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so im shooting for 450whp in the future... how to get there?

14K views 102 replies 12 participants last post by  ZXthrizzle05 
#1 · (Edited)
well im starting to shop around for what i need for 450whp. i was asking a question over in a Massive thread
here ---v--- about a clutch

http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=281747

and it got me thinking. tons of people have hit this power mark in the past. ive looked into it in the past kind of half hearted like but never really retained any of the information because i never really thought i would do it. well now its starting to look like i am going to do it so its information gathering time. i have a good idea of what i will need but im sure there are things im overlooking which is where you guys come in. those of you who have done it before and have suffered through the heartache and all the hours of busted knuckles and bruised heads can help me now just cut through all the bull and go strait for the prize instead of figuring it out on my own along the way spending thousands of dollars and hours that i dont have to and that i frankly dont have to start with.

the plan for getting there is simple. i have the basic focus power turbo kit with the turbonetics super60. in a few weeks im going to put this on my car with the stock motor and run it at 10-12psi for a few months or maybe even a year or so. it just depends how long it takes me to get the motor built. over that period of time i am going to acquire a junk yard zetec. i can get one for about $150. i bring it home and put it on an engine stand and build the crap out of it. once everything is done i will take a few days doing the engine swap. pull the stock motor out, swap some little things from the stock motor to the built motor like A/C, P/S, and any other miscellaneous bits and pieces. wire in the boost a pump, bolt up the exact same turbo kit and crank the boost up to as much as the turbo can make without making too much heat. i figure that will put it around the 330whp mark maybe. at the same time as the engine swap i will pull the fidanza flywheel off the stock engine and put it on the built one and pair it with whatever clutch i choose that will fit the bill for my FINAL HP goal. this will be the last time the motor or tranny gets pulled unless i break something so i want to get the right clutch in the car the first time. i already have a torsen LSD in my tranny. i will then drive the car in that configuration for a few weeks or maybe months until i am satisfied that the engine is solid at which point i will go down again to receive a return fuel system, bigger turbo, bigger intercooler, and much much more boost. at this point i hope to have attained my power goal.

this is what i have so far that im going to need... i think
donor engine on a stand. im just using block, crank, and accessories (A/C, power steering, etc) cook and clean the block, balance the crank to 9k rpm
all ARP that i can get
OEM main and rod bearings.
return fuel setup for big boost
focus power turbo kit
eagle rods
supertech 9:1 pistons
FRPP head
top speed intake manifold
aftermarket cams
crower springs and retainers
adjustable cam gears
dry sump oil system
and a clutch to take the juice

now we get into hypotheticals.
i plan on running the biggest down pipe that i can. 3.5 or 3inch i think is the biggest ill be able to pull off and keep my A/C. i will run it into an electric exhaust cutout that will pipe the exhaust out right in front of the passenger side front tire and when the cutout is closed it will pipe down to a 2.5 inch custom exhaust. im keeping the car quiet and low key unless i nail it and open the cut out at the flip of a switch. good or bad idea?

i need to track down a clutch to take that amount of juice. and 450whp is my goal on PUMP gas. who is to say that i dont decide to get a race gas tune? i might end up making well over 500whp. i have easy access to 110 octane. roushturboedzx3 seemed to really like the clutch in the massive speed thread that i linked to. any feedback on that clutch in this thread or the massive thread would be excellent.

cams. i would love to run different cams. i know the stock cams work fine with boost but good lord it will make me crazy just knowing all the work that has been done with the car but im still running stock camshafts! i think mcnews used to make some custom turbogrind cams but are they even still around or available? if not then what cams would work well with what im planning?

not going to lie, im a little concerned about running eagle rods with this much power. its just a feeling nagging me in the back of my mind but i cant shake the feeling that i read at some point in the past that eagle rods cant take but about 400whp. is that right or am i being paranoid?

