Best Focus Mods?

[Flo Bee]

Personally, I'd like to get a better understanding of what gets the Focus to run best. For that reason, I'll ask you Focus owners, what are the most common and best mods you can do to your Focus to extract more power and improve handling to try to get the most out of it?

[1turbofocus]

Turbo !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is there anything else?

Tom

[Penguini66]

I think Tom pretty much hit the nail on the head. While there may be a few N/A cars in the 160-175whp range, Tom has gotten turbo Zetec's well over 250whp (over 300 on high octane if I remember correctly). And there's also a handful of turbo cars in the 200-220whp range. The JR supercharger for the Focus, while it seems to be reliable, has been somewhat of a dissapointment (I can't remember the hp numbers right now). But, apparently there's a big boost (pulley) kit on the way. There's a few other companies working on supercharger kits, but for right now, I believe they all remain as vaporware.

Also, just FYI, the Focus is currently available with four different engines:
--2.0 SPI (fleet car and base sedan. Soon to be phased out)
--2.0 Zetec (130hp, No Zetec doesn't mean anything. Its just an engine name)
--2.0 SVT (170hp, Its actually a 2.0 Zetec engine with a two stage intake and a variable intake cam)
--2.0 PZEV (145hp, From the new Duratec engine line, Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle, Became available in '03 in Emissions states)

We're all waiting to see what happens with the new Duratec line of engines. The rumors seem to lead to the demise of the Zetec with 2.0 and 2.3 Duratec replacements for the rest of the Focus lineup. So far, the 2.3 PZEV has prooven to respond very well N/A (much better than the Zetec) to opening it up and letting it breathe. Various headers and intakes are quickly becoming available.

As far as handling, I'd try and start with the basics since the Focus is kind of a strange beast. The rear suspension has what Ford referrs as a "Controll Blade" rear suspension. I'm not going to even attempt to explain the geometry. All I can tell you is that when cornering hard, the controll blade twists and adds toe out to the outside rear wheel. This in turn, greatly helps the rear of the car rotate. It is something you have to get used to. And sometimes scares people the first time they push it to that limit.
Here's a pic of the Focus rear suspension:
http://www.trademotion.com/schematics/images/mechanical/FHP100.gif
In this pic, imagine yourself looking back at the rear wheel after stepping out of the drivers side door. The "Controll Blade" is #4 in the pic.

Also, it is important to note that the suspension on almost all Foci is interchangeable. Even the SVT. The only one left out of the mix is the Wagon which has a somewhat different rear suspension setup. Quite a few people are running SVT springs (<$100 from Ford). They give about a 3/4" drop and a responsive but factory like ride. (Unless you match them with a set of Koni Yellows like I have.)
Spring rates:
ZX3/LX/SE/ZTS
F: 110 lb/in
R: 126 lb/in

SVT (Also came with firmer dampers and a bigger rear bar)
F: 129 lb/in
R: 157 lb/in

S-2/ street edition (Special editions that also came with firmer dampers and a bigger rear bar)
F: 97
R: 114-117

When it goes to lowering, I'm just going to quote P51 from Focaljet:
For the suspension, you don't want to lower too much. 1" is optimal, and you don't want to go more than 1.5". When you go too low, you lose roll camber gain, and your roll center drops faster than you lower the car. The result is that the car rolls more than it did stock, and you lose camber as you roll resulting in less grip.

Due to the design of the Focus front strut towers, a front strut bar offers very little additional front suspension stiffness. Although, it does give you something nice to lean on while working on the engine. The strut towers are so close to the firewall that they might as well be part of the firewall. And there is very little room for flex. Also, the rear suspension does not have struts. So don't let anybody try and sell you a rear strut bar. The rear shocks only transmit a force in the linear direction of the shock. Up and down. There is no side to side forces that a rear strut bar would help with. The only other essential for the rear suspension is a shim for the rear shock mount to eliminate the slop induced by the rubber mount.

I think that's enough for now.:D

[Flo Bee]

This is exactly the stuff I wanted to see!

