Places to Go

My third car was a Malibu blue 2001 Ford Focus ZX3, purchased from Signature Ford in Perry, MI. This Blue Oval Certified Ford dealer is a great place to buy and service a car, and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a good Ford dealer (which can be hard to find). This car, like my previous car, received great reviews, specifically for its superb handling, and amazing features for an inexpensive car (mine, which has most options, stickered at about $14,600). It's been on Car & Driver's "Ten Best" list for its first four (U.S.) model years (2000-2003). I got it with a 5-speed manual transmission, and the Power and Premium Groups.

The May 2001 issue of Car & Driver sums up my feelings for the car well. The car's handling is excellent. The ride is slightly softer than my 1997 Contour's was, but it handles as well, if not better. The shifter is wonderful, easily slipping into each gear. The seats are awesome, amazingly well designed, aggressive sport bucket seats that don't seem like they belong in a car starting at $12,615, and the same can be said of the thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel. It's light weight (about 2600 lbs.) and small size make the car fun and tossable (and a tight turning radius!). There's plenty of room in both the front and back seats, especially head room. It's shockingly quiet on the expressway (significantly less wind noise than my Contour had). The stereo is phenomenal. I truly can't believe how good it is for a factory system in an inexpensive car. It has an in-dash CD player with large, easily operated controls, and four, 6x8" speakers. It has good bass (I've vibrated the rear view mirror with some bass-heavy music), and good clarity in the mid- and high-frequencies. It even has a detachable faceplate (buttons 2 through 5). Finally, the car has Ford's passive anti-theft ignition system. There's a circuit inside the key that has an electronic code that the computer in the car must read or it will not allow the engine to be started, even with a hot-wire.

My biggest complaint about the car is the lack of rear disk brakes (it uses drums in the back). However, after driving the car, I have no complaints about the performance of the brakes, so maybe the setup isn't so bad, after all. Shortly after that is the center armrest. It's comfortable for expressway cruising, but it's extremely awkward for shifting. I have, for the most part, gotten used to it. I would also like the engine to be a bit more refined, and to have a timing chain instead of a belt that needs replacing every 120,000 miles (which is much better than the typical 60,000 miles on most timing belts).

It's hard to make a firm statement about the accelerations numbers for this car in stock form. They've varied widely from review to review. The May 2001 article in Car & Driver got a 0-60 MPH time of 8.7 seconds. However, in an earlier review of a ZTS sedan (I think), they got in the high 7 second range (I believe it was 7.8 s). This is more what you'd expect from a 2600 lb. car with 130 hp and 135 lb-ft. of torque, most of which is aimed at around-town driving (lower RPM). The peak horsepower comes at only 5300 RPM. Top speed is limited to 104 mph. The slow acceleration times are generally attributed to the tall gearing.

Check out the Ford Focus Enthusiast Site (FocalJet) at www.focaljet.com. This is a great site for forums and shopping for after market modifications.

CURRENT MODS, Short Version

• FocusSport front stress bar/strut tower brace, blue
• Ceramic coated FocusSport cat-back exhaust with "stealth" resonator
• Wiper stalk with variable intermittent speed (from Focus wagon)
• Momo Superturismo Alloy Pedal Set with blue inserts
• Enkei RS5 wheels in 17x7" size Brembo front brake rotors
• FocusSport flex pipe
• Focus Central 65 mm throttle body
• Jackson Racing supercharger
• Custom made 2.3" supercharger pulley for JRSC (stock is 3.0") and custom made 5.9" crank pulley (stock is 5.17") from Auto Specialties Performance
• AutoMeter 15 psi boost gauge mounted in AutoMeter A-pillar gauge pod
• Kurtz Kustomz Motorsports True-Rev Max Induction Kit, minus the intake tube (which I can't use with the JRSC)
• 180 degree thermostat (stock is 192 degrees)
• 42 lb. Ford Racing fuel injectors from Alternative Auto Performance
• Custom tuned/programmed AutoLogic performance chip from Alternative Automotive Performance
• Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tires mounted on my OEM 16" wheels (P205/50HR-16)
• FocusSport 4-2-1 straight pipe header.
