focus ST225

[Tim Williams]

I would like to thank Adam Mirk Hamish and the team at volvo tuning for all the time and effort they put into doing a 260 bhp upgrade on a focus I brought in. The final figures were 246whp and 365 wheel torque , well up on what was expected.


Hamish was even polite when I brought it back a week later finaly running on shell optimax as he origanaly asked for.
The car is being used as a demonstrator at a local ford dealer and has had nothing but positive feed back from all the customers salesmen and mechanics who have had the pleasure of driving it .
As some of you will already know the focus has a 2.5 ltr light pressure turbo volvo engine which is enough to now see just shy of 160 in sixth .

Ps the only time the car is now on the forcourt is when it is needing yet another dose of its daily fix of optimax .

thanks again to all at volvo tuning and hope to be back soon for another to be done.

[After_Shock]

Interesting results! Can I ask why a ford dealer is running a modified car though?

[volvotuning]

Interesting results! Can I ask why a ford dealer is running a modified car though?

To sell cars!!!

Adam.

[After_Shock]

What along the lines of,'here mister customer drive this example, now this is a special example that you cant buy direct from us but we can sell you a slower one'! However if you want one like this you can have it for an extra £XXX but you wont have a warranty?

[volvotuning]

What along the lines of,'here mister customer drive this example, now this is a special example that you cant buy direct from us but we can sell you a slower one'! However if you want one like this you can have it for an extra £XXX but you wont have a warranty?

When a customer buys a car, they can do with it as they please! Someone may want to buy it for the sole purpose of tuning it.

Adam.

[After_Shock]

Very true but its very unlike a dealer to alter a cars spec to aftermarket specifications just to try and sell them, its really for the manager isnt it as he wanted a quicker one than the business manager!?

[volvotuning]

Could well be!!! lol :)

Adam.

[After_Shock]

Get to the truth eventually :remybussi

[Engineer]

Gonna be a lot of more p----d of Astra VXR's then?. Not only can't they put it down but now they have less BHP/Torque lol. Nice one guys. :wink:

[After_Shock]

Aslong as they dont come up against a re-mapped VXR, they go to 285bhp once mapped but cant remember the torque figure.

[Engineer]

Aslong as they dont come up against a re-mapped VXR, they go to 285bhp once mapped but cant remember the torque figure.
Fair comment, but the chassis is poo lol.

[After_Shock]

That is true! However once have grip may be quicker but then again probably wont have the same spread of torque.

[Engineer]

That is true! However once have grip may be quicker but then again probably wont have the same spread of torque.Let's beg to differ and enjoy our lush S70R's and T5 Convertible's lol.:wink:

[Phuturephantasy]

Courtenay Sport Astra VXR - 285 bhp and 305 lb ft (412 Nm)

However you do need to change the complete exhaust system and a few other minor mods - airbox etc to get these figures.

Oh and £1695

Or you can get a remap without the exhaust etc for £550 which'll give you 260-265 bhp (and a few more quid in your pocket for tyres - lol)

CLICKY (http://www.courtenaysport.co.uk/default.htm?page=118)

[Engineer]

Courtenay Sport Astra VXR - 285 bhp and 305 lb ft (412 Nm)

However you do need to change the complete exhaust system and a few other minor mods - airbox etc to get these figures.

Oh and £1695

Or you can get a remap without the exhaust etc for £550 which'll give you 260-265 bhp (and a few more quid in your pocket for tyres - lol)

CLICKY (http://www.courtenaysport.co.uk/default.htm?page=118)Still got a dodgy chassis when it comes to the curves lol.

[hamish]

LOL that Mirk the collie dog gets a thanks before Hamish http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/frech/a010.gif

Nat

[mikezero]

a wee bit waste of time and money really, by the time the fronts wheels have stopped spinning, and u have got some power to the tarmac, u would be over 70mph, and thinking about breaking the law! lol

[TangoDeltaSierra3]

I have copied the initial post and pasted it on the ST section on www.passionford.com (http://www.passionford.com).

Adam it may be worth you joining passionford as a trader, sell yer self mate.

[volvotuning]

Thanks for the link. I'll check it out!

Adam.

[Wobbly Dave]

I thought it was Merc (as in Mercedes?)

Was good to run into you Tim when you were there!

I see you singly failed to mention your own car?

[Tim Williams]

Sorry not been able to reply to any messages yet but you dont need to be anywhere near to 70 mph to feel to benefits Hamish has done.

