DocWalt's 2016 Focus RS

[DaveSTi]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Yeah, they're pretty much all warranty issues... but that's an enormous pain in the balls

There isn't an external cooler, just a silly undersized oil/coolant heat exchanger.

Driveline cooling is the ****ty PTU/tcase. The rear diff gets hot but the PTU is ~250F when it shuts off the AWD, IIRC. It's hot because it's under the turbo and they really tried to make it compact. It has a heat exchanger in the coolant loop as well, but it's clearly not adequate for some people.

Tire Rack has TPMS sensors.. sort of. That's a whole other story, lol.

The shocks are 2 ways made by Tenneco. They're craptastic. It's simply a solenoid inside, two wires to each shock. KW makes coilovers for the car, and they include resistor blocks (that are enormously oversized with huge heatsinks) to simulate the solenoids. They don't include top-hats though... Oddly, ST (made by KW...) has rather nice adjustable top hats, but no resistor blocks. You lose Track mode without the shocks being plugged in...

I don't think any bolt-on RS is quite that quick/fast yet... soon (once the E85 support & bigger turbos arrive on the market. FBM has released a ton of teasers of 600+hp...)

Yeah, dropping the car off at the dealership is always a pain in the ass. Too much to deal with.

Sounds like the car was designed for the street but marketed for the track. That setup sounds underwhelming for a track car and i'm sorry that you're having these issues. They did a great job of convincing people this was the real deal.

Oh no...the ones I got from Tire Rack still have yet to work right...I gotta go to the dealer (once again a pain in the ass) to get the car to learn the new sensors. What a waste of money ($80 each). I just clear the light on startup and ignore it.

Those sound like the bargain rate Tennecos. I don't know if you're a Bilstein fan or not, but they are releasing shock upgrades for the R that work within the same design parameters as the Tenneco setup. Fingers crossed that they offer something for the RS, that way it would be a complete plug and play solution.

KW/ST aren't bad, but from the set I owned, the fixed high speed compression/rebound vs. the adjustable low speed on the V3's was a total time waste.

What's craziest about those 11.0 at 122-123 runs are that the car didn't have headers on it. It's a CAI, ported stock throttle body, ported stock intake manifold and a tune. The guy gained 40rwhp from those mods. Cost less than $1,000 in parts.

[DocWalt]

Originally Posted by DaveSTi

Yeah, dropping the car off at the dealership is always a pain in the ass. Too much to deal with.

Sounds like the car was designed for the street but marketed for the track. That setup sounds underwhelming for a track car and i'm sorry that you're having these issues. They did a great job of convincing people this was the real deal.

Oh no...the ones I got from Tire Rack still have yet to work right...I gotta go to the dealer (once again a pain in the ass) to get the car to learn the new sensors. What a waste of money ($80 each). I just clear the light on startup and ignore it.

Those sound like the bargain rate Tennecos. I don't know if you're a Bilstein fan or not, but they are releasing shock upgrades for the R that work within the same design parameters as the Tenneco setup. Fingers crossed that they offer something for the RS, that way it would be a complete plug and play solution.

KW/ST aren't bad, but from the set I owned, the fixed high speed compression/rebound vs. the adjustable low speed on the V3's was a total time waste.

What's craziest about those 11.0 at 122-123 runs are that the car didn't have headers on it. It's a CAI, ported stock throttle body, ported stock intake manifold and a tune. The guy gained 40rwhp from those mods. Cost less than $1,000 in parts.

To be fair, it's a stock car and the setup is very usable. Just not ideal for track use...

The TPMS from Tire Rack at least "just work" so that's nice. Not like the BRZ that needed reprogrammed at the dealer, at least... but no individual pressures which is BS lol

I like Bilstein, I hope they come out with something for the RS. The Tenneco stuff is worthless, though they really advertise it as being great, of course. I have a buddy that works for Tenneco (in the States though) and I'd never knowingly buy a Tenneco product based on the stuff he tells me, lol

My V1s on my GTI are "meh" in my opinion. Great on the street, too soft for track/autocross use and oddly, they oscillate really badly on certain surfaces. Like it hits the high speed valving at too low of a force/speed and just drops into the travel, bounces off the bump stop, then repeat. Never felt anything like it before... Rarely happened but it shouldn't happen on a smooth surface.

