/ modifying guide / Focus ST170 / How to modify: Focus ST170 The Focus is a great-handling car, and the ST170 had plenty of power. That doesn’t mean it can’t be made even better, though... Words: Neil Photos: Jon Hill When the Focus was first released, it won major acclaim from the public and media alike. But if you stomped into a Ford dealership with a handful of cash asking for a fast Focus to exploit that tidy chassis, you’d have been shown in the direction of a 2.0-litre Zetec. However, by the time the revamped Focus came on to the market, Ford had given the public what they wanted in the form of the ST170. The 170 came with a six-speed Durashift manual gearbox for making the most of the engine’s 170 bhp. This gave a 0-60 Engine swaps dash of 7.9 seconds and a top end of 134 mph. The ST170 also saw revisions to the handling to turn it into an even sharper car. The motoring press now felt the car’s chassis could easily handle more power. When put against the likes of Type-R Civics, many dismissed it as a case of ‘could do better’. This is where you come in. With some well thoughtout mods, you’ll be able to revamp and boost your ST170 into a subtle B-road killer or attention-grabbing show pony. So release the potential of the first fast Foci and get busy. Engine The Zetec that lies in the bay of the 170 is already a highly tuned unit. Compared to many other 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engines, it already has a good 30-40 bhp more, meaning there’s little room for improvement on a budget. Superchips has managed to release 12 bhp and 10 lb.ft by using its clever Bluefin applications. For just £299, it’s good value, too. Pound for lbf.ft, the best value mod has to be fitting an adjustable exhaust cam pulley and belt from Kent Cams. The kit is relatively easy to fit (see September 2005 issue), and if set up correctly on a rolling road should see around 10 bhp. Not bad for an investment of about £100. The usual exhaust and air filter route may see a few bhp released, but don’t expect miracles. The main reason for buying those would be for the sound, because the Ford stuff is already well up to the job. If you want to see some authentic gains from your exhaust system, you need to speak to Pumaspeed about its newly developed Milltek range specifically for the ST170. You’ll have xxxEnit nit wiscillaore tinis nullan venim do conse con everything you need – from decat and sport cats, to cat-back and flexi pipes. There might be the opportunity for a spot of porting and polishing, along with hotter cams, but only minimal gains will be seen for a large cash outlay. A bettervalue and sweet-sounding choice would be a set of throttle bodies. Couple this with some quality management, such as Omex, and you’ll have one very trick N/A engine. Consider a nitrous oxide kit for a cost-effective hike in power. If the laughing gas isn’t a permanent enough kick and throttle bodies aren’t your bag, then forced induction is the way forward. Supercharging is something that’s slowly catching on within the Focus fraternity, but do your research. Streetracers are importing a Vortex supercharger kit for the ST, and while it’s hard to give you an exact figure, expect the conversion to cost around £4500-£5000. It does sound a lot of money, but the blower will see a completely standard engine produce somewhere between 230240 bhp, so it’s not to be sniffed at. The Zetec is no stranger to turbocharging but because the engine’s a high-compression lump, it would be unwise to take the boost beyond 5 psi. You could go further but it would require low-comp pistons and possibly a rebore, and you’d be looking at £10,000. xxxEnit nit wiscillaore tinis nullan venim do conse con When it comes to engine swaps, it’s a bit of a no-brainer – it has to be the fantastic Focus RS lump. Packing a turbo and good power, you’re already on to a winner, not to mention the seemingly endless tuning potential. We already know of a couple of RS Foci pushing out over 400 bhp! For this conversion, you’ll ideally need a crashed/sourced RS Focus to have it side-byside with the ST170 for the switch. That way, all parts will be to hand and ready to swap over. If it’s something you don’t have the confidence to do yourself, then Pumaspeed will do the conversion for you. Bank on the labour alone coming to around £1500, though. Then you’ll need to add the cost of the parts on top. Call them for a full rundown if you’re serious about the swap. 0 1 2 4 january 2007 Fast Ford Fast Ford