Nat is this better now Hamish is the only one named , oh sorry nearly forgot with all this very cold weather do you want me to give you a spare kettle I have as yours seemed to take a couple of hours to boil even with constant encouragement from Hanish and myself .

Thanks Merc and Volvo tuning

[mikezero]

Sorry not been able to reply to any messages yet but you dont need to be anywhere near to 70 mph to feel to benefits Hamish has done.

my s60r lost its 4wd at present, just fwd, its 300 horses going via the fronts, and wot a complete waste of power, cant get any traction, until im above 60mph! lol, the torque steer is terrible as well!

[aeroresh]

You get used to it LOL!

[After_Shock]

Point being is they only wheelspin if you do a clarkson and just floor it for the sake of it, if driven properly they dont really spin in 2nd or any gear after that, however thats in the dry, in the wet its a bit of a problem.

[Redbrick]

my s60r lost its 4wd at present, just fwd, its 300 horses going via the fronts, and wot a complete waste of power, cant get any traction, until im above 60mph! lol, the torque steer is terrible as well!

Get some new tyres or some finesse...

[mikezero]

i think u guys are missing the point!, if u cant floor it because of excess wheel spin, then u aint going to get full acceration from the car, therefore a waste of power, if u going to fanny around at half throttle trying to stop wheels from spinning, there's no point in having big bhp via front wheels!

imho lol

[mikej]

Why ? what if you need to floor it at a higher speed say to leave that bmw thats up your arse for example :B_steerin its not all about standing starts is it ?

[aeroresh]

FWD just introduces a bit more "driver skill" into the equation rather than just stamping on the throttle and letting the haldex sort everything out for you!

When I first had my 19T done I was thinking about fitting a limited slip diff to control the rampant wheelspin in the first 3 gears. Ive kind of adapted my driving style since then and managed to get everything to hook up quite nicely, and I dont really have too much of an issue even in the wet with a fair bit more than 300 HP going through the front wheels :B_steerin

[mikezero]

Why ? what if you need to floor it at a higher speed say to leave that bmw thats up your arse for example :B_steerin its not all about standing starts is it ?

if i stamp on the throttle in 2nd gear 30/40mph, any speed u choose below 60, i get wheel spin on a dry road, wet road just forgot it!, anything above 70 is pointless, too many speed camera's and ££££s on the road

[mikezero]

FWD just introduces a bit more "driver skill" into the equation rather than just stamping on the throttle and letting the haldex sort everything out for you!

When I first had my 19T done I was thinking about fitting a limited slip diff to control the rampant wheelspin in the first 3 gears. Ive kind of adapted my driving style since then and managed to get everything to hook up quite nicely, and I dont really have too much of an issue even in the wet with a fair bit more than 300 HP going through the front wheels :B_steerin

"adapted your driving style" ie cant give it full beans, in low gears, so therefore pointless having all that power but no control over it, if u cant get all the 340 to connect to tarmac, no point in having it

have u ever heard of a supercar with fwd?? lol

come on guys, take off the rose coloured glass's! lol

get some awd drive for real control!

imho lol

[mikej]

Or you could just buy a landrover lol :)

[Mrsmopp]

"adapted your driving style" ie cant give it full beans, in low gears, so therefore pointless having all that power but no control over it, if u cant get all the 340 to connect to tarmac, no point in having it

have u ever heard of a supercar with fwd?? lol

come on guys, take off the rose coloured glass's! lol

get some awd drive for real control!

imho lol

Back to normal so soon!! Thin ice!

Does everyone remember DaveS60R who seemed to only have the opinion that the S60R was the ONLY car people should be driving and everything else was just a shed??????

x

[mikezero]

Back to normal so soon!! Thin ice!

Does everyone remember DaveS60R who seemed to only have the opinion that the S60R was the ONLY car people should be driving and everything else was just a shed??????

x

do i get a feeling u dont like me??

there nothing wrong with a heathy debate on the pro and cons of high bhp in fwd cars

ps. its too warm for ice! lol

[hamish]

Mike,

Your car is only a pretend 4WD ! It's not a real 4x4 ! It only drives the rear wheels when the driver has 'run out of talent' ! :haha:

Hamish.

[hamish]

Or you could just buy a landrover lol :)

And what is wrong with a Landrover!!!!

PS mine is for sale, as I have convinced Hamish I need a newer one!!!!! :remybussi

Nat xx

[Vikingxl]

Would seem there is a lot of pretending where mikezero/Daves60r is concerned he doesnt seem to know his own name!

