Duratec vs zetec

opus1 · 03-05-2006, 05:47 PM

Is the only advantage of the Duratec over the Zetec mostly displacement? Or are there more advances in design that the Zetec could never meet? Which leads to the question of: If I were to get a stroker kit, P&P heads & cams, would it be a better choice than to sell my Zetec & purchasing a later model Duratec (I live in CA, so I can pick up a 2003 Duratec used, the difference with selling my 2001 Zetec & buying A 2003 Duratec would be around $4000...And would $4000 of upgrades to my Zetec be a better choice, given that the Duratec is a better future option. And another consideration is: The competition from foreign car manufacturers will probably cause Ford to come up with another generation motor within whatever time frame.

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fokuzx3 · 03-05-2006, 05:52 PM

dont bank on ford doing anything for the focus..not saying they wont, but probably not..with 4k you could get a nice stg 1 turbo installed on your zetec..but like most will say, the zetec is the past, duratecs have much more potential and outa the box performance..i never really felt connected with the duratec steering and driveability like i do on my zetec but many will disagree...im not putting another cent in my zetec.

03FOCUZ · 03-05-2006, 05:54 PM

with that 4000 u could get a nice turbo and have enouph for suspension.and u could rape a duratec with that.just stick with the zetez since u already have it and tune it.

EricR · 03-05-2006, 07:58 PM

A turbo Focus is a great thing regardless of which motor it has in it!

Take into consideration how many miles are on your current car. Don't think I would put a turbo on a high mileage car.

Also think about when you'll need to go thru the CA emissions test with the 2001. I would hate to have to un-turbo then re-turbo my car in order to pass the e-test.

opus1 · 03-05-2006, 09:39 PM

Fortunately I live in a county in CA that does not require smog inspection until I decide to sell the car & I can get around that by putting it on ebay & sell it to an out of state buyer or change it back to stock.
I probably would do a bore & stroke to 2.4L. thru Marcy, who’s in Ca also before going FI.

EricR · 03-05-2006, 11:43 PM

A Marcy block with a turbo would be a great, great thing regardless of which motor it has in it!

But oh, wouldn't I love to do that to my Duratec!!!! (I know, I know, that's not helping much).

***viney266*** · 03-06-2006, 12:14 AM

Going turbo would give better yields I think. The Duratec head flows much better than the zetec, but I would work with what you have in the car already.

EricR · 03-06-2006, 01:10 AM

Maybe this thread will help you make up your mind on what to do.

Linky

old_grendel · 03-06-2006, 06:43 AM

i would say just stay w the zetec...use the 4k to stroke it or turbo it..either way youd end up w better performance than a duratec outta the box...even the st...add some other mods to that like intake and exhaust and youd run circles around the stock or even lightly modified duratecs...plus, as of right now, there is a larger market for the zetec...as opposed to the duratec where say u buy a cai, 6 months later a new company brings out a better one and because ur always in search of the best, u now have to re-upgrade...therefore costing more money in the long run...