4mm sound deadening. This will be the summer project to get these in the car and make it quieter on long motorway journeys. Anyone here used the 4mm SIlent Coat in their cars? Any tips and reviews will be appreciated :)

Thanks

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Ill be honest,you could do just as good a job making that sub enclosure yourself,the cuts dont even need to be laser like they say,the carpet will hide it an anyway.Few bits of MDF and an hours time wouldnt cost you anywhere near 75 quid lol

In the description it does say 2005-2011,not everybody calls them mk2.5.

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Tempted to build my own sub but realistically, to get something that will fit, it will take a lot more time and effort than a few hours. Sadly these days, I don't have the luxury of spending time to build things which I always enjoy. By any chance, would you know where to get a diagram for the sub enclosure build?

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Not personally although someone else might.

Sent from my iPhone using Ford OC

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  • 2 weeks later...

So, this weekend had a bit of time and had received the JL Audio sub woofer earlier. At first, I was going to wait till I have the funds to buy the sub enclosure and then fit it in the car. I couldn't wait and decided to take out the sub woofer out of the Vibe Slick 10 SLR that I had in the car and use the enclosure for the JL Audio sub. Here are some pictures.

JL Audio 10W0V3-4 sub woofer. It's quite heavy and you can tell the difference in quality from the Vibe subwoofer.

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This is the enclosure without the sub woofer.

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And here it is all fitted in.

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Finally in it's place for the moment in the boot.

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It was fairly easy to fit and just had to drill new holes for the JL Audio sub. I had some old screws at home and use them to secure the sub woofer to the enclosure. I think the enclosure might be a bit too big for this sub but for now it will have to do.

Impressions so far:

The difference in sound quality is staggering, and this is with the sub woofer not having bedded in properly or matched to a proper enclosure! This sub is definitely more musical than the Vibe one. It has that characteristic "thump" that hits your body hard and so far after a little bit of tweaking with the settings, it plays loud and doesn't distort at those volumes. I will have to run it in for a few weeks, get the enclosure, the one I mentioned before, which is better matched volume wise for this sub before making a proper review. So far though, I am very happy with it and I think, it will only get better in the next couple of weeks :)

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Dipped headlights on the right side packed in today after 6 months of excellent use. I had the Osram Nightbreakers Plus and for the amount of time they lasted, I think I got good value for money. Just ordered 2 sets of Osram Nightbreakers Unlimited from eBay with free shipping. Think it was the cheapest around for free shipping to Ireland even though you can get it for cheaper without shipping on amazon.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-OSRAM-NIGHT-BREAKER-PLUS-UNLIMITED-110-H1-H3-H4-H7-H11-HB3-HB4-BULBS-/151146267871?pt=UK_WSJL_Wholesale_GL&var=&hash=item23310504df

Once installed, I will test them out properly and write a short review.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Any recommendations for a decent set of component Speakers preferrably around less than £150 as an upgrade. Amp pushes max 75W rms that would drive the Speakers.

So far my thoughts are:
1. Focal PS 165

2. Infinity Kappa 65.9CS

Anyone has them or has any advice about them?

Thanks

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  • 2 weeks later...

Osram Nightbreaker Unlimited fitted and very happy with them. Hoping they last a bit longer than the previous Osrams :

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On holidays in Mauritius at the moment and surprised how many motor factor shops are around here. Also, the variety and quality of items from sound systems, alloys, amps...you name it, they have it, all the major brands!

Walked into a shop that dealt with audio equipment and surprised to find them having Focal. Asked the price and after days...yes days! of negotiation with the owner, managed to broker a deal on a set of Focal 165KR after hearing them demo it there. Truly amazed by the sound these Speakers produced and the demo set was well worn! Best bit was playing Miles Davis - Turn Blue in the shop which totally caught off guard the 18-20 year old lads that were there getting the biggest sub they could find. Made me smile as one of them asked me what it was :)

This is the Speakers, which are a step up in the Focal range from the PS165 that I had been longing to buy for ages.

http://www.focal.com/en/k2-power/172-165-kr-3544051751322.html

Tomorrow, after a day at the beach, going to drive up to the shop and pick it up. I really can't wait to get my next paycheck now to be able to buy the sound deadening and the sub enclosure.

