19th Apr 2006, 16:45
Really 330 bhp??? that would blow the head gasket off never mind the car into the nearest ditch!
20th Apr 2006, 08:37
How would it make it undriveable? You don't drive with your foot planted to the floor all the time anyway. The chassis can put the power to the tarmac, it just won't be very good on a circuit.
Look on regal website: www.regal-shop.co.uk, and you will see that the engine can handle a lot more than 330bhp. It's the same engine as VX220 and Astra Turbo, with the hybrid turbo as standard.
24th Apr 2006, 02:48
Well it sound's like you've never driven a 300+bhp FWD car, they are totally useless in the wet and virtually undrivable in the snow. Seems as though we live in a country with very poor weather, what’s the point in a 300+bhp FWD car? You might possibly get 330bhp, but you’re not going to get it down on the tarmac, 300bhp+ in a FWD car is a waste of time, RWD or AWD is the answer. Happy spinning!
7th May 2006, 12:59
A Quaife LSD would work fine on track or a smooth road (when was the last time you found one of those?) but would amplify the Astra's torque steer on typical British potholed roads. The Focus RS employed something similar (Torsen) and it does allow big bhp (or more accurately, torque) to go through the front wheels, but it was a complete nightmare on typical bumpy back roads.
Let's face it, the VXR is just what you would expect of Vauxhall. It looks great, it goes like absolute stink, it's cracking value, but the power completely overwhelms the chassis. It's a GTE 16v for the 21st century basically.
There is no excuse for torque steer in this day and age! Especially when the Astra doesn't even have particularly direct steering (yes I have driven it)
Oh, and yes the ST is heavy. So are all cars nowadays. Blame NCAP!
15th Jun 2006, 16:42
I have an st running 290 BHP handles the power easy 4th and 5th gear pulls harder than my mates STI impreza.
17th Jun 2006, 13:02
How did you get it to 290 BHP? Did you have to revised clutch, engine mountings etc? What's the fuel economy like?
29th Jun 2006, 12:36
Where did you get it tuned to 290, because no revised ECU have been designed over 250 yet?
3rd Jul 2006, 17:27
Roadtested an ST today, great handling car, but so lacking in engine power, very mild turbo boost. I believe a company called Blue Fin have a remap to 265bhp. Or Revo will have a remap by now. It does need chipping.
4th Jul 2006, 13:49
285 BHP or thereabouts is achievable through a combination of Bluefin and an uprated intercooler.
Lots of discussion on this at focusstoc.com.
20th Jul 2006, 14:51
Only good if you don't want to keep the car for long as those kind of upgrades mean a sudden death for engines. They just don't like being played with. The ST engine is factory designed to put out 225 PS. A hike of 70 PS will almost certainly halve the engine life and put a hell of a strain on the drive train. Waste of time - you'll only wind up sitting in traffic with loads of power under the bonnet. Each to their own though - just don't expect to have a reliable car and also you'll lose your warranty and the insurance will go through the roof.
1st Aug 2006, 17:01
To the American guy... You can't get these in your country, you don't even have this generation focus out there yet. European car only at the moment.
290bhp is not an issue with the engine either, and provided it's looked after, will be fine as a daily driven car with that much power. 70ps is not hard to get out of turbo'd cars. In all honesty, it's a 2.5 turbo that only produces 200bhp. Yet a 2 litre N/A honda engine can deliver more that that. You see the point?
Basic science - the 2.5 litre 5 cylinder turbo volvo engine can produce more power and safely if tuned properly. It's all in the mapping though, you can't just go bolting bits onto, it has to be mapped properly. And looked after properly. And the drive train can be upgraded as well. Should handle the power though as standard as long as you're not launching it every time you drive it, and taking it to the redline constantly, but the same can be said with any car - treat it badly and it won't last long.
8th Aug 2006, 14:12
Don't forget, Volvo sell cars with an identical engine making 260 bhp as standard, and all versions of this engine have built up a formidable reputation for reliability. The Focus ST is very softly tuned.
The chip situation will be like it was back in the Cosworth days. Some will give 100,000 miles reliable service, and others will reduce the engine to scrap within 2,000 miles. Personally, I wouldn't risk it.
Besides which, it's hardly gutless as standard. Will see off a Golf GTI almost comically easily.
29th Dec 2006, 09:28
Has anyone had any problems with shakes and rattles? I have a 3dr ST2 with 2700 miles on the clock. So far both doors have developed trim rattles, the parcel shelf squeaks excessively, there is a whine coming from the rear left somewhere and the suspension groans and squeaks something awful on anything, but smooth roads. Its doing my head in! Am I just unlucky to have bought a “Friday afternoon” built example or is this more common? We’ve 2 Focus LX at work and they’re fine despite being treated badly.
Other than that the car’s a delight to drive and the performance is brilliant! The engine roar means the radio is hardly ever turned on!
3rd Jan 2007, 19:00
About the 330bhp astra. It would only be good in a straight line. Cornering would be worse. But if you were a really good driver and new the car well. You could make good use of the power I think. The ST and Golf GTi would be a much lesser handful in my opinion.
1st Jun 2007, 05:25
As a BMW 330i driver (E46) I have been horribly embarrassed by not just one, but two of these! They seem to have incredible mid range acceleration and have not only (1) been impossible to shake off from behind me, (2) overtaken me!, but also (3) just pulled away from me when I tried, desperately, red-faced, to keep up! And my BMW is low mileage, well serviced, and fast. I am starting to wonder what the extra expense bought me if it wasn’t performance. Better build quality and a lovely straight six engine sound can’t quite repair my badly bruised ego!
The fact that it's happened in more or less the same way from two ST's suggests it's not just some one-off tuned-up ST!
Anyone else had similar embarrasment?
30th Jun 2007, 19:19
WHAT?! you need to learn how to drive or fix what evers broken in your bmw! An st and a 330 are basically the same, one could not blow away the other. I drive a type r with pride and wouldn't tell anyone if I was burnt off-so would a real bmw driver admit to being beaten? being as there mostly mature business men who don't boy race anyway.
15th Apr 2006, 14:40
I test drove the Focus ST last week. Wow, a fantastic drive. Ordered my one straight away. Looks good, drives brilliantly.
Nice one Ford!