Ford is currently one of the most popular car companies in the British Isles, having dominated official top-selling car lists for decades. In fact, Ford has dominated the top spot for the last thirty-nine years, with no exceptions.

The Ford Fiesta is currently Ford’s crowning triumph, having been the top-selling car in the UK for the last four years – pushing another Ford offering from the 2008 top place, the Ford Focus. Conversely, the Ford Focus stood strong at the top place for ten years previously.

While Ford cars have clearly proved their popularity, many Ford owners choose to fine-tune some of the best aspects of their car by making certain modifications – whether that be a matter of aesthetics, or concerning performance.

While every car on the road is designed to certain power and design specifications, many motorists chose to fine tune their vehicles to get the bit more out of them. However, if you’ve not had a car tuned before, it’s important to get a full understanding of what it entails before making your decisions.

What is car tuning?

On the whole, modifications and tuning to a car can be put into two distinct categories:

• Performance alterations – this concerns the engine and performance-related aspects of the car such as exhaust, filters and engine tuning. It also applies to any modifications to improve the handling of the car, such as suspension tuning.
• Aesthetic alterations – any modification which is intended to increase the visual appeal of the car, such as the addition of spoilers, body kits or wheel rims.

Should I tune my Ford?

It’s always a good idea to have your car serviced before considering tuning. This will ascertain whether your vehicle is already running to a good standard, and prevent any problems later on. It’s not a good idea to waste money on tuning when your car engine has already had its day.

Engine Tuning

It’s easy to get caught up in the idea that horsepower is a priority. To get the best out of tuning, assessing the engine on a whole is the better option, and will result in a better car. Take into account what you use your car for; a higher horsepower car is not much use when it’s only used for the daily commute.

It’s important to note that by increasing the power of an engine, additional strain is put onto the engine itself. Engine tuning can often require a full dismantling and modification of components, often by lightening and balancing the weight of the parts.

Aesthetic modifications

While they are often seen as extravagant additions to cars, there are benefits to fitting a spoiler to a car. Aside from the look, it modifies the aerodynamic properties of a vehicle, allowing it to provide additional down-force on the rear axle at higher speeds. This provides added traction and can enable drivers to brake and turn easier. As a result, they are employed on race cars.

Despite the fact that they may be aesthetically pleasing, the kind of speeds at which a spoiler becomes useful are not legal on the road – so think very hard before getting on fitted to your Ford, especially if you have a smaller make such as a Fiesta.

Many drivers choose to go for body modifications and decals – these do not necessarily affect the performance of your Ford, regardless of the model you go for.

What are the most popular car modifications?

Most Ford owners choose to look at the engine first and foremost. Certain changes to various parts can increase torque or horsepower – but it’s important to remember that any unnecessary changes could leave you out of pocket.

Other popular performance mods include air intake systems, which allow the engine to intake addition oxygen for fuel combustion without running the usual risk of anything else getting into the engine.

Does it cost more to insure a modified car?

Check with your insurer for exact costs that may apply to modifications. It’s worth noting that most insurance companies see the latter sorts of modifications as making your car more attractive to thieves.

It may be tempting to keep modifications to your Ford quiet, but regardless of the nature or size of them it’s better for you to declare them. Insurance companies can void your insurance should an undeclared modification be discovered. In fact, even manufacturer-fitted parts need to be declared for this very reason.

Modifications and your current insurance

At all times, any car modifications you make should be declared to your car insurance company. It’s a good idea to check with your car insurance provider what tuning you are planning before going ahead with it to ensure you understand the potential costs.

As far as changes in your premium goes, quotes can differ hugely from insurer to insurer, and depending on the modifications you want to make.

What happens if there’s a claim?

Unless you take out insurance with a company which specialises in modified cars, you’re likely to get an unpleasant surprise in the case of a claim.

In an accident, or if a modified part simply stops working, a non-specialised car insurance company will not necessarily cover you for the cost of the broken part. Instead, the part which was issued originally as standard with the car will be replaced.

Does my location affect the difference?

Car insurance is affected by the immediate locality, but in any case regional insurers often have their own basic prices when it comes to modified cars.

