Assistance and Advice..

[GazzaSmith]

Morning all, new to this page and the #fordlife .. recently got myself a focus 1.8 zetec Mk2.5 (facelift) I think 🤔, anyways I love the ST and the way it looks but due to horrendous insurance costs, and my age I won't afford one for a while, but I'd like to smarten up the car I have now with a set of ST front and rear bumpers and side skirts, also what size wheels to make it look tasty and smart. And wether it's worth lowering the car or not.. (tints is a must) any advice links to cheap bumpers and assistance is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance 👌 Also what's people's thoughts on interior.. will ST seats just bolt strait in? And is the steering wheel and centre console expensive to pick up aswell? One final question.. exhaust systems, what do people go for because all I've found is ridiculously expensive systems for st's which are 400quid + .. apologies for the essay, cheers 👍

[alexp999]

You still need to factor in insurance costs with mods.

If age is an issue you might find a long list of mods becomes prohibitively expensive too.

[v530anh]

The thing is if some claim is made, and they send someone to look at the car for damage. They don't just check vin number, they will also take measurements of the car with a ruler. Any modifications can void your insurance if not reported.

Replacement of seats is a 16% increase!

Even a GPS is 13% many may not be aware....

Ref.

http://www.bobatoo.co.uk/blog/car-modifications-affect-car-insurance-prices/

[wilto]

Hi and welcome 

Here are some pics of my Zetec S, it has a factory body kit, 18" RS alloys and it has the red ST interior fitted. I have some bits sprayed black by myself to give it a more aggressive look, and I've also fitted a twin exit stainless steel exhaust.

[Lenny]

On Thursday, January 12, 2017 at 3:25 AM, GazzaSmith said:

Morning all, new to this page and the #fordlife .. recently got myself a focus 1.8 zetec Mk2.5 (facelift) I think 🤔, anyways I love the ST and the way it looks but due to horrendous insurance costs, and my age I won't afford one for a while, but I'd like to smarten up the car I have now with a set of ST front and rear bumpers and side skirts, also what size wheels to make it look tasty and smart. And wether it's worth lowering the car or not.. (tints is a must) any advice links to cheap bumpers and assistance is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance 👌 Also what's people's thoughts on interior.. will ST seats just bolt strait in? And is the steering wheel and centre console expensive to pick up aswell? One final question.. exhaust systems, what do people go for because all I've found is ridiculously expensive systems for st's which are 400quid + .. apologies for the essay, cheers 👍

Welcome to the forum Gazza,

I've saw your post on my profile page there aswell thanks for the kind comments & getting directly in contact, it's a better organised layout if i respond on this thread rather than my profile page.

 

Before you invest in this project mate I suggest saving funds for the planned future project as I've spent over 12 euro on mine and it handles just like an ST but in terms of performance its still not an ST, it takes copious amounts of your money and you won't notice because it will always look good in exchange for your cash, next thing you realise; give spent 2 grand on modifcations. 

 

Now with that said I'll answer your question; 

Everything from the ST both inside and out will fit your focus 100% except engine parts & exhausts.

The seats bolt in no problem, 

to remove front and rear seats you will need a TX40 and a TX50 bit available from Halfords both for around 16 pounds or the key set is available for around 12 pounds I couldn't decide at the time and I'm forever dropping tools so I bought both 😅

 

I've created a few guides including fitting the ST pod here: http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/68214-full-list-lennys-guides/ 

 

My six year long build thread is also here: 

http://www.fordownersclub.com/forums/topic/41443-taking-oval-to-blue-horizon-lennys-build-thread-2010-2015/ 

 

Regarding the Body kit:

The best place to get the ST parts is from the breakers on eBay, your focus is a Mk2.5 model 2008-2011 the zetec part doesnt matter its just spec.

 

Regarding the wheels👇

🙊Bigger is not always better when it comes to fitting 18's alot of people don't mention increased "unsprung mass" 

Unsprung mass is basically everything which is attached to the vehicle that is not supported by the springs.

 

The less weight of the unsprung mass; the faster the vehicle will be or atleast more responsive.

Fitting bigger rims or bigger brakes discs or even calipers all contribute to the unsprung mass of the vehicle which reduces the free rotation and can wear out the clutch prematurely aswell.

 

I've gotten first hand experience with increased "unsprung mass" when I upgraded my 16x7.5 wheels to 18x8 wheels the larger heavier rim looked the dogs swingers for sure but truth be told they also reduce the take off speed and responsive acceleration,

 

 

The 8" wide rim reduces the vehicles tight turning angle causing you to dip left before turning right at times much like a formula one driver to take tight turns.