After that, my plan is to get a JL Audio JX250 mono block amp pushing 250W rms to power the sub (rated at 300W rms) and to wire up the Focal 165KR to my trusted Blaupunkt 470GTA 4 channel amp pushing 100W rms to power them. When I heard the demo Focal in the shop, it was being powered with a 35W rms amp and they sounded fantastic. Powered with the amp I have, I am hoping it will sound even better as that's the recommended rms rating for them. Exciting times ahead for my little Focus and pictures to follow :)

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After a very long day driving around in the sun, managed to get my hands on the Focal 165KR. Excited is not even describing it when I opened the box in the shop to check out if all was ok inside.

IMAG1857_zps6kpkfxl7.jpg

Tomorrow returning back to Ireland, where I will need to get the following parts:

1. Silent Coat Extra Bulk Pack 4mm

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/371023942847?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

2. Ford Focus custom 10" sub enclosure

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/360623710681?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

3. JL Audio JX 250.1 mono block amp

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/JL-Audio-JX250-1-JX250-1-Car-Subwoofer-Amplifier-1-x-250w-RMS/251373999694?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222005%26algo%3DSIC.PROD%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D23776%26meid%3D7806206479038519963%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D10165%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D251496310376&rt=nc

Plan would be to remove the rear stock Speakers, put the current front Vibe Slick 6 Speakers amped in there, powered by the current amp that will also power the Focal 165KR upfront. JL Audio 10" sub will then be powered by the JL Audio JX250.1 amp, which will all be in the custom enclosure. Also, my old 2 Farad capacitor will have to be fitted again for this setup. I will probably get the same audio guys, Autotronics to to the fitting for me once I have installed the sound deadening myself in the car. Hoping for no rain now so I can get that done soon :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

So after a lot of research and I mean months of reading about sound deadening for the car, I have finally decided what I will be installing over the summer.

1. Silent Coat Sound Deadening 2mm. This will go pretty much all over the car in moderate amount. Not going to cover every inch of the car with it. From what I gather, 25-50% coverage is more than enough as this is a vibration damper, not a noise barrier.

2. Dodo Pro Barrier MLV. Closed cell foam with Mass loaded vinyl. Plan is to have this over the floor and boot area with 100% coverage, including over the wheel arches inside the car.

Quick question: The Dodo Pro Barrier MLV comes into 0.54sq.m / 5.8 sq. feet single sheets. How many would I need to cover what I have described above? Any help would be appreciated as I would like to order these today :)

Thanks

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Update:

Bought the JL Audio JX250.1 amp (Used), Silent Coat 41 Sheet Bulk Pack 2mm and the custom enclosure. All off eBay. Decided to hold off on getting the Dodo Pro Barrier and see what difference just the Silent Coat makes. Thanks to Mr_Spock for all the helpful advice and tips.

Any tips on how to strip the interior now to put the Silent Coat would be well appreciated :)

Thanks

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Today got the subwoofer enclosure and the Silent Coat delivered. The enclosure is well made and I can't find any faults with it. Feels sturdy and lightweight which I wanted. The Silent coat on the other hand, 40 sheets of it in total was heavy as hell! I was really surprised how heavy it was. It's probably heavier than a tyre. Quick picture of the enclosure.

IMAG1894_zpsp1ijilrf.jpg

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Had a busy weekend with birthday party for The Menace. Great craic! Didn't get a chance to do much for the car even though weather was ok on Sunday and I really wanted to strip the doors at least to put the Silent Coat.

Managed to take out the JL Audio sub out of the Vibe enclosure, wire/solder it up in the new enclosure and fit it in the car. All in, 1hr total as it was quite fiddly at times and I had my son trying to "help" by stealing my tools to go fix his own car/toys.

End result, I am extremely impressed. This enclosure matches the specs for the subwoofer much better and as a result, the sound quality has improved a lot. The bass is definitely tighter and much more musical. No SPL/SQ competition winning so far but excellent to my untrained ears. Drive to work was very entertaining as I kept hearing new parts in songs.

This afternoon I will go to B&Q to get some degreaser and a roller to stick on the Silent Coat. Reckon I might have time to do the front 2 doors if weather permits. I will post pictures of the new enclosure then :)

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Pictures of the install of Silent Coat. So far in 2 afternoons after work, I managed to get the 2 front doors and the whole boot done. 1 1/2 hr for each door and 2 hr for the whole boot. Fairly easy process with the right tools and it helped that I had stripped the car doors numerous times before. Lots of patience needed but this whole process was a lot of fun, even with the lashing rain and my son trying to "help" me yesterday :P


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Previously in the car on the motorway at 120 kph, the ambient noise level was 85db and at 100kph it was 80db. With just the front doors done, it went down to 80db and 75db. You can definitely hear the difference. Also, the music from the current Speakers in the car are much clearer and the bass tighter. That's with just the front door done. I will have to hear the difference tomorrow on my way to work to report back.