january 2007 0125 / modifying guide / Focus ST170 / Transmission Thankfully, the ST comes with a Getrag close-ratio six-speed gearbox, and it’s a tough old boot. So far, we’ve yet to hear any stories of shearing the teeth from gears or diffs exploding – neither have we heard any whispers of driveshafts breaking. So on that front it seems the factory has blessed you with a hardy tool to begin with. It’s a different story with the clutch, though. It tends to be a little weak when you put it under pressure. Your best bet is to get in touch with the likes of AP Racing or Helix and have a chat about fitting something more hardwearing. No doubt weaknesses will start to appear with the six-speeder once age and massive horsepower begin to take their toll, but we believe it’s going to be a good while before we see the need to fit RS boxes and differentials into the ST. Just enjoy what the good Ford gave you. For a slicker and quicker gearchange, a B&M quickshift may be a useful addition to the party. Halogen lights are a worthwhile mod to carry out Little touches go a long way EXTERIOR The ST is a nice-looking motor but it’s a bit plain for some. Great if you want the subtle approach, but it’s not really a head-turner. If stealth is your game then keep it simple and neat, with maybe some dark rear lights (personal touches are the key). If you want to turn heads then it depends on your taste. You could go RS-style and build a replica, but if you Neat styling tweaks set this 170 apart from the pack 0 1 2 6 january 2007 Fast Ford want something more original then you’re in luck because the UK and US have a huge styling scene for the Foci, ranging from loud and lairy to subtle. We recently saw an ST170 with smoothed bumpers and shaved door handles – it looked great and kept you guessing as to what had been done. If you want a bigger impact, look into kits such as the Atomic from Essex Racing. It costs £550, and with Morette headlights and a carbon bonnet, you’ll soon be snapping necks. / modifying guide / Focus ST170 / Interior As it’s one of the newer breed of Fords, the ST170’s been blessed with a snug and sporty interior already. The six-way adjustable seats are good lookers, and are capable of holding you in place on a gentle drive or on track. For upgrades, an RS Focus interior will fly in but they’re costly. Your best bet would be to get the half-leather ST seats retrimmed in full glorious cow skin for some extra luxury, or sell them to fund some lush Cobra Misano buckets. These are adjustable so you’ll still have access to the rear seats for practicality, while looking track-ready at the same time. For a few personal touches, look through the small ads for pedal sets, gearknobs and steering wheels. This will all add to the sporty feel of the hatchback. The ST170 interior is nice, but this is better WHEELS & TYRES Fitting 17s to a Focus is child’s play and will require no cutting or arch rolling. Your planned use of the car should play a huge factor in deciding which wheels to go for. If you’re building a looker then there’s a whole world of fancy wheels out there for you. Just remember the phrase ‘the lighter the better’. The Focus will take 18s without much hassle providing they’re the correct offset and the tyres are a sensible profile. If you’re looking to go larger still, 19s will go on. They do look fantastic but they won’t be the best for driveability if you’re considering track use. They may require a set of coil-overs to give you the option to set the hardness so rubbing isn’t an issue. The Focus is blessed with huge arches so go large Left. This is what a well-sorted ST looks like FRS seats aren’t cheap but they are damn good A spot of colour coding never hurts 0 1 2 8 january december2007 2006Fast FastFord Ford Fast Ford january 2007 0129 Good brakes from the factory but they can be improved Brakes Finally, a Ford that comes with good brakes from the factory. Packing 300 mm discs on the front and 280 mm items on the rear (compared with 258 mm and 253 mm on the standard Focus), and with the addition of four-channel ABS, traction control and the additional Electronic Stability Programme, it all makes for good stopping prowess. Owners of lesser Fords are already fitting ST brakes to their cars, so that’s an encouraging sign that they do the business. For further improvements, grab a set of braided lines to reduce brake-line distortion and a better feel through the pedal. Aftermarket brake pads are a sensible upgrade because they can