Wow, that's wild... RS can't do that with $1k of parts, haha. I wonder if a GT350 could... I know they gain ~80whp from headers/tune, but IIRC that's more like $2-3k

On that note, looking into tuning "normal" American cars out of curiosity... What a gigantic cluster****. Not one decent tuning tool on the market, they all have some ridiculous flaw.

[DaveSTi]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

To be fair, it's a stock car and the setup is very usable. Just not ideal for track use...

Unacceptable!

The TPMS from Tire Rack at least "just work" so that's nice. Not like the BRZ that needed reprogrammed at the dealer, at least... but no individual pressures which is BS lol

haha that's exactly what i have to do with the SS. Dealership.

I like Bilstein, I hope they come out with something for the RS. The Tenneco stuff is worthless, though they really advertise it as being great, of course. I have a buddy that works for Tenneco (in the States though) and I'd never knowingly buy a Tenneco product based on the stuff he tells me, lol

My V1s on my GTI are "meh" in my opinion. Great on the street, too soft for track/autocross use and oddly, they oscillate really badly on certain surfaces. Like it hits the high speed valving at too low of a force/speed and just drops into the travel, bounces off the bump stop, then repeat. Never felt anything like it before... Rarely happened but it shouldn't happen on a smooth surface.

Good to know about Tenneco. They're used on the GTI Clubsport S that set the Nurburbring records, but it's still OEM and i'm sure there's improvement to be had anywhere really.

Glad you said it too. I've been of the opinion that KW/ST stuff is underwhelming for all of the marketing built around it. I'll never forget how often I was out at my STI turning the knobs trying to smooth the low-speed to high speed transition out of the shock. It just didn't work.

Wow, that's wild... RS can't do that with $1k of parts, haha. I wonder if a GT350 could... I know they gain ~80whp from headers/tune, but IIRC that's more like $2-3k

On that note, looking into tuning "normal" American cars out of curiosity... What a gigantic cluster****. Not one decent tuning tool on the market, they all have some ridiculous flaw.

Best performance value for the dollar now that they're capable of handling and not built like a rickshaw. While the M3/M4 are nicer inside, it's now to the point of asking, "is that soft plastic trim worth $40,000?" because the rest is covered in leather and the rattles, etc. just aren't there yet.

[ambitiousCK]

The whole "marketed for track use but doesn't really survive track use" sounds a lot like the C7 Z06s.

[DocWalt]

Originally Posted by DaveSTi

Unacceptable!

haha that's exactly what i have to do with the SS. Dealership.

F'ing stupid in this day and age. I don't know if the manufacturers are afraid of liability or what.

Good to know about Tenneco. They're used on the GTI Clubsport S that set the Nurburbring records, but it's still OEM and i'm sure there's improvement to be had anywhere really.

Oh? hmmmm.... I have to say I'm very disappointed with the dampers on the RS (as said above, and I'm comparing to Ohlins, to be fair, lol) but the actual build quality seems fine. Apparently the RS exhaust system is made by Tenneco too: http://www.focusrs.org/forum/16-focu...ffler-mod.html

Glad you said it too. I've been of the opinion that KW/ST stuff is underwhelming for all of the marketing built around it. I'll never forget how often I was out at my STI turning the knobs trying to smooth the low-speed to high speed transition out of the shock. It just didn't work.

