1.8 duratec tuning

[mama_bear]

After more power from the 1.8 engine in my focus been doing some light reading on this engine and apparently it's the same engine as used in the mazda mx5 an it seems a lot of people time these to big bhp figures can the same be done to the duratec or are they not quiet the same motor. I've already sorted the brakes with better discs and pads and should be doing the suspension at the end of the month but would really like a bit more power any help would be great 

[JW1982]

Despite being based on the same engine family the Mazda engines and Ford 1.8/2.0/2.3 Duratec HE engines are quite different. 

The partnership between Ford and Mazda resulted in Ford having access to Mazda technology and vice versa. The 1.8 Duratec is basically a further developed version of the Mazda L engine. Instead of developing a complete new engine Ford used the mazda L engine family and further developed it into the Duratec HE engine family. At the same time Mazda went their own (different) way. Because of this the Mazda L engine and the Ford Duratec HE engine were never the same.

 

 

[FatHead1979]

It's also VERY hard work getting more performance out of a non-turbo engine (hard work  = expensive)

[mama_bear]

Yeah found this out decided to keep it more or less standard k and n filter different tail pipe an that's about all I'm doing apart from a few visual mods 

NVM 

[Paisleyjim]

dont they use the duratec HE in caterhams  ? 

[JW1982]

As far as I know Caterham uses the 2.0 Duratec HE engine (both naturally aspirated and turbocharged). However the Caterham engines have lots of differences compared to the standard Ford engine. Caterham either uses Ford crate engines and modifies these engines themselves or have the modified engines built by Ford.

 

[Dave1981]

Pumaspeed offer a set of performance cams for the 1.8 and 2.0 duratec he engines. £300 delivered or £600 fitted. Proven to give minimum 15bhp gain on stock engine. I'm having my 2.0 done in April. 

I had a k&n filter on mine but removed it as it did nowt except give me a headache with induction noise when ran it without the bung fitted. I am thinking of a miltek catback system but I'm unsure if it will suit the look of the car n also noise So might just go with back box. 

As other post said getting any decent gains out of a N/a engine can be expensive. But not impossible.

I prefer regular servicing and good quality fuel to keep the engine at peak performance. But like you I've done my discs and pads and suppension.. 

[JW1982]

The 2.0 Duratec HE engine has a lot more potential than the 1.8 Duratec HE engine. For some reason the 2.0 Duratec HE engine has always been a nicer engine than the 1.8 Duratec HE. The percentage of engines that suffer from severe oil consumption is a lot higher on the 1.8 Duratec HE than it is on the 2.0 and 2.3 Duratec HE engines. Another problem is that some versions of the 1.8 Duratec HE engine (especially the Flexifuel versions) have software issues that were never solved. Stalling or cutting out in corners when the engine is cold is quite common.

It is perfectly possible to gain a decent amount of power on a naturally aspirated petrol engine but the costs involved are usually quite high and may even exceed the value of the car. There simply are no easy, cheap modifications to gain a considerable amount of power. 

The easiest and cheapest way to gain a considerable amount of power on a Focus MK2/MK2.5 is by installing the 5-cilinder Focus ST engine. A scrap Focus ST with rear end damage can be bought quite cheap these days.