[mikezero]

Mike,

Your car is only a pretend 4WD ! It's not a real 4x4 ! It only drives the rear wheels when the driver has 'run out of talent' ! :haha:

Hamish.

lol, and ive got bags of talent mate! not! lol

[Engineer]

"adapted your driving style" ie cant give it full beans, in low gears, so therefore pointless having all that power but no control over it, if u cant get all the 340 to connect to tarmac, no point in having it

have u ever heard of a supercar with fwd?? lol

come on guys, take off the rose coloured glass's! lol

get some awd drive for real control!

imho lolPoint taken but it's very dangerous to generalise mate the AUDI TT comes to mind lol.

[hamish]

Hi,

Is a TiTy a supercar now ? or have I missed something ?

Regards,
Hamish.

[After_Shock]

Mike have you considered driving something like a TVR, get in and do what you do best and just floor it, you will be dead in a few minutes, you must be part of the PS2 generation that likes AWD evo's, scooby's etc etc that you just get in and floor it and the car does the rest, fun in a way and quick yes but dont take much effort to do.

There's a massive list of RWD and FWD cars that need to be 'driven' not just jumped into and floored to get them to go fast.

Good old story of mine, very good mate went to an Evo track day last year, about 30ish evo's on track ranging from standard to around 400ish bhp, all doing laps for times. Quickest car of the day around the track was a clio 182 cup in standard form, admittedly it had a racing driver at the wheels but thats a wheelspin monster with your so called naff FWD. Just shows what can be done with a proper driver though doesnt it!

[aeroresh]

"adapted your driving style" ie cant give it full beans, in low gears, so therefore pointless having all that power but no control over it, if u cant get all the 340 to connect to tarmac, no point in having it

have u ever heard of a supercar with fwd?? lol

come on guys, take off the rose coloured glass's! lol

get some awd drive for real control!

imho lol

I think you missed my point, with the exception of ice and snow on the road, I can put all the power down,even in the lower gears without wheelspin. It just takes a bit of practise and skill!

[racer]

There's a Lancia Kappa out there that I race against. FWD 415BHP and he seems to manage ok without flying off in the wet.

(great fun outbraking him though - big heavy thing !)

[Engineer]

Hi,

Is a TiTy a supercar now ? or have I missed something ?

Regards,
Hamish.
“come on guys, take off the rose coloured glass's! lol

get some awd drive for real control!

imho lol”



Audi TT quattro sport awd

[Phuturephantasy]

Always Loved Rear Wheel Drive myself -

Shame Volvo switched to FWD along with just about everyones else years ago.

Boooo !!!

Had a Ford Scorpio for years and could run rings around so called much faster cars - Scoobys, Civic Type R, Astra Turbo etc

Lost out a bit on straightline speed but the look of disbelief on their faces when this hulking great 16 feet long Old mans car caught them at the end of the straight and shot past with the back end just drifting gently out was priceless.

Pretty good brakes on it as well.

Oh what fun

[Andy]

do i get a feeling u dont like me??



Its the way you go on that makes people dislike you.

[Murphy]

The other thing Mike is you blatently take the piss out of people for having a tuned FWD. I think you know full well that 99% of this forum [over 1000 people] have FWD cars. What do you expect !!! :nono:

[madness]

And what is wrong with a Landrover!!!!

PS mine is for sale, as I have convinced Hamish I need a newer one!!!!! :remybussi

Nat xx


nat- guess where i start working on the 27th- landrover !!!!

[Mrsmopp]

do i get a feeling u dont like me??

there nothing wrong with a heathy debate on the pro and cons of high bhp in fwd cars

ps. its too warm for ice! lol


Dave,

You are entirely correct with your feeling - I thought I made that blatently clear at the Scottish meet. I think its fair to say that you have very few fans on this site - what does that tell you?? In fact dont answer that as we all already know the answer.

Dont wind people up and we will all get on just fine carry on as you are and I will make you look REALLY stupid AGAIN!

Regards

[madness]

i can feel a ban comming on .

[Goof]

IMHO a T5 isn't classed as a "SuperCar".
Also, there's not much point in putting too much BHP in a FWD car - high/extreme BHP is really only suited to "true" 4WD or RWD proper SuperCars.
:)

A T5 is really a fast comfy saloon, nothing more.

[Babybadger]

To sell cars!!!

Adam.

