My car is 100% stock and I planned to keep it that way when I bought it. Though looking at this forum I am starting to have my doubts... Looks like everybody's modding theirs.

And if everybody is doing it, well, there must be some good in it.

The reasons I didn't want to mod my car were the following:

1. Most mods don't seem to make your car faster at all, according to what I hear... you spend $300 on some intake and it adds 2 HP. What's the point of that? [???:)]

2. Mods that do make your car faster cost SO MUCH that I'd be better of selling my ZX3 and buying a V-6 or factory turbo car. It sounds like the only thing that will make any serious impact on your performance is installing a turbo kit. And those cost $4000.

$13,000 (thats what my car cost cause it is loaded) + $4000 + $1000 in labor + $500 other mods necessary for a turbo kit = $18,500. Heck!!! For this much money plus a bit more I could buy me a V6 Tiburon or something. And then I'd still have my warranty, and I wouldn't lose my ass if I ever had to sell the car.

3. I want my car to last a reasonably long time. Modding the engine would put more strain on it, and, therefore, make it die sooner. Besides, it would kill the resale value of the car.

I'd appreciate if somebody would argue against these points for me.

Your wrong ...........

No your right man its not worth it if its new (like mine) it stupidi to buy a new car and go void the warranty for that go buy a decent used car for a lot less.

There are qutie a few things you can do to the car without voiding the warranty but you need to figth for yourself at the dealer not just accept when they say.

But no it will not make the car worth less or make it die quicker.

If you would go out and buy maybe say that celica. Your gonna be paying at least 400 bucks a month if you are buying the car vs. leasing it which is how you see ghetto idiots driving hummers living at home with mom.

But the focus is a great handling car, and if you buy things little by little 1) its cheaper 2) its fun and 3) you can kill that GTS with less than the GTS costs.

A lot of modding actually makes your engine more efficient and shouldn't cause extra wear/tear on the motor...the tranny on the other hand is different and needs upgrading to withstand the more efficient, more powerful engine.
As price goes...my car cost $13,500 (it's standard with power nothing but steering and 5-speed), and it cost $18,000 financed (whish it was used, but I needed a car in 2000 and this was a good opportunity for me). I've already spent $2000 in mods minus subs/amp and I'm about to spend $250 to install my cams/gears. Then I'm supercharging, and with that kit plus other parts, I'm looking at between $4000 and $5000 more. So that's about $25,000 for a (hopefully) reliable 4-cyl car that can handle turns great, and will beat most cars off the line...such as, (stock) Mustang GTs - $24,330 (w/o finance charge), firebirds, camaros, whatever....the mustang is the cheapest v-8 I think and it's comparable in power to others that I should be able to beat. but I guess this is beyond what you're wanting...I'm just pointing out price difference versus 1/4 times.

Thos points are valid. What most of these people are doing is modding their car for the fun of it. Sure they get serious about it but it is all in fun. You don't have to go Forced Induction to build HP. I am slowly planning a naturally aspirated car and as you can see from the FC NA ZX3, you can pull some serious HP. I thoughtof the V6 route. I even have a Contour V6 SE. Fast car! but, it costs more to mod it than it does the Focus. The DURATEC V6s also had minor problems that will end up costing a lot of money.

Point is, the intake may only make a little power but if you add on a few other mods, you start to feel gains or notice better throttle response. It is all in what the individual wants. If you are happy with the stock ZETEC, keep it that way.

Well my pwr premium zx3 is gonna be 16 after all said and done so i lucked out by a little more than gonfishin, if i had gotten a stick it woulda been even cheaper. But i share my car with my mom and her explorer, oh well.

just do what i did........make it look good.and just cruise it.as long as it looks sweet, who cares if its fast.[driving]

http://www.focusfanatics.com/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=112&password=&sort=1&cat=507&page=1

anyways...I wouldn't do intake without an exhaust. but if you want to mod your intake, go get a K&N panel filter and drop that in there for $30. It's not the best, but it's pretty good and great for the money. Your stock intake setup isn't bad with the exception of the mass air flow (MAF) and throttle body (TB). Those two cause some serious bottlenecking.

