Focus ST170?

agw_01 · 1 Nov 2006 at 09:34

In his excitement to race a Subaru, perhaps he forgot to take the handbrake off.

Entai · 1 Nov 2006 at 09:36

agw_01 said:
ROFL, sorry, but just no.

Even if it was wet, I doubt the Focus would have been wheel spinning.

Ok maybe I am wrong, I have never driven one so do not know what the power delivery is like.

On paper it is a 170bhp 2.0l turbo with plenty of torque so how exactly does it not spin the wheels???

Stonedofmoo · 1 Nov 2006 at 09:38

Those ST170's are a great warm hatch. But they really aren't a hot hatch or fast car. I remember playing with one on the A3 when I had my Pulsar

He kept trying to overtake and i'd wait until he had a long run up to get a good speed advantage, then hold until he'd almost pulled level, drop a gear and still pull away ahead in under a few seconds hahaha

He got quite annoyed and his wife was obviously telling him off

Stonedofmoo · 1 Nov 2006 at 09:39

On paper it is a 170bhp 2.0l turbo with plenty of torque so how exactly does it not spin the wheels???

It's a 2l N/A engine mate, with just a watered down variable cam timing system. Doesn't have much torque to speak of.

Entai · 1 Nov 2006 at 09:43

Stonedofmoo said:
It's a 2l N/A engine mate, with just a watered down variable cam timing system. Doesn't have much torque to speak of.

Ok sorry thought it was turbo'ed obviously not.

So basically the same layout as the Scooby just with a bit more power, I am guessing quite high up the rev range if it has a kind of VC arrangement.

So if the scooby gets away first and then the Focus driver is not revving the nuts off his car he would find it hard to catch up wherever???

agw_01 · 1 Nov 2006 at 09:48

ScoobyDoo has said that the Focus driver set off first.

I drove a 2 litre turbo'd car the other week and the roads were very wet. I didn't manage to spin the wheels at all.

Tesla · 1 Nov 2006 at 09:50

agw_01 said:
I drove a 2 litre turbo'd car the other week and the roads were very wet. I didn't manage to spin the wheels at all.

Not even changing 1st to 2nd?

I can even do that in my barge!

agw_01 · 1 Nov 2006 at 10:08

Well it wasn't my car so I wasn't going through the gears quickly, but once in gear, my foot was planted.

I could even get the 214 to spin if I set off quickly in the wet. So much so, that I actually lost a traffic light GP against a 1 litre Micra (the old old shape) with fairy lights on the outside

silversurfer · 1 Nov 2006 at 12:31

Ive spun the wheels on a NA 1.6 in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Took a damp road and a full car to do that though. 3rd gear, wheels spinning and we're only doing 15mph still

Not easily done though tbh, I was well pleased at the time

I dont know much about the ST170 but an old VTI 1.6 makes similar power I think. I think this guy just did the gears wrong, cars used to go bang if you pushed them too hard too often and a lot of people wont hold it till the limiter like it probably needs.

How old was he, new car maybe?

ScoobyDoo69 · 1 Nov 2006 at 16:24

looked late 20's ish I'd say

thepharcyde · 1 Nov 2006 at 16:38

Bad, driver, TC on as well I recon, it easily kicks in with the slightest slip. If it was driven properly he would have won. You have to rev it over 6.5k to squeeze the 170 horses out of it. I now have a Cooper S and it is just as quick as the Focus I had previously.

Conanius · 1 Nov 2006 at 17:45

are you sure it was an st170? now it appears he got ahead and then you got past, id say its more likely that it was a 1.4cl with different wheels, even the 1.6 focus shouldn't have had difficulty sticking with you

ScoobyDoo69 · 1 Nov 2006 at 17:58

well the badging was there, the alloys, the lights, the bumpers (slightly diff are they not?)
I can't really see that being possible, plus why would he ask me if it was just a sport?

Pants · 1 Nov 2006 at 18:11

Entai said:
Ok maybe I am wrong, I have never driven one so do not know what the power delivery is like.

On paper it is a 170bhp 2.0l turbo with plenty of torque so how exactly does it not spin the wheels???

FWD doesn't spin up tht easily! Mine has more power that that and it doesn't spin in 1st pulling off, let alone all the way up a hill! Obviously if you dump the clutch it will spin...

I think you need closer to 270 not 170 bhp to be lighting up the wheels everywhere in most cases.

Arc · 1 Nov 2006 at 20:00

ScoobyDoo69 said:
So am I missing something here, or was my car not meant to be a fair bit slower?

Yep, quite a bit slower. Tbh a Scooby Sport has similar performance to my old VTR (yes it really does) and my ST170 is a hell of a lot quicker than that.

If I were a betting man I'd say he changed up before 5500rpm or he didnt rev it to the limiter. The VVT engine requires a similar driving style to the "VTEC just kicked in yo" brigade. You need to keep the revs about 5500 and ideally above 6500. Once your adapt to it its fine but before you do you'd be sitting down asking yourself where the 170 horses had wandered off to.

Entai said:
Ok maybe I am wrong, I have never driven one so do not know what the power delivery is like.

On paper it is a 170bhp 2.0l turbo with plenty of torque so how exactly does it not spin the wheels???

Very linear power deliverly (check the graph posted by thepharcyde). It will spin its wheels quite easily in 1st, if you turn off the tc

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