24th Feb 2004, 11:18
Don't know too much about the US spec Focus, but here in the UK, where we know and love four cylinder motors, the Ford 2.0 Zetec engine is well regarded.
The statement that it breaks rods at 170 hp is total nonsense. This is a strong, tuneable engine. The UK spec Focus is available with a 170 hp 2.0 Zetec direct from Ford, and a turbocharged 225 hp "RS" version was also built as a limited edition. The latter will eat and spit out any Japanese rival, as it sprints to 60 from rest in 5.6 seconds and tops a genuine 150 mph. This is a standard Ford car, straight off the price list.
The UK tuning industry has already built scores of these engines running well over 200hp without turbos, and well over 300 with! One tuner had 230 out of the 1.8 version about four years ago. This was no rough idling race special - it delivered peak torque at under 3,000 RPM, would sit in traffic all day and not overheat, yet handle a track day or two the next. I've been in the Focus this was bolted into, and it smoked the tyres in 3rd on a bone dry road before nailing you into the seat. Oh, and it had done 60,000 miles at this point without a rebuild or any more than routine servicing.
Granted we have some kind of advantage in the UK with 98 octane fuel readily available on the high street (albeit at house remortgage prices!) and a long history of four cylinder expertise, but to call the Ford Zetec engine weak is blatantly untrue.
28th Jun 2006, 11:52
To those bashers of the s/r. I have the regular zx2 and with header and cat back I throw down 150 hp. I have proof. But the s/r came 143 or 146 hp (depending on ECU) stock so stop bashing him.
29th Jun 2006, 04:40
Hmmmm... VTEC crap then is it??? I don't think so. Civic VTi's kick out 160bhp from the 1.6 litre standard, and the Japanese version SiR kicks out 168 from the same engine, and I have the JDM Honda Integra Type R with 197bhp as standard, and it only weighs 1060kg.
So to all the little boys here who want to bash VTEC engines; give it a go. And to the comment about the RS Focus; the 0-60 time is 5.9, and the top speed is 147. I know this, as my mate has one, who I have raced by the way, and I won... although not by much (before turbo conversion).
I now have a turbo fitted as well, and now the power is around 300bhp with a t3/t4 turbo hybrid... bring it on Ford boys.
30th Aug 2006, 10:17
I would like to add to the comment about a Stock ZX2 making 100 hp at the wheels... The Stock ZX2 non S/R makes 116 hp at the wheels with a manual transmission, also with MANY dyno sheets to prove this. I myself own a ZX2. Altho it is hard to find ZX2 SPECIFIC parts... Parts can easily be exchanged with the focus counterparts. My 2 cents.
6th Oct 2007, 01:23
The Focus SVT alone has 170 HP, which is 10 more than a silly little Civic.
The Focus WRC makes 300+ HP and 420+lb ft of torque with the same displacement Zetec engine and Garret turbo charger.
The base ZX2 has been dynoed already to make 122 HP at the wheels. The base Mondeo with the very same 2.0 liter Zetec makes 145 HP stock. It doesn't take much to get 15 more HP out of it. Caterham 7s use 200 HP versions of the 2.0 liter Zetec engine.
The Esslinger ZX2 had over 300 HP NATURALLY ASPIRATED version of the same 2.0 liter Zetec engine. What's more is 80% of the of the torque is available at 2000 RPM. So much for the theory that only power is available at high RPM in DOHC 4 cylinder engines.
There are carb kits one can bolt on to your 2.0 liter Ford Zetec engine that can give you 250 horses naturally aspirated. The Zetec engine is one of the most rock solid engines ever designed. LOL. There's even a VW Vanagon conversion that some company can do by adding a Zetec engine to the van and making it ridiculously fast. Search for it on the Internet; you can find it. I might add the ZX2 S/R corners unbelievably well at 0.96g.
The famed Cosworth Escort RS even uses a precursor of the Ford Zetec Engine. LOL, if you think that is slow, watch this video of a Cossie and Supra racing through the streets of Stockholm. Man was that guy dumb.
4th Feb 2003, 18:40
I own a S/R and although the horsepower output I've heard of has ranged from 130 to 150 HP, and that's stock. I have had my car up and running at 135 MPH and can routinely run at 120 MPH for extended lengths of time.