Focus RS low production numbers................would that bother you?

Stefan said:

z31maniac said:

I wanted one of these when they were first announced, and I'm still intrigued by them. 

However, the low production numbers and talk of blown head gaskets is making me nervous. 

It seems with just a few tweaks it would be a great DD and occasional HPDE car (addressing rear diff cooling, for instance). 

 

BTW, I did track my car on a warm day and I didn't have any rear diff cooling issues, so I think driving style (are you in drift mode?  Are you a ham-fisted mouth breather?  Are you trying to win the HPDE Championship?) can play a huge role in that situation.

This is a good point. I went back and reread Vorshalg's development thread. 

To me the big issues are lack of front camber leading to chewing up the tires if you're really pushing it, and he seemed to think track mode was still futzing with the nannies, and said putting it in Drift Mode made it behave properly on track. 

Cooltech LLC sells an upgraded oil cooler kit to get the engine oil temps back down, and a scoop for the rear diff (like the transmission scoop for the BOSS 302 Laguna Seca) that is supposed to help the diff stay cool under hard use. 

yupididit said:

Isnt 3-36 Ford's standard warranty for new cars and you have to pay extra for anything longer, except for trucks?

I thought basically every new car sold has a 3/36 bumper-to-bumper warranty, and at least a 5/60k powertrain. 

I'm gathering using the tune, reduces the powertrain to 3/36 as well.

z31maniac said:

Stefan said:

z31maniac said:

I wanted one of these when they were first announced, and I'm still intrigued by them. 

However, the low production numbers and talk of blown head gaskets is making me nervous. 

It seems with just a few tweaks it would be a great DD and occasional HPDE car (addressing rear diff cooling, for instance). 

 

BTW, I did track my car on a warm day and I didn't have any rear diff cooling issues, so I think driving style (are you in drift mode?  Are you a ham-fisted mouth breather?  Are you trying to win the HPDE Championship?) can play a huge role in that situation.

This is a good point. I went back and reread Vorshalg's development thread. 

To me the big issues are lack of front camber leading to chewing up the tires if you're really pushing it, and he seemed to think track mode was still futzing with the nannies, and said putting it in Drift Mode made it behave properly on track. 

Cooltech LLC sells an upgraded oil cooler kit to get the engine oil temps back down, and a scoop for the rear diff (like the transmission scoop for the BOSS 302 Laguna Seca) that is supposed to help the diff stay cool under hard use. 

 

 

Keep in mind, they stay in business making and selling parts, so they look at things and test things differently than you or I or even Ford might.  Also some vendors (setting aside my issues with that company and the way they treat people at times) can create solutions to problems that don't really exist because they prefer a certain look or feel that has nothing to do with actual functionality.

Like I said, no over heating issues from me running WOT at Portland with its long sweeping corners and mile long straight on a 80 degree and humid evening.  Oil temp was higher than normal when I came off the track, but it settled down by the time I made it back to my pit.  I popped the hood between sessions to help reduce underhood temps and to check fluids, etc.

So, before you put a list of parts together and start spending money, get to know the car and how you're going to use it.  You may find that you only need to maintain it as normal and just drive it.  The only change I've made to mine, aside from some decals to make it standout a bit and a better rear plate mount, was a throttle pedal spacer to make heel/toe better for me.  I might look at a faster shifter and better bushings down the road and certainly I might look at differently valved shocks to improve the ride and increase the limit of adhesion on rough pavement, but that is down the road as I have other projects to work on.

In reply to z31maniac :

Oh okay, that makes sense. Thanks.

yupididit said:

Isnt 3-36 Ford's standard warranty for new cars and you have to pay extra for anything longer, except for trucks?

Powertrain is 5-60, standard.  Some emissions go up to 8-80 (some are shorter).  

The mods eliminate the emissions, and lowers the powertrain to 3-36

z31maniac said:

I wanted one of these when they were first announced, and I'm still intrigued by them. 

However, the low production numbers and talk of blown head gaskets is making me nervous. 

It seems with just a few tweaks it would be a great DD and occasional HPDE car (addressing rear diff cooling, for instance). 