 

Tyres are at minimum 100 pounds each if you are expecting them to last you 12 months, there's no option of purchasing a partially worn 225/35/18 neither that don't happen like it do with 205/55/16 sized tyres.

 

On the positive side though; 

18x8" wheels offer fantastic handling on the road when combined with good tyres you can get up to 45mph on a medium sized roundabout the lateral grip is fantastic, also on the motorway 140mph is as stable as 20mph there's no feeling like your coming through the Ozone layer in a space ship type judder it's plain sailing all the way.

 

overall if your prepared to spend 400 per year on tyres and don't mind losing the ability to spin the front tyres outside McDonald's on a Friday night then 18's are definitely fun especially on the bend's.

perhaps take up oven tray drifting instead😉saves the tyres

 

Regarding Lowering 

If your persistent on doing somthing to improve your focus in terms of both style and performance then I highly recommend lowering springs.

I've had the Ford approved Eibach lowering springs fitted and it takes a few weeks for them to fully bed in but when they do; they make every journey more fun, the vehicle becomes very predictable in corners and doesn't sway like an elephant on a tricycle the top doesn't lean as much aswell as a reduction in understeer, being ford approved lowering springs they don't cause the chassis to scrape on anything ever, I've toured the country done over 100,000 miles lowered and never scuffed the body.

 

The only negative point about lowering the car is the camber😁; some people are not aware of the excessive negative camber which needs to be corrected,

Correcting the front camber can be done without changing any stock parts, however the rear camber bolts need swapping out for a set of Eibach adjustable rear camber bolts, they cost under 30 pounds and allow the hub to be adjusted so as the full surface of your tyre is making contact with the road but with a marginal offset lean towards the sky which is ready for the lateral G when doing 35-40 on the roundabouts without slipping out on you.

After lowering the vehicle and fitting the adjustable rear camber bolts; i highly recommend have the laser tracking alignment carried out at your local tyre specialist,

The service costs around 40 pounds takes about an hour and prevents your tyres prematurely wearing out on only the inside which looks like this👇

😥Regarding the exhaust:

The ST exhaust won't fit a regular focus because of the spare tyre well consuming the space where the ST or RS muffler resides.

 

A full catback exhaust which replaces everything from the catalyst back to the tip or tips will cost you between 400-450 in T304 Stainless steel.

You currently have a single exit mild steel exhaust as standard, 

the exhaust your looking for is a duplex, here's one available off the shelf from Piper Performance in the UK built from T304 aircraft grade stainless steel making it super light and never rusts.

 

 

It's designed to fit to Focus ST exhaust hangers which do bolt straight in to your focus and replicate the genuine ST exhaust, there are a range of tips available including ST replica ones if desired.

 

 

 

 

 

If you need any more advice feel free to post it on Here or if it's relating to one of the guides just post the question in the relevant guide and myself or a fellow member will respond within 24hr's 👍

[GazzaSmith]

Thanks everyone for the comments it's all greatly appreciated, the transformation looks fantastic and that is exactly how I would like mine to look but with all the hard work and money's put in, would I be more beneficial saving up and getting an st then modifying that to my personal satisfaction instead of spending money on the focus that I may only have for a year?

[biff55]

12 minutes ago, GazzaSmith said:

...............would I be more beneficial saving up and getting an st then modifying that to my personal satisfaction instead of spending money on the focus that I may only have for a year?

yes , exactly that.

although its alot of fun to modify your car to suit your own tastes , which is why we all do it , you never recoup the money invested when you come to sell it on , and sometimes it can even make it harder to sell to more mainstream potential buyers.

be aware of , and at ease with , this important compromise before starting to transform your car.......

 

[Lenny]

3 hours ago, GazzaSmith said:

Thanks everyone for the comments it's all greatly appreciated, the transformation looks fantastic and that is exactly how I would like mine to look but with all the hard work and money's put in, would I be more beneficial saving up and getting an st then modifying that to my personal satisfaction instead of spending money on the focus that I may only have for a year?

If i could get all my money back mate to be honest thats what id be holding out for aswell, i could have bought an ST and upgrade the sound system for the money I've spent on the 1.6TDCi which it always will be a 1.6 Diesel focus might look different but is what it is.

Not saying don't do it,

just saying don't do it yet. 

There are some guides in my link above there in the other post such as dual reverse light and interior footwell lighting, audio and sub upgrades which you could do for now if you want to be at a project without affecting insurance but hold off on other bits which your next vehicle will have as standard for the initial cost.

in the mean time check out MightyCarMods episodes on YouTube some very entertaining viewing.

