hey everyone,
well i just found this forum and read up on that MBRP exhaust system which i will get!
anyways so i have a 2005 ZX4 2.0L 5speed in CD silver and its pretty much the base model. SO my big big question is if anyone here with the same car (ie engine) can tell me at what SPEED to shift gears before redlining!! This is my first car and i've had it for a year now but i've only recently started to rev her higher and was amazed by the power, which obviously maxes out near the redline. The problem is that i don't have the tachometer or whatever you call the rev indicator. I'd love to push her more but i dont want to redline ever as it kills the engine and what not. In my experience when i accelerate in a sporty manner i shift like this. 50km/h into 3rd and 80km/h into 4th!
I'd appreciate if any help here!! thanks guys.
- Aaron
welcome to the club....
where you from????
Feel the car...You'll see when you're over the power band , it will make more noise but will not accelerate anymore. Best Place to learn is the drag strip , screw the time you do but learn how to shift and check your time , it's even better without a RPM , you will feel the car better. You will concentrate more on your car and driving then the gauges.
Timeslip will tell you if your on the right way.
:)
Welcome to the site ... for '05 and later all Focus S, SE or SES models are equipped with the two-liter Duratec. Top of the line ST models have the 2.3L version Duratec.
S and SE models did not come with a tach so I guess yours is one of these ... in any event there is no way of overrevving the engine as the ECU will cut the fuel off long before any engine damage can occur - I think the nominal red line is 6800 rpm but the Duratec is capable of much higher revs without any real danger of damage. With the aid of SCT my redline is set at 7200 rpm (same engine as yours) and although I don't often take it to the redline I'm not uncomfortable doing so.
Unless you're real sqeamish about it, why not just once keep it in each gear until the fuel cutoff point and make note of the vehicle speed and sound of the engine - you can be sure that Ford is very conservative about these things and so long as it's in good shape with proper maintenance, you could drive at the redline all day without damage (not that I'm recommending you do it)
Hope you enjoy the site - lots of interesting and helpful characters here (not always in the same body, mind you)
cheers
Aaronsfocus,May 31 2007, 10:38 PM Wrote:hey everyone,
well i just found this forum and read up on that MBRP exhaust system which i will get!
anyways so i have a 2005 ZX4 2.0L 5speed in CD silver and its pretty much the base model. SO my big big question is if anyone here with the same car (ie engine) can tell me at what SPEED to shift gears before redlining!! This is my first car and i've had it for a year now but i've only recently started to rev her higher and was amazed by the power, which obviously maxes out near the redline. The problem is that i don't have the tachometer or whatever you call the rev indicator. I'd love to push her more but i dont want to redline ever as it kills the engine and what not. In my experience when i accelerate in a sporty manner i shift like this. 50km/h into 3rd and 80km/h into 4th!
I'd appreciate if any help here!! thanks guys.
- Aaron
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woa, thanks guys. so much information here hahaha. i have a lot to learn.
YES i checked my car is indeed an S!
im from Bowen Island 20 minutes away from Vancouver (downtown) B.C.
thanks for your help on the exhaust as well! im going to take some time learning more from you guys before starting to modify my car. I don't want too much but it would be nice to get a sporty exhaust thats not too much ricer.
mpcv2000,Jun 1 2007, 02:45 AM Wrote:Feel the car...You'll see when you're over the power band , it will make more noise but will not accelerate anymore. Best Place to learn is the drag strip , screw the time you do but learn how to shift and check your time , it's even better without a RPM , you will feel the car better. You will concentrate more on your car and driving then the gauges.
Timeslip will tell you if your on the right way.
:)
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Way to driv ethe new member out. :lol:
It's generally an accepted fact that running the Duratec 2.0L to 6800 is fun and yet harmless. The stock valvetrain is good to 7200 all day long, but much beyond that and valve float becomes an issue without upgraded springs, etc. The cutout for fuel is ~6950 RPM.
You'll like the sound of the MBRP on the Duratec. I'd recommend leaving the second cat in though to keep the noise down.
Thanks man,
so ill keep the second cat which means i'd have to modify the MBRP exhaust! you're right i dont want it too loud!! oh im excited i will order soon!
NOS2Go4Me,Jun 1 2007, 02:32 PM Wrote:It's generally an accepted fact that running the Duratec 2.0L to 6800 is fun and yet harmless. The stock valvetrain is good to 7200 all day long, but much beyond that and valve float becomes an issue without upgraded springs, etc. The cutout for fuel is ~6950 RPM.
You'll like the sound of the MBRP on the Duratec. I'd recommend leaving the second cat in though to keep the noise down.
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No, if you call MBRP and order it as the 2005+ Duratec exhaust (retaining the second cat), the pipes will be the right size. Ask for Lorraine before you order and tell her you have a Duratec and that you want to retain the second cat.
NOS2Go4Me,Jun 3 2007, 12:57 AM Wrote:No, if you call MBRP and order it as the 2005+ Duratec exhaust (retaining the second cat), the pipes will be the right size. Ask for Lorraine before you order and tell her you have a Duratec and that you want to retain the second cat.
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^^ Really they have one now?? Sorry Aaron if I mislead you ... when I ordered mine (not that long ago) they didn't have a Duratec exhaust and told me they had no plans to make it ... so my shop had to modify it. Or maybe that was just for the wagon.
Morning Ken!
I was their final test fit / mule for the revised systems for the Duratec. The 2nd cat-less system should be on by the end of June, hopefully. I'm just waiting for the word from Lorraine to bring my car back down to Huntsville.
I wonder if the test button works for the duratec like it works in the SPI.
When you first start your car hold the trip button down for 10 seconds and the word test will come on, you scroll through until you see your RPM's in the odometer gauge.
Canadian ST,Jun 24 2007, 02:47 PM Wrote:I wonder if the test button works for the duratec like it works in the SPI.
When you first start your car hold the trip button down for 10 seconds and the word test will come on, you scroll through until you see your RPM's in the odometer gauge.
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Yes it does!!!
there should be a section in your owners manual that tells you the max speed for each gear.. in my 2000 zx3 (which i think has the same gearing as your car?) i believe it was 1st gear 30mph 2nd gear 60mph 3rd gear 90mph
its not a big deal if you bump up against the red line a few times. i would worry more about 'banging' the transmission into gear (i suppose that isn't a big deal in a stock focus), and downshifting past the redline (you'd need to be really out to lunch to do this!!!).
have fun and welcome to the site!
naz,Jun 26 2007, 08:21 PM Wrote:there should be a section in your owners manual that tells you the max speed for each gear.. in my 2000 zx3 (which i think has the same gearing as your car?) i believe it was 1st gear 30mph 2nd gear 60mph 3rd gear 90mph
its not a big deal if you bump up against the red line a few times. i would worry more about 'banging' the transmission into gear (i suppose that isn't a big deal in a stock focus), and downshifting past the redline (you'd need to be really out to lunch to do this!!!).
have fun and welcome to the site!
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Yes there is a section on that and no it wont hurt it to do it once or twice. Dont make a habbit of it though.