Need help increasning horsepower - Page 3 - CarForum.net - Car Forums, Automotive News and Community

elemein · 12-01-2011, 12:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cluffenstein

Oh and elemein, There's not a whole lot of sound deadening in a focus. At least not that I saw when I worked on mine.

And seats are about 750-800 a pair (sometimes each) plus 150 for each rail. That's really not a worthwhile upgrade, and at least in IL their illegal. (Something about the seatbelt)

Really? Hrm. Mustang seats are cheaper. Literally. No joke. That's quite peculiar.

Sports car seats > Econobox seats

I'll never understand.

Ah, yeah. A turbo would overkill the 15 HP though, and his fuel economy would go down, as well as he might need premium fuel.

Though it sure as well would get that 15 HP. That's for sure. And it'll cost around a grand.

KSIMP88 · 12-01-2011, 03:03 AM

Honestly, I don't care what the others said. The best thing to do is put a drop-in K&N air filter in, new plugs/wires, and maybe a better Muffler. Should be under $200.

Sayshell · 12-01-2011, 06:22 AM

alright it seems like weight is the way to go. I did some weight reductions, got rid of the spare tire (except for really long drives) and took out the seat belts of where there is no seat and stuff like that. Is their anything you can buy that saves a lot of weight that is cheap? Like if I upgraded the seats it would save maybe 10lbs but it would cost like 300$ I imagine. Is it possible to remove the sound system without destroying it? I don't need any of that. What is the best $$$ to weight upgrade I can get?

S D · 12-01-2011, 11:07 AM

A treadmill. I personally lost 140lbs of driver for the cost of a new bike, $149.99.

**Mike** · 12-01-2011, 02:25 PM

Speed dropped 140 pounds?

elemein · 12-01-2011, 03:30 PM

A treadmill would be good. xD

And yes, you can remove your sound system for free and instead put a cubby hole in where the deck slot is. But think carefully about this, do you really NEVER use your sound system AT ALL? If you do, but dont really care, maybe you dont need to remove everything, but instead just the big and heavy parts.

Also, just plain unplugging everything (all the wiring) from the deck and the battery (the speakers are connected to these for power and instruction) and removing them is fine enough. It's like unplugging computer speakers. Unplug and remove; nothing speical. As for the deck, you have a little more unplugging to do, but otherwise, its the exact same thing.

The sound system really isnt that heavy. It's 20lbs at best. But if you truly dont need it one bit, then I guess it can go.

There are many things you can do that can ditch weight really well for low cash; but you're putting three big restrictions on us: You plan to sell it for a good price later on (which means we cant do a lot if we want to deviate from stock components). You're a newbie, so you dont have a lot of know-how or the necessary tools or dexterity to do some things. And it needs to be low-cost; which, is possible, but only if you know how to do lots of things yourself, if you cant, you need to pay a mechanic or engineer; which is not cost efficient.

Does your car have a spoiler or wing? Remove it. It's a front-wheel drive car. If you want to sell it with it back on, the wing can be reattached if you want to. Also, a wing on a Focus isnt as aesthetically pleasing as a clean one without it. It messes with aerodynamics and weight.

You could replace your normal battery with a lightweight one. Usually trims 10 lbs cause a normal battery is 14-15lbs and a lightweight one is 4lbs-5lbs. Might not be cost efficient though.

If you had a lot of know how, then you could've replaced a lot of your parts with aluminum in place of your normal iron ones. It's light weight (it aint carbon fibre or fibreglass, but aluminum is so much cheaper than both fo those), and just as sturdy. And rusts slower.

Weight-reduction on a DAILY DRIVER is really just a question of "How much can you spend on replacing necessary parts with lighter weight ones/do you have the ability to replace necessary parts?" and "Just how many things can you stand not having in your car? And do you know how to remove them?" Which seems to be a lot since I NEED my sound system xD.

Ford never really just "threw weight" at the car to make it heavier; they made it as light as possible with all the necessary things and within the cost range. Since you have little money, little skills in the trade, and some other restrictions such as wanting to resale it for a good price, then it's hard to do.

Sayshell · 12-01-2011, 05:05 PM

I put in the new spark plugs and my engine light is on and it feels like the power is sapped. I am guessing one of them isn't working? The car is a lot quieter than it normally is. How can this be possible? I will put the old ones back in and see if it works I hope I didn't mess anything up.

Sayshell · 12-01-2011, 05:48 PM

I put the old ones back in and it feels good again, but the engine light is still on, I am guessing the computer hasn't taken this into account, hopefully it will go off by it self.

elemein · 12-01-2011, 08:41 PM

Maybe your old ones were ranged hotter than your new ones. Did you gap your new ones? You have to gap them if you want them to perform as good as they are designed to (or even better.)