• Raybestos PG Plus front rotors and Raybestos QuietStop pads, both of which came highly recommended by the guys at Sharps Supply on Saturday, February 29.
• Snow Performance Stage 2 water/methanol injection kit with optional injection pressure upgrade and solenoid (nozzle mounted in intake manifold), A-pillar dual gauge pod with supercharger boost gauge, injection pressure gauge, low tank LED, and pump active LED. Installed by Sharps Supply on Wednesday and Thursday, March 3 and 4, 2004. Re-tuning with Lidio at Alternative Auto Performance happened on March 24. Peak power is now 202 fwhp (with 500 RPM left to go before readline) and 194 lb-ft. of torque at the front wheels, or about 237 hp and 228 lb-ft. of torque at the crank. At redline, the car should be doing 240 hp at the crank.
• Ford Motorcraft platinum spark plugs at one heat level cooler (the coolest Ford makes for the Focus)
• Cervini's Mach 5 fiberglass hood
• Falken Azenis ST115 ultra-high performance summer-only tires
• Eibach Pro-System suspension kit
• Progress rear anti-roll bar
• Goodyear Gatorback Poly V-Belt accessories belt
• MotorcraftAZFS22C copper spark plugs at one heat level cooler than stock.

• I installed my Iceman Cool Air Intake on August 2, 2001. It's the new version with the second intake pipe that gets more cool air from just behind the driver's side headlight. Based on a dyno posted on FocalJet, the old, single intake Iceman adds 6 hp and 6 lb-ft of torque at the wheels (maybe 8 bhp and 8 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel). With the extra intake tube, it may get another 1 or 2 hp. The replacement tubing is shaped with smoother bends, and larger tubes. It makes use of the stock air box (to ensure cold air), but usually the kit is shipped with an aftermarket, high-performance, cotton filter. Mine had an AFE filter. The increase in performance is noticeable, especially at higher RPM. It's easier to spin the wheels in both first and second gear than before, as well. Later, most of the Iceman system was replaced with the KKM True-Rev system (see below). Only the intake tube from the front of the car to the bottom of the stock air box remains to help bring in cold air to the cone air filter. I later replaced most of this with a cone air filter, leaving the intake tube from the front bumper to bring cool air in (see below).
• I traded in the Superchip I had in my Contour for a DiabloSport from 2D's Performance. Danny there gave me a deal I couldn't pass up. He swapped my Contour Superchip for a DiabloSport programmed for my Focus for only $8.95 for return shipping and handling. Of course, you have to use premium gas, but when you do, you get in the ballpark of 10 hp and 10 lb-ft of torque at the wheels, increasing power above 5300 RPM (where the car normally peaks) the most. It also removes the speed governor and bumps the rev-limiter up to 7100 RPM. I had some serious problems getting it installed, but the final, successful install occurred in late October, 2001.
• I installed my new FocusSport front stress bar (in blue to match my blue theme in the engine compartment) on December 26, 2001. It made a slight improvement in steering response. There's now less lag between turning the wheel and changing direction, better on-center feel, and the car's handling seems a bit tighter in general. Definitely worth the $75 I paid (on special).
• I had Sharp's Supply/M-43 Auto Parts in Mulliken, MI, install my new FocusSport ceramic coated, aluminized cat-back exhaust on March 14, 2002. While the pipes are aluminized steel, the resonator and muffler are 100% stainless steel (still with the baked-on ceramic coating). The sound during around town driving and at idle is wonderful. It's a bit louder than I'd like inside the car at expressway speeds, but it's at these speeds where I noticed the biggest improvement in performance. It seems to have lost a little bit of very low end pull, but gained significantly at mid- and high-RPM. The exhaust tip is quite attractive, too!
