One simple Google search later:

http://www.ford.com/cars/focus/?searchid=59173709|2241205109|11341460

 

First off The 18 wheels ONLY come with the 'handling package' if you are buying a Titanium.
NO other levels get 18" wheels. no matter what you try to order.
Titanium exclusive for now.
In fact you cannot even get alloy wheels on an "S" model. nor a hatchback either.
It sucks that bad.

Minimum to get the sports package is an SE with a manual tranny.
Then you add in rear disk brakes which is the biggest item in the sport package.
Leather wrapped steering wheel, and sport seats.. (maybe alloy "A" arms)
Also some colors cannot be combined with the sports package, and some colors ONLY come with it SE in Yellow must have sports package.

IF you get the sports package, you get better wheels, and can go up to 17" alloy wheels.

Originally some sort of different springs or shocks was thought to be part of the handling package.
Now it is STILL up in the air as to what is different if anything for the shocks and springs.
There are supposed to be three levels of suspension.
Base
touring
sport
But so far only ideas about which is which, except the Titanium with 18" wheels definitely gets it's own suspention parts

 

First off The 18 wheels ONLY come with the 'handling package' if you are buying a Titanium.
NO other levels get 18" wheels. no matter what you try to order.
Titanium exclusive for now.
In fact you cannot even get alloy wheels on an "S" model. nor a hatchback either.
It sucks that bad.

Minimum to get the sports package is an SE with a manual tranny.
Then you add in rear disk brakes which is the biggest item in the sport package.

"It sucks that bad"???

Folks are so convinced that disk brakes behind and alloy wheels make for a sporty-driving car. I don't agree.

Take an S model car, wait 'till Koni makes rebound-damping adjustable (yellow) sport struts....

Also, use Eibach first- or second tier sport springs.

Also, buy OEM Ford steel 16" wheels (I believe they are available in 6.5" width) -- and fit sticky, summer tires, say 205 section width, or even 195 section width. Or use Ford 15 X 6.5 steels -- though performance rubber is hard to find for 15's.

Finally, go with a heavier rear sway bar, possibly with screw-adjustable end-links...

This will drive pretty darned sporty, in my view.

You save $, and put it into items with "GO", and not so much "SHOW". Plus, in buying the four door sedan, with the cop-car plain wheels, you do not attract attention -- especially from vandals.

The car is definitely a loss-leader. You get 90% of the Engineering for the car, for 65% of the cost. Good value!

On the other hand, the S model is only available in a sedan. It does not have the sixty/forty split fold down rear seat (only the single-slab fold-down).

The S sedan cannot be ordered with Cruise Control option. (Aftermarket is available).

And finally, the S sedan, due to no steering wheel mounted controls and a very simplistic Message Centre, cannot have the traction control bypassed.

Incidentally, turning off the TCS is a royal pain, on the Titanium I rented. Must be, like, 20 seconds to do so! Come on now, it needs a dashboard button!!!

 

Well all se sports sit an inch higher so diff stiffer springs is likely.

 

You definitely want the SE manual with sport package! The S and base SE will have drum rears and no 18" wheels.

 

I have 5 spd. hatch with the Sport Package and ETIS lists the car as being equipped with touring suspension.

 

Having said all of the above, if you really want to set up the chassis of the car, to be more neutral (adding rear roll stiffness) - you really cannot, as the ESC system / electronic nanny will click-in. It (and its algorythm for control) ultimately calls the shots.

This is downright depressing, for until someone allows that system to be tuned, it is the final limiter

Oh, one more thing: do the sport seats, that come with the sport package (on SE and above cars) actually have any wider/deeper side-bolsters? Are they truly any more "sport" than the non-sport package SE, or the standard S seats?

 

Oh, one more thing: do the sport seats, that come with the sport package (on SE and above cars) actually have any wider/deeper side-bolsters? Are they truly any more "sport" than the non-sport package SE, or the standard S seats?

The SE sport seats are the same as the SEL and Ti seats except for the upholstery. Not sure about the SE and i have never seen an S.

 

SE sport package includes the following:

Rear discs
16x7 +50mm ET alloy wheels
'Touring' Suspension
Sport seats w/sport fabric and bigger bolsters
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
Piano black grilles and pillars
Metallic finish interior trim
Rear spoiler (std. on hatchback)

Sure, you can go out and add a set of 16x6.5 steelies with sticky rubber, a heavier rear sway, and a matched strut/spring combo, but it'll cost you a lot more than $695. You can't even buy a halfway decent set of wheels for $695, especially in this bolt pattern. You'll still be stuck with rear drums as well... and although rear drums may have done the job on my last car that weighed 2300 lbs, the Focus is no lightweight at nearly 3000 lbs. The rear discs are a worthy upgrade in my opinion.

Additionally, I hate hubcaps. They have the unparalleled ability to make any car look like an 80s crapbox. Particularly the ugly ones that come standard on the Focus.

Also, the sport seats are pretty nice, and do have bigger bolsters than the regular non-sport seats.

 

Thx for the good info.

My sense is that the factory 17 X 7 wheels would be the ticket --- and it is an upgrade available when you get the sport package. But note that it still is all-season rubber, albeit, maybe, "ultra-performance all season". I would also point out that the bright portions of the aluminum wheel are machined / clear-coated. They are not rough-cast and painted. They WILL corrode in a road-salt environment. They will have to be refinished, at (in Canada) $500 for four.

If I did go with the steelies, I would not consider hubcaps. Just satin black wheels, lugnuts, visible portions of the hubs. All black.

Also, if the rims were only 6.5" wide, I'd probably try to get 195 section tires (summers) and stretch 'em a bit. I think 195's will fit on up to 7" wide (that is to say, what the MFRS say, not what the hella-flush folks do!) -- and so 195's on 6.5" wide is not that stretched.

Yes, 195's will give less ultimate traction -- but they say that a car driven to somewhat lower limits, is a lot more fun than a car that does not nearly approach the limits, driven at the same speed.

So you can see why I don't want an overzealous ESC system!

Oh, the last point: I would fit body-coloured domed fasteners in the holes related to the spoiler. I hate spoilers on sedans -- for me, they are a needless affectation! And for the Titanium sedan I rented (and it was rainy while I had it) -- in closing the trunk, almost every time, my hand slipped off the spoiler, or the spoiler flexed as I pushed down to close the trunk. For the Hatchback, the spoiler looks OK; I wouldn't care.

 

What's in it? A whoooole lot of fun and a smile on my face! [woot]

Posted via iPhone 4S

 

On the Ti Hatch, the 18" Michelin PS3's and the 18" wheels are worth the $695, but you also get the upgraded suspension components as well. Well worth it IMO.

 

You have to pay for the S -> SE upgrade and then pay for the Sport Package. Plus the hatchback comes at a premium over the sedan.