 

I own a 32 year old VW that is one of 1800.  And it's the second one I have had...

Ain't fraid of low production numbers.

(Now I wonder how many Rs Volvo made in 2006.  I understand that the vast majority were '04s and then production just sort of fell off as zero people bought them)

LanEvo said:

Low production numbers, overinflated dealer prices, and slow sales all fit into the category of “that’s a good thing” when you’re buying a new performance car IMNSHO.

Why is it a bad thing?

JUST DO IT!!!!

In reply to Knurled. :

The OP seems to be suggesting that these were reasons to avoid the Focus RS. I’m saying it may be the opposite. 

Stefan said:

z31maniac said:

Stefan said:

z31maniac said:

I wanted one of these when they were first announced, and I'm still intrigued by them. 

However, the low production numbers and talk of blown head gaskets is making me nervous. 

It seems with just a few tweaks it would be a great DD and occasional HPDE car (addressing rear diff cooling, for instance). 

 

BTW, I did track my car on a warm day and I didn't have any rear diff cooling issues, so I think driving style (are you in drift mode?  Are you a ham-fisted mouth breather?  Are you trying to win the HPDE Championship?) can play a huge role in that situation.

This is a good point. I went back and reread Vorshalg's development thread. 

To me the big issues are lack of front camber leading to chewing up the tires if you're really pushing it, and he seemed to think track mode was still futzing with the nannies, and said putting it in Drift Mode made it behave properly on track. 

Cooltech LLC sells an upgraded oil cooler kit to get the engine oil temps back down, and a scoop for the rear diff (like the transmission scoop for the BOSS 302 Laguna Seca) that is supposed to help the diff stay cool under hard use. 

 

 

Keep in mind, they stay in business making and selling parts, so they look at things and test things differently than you or I or even Ford might.  Also some vendors (setting aside my issues with that company and the way they treat people at times) can create solutions to problems that don't really exist because they prefer a certain look or feel that has nothing to do with actual functionality.

Like I said, no over heating issues from me running WOT at Portland with its long sweeping corners and mile long straight on a 80 degree and humid evening.  Oil temp was higher than normal when I came off the track, but it settled down by the time I made it back to my pit.  I popped the hood between sessions to help reduce underhood temps and to check fluids, etc.

So, before you put a list of parts together and start spending money, get to know the car and how you're going to use it.  You may find that you only need to maintain it as normal and just drive it.  The only change I've made to mine, aside from some decals to make it standout a bit and a better rear plate mount, was a throttle pedal spacer to make heel/toe better for me.  I might look at a faster shifter and better bushings down the road and certainly I might look at differently valved shocks to improve the ride and increase the limit of adhesion on rough pavement, but that is down the road as I have other projects to work on.

Cooltech or Vorshlag? 

It's not necessarily that I'd do that stuff to start with, but it's good to know reliability mods are available in kit form vs having to piece stuff together. I'm the type that likes to buy ready made, quality solutions vs "rolling my own" so to speak.

I didn't get a chance to today, but I'm going to throw my helmet in my car so I can go up there some time in the next few days and sit inside one. Everything I'm reading points to this being a great "do-it-all" car for me.

I'll make sure I dress a hair nicer than I usually do for work when I go up there. Today I was wearing jeans, flip flops, and a Big Lebowski T-shirt. I don't want to have to pull the "look up my credit and income" before they will take me seriously.

LanEvo said:

In reply to Knurled. :

The OP seems to be suggesting that these were reasons to avoid the Focus RS. I’m saying it may be the opposite. 

I am confused.  You're not honestly saying to get an RS but you're also saying to do it?

Most of the RS drivability problems I have seen online were a result of poor driving technique to get around the main problem of driving like a weenie.  (Left foot braking to get mid corner rotation after entering corners way too slow because timid weenie)  And there are shops around here getting 500+whp from the Mustang version of the engine so I can't see there being a systemic flaw with the engine itself.

In reply to Knurled. :

I’m sorry, but I’m not following you.