• It looked like my DiabloSport Chip was causing engine stalling, so I sent it back to 2D's Performance to be swapped for a Superchip (yes, the kind I started with). I was told that they're having many failed DiabloSport chips returned to them. The Superchip slightly outperformed the DiabloSport in a recent quarter-mile test on both manual and automatic transmission Focuses, anyway. The Superchip was installed on June 12, 2002. Initially, the frequency of the stalls dropped dramatically with the Superchip, and after a couple of months, the stalling stopped altogether. I'm not sure what was causing them, but I'm glad they're gone. The Superchip was later sold and replaced with an AutoLogic chip (see below).
• My OEM Firestone Firehawk GTA-02 tires wore out at about 43,000 miles. I replaced them with the new Falken Ziex ZE-512. It's an all-season, ultra-high performance tire (V-rated, for 149 M.P.H., in the OEM size). Falken tires are very well respected at the Jet, and in the sport compact car crowd. I'm quite happy with mine so far. They perform superbly in both dry and wet conditions, even with heavy rain. They perform O.K. in snow, but not great compared to other high-performance all-season tires I've used on this car and my others.
• On November 24th, I replaced the stock wiper switch (with only single-speed intermittent wiper) with the one from the Focus wagon, which has 6 speeds to the intermittent wipers.
• On December 28, 2002, I installed my blue FocusSport spark plug wires. They look cool, might result in a slight improvement in gas mileage and power. They also allow the car's electrical system to more easily deliver a good spark to the cylinders.
• I completed the installation of my Momo Superturismo Alloy Pedal Set with blue inserts from FocusSport on January 10, 2003. I really like the way they look with the inserts that closely match the color of the car, and they're larger (especially the clutch and brake pedals) than the stock pedals, which is good for me with my size 13 shoes.
• My OEM cat died on January 24, 2003, leaving the cat clogged and my car slow, bogged down with dangerous back pressure. My Random Technology cat from McNews Automotive was installed on February 5. Someone else on the FocalJet dyno tested it with similar mods to what my car has and the result was the advertised increase of 8 hp and 8 lb-ft of torque at the wheels. I don't doubt this claim at all, as this is definitely the most noticeable mod I've done so far. Throttle response is improved and the car is so much quicker that saying the change is "noticeable" is a drastic understatement. It also made my car quite a bit louder, both in around town driving and on the expressway. This probably would have bothered me a long time ago, but I've given up on caring about the car being quiet--I just want it to be fast!
• With some of my tax return money I ordered Enkei RS5 wheels in 17x7" size from Todd at Discount Tire Direct. I got them with the same tires I have now but in P205/45-17 size. At that size, the Falken Ziex ZE-512's are Z-rated (over 150 mph). I received the wheels, tires, and Gorilla security lug nuts on February 4, 2003. They were installed on the car in April, 2003.
• My rotors warped again after just having them machined. So, on Monday, February 25th, I ordered Brembo rotors cryogenically frozen from Frozen Rotors. Freezing the rotors theoretically makes them less likely to warp, and Brembo rotors are high quality rotors to begin with. The rotors and the treatment for the Focus run about $100 per rotor. The rotors were installed on Monday, March 10, 2003. Update: the rotors warped after less than 4 months! Needless to say, I will not be buying these rotors again.
• I ordered the following items.
  • FocusSport flex pipe from McNews Automotive connecting the catalytic converter to the cat-back exhaust for $100. It has a 2 1/4" pipe with smoother bends than the OEM piece (which is 1 7/8").
  • FocusSport "stealth" resonator that replaces the resonator that came with my cat-back exhaust. It's much larger but doesn't restrict flow any more. I did this because the loudness of my new catalytic converter is getting to be a bit too much for me.
  • Focus Central 65 mm throttle body from McNews Automotive. This is supposed to be a good mod for a forced induction Focus.
  • Jackson Racing supercharger from McNews Automotive for $2600.
  • 2.6" steel pulley for the supercharger from ASP Racing for $85. The stock JR pulley is 3". I was hoping for 7 to 8 psi of boost at RPM cutoff (6750 RPM), but instead ended up with 6 psi there. So, I'm still working on the JRSC (see below).