Good post, Penguini!

[Demon4545]

Turbo/supercharging/nitrous works best on the zetec engines, but the 2.3 PZEVs haven't been out very long, and are already producing very nice hp figures with bolt ons, as Penguini said. Time will tell what the internals on those can take.
The JRSC kit puts out 150ish to the wheels. The big boost kit should produce about 180.
The Vortech Centrifugal kit is hitting the market very soon, and should put out figures above those of the JRSC.
Turbos do produce the best hp figures but if you boost without adaequate fuel management, you will be replacing the engine in short order.

hope that helps.

[Penguini66]

Originally posted by Demon4545
Turbos do produce the best hp figures but if you boost without adaequate fuel management, you will be replacing the engine in short order.

Very good point. I almost forgot about the most important thing. Engine Management. Until late, we've been struggleing somewhat with a proper fuel/timing solution. A handfull of Turbo and Nitrous Zetec's have gone boom with either destroyed pistons or a rod out the side of the block.

[SCT Guy]

In the next week I will be tuning a ZTEC Focus with a Vortech kit on it and an SVT Focus with a Jackson kit on it.

I have worked on turbo'd ZTEC's before and Jackson kits on ZTEC's, so these two cars will be interesting to see how they perform.

Over the past few weeks we have had some issues getting the SVT Focus to respond correctly to the changes we made in the control system, but I finally got it figured out yesterday and have a spark curve that actually looks right. In the next few days I'll take the data I have and get it graphed up and posted up here so you can see what I was fighting and why your SVT drives so bad in stock form (not really at WOT, but at least as part throttle).

Being the engineer that I am, I don't like not knowing why certain things are happening and this has frustrated me for a few months now and I feel pretty good about this setup now. I know this sounds vauge, and I'm not trying to hide anything, but the graphs will tell all when you see them...

[Penguini66]

Great news...Sounds like you're gathering some pretty good info for a FI Focus "Base Tune". Hint, Hint.

If you can, I'd greatly appreciate it if you could let us know what the entire engine management solution was. MAF type and size, Injector type and size, did they relocate the IAT, did they modify the fuel supply system, and anything else you feel is worth mentioning.

[SCT Guy]

Well, this work is being done through a local shop that is very, very good, and they will pretty much do whatever I ask.

I worked on the calibration for Votech's SVT Focus recently (almost done) and had them use the stock MAF, 42# injectors, stock pump and relocate the ACT sensor.

Now, I kinda felt that since the SVT used 30# injectors, and the Focus pump is good (although the SVT uses a different pump) we may have been able to get away with raising the pressure under boost and using the 30's, wrong.

Asking for a 40 psi Delta P across the injector, fuel pressure started to drop at about 7000 RPM. So, this setup MUST have 42's no matter what. The MAF on their car also pegged at like 5500 RPM, this is also bad. They had already relocated the ACT per my request prior to coming there.

So, based on all this experience, I will have the shop do the following before I show up to work on the cars. Now remember, these are customer cars that brought there cars there because they run like ass and want them right. So, we are doing everything right, no bandaids, no cutting corners to save money.

ACT MUST be located after the blower and cooler is so equipped. Both cars will have 42# injectors installed. I am willing to leave the pump in the Focus ZX3 since I know it will flow like 300 L/Hr. I personally don't think the Jackson Racing kit will make the same power as the Vortech kit, so I am also having them leave the stock pump in the SVT. On the ZX3, I am having them put on a GT MAF. This MAF at 5 volts is about 42 #/min of air, more than any stock, blown ZTEC will flow (I am sure this can be exceeded but not with the mods on these cars). I chose this MAF for two reasons. One, you don't want like a lightning MAF that at 5 volts is like 55-64#/min of air. I expect these engine to flow less than 30#/min of air. So, you'd only be using half the MAF, and the control of a/f ratio would not be as good since now we will only be using 2.5 volts rather than 5. A small voltage change is a lot of air flow to that engine. Second, if the files work well, you Focus guys can probably pick up used GT MAFs cheap. Alot of GT guys, probably everyone with a blower, changes the MAF. I bet you could find them by the basket full if you asked around.

