Ford Focus LX (2.0 LTR Split Port)

[DoriMakoto76]

Hey...I am new to the whole Ford scene. I am buying a 2000 Ford Focus LX...it has the 2.0 LTR Split Port Motor. I am wondering what I can do with it. I want to do the standard intake and exhaust upgrades. I also want to do some interior and extertior upgrades as well. For the interior I want to change the gauge cluster to something a little more indiglow (sp?) and eventually upgrade the tunes.

Where car I go to get a better gauge cluster that is compatable with the one that I have now? I have found 2 but they dont look the same as the stock one, meaning there are a few more guages than what I currently have.

As for the exterior upgrades I want to change the headlights to projection. I found a couple options but I am guess this forum may be able to help me out with saving a bit of cash for more important upgrades like suspension.

What I am looking to do with this car is turn it into a track car. Not for quarter mile or anything, mainly for slolumn (sp?) track. I want to upgrade the suspension, lower it about an inch and a half. Maybe roll on 16's or 17's, with sticky low profile tires.

I know, from what I have heard anyways, that this car is not all about racing the quarter mile unless one is to drop a Cosworth in it. It is the 4-door sedan. nothing spectacular, but I know they car look good when they are done right. I have seen sevaral cars like this on the road that look very clean.

I want to understand more about the "Split Port" motor. I came from a long line of Import racers. I have had a 1988 Toyota Corolla GTS The 4-AGE was an amazing motor, that car was the absolute bomb. I have also had a 1989 Honda CRX (ported and polished D-15 Y7 JDM) that car got me in a lot of trouble, so I know my stuff to a point. I do 90% of my own work on my cars.

I am from San Diego, CA. I am looking to find some Focus Groups here locally who are willing to help me out with info and maybe parts. I am on a buget. Please feel free to email me if you are from San Diego, CA. If you have info or want to send me web pages of modified versions of my car.

Thank you

Michael
San Diego, CA
dorimakoto@yahoo.com

[Dev]

Welcome to the Jet! Everything that you need will be found in the following forum. If you have a question that you can't find the answer for in there then make a thread and I am sure that someone will chime in and help you.

http://forums.focaljet.com/spi-tuning/

[GapBoyPCS]

And, we also have some racing-specific sections of the forum (from NASA to Auto-X). I'm sure there are a lot of track-lovin' folks out there, especially in your area. See http://forums.focaljet.com/ford-focus-motorsport/ for details.

Ask a lot of questions, no matter how simple or complex.

Welcome to Focaljet.

[OmniFocus]

Welcome to the Jet!

Right up front, I'd like to ask you if you've already purchased the car?

If so, you might consider one of the alternate engine choices available, either a Zetec from 2000-2004 or a Duratec from 2003 to present.

The SPI, while perfectly solid, has very few aftermarket parts available and isn't so much the best choice for an entertaining on-track performance.

If you do choose that route, expect to do a lot of home-brew engineering to extract good power.

Either way, the chassis is where the magic of the Focus happens, so if you do end up with an SPI... no sweat, just concentrate on making it handle and you'll have plenty of fun.

[Zoomer69]

To add to OmniFocus's comments, stepping up to a Zetec-equipped Focus not only buys more power, you get the better gauge cluster, a front swaybar, a better interior, 15" aluminum rims (16" on some models), and so on.

The LX requires a LOT of upgrading to get it to where you want it performance-wise, upgrading that may well be more expensive than starting with a higher trim level in the first place.

For example, inquire in the Suspension forum about the horrid cluster**** that is installing a front swaybar on the Focus. About the only way it's easy to do that swap is if you take the engine out first.

Swapping the gauge cluster is pricey - you have to take it to a Ford dealer to reprogram it for your car to the tune of about $200.

The Zetec engine is your standard 16-valve twin-cam 4-cylinder motor. The SPI is a single-cam 8-valve motor of the same size, and an older design. It's rougher, it's much less responsive, and it's 20hp down on the Zetec. Anyone coming from hotted-up Hondas and Toyotas is going to HATE living with the SPI engine.

Worse, by the time you drop enough coin on the SPI to actually perform like a Zetec, you could've bought the Zetec, then uncorked it with intake and exhaust.

Yes, you're not buying this car for straight-line performance. But the Zetec is much, MUCH more fun to drive than the SPI, and that IS the point of this build, right?

I'd think long and hard about moving up to a better trim level, one that has the Zetec engine. ZTS sedans, some SE sedans, and the ZX3/ZX5 hatches have the Zetec, the front swaybar, the full gauge cluster, and the bigger wheels.

The only reason I'd pick up the LX is if I cared nothing about performance and if it was the only Focus in my price range.

[ladybug04]

i dunno abou the whole zetec is a better engine standpoint, if youre going for n/a power. yes it is a worse engine because of the few aftermarket parts, and turbo isnt a walk in the park either, however, interior, and suspension is fine, the front sway bar aint a big deal, just means you cant go really huge out back.

i have a fun car to drive, and so far all thats done to it is intake(AEM for the zetec) and "modded" the exhaust

and i have suspension, and a guauge cluster with a factory tach.

oh and some good tires definitely helped.

ill bet you i could hang with a zetec with the same mods, maybe minus the intake/ exhaust. but you get the idea. it is a really fun car to drive, and it has plenty of responsiveness and pep for me. so if you already bought it, dont let the zetec monkeys talk ya down, its just the underdog, not the crapheap.

bryan

[Zoomer69]

ladybug04, did you get a SE sedan? The LX sedan starts off minus a bunch of equpment the SE came with, whether or not the SE came with SPI or Zetec.

I mean, you CAN start with an LX - but if you have the choice, why would you?

[ladybug04]

LX, base of the base, manual everything! only options were abs and a/c, and the a/c was riped off because of an accident

bryan

and btw, i had a choice of a zx3 w/ a zetec, or this car.