Adam,

Just out of interest, my mate has just ordered an ST and I told him about you guys RICA'ing my one. He is interested to know how far can you chip it, and what is the cost? Can you do a 304/310 upgrade on a ST?

Cheers

Babybadger

[After_Shock]

At a guess if you have a look on the VT website and see what they can do to an S40/V50 T5 then thats probably as far as can go with the Focus ST for the time being as its a different engine and a smaller turbo compared to the bigger T5's.

[mikezero]

Dave,

You are entirely correct with your feeling - I thought I made that blatently clear at the Scottish meet. I think its fair to say that you have very few fans on this site - what does that tell you?? In fact dont answer that as we all already know the answer.

Dont wind people up and we will all get on just fine carry on as you are and I will make you look REALLY stupid AGAIN!

Regards

I feel there's a witch hunt starting! lol

im not winding anyone up, its not my fault if peeps take it the wrong way, it was just a fun debate on fwd, wots all the fuss about!

i wasn't looking for any fans! lol

I made a effort to say hello to u and shake your hand at the scottish meet, its a bit sad u cant be big enough to let your hate for me go, and i didnt really doing anything wrong, apart from being opinionated and going on abit!, is that really a crime of the year!

make me look stupid if u desire, if it makes u feel happy, fine by me

D

[mikezero]

Mike have you considered driving something like a TVR, get in and do what you do best and just floor it, you will be dead in a few minutes, you must be part of the PS2 generation that likes AWD evo's, scooby's etc etc that you just get in and floor it and the car does the rest, fun in a way and quick yes but dont take much effort to do.

There's a massive list of RWD and FWD cars that need to be 'driven' not just jumped into and floored to get them to go fast.

Good old story of mine, very good mate went to an Evo track day last year, about 30ish evo's on track ranging from standard to around 400ish bhp, all doing laps for times. Quickest car of the day around the track was a clio 182 cup in standard form, admittedly it had a racing driver at the wheels but thats a wheelspin monster with your so called naff FWD. Just shows what can be done with a proper driver though doesnt it!


good point mate!

[After_Shock]

To say the evo drivers on the day were annoyed is an understatement!

[mikezero]

if u had put the same racing driver in a evo, he would have beat his clio lap time??

[BlackBeast]

if u had put the same racing driver in a evo, he would have beat his clio lap time??

Without a doubt!

[After_Shock]

Well yeah of course, evo's are for people who dont want to think about driving, takes skill in a FWD car to beat a normal driver in something like an evo, thats the point!

[mikezero]

ok, cool

[Goof]

Well yeah of course, evo's are for people who dont want to think about driving, takes skill in a FWD car to beat a normal driver in something like an evo, thats the point!
Does the same apply to all 4WD sports cars?
I think we're going down the route of "FWD T5 is the best because..." and ignoring the technicalities of 4WD.
Don't forget that there was a 4WD T5 - or is that irrelevant? :)

[Murphy]

mike is correct in what he says. AWD is the best* at putting the power down.

*Porsche have their own idea's and thus this is IMO.

[LeeT5]

Courtenay Sport Astra VXR - 285 bhp and 305 lb ft (412 Nm)




Thats great if you like Vauxhalls and all their crappy switch gear!! Plastic rubbish if you ask me, there is no comparison. Give me my T5 anyday :remybussi

[After_Shock]

Goof I dont think T5's are best at all, dont get me wrong I drive one and think there great cars but give me a monaro VXR for 15k and I will forget a T5 anytime, o.k well keep it as a second car.

Im not the type of person to go around saying I drive this so therefore its best, ive taken a T5 past the limits of power for FWD in the past and know where that limit is. Awd is great in the right applications and when its raining or snowing would have one all the time but evo's arent challenging to drive, S60R's are great and will own one at some point but not purely for the AWD aspect.

[Goof]

Me too, one day! :)

[After_Shock]

Good old depreciation and the knackered used car market might be one day sooner than think!

[mikezero]

mike is correct in what he says. AWD is the best* at putting the power down

Thank u mr.murphy!

[mikezero]

Good old depreciation and the knackered used car market might be one day sooner than think!

u could have my s60r in 2 years time, with over 100k, for 5 grand, does that sound like a good price?(i cant believe how much money it has lost, shocking)

looking forward to the new s80 with the v8 awd, a more sporty version of that please a couple of bi turbos, 400bhp thanku very much! lol

aftershock - i have a friend who brought a volvo s80 d5, a year old from a volvo dealership, since then he gets invites to new car launchs, ie the new c70, etc

why have i never seen a invite for this kind of stuff??, got my volvo from a volvo dealer

do u volvo sales peeps, have special customer lists, for this sort of stuff, new car launchs, etc??

no doubt, they took me off the list, cos thought i was a nob! lol

[After_Shock]

The invites are nothing to do with the sales people its all done through Volvo U.K and the dealer admin departments, depends on the individual dealers as such as to who gets invited and also what boxes you tick on certain forms when you buy the car, i.e do you want to be informed of new promotional material etc etc.