Sorry man, didnt i was debating writing it but it justs to say, if you get down at the delaer you can get the focus + financing + mods all under what the sticker price of the GTS is, the GTS would come out to like 25 grand after financing no mods.


Oh yeah it would be nice if ford would do like Toyota and let us keep our warranty with a supercharger like they do I mean fine they sell a lot of cool stuff from FRPP but they wont keep the car under warranty with it on. And its not like toyota only does it for the trucks there ae super charger for the camry/solara corolla , Plus exhasust and intakes.

Originally posted by StockAndProudZX3

1. Most mods don't seem to make your car faster at all, according to what I hear... you spend $300 on some intake and it adds 2 HP. What's the point of that? [???:)]

2. Mods that do make your car faster cost SO MUCH that I'd be better of selling my ZX3 and buying a V-6 or factory turbo car. It sounds like the only thing that will make any serious impact on your performance is installing a turbo kit. And those cost $4000.

$13,000 (thats what my car cost cause it is loaded) + $4000 + $1000 in labor + $500 other mods necessary for a turbo kit = $18,500. Heck!!! For this much money plus a bit more I could buy me a V6 Tiburon or something. And then I'd still have my warranty, and I wouldn't lose my ass if I ever had to sell the car.

3. I want my car to last a reasonably long time. Modding the engine would put more strain on it, and, therefore, make it die sooner. Besides, it would kill the resale value of the car.


Point 1: Agree. The airflow mods (intake, exhaust) we read about constantly on this forum really add only a few HP and it is all at the upper end of the powerband. We all have different driving habits, but as for me, I usually shift about 3.5-4K rpm, 5K only if I really need it while dicing in traffic. A couple more HP at 5K and beyond is going to be lost on me. Then again I'm driving a PZEV.

Point 2: Disagree. (TIBURON? where's the little smilie that's puking...) Seriously, the fOCUS has a lot of very desirable traits. Take the ride and handling for example. World-class here. How many years in a row on the Car&Driver 10Best list... four? Every year its been available in the USA, in other words. Take styling as another example. You can go shopping with your $18K but you won't come home with the ride, handling, and styling combo you get in your fOCUS.

Point 3: basically agree. Grabbing a serious amount more HP out of your engine is going to have some effect on service life. How much impact depends on how far you tweak it and then how often you use the tweaks.

But you really need to realize that the reason the majority of the people on this forum are modding is because that's what they're into. Modding in and of itself is fun, and creating personalization of the car is what this little slice of automotive enthusiasm is all about.

Originally posted by GonFishin
A lot of modding actually makes your engine more efficient and shouldn't cause extra wear/tear on the motor...

Common misconception. I think that because the right mod's will in fact increase HP output, this seems to be "more efficient". What the mod's are really doing is getting more air through the engine. If you can get more air in, and out, then you can add more fuel (computer takes care of this for you, of course) and bingo, you got more power. But you didn't help the combusion efficiency a single bit. If it was truly more efficient, you could go faster on the same amount of fuel - and that ain't happenin'. Yeah you are going faster but you are also using more fuel to do it, meaning the efficiency hasn't changed.

By the way, intake and exhaust mod's can only help to a certain point. You really need to get into the head, with porting and cam changes, to make the best use of high-flow intakes and exhausts. And this high-flow stuff, in turn, means you are increasing HP at the high end of the RPM range but you may actually be hurting yourself down at the low end. Need an example to illustrate my point? Easy. The PZEV has restrictors in the intake manifold that are closed at low RPM, open at high RPM. They are there specifically to increase torque/HP down low. Restriction helps ! (at lower RPM) Think about that.

Finally - about wear and tear. It's all about what you are using out of the engine. Forget the mod's for a minute, just take two bonestock fOCI - drive one like a granny, and drive the other like a refugee from 2Fast2Furious. I guarantee you the granny car is going to last a LOT longer. Even if it was moderately modded, as long as you kept your foot out of it, the wear and tear doesn't change.

