17 with a foci 1.6 wanting to do suttle performance upgrades

[T113 HRA]

Hi
im new here and i have a 99 focus 1.6 3 door in black

love the car and want to do some performance upgrades but not sure where to start.

i obv cant go out n put a turbo on it because if i was caught with that my insurance would be insane

any tips on how i cn get as much performance out of my car with less obvious mods?

[GapBoyPCS]

Welcome to FocalJet.

With a 1.6L, I'm honestly not sure what you can do because folks here in North America never got that engine. That being said, it really depends on how much money you want to spend and what kind of performance you want. People go subtle with either a high-flow intake filter or cold air intake system. Others go further with a reprogrammed computer.

[hotmilk400]

no matter what you do to that car profromace wise, it will never be enough to make a huge difference. your motor is pertty small, and you could spend alot before you saw a huge difference. it would be cheaper in the long run to buy a car with a better motor then that before you unload alot of money into the car you have. north america has 2.0L motors, which are pretty slow (sorry, i just bought a 2.0l focus, and, i am keeping my BMW 1,9L and selling the focus.. haha) but the 2.0L is atleast big enough to benifit from a turbo, but the 1.6 with a turbo is probally only as fast as the 2.0L .. and that would cost like $3000+ , where a 2.0L focus cost like $3,000 .. and a SVT with a turbo is like $5000 ...



just saying, but also, there are a ton of cheaper mods here that might boast HP alittle here and there.. but any mod that will boast the power in the motor will cost you alot, so be prepared to spend hundreds.. there are no cheap mods.. if you want faster, go with a bigger motor.

hope that helps, i dont want to hurt feelings, just want you to save your money alittle.

[T113 HRA]

thanks didnt think there would be a cheap option
my insurance is already £2000 a year without a bigger engine haha
will just have to go with a nice intake system and settle for a ncie sound

[lightning2nd]

welcome

[Lancer211]

Originally Posted by T113 HRA

thanks didnt think there would be a cheap option
my insurance is already £2000 a year without a bigger engine haha
will just have to go with a nice intake system and settle for a ncie sound

2000 pounds a year!!?? For a 10-year old Small Family Car??

That's gotta be one Helluvan insurance policy.

[deltafocus]

Originally Posted by Lancer211

2000 pounds a year!!?? For a 10-year old Small Family Car??

That's gotta be one Helluvan insurance policy.

wow that is steep, might have to do with the driver's age? (and the focus isn't "small" across the pond lol but its tiny to me) I bought my car when I was 18, a couple months after I got my license, insurance was just north of $2700 for the year (I paid upfront) Of course that was brand new, with a loan...

2000 Euros i guess wouldn't be bad, we have to take into account our dollar has gone down, instead of the euro going up... so i guess if we think of it as $2000 instead of $3000 its not as bad hmm... maybe... still seems high to us


anyway... welcome, if you can find an affordable intake and exhaust, you will be happy with the sound (that's enough for most of us when we're youngens ) I say keep this car, and use it to learn how to do basic maintenance, and step it up with a few in-depth upgrades when you get a little cash. Keep it relative, and only go for what "makes sense" at the time, with regards to affordability ($$ to power ratio). When you are in position to buy a car with a bigger engine, then go for it, you'll have a little experience to help you tinker with that car!

I plan on keeping my car just to "play with" That is, whenever that cash rolls my way Oh well, I've learned a lot from my car.

Oh, and if you get the Chilton or Haynes manuals over there, pick one up Lots of good info in there

[BlkThunder]

The only thing worth doing with a powerplant that small is reducing the drag that it already has. Get some light weight 15's with sticky tires first. Then the usual Udp, cai, header and full exhaust and tune. i wouldnt think about going too much further than that.

[Lancer211]

Originally Posted by deltafocus

wow that is steep, might have to do with the driver's age? (and the focus isn't "small" across the pond lol but its tiny to me) I bought my car when I was 18, a couple months after I got my license, insurance was just north of $2700 for the year (I paid upfront) Of course that was brand new, with a loan...

2000 Euros i guess wouldn't be bad, we have to take into account our dollar has gone down, instead of the euro going up... so i guess if we think of it as $2000 instead of $3000 its not as bad hmm... maybe... still seems high to us


anyway... welcome, if you can find an affordable intake and exhaust, you will be happy with the sound (that's enough for most of us when we're youngens ) I say keep this car, and use it to learn how to do basic maintenance, and step it up with a few in-depth upgrades when you get a little cash. Keep it relative, and only go for what "makes sense" at the time, with regards to affordability ($$ to power ratio). When you are in position to buy a car with a bigger engine, then go for it, you'll have a little experience to help you tinker with that car!

I plan on keeping my car just to "play with" That is, whenever that cash rolls my way Oh well, I've learned a lot from my car.

Oh, and if you get the Chilton or Haynes manuals over there, pick one up Lots of good info in there

The Focus is classified as a "Small Family Car" across the pond. I'm not knocking it.

Also, he didn't say 2000 Euros. He said 2000 pounds. That's closer to $3750/year.

Heck, I could buy a used early model Focus every year for that kinda money.

[tysmagic]

That seems pricey, I'm 18 w/ full coverage on an 09 coupe and it's not that much per year.

Anyway, intake and exhaust would be a fairly affordable option. I also agree with the sticky tires and lightweight wheels. I did that on my Audi (just lighter weight factory wheels and a summer tire) I was extremely happy with that upgrade. I'm looking to do the same to the focus soon.

[Lancer211]

I feel like an underdrive pulley is a must on his 1.6L.

How well would forced induction work on such a small engine? Might be like an Ecoboost.

[datalaforge]

Personally I like light engines. I have had 2 cars with 1.6 liter engines. Both great.