The OP said he’s interested in a Focus RS, but “low production numbers and talk of blown head gaskets is making me nervous.”

My point was that low production numbers may actually be in your favor as a buyer of a high-performance car (especially if you take care of it and don’t drive it much). Limited production means more demand for it in the second-hand market down the road. I gave a specific example of how well my Evo VIII held it’s value after 60k miles. 

As for me, I’d totally buy an RS if I could swing it, but it would be financially irresponsible for me at the moment. I’ve already got two fun cars, I’m still making payments on my wife’s car, and we’re saving up for a house. If I were to buy another car, it would made more sense to get a truck or SUV to haul the racecar. An RS is just too irrational for me right now. 

I'm thinking the op is concerned about support for the platform, factory or otherwise, not about resale value.

Appleseed said:

I'm thinking the op is concerned about support for the platform, factory or otherwise, not about resale value.

Pretty  much. Niche cars don't seem to hold value very well (ala BRZ/FR-S). 

The RS may be different, but I wouldn't bank on it. The entire goal would be a car to take to work, the occasional errand, and the occasional HPDE/AutoX. 

Being able to load up all my gear in the car, and do an HPDE somewhere other than my home track and not need a tire trailer or a tow rig would be a huge bonus.

When I went from loading everything into the car to towing a tire trailer it was a HUGE upgrade.  Instead of having to completely load the car, then completely unload the car at the track, I could leave most the stuff in the tire trailer.  Hook it up, drive to track, unhook.  Much simplier.

Then an order better with the full sized trailer I got a few years ago.  Car is prepped in my garage on my lift and gets pulled onto the trailer.  Arrive at track, pull off trailer.  Check oil and tire pressures, done! 

So if you have the space for a tire trailer, I'd still use it, even tho you could pack up the car. 

That's a good call. A proper trailer and tow rig, I wouldn't bother with a Focus RS. I'd just get a Miata/Exocet or something along those lines.

I don't really have the desire for a full track rig with a trailer and dedicated track car, and then the necessity of DD'ing a truck. I'd have to store the trailer, park the car in the garage, truck in the driveway (hence all the waffling on what to do automobile wise.)..........but the tire trailer is an idea.

Need to get the garage cleaned up from moving in to see how much free space I'll have.

I did the tire trailer thing for over a decade, it works well.  Sometimes I question moving on from the tire trailer to a full sized trailer for much of what you speak.

I bought an SUV as my DD/tow vehicle (Cayenne Turbo S) and store the trailer in a lot about 10-15 minutes away.  So the time saved by not having to prep/unprep the car at the track is somewhat eaten up by going to get the trailer and then taking it back when I'm done with it.

However, having the trailer has made me a lot more self sufficient.  Before, when I had to drop the car off at a shop, my wife or friend would have to follow me to the shop, then take me there when the car was done.  Now I just do it myself with the trailer and don't have to bother anyone.  I also have the trailer at the track in case the car breaks down.   I can still get it and myself home.  That makes me much more comfortable when I go to a track that's 8 hours away from home....

Yeah, just saying I couldn't afford a $40k track car + a towing setup............and if I wanted a towing setup, it would have to be with a much cheaper track car. 

I got all three (DD SUV, track car and aluminum trailer) for less than $40k.  '06 Cayenne Turbo S, '98 BMW M3 (bought already track prepped), '14 Featherlight 3110 trailer (bought lightly used).

Just depends on what you want and how you're going to use everything.  I love hot hatches, so a Focus RS or Golf R are definitely on my lust list.  Sometimes I do think it'd be simplier to just have 1 vehicle that I use for everything, but then I'm risking an expensive DD on the track, that doesn't have the level of safety equipment that I want...

Very true. I'm not brave enough to own a decade-old Turbo Porsche............as much as I'd like to. 

I figure since I won't be focusing as much financial resources on HPDE, the few times per year I go, it won't be that big of a deal to just add track insurance for the weekend and drive the car at 9/10ths................and be able to enjoy something that is loads faster than my old 1.6 Miata track rat. That still has leather and (I'm hoping) a decent stereo for DD'ing and the occasional road trip.