Yeah, not impressed. Does ride pretty nicely, but that transition between low/high speed damping is "meh" at best. Sucks that it was like that on your STI too... I remember your comment about your Evo being "right" out of the box while even with upgrades your STI was never really "right"

You felt how the Ohlins felt at pretty stiff track settings... I wish I had given you a ride on the street with the knobs down to "normal" settings so you could get an idea of the "Jekyll & Hyde" nature of them. They clearly weren't stock as they were a touch harsh on sharp edged bumps all the time, but they were VERY comfy for my haul to Indy & back, and I left them in track settings on the ride back cause I'm lazy (and forgot to adjust them before loading the trunk full of track day crap)

Best performance value for the dollar now that they're capable of handling and not built like a rickshaw. While the M3/M4 are nicer inside, it's now to the point of asking, "is that soft plastic trim worth $40,000?" because the rest is covered in leather and the rattles, etc. just aren't there yet.

I would buy a Mustang GT over a new M3 or M4 any day... but I'd probably buy an M2 over any of them if I could spare the cash

Originally Posted by ambitiousCK

The whole "marketed for track use but doesn't really survive track use" sounds a lot like the C7 Z06s.

To be fair, people are expecting a LOT from both cases. I don't know what a manufacturer considers "ready for track use" but it's clearly not enough.

I consider myself a fairly advanced driver (but still plenty to learn!) and Dave can attest to that but I wasn't pushing the RS extremely hard like I would the BRZ and it was still really at the limits of what it could handle in the 80 degree heat.

There was a new C7Z there and AFAIK it ran fine... it was also stupid fast lol

The other side of the spectrum, two Viper ACRs there... mother of god were they fast... and bulletproof! I saw them come in from sessions and just pull up and park. Never had to inspect the car or do cool down laps or whatever. Insane.

[DaveSTi]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

F'ing stupid in this day and age. I don't know if the manufacturers are afraid of liability or what.

dealers weld a lot of power with the OEMs and will fight for influence and service. it's not customer focused at all.

Oh? hmmmm.... I have to say I'm very disappointed with the dampers on the RS (as said above, and I'm comparing to Ohlins, to be fair, lol) but the actual build quality seems fine. Apparently the RS exhaust system is made by Tenneco too: http://www.focusrs.org/forum/16-focu...ffler-mod.html

Not sure honestly. Haven't ridden in the RS to say much about that set of shocks. Ohlins would make most feel horrible though

Yeah, not impressed. Does ride pretty nicely, but that transition between low/high speed damping is "meh" at best. Sucks that it was like that on your STI too... I remember your comment about your Evo being "right" out of the box while even with upgrades your STI was never really "right"

You felt how the Ohlins felt at pretty stiff track settings... I wish I had given you a ride on the street with the knobs down to "normal" settings so you could get an idea of the "Jekyll & Hyde" nature of them. They clearly weren't stock as they were a touch harsh on sharp edged bumps all the time, but they were VERY comfy for my haul to Indy & back, and I left them in track settings on the ride back cause I'm lazy (and forgot to adjust them before loading the trunk full of track day crap)

Yeah, even with the RCE revalve, the KW's were not that impressive.

The Ohlins are incredible for dual purpose from everyone I've spoken to that has them. Around the track, they were even better. Really amazing tech with the DFV.

I would buy a Mustang GT over a new M3 or M4 any day... but I'd probably buy an M2 over any of them if I could spare the cash

The M2 doesn't excite me at all after having an M235i. Not a fan of modern BMWs. That experience soured me on them. The E46 M3 was the last real good one, IMO.

To be fair, people are expecting a LOT from both cases. I don't know what a manufacturer considers "ready for track use" but it's clearly not enough.

I consider myself a fairly advanced driver (but still plenty to learn!) and Dave can attest to that but I wasn't pushing the RS extremely hard like I would the BRZ and it was still really at the limits of what it could handle in the 80 degree heat.

Marketing....and yes, you're not Randy Pobst, but you're definitely better than the vast majority of drivers that Ford is marketing towards.

There was a new C7Z there and AFAIK it ran fine... it was also stupid fast lol

The other side of the spectrum, two Viper ACRs there... mother of god were they fast... and bulletproof! I saw them come in from sessions and just pull up and park. Never had to inspect the car or do cool down laps or whatever. Insane.