In Ireland, for example, Irish insurers 123.ie require modifications to be declared before a policy begins, and when any modifications are made throughout the policy duration

Equally, in Wales, Quinn Direct suggests that modifications such as cosmetic alterations may not actually affect the price of a premium. It is in fact the performance alterations that can increase or decrease the price of insurance – and providing incorrect information regarding this will render the policy invalid. They also suggest all modifications are completed in a professional garage and a valid MOT for the car in question.

English customers who go to Direct Line are strongly discouraged from customising their cars. In fact, they suggest that aesthetic modifications can reduce your car’s value. They strongly advise calling the insurers before considering alterations to discuss any changes to the cost of a premium.

Finally, Insure Scotland request that you declare any modifications to a car before applying for insurance. . Wherever you happen to be in the British Isles, it’s paramount to check up on the insurance changes before tuning your Ford.

Making the right changes to your trusty Ford can really add something to your vehicle. Whether you’ve got a humble Fiesta or a mighty C-Max, getting the most out of your Ford with some great mods can make you the envy of your peers.

KW automotive Ford Mk2 Focus RS Coilovers

Ford’s Mk2 Focus RS is the ultimate hot hatch – huge performance, aggressive styling and a price that doesn’t break the bank.

Producing over 300bhp and 300lb-ft from a 5-cylinder turbocharged engine, it’s also one of the fastest Fords ever produced with a top speed approaching 160mph.

However, with all that power going through the front wheels the handling is seriously compromised in standard trim, and that’s without any additional engine tuning.

Well, worry no more. KW automotive has just announced the Clubsport coilover system for the Mk2 Ford Focus RS and RS500 models.

Developed specifically for those customers who demand a better handling car for track day driving, KW’s Clubsport has been designed in such a way that allows the car to be used in an everyday manor too – perfect for driving to and from a track.

Featuring adjustable rebound and compression damping, the Clubsport can be setup according to the vehicle load, tire characteristics and weather conditions with ease.

In addition to this, KW offers the Clubsport with adjustable aluminium top mounts allowing the suspension geometry to be fine-tuned even further.

Price £2016

For more info see KW automotive

SEE MORE KW Suspension

Want to get your hands on some revolutionary Millers Nanodrive oil which saw gains of over 20bhp in recent tests? Well lucky for you we’re giving some away!

You have the chance to win one of five 5-litre packs, and all you have to do is enter our Millers Oil Competition by hitting the below button and answer the simple question.

 To enter the competition simply click here

]]> http://www.fastfordmag.co.uk/2012/08/06/millers-competition/feed/ 0 http://www.fastfordmag.co.uk/2012/06/20/august-2012-issue/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=august-2012-issue http://www.fastfordmag.co.uk/2012/06/20/august-2012-issue/#comments Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:47:56 +0000 Craig Stewart http://www.fastfordmag.co.uk/?p=27074 The August issue of Fast Ford magazine is in a shop near you now!

Here’s what you’ll find in our August 2012 issue, on sale from today, Thursday 21 June…

Our cover car this month is a superb Sierra Cosworth in unfamiliar Flame Red.

Battleship looks and solid spec equals one desirable Focus RS.

We report from the brilliant Fiesta in the Park.

The final episode of Ade‘s epic slide-ways journey!

And we have a superbly lairy Mk2 Fez Zetec Turbo.

PLUS…

* Mk2 Focus RS with all the Mountune you can throw at it!

* Get £50 off your insurance with Adrian Flux!

* Plus we give you 26 tips how to lower your insurance premium!

* We head to the Ford RS.S.ST Owners Club NE Day!

* We explain how to fit a Mk7 Fiesta big brake kit!

* We put toolkits through their paces in our new product test feature!

* We answer all your tech queries!

* We give you all the latest tuning info about the Duratec engine!

* Find out how our project cars are getting on!

All this and much, much more in your Fast Ford August 2012 issue – in the shops now!

Too lazy to go out to a shop? Why not download it to your iPhone or iPad via the Apple Newsstand? Click here to download our free app so you can buy the digital version of the latest issue! www.fastfordmag.co.uk/newsstand

You don’t have to wait till it’s in the shops… SUBSCRIBE NOW to get Fast Ford delivered to your door! Click here to take advantage of our latest offer and to view our overseas prices.

-

Fancy getting your mitts on one of this year’s hottest new products for free? Well you are in the right place, as we are giving away some Shield for Wheels – the very latest high-tech wheelcare wonder from Armor All.

Just spray it on clean, dry wheels, and walk away. Once dry, it creates an invisible shield against brake dust and everyday grime, making wheel-cleaning a doddle next time round. Simple.

