tramp in new focus
Discussion
I have the pleasure today of a new focus as company hire car(I am assuming it is the 1.0 eco boost, it is petrol). The first thing I have noticed is how easy it is to spin the wheels. It isn't particularly powerful yet it seems almost difficult to set off without the fonts having a best a bit of a snatch or if you are on a bit of a slope or setting off at what I would consider a normal pace it just tries to spin. This I could live with but when it tries to spin the front end turns in to a pogo stick determined to loosen my fillings.
Generally I am pleasantly impressed how modern cars do a good job of absorbing potholes without excessive body roll and this is no exception there but it seems unable to put it's fairly meagre amount of power down. I was beginning to wonder as I normally drive fairly powerful rear or 4wd vehicles whether I was expecting too much from it. However the other week we had a abs error on the saab which meant the haldex unit basically didn't do anything and I had 2wd with no abs or traction for a few days with 250hp. Yes when setting off briskly this would end up spinning up a wheel but it never tramped and was less prone to wheel spin than this much less powerful focus. One of the differences is that the saab is on a much stiffer setup, not good for the potholes.
I have noticed the tendency for other new fwd to want to spin much easier than I remember when I drove fwd regularly. Is it that the modern engines both petrol and diesel deliver the torque much lower down the rev range compared to the normally aspirated petrol's I was used to when driving fwd regularly. Is the tramp down to the latest suspension set up somehow, the travel and settings that give the compliant ride being insufficient to cope with the torque delivered. Either way I won't be buying one anytime soon.
Generally I am pleasantly impressed how modern cars do a good job of absorbing potholes without excessive body roll and this is no exception there but it seems unable to put it's fairly meagre amount of power down. I was beginning to wonder as I normally drive fairly powerful rear or 4wd vehicles whether I was expecting too much from it. However the other week we had a abs error on the saab which meant the haldex unit basically didn't do anything and I had 2wd with no abs or traction for a few days with 250hp. Yes when setting off briskly this would end up spinning up a wheel but it never tramped and was less prone to wheel spin than this much less powerful focus. One of the differences is that the saab is on a much stiffer setup, not good for the potholes.
I have noticed the tendency for other new fwd to want to spin much easier than I remember when I drove fwd regularly. Is it that the modern engines both petrol and diesel deliver the torque much lower down the rev range compared to the normally aspirated petrol's I was used to when driving fwd regularly. Is the tramp down to the latest suspension set up somehow, the travel and settings that give the compliant ride being insufficient to cope with the torque delivered. Either way I won't be buying one anytime soon.
Low resistance or brand new tyres? Turbo'd engines tend to have high levels of torque which could also explain the scrabbling a bit for grip in lower gears. Although you'd imagine a 1.0 turbo shouldn't have this issue so much, but I haven't driven an ecoboost so cannot comment on that.
I suspect you are (understandably) unfamiliar with the torque characteristics of that particular engine, and are being clumsy with the throttle application.
I had reason to drive a new Focus a liittle while ago and like you I'm unsure of what petrol engine was powering it.
Of course it would misbehave if you were cack handed with it, but in normal driving it was perfectly fine.
I had reason to drive a new Focus a liittle while ago and like you I'm unsure of what petrol engine was powering it.
Of course it would misbehave if you were cack handed with it, but in normal driving it was perfectly fine.
Very light engine means less weight acting on the driving wheels combined with a throttle designed to give 100% at about 50% pedal travel to make it feel sporty?
I had the latter with a new 2.0 diesel Mondeo the other week - i was surprised at the level of oomph for a small capacity diesel so when i had the chance gave it full throttle and found I'd been using full throttle the whole time. Latter half of pedal travel did nothing.
I had the latter with a new 2.0 diesel Mondeo the other week - i was surprised at the level of oomph for a small capacity diesel so when i had the chance gave it full throttle and found I'd been using full throttle the whole time. Latter half of pedal travel did nothing.
Not seeing any flashibg lights on the dash to indicate the tc is trying to do anything and can't find a button to disable it. I will say that after 20+ years of driving different vehicles I have never had this sort of behaviour to this extent before. Also found that acceleration 50 upwards needs it to be down in 3rd to do anything. Good job the soubdproofing is excellent. Must be the poverty spec enterprise special.
Not checked tyre pressures as it is hire car with only 2k on the clock and they visually look ok.
Not checked tyre pressures as it is hire car with only 2k on the clock and they visually look ok.
trickywoo said:
I suspect the tramping you describe is actually a bit of a clunky traction control system maybe applying the brakes rather than taking away some throttle.
This could well be it. I recently purchased a Mk3 Focus ST and at first felt similar issues to what you are describing. I initially put this down to the "Autogrip" tyres it's wearing, especially as the lack of traction was substantially worse than the Mk1 Astra VXR I'd just come from, a car legendary for its torque steer.The other day I tried turning off traction control ("Sport Mode") and even in the damp the problem was completely resolved. No more skipping or wheel spinning, and generally feeling at lot more stable. I'm not sure if a lower power Focus has a similar traction control system but the issue definitely seemed to be caused by it cutting in way too early.
I've had 4 different MK3 Focuses (including a new 66 plate) and most they've all had the 1.0 Ecoboost. I have definitely had this problem - the car tramps/thumps a lot when the road is dry - it seems to occur when there is lots of traction available. In the wet/cold the tramping goes away and wheelspin is smooth. Note - the problem STILL OCCURS with traction control disabled. Also occurs more when steering is applied and wheels are spun. My best guess is it's to do with the brake-actuated torque vectoring (it has an open diff).
There's a MK3 Focus in my family with the 1.0 ecoboost. I'll have put a good few thousand miles on it, I can't say I've noticed this issue! All if the torque is available from 1500rpm (200nm), if you aren't careful with throttle/clutch inputs I can see how it might spin.
Edited by lee_erm on Thursday 23 February 19:55
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