[wsdmskr825]

Loving my new Foci, but she could use a little more power. First three things I hear from everyone is Ram Air/ Cold Air Intake/ Exhaust. However, I'd prefer to keep the solid, refined feel of the car, as well as not sound like some 18 year old kid in a beat up Del Sol. What would be the best way to add some power without sounding like a chainsaw going down the road?

 

[drostedrummer89]

Short ram, larger throttle body, header with high flow cat, fswerks stealth exhaust, tune.

After you did all those mods, you could get into a set of stage 1 cams, but you have been pretty vague in your budget and end power goals. This setup should sound just barely louder than stock, but MUCH better sounding and a good amount faster. The reason civics sound like fart is because they have D16's with a header and a tiny fart can with no real mufflers. My car is louder than stock, but sounds good and not raspy. I have a header, no cat, and a resonator and muffler. (Zetec)

Matt
Posted via FF Mobile

 

[rambleon84]

Short ram, larger throttle body, header with high flow cat, fswerks stealth exhaust, tune.

After you did all those mods, you could get into a set of stage 1 cams, but you have been pretty vague in your budget and end power goals. This setup should sound just barely louder than stock, but MUCH better sounding and a good amount faster. The reason civics sound like fart is because they have D16's with a header and a tiny fart can with no real mufflers. My car is louder than stock, but sounds good and not raspy. I have a header, no cat, and a resonator and muffler. (Zetec)

Matt
Posted via FF Mobile

He has 2012, most of those parts aren't available yet for his car (which you probably cant see since you are on ffmobile)

 

[blaine142]

your best bet to make the car have more power would be to
invest in a cold air intake and a tune (if they make one for your car)

i would stay away from any headers if you dont want to sound like an 18year old period

 

[Slkfucusdvr]

Yeah, they all have good points. Anything more past a tune and a CAI your looking at some noise. Tune is your best bet. You can get em off CFM.com or FSwerks.com. Should be able to notice a difference to but dont plan on that much more power with those few mods. Good luck!!!

 

[BowerR64]

I'd prefer to keep the solid, refined feel of the car, as well as not sound like some 18 year old kid in a beat up Del Sol. What would be the best way to add some power without sounding like a chainsaw going down the road?

I tried to avoid that but without adding 4 more cylinders it just isnt going to happen.

You add a header to help it open up and it just takes that beat up del sol sound and makes it alot louder. You try and quiet it down and then your just going backwards choking it back up.

I put a $200. CAI on mine, a $420. tune, and a $500. header and 2.5" exhaust from the header back removing all the cats. I put in a ported (slightly larger TB) and i maybe bumped it up 10-15 hp IF that.

The only thing about going the non turbo way is you can piece it all together as your budget allows. With a turbo your talking $2-3K right from the getgo. but you get $2-3K of power out of it from the getgo as well.

I wish i could afford the turbo route but my car was bone stock when i got it and after dropping $7k on it i couldnt afford $3k on a turbo right away. I wanted wheels, tires, tint, seats, new headlights yada yada.

Doing it the way i did it i could still buy a few parts for the motor and a few for the engine each time. Ive had it a year now and im pretty happy with where its at with power and the way it looks.

 

[felixthecat]

FWerk's turbo perhap's

Loving my new Foci, but she could use a little more power. First three things I hear from everyone is Ram Air/ Cold Air Intake/ Exhaust. However, I'd prefer to keep the solid, refined feel of the car, as well as not sound like some 18 year old kid in a beat up Del Sol. What would be the best way to add some power without sounding like a chainsaw going down the road?

You just wait till Fwerk's has a turbo set-up for the '12's

 

[wsdmskr825]

I appreciate everyone's advice. As with Bower, I'm gonna be doing this piecemeal as my budget allows. So slooowly. ;-) I'm not looking for crazy power. My goal would prob. be around 200hp, but I know that might be hard to achieve without a turbo. It is what it is I suppose. Thanks again.