And it can last for up to four weeks between applications! Damn it must be good, as they even offer a money-back guarantee. Beat that!

We’ve got 12 bottles of Armor All Shield for Wheels to give away. All you have to do to enter is our Armor All competition and answer a simple question (make sure you watch the below video for the answer).

For the full Armor All car care range

We’ve done a fair bit to the little Mk7 now, but so far it’s all been performance enhancements that nobody can see. From the outside it still looked like a standard model. So to beef things up a bit the obvious starting point was to change the stock wheels for something a bit more stylish.

As we all know rim choice can make or break a car. It may be the best thing in the world, but bolt on the wrong wheels and it will just look hideous. To ensure we chose well we all sat down and had a quick look through what wheels were available for the Mk7 Fiesta and decided on what we thought would look best.

There was a resounding ‘winner’ from our selection with all our votes falling in favour of the Speedline Corse. Its subtle-yet-stylish multispoke design means the car no longer looks like a factory example, but it’s not something that is so garish it looks quite obviously ‘aftermarket’.

To the untrained eye the Speedlines look like they could well be a standard OEM wheel, which was exactly the understated look we were aiming for. Plus the Speedlines are considerably lighter than the chunky standard alloys too, all of which helps reduce weight and improve performance. Billy bonus!

Before we could get them fitted and see what they would actually look like on the car we needed to get them wrapped in some rubber. And as the Mk7 is used everyday to cart us and all our gear all across the country to shows, events, and photoshoots, we needed a set of tyres that would offer great performance in both wet and dry conditions, and wouldn’t wear out after a few hundred miles.

While we’d love the unrivalled grip and dry weather performance a semi-slick trackday tyre would offer, they wouldn’t be much fun in the wintery weather, and we couldn’t justify to the suits why we needed a new set every month (it gets used quite hard, quite frequently). The answer was a set of Pirelli P Zeros. We’ve heard nothing but good things from all those who have tried them, so naturally we wanted to find out for ourselves what all the fuss was about.

So with a boot full of wheels and tyres we trundled off to the workshop and employed the help of Matt the mechanic to fit the new tyres to the rims before bolting everything onto the car. With the new wheels and tyres fitted it was easy to see that we’d made the right choice. They sit well in the arches (especially after the car has been lowered) and compliment the Fiesta’s design. They look much tougher than the standard wheels but are subtle and sleek enough to look like they could have been fitted as a factory optional extra.

The rubber performs admirably too. With the traditional British summer throwing a mixture of wet, slippery roads one day, and bone-dry grippy Tarmac the next it’s fair to say that we’ve already given the tyres quite a thorough test, and they have passed it with flying colours. In the dry they grip well and inspire confidence through the corners, but the improvement over the tyres previously fitted is really notable on wet roads.

Whereas before the car would understeer and feel quite nervous if you pushed hard, with the P Zeros fitted the boundary at which that starts to happen has been pushed up a notch, and you can push much harder before the grip lets go. They say that the right tyre choice can make a massive difference between going fast or slow, and at the risk of sounding like a disgruntled racing driver, the saying is actually quite true.

We’ll keep you up to speed with how the wheels and tyres are behaving when we get some miles under our belt and try them out in yet more conditions, but until then we’re hoping to get some cosmetic tweaks done to the Mk7 to make it stand out from the rest – but more on that next time…

Missed an issue? Why not download it to your iPhone or iPad via the Apple Newsstand? Click here to download our free app so you can buy the digital version of the latest issue! www.fastfordmag.co.uk/newsstand

Don’t miss out on our latest Staff Car updates! SUBSCRIBE NOW to get Fast Ford delivered to your door! Click here to take advantage of our latest offer and to view our overseas prices.

-

This is a superb result considering that the Acropolis is notorious as a car wrecker, and was only the second round of Louise’s WRC career.

British Female Rally Champion Cookie and her team knew that getting the showroom class Fiesta ST to the finish line was going to be tough, but to come away from the event 29th overall from 54 starters will be heartening.

Louise’s strategy for the Acropolis Rally was to see as many stages as possible, gain on her limited mileage and experience and to absorb the most that was possible from the event – and finishing would be a bonus.

“This season is about learning for me, learning the events, learning to write good pace notes for these stages and gradually improving in small steps to where I want to be,” says Louise.