Different league of cars right there

[DocWalt]

Lack of customer focus is what pisses me off the most. The hood repaint went very smoothly... but the "flaking paint" that I have an issue with is overspray... I wet sanded/buffed it a little bit and it's massively improved (blends into the orange peel now haha), but now I need fresh clear bra on that fender.

Why do you say that about BMWs? I agree that the E46 M3 is my favorite, but I've never driven any BMW, and only ridden in a E36 325i with the narrowest Bride seats made, I think, lol.

I haven't gotten around to posting my track pics yet, lol. I have some pics of neat cars.

[DocWalt]

Pic of the leaky transfer case/PTU seal:



My dad picked this up last weekend, I'm excited to try it



Weathertech finally came out with RS specific mats

[DocWalt]

Was out autocrossing someone else's car on the Sunday before VIR. I spotted these guys at my local Wawa, I had to stop and chat. It was a beautiful day and they were out cruising around. Both young guys and they were very friendly and were doing proper things with their cars (maintenance, OEM+ builds, etc)



Road wrap. Bit of a PITA but it worked well enough.





One of two ACRs at the track (taken the night I got there, I went through tech and then spotted this beast):



Hotel overlooking Danville:



Ready for the track:



KTM X-Bow!







This guy was paddocked next to me. He was only a little bit disappointed that I ran faster times than him while he was on his slicks, lol. Similar build to my BRZ, but his was gutted, had the Saero (splitter & SARD wing), and was on slicks.



Proper rotary powered FB, pretty wild!



Diasio with rotary power. This thing was a screamer and it was fast as hell



Crazy old Z







NGP was there with their rig & cars. Trackdaze started as a R32 trackday group and exploded into what they are now





GT3 RS... Yes please



Classic BMW love





This thing (Ex-NASCAR COTF) was a beast. Probably the fastest thing on track and hearing it tear down the back straight was amazing... then hearing the driver bang down through the gears on the brakes? f'ing epic. I'm sure it was a LOT faster than the ARCA car I got to drive in June, and that was a total blast. I can only imagine how much fun this thing is.



New Giulia Quadrifoglio



This Atom was in my run group... He spun off immediately in front of me at one point on the first day (hence the ballerina sticker), at the end of the back straight. I popped over the hill and he was rolling backwards off the track.





K series in the Atom





Rainbows for daze





Snapped this to send to my dad... He had been looking for ages for a Molten Orange ST without sunroof. I was glad I chatted with this guy, it confirmed our suspicions that my dad needed to buy one without a sunroof for helmet clearance.



I honestly don't know how to feel about this color choice... I neglected to snap pics of the other 4 GT4s that were there, lol



Hnnnggggggg!!!



Mid engine crew



Huge amounts of tire rollover on the left front



Oddly, the right rear was the other tire with tons of tire rollover

[DocWalt]

I'll wrap up the track day pics with this pic

[DocWalt]

Some videos from the track, as a spectator

Old Alfa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_MOfgtBMB8

NASCAR Bend:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Xz43ux07wA

Uphill Esses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GNvUOLSjdM

Uphill Esses (longer video):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAAWF8ShBP0

Patriot Course Esses:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vo8XlNZ82pM

[DaveSTi]

Originally Posted by DocWalt

Lack of customer focus is what pisses me off the most. The hood repaint went very smoothly... but the "flaking paint" that I have an issue with is overspray... I wet sanded/buffed it a little bit and it's massively improved (blends into the orange peel now haha), but now I need fresh clear bra on that fender.

Why do you say that about BMWs? I agree that the E46 M3 is my favorite, but I've never driven any BMW, and only ridden in a E36 325i with the narrowest Bride seats made, I think, lol.

I haven't gotten around to posting my track pics yet, lol. I have some pics of neat cars.

2008+ BMW M went with electric steering which started removing the driver from vehicle feedback. The first attempt was on the 2008+ M3, and it was horrible. Worst steering i've ever driven. By my 2015 M235i, they improved it but it was still artificially boosted in sport mode and too sloppy in comfort.