The new V8 AWD is quite an exciting prospect and yes a turbo one would be very nice indeed!

[Daz T5]

Hmm, just caught this thread as i nearly finished a bottle of red wine so excuse me, but driven many performance 4x4 cars, and yes they have more traction (of course) and are easier to handle, but have to agree with many opinions on this thread, FWD or RWD cars require much more skill and have to be driven which = more fun! I drive a T5 FWD and love em, but would'nt class em as 'supercars'. Just comfortable, useable, practical everyday cars that bloody go and surprise lots of people! Try buying anything else that does all that for the money, you will not.

That's my two penneths worth!

Darren :)

[BlackBeast]

Anybody watch that program called Top Gear, where they tested both Porsche 996 carrera S (RWD) and the carrera 4 (4WD) around the special stage in the millenium stadium, cardiff?

Iirc, the fastest was the 4wd by a second or so, but the rwd version was a much better car all round.

[After_Shock]

Think can remember that one, did they crash one on that or am I thinking of something else?

[Murphy]

Anybody watch that program called Top Gear, where they tested both Porsche 996 carrera S (RWD) and the carrera 4 (4WD) around the special stage in the millenium stadium, cardiff?

Iirc, the fastest was the 4wd by a second or so, but the rwd version was a much better car all round.

Porsche shouldn't be included in any debate, because it wins every time. Some how they manage to defy rules / regs / gravity / physics etc etc. It is the ultimate chassis / brake / engine mating. My idea of automotive Karma!

[Engineer]

Porsche shouldn't be included in any debate, because it wins every time. Some how they manage to defy rules / regs / gravity / physics etc etc. It is the ultimate chassis / brake / engine mating. My idea of automotive Karma!
Don't see them on the grid for Sunday's big one mate.

[Goof]

Porsche shouldn't be included in any debate, because it wins every time. Some how they manage to defy rules / regs / gravity / physics etc etc. It is the ultimate chassis / brake / engine mating. My idea of automotive Karma!
Your're thinking of a Lotus mate! - easy mistake...;)
I've never driven a car with soooooo much handling to make use of - Lotus Exige (the Toyota engine with the funny cam), round Donnington I couldn't stop laughing!
Keep your ton and three quarters of "luxury saloon", give me an Exige anyday!

Basically, if you want a car that performs, general concensus is that you need to have ideally either 4WD, RWD, or lastly FWD!
No argument really! :)
No offence to anyone - and, YES I do currently drive a FWD car, BUT the Kawasaki is RWD!!! ;)

[Daz T5]

Great debate this one! Still think that the T5's take some beating as an ALL ROUND car, with performance and many other attributes (including shifing dogs/kids/wardrobes etc! Struggled to get all that out of my RWD Honda SP1!! Back to the beer :)

[Goof]

Great debate this one! Still think that the T5's take some beating as an ALL ROUND car, with performance and many other attributes (including shifing dogs/kids/wardrobes etc! Struggled to get all that out of my RWD Honda SP1!! Back to the beer :)
Too right! - you can't shift anything bigger than a briefcase in these new fangled sporty things! Most have only 2 seats at best!

[BlackBeast]

I can think of only one car in the same sort of bracket as a V70 or 850 estate, and thats an Audi RS6 Avant which has the quattro system of course.

[LeeT5]

I drive a T5 FWD and love em, but would'nt class em as 'supercars'. Just comfortable, useable, practical everyday cars that bloody go and surprise lots of people! Try buying anything else that does all that for the money, you will not.

That's my two penneths worth!

Darren :)

:B_thumb: I agree. Name me one car that has luxury, driveability, smooth, Fast as ££££, refinement, quality, cost's less than £5k and doesnt fall apart, oh yeah and defo doesnt break down on a regular basis like Renaults and vauxhall etc...........I rest my case.