Fun times ahead with the planned install of the Speakers and amp this weekend :)

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Forgot to say how easy it was to work with the Silent Coat. Never used any type of deadener before and having the squares on it made life so much easier when making a shape or just a plain rectangle shape. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an alternative to Dynamat as it is cheaper and from the general internet consensus, not that dissimilar :)

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Today, after an fun 20km cycle with the family, I started working on the car round 7pm. 3 1/2hr later, I had managed to remove the Vibe Slick 6 Speakers and the stock tweeters to be replaced by the Focal 165KR component set. It was not an easy process as I am not great with wiring and I have very little patience when it comes to that. But I persevered and the end result was sweet! Just a few pictures of the install.

1. Had to take the Focal tweeter from the flush mount case. It was an absolute nightmare and my frustration got to me. I hacked it away as I was not going to use it and got the tweeters out.

IMAG1944_zpsveeixqzm.jpg

2. Focal tweeter with the mesh removed

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3. Stock Ford tweeter which isn't half bad to be honest. It was past it's prime as it started to distort at lower volumes recently.

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4. Focal tweeter fitting nicely without any mods in the stock position.

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5. Fully wired crossover, tweeter and mid range woofer. The spot where the cross over is on the right is a nice one for anyone who is fitting one in the door as other places were not that great. It was late in the evening in the dark when I took the picture, so not a great shot with the phone.

IMAG1953_zpsn9zjochx.jpg

Initial thoughts with the new speakers: Utterly blown away. Put on Miles Davis, which I have on vinyl at home and I know the album very well. Very little difference in the sound. Granted, it's not the same but very close. So far with just initial test, the Focal sound blends very well with the JL Audio subwoofer. I have at the moment left the tweeter on 0db(middle position) to see how it goes. I will have to write another review once the Speakers have broken in. Looking forward to my drive to work tomorrow :)

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Looks Great Hassen you made a tidy job of fitting too,

Have you done the boot door aswell?

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Thanks Lenny. Need the encouragement because I have been chipping at it slowly for the past week and a half now. Fun process but time consuming. Plus, the weather is wrecking havoc with my plans.

I went really slowly with everything as I wanted to do it once and get it right. What's left to apply Silent Coat on is:

1. Rear doors - inner and outer skin

2. Boot door

3. Floor of the car

Problem is that I only have about 12 sheets of Silent Coat left and I used about 10-12 for the front doors. I will probably end up using the same amount for the rear doors and then I am out of funds. I will have to wait then till I can afford it in the next few months. With just the front doors and boot floor done, the quality of the music inside the car has drastically increased. Now with the new Speakers, it has gone up to another level. Very happy with the outcome and can't wait for the next stage :)

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Thanks Lenny. Need the encouragement because I have been chipping at it slowly for the past week and a half now. Fun process but time consuming. Plus, the weather is wrecking havoc with my plans.

I went really slowly with everything as I wanted to do it once and get it right. What's left to apply Silent Coat on is:

1. Rear doors - inner and outer skin

2. Boot door

3. Floor of the car

Problem is that I only have about 12 sheets of Silent Coat left and I used about 10-12 for the front doors. I will probably end up using the same amount for the rear doors and then I am out of funds. I will have to wait then till I can afford it in the next few months. With just the front doors and boot floor done, the quality of the music inside the car has drastically increased. Now with the new speakers, it has gone up to another level. Very happy with the outcome and can't wait for the next stage :)

sweet,

Not sure if you have fitted an engine cover to yours yet but it also reduces engine noise from behind the dash,

I know that wont help your Speakers but it reduces other sounds,

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My car thankfully had the engine cover when I bought it. It's an English import, which explains the 109 bhp and a few neat add ons as compared to the Irish version of the car. I had the engine cover off for a while and the noise is a lot more pronounced then. Definitely plan on putting Silent Coat on the underside of the bonnet and firewall afterwards :)

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If you got a thin sheet of plywood cut to shape the under sid3 of the parcel shelf and painted it black prior to bonding to the under side of the parcel shelf this would also help the base from your sub insulating it from the rear window,

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Never thought of that. Great idea Lenny. Might get it wrapped in black carpet, same colour as the boot to keep it tidy. One more to add to the to do list and this should be a cheap mod to do. Cheers :)

Btw, if you are in the Midlands visiting, you should come have a listen to the new sound system. I am around Athlone, Mullingar and Tullamore during the working week :)

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