Focus Fanatics Forum banner

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.
 
See less See more
#30 ·
curious about the pedal stop. i want to make sure i understand what you are talking about. this was to stop you from pushing the clutch pedal all the way to the floor i assume?

thats pretty pricey for the clutch but considering how much everything else costs it really isnt that bad. any guess as to how many miles you will get out of it?

this is probably going to sound really dumb but im going to ask anyway since im a turbo noob. why is it that it seems like everyone that makes big numbers runs a garret turbo? what are the pros and cons of a garret vs turbonetics or comp? is it a price thing? performance? longevity?
 
#36 ·
Call Karl at massive he will give you the best price on the twin disk clutch.

Also Garrett 3076r for your goals is all you need, I loved my gt3582r tho :)
 
#32 ·
i think it is all about quality I will going to buy garret or turbonetics and also not to sure which one is better to get and for my foci 350-400 will be just fine
which garret is better to get at this range of HP and which turbonetics
I'm collecting parts right now and will start my own build pretty soon
I'm also turbo noob :D
 
#33 ·
Garrett's are proven performance, love my PTE 6262 but if I was to get other turbo I will look into a GTX 3082R or a 35.

About the clutch, if you are going over 590whp, about 450wtq, get the twin disk and a Quaife instead of the Torsen, if not CM Stg4 will handle great.
 
#41 ·
so comp is bad news. stay away, got it! [thumb]

about the torsen diff though. i didnt think anyone had ever managed to bust one? what is the tq that they are supposed to be able to handle?

i think ill be going with the twin disk since im shooting for 450 on pump gas and at some point ill probably get curious and see just for kicks what it will do on race gas even though i dont think that i will run it on race gas very often at all even at the track. i cant help but feel like 550-600+ whp is just going to blow the tires off at the track no matter what slicks you run. more likely than not the race gas tune will just be to make people shit themselves at the local dyno day events that all the local turbo civic and neon guys love so much.

and the dry sump is out since we have established that turning 9k rpms is just silly

the garrett turbos just keep looking better and better
 
#43 ·
damn i knew i should have gotten a quaife all those years ago. but noooo the only real difference between the torsen and the quaife at the time was that one had a warranty and the other didnt and since i didnt think i would ever really make big power then what's the point? i should have seen this coming lol

so you think a cm4 will be okay for 600whp range on a dyno?
 
#48 ·
I had a 6 puck and a 4 puck. The six puck was nice for daily not alot of shutter very easy to drive. four puck was also nice as a daily just a hair more aggressive but did shutter a fair amount. Problem with both is If you drag race your car alot and and run it on the weekends along with daily it thru out the week, they dont tend to hold up very well.
 
#49 ·
Yea I have the cm 6 puck on the SVT. It's held up over the years but it's slowly but surely goin out. It has about 15k on it, but has never seen race gas, or the strip either.
 
#50 ·
so longevity on these clutches arent the greatest i guess. am i just way out there in the clouds hoping to get 40k miles out of a clutch at 450whp?
 
#61 ·
To keep the head from lifting, even the little bit it does at high boost, and is minimal but there is. Some of us may have and pass by unawared of pressure in the water hoses and tank.
 
#62 ·
whoa whoa hold on a minute. you mean to tell me that on high boost there is actually enough pressure there to lift the head off the block allowing compression/boosted air into the water lines?
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top