 

[elsolo]

All the bolt on parts offer minimal power gains, and most do make the car louder.
You might want to consider if modding the focus for more power is really going to do what you want.

 

[BowerR64]

Anothe rthing about slowly upgrading is you dont notice a night and day difference. With a turbo you probbaly would. My first upgrade was the tune and i didnt feel much difference, then i added the CAI, then the rest of the exhaust so it was just small improvements an inch at a time.

If i were to some how try it before then with all the stuff ive put on i might feel some difference but for now i didnt notice much.

My last step was to add a mild cam. street cam i think but i havnt done it yet.

 

[VEGAS]

Your not going to get 200HP out of your car without going loud as every Bolt on will make it louder. Even a CAI.
trust me been down the road, the ONLY thing I suggest is a Tune right now..

And to get to 200hp you will need ALOT of work.. Cams, heads .. dunno if they are even available unless you just pop on a 50HP NOS wet kit..

Everything will make it louder, I do Highly suggest the Stealth Race Exaust but DO NOT suggest Headers... this Will make your vehical LOUD..

Get a Tune from Turbo Tom as he is the Only one I know of that will help your with Free Retunes later. and Price is same as everyone else.

http://www.fswerks.com/exhaust.htm they do cover your car...


It will make the car a Little louder, but a nice louder, nothing like a Fart Can..

I am 42 years old I can relate to the noise issue

I am Blessed with 2 cars one is near stock and other is every simple bolt on you can imagine with a 2.3L and I do not get 200HP Maybe I get 185ish

 

[felixthecat]

I have no issue's w/ the Fwerk's header= sounds similar to my stock ST exhaust too. I added a stealth muffler to my Borla exhaust system = 2 mufflers & 1 resanator.

 

[VEGAS]

2.0-liter cranks out 160 horsepower on the 2012 Stock, Each Bold on is between 2 hp and 7 hp

Tune might pull another 3 to 5 hp out of it. but thats a guess.. $410 or so..
Exaust 5 to 7 HP maybe..

You can see this will be a LONG road, Trouble is that engine has Very good high tech CAMs already and I am sure nothing is available yet aftermarket with how new it is...

Its how that engine got its 160 hp gains over the year before 134 hp

Tune will make it more agressive, you WILL feel the differ from stock and Exaust will give small gains but both are easy and cheap

 

[wsdmskr825]

Yeah, the more I research, the more I realize 200 will only happen with a turbo. Well, maybe 185hp and some suspension work will make me happy, though I will say, for stock, the Foci is buttoned down pretty well. From what I understand, Ford is only really changing the dampers on the ST, everything else is just "sport-tuning."

 

[wsdmskr825]

And I'd rather be quiet with 160-185hp, rather than having 200hp and sounding like a ricer.

 

[elsolo]

And I'd rather be quiet with 160-185hp, rather than having 200hp and sounding like a ricer.

Me too.
The added noise of aftermarket intake and exhaust is too much for the minimal HP gains they give.

 

[VEGAS]

the stealth exaust is not a Ricy sound, its a light rumble, its really nice, its a bit ricy when you add headers..

I Would not suggest the Race Exaust, it is loud, thats as long as it sounds like the 07 system and I am sure it does..

 

[Outlaw5.0]

Exhaust and cold air together is worth 10-15hp on the average at the flywheel.

 

[wsdmskr825]

Yeah, I found a video on Youtube showing the Stealth exhaust, not too bad, does give it a nice grumble. The Race is definitely too much.

 

[APMRDAL]

Like I have seen evey one has said someting abou
-intake
-exhaust/header
-tune

-turbo
-cams (like has been said it a 2012)

What I didn't see is
-lighter clutch and flywheel
-lighter rims and tire
-larger fule injectors (only problem I see is the new direct interesting system)
-casworth intake manifold
-valve springs to support higher rpm (with out matching cams almost not worth doing)

I mentioned the lighter stuff because you will feel it the most