“It was really difficult to get the right balance,” she adds. “I just wanted to go flat out, but I knew if I sacrificed seeing the stages for extra speed and fun on one stage, I would miss out on vital experience the Acropolis Rally had to give. If the car is on the trailer, I would learn nothing.”

The rally was made even tougher on the 170km Day 2, when Louise’s co-driver, Stefan, had food poisoning in the morning and was vomiting most of the way to the first stage.

“I had to stop a few times on the way while he did his bit to make the car lighter!” laughs Louise. “He did well to carry on.”

Day 3 on Saturday was full of the roughest stages of the rally, and Louise was lying in an amazing 5th place in the Production World Rally Championship despite being against superior machinery – Louise’s tactics were paying off.

Despite retiring during the day due to sensor plug failure, Louise just had to finish the final day to be classified. She dropped to 8th place after the previous day’s retirement but an overnight retirement of fellow PWRC competitor, Ligato in his Subaru Impreza, meant Louise would start the day in 7th. Louise focused on getting the car to the finish to claim maximum points.

The retirement of Mitsubishi Evo X driver Fuchs on the final day meant Louise gained an extra 2 points for her PWRC position, reinforcing her strategy to go safe and bring the car home.

“To be 6th in the Production World Rally Championship in a rally like this was something I never imagined, I was convinced that the Fiesta would not sustain the impacts the rally had to offer,” she said. “It would be great to return next year with a stronger car.”

Louise now looks on to the long haul to Rally New Zealand in less than a month where she will take the wheel of a rented Fiesta ST to gain experience of the cambered New Zealand roads.

Louise needs to raise £10k to compete at the next round in New Zealand – if you want to sponsor her or find out more, visit:

Website: www.cutecookie.co.uk
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LouiseCookBritishRallyDriver
Twitter: www.twitter.com/RallyWithCookie
YouTube: www.toughcookie.tv

Too lazy to go out to a shop? Why not download it to your iPhone or iPad via the Apple Newsstand? Click here to download our free app so you can buy the digital version of the latest issue! www.fastfordmag.co.uk/newsstand

You don’t have to wait till it’s in the shops… SUBSCRIBE NOW to get Fast Ford delivered to your door! Click here to take advantage of our latest offer and to view our overseas prices.

-

Right – the Focus’s little problems are fixed; it’s looking pretty good; it’s Koni-sprung and ITG-filtered; and it’s got fresh tax and ticket. Time to power-up the blackstuff burner, and in a modern common-rail turbodiesel that means a remap.

But with so many TDCi remappers out there, how do you choose which one to trust your ECU to? You’d probably suggest a serious bit of research – trawl the forums, speak to mates, get tips from tuners… Well, I turned to Facebook. A company called CG Remaps started ‘following’ the Fast Ford Facebook page, and I was intrigued enough to pay a visit to their website then get in contact with the main man, Chris Greenwood.

His mobile remapping company is fresh on the scene but he is an Elite Remaps agent so any fears of a new tuner using a ZX Spectrum were immediately washed away. Chris was extremely enthusiastic about how positively the Ford TDCi reacts to a new map, and he was friendly and knowledgeable, so I got him to book me in.

There’s no point in doing a remap without knowing what the before-and-after power and torque figures are, so I also arranged some time on the Powerstation‘s rolling road. The Tewkesbury-based dyno and tuning business was ideally situated between Fast Ford Towers and CG Remaps‘ home in the West Midlands, so I shot up the M5 to meet Chris there and see what he had to say.

I was to get a surprise when Powerstation‘s Andy Cookson strapped the Focus to the rollers – 127bhp before any laptops had been attached to the OBD port… The 1.8-litre TDCi rolled off the production line with 115bhp! The engine’s been feeling a little more lively since its ITG air filter was fitted, but an extra 12bhp from a replacement panel filter? Unlikely.

Despite the bewildering bonus bhp, I was still keen for more horses so Chris whipped out his laptop and did his stuff, then asked if I’d like an economy map, a mix of power and economy, or a power map. After exactly zero seconds thinking time, I answered: “Power, please”.

An hour or so later, and it was ready to be dyno’d again: 144bhp and a monster 332Nm of torque – 22Nm more than a standard Mk1 Focus RS. That’ll do nicely! The Powerstation graphs show that the increases are more than just about the swollen figures though. The torque curve is much steeper than pre-remap and reaches its peak lower down the rev range – and this is borne out in the way it drives.