I will probably at first have them leave the stock MAF on the SVT since it will go up to around 27#/min of air. The Vortech'd car (and I won't tell you how much power it made) did peg the MAF, but it was at higher RPM. I really doubt the Jackson kit will make that much power, so I think the stock MAF will be fine. But, they will investigate what it takes to add in a GT MAF.

So, this is basically what I plan to have them install on these two vehicles. This hardware should work well.

Did all of this make sense to you?

[Penguini66]

^^^^^^Great info!!!

Let us know how it all works out. I may have to check around and find a GT MAF and check on fitment for my setup. What year(s) should I look for. There's a 99-03 on ebay right now that's at $20. But, I guess I could post a 'Wanted to buy' add in here and pick one up pretty quickly anyway.

[SCT Guy]

I'd pick up any 96-03 GT MAF.

I bet you could also use the smaller 70mm MAF from a 4.6L Bird (96-97 only) or a 4.6L TownCar/CrownVic (96-03). These may fit easier and have a max flow of like 38#/min at 5 volts. I really doubt the extra 10mm in diameter will be any kind of improvement in power and if the 70's easier to fit in, then that may be a better way to go.

[1turbofocus]

SCT Guy ,Is this Chris ?

I dont agree with having to move the air intake sensor

I think you will find that a set of 50LB injectors will be needed for the SVT IF it makes any power at all

The GT MAF is a good maf for the jrsc and the vortec but what are the majority of the guys going to do because it is not calibrated for the 42`s well enough to run,,Will the 795.00 unit have enough controle to fully tune a turbo/vortec from stock trim

I have a SVT tuned making 313 HP and running in the 12`s with a stock engine and i am VERY interested in getting your software and can give you major feedback as i also have a 440HP ZX3 running on the stock ECU

We have our own dynojet in house as well what if anything can you do to get me some of there goodies ASAP

You can take a look at some of my goodies at www.focus-power.com

Tom

[Penguini66]

Originally posted by 1turbofocus
The GT MAF is a good maf for the jrsc and the vortec but what are the majority of the guys going to do because it is not calibrated for the 42`s well enough to run,,Will the 795.00 unit have enough controle to fully tune a turbo/vortec from stock trim

SCT guy, hope I'm not butting in here. Feel free to correct/clarify...

Since I haven't seen the software yet, I can't comment on how it works. But , the way the software is designed, there is no longer a need to re-calibrate the MAF. It just has to have enough flow capacity for your application. The 795.00 "Pro-Racer" package will have complete controll over every function within the ECU. If that's not enough to fully tune a FI application, I don't know what is. In addition, the "Racer" packages are supposed to come with a "base tune" catered to your application. This "base tune" should contain curves catered toward your car as well as the appropriate "value files" for different components such as the specific MAF and injectors that you are using.

[SCT Guy]

Originally posted by 1turbofocus
SCT Guy ,Is this Chris ?

I dont agree with having to move the air intake sensor

I think you will find that a set of 50LB injectors will be needed for the SVT IF it makes any power at all

The GT MAF is a good maf for the jrsc and the vortec but what are the majority of the guys going to do because it is not calibrated for the 42`s well enough to run,,Will the 795.00 unit have enough controle to fully tune a turbo/vortec from stock trim

I have a SVT tuned making 313 HP and running in the 12`s with a stock engine and i am VERY interested in getting your software and can give you major feedback as i also have a 440HP ZX3 running on the stock ECU

We have our own dynojet in house as well what if anything can you do to get me some of there goodies ASAP

You can take a look at some of my goodies at www.focus-power.com

Tom

The air temp sensor MUST be moved, this is not an option. There are basically four things that control an engines likelyness to knock; Fuel octane (meaning its ability to resist autoignition), combustion chamber design, cylinder pressure and air temp. When you compress air, the temp goes up. If you don't move the sensor you have no idea how hot the air is going into the engine. If it's a 20F day or a 80F day, the temp of the air going into the engine, and thus it's timing requirements, change. Look at an '03 Cobra, Lightning, Roush StageIII, Saleen, even an old SuperCoupe, where is the air temp sensor? In the intake after the cooler. Why? Because you MUST know the air temp going into the engine to control the engine correctly. Now, some will say that the Cobra and Lightning have a sensor before the blower, they do. They also have one after...Every OEM does it on their blown cars, there is a reason for that and it's a good one.

