FocusCanada Forums

Name is James from BC. Have an 04 ZX3 that has had some work done to since I bought it 18 months ago with 24,000km on it..

Zazera's with HPA/FocusTuning front lip, S2 wing and leather interior.



Rocking some 16" Rota Slipstreams



Now running specially made Bassett Racing steel wheels. 15 x 8 with a 19et. Home made front lip, and removed S2 wing. Also have Recaro Racing FIA seats with OMP harness' and mild gutted interior.



James

i wonder how that style will go over here....
fenders will be getting flared soon to all the haters!

I think it looks pretty good.... fender flares will look sick once they're on
got a bad @$$ stance to her

What's it got done motor wise?

i think the lip would have looked better if you had skirts on it and painted the side moulding and mirrors SVT style

any more recent pics of the new lip?

are you rubbing with that offset for the wheels?

I really like the Stance as SL8RZZX3 stated thats some serious tires i had M/T drag radials 275 wide in the front and it was rubbing everywhere.

Thats very nice...I saw your thread on Focus BC already, and welcome to FC.net

What tire size do you have?...What kind of a suspension set up are you running?

my favorit are those Rotas.....killer rims and super light

Here is a list of mods on the car..

65mm TB with 2000 intake ported to 65mm
Cold air intake
Race header, 2.5 flex and MBRP exhaust
Engine mounts
KW variant 1 coilovers
24mm H&R rear sway bar
Aluminum rear stress bar
Recaro race seats with OMP harness'
Partial gutting
Bassett racing wheels, 15x8 with 19et


At this height there is no rubbing, but have not been driving the car hard. Mitch and I are going to be flaring the fenders out so I can go lower and limit the rubbing..

I am running Falken Azenis RT-615s, 205-50-15.

This is the best picture of the front lip I have at the moment..

stupid question.. you aren't carrying any more tire than normal it just looks like you bought the wrong offset wheels.. what is the advantage?

Love the Euro look Focus - can see a lot of VW influence in this... looks great!!!

Hey James!

Just thought I'd say hi, when's the next G2G in Van?

^^^Werd. And not a coffee meet either! I need a good reason to visit Vancouver again. Plus I have family out there so I can justify the trip to my wonderfully understanding wife!!!

Focuschef-Nnot too sure about the next get together, keep checking focusbc.net.. Something will come up soon I am sure. I am hoping to find out more about FOTB in California, hoping to head there for the show.

Naz- With such a high offset it made the wheel base wider. So, in theory more stable for pulling corners. I have not been able to test it yet since I have to flare the fenders to get some clearance.. Also, it is a style more or less on VWs and in Europe called "poke." There is 3 of us out here in BC that are running poke, and soon to be a 4th...

are they going to have the fotb again this year? what site usally runs that?

jameszx3,Feb 10 2008, 06:49 PM Wrote:Naz- With such a high offset it made the wheel base wider. So, in theory more stable for pulling corners. I have not been able to test it yet since I have to flare the fenders to get some clearance.. Also, it is a style more or less on VWs and in Europe called "poke." There is 3 of us out here in BC that are running poke, and soon to be a 4th...
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interesting. thanks for explaining!

I'm all for poke and have access to a fender lairing tool... I think that car looks fantastic... wonder how the suspension components deal with the extra leverage?

very intrested in the diffrence in handling.. since we run almost identical suspensions

where could I get some wheels like that?

ZED_not_zee,Feb 12 2008, 03:30 AM Wrote:very intrested in the diffrence in handling..
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ya i'm interested too. i have never heard of 'poke' until now. it just wasn't ever on my radar screen. i've never seen anyone do this at any autoX or track events that i've been to, and some of them have been vw/audi/porsche heavy.

autoX/road race ppl are usually all over anything that improves handling on the cheap..

do you guys have any thoughts on this? it is because i've only been to CA and NJ/NY events?

It's technically correct but I have no idea what the gain would be. It's an interesting idea to be sure. :)

The only other thing I can come up with is that turn-in wouldn't be as instantaneous as a stock stance Focus and that with the right rubber you'd likely lose a filling bouncing your noggin off the driver's window on right-handers due to the extra grip. Ultimately, it makes it even more of a go-kart with the right suspension. If your weight is slung low enough, you shouldn't entreaty the VW GTI "liftin the leg" phenomenon.

another question.. sorry if it seems like i'm jumping all over this.. just really excited that i may have found a way to go faster for cheap

anyone have tech on how 'poke' affects the suspension's camber curve?

my (admittedly limited) suspension tech knowledge is telling me that 'poke' might not be so great because the incorrect (ie very different from OE design parameters) offset could be creating a very suboptimal camber curve. so the gains from the larger wheel base could be negated by the worse camber curve (and my understanding is that the camber curve is one of the most key aspects to 'good handling'..

for example.. i've read that in WRX world the big reason that lowering improves handling is that the decrease in body roll from the higher wheel rate keeps the camber curve in the optimal range for a longer period of time... ie when you are driving hard.. the car won't roll as much as stock.. and so you won't lose as much camber with the modded suspension as you would with the stock suspension)

i did some digging and i may have found a resource that supports my hypothesis

Quote:Tyre width can also be a problem when the extra width grows out from the wheel hub face. This is one of the least understood but most common problems encountered when upgrading wheels and tyres with the most common symptom being the new tyres rubbing on the guards. Wheel offset is the real issue here but the wrong offset coupled with excessive width in the wrong direction becomes a nightmare on all fronts.

source : http://www.whiteline.com.au/default.asp?...yres01.htm

comments pls anyone?

First off.

Simply changing wheels will not make your car faster. It is about your driving skills. There is a guy out here who is an avid auto crosser. He has 2 focus', one is a bone stock zx3 and the other a supercharged svt with KW coilovers. Guess which one is faster on the track? The ZX3.. he is an incredible driver and usually pulls in the fastest times of the day.

When you lower car, it will decrease body roll. Add sway bars and you increase your "body sway"/body roll. Use the wrong set up and you can increase over and understeer. It is all about how you drive and what your tendencies are.

Go too low, some people say that ruins a cars handling.. But once again it is all about setup. For example. I am going to have KW coilovers, LCR camber plates, 24mm H&R rear sway bar, SPC plates in the rear with camber bolts.. With the help of someone that is very experienced in setting up suspension my car will handle incredibly well... there is not one mod you can do that will make you best/fastest racer or driver in the world.. You have to know what your goals are for driving and your car. Do it all properly, do no cut corners and go for it.

Also, the back spacing of these wheels is almost the same as a stock focus rim. So, there not much more stress on the bearing or braking system. If there anything less than 4.75" BS you would increase the stress on those components..