Actually a good measurement of efficiency would be the amount of HP vs fuel economy. With an intake, new plugs and wires, and a few other mods, you can increase both HP and fuel economy, which is more efficient. More complete combustion that is. Saying simply that more hp doesn't mean more efficiency is too narrow of a way to look at the question. You can add HP and increase fuel economy which would be an increase in efficiency of the vehicle. As for only seeing HP at higher RPM, you may only see your PEAK HP gain at higher RPM's but you should see increase throughout the power band if you have done things correctly. Your restrictors on the PZEV are for emmissions reasons much more than for performance reasons. But the reasoning is correct, the restriction helps to induce vaccuum in the intake under low vaccuum conditions such as low end acceleration. The AEM long tube is notorious for this problem because of the exceptionally large volume of dead air on starting. However, with other intakes on the market this isn't really a problem, and should not affect your low end torque or HP.

But again, in terms of efficiency. I was getting 32mpg without my intake, and I get 32mpg with my intake, and a definite increase in performance from the engine. So despite the fact that my car may be using more fuel, it doesn't need to use it as long in order to accelerate to driving speed. (55mph)

There is a lot to take into consideration. I think that you just need to know what you want and how serious you really are about it all. Some people get into it more than others, and that's good for them. Do what you want, it's your car and who cares what other people think!
~Tiffany

Originally posted by RPIJG
Actually a good measurement of efficiency would be the amount of HP vs fuel economy. With an intake, new plugs and wires, and a few other mods, you can increase both HP and fuel economy, which is more efficient. More complete combustion that is. Saying simply that more hp doesn't mean more efficiency is too narrow of a way to look at the question. You can add HP and increase fuel economy which would be an increase in efficiency of the vehicle. As for only seeing HP at higher RPM, you may only see your PEAK HP gain at higher RPM's but you should see increase throughout the power band if you have done things correctly. Your restrictors on the PZEV are for emmissions reasons much more than for performance reasons. But the reasoning is correct, the restriction helps to induce vaccuum in the intake under low vaccuum conditions such as low end acceleration. The AEM long tube is notorious for this problem because of the exceptionally large volume of dead air on starting. However, with other intakes on the market this isn't really a problem, and should not affect your low end torque or HP.

But again, in terms of efficiency. I was getting 32mpg without my intake, and I get 32mpg with my intake, and a definite increase in performance from the engine. So despite the fact that my car may be using more fuel, it doesn't need to use it as long in order to accelerate to driving speed. (55mph)

We've got a good discussion going here. All KINDS of things to talk about.

Yes, if you actually got more HP and more fuel economy at the same time, you have greater efficiency. In theory, that is precisely correct. Now show me the data. I simply do not believe that is happening in the real world. Combustion efficiency on the stock motor is already VERY high. It's necessary for it to be very high in order to get low emissions. And if the engineers at Ford could actually grab better combustion efficiency as you claim by simply modding the intake or whatever, don't you think they would have done that already??

Regarding the restrictors in the PZEV, you are, um, misinformed I guess is the polite way to put it. They are in there to improve midrange torque, end of story. They have nothing to do with emissions. I guess you might need another example. How about the even fancier intake system on the SVT which uses a variable-length intake runner? A long skinny runner has more restriction than a big short one, but, they are using that long skinny one at midrange RPM's... for pretty much the same reason the PZEV has those restrictors. Again: at low and midrange RPM's you don't need big gaping holes for the air to flow in and out of the engine. Big gaping holes actually work against you.

32mpg before the intake mod and 32mpg after. "Definite" improvement - okay, show me the data. Track slips, dyno runs?

Originally posted by soffiler
We've got a good discussion going here. All KINDS of things to talk about.

Yes, if you actually got more HP and more fuel economy at the same time, you have greater efficiency. In theory, that is precisely correct. Now show me the data. I simply do not believe that is happening in the real world. Combustion efficiency on the stock motor is already VERY high. It's necessary for it to be very high in order to get low emissions. And if the engineers at Ford could actually grab better combustion efficiency as you claim by simply modding the intake or whatever, don't you think they would have done that already??

