Ford Focus Mk2 [ST] Estate Sleeper - Build Thread
Discussion
Robmarriott said:
If my suspicion is correct, you were somewhere on the outskirts of Kettering tonight?
Indeed I was in Kettering then, but surely you could have just spotted any grey, shabby Focus estate? Was this when I was trying to drive around the residential part as quietly as possible, or when I was on the dual carriageway and I was not trying to be quiet...? CHR15 G said:
Indeed I was in Kettering then, but surely you could have just spotted any grey, shabby Focus estate? Was this when I was trying to drive around the residential part as quietly as possible, or when I was on the dual carriageway and I was not trying to be quiet...?
I live in the area you were in and happened to be going somewhere, The exhaust gives it away, if you know what you're looking for, working in the car parts business I'm more than aware a diesel focus doesn't have an exhaust quite like that, as subtle as it is!I have to say though, other than that it's hard to spot and I did question it until you gave it a little bootful!
If I'd not seen it on here I'd never have known so that most be a good thing, right?
Robmarriott said:
CHR15 G said:
Indeed I was in Kettering then, but surely you could have just spotted any grey, shabby Focus estate? Was this when I was trying to drive around the residential part as quietly as possible, or when I was on the dual carriageway and I was not trying to be quiet...?
I live in the area you were in and happened to be going somewhere, The exhaust gives it away, if you know what you're looking for, working in the car parts business I'm more than aware a diesel focus doesn't have an exhaust quite like that, as subtle as it is!I have to say though, other than that it's hard to spot and I did question it until you gave it a little bootful!
If I'd not seen it on here I'd never have known so that most be a good thing, right?
Hello, Im a first time poster but have read your build thread twice now as its that awesome. My daily is a mk 2 focus estate in sea grey and realy would like to have a go at this now haha Did you come to a happy arrangement with your suspention set up? I bought some -40mm springs for mine a while back and soon found out about the difference in the rear subframes between the estate and hatch. Once fitted the front dropped nicely but the rear was still way up there! A quick chop chop with the grinder and minus two coils and she sat level. This was the end result.
pingu393 said:
dandam said:
CHR15 G said:
It's an odd coincidence that the thread seems to have been bumped back up this week, as for the first time in over a year I have decided to add to it and throughout the week I have been assembling some new photos and stories to upload, even before the latest comments.
I'll start with catching up with a few things that have been added/changed/modified over the last year and lead up to the heart-wrenching headline story, but don't worry: there's a happy ending!
Looking forward to this.....I'll start with catching up with a few things that have been added/changed/modified over the last year and lead up to the heart-wrenching headline story, but don't worry: there's a happy ending!
DanielGlasscoe said:
Hello, Im a first time poster but have read your build thread twice now as its that awesome. My daily is a mk 2 focus estate in sea grey and realy would like to have a go at this now haha Did you come to a happy arrangement with your suspention set up? I bought some -40mm springs for mine a while back and soon found out about the difference in the rear subframes between the estate and hatch. Once fitted the front dropped nicely but the rear was still way up there! A quick chop chop with the grinder and minus two coils and she sat level. This was the end result.
You're correct - estate and hatch have different rear subframes. Originally I was going to transplant over the ST rear subframe until I realised how different they are. On the hatch the dampers sit into the wheel arches, whereas on the estate they come in at 45 degrees and attach in the centre of the car.
I bought a Eibach -40mm spring set (estate specific rears) for mine and just used the rears, and then sold the fronts. So mine has ST hatch front springs and genuine Ford dampers up front, and Eibach -40mm estate rear springs with a set of pretty standard Bilstein dampers. I'm very happy with the complete set up!
CHR15 G said:
DanielGlasscoe said:
Hello, Im a first time poster but have read your build thread twice now as its that awesome. My daily is a mk 2 focus estate in sea grey and realy would like to have a go at this now haha Did you come to a happy arrangement with your suspention set up? I bought some -40mm springs for mine a while back and soon found out about the difference in the rear subframes between the estate and hatch. Once fitted the front dropped nicely but the rear was still way up there! A quick chop chop with the grinder and minus two coils and she sat level. This was the end result.
You're correct - estate and hatch have different rear subframes. Originally I was going to transplant over the ST rear subframe until I realised how different they are. On the hatch the dampers sit into the wheel arches, whereas on the estate they come in at 45 degrees and attach in the centre of the car.
I bought a Eibach -40mm spring set (estate specific rears) for mine and just used the rears, and then sold the fronts. So mine has ST hatch front springs and genuine Ford dampers up front, and Eibach -40mm estate rear springs with a set of pretty standard Bilstein dampers. I'm very happy with the complete set up!
CHR15 G said:
As said before, springs are -30mm by Eibach on the rear and dampers are standard fitment Sachs items.
New parts...
New parts...
Six Figs said:
Whats your biggest sleeper surprise.
Making a new RS4 sweat, until we pulled away from a junction and and I couldn't get any traction and he overtook (he gave me a thumbs up later )Getting destroyed (and I mean completely) by a standard looking Golf R , but it then turned out that it had 600-ish-bhp. Six. Hundred. Brake. Horse. Power. In a Golf!
However fast your car is, there will always be someone with a faster car.So to catch up with a few things that have happened with the car:
First is traction. The steel wheels on the car are full sized spares from Peugeot which can take a 215 tyre, which is 10mm narrower than the standard car I think (correct me if I'm wrong). After lots of measuring and estimating that if I had roughly 20mm spacers and the original tyres were 10mm wider, then I should be able to run 30mm wider front wheels. So I bought another set of front wheels and sent them away to Essex to be banded. I choose to have the additional width put on the inside of the wheel as the outside was already flush with the wheel arch, and I didn't think the deep dish look would suit the car.
When the wheels arrived back I painted the fresh metal and then wrapped them in a set of 245/40/17 Pilot Sport 3s, which I later upgraded to a set of PS4s when they came out. I was surprised what a difference there was between the 3s and 4s.
Traction is greatly improved: I now only get wheelspin in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear (and 4th and 5th in the wet)!
First is traction. The steel wheels on the car are full sized spares from Peugeot which can take a 215 tyre, which is 10mm narrower than the standard car I think (correct me if I'm wrong). After lots of measuring and estimating that if I had roughly 20mm spacers and the original tyres were 10mm wider, then I should be able to run 30mm wider front wheels. So I bought another set of front wheels and sent them away to Essex to be banded. I choose to have the additional width put on the inside of the wheel as the outside was already flush with the wheel arch, and I didn't think the deep dish look would suit the car.
When the wheels arrived back I painted the fresh metal and then wrapped them in a set of 245/40/17 Pilot Sport 3s, which I later upgraded to a set of PS4s when they came out. I was surprised what a difference there was between the 3s and 4s.
Traction is greatly improved: I now only get wheelspin in 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear (and 4th and 5th in the wet)!
CHR15 G said:
We need to do this. Please tell me you still have the car, despite my slow reply?
And despite my even slower reply to you, I still have the car. And could possibly arrange for another of the same spec and colour to be there. Only took a year for me see your reply, sorry!
Welshman Adam said:
CHR15 G said:
We need to do this. Please tell me you still have the car, despite my slow reply?
And despite my even slower reply to you, I still have the car. And could possibly arrange for another of the same spec and colour to be there. Only took a year for me see your reply, sorry!
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