Volvo's are solid, safe, practical, fast (when u want to be) and refined. Enough said. I can say alot of things about alot of cars cos i fix them on a daily basis as an AA patrol (ok some cant be fixed like clutches and seized engines) and i have to say, that i cannot remember the last time i went out to a Volvo 850/V70/S70 T5 or other for anything other than a flat battery or flooded or puncture. Ask me about any other car and the list goes on.... That my fellow T5 drivers says alot for the kind of car that we all relish in.........Long live the T5 and all that sail in her. :beer: :beer:

I'll get my coat.

[After_Shock]

And about £40k more used!

[S60D5]

I can think of only one car in the same sort of bracket as a V70 or 850 estate, and thats an Audi RS6 Avant which has the quattro system of course.

RS6 in the same price bracket as an 850/V70 ?

£35k will get you one I guess. Not quite in the same bracket!

Wouldn't mind an RS4 one day - gorgeous!


http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/images/64399-1.jpg

[pyrotechnictigger]

I love the fact that few things on the road can out accelerate me but I have tools / gear / stock and 240+ '000 miles on the clock. For the money, a high mile V70 T5 is an almost perfect all round car.

BTW, which XC90 do I buy when I make my fortune? Dark side or T6 and which is better to chip?

[After_Shock]

Rs4's are still the wrong side of 20k the last time looked!

T6 all day if you can afford the fuel!

[LeeT5]

RS6 in the same price bracket as an 850/V70 ?

£35k will get you one I guess. Not quite in the same bracket!

Yeah i would say that an RS6 is in the supercar bracket. Only because of the huge engine and two turbos in it. And at £35k its not exactly in most ppl's reach. If you earn pop stars wages maybe and all of us are not pop stars.
Find me one for £5k that isnt shagged and been wrapped round a lamp post at a breakers.

[Daz T5]

PML at Lee t5, you're spot on mate! A good friend of mine has an S6, awesome motor, but ain't worth the extra ££ over a T5. put a good deposit on a house instead and rent it out!!

[S60D5]

Rs4's are still the wrong side of 20k the last time looked!



Yep, about ~£25k Awesome.

[LeeT5]

PML at Lee t5, ..........

What is PML????

BTW did u see my post on page 8?

[mikezero]

i just looked the rs4 on autotrader, £53,000 for a new one, omg, just seems so overpriced to me!

[mikezero]

What is PML????

BTW did u see my post on page 8?

PML - Pissed myself laughing

[LeeT5]

PML - Pissed myself laughing

PML - thx. I aim to plz. :)

[LeeT5]

:B_thumb: I agree. Name me one car that has luxury, driveability, smooth, Fast as ££££, refinement, quality, cost's less than £5k and doesnt fall apart, oh yeah and defo doesnt break down on a regular basis like Renaults and vauxhall etc...........I rest my case.

Volvo's are solid, safe, practical, fast (when u want to be) and refined. Enough said. I can say alot of things about alot of cars cos i fix them on a daily basis as an AA patrol (ok some cant be fixed like clutches and seized engines) and i have to say, that i cannot remember the last time i went out to a Volvo 850/V70/S70 T5 or other for anything other than a flat battery or flooded or puncture. Ask me about any other car and the list goes on.... That my fellow T5 drivers says alot for the kind of car that we all relish in.........Long live the T5 and all that sail in her. :beer: :beer:

I'll get my coat.

(repeated for those that missed it) :B_steerin

[BlackBeast]

RS6 in the same price bracket as an 850/V70 ?

£35k will get you one I guess. Not quite in the same bracket!

Wouldn't mind an RS4 one day - gorgeous!


http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/images/64399-1.jpg

Never said price bracket, i just said bracket :)

I drove an RS4 just like that yesterday :D

[Engineer]

If AWD is king why are F1 cars RWD? And before you say it’s the rules yes I know, but when it was tried they found the cars could not meet the minimum weight, hence loss of BHP etc. If you can get the traction on all four wheels and the drive from a RWD car, weight for weight, it will do the AWD. But most road cars are cosseted boardrooms so AWD normally wins on the road, not 4WD as this normally denotes off road vehicles that may or may not have centre differentials. As I said it’s dangerous to generalise as it always comes down to the physics and grip offered by each individual car. Where does that leave FWD? Focus ST mate might not be the fastest in a straight line but might just be the best FWD saloon chassis yet produced. The debate will go on none the less.