what turbo and intercooler should i upgrade to once im to that point? i dont have a brand preference really but this wont be a track only car so an intercooler that you have to keep ice in wont fly. i still plan on driving this car. maybe not as a DAILY driver but at least on the weekends. right now im just running the standard focus power kit with an old turbonetics super60. is there anything else i would have to change with the kit once im to that point? i mean i think it would be NICE and maybe a bit more efficient to run larger piping but if enough boost gets forced in there i can still get the same power numbers with the smaller pipes. obviously ill need BOV and wastegate springs. but would i have to change the entire BOV and WG out or could i get away with just the springs?

i cant really think of anything else right now. if there is anything i missed then please by all means pipe in. i need information. i want to pick the cleanest, cheapest, and most efficient path to my goal but i cant do that if im blind and i am blind as a bat without information.

and by the way im updating this first post as plans and the shopping list change and mutate and adapt. this is going to happen one way or another. it just might not happen the way that i thought it would in the very beginning.
 
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#2 ·
ah yes and an oil pump! when i get it on a dyno its going to be twisting out until it quits making power. if it peaks at 8500 then thats where it peaks. that is why im going to get the crank balanced to 9k. and ill definitely need an oil pump to do that. and springs to keep the float at bay. what springs would work well for that rpm range with stock ish cams?
 
#4 ·
still trying to hammer it all out in my head. need to know what clutch, what cams, whether eagle rods can take the heat, what turbo and intercooler pair would get me there, where to get all of the miscellaneous parts from for the best deal and need to know if im forgetting about anything...

is there anybody currently selling a dry sump? i dont think CFM has that anymore...
i can get in touch with massive and ask about the clutch they sold roush
i can try to track down some of those mcnews cams unless someone knows of a better camshaft to run
and i havent even got the foggiest idea on what turbo or intercooler to run or where to get them. that will have to come entirely from you wonderful people because that is simply knowledge i do not posses.
 
#6 ·
pretty much aint gonna cut it though. i need the whole entire picture! i want to know for fact that i have at the very least a complete shopping list of all the bits and pieces i need to do this.

AHA! another thought just came to me! will 60lb injectors get me there? and just curious about e85? i know you burn alot more of it but it seems to be good for more power. alot of people are running that stuff nowadays. sooo why not try it in a focus? if i understand the concept of the stuff it would be like running 140 octane gasoline basically but i would have to have water hoses for fuel injectors and other than bigger injectors and tuning there are no other modifications that need to be made. maybe there are special spark plugs or something but otherwise nothing. any input on that anyone? the e85 thing is just for curiosity though. im not even sure as to where i can get it at around here. ive never actually looked
 
#8 ·
another thought. what gauges are good to have with a build of this magnitude? A/F, oil temp and pressure, boost, and what else? im tired, ive been up all night, what am i forgetting? i always end up forgetting something simple that is extremely important when i think about something this hard... what is it?!

so what will crower rods hold power wise and what will eagles hold power wise? what is the difference between the two besides the price? cheaper is better but i am a firm believer in overkill. if eagles are good for 500 and crowers are good for 1000 then ill spend extra on the crowers. even though the crank wouldnt hold that i would still like the peace of mind
 
#12 ·
e85 is junk , it has been tryed with a Focus with not to good results from what I understand , it would be nice if the people that try things would post when they fail for the next guy that talks about trying it

Eagle rods will be fine for your goal of 400

Stock cams will also do the job , you can add some aftermarket cams and spend the money but just adding 1-2 more psi boost will do the same thing if not more HP

Tom
 
#13 ·
ok so e85 is a no go. other questions now. how much power would 60lb injectors be good for? i only ask because thats what i already have. ill upgrade if i need to no biggie.

would it be okay to run 2.5 inch exhaust to keep the car stealthy and quiet for street DRIVING and have a 3in or 3.5in electric cutout right off the down pipe for when i want to smear something? i cannot possibly see any downside to this.

what turbo and intercooler would do best in this application to get me to 450?

when i go to BIG boost will i have to change out the blow off valve and waste gate to something else or can i just change the springs in them?

TOM!!! is there any place around the Charlotte area that you used to balance cranks? i dont know of anywhere right off hand that will do it but im sure you do.
 