A MAF does NOT have to be calibrated for injectors, this is just a way that some people do it. A mass air meter has a transfer function of voltage vrs air flow. If you have access to the mass air transfer function table, you don't care if the MAF is matched to anything as long as the MAF doesn't peg. Just load in the correct air meter data and have a nice day.

We have no problem selling you whatever you need, but we really don't need much more feedback. There are several people that have been using this for a while now to shake it out and it's good. We have tuned most any kind of Focus with it already.

[1turbofocus]

I agree the MAF does not have to be Calibrated for any given injector but where some are getting confused is they think that the new tuning will eliminate the 5 volt cut

Will the 795.00 unit have enough controle to fully tune a turbo/vortec from stock trim

As for the moving of the air temp sensor why did we see no change on the dyno in power or tuning when we moved it and we tested it at differant boost levels

I am allways open for new things to try and i AM NOT trying to give you a hard time

Tom

[SCT Guy]

You are correct, nothing will get you past the 5 volt maximum that the EEC will acknowledge. You can use any maf that won't peg at 5 volts during it's operation. The stock MAF will peg. Although, you could probably use a SVT MAF on a regular ZX3 with a simple blower, based on what I've seen, but at that point it's almost why bother...

On the air temp thing, it won't help you make more power on a dyno, what it does is help you make more power off the dyno...

When you run the car on the dyno, you put in enough spark to what you feel is safe based on your experience. In some cases you put in less since to make the car safe for hot days. But in the back of your mind your thinking, on a cold day, this motor could handle 3 degrees more timing but I can't put it in.

Well, if you know the temp of the air going into the motor, AND adjust the spark tables to take advantage of the fact that you know the air temp going into the motor, you can make the engine have more timing if the air is cooler and less timing if it gets really hot outside.

Let me ask you this, if a customer called up in Phoenix and wanted a blower kit and a chip, would you give him the same chip as the guy that called from Minnesota? We do. Many don't and it's because the air temp is different and they don't know the air temp is different.

Also, the SVT Focus, from the factory is set up to not really modify spark too much based on air temp, we change that.

[Penguini66]

Originally posted by SCT Guy
I'd pick up any 96-03 GT MAF.

I bet you could also use the smaller 70mm MAF from a 4.6L Bird (96-97 only) or a 4.6L TownCar/CrownVic (96-03). These may fit easier and have a max flow of like 38#/min at 5 volts. I really doubt the extra 10mm in diameter will be any kind of improvement in power and if the 70's easier to fit in, then that may be a better way to go.

I just picked up a MAF from a 96-97 4.6 T-Bird for $35. I let you guys know how it fits.

[1turbofocus]

I understand where you are coming from but there is another way this has to be looked at also, on a cooler day you are making more compression in the engine and more power at the same boost levels because of the cooler air ,Cooler air allways makes more power because it is more dense this is like more compression/boost so there realy is no need to adjust timing for cooler air

Just my thoughts

How much longer before i can send you some money for the Gold package and how long before the SVT Focus will be finished

Tom

[SCT Guy]

Rather than get into a discussion about where the sensor is located, wait a week or less and I'll do an article showing the temp of the air after the blower and you can see differences with data, rather than trying to explain it. I think this will be obvious when you see the info.

I hope to finish the SVT Focus tomorrow. But there are quite a few tasks tomorrow and that is not a priority task. So, it depends how things go. If the Vortech kit is not on the ZX3, and it's looking shakey, then I'll have it done. If it is ready, then it probably wont' be finished till next week.