  • I had Sharp's Supply/M-43 Auto Parts in Mulliken, MI do all of the physical installs. They do great work there for a reasonable price, and I highly recommend them to anyone in mid-Michigan looking for a shop to install parts (or just a good mechanic shop). Also, they can get, and fabricate, many parts in shop (they do performance, standard mechanic work, and are a parts store--very convenient!). For the custom tuning, 42 lb. fuel injectors install, and AutoLogic chip programming, I took the car to Lidio at Alternative Auto Performance in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. They're one of the most reputable Ford (especially Mustangs, but they've done a good number of Focuses as well) performance tuners in Michigan and have a ton of experience with supercharged Fords (Vortech and Eaton roots type blowers). The AutoLogic chip was custom programmed for my car on 93 octane gas. It bumps the speed governor up to 160 mph, disables the EGR system, turned the shift light into a real shift light, coming on at 5900 RPM, spins the fan faster and turns it on earlier, and of course modified the timing and air fuel ratio as determined by Lidio's tuning. The 65 mm throttle body make a HUGE difference in throttle response! Supposedly, this latest generation of Focus Central throttle body "fixes" the loose gas pedal feel, but mine feels pretty loose. I'm used to it now. FocalJet offered to swap me his 2.3" supercharger pulley for my 2.6". Also, I ordered a 5.9" aluminum crank pulley (stock is 5.17" steel). I'm hoping these two will jack the boost to between 8 and 10 psi. I definitely want 8 psi at no higher than 6500 RPM. To help make this safer for the engine, I'm going to have a 180 degree thermostat installed along with the new pulleys.
• Friday, April 11, 2003, I installed the S&B Powerstack cone air filter, part of the Kurtz Kustomz Performance True-Rev Max Induction Kit, minus the intake tube between the MAF and throttle body, because this won't work with the JRSC. This should be a freer-flowing intake for the supercharger, hopefully increasing boost and power somewhat. The sound of this intake and the supercharger is quite intoxicating!
• I swapped my 2.6" supercharger pulley for a 2.3" from a guy on the FocalJet, ordered a 5.9" crank pulley (stock is 5.17"), and ordered a cooler 180 degree thermostat (stock is 192 degrees). This was all installed by Sharp's Supply/M-43 Auto Parts on June 6, 2003. On June 11, 2003, Lidio at Alternative Auto Performance re-tuned the car, and we dyno tested it on a DynoJet dynamometer. Below is the dyno graph (click for a larger image). Note that the some of the ripples in the torque graph are due to the DynoJet's problems with reading the engine RPM. This is quite a bit less power than I was hoping for. I was expecting at least 200 whp. I have 172 whp (about 200 crank horsepower). However, unlike all other JRSC powered Focuses I've seen dynos for (or heard of), I'm making more torque than power. Usually, JRSC Focuses don't have much torque. I'm making huge boost for a JRSC, though, at a maximum of about 14 psi. The maximum torque at the wheels is 179 lb-ft., which works out to about 210 lb-ft. at the crank. The car now runs great, but the air entering the engine is too hot when I "get on it." Lidio recommends I get a good, more efficient (aluminum) radiator, maybe a hood with vents (or install vents in my current hood), and, to get more power, replace my stock header and Random Tech cat with a straight pipe ("race") header. Also note that Lidio always tunes for engine reliability and longevity, which accounts for some of the difference in horsepower compared to my expectations (based on what I've seen from some other modified JRSC equipped Focuses). In my case, the average air/fuel ratio is 11.5 to 12, and the average timing increase is 9 to 10 degrees. The timing is low. We would like to increase timing more, but when we did, we got detonation. I also need to take the car back at some point because it does not like to start in cold weather, and it does not run well until it warms up. It appears to be adding too much fuel under these circumstances.