Regarding the restrictors in the PZEV, you are, um, misinformed I guess is the polite way to put it. They are in there to improve midrange torque, end of story. They have nothing to do with emissions. I guess you might need another example. How about the even fancier intake system on the SVT which uses a variable-length intake runner? A long skinny runner has more restriction than a big short one, but, they are using that long skinny one at midrange RPM's... for pretty much the same reason the PZEV has those restrictors. Again: at low and midrange RPM's you don't need big gaping holes for the air to flow in and out of the engine. Big gaping holes actually work against you.

32mpg before the intake mod and 32mpg after. "Definite" improvement - okay, show me the data. Track slips, dyno runs?

Thank you Steve O. You seriously just informed me of a few things I didn't know. This discussion is very informative, I appreciate it :)

~Tiffany

Um actually he is clsoe on the PZEV the intake on the PZEV is sealed for emissions, because of an advanved EGR system instead of only doing it while the engine is on it traps what ever is left over right when you shut off the car in the intake,

this is from a ford rep, from where ever they get their information.

Within each of the intake manifold’s four runners is a butterfly valve that restricts the air passage at low speed. This improves low-speed efficiency through inducing a “tumble” or turbulence by accelerating the air/fuel mixture into the combustion chambers. At higher speeds, the butterfly valves open fully, to meet the engine’s requirement for air flow. At these higher flow rates, the port shape itself ensures proper “tumble” of the air/fuel mixture for best combustion.

So it acts like holding your finger over the end of a hose when the water is on. However, they make no claims as to it increasing performance, just that it increases efficiency. Again, vague wording.

Originally posted by pitchblackab
Um actually he is clsoe on the PZEV the intake on the PZEV is sealed for emissions, because of an advanved EGR system instead of only doing it while the engine is on it traps what ever is left over right when you shut off the car in the intake,

Yes, it is true that the whole intake system on the PZEV is sealed, as you say, to control evaporative emissions when the engine is off. However, the restrictors in the intake manifold are not there to seal the intake - that might be true if they were able to close completely, but they don't. They move between two positions - medium restriction/very small restriction.

Incidentally, did you possibly confuse evap emissions with EGR (exhaust gas recirculation)? 'Cause dragging EGR into this discussion is really getting off on a tangent.

Here, check this quote from: http://www.focusfanatics.com/news/view.asp?linkid=309

"Within each of the intake manifold's four runners is a butterfly valve that restricts the air passage at low speed. This improves low-speed efficiency through inducing a "tumble" or turbulence by accelerating the air/fuel mixture into the combustion chambers. At higher speeds, the butterfly valves open fully, to meet the engine's requirement for air flow. At these higher flow rates, the port shape itself ensures proper "tumble" of the air/fuel mixture for best combustion. "

thank you yeah i proly confused that, i know when i jump between this I was the small dog.

Originally posted by RPIJG
... So it acts like holding your finger over the end of a hose when the water is on. However, they make no claims as to it increasing performance, just that it increases efficiency. Again, vague wording.

Y'know, you're right. That is vague. And written by a marketing guy at Ford, no doubt. Finger over the hose- good one[thumb] The partial restriction speeds up the airflow so it is turbulent when it enters the combustion chamber, mixing better with the fuel, improving combustion... everyone probably agrees that if it improves combustion then it's probably improving efficiency - right? And, those of you that have driven the PZEV - agree that it has a heck of a midrange punch? Those restrictors aren't in there simply to make it get better gas mileage (one type of measure of "efficiency"); or to simply lower emissions (another type of measure of "efficiency") - they have the effect of giving the engine very good performance at midrange RPM's. Like I said earlier in this thread, restriction = GOOD (for low/midrange performance). It is contrary to what most people think about when they mod for greater airflow, but it's a fact ladies and gentlemen.

So..... bottom line. Will a CAI increase torque? HP? If so, low, mid or high?
How about a Diablo Sportchip with a manuel tranny? Worth the investment or not?
What I would like is 20 more HP (with 20 more torque, if possible). Are you telling me that most of the HP/Torque increase claims I read about are BS? Well, I figured that the HP claims could be cut in half for most but..... no use at all?

Originally posted by Jake
So..... bottom line. Will a CAI increase torque? HP? If so, low, mid or high?
How about a Diablo Sportchip with a manuel tranny? Worth the investment or not?
What I would like is 20 more HP (with 20 more torque, if possible). Are you telling me that most of the HP/Torque increase claims I read about are BS? Well, I figured that the HP claims could be cut in half for most but..... no use at all?