The rest of the car then became too removed from the drive. I'd lean the vehicle into a turn but the car wouldn't respond organically. i don't know how to really describe this, but it felt like every sensation was put through some filter that removed the raw aspects of a sports car.

While it was much closer to the E46 M3 than the e92 was, the M235i was still just not a full on M car. This is just from a vehicle dynamics perspective.

The engine itself was not rev happy, but made huge power. Just on/off throttle...had smooth torque but not an engine I would trust to track for long sessions without overheating or drinking oil.

I dunno...i'm sure someone could argue each of these points, but it really just seemed so artificial of a car...like it was built for someone that wanted the look and features check box, but not the experience.

[DaveSTi]

so.many.things.i.want.to.drive!!!

awesome!!!

[DocWalt]

Originally Posted by DaveSTi

2008+ BMW M went with electric steering which started removing the driver from vehicle feedback. The first attempt was on the 2008+ M3, and it was horrible. Worst steering i've ever driven. By my 2015 M235i, they improved it but it was still artificially boosted in sport mode and too sloppy in comfort.

The rest of the car then became too removed from the drive. I'd lean the vehicle into a turn but the car wouldn't respond organically. i don't know how to really describe this, but it felt like every sensation was put through some filter that removed the raw aspects of a sports car.

While it was much closer to the E46 M3 than the e92 was, the M235i was still just not a full on M car. This is just from a vehicle dynamics perspective.

The engine itself was not rev happy, but made huge power. Just on/off throttle...had smooth torque but not an engine I would trust to track for long sessions without overheating or drinking oil.

I dunno...i'm sure someone could argue each of these points, but it really just seemed so artificial of a car...like it was built for someone that wanted the look and features check box, but not the experience.

Sounds kinda "meh"

I've yet to drive a crappy EPAS system, some that were really vague but at least had some sense of what the car was telling me. The worst offender was a Chrysler 200, but it had no pretensions of being a sporty car, haha

The lack of a "rev-happy" nature is my biggest disappointment with the RS power. It just doesn't rev very high. Makes a ton of low end torque and revs out smoothly, but it's so linear it's pretty un-exciting.

A buddy of mine (that did the clear bra) is potentially buying an E92 M3 and we want to trade off for a short drive, so maybe I'll get to experience that.

Originally Posted by DaveSTi

so.many.things.i.want.to.drive!!!

awesome!!!

Yeah, right? Compared to the collection of cars at Shenandoah my mind was blown, haha

[cavillac95]

holy picture resize batman!

[DocWalt]

Originally Posted by cavillac95

holy picture resize batman!

I knew you were going to complain.

[cavillac95]

dat x bow doe

[rocknrace03]

hmmmm, i may have built that muffler on the atom. Fabspeed used to do them when i was there and had my fair share of the 100 or so that we did

[DocWalt]

Originally Posted by cavillac95

dat x bow doe

Right? I honestly never expected to see one in person... and definitely not at a race track where it belongs.

Originally Posted by rocknrace03

hmmmm, i may have built that muffler on the atom. Fabspeed used to do them when i was there and had my fair share of the 100 or so that we did

Sorry to hear that

I did like the fab work on the Atom and didn't see anything crappy about it. Definitely out of my price range, sadly.

The driver of it was clearly overwhelmed at first (like I said, he spun right in front of me at one point, though it was in a slightly chilly morning session where we had been in a conga line of cars, so cold tires...) but towards the end of the weekend he was moving right along as fast as anyone could expect for a novice group driver.

[DocWalt]

This is the crap I was talking about with the overspray on the passenger fender. Friggin mess...



I added lightness the other day with a carbon fiber license plate frame... and a heavy billet aluminum license plate bracket to replace the cheesy factory plastic one. Bracket: https://yourlittlecncshop.com/produc...nt=24646556481



I've got titanium security screws on the way to replace the crappy looking galvanized screws in there currently.