Edit: And I never got those specs I asked for

Sayshell · 12-02-2011, 04:46 AM

Oh yeah sorry their is no info on the plugs, all it says is they are "high performance iradium"

12-01-2011, 03:03 AM	#22
KSIMP88 Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Dallas, OR Posts: 2,930 Rep: 39	Honestly, I don't care what the others said. The best thing to do is put a drop-in K&N air filter in, new plugs/wires, and maybe a better Muffler. Should be under $200. __________________ 2001 Tahoe LT Autoride w/ third seat +25hp K&N air filter +50hp Custom Radio +15hp Soon to buy: Exhaust +50hp Lowering kit (2") +30hp

12-01-2011, 11:07 AM	#24
S D Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: WI Posts: 1,990 Rep: 64	A treadmill. I personally lost 140lbs of driver for the cost of a new bike, $149.99. __________________ Simplify, then add lightness

12-01-2011, 02:25 PM	#25
Mike Community Director Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Minneapolis, MN Posts: 7,603 Rep: 153	Speed dropped 140 pounds? __________________ "He shouted: 'You've won! Didn't you know?' I didn't, and it's about the nicest thing I've ever been told" -Bruce McLaren, 1968 Belgian Grand Prix Read the rules! \| DO NOT REPLY TO SPAM 2009 Pontiac G8 GT - 6.0L, 6AT - 95k miles \| 1994 Chevy Blazer K5 - 350, 5MT - 140k miles \| 2006 Mazda 3 S sedan - 2.3L, 5MT - 130k miles Wife's Car: 2013 Chevy Volt - 70k miles Bikes: 1979 Yamaha XS 750 \| 1985 Honda Sabre 700

12-01-2011, 08:41 PM	#29
elemein Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 385 Rep: 19	Maybe your old ones were ranged hotter than your new ones. Did you gap your new ones? You have to gap them if you want them to perform as good as they are designed to (or even better.) Edit: And I never got those specs I asked for Last edited by elemein; 12-01-2011 at 08:45 PM.

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Need help increasning horsepower

12-01-2011, 06:22 AM	#23
Sayshell Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 47 Rep: 10	alright it seems like weight is the way to go. I did some weight reductions, got rid of the spare tire (except for really long drives) and took out the seat belts of where there is no seat and stuff like that. Is their anything you can buy that saves a lot of weight that is cheap? Like if I upgraded the seats it would save maybe 10lbs but it would cost like 300$ I imagine. Is it possible to remove the sound system without destroying it? I don't need any of that. What is the best $$$ to weight upgrade I can get?

12-01-2011, 03:30 PM	#26
elemein Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada Posts: 385 Rep: 19	A treadmill would be good. xD And yes, you can remove your sound system for free and instead put a cubby hole in where the deck slot is. But think carefully about this, do you really NEVER use your sound system AT ALL? If you do, but dont really care, maybe you dont need to remove everything, but instead just the big and heavy parts. Also, just plain unplugging everything (all the wiring) from the deck and the battery (the speakers are connected to these for power and instruction) and removing them is fine enough. It's like unplugging computer speakers. Unplug and remove; nothing speical. As for the deck, you have a little more unplugging to do, but otherwise, its the exact same thing. The sound system really isnt that heavy. It's 20lbs at best. But if you truly dont need it one bit, then I guess it can go. There are many things you can do that can ditch weight really well for low cash; but you're putting three big restrictions on us: You plan to sell it for a good price later on (which means we cant do a lot if we want to deviate from stock components). You're a newbie, so you dont have a lot of know-how or the necessary tools or dexterity to do some things. And it needs to be low-cost; which, is possible, but only if you know how to do lots of things yourself, if you cant, you need to pay a mechanic or engineer; which is not cost efficient. Does your car have a spoiler or wing? Remove it. It's a front-wheel drive car. If you want to sell it with it back on, the wing can be reattached if you want to. Also, a wing on a Focus isnt as aesthetically pleasing as a clean one without it. It messes with aerodynamics and weight. You could replace your normal battery with a lightweight one. Usually trims 10 lbs cause a normal battery is 14-15lbs and a lightweight one is 4lbs-5lbs. Might not be cost efficient though. If you had a lot of know how, then you could've replaced a lot of your parts with aluminum in place of your normal iron ones. It's light weight (it aint carbon fibre or fibreglass, but aluminum is so much cheaper than both fo those), and just as sturdy. And rusts slower. Weight-reduction on a DAILY DRIVER is really just a question of "How much can you spend on replacing necessary parts with lighter weight ones/do you have the ability to replace necessary parts?" and "Just how many things can you stand not having in your car? And do you know how to remove them?" Which seems to be a lot since I NEED my sound system xD. Ford never really just "threw weight" at the car to make it heavier; they made it as light as possible with all the necessary things and within the cost range. Since you have little money, little skills in the trade, and some other restrictions such as wanting to resale it for a good price, then it's hard to do.

12-01-2011, 05:05 PM	#27
Sayshell Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 47 Rep: 10	I put in the new spark plugs and my engine light is on and it feels like the power is sapped. I am guessing one of them isn't working? The car is a lot quieter than it normally is. How can this be possible? I will put the old ones back in and see if it works I hope I didn't mess anything up.

12-01-2011, 05:48 PM	#28
Sayshell Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 47 Rep: 10	I put the old ones back in and it feels good again, but the engine light is still on, I am guessing the computer hasn't taken this into account, hopefully it will go off by it self.

12-02-2011, 04:46 AM	#30
Sayshell Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 47 Rep: 10	Oh yeah sorry their is no info on the plugs, all it says is they are "high performance iradium"