For the chip version of the gold package, I am hoping we are ready next week with product to ship. For the flasher we are still not sure. It's a long twisted story that so far does not have a happy ending. We should have an answer on this in the next few business days. In the mean time though, we will work with you to develop a calibration for an SVT Focus for you, and then you can ship to modules to us to flash until the real flasher units are ready.

[1turbofocus]

We have controle of the timing and the fuel at this time and will hold with this till we can tune here on our dyno,Our turbos are more aggressive than the vortec or the jrsc in the midrange and top end

Not saying you could not tune them just that i am a controle freak and dont like mail order chips

I will be looking forward to your artical on the air temp sensor

Tom

[TydlwavS]

Very good reading guys. Thanks for putting it all down.

[belacyrf]

SCT Guy... I spoke with the gentleman who's facility you are using to do the Vortech. He was going to hook me up with a base NA tune that you guys were going to perform on the SVT before doing the Vortech, but I told him I'm waiting on the software.

However I did ask him to test tuning the car in NA form with the Cam Position Sensor turned off. Were you able to give that a try? I'm wondering what that would do to the driveability of the car. I'm wondering if there is a set threshold. I will be going with the first set of cams and ported head for this car, and will need your software to make it work. So I'm looking for any information you can give to get me pointed in the right direction when it comes to tuning this thing in NA form :)

Also, have you tried turning off the VCT to see how much power is lost or gained?

Great info again and, thanks for posting!

[AMB]

What pump flows the most fuel ? The ZX3 or SVT Focus ? Are they interchangable ??

AMB

[DeucesWild]

What kind of transaxles (I guess they're called) are being used on these turbo and s/c applications? I can't image in stock form they are able to support that kind of power, so what's being done?

[1turbofocus]

Deuce they are all stock trans to axles i have a ZX3 Focus doing 440 Hp at the wheels and a SVT doing 313 Hp at the wheels still on the stock axles and trans I do have a Quaife LSD in the Trans tho

belacyrf ,turning off the VCT hurts top end power moving it to a lower RPM does pick up some power at a lower RPM ,when we moved it to a lower RPM it realy helped ,Factory settings are to high for when it comes on,, There is a little to gain with the IMRC as well

Tom

[Flo Bee]

Anybody use the Lentech transaxle/transbrake? Just curious, because I saw Len's Focus when I was up there.

[DeucesWild]

Originally posted by 1turbofocus
Deuce they are all stock trans to axles i have a ZX3 Focus doing 440 Hp at the wheels and a SVT doing 313 Hp at the wheels still on the stock axles and trans I do have a Quaife LSD in the Trans tho

Tom

dayuumn!

Why can't a stock mustang tranny handle that much power...

Deuce:stickpokeFlo

[1turbofocus]

Flo Bee the white car in there Focus advertisement is my Focus i also have a black SVT that looks just like it

I have a Lentec ATX with a Trans brake , Man. valve body and a stall converter

Tom

[DeucesWild]

Tom I checked out your site, you guys got some good shit, I was very impressed with the numbers you guys are putting out. Need a test pilot...? I volunteer.

Keep up the good work.

[Flo Bee]

Originally posted by 1turbofocus
Flo Bee the white car in there Focus advertisement is my Focus i also have a black SVT that looks just like it

I have a Lentec ATX with a Trans brake , Man. valve body and a stall converter

Tom

That's pretty damn sweet. I spoke to them about it a little bit when we were up. They seemed pretty pumped to be able to help out the Focus world.

[DeucesWild]

So Tom how do you activate your transbrake? I hear some guys wire it up so they can use their horn button.

[1turbofocus]

Off the O/D button on the shifter

Tom

[Flo Bee]

Originally posted by 1turbofocus
Off the O/D button on the shifter

Tom

I've been thinking about using that momentary on my car, too. But I'm going to scrap my shifter soon, so I'll use the momentary I bought for the transbrake.