Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

[cjforumadmin]

http://www.bangshift.com/blog/Must-be-the-Metric-System-Focus-RS-For-Muscle-Car-of-the-Year.html

[38P]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

We've got to remember that in most of the world, fuel taxes render American-style muscle cars wholly unaffordable and impractical for all but the affluent.

Here's what I wrote YESTERDAY on the Focus RS "muscle car of the year" story: http://speedzzter.blogspot.com/2009/...rs-fiesta.html

We'll probably see it on BBC America in about 2011, but according to Ford Motor Company's "official blog", the internationally-respected "Top Gear" has awarded both Ford Focus RS and Ford Fiesta ECOnetic "Car of the Year" Awards.

The Ford Focus RS, the fastest and the most powerful front-wheel-drive Ford ever produced in Europe, has been selected as "Muscle Car of the Year" by BBC Top Gear magazine, while Ford's lowest carbon emitting model, the 98g CO2/km Ford Fiesta ECOnetic is Top Gear's "Green Car of the Year".

The "Top Gear" awards dovetail well with last month's announcement of Ford Fusion as Motor Trend Magazine's 2010 Car of the Year.

Of course neither the Focus RS nor the Fiesta ECOnetic are available in the United States of America.

One of the principal criticisms of Ford overhead during the 2010 SEMA Show was that Ford had neglected the sport compact market niche by depriving Americans the Focus RS.

The beancounters and marketers among Ford's Glass House Gang apparently believe there's no "business case" for offering the RS in America. Indeed the market for a $30,000+ FWD hot rod may be limited. And for most Americans, considering the RS as a proper "muscle car" would be a bit of a stretch (notwithstanding its awesome objective performance numbers)

But ever since the somewhat underpowered Focus ST170 (known in America as the SVT Focus) was discontinued after the 2004 model year, Ford has offered little more than sporty appearance packages for American customers desiring high performance in something that's smaller and more fuel efficient than a Mustang.

While turbocharging the SVT Focus would have easily answered Chevrolet's Cobalt SS and Dodge's SRT-4 in the marketplace (and likely have conquested a few sales from Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Mitsubishi), Ford didn't make any move to compete in the U.S. It was another missed opportunity to be sure.

Now, the impending 35 m.p.g. CAFE standards leaves Ford little choice but to shift some high performance demand into smaller cars.

Truth With Speedzzter is no fan of front wheel drive and would prefer the high m.p.g. end of Ford's performance line-up to be anchored by a "right-sized" RWD or AWD, powered by a electric hybridized, turbocharged (or "VW/Lancia-style twincharged"), Ethanol Boosting Systems' direct-injected DOHC V-8 (not a V-6 or I-4) of about 2 to 2.5 liters displacement.

With cylinder deactivation, variable valve timing and phasing, and variable geometry intake manifolding, a boosted 2-2.5 liter V8 could run most of the time on a combination of electricity and four cylinders, but still pack a 150+ horsepower-per-liter ethanol-boosted "sledgehammer" punch when necessary. In a lighter RWD or AWD platform (target power-to-weight of ~ 8 pounds per horsepower), such a vehicle would combined startling fuel economy with spectacular performance. And it could produce most all of the traditional V8 sounds that American enthusiasts love on demand.

But short of a such a modern, high-performance "V8-60" for the 21st Century, the Focus RS . . . or a cheaper EcoBoost Focus for America would be a small step in the right direction.

Congratulations to Ford for these "Cars of the Year!"

[horsewidower]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

As the resident heretic, I'd take a Focus RS over any of those traditional lard-ass weighted muscle cars at the drop of a hat. If it had AWD I'd be on it like white on rice.

But even I can't stretch the definition of "muscle car" to include a Focus RS.

Speedzzter, I need to pick your brain about ethanol injection and boost. We're going endurance racing next year and I don't think I have my E85 fueled engine set up correctly.

Bob

[38P]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

The turbo Buick guys have a good discussion about tuning for E85 with port fuel injection: http://www.turbobuick.com/forums/e85-technical-forum/231000-e85-combo.html

Also some good info over on the Eng-Tips forum: http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.c...=173979&page=7

Here's a engineer/tuner who wrote up in detail his E85 experiments with a Subaru WRX: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=803341

There's lots of info and tuning reports over on the E85 performance forum, too: http://www.e85performance.net/forums...splay.php?f=10

As with any alcohol fuel, I'd start rich and trim the fuel maps accordingly.

BTW, what kind of combo are you running? What series? I'm assuming you're running a speed density EFI . . . .

DISCLAIMER: Of course all this E85 tuning stuff is supposed to be for off-road use because our little friend US EPA takes a dim view of homemade E85 conversions. See http://www.e85fuel.com/e85101/faqs/conversion.php

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

Speedy, Bob runs a car that will make you ummm....excited in a special kind of way. I'll let Bob tell you.

Brian

[horsewidower]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

Thanks Brian, you're too kind.

Speedy, I currently run E85, rather too successfully (makes too much HP for the class I run) We're looking to go endurance racing next year and my thought is to go to a high compression low pressure set up to try to eak some fuel economy out of the engine. I'v e talked to a gentleman who runs E85 in a couple of Norma LMP2 cars for the NASA 25 endurance race and he tells me he is able to achieve the same fuel economy as he did with race fuel with a higher compression ratio and some other tweaks. Rather than dirty up this thread, I think I'll take the discussion to a new project thread related to a fuel economy focused endurance racing engine build.

Thanks for the links. I'm actually a member of the e85 performance forum.

I run a 2.3 turbo Ford based on the '80s era T-bird turbo coupes, SVOs and Merkurs. We run a Haltech E11v2. The car is currently setup for the NASA American Iron Series, and we hope to run the Western Endurance Championship.

[ferrarimanf355]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

FWIW, I do think that having rear-wheel drive and good fuel economy is possible. I mean, look at the Hyundai Genesis Coupe. It's rear-wheel drive, but the turbo four model can get 30 MPG highway. The V6 model can get 26 MPG highway.

Of course, the '11 Mustang gets a V6 that can do 30 MPG highway with the automatic, 29 MPG highway with the manual.

As for the Focus, when the next generation model rolls around in a year or two, I'd take a hot hatch model, something that can run with the Mini Cooper JCW or the Volkswagen GTI. Heck, I'd take a Fiesta hot hatch. We're getting the five-door hatch, just put in some more power and I'd be happy. 8)

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

I owned a 2003 SVT Focus, it was an awesome car that met an untimely death when I was rear ended by a 3/4 ton Ford van. I bet the 300hp RS is more fun than a weekend hanging out with Tiger Woods, I just thought it was odd to hear it called a "muscle car".

The JCW Mini is literally a road legal racing kart.

[horsewidower]

Re: Must be the Metric System: Focus RS For Muscle Car of the Year?

I've owned a Mini Cooper S and have a buddy that has a 260 hp Mini Cooper S. What a freakin riot. The hot rod Cooper accelerated like a sport bike. He holed a piston, so we had a new engine built and its set to go back into the car. I can't wait. But this time we'll through a water/alky injection kit on it to control detonation.

Bob