#17 ·
so im getting a good idea of what turbo to be looking for. so now im down to:

what intercooler
what will 60lb injectors be good for since i already have them
will i need to completely change BOV and WG for big boost or can i get away with just changing the springs
are there any good places in the NC area that can balance a crank well
and are there any drawbacks to running 2.5in exhaust for driving with a 3in or 3.5in cutout for racing
 
#19 ·
lol cause i feel bad for you, 60lb injectors on gas with 40psi on the reg and a 1;1 rise rate. i made 500, that was back on the stock head and cam setup.
 
#24 ·
Surprised nobody has said this yet: every single question you have has been beaten to death about 100 times.

Anyway, wanting to spin to 8500 or 9k is just silly for the power you want. You clearly don't understand the relationship between HP, torque, and RPM. 450whp is pretty standard these days on this platform. You don't need a bunch of random parts to get there, just the basics. Some stg 2 Crower cams will help you stretch the torque out to get to 450 more easily.

Jim already said 60 lbs injectors are fine. Also, where'd you get the idea that Eagle rods are crap? As for intercooler, you could run the Top Speed kit...oh and by the way, you only listed their intake manifold, and you never picked out a turbo manifold, which is kinda sorta important...
 
#26 ·
sorry if im beating a dead horse with the questions. ive just never looked that hard into boosting the focus until recently so i have lots of questions and my search-fu isnt very strong.

if i dont have to spin alot of rpm to get the power then im happy. like i said, im a firm believer in overkill. i like to know that i can even if i dont have to.

also like i said earlier about the eagle rods. im not sure when, where, or how the idea got into my head but i just wanted to clear it up and be sure. i would prefer to only have to do this build once and i want to get it right the first time.

i already have a turbo kit and turbo manifold. the manifold will get me there just fine. and if jim told me 60lb injectors would do the tricks sometime previously then i must have just missed that comment. ive been looking at the intercoolers from top speed pretty hard the last week or so and ive gotta say they are looking like winners.

and since i clearly dont understand the relationship between HP, torque, and RPM please feel free to explain it to me. if i have any misunderstandings or am wrong about anything i will be happy to be corrected and pointed in the right direction. i like learning things any time i get the chance.
 
#25 ·
sweet. thanks for the info guys.

so now im down to what would be a good intercooler to run
tracking down a good place to balance the rotating assembly
and whether or not to run the same BOV and WG

i really would like to pick your brain roush. as far as the build goes im probably going to be going in much the same direction that you went in. maybe not quite as extreme in the end but in the neighborhood anyway. what clutch did you end up going with anyway? wasnt it the CM 5 twin disk? how much did it set you back and how did you like it while you drove with it? im guessing about 1200 or so and i bet that thing grabbed like a son-of-a-gun.
 
#28 ·
Jim's/my car lol ;) is running super tec pistons, and eagle rods. Stock valves, pnp head, comp stage 2 cams, and gt35r. The clutch is a CM fx600 725 series. Jim will also vouch for this, that clutch is probally one of the best mods to the car. It's very aggressive but still has a good amount of play, just fine for dd. They are usually 1500 but you can find deals on them. Good luck with your build.
 
#29 ·
sweet. thanks for the info guys.

so now im down to what would be a good intercooler to run
tracking down a good place to balance the rotating assembly
and whether or not to run the same BOV and WG

i really would like to pick your brain roush. as far as the build goes im probably going to be going in much the same direction that you went in. maybe not quite as extreme in the end but in the neighborhood anyway. what clutch did you end up going with anyway? wasnt it the CM 5 twin disk? how much did it set you back and how did you like it while you drove with it? im guessing about 1200 or so and i bet that thing grabbed like a son-of-a-gun.
Like chris said (quoted above) The clutchmasters twin disk is up there with the top mods ive done. The smaller disk allow for easy disengagement at high RPM, Chris will tell you i can shift it effortlessly at high rpm and it will allow you to shift much faster. its grabby but very manageable, since it uses two different clutch materials it allows it to slip as much as you would like. Actually after about 10 miles i was use to the clutch its not a huge difference then a single plate clutch. The biggest difference is i added a 3in (i think thats the size) pedal stop so you dont over extend the presure plate.
 
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