[mikezero]

this has been a good thread, good debate on fwd,awd etc, there's been over 1200 views, which means it must be interesting reading, excellent!

i better button it, or the forum police will start on me again lol

[Wobbly Dave]

u could have my s60r in 2 years time, with over 100k, for 5 grand, does that sound like a good price?(i cant believe how much money it has lost, shocking)

looking forward to the new s80 with the v8 awd, a more sporty version of that please a couple of bi turbos, 400bhp thanku very much! lol

aftershock - i have a friend who brought a volvo s80 d5, a year old from a volvo dealership, since then he gets invites to new car launchs, ie the new c70, etc

why have i never seen a invite for this kind of stuff??, got my volvo from a volvo dealer

do u volvo sales peeps, have special customer lists, for this sort of stuff, new car launchs, etc??

no doubt, they took me off the list, cos thought i was a nob! lol
I've been invite to the launch?!

[mikezero]

I've been invite to the launch?!

I need to have a word in ma volvo dealers shell like, lol

[Murphy]

Your're thinking of a Lotus mate! - easy mistake...;)
I've never driven a car with soooooo much handling to make use of - Lotus Exige (the Toyota engine with the funny cam), round Donnington I couldn't stop laughing!
Keep your ton and three quarters of "luxury saloon", give me an Exige anyday!

Basically, if you want a car that performs, general concensus is that you need to have ideally either 4WD, RWD, or lastly FWD!
No argument really! :)
No offence to anyone - and, YES I do currently drive a FWD car, BUT the Kawasaki is RWD!!! ;)

I think you will find that 5th gear compared a Exige 240R with a ton and three quarters of "luxury saloon" Carrera S - and the Porsche won ! :troutslap

http://coochas.com/porsche/coochas-911videos.html <2nd link down !

[mikezero]

I think you will find that 5th gear compared a Exige 240R with a ton and three quarters of "luxury saloon" Carrera S - and the Porsche won ! :troutslap

http://coochas.com/porsche/coochas-911videos.html <2nd link down !

just watched that vid, the lotus would have won, if vicky learned to drive right, the lotus is lighter, better bhp/per ton, and one of the best handling cars in the world!.

also u cant call a porsche 911, a "luxury saloon", a saloon has 4 doors and a boot last time i looked!

imho

[Murphy]

if vicky learned to drive right

LMAO - yeah ok.

[Andy]

Vicky BH is a very very good driver, no ifs or buts about it!

[mikezero]

Vicky BH is a very very good driver, no ifs or buts about it!

is she a good driver cos she's got a nice bum! lol

[Goof]

Nice ass but she couldn't drive the 240R properly! - she admitted that in the vid.
Seems like the Lotus couldn't fail to win given the stats, and with a "proper" driver it would have!!!
;)

[Andy]

is she a good driver cos she's got a nice bum! lol

Aye probably that too!

[Murphy]

If Vicky couldn't get the best out of it, i doubt many of the owners could.

[JUDGENINJA]

ANY WAY BACK TO TOPIC....

I always knew the day would come when we'd all start to rave about the Ford-Volvo Focus...?
Now the Focus has a T5 engine it is suddenly OK...? Can we no longer refer to it as the "fix or repair daily (F.O.R.D.)"

So when are we changing the website name.... www.F&VPCUK.org..... :haha: :haha: ....?

[S60D5]

ANY WAY BACK TO TOPIC....

I always knew the day would come when we'd all start to rave about the Ford-Volvo Focus...?
Now the Focus has a T5 engine it is suddenly OK...? Can we no longer refer to it as the "fix or repair daily (F.O.R.D.)"

So when are we changing the website name.... www.F&VPCUK.org..... :haha: :haha: ....?

I'd rather an S40 or V50 over a Focus T5 I think, the Focus is too OTT.

If they did a nice looking Ghia X with a subtle bodykit and the T5 engine, I might reconsider, but the ST is too in your face.

[After_Shock]

In 3yrs id have an ST3 for about 5k, stirp the interior out and have it as a fun car but thats about the only consideration id have towards one, on the same note id not have an S40/V50 T5, much rather have an S60 T5 or an R.

[Babybadger]

In 3yrs id have an ST3 for about 5k, stirp the interior out and have it as a fun car but thats about the only consideration id have towards one, on the same note id not have an S40/V50 T5, much rather have an S60 T5 or an R.

Was in a Focus ST on friday night and these are good cars from Ford, shame they had to buy Aston Martin, Jaguar,Volvo,stake in Mazda (to name a few) and probably others just to build decent cars. I never saw Honda do this or Volkswagen, and Volvo always stood on their own two feet. Nevertheless, take a test drive and you will know what I mean. The engine is what sells it as well the handling, but I am not sure about the gearbox and if it will hold up to the RICA abuse. It averaged 25mpg on round town driving though with the ocassional blast.