For a turbodiesel, it is fairly aggressive in low-gear acceleration and the already pretty impressive mid-range surge is much improved. Plus it is still returning over 40mpg (prior to the remap it was giving around 42-45mpg) and that is while making decent use of the new power… it’s a no-lose situation! Chris promised that the car would feel like it’s had a dose of steroids, and I get his point!

But I’m never happy, and the next stage for the Sport is a sports exhaust to open up the engine’s breathing that bit more – and so that I can lose the droopy-dick diesel-spec tailpipe! The spanking new Koni suspension kit has also amplified how tired the bushes are on the Focus so I’ll get some polybushes, and I also need to replace the old-school six-disc headunit with a modern iPhone-compatible one. I’ve been reading about the new second-generation DAB headunits recently, time to investigate them further…

Missed an issue? Why not download it to your iPhone or iPad via the Apple Newsstand? Click here to download our free app so you can buy the digital version of the latest issue! www.fastfordmag.co.uk/newsstand

Don’t miss out on our latest Staff Car updates! SUBSCRIBE NOW to get Fast Ford delivered to your door! Click here to take advantage of our latest offer and to view our overseas prices.

-

Here’s what you’ll find in our July 2012 issue, on sale now…

Our cover car this month is a wild big-bhp EsCos with all the big boys’ toys!

Owned by a valeter, so this Fiesta RS Turbo is clean – it also has all the right bits.

Cossie looks, 24-valve turbo V6… We like this street-storming Saph a lot.

We take our FZS to Totally Dynamic to get wrapped, and pick up a few tips to pass on to you.

PLUS…

* FREE Burton Power catalogue!

* We report from RS Central Day, the unofficial start of the show season (woohoo!).

* A 400bhp, graphic’d Mk2 Focus RS hits the Tarmac!

* We head to the Collins Performance Open Day!

* We explain how to fit a Focus ST induction kit!

* There’s a big-spec Mk1 Focus RS with purple wheels!

* We answer all your tech queries!

* We give you all the latest tuning info about the Zetec Turbo engine!

* We chart the history of one of the greatest Fords of all – the RS500!

* Find out how our project cars are getting on!

All this and much, much more in your Fast Ford July 2012 issue – in the shops now!

Too lazy to go out to a shop? Why not download it to your iPhone or iPad via the Apple Newsstand? Click here to download our free app so you can buy the digital version of the latest issue! www.fastfordmag.co.uk/newsstand

You don’t have to wait till it’s in the shops… SUBSCRIBE NOW to get Fast Ford delivered to your door! Click here to take advantage of our latest offer and to view our overseas prices.

-

With the £100 tankful upon us, the latest petrol and diesel fuel additives from long-time engine care experts STP, are a timely tonic to Britain’s besieged motorists, with the onus on generating better fuel consumption from performance cars.

The faster-acting formulations of STP’s new and improved petrol and diesel fuel additives, on sale now from the nation’s forecourts and accessory shops, are more capable than ever of improving fuel consumption, boosting engine efficiency and helping to reduce engine emissions.

When added to a tankful of petrol or diesel, the highly-concentrated STP formulations dissolve carbon deposits from the combustion and fuel delivery system. These build-up in engines of all ages during everyday driving conditions and are the culprits of fuel wastage, loss of power, and a steady reduction in engine efficiency.

Handily-packed in new 200ml bottles, with a long and narrow spout for easy pouring into a tankful of fuel, STP’s newly-formulated range includes a brace of new restorative additives, Petrol Injector Cleaner and Diesel Injector Cleaner (£5.49), and two preventative formulations designed to maintain engine efficiency – Petrol Treatment and Diesel Treatment (£3.99).

For best results, STP advises one application of Petrol Treatment or Diesel Treatment every 1000 miles or 1250 miles, respectively. In the case of Petrol Injector Cleaner and Diesel Injector Cleaner – formulated for engines that have not been regularly treated – the recommended application is lengthened to every 3000 miles.

All STP additives are backed with exhaustive research that proves their benefits of usage, and are suitable for all classic and modern engines, including those with catalytic converters.

STP’s latest fuel additives and engine care products are widely available from forecourts, major stores including Halfords, and motoring accessory shops nationwide.