So I bought the indy r with 223bhp. Which is quick, don’t get me wrong, but i can’t help that feel it could do with a bit more power.
The engine is forged with MK1 focus rs internals.
Garret t3 turbo, ram air intake, air to air intercooler, and soon an oil cooler is being added.
Looking to achieve 280bhp. Thoughts?
The car never breaks traction, Avon zzs tyres. I can tell it will handle more power, and I’m hoping to track it, so want that extra straight line
poke, plus corner exiting power.
Megasquirt 2 ecu.
You say Rs internals. If they are stock Rs bits they are not forged.
That said they are still good.
Gt28, 600cc injectors, tubular manifold and a remap. Then you have try and keep it cool.
Interesting, 280bhp on cast internals? I believe the RS internals are pretty strong…
Spec list of engine etc, is as follows currently. With current power at 223bhp.
Focus RS internals, 2l Zetec engine (900miles since build)
Focus RS pistons
Focus RS rods
Bosch Green 443cc injectors
ARP rod bolts
Raceline baffled sump
Garrot T3 turbo - fully rebuilt, oil and watercooled with custom inline radiator (mounted in side pod)
RWD Motorsport lightened billet flywheel
RWD Motorsport Heavy duty clutch
RWD Motorsport Billet clutch housing
ARP flywheel bolts
Hydraulic clutch conversion
Type 9 gearbox (standard) - strip down and rebuilt in 2019
Custom alloy intercooler (built by Neil Dunne)
Custom alloy plenum (built by Neil Dunne)
Custom alloy inlet ducting
Billet Piston dump valve
Oil cooler with inline thermostat (relocated filter)*
Caterham exhaust/silencer
ECU/TUNE
Megasquart 2 v3 extra (USB/laptop connection)
Professionally configured and tuned at Devil Developments
Full harness rewire
[Edited on 13/6/21 by Zesty]
Nice build. You don’t say what inlet and exhaust manifold your running.
Rs pistons and rods are not forged. Pistons are pressure cast with a fully floating 22mm little end. Again the rods are not forged. This combo has
regularly been pushed to 400bhp where everything is well on the limit including the oil pump. This combo gives you a static Cr of 8:1.
It won’t break a sweat at 300bhp with a better turbo and a little more fuel.
You are braver than me. 
I didn’t like it at 250bhp but that was with old tyres on cold greasy roads.
Mine before I sold it
I’m not sure about the inlet and exhaust manifold, still waiting on a few bits of info from the guy I bought it off.
Sounds very achievable then! Although I’m a bit concerned about the type 9 box? Surely that won’t handle the tourque with 280bhp?
Not for long but it really will depend on how healthy it is to start with and how you drive it. I had an Mt75 on mine but was going to change to a Mazda mx5 n7 for the nicer ratios.
Any pics ?
BGH Type 9 with different ratios ?
First gear in the standard type 9 must be a bit short in this ?
By the way, just been told - Modified focus exhaust manifold and custom plenum.
Yeah gear ratios aren’t great!
There isn’t a lot of room, so I’m unsure what gearboxes actually fit. Rx8?
Seems if defo need a new turbo, the t3 is maxed out at the mo I believe.
How do you put pics on here?
[Edited on 13/6/21 by Zesty]
My exhaust manifold is a modified focus one. I’ve done half a dozen. They have been proven to 300bhp and the small primaries should help it spool.
So you probably have a t3 from an old Rs escort or fiesta ? That will be your current limitation.
Pics you can make them pretty small and stick them in your archive if it’s working or host them externally and link to them.
Yep that’s the t3 from an escort rs.
So turbo is the big one then…
What about intercooler size? I’ll try and get some pics up!
Right, I’ve got a photo in the archive, how do I get it on this thread?!
[Edited on 13/6/21 by Zesty]
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I can’t claim to be an expert. But cooling is the hard part in these. What’s your charge temps like at the moment ?
But the turbo is your first stop.
I’ve no idea on charge temps!
I do know the turbo has its own little rad which is water cooled.
Before you do to much I would do some diagnostics. I would want to know charge temps, Afr's and everything else. Your charge pipes look fairly
skinny and the intercooler looks fairly small.
But a more efficient turbo might give more power at a lower level of boost and less heat.
I’ll have my mate at mountune take a good look and give me some options!
Don’t really want to spend too much, but we’ll see…
I'd suggest that if you're planning on track use that you do so before you go any further.
Find out it's existing weak spots, deal with those whatever they may be and then add more grunt once you know it's basic reliability,
handling, gearing and especially cooling are there or thereabouts.
quote:
Originally posted by Zesty
Don’t really want to spend too much, but we’ll see…
quote:
Originally posted by Zesty
Sounds very achievable then! Although I’m a bit concerned about the type 9 box? Surely that won’t handle the tourque with 280bhp?
quote:
Originally posted by Charlie_Zetec
quote:
Originally posted by Zesty
Sounds very achievable then! Although I’m a bit concerned about the type 9 box? Surely that won’t handle the tourque with 280bhp?
You're right, the T9 in standard guise won't last too long at the sort of power you're looking to run. I've had a Quaife straight cut internal T9, and was told it should reliably take up to the 300bhp mark, but after that was probably pushing it. Probably all depends on how hard you drive the car as well!
The inlet plenum look s nice as well, but I thought it was desirable to have a greater volume in it (dredging my brain for where i read that a while back)? Hence why the spacers and bigger chambers for the traditional GTiR plenums were made? Could be wrong, and stand to be proven so, just a little gremlin making me think....
EDIT - or maybe it was to do with internal trumpet length when fitted onto ITB's rather than using a single T/B? Someone must know, it's bugging me now and I can't find the article! :S
We probably need a few more specifics about your setup:
How much boost are you running at the moment? More boost = more power (up to a point).
What are the intake air temperatures at full boost?
I'd also want to log a couple of wide open throttle runs as it is at the moment using a wideband lambda to ensure that the AFRs are ok
What duty cycle are the injectors running at?
Can you post a copy of the map, or at least the VE table and spark tables?
I suggest doing some datalogging on the Megasquirt and posting up the results before changing anything. You may have a wideband sensor fitted already,
have a look - that would be very helpful to you.
If the turbo is maxed out (and a little baby T3 off an escort rs turbo may well be), then it's time for a bigger and more modern turbo. GT28
should do the trick for 280bhp, or a big TD04 (that's what I'm using) or TD05.
Be warned, from personal experience you can get too carried away chasing power, and when you have more power that leaves you chasing round a never
ending circle of weak points on the car. e.g. keeping it cool (easy on road, much harder on track when you are beating on it), needing better brakes
due to the added power / speed cooking them on track, gearbox needing upgrades to cope with the extra torque, propshaft UJs failing, diff mounts
needing strengthening, and an array of heatshielding solutions to prevent the extra underbonnet heat melting things or setting them on fire. Those are
just a few of the issues I've had to deal with, and I started pretty much exactly where you are now! I've enjoyed the journey, but I love
tinkering and fabricating things myself. If I'd paid others to do the work it'd have cost me a fortune.
I think it’s around 10psi, but I don’t think there is much more puff from the t3!
Will post a pic of the dyno run from the previous owner later..