• On October 25, 2003, I purchased Michelin Pilot Alpin winter tires mounted on my OEM 16" wheels (P205/50HR-16) from Discount Tire. These are an H-speed rated tire (130 mph). I'm anxious to see the difference good winter tires make. I've never used winter high performance tires before.
• I bought Denso Iridium spark plugs two heat levels cooler than OEM spark plugs from Sharps Supply. These plugs are highly recommended for high power/high boost Focuses. They should add a little power and improve gas mileage a little. In addition, it's recommended to run two heat levels cooler plugs when you have more than 10 psi boost, maximum, to help keep the engine running cooler. Because they're designed for high performance rather than long life (sharp firing point rounds off over time), Denso recommends replacing them every 30,000 miles. For me, this will be about every year, maybe slightly more often.
• I purchased and installed Sylvania SilverStar headlight bulbs on December 12, 2003. They are much whiter and supposedly produce a more useful, focused beam.
• My stock JRSC belt (Gates K060997) started slipping on hard acceleration, so on December 13, 2003, Sharps installed a Gates K060994, which appears to be perfect for my pulley setup.
• I purchased a 4-2-1 header from FocusSport. This header was designed for boosted Focuses and replaces the stock exhaust manifold and catalytic converter. It may not make quite as much power as their upcoming newly designed 4-1 header, but it was heavily discounted to sell fast, and has better ground clearance (and is gorgeous, and extremely well made). I'm hoping this will alone add at least 10whp. It was installed on Saturday, February 21, 2004. My initial impression of the noise is that the car is significantly louder under hard acceleration, but may actually be quieter cruising (less drone).
• I purchased Raybestos PG Plus rotors and Raybestos QuietStop pads, both of which came highly recommended by the guys at Sharps Supply. They were installed on Saturday, February 29.
• Water/methanol injection system:
  • A Snow Performance Stage 2 water/methanol injection system to cool the air intake charge of my supercharger but with a smaller 60 psi dual-pump (as recommended by Matt at Snow Performance) for $369. I am using a 50/50% mixture of water and methanol. This system includes a green "on" LED and a red low fluid level LED that are mounted in an A-pillar dual gauge pod. I am using the 0.8 mm nozzle (with 6 mm hose connection) from Aquamist so the nozzle could be installed in the existing hole in the JR intake manifold.
  • Along with this I got these Snow Performance extras: solenoid (required when mounting the nozzle after the blower, $40); and injection pressure upgrade ($30).
  • I got a dual A-pillar gauge pod to replace my single gauge pod, and a pressure gauge to monitor water/methanol pressure. The AutoMeter part number for a dual gauge pod is 10104 (about $28). The part number for the Traditional Chrome 150 psi oil pressure gauge (works with water, too) is 2423 (about $37). This is the same style as my existing boost pressure gauge. This gauge will allow me to make sure proper pressure is going through the line given the current amount of boost. If the boost goes way up, that indicates a clogged nozzle.
  • The car was returned to Alternative Auto Performance for retuning by Lidio on March 24, 2004. The first dyno run was performed with the old state of tuning. The changes from the last time were: different Dynojet, different day, boost cooler running, and FocusSport 4-2-1 header. The peak power was 182 whp and 176 lb-ft. of torque. That's an increase of 9 fwp and a decrease of 3 lb-ft. of torque. Later dyno tests showed that the header likely added 10 whp or so, and I may have actually lost a little from the boost cooler without tuning.
    The car was tuned for "safe" mode, so that if the boost cooler stops working or runs out of water/methanol, I can push the switch in to change to a mode with a richer air/fuel ratio and less timing advance. This is the dyno graph: The maximum power is 187 whp and torque is 178 lb-ft. The other program on the chip is for full boost cooler mode. The air-to-fuel ratio was leaned out a bit to between 12 and 12.5, and timing was advanced a little (3 degrees over safe mode across the entire RPM range, 16.5 degrees at wide-open throttle). Here is the dyno of that mode: The dips in the curves in low and mid RPM are a problem. Timing advance dropped out there on many runs (but not on others for some reason), causing a drop in power and torque. Lidio hopes to be able to fix this in the future when he gets the new chips and updated software resulting from the merger of AutoLogic and DiabloSport in a few months. The peak power is 202 whp and torque is 194 lb-ft. Assuming 15% drivetrain loss, this works out to 237 hp and 228 lb-ft. of torque at the crank. Very impressive numbers for a car that weighs no more than 2650 lbs., with the extra supercharger and boost cooler hardware!