Okay, disclaimer here. I'm a mechanical engineer who has been working in different areas of the automotive world for about 18 years now. I have done a lot of work developing sensors, and lately I'm in the tools&equipment aftermarket. Notice, I'm not actually doing intake and exhaust systems and I admit that. On the other hand, I have a lot of technical theory under my belt and I have been reading performance articles and technical articles for 20+ years now.

Improvements on a given vehicle are going to depend on what the manufacturer gave you to start with. If they put in heavy restrictions for some reason, such as sound deadening, then yeah you are likely to see some small gains if you go with aftermarket parts. Thing is, all the mfg's learned quite a while ago how to deaden sound without imposing large restriction. In general terms, there have been vast teams of engineers working diligently in the dyno bays at every one of the major manufacturers for years, looking to extract the perfect combination of power and emissions. And those two go hand in hand. The more completely you burn the fuel, the better the power and the lower the emissions at the same time.

Torque/HP? If you simply open up the intake and exhaust, HP is the answer. You probably know that HP is a mathematical function of torque - it is torque you get when the fuel and air in the cylinder go boom and push down on the piston. How hard it pushes determines how much torque is created. By removing any restriction (which I have already said is actually pretty low) you can help it breathe, however it doesn't NEED any help except at high RPM. So you may get some small gains, and it will be small increase in HP up around the RPM where it is rated to make peak HP.

If you want to take a 2.0 liter motor and extract significantly higher torque and HP out of it (like the 20-20 you mention)... don't look for huge torque gains because they just aren't there until you get into supercharging/turbocharging. Think about this for a minute:

Zetec: 135 ft-lb @ 4500rpm
SVT: 145 ft-lb @ 5500 rpm

So with all the enhancements on the SVT motor - the fancy variable intake runner system, variable cam timing, and the cool header/exhaust, they mananged just 10 ft-lb and to do it they have to spin the engine quite a bit faster. Small NA motors (naturally aspirated) make power with RPM.

To get an extreme example, think about the Honda S2000:

153 ft-lb @ 7500rpm

Even that engine doesn't have the 20 extra ft-lb you are after, and look how radically they had to tweak it.

Chips: about all they can really do is raise the rev limiter, play with timing which can give some small benefits but will require premium fuel, and finally they can remap the fuel delivery at WOT which can also give a noticable benefit.

Bottom line: real gains take real engine work. Find yourself a cam and match intake and exhaust to it. Expect gains in peak HP, maybe a bit more peak T, and expect it all to move upward in the power band. So if you like to drive around at 5K all the time go for it.

good one soffiler.. my thoughts exactly. that is why I want a turbo. I love V-8's... I hate 4 cly. But need of good fuel economy leaves me with the 4 banger. A turbo would give me the power when I need it, and still get the economy that I need. I know the turbo would never pay for itself, but the driving fun would increase 100 fold. All the N/A mods get power way up high in the rpm's.. Not desirable for a V-8 kinda guy.

I think vanace and others hit it squarely on the head. If you are modding for anything monetaruy in mind, then don't do it, but we do it because we want to and we want to because it is fun. Some mods done to a car make it more efficient and will actually up the h.p. AND gas milage, but most don't, however, like others have said before mods don't always add where and tear to a car, we are all conserned with making our cars last, even if lightly modded or full on - like a turbo- you still want it to stay together and be fun.
Hmmmm. fun, the real reason we mod, some things we do because they look good, some make it work better, is it worth five hundred dollars over the life of a car to make yourself happier or more comfortable, I think so. I am one of a few wagon owners on here with engine mods to my car, Hotrod wagon, another focus nut, plans on doing a turbo or blower to his car, why would we do anything so silly and expensive? In my case, I own other fast cars, and even really fast motorcycles ( I run a motorcycle shop for a living), and I wanted a fun inexpensive car to drive everydasy. I have a couple of kids and need a wagon for hauling the family, why not make it fun to drive it too? Hope that helps!!