better cope with higher temperatures, improve your stopping distance and be a little lighter on the corrosive brake dust. Then maybe a set of cross-drilled discs, such as Black Diamonds, would be useful in scrubbing off the speed. Stopping faster also requires more beefy callipers. Look into fitting a set of Brembos from a Focus RS for a cheaper upgrade. If you have track day aspirations or just want something that makes people’s jaws drop when they see you pull up, then get a set of four- or humungous six-pot callipers from the likes of AP Racing or Brembo. It’s not cheap to do the latter two but it’s undeniably the best way of bringing your car to a halt. Suspension The Focus has been blessed with great body control, fantastic grip and a nice compromise between good handling and a smooth ride. With the ST170, you get stiffer springs, new dampers and front control arms. The 21 mm anti-roll bars are stock Focus, but on the ST you have a new polyurethane rear drop link bush. With the dampers being so good, many owners just opt for some uprated springs. Larkspeed can provide you with some quality Eibach units for £147.50, giving you a 30 mm drop. It would be a nice improvement, not only for looks but because you’re lowering the centre of gravity, which will help you even more when you’re attacking the corners. With the stock stuff being so good, skip the normal suspension upgrades and plump for a Gaz coil-over kit. Gaz has a full range of suspension goodies and will tailormake them for your car and intended use. This is great if you fancy any track action because you can adjust them as you see fit. For added feedback and stiffness, fit a set of Powerflex poly bushes and front and rear strut braces. Handling is a Focus strong point but they can sit a tad high Fast FastFord Forddecember january 2007 2006 0131 / modifying guide / Focus ST170 / Mine all mine... Our mod guide model for this month belongs to Andrew Molloy. This isn’t the first Focus that Ford Sport member Andrew has owned. Before the ST he had a 2.0-litre ESP, but his Dad bought an ST and never got to grips with it. “He just didn’t really like it,” says Andrew with a laugh. “He felt it was too stiff and he wasn’t a fan of the gearbox, among other gripes. I just think he’s too old for it. It was always going to go for the right money if I bought it off him, so I had to get it.” Getting the ST at a low price meant there was more money left over for mods and he’s done a good job, finding a tidy balance between styling, ICE and performance. On the outside, neat styling touches such as the Xenon headlights make the ST different from the norm, while the graphics give a welcome impact to the looks. He hasn’t mucked about with the inside, either, and quickly sourced himself a totally complete interior from an RS. “It came from a scrapyard where someone had put an RS on its roof. I had absolutely everything from the interior and bolted it in. It wasn’t cheap but the prices from Ford itself are ridiculous so I think I got a bargain,” explains Andrew. Having a boot full of ICE is always going to take the edge off the acceleration. To combat this, Andrew’s Duratec runs a Focus Central 65 mm throttle body, K&N, Kent exhaust pulley, de-cat pipe and a Bluefin. With all these in place, he reckons on having close to 200 bhp to play with. For finishing touches he’s used the services of Lee at Fusion Fabrication to make him tons of shiny underbonnet detailing, and for maximum effect he has a Fusion cage bolted neatly into place. It’s all looking good for Andrew’s ST170, with a tour of the major shows last year already under its belt and no doubt more in the upcoming 2007 season. He did leave us saying that he’s already eyeing up a possible big brake package from the likes of Brembo and AP. We think it won’t be long before Andrew’s pampered ST is boasting some of the best brakes money can buy, in keeping with the rest of his car. Good work. SPECIALISTS Pumaspeed 01924 360260 www.pumaspeed.co.uk Streetracers 0116 2698885 www.streetracersgd.co.uk Cobra Seats 01952 684020 www.cobraseats.com Essex Racing 01268 775002 www.essexracing.com Gaz shocks 01268 724585 www.gaz-shocks.com Fusion Fabrication www.fusionfabrication.fsnet. co.uk TYPICAL PRICES Flexi pipe De-cat Lowering springs Brake discs Pads £100 £140 £115 £149 £46 Clubs Ford Focus Owners Club www.ffoc.co.uk ST Owners Club www.stownersclub.com Focus ST Owners Club www.focusstoc.com Andrew’s Focus is a winner with us 0 1 3 2 january 2007 Fast Ford