• On April 14, 2004, I replaced my Denso iridium spark plugs (2 heat levels cooler than stock) with Motorcraft platinum plugs (AZFS22FE4) that are 1 heat level cooler. The plug gap on one of the Densos (cylinder 4) got closed somehow. I decided to stick with Motorcraft plugs. In the future, I may try the copper ones (AZFS22CF4), which are supposed to be good for a few more horsepower, but won't last as long as platinum (probably about 25,000 miles compared to 90,000 miles on the platinums). I also decreased the gap from the stock of 0.050" to 0.033". 0.032" to 0.035" is recommended for boosted Focuses (and other boosted cars, I think).
• On April 17, 2004, Sharp's Supply swapped my clogged 0.8 mm water/methanol nozzle with the 0.9 mm one I already had.
• On April 17, 2004, Sharp's Supply installed my warranty replacement for the resonator-back portion of my exhaust from FocusSport, which was rusting. The new one has a different muffler (it's really a second resonator), and their newer, much better, polished ceramic coating. It seems to be a little quieter, too.
• On May 10, my car was hit by a semi (along with three other cars). While at the body shop, I had them install a new Cervinis Mach 5 fiber glass hood with dual air intake vents. They're positioned perfectly for cooling the supercharger/intake manifold and air filter. It also relocates the windshield wiper fluid nozzles to under the hood, giving the hood a cleaner look.
• I replaced my Falken Ziex ZE-512 tires on my new 17" wheels with Falken Azenis ST115s in P215/40R-17. This summer-only tire has a great tread wear rating (better than my current all-season tires), and is supposed to be very quiet. They should handle better both in wet and dry than my previous all-season tires. I also only paid $96 each at Discount Tire.
• When I got my new tires, I ordered the optional wheel center cap for the Enkei RS5s with a blue stripe/ring. They cover the lug nuts and lug nut holes, and look good.
• I replaced my Gates accessories belt with a Goodyear Gatorback Poly V-Belt on July 14, 2004. These belts have the Goodyear "Helicog"(TM) design that has been proven (on FocalJet) to provide better grip and less slippage. The part number is 4060995.
• On April 23, 2004 I purchased the Eibach Pro-System from Sharps Supply for $450. It was installed by them on July 14, 2004. This kit drops the car 1.5", replacing all four springs, front struts, and rear shocks (and bump stops with new Ford OEM ones). It drastically improves handling, probably putting me around 0.95g of lateral acceleration. Along with this, I got rear camber bolts (to allow 1 degree of camber adjustment in the rear) from McNews Automotive (these will likely not need to be used for such a mild drop), and the rear shock mount shims from Lefebvre Performance Engineering.
• On April 27, 2004 I purchased the Progress rear anti-roll bar (Progress part number 62.0840) from NewEdge Performance. It was installed by Sharp's Supply (M-47 Supply) on July 14, 2004. It's 22mm (stock rear is 20mm, while the front is 21mm) with urethane bushings. This improves handling balance (slightly shifting it away from understeer) and reduces body roll without going to the extra cost of getting both front and rear bars (installation of the front anti-roll bar is very time consuming). This rear anti-roll bar was designed to be used with the stock ZX3 front anti-roll bar.
• On September 28, 2004, I installed Motorcraft AZFS22C copper spark plugs at one heat level cooler than stock. These plugs are supposed to offer the best performance, especially for FI Focuses, according to many people on the FocalJet. A couple of them even said they dyno-tested them and saw a 5 hp gain at the wheels.