new car

[steve09]

now im after a new car atm, now i would love an audi A4 but the insurance is just a bit to much for me. so now im thinking of getting one of two cars for road use. another one for track/strip use but the cost of insurance on that doesnt matter too much as i will only get insurance for it for a few days at a time when im using it to race. anywho, what is the general view on a pug 306 1.8 xs to a focus 1.8 zetec? there both the same insurance group and same size engine. i know the focus goes quite well as a mate had one, but i dont know which one to go for. any kind of info on either would be handy.

[HDi fun]

Personally I'd have the Ford over the 306 for it's sheer handling brilliance.

[steve09]

yahh, i do like the way they handle, but i like the look of the 306, thats why i was gonna get an audi cos of the looks. an the reliability.

[Prince]

What kind of Focus...my brother has an 06 plate (1.6) and it feels heavy and sluggish until it gets moving. I quite like 306s so I'd probably go with the 306. My family has put me off ever owning a Ford (unless its a GT or Mustang! ). Have you looked at A3s?

[steve09]

it would be the 1.8 zetec, with a few engine mods like air filter, fast road cam, full 3inch exhaust, an if my insurance can take it an eaton m45 supercharger . so it wont be a slow car.

[HDi fun]

Hunt down a Focus TDCi 110 (don't bother with the 90bhp one) - that will flatten the 1.8 petrol easily.

[Prince]

Zetec's aren't all that powerful anyway. For the price of a new Zetec, you could find and older ST!

[HDi fun]

Isn't the ST a 5 cylinder petrol turbo?

[pgarner]

the st is a 5clyinder turbo. and a think itll be more than the audi on insurance

[steve09]

ah see, i would love an st, but its the insurance im trying to keep low. as the 1.8 is a group 6 i can get away with a few mods an still have faily low insurance. i've just had a look round an the 110 tdci is over a grand what im after to spend. i only want to spend 1000-1800 on a car so then i can spend some more on a few mods an then still have money to get a car for track days/strip running. if i were to get a tdci and then a remap what sort of power am i looking at (with an air filter and fast road cam?

[HDi fun]

A remapped TDCi 110 should give a comfortable 150bhp without any other changes. Don't bother with cams on a diesel, they don't rev high enough to take advantage. I might even upset the exhaust gas velocity, thus reducing boost pressure.

The remap will also buy you 250lbft of torque, which is similar to a tuned 3 litre petrol. Which means lots and lots of shove in midrange.

[steve09]

ah see, i dont really know much about tuning diesels. apart from a remap and an air filter an turbo what other sort of stuff can you do

[HDi fun]

Not a lot unless you want really silly money stuff. Hybrid turbos can run over 2.0 bar boost but you'd need uprated injectors to get the fuel in fast enough.

I think you'd be surprised how quick a remapped diesel is. Mine can squeal its tyres in third if you over accelerate, for example.

It's no longer the case that we have to use the phrase 'not bad, for a diesel' when discussing performance.

[waynne]

HDi gets another diesel convert!

[steve09]

mabye, i dont know tho, cos of the huge price of diesel. i know that diesel cars have more torque than petrol but they dont sound as good as petrol and they dont handle as well cos of the heavy iron engines. if hdi can sell it a bit more he has got a convert