 

[GazzaSmith]

Thanks for the honest advice guys I really appreciate it, I reckon if I saved up for the ST I could make it my own by doing bits to that instead of spending loads of time and money on my car which I guess isn't cost affective.. I just get bored of driving a standard car, used to have a modified Mazda MX5 so having a standard car is killing me 😔 

[Lenny]

https://youtu.be/l0NMCMcdVp4

 

https://youtu.be/6EKeWn5u9i8

 

 

https://youtu.be/mZ4EiKsoMzg

 

 

[Lenny]

 

[TangoDaz]

Hello Gazza

another way to give your car the st look is to fit a set of st led rear lights. You can get them of eBay you will need to change the stock loom over but if you are patient you should get a set of lights with the loom included. If you take a look at Lenny's build posts it will show you how it's done.

[Lenny]

11 minutes ago, TangoDaz said:

If you take a look at Lenny's build posts it will show you how it's done.

They look excellent with the tint applied to them mate, Guide to Fitting Genuine focus RS LED tail lights Mk2.5 Click Here 

[TangoDaz]

Hello Gazza

another way to give your car the st look is to fit a set of st led rear lights. You can get them of eBay you will need to change the stock loom over but if you are patient you should get a set of lights with the loom included. If you take a look at Lenny's build posts it will show you how it's done.

[TangoDaz]

Don't know why it did that lol

what I was going to say was you can also fit Euro reversing light instead of the fog light and fit a red led light in to the clear lense and smoke both lights I also fitted a led white light in to the reversing light

[GazzaSmith]

That does look good but tbh I am pretty naff with electricals so I would either not attempt it or attempt it and completely mess it up haha, btw anyone on here from Essex, recently moved here so be good to meet some new people 👍

[GazzaSmith]

What size wheels does the focus have?? Tempted to treat it to a nice set as I'm getting windows tinted 

[Lenny]

12 minutes ago, GazzaSmith said:

What size wheels does the focus have?? Tempted to treat it to a nice set as I'm getting windows tinted 

Generally 16" wheels as standard 

best to check the side of the tyre as it will state for example:

[GazzaSmith]

Would I be able to fit 17in or 18in 

[Lenny]

On Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 2:26 AM, GazzaSmith said:

Would I be able to fit 17in or 18in 

Yeah anything up to 19" will fit but the bigger you go; the lower the tyre profile will be in order to maintain roughly the same overall tyre circumference keeping the Speedo accurate👍Please read my previous post above, I explained wheel upgrade there ☝ regarding tyres cost and unsprung mass, 17" are the best compromise in terms of handling and performance. 

[flogger]

On ‎12‎/‎01‎/‎2017 at 11:22 AM, Lenny said:

The only negative point about lowering the car is the camber😁; some people are not aware of the excessive negative camber which needs to be corrected,

Correcting the front camber can be done without changing any stock parts, however the rear camber bolts need swapping out for a set of eibach adjustable rear camber bolts, they cost under 30 pounds and allow the hub to be adjusted so as the full surface of your tyre is making contact with the road but with a marginal offset lean towards the sky which is ready for the lateral G when doing 35-40 on the roundabouts without slipping out on you.

After lowering the vehicle and fitting the adjustable rear camber bolts; i highly recommend have the laser tracking alignment carried out at your local tyre specialist

so.....having dropped 35mm alround &, having obtained the bolts,  the picture above looks like front suspension, I have separate coils from shocks so.......

where do the bolts fit to adjust the camber ??

[Lenny]

18 hours ago, flogger said:

so.....having dropped 35mm alround &, having obtained the bolts,  the picture above looks like front suspension, I have separate coils from shocks so.......

where do the bolts fit to adjust the camber ??

Hi,

That drawn image is only for demonstration purposes; it's not a model specific image, 

The adjustable rear camber bolts replace the top bolt on the rear hubs allowing the rear to be adjusted; on the focus the rear camber is not adjustable atall without fitting these bolts.

Here's where Ford fitted mine👇

The front camber can be adjusted without any modifications, it's only in cases where coilovers were fitted; then a tower strut caster kit would be required to adjust the angle of the strut itself to allow for a lower stance than the fully compressed strut by offsetting it's angle.

[flogger]

thanks Lenny....sorry for the delay but I been laid up all week with the flu, dragged meself off me death bed  to take the car

to Norwich for a terraclean service......see different post.

[Lenny]

2 hours ago, flogger said:

thanks Lenny....sorry for the delay but I been laid up all week with the flu, dragged meself off me death bed  to take the car

to Norwich for a terraclean service......see different post.

Sorry to hear that mate there's alot of virus going around since the winter wasn't cold enough for a duration long enough to kill everything, 

I myself will be getting the flu injection this year as it will be worse next September onwards since winter didn't do it's usual job.