I've just recently noticed, though I may be wrong, that my car seems to run smoother, when accelerating in particular. I noticed this mostly on the freeway- I drop it into 3rd or 4th and I just feel a smooth, linear pull. Is this what I've been feeling all along, or has my Focus grown up? I'm just over 12k, by the way.

And are our cars best when racing at higher speeds? I mean we can access the powerband more easily cuz of rpm's, but does the SVTF excel when it comes to high speed power?

Your motor has probably just really loosened up. Sometimes when theyre brand new the motor is still a bit "tight" and not broken in to the individuals tolerances each part has. But by now, with 12k miles, its pretty well run-in. I have about 16.5k on mine, and it revs up so much smoother than when I first had it.

Yes, they are definitly better at higher speeds. Mine does great at lights but really shines from 90 up.

mines got 66k on it..lol. Runs great. Some days more then others it feels light years ( ok..thats an exagerration) faster then other days. Like last night for instance...50 mph roll is awesome.

Yeah, its wierd. These cars are tempermental. Sometimes they feel fast as hell and other times they feel sluggish. I have no idea why that is.

Same here. Yesterday my car pulled so hard in 6th that I had to check to see if I was in the right gear. Strange.

^^^Weather plays a HUGE factor in how the SVTF responds^^^
Cold/dry days = more power.
Hot/humid days = dog.

Yes it does. Cold, high pressure, air works like a turbocharger. Hot, humid, air just is not as dense. In our airplane the effect is exaggerated. In January we climb out at as much a 6,500 to 8,000 Feet Per Minute. In July the number can be as low as 2,500 to 3,000 feet per minute. All the charts for performance have temperature as the first factor considered, then weight.

Once at altitude, a difference of as little as 3 degrees makes all the difference in our cruise speed, altitude and fuel burn.

The more efficient the induction system of your car is, the more pronounced the difference is. I'm guessing the SVTF is pretty darned efficient. However, I don't think it tops a pair of General Electric CF-34's [:)][eek] [:)]

I love it, my car gets a wild hair in it sometimes and just pulls and pulls...next day start up runs a bit rougher and seems to be just slow...i call it "personality"

I totally agree with all, today it was pulling better then ever before, a nice dry moderate day, then later on in the evening, the water in the air started to condense and my car was dogging. Its different every day. Same with my sticking throttle. Sometimes i have to tap it to get it to move at first, other days it is smooth as butter from the start. I wish my car always ran like it did this afternoon!!

your all strange, the svt isn't fast ever.

Yeah its weird mine runs totally different everyday, it seems like some days its just the best with full power, and other days it just bogs out.

Originally posted by bryanjw82
your all strange, the svt isn't fast ever.

HUH?!?!?!?!?!

Okay, well, relatively speaking, I guess you could say that the SVTF isn't a fast car. But fast is a relative term. In your book, fast might be a 0-60 of 4 sec., which is indeed fast. Yet compared to most cars, the SVTF is fast. None of my friends own cars that are faster than mine. I AM bitter that my mom's car is faster tho... [mad]

Originally posted by svt4chris
Yet compared to most cars, the SVTF is fast.

No, it really isn't. It's a "quick" car but it is not fast. There are many SUV's and trucks coming out now (and some that have already been out) which meet or beat our cars in acceleration. As an example, the new Nissan Frontier when equipped with the V6, accelerates to 60 in the 7 second range. So even trucks, which traditionally have been looked at as "slow" are now as fast or faster (in some cases, MUCH faster) than our car. There are TONS of cars that are faster than an SVT Focus. Cars you wouldn't even expect. A Honda Accord V6 Hybrid is faster than our car. A 2006 Hyundai Sonata with V6 will pull the same 0-60 time as our car. The base model V6 2005 Mustang is as fast or faster than our car. I could go on with a mile long list, but the point is, compared to most cars, the SVT only runs "mid-pack" - it's not overly slow (it does hit 60 in less than 10 seconds which is the traditional dividing line between "quick" and "not-so-quick") but it's not fast at all, when cars that cost only $30,000 or less are hitting 60 in the 4 second range these days.

Every car or truck that you comapre our cars to is a V6 or greater. Just remember keep it to what is in our class and we can consider our cars fast. We're nott straight line guys. Can be, but it will take some cash!! Just remember, every car you named WILL NEVER be able to out handle my car in the twisties!!!!!!

Okay... how about, SRT-4. Cobalt SS. Mitsubishi EVO. Subaru WRX/WRX STi. Honda S2000. Now what's the excuse, all of those except the S2000 have forced induction? Who cares what it has under the hood. Do four cylinder cars only drive around other four cylinder cars on the street? He said the SVT Focus was fast "compared to most cars." Sorry but the hard truth is compared to most cars, our car is NOT fast.

meh....I wanted a focus.

I wanted the handling, maneuverability, and good mileage.

I test drove an 04 2.3L zx3.....it was alright. I was coming from a V6 vehicle (the 2.5L Duratec) and the 2.3 in the zx3 wasn't too bad of a drop in power.

Then I test drove the SVT. Decision made.

So, I consider my car's peer group to be civics, cavaliers, corollas, neons, (other foci) etc...and I have a great deal of satisfaction that I got the best car out of the bunch (imo).

I drive my car hard....I still get 22-25mpg city and over 30mpg pure highway. Add to that great handling, a nice appearance package (both inside and out), and the fact that I got it for under $16K and I'm more than satisfied.

So, I think I have a fast car, relatively speaking. It's certainly faster than what people expect it to be....I know you all have gotten the surprised expression from either the person in the lane beside you when you take off, or the passenger iin the seat next to you.

I love my car!

Its a QUICK car, not FAST. The difference in my book is that it can get from point A to point B much quicker than many more expensive cars (if it happens to be twisty between A and B). FAST is how fast can it accelerate in a strait line...if we are talking fast, our car really isnt...my moms Durango is faster for petes sake!

Originally posted by revamp
I know you all have gotten the surprised expression from either the person in the lane beside you when you take off...

Actually I'm usually the one with the surprised expression; I don't know about you, but around here everyone drives like a bat out of hell as soon as the light turns green - and there are PLENTY of cars that can take the SVT Focus from a green light. I routinely get wasted by family sedans and SUV's because they have better off the line ability. Getting on the freeway the other day on a two-lane onramp that merged into one, I raced it out with a Jeep Liberty V6, I mean a JEEP for crap's sake, and it was much closer than I would have liked - I had to wring the most I could out of the Focus just to get adequately far enough ahead of him to safely pull in front of him into that lane.

then again, you don't have a tune....

[nudge, nudge]

[;)]

Originally posted by DilSVT
Every car or truck that you comapre our cars to is a V6 or greater. Just remember keep it to what is in our class and we can consider our cars fast. We're nott straight line guys. Can be, but it will take some cash!! Just remember, every car you named WILL NEVER be able to out handle my car in the twisties!!!!!!

sooooo true !! I have not driven an entry level car that handled better than my focus !!