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I recently changed from a mk1 focus 1.8 tdci to a 1.8 petrol. Intitially I thought it was great, smoother engine, lighter steering and more relaxing. But compared to the diesel its like driving an electric car/milk float, very predictable and quiet but rather boring. I really miss the torque and the turbo on the tdci. A lot of people don't like the noise of diesels at start up but I don't mind it. In fact I think it sounds good - the rumble makes it sound powerful. Anyone else think this?
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You went from diesel to petrol? You have my sympathy. :-)
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Stop being shy with the throttle and, hang on to each gear longer. Stop driving it like a diesel yes you can changeup now but your not even into the powerband yet. Bury the throttle :-)
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I do drive it like a diesel, changing at 2200 - 2500 revs. But even if I take it to say 3800 -4000 revs there isn't that pull, wallop, urge, thrust you get with the diesel. Its a good car and engine, but I'm just comparing it to the diesel. The reason why I changed to petrol was my tdci got nicked otherwise I would have kept it. Also, the petrol version is cheaper to buy and there's no DMF which cost me £1k on my tdci. I worked out that if I do 9000-10000 miles per year it would cost me an extra £500 pa in fuel compared to the tdci, mulitply by 2 years which is the time I expect to keep the car, and I suppose it evens out.
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Know what you mean about the diesel torque. We've had Focuses with both engines, and the 1.6 petrol is feeble even when you give it loads - and then you pay for it with reduced mpg. However, ours was plagued with ignition problems which Ford never resolved in two years, despite replacing every component, hence swapping for a diesel.
I prefer the 1.6 DV6 (DLD?) to the 1.8. Far more efficient, and open to remapping for another 25+ bhp.
Edited by BigJohnD on 09/02/2010 at 03:02
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I quite enjoy driving my wife's petrol Punto 60 after weeks in my Mondeo diesel, it's fun winding the Punto out through the gears, which it seems to thrive on.
Considering it has 43% of the power and under 30% of the torque of the Mondeo, yet carries 65% of the weight, it goes quite well ... especially with my wife at the wheel, she's the Michelle Mouton of Macclesfield :)
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I had one of the first TCI Escorts-the special edition TDX-excellent car;then my local dealer rang up and offered me a deal I could not refuse-paused long enough to ask what colours he had available.Two days later,I was driving a 1.6 Escort.Nice enough car but a lot of my driving at the time was on the A1.Traffic would slow for no obvious reason and then speed up again,in the diesel you just put your foot on the throttle and it went,in the petrol I was having to drop down to third,just to avoid being left behind by the trucks!
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I drive both petrol and diesel cars and my driving suits diesel as I don't rev my petrol excesisvely, I change up early in the interests of economy. However although you miss the torque thump that a diesel delivers at low RPM, revving a petrol engine can be fun and enjoyable. There are situations where I wish I was driving a diesel as opposed to petrol but they come up as and when. Also some of the bigger petrol engines without turbo's (such as BMW 3.0 straight six) are fantastic.
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Ford is going to introduce small turbo petrols soon and I hope they are as good as the 1.4 TSI from VAG: terrific eager little engine and very flexible.
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You should have bought a 2 litre petrol Focus instead of the 1.8. I've had many a diesel Focus driver try to get the better of me in my 2003 2 litre petrol Ghia, but they've yet to succeed.
Edited by L'escargot on 10/02/2010 at 07:37
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They get the better of you in many other ways - winning a dash from the lights is pointless. I've driven a 2.0 petrol focus, just like a 1.8 but much preferred a tdci.
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A lot of people don't like the noise of diesels at start up but I don't mind it. In fact I think it sounds good - the rumble makes it sound powerful.
What about your neighbours, who may not want to be woken up every time you leave your house?
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Its was no where near loud enough to disturb the neighbours. It sounds more like a powerful sports car than a diesel. Its the diesel vans that make loud noises; it sounds like you've never driven a modern diesel.
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As other have said, you are not revving hard enough. Ok the economy will suffer, but it sound much better up around 6000 rpm. Dont worry about over revving it - thats why they have a limiter.
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Thats the point, I don't like reving cars, at least not all the time, only when I need to make a sharp exit/get out of trouble etc. The car is very smooth though, all the the time too. Unlike the tdci where it can sound a bit rough sometimes depending on the weather.
I was thinking of fitting a K&N air filter/induction kit. Would this improve performance, mpg or sound? My brother has one on his clio diesel but apart from a whirring sound there's not any noticeable performance increase. I was told they work better on petrol cars though.
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I was thinking of fitting a K&N air filter/induction kit.
Alternatively: tinyurl.com/be69wa
(Superchips Bluefin)
EDIT: sorry link to Focus 1.8 doesn't work, I think you'll have use the search to find it. Claims 11bhp, for £239.
Edited by Focus {P} on 10/02/2010 at 19:51
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Thanks, but I was only thinking of spending about £60 (what it costs for a K&N induction)
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Thanks but I was only thinking of spending about £60
Ah fair enough. I've been thinking for a while about getting bluefin for my 2.0 Focus (+13bhp)... and that's probably all I'll ever do :-)
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