WHEN IS SOMEONE GOING TO PUT A T5 IN A MIDMOUNTED/RWD CONFIGURATION?

[lance]

Well I thought in 3 or 4 years I would be able to get a decent focus St for £5k! Well I was wrong you might get a cat d right of/ stolen and recovered minger etc!

In the end I opted for a V50 T5 it is the best of both worlds mainly because

1 You dont look like a chav init
2 Its a Volvo better interior and build quality
3 The Ford Chassis is super
4 Im sorry for calling this version a Gay T5 unit, To explain the power delivery better imagine a D5 and a T5 combined and that is the power delivery! Serious punch from just 1500 rpm
5 You can now buy one of the Volvo versions less abussed than an ST , cheaper to insure and for some weird reason more economical than an St for a £K less!
6 More Practical
7 Cheaper insurance
8 People will still talk to me on here
9 Stealth factor has got be warp factor 10 mine looks like a 1.6d
10 It was a good excuse for a thread reconstruction!

[t5_monkey]

Holy Thread resurrection!

Find an ST that hasn't been spanked.. is like finding a needle made of straw, in a haystack!

They don't have to be that stealthy... :D

As for power delivery, yes you can tune up some of the S60's much more and the 2.4 T5 is a great tuner ... but virtually no turbo lag and proper push from 1500rpm is rather nice too when doing 'normal' driving.

It is a Petrol car that thinks it's a Turbo Diesel in the way it drives.

Plus when Focus RS's and their parts come down, I can put an RS block good for 500bhp in mine :D although.. I'd settle for 360 like the stage 3 RS's

http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/s40t5_ben/New%20OZ%20Alloys/IMG_4660.jpg

[p fandango]

a women at work used to have an orange Crocus ST & said she was averaging about 19mpg lol, sold it & got a Mini Cooper now

[JelT5]

Holy Thread resurrection!

Find an ST that hasn't been spanked.. is like finding a needle made of straw, in a haystack!

They don't have to be that stealthy... :D

As for power delivery, yes you can tune up some of the S60's much more and the 2.4 T5 is a great tuner ... but virtually no turbo lag and proper push from 1500rpm is rather nice too when doing 'normal' driving.

It is a Petrol car that thinks it's a Turbo Diesel in the way it drives.

Plus when Focus RS's and their parts come down, I can put an RS block good for 500bhp in mine :D although.. I'd settle for 360 like the stage 3 RS's

http://i795.photobucket.com/albums/yy236/s40t5_ben/New%20OZ%20Alloys/IMG_4660.jpg

Very good looking motor :)
Really like the TD wheels on it.

Edit: ooops I mean the OZs lol

[MIKESC70T5]

Very good looking motor :)
Really like the TD wheels on it.

Monkey no like TD wheels, he thinks there rubbish, i think he has OZ's.

Also how can you find a thread from 2006, as it was before the big crash. Also i don't think the original poster, Tim Williams has a single good word to say about Hamish any more lol.

[cherry1809]

Also i don't think the original poster, Tim Williams has a single good word to say about Hamish any more lol.

Lol, Was gonna say that :D

[t5_monkey]

Monkey no like TD wheels, he thinks there rubbish, i think he has OZ's.

Also how can you find a thread from 2006, as it was before the big crash. Also i don't think the original poster, Tim Williams has a single good word to say about Hamish any more lol.

well I know the set I had were rubbish :) maybe just a bum set and most are good but who knows.

They're OZ on at the moment!

[t5_monkey]

a women at work used to have an orange Crocus ST & said she was averaging about 19mpg lol, sold it & got a Mini Cooper now

That's pretty good! don't know what she was complaining about :)

[cherry1809]

Lol :D

[JelT5]

Monkey no like TD wheels, he thinks there rubbish, i think he has OZ's.

Thanks, my bad...they all look the same to me lol

[After_Shock]

Found a couple in the low £6's bracket so my prediction was not too far off lol

Although I am surprised they arent a touch cheaper with the running costs involved and the price of fuel these days, plus alot of them about.

[lance]

What I would like to know is the Focus is meant to be mega thirsty with most owners reporting low 20s mpg or less yet the S40 V50s seem much better mine is averaging 27.8-29 so far and that brisk open road nr 100 mph crusing on my private long run way and a fair bit of urban work!