More details on the Ford Focus RS
30 Jan 2009|9,180 views
Six years have passed since the last Ford RS - the Mk1 Focus RS - finished its strictly limited production run. Now the famous badge has returned for its league of devoted fans and a new generation of performance car enthusiasts.
RS - A Significant Event
This new Focus RS is the product of Ford Team RS, headed by Jost Capito, a committed car enthusiast and racer. Alongside Capito is a small team of dedicated performance car and motorsport engineering specialists, led by Chief Programme Engineer, John Wheeler, whose own expertise stretches over 20 years of Ford performance and motorsport vehicles.
From early in its development programme, the team set a target to create a car with the poise, power and to be a benchmark for performance and value for money.
Their result is a car capable of lapping the legendary 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife repeatedly at speed and equally adept at cruising home afterwards.
Power Generator
The 2.5-litre Focus RS engine shares its fundamental structure with that of Focus ST, but there the similarities end there.
The objective was increasing power and torque without affecting durability. To meet that, multiple detail changes were made to the powertrain including a revised cylinder head gasket, ultra-durable metal sprayed cylinder bores, revised pistons and a bespoke camshaft profile and connecting rods, allowing bigger small end bearings.
However, the most obvious changes are the new intake system, exhaust manifold and turbocharger. The larger Borg Warner K16 turbo fitted to Focus RS offers a maximum steady state boost pressure of 1.4 bar - double that of Focus ST's 0.7 bar - to generate the car's 35 per cent power increase.
Focus RS needed its own, more aggressive performance character so engineers also modified the torque 'ramp-up', to enhance performance feel when on boost. With the turbo spinning, power arrives quickly. The 300 hp peak is reached at 6,500 rpm and holds until the 7,050 rpm redline, to allow full use of the top of the power band. After three seconds at this redline, the engine management system recognises no gear shift and then limits revs to the car's maximum continuous running rpm of 6,500.
The result is a car capable of 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 263 km/h.
Differential Difference
Putting the torque on the road is aided by a Quaife helical limited slip differential. The Quaife differential was first developed for the original, five-speed Focus RS in 2002, but revised and improved by Ford Team RS for the new, six-speed Focus RS. Today, it features a sixth planet gear and has been revised for increased strength and a more subtle intervention and torque transfer.
Computer-aided engineering drove the design of the differential, identifying the potential areas for increased strength. This was aided by measuring rig work and whole vehicle development, with particular attention to refining performance plots for the differential's torque bias function, to maximise dynamic performance.
 |
Creating a high-performance version of the Duratec 2.5-litre with this level of power also required significant attention to its cooling ability. The cooling strategy was two-fold:
1. Create a cooling pack that met the high performance requirements of Focus RS and;
2. Match this to a comprehensive aero pack that delivered the required volume of cooling air to the system.
Around 80 percent of the external cooling for Focus RS comes through the car's lower front grille aperture and its precise size, shape and mesh density were a critical part of the Aerodynamics team's work.
The lower front aperture is approximately 30 per cent larger than that of Focus ST and none of the cooling air it collects is allowed to escape, thanks to carefully designed ducting. A new, 25 per cent larger capacity radiator keeps engine coolant and engine oil temperatures under control, even in the most committed performance driving, in combination with a larger, 14-plate, engine-mounted, water-cooled oil cooler.
The final part of the engine cooling picture is Focus RS' signature bonnet louvers.
Testing of the cooling pack took place around the world, to find the broad range of required conditions, including Arizona, Southern Italy, the Austrian Alps and a variety of European race circuits.
RS Breathing
The new intake system for Focus RS includes a new body-mounted airbox with a low-loss, cylindrical filter, revised turbo ducting, a modified hot charge duct, high-efficiency intercooler and new cold charge duct. The airbox also has a unique, double intake entry system to reduce induction losses further.
Intercooling is critical in high-performance engines and the Focus RS intercooler system is new, larger and specially developed for the car. It is capable of reducing air temperatures from 160 degrees Celsius at the compressor, to a maximum of 60 degrees Celsius at the intercooler outlet, in ambient temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius.
RS Exhaust
The sports exhaust system is also unique to Focus RS. It uses a one-brick catalyst to enhance flow and reduce exhaust back-pressure, whilst meeting current exhaust emissions requirements. The design of the turbo and manifold allows Focus RS to use ST's exhaust geometry, downpipe and flex, with revised hangers to accommodate the car's 20 mm lower sub-frame.
The exhaust system also features a modified mid-section, with a revised, 4.2-litre mid-muffler, fitted around Focus RS' larger, 62-litre fuel tank (up from 55 litres in Focus ST). At the rear, a modified muffler uses two larger, 100 mm-diameter, 'trumpet' tailpipes to further reduce pressure losses.
The entire system has been tuned to provide a sporty sound. Team RS engineers knew well that, for Focus RS customers, how the exhaust system sounds is as important as how it looks or performs. Every Focus RS customer wants their car to sound 'right' and creating an induction and exhaust sound to fit the image and character of Focus RS was another critical aspect of its powertrain development.
Focus RS employs a 'sound symposer' system, to amplify selected engine frequencies and convey pleasing engine sounds into the cabin, contributing to that all-important RS performance environment. As in all aspects of the engine, the symposer system has been adapted and tuned to fit the character of the vehicle, giving a raw, motorsport edge not present on Focus ST.
Stopping Power
Large 336 mm x 30 mm, ventilated front discs are gripped by stiffer, single 60 mm piston calipers, supported by 302 mm x 11 mm rear discs. Focus RS also boasts unique high-friction brake material and a tandem brake booster, all combining to generate up to 1.2 g under braking and give Focus RS a stopping distance of just 34.8 metres from 100 km/h.
Anti-lock braking with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) is standard, as is Ford's Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), here tuned specifically for the car, to allow a high level of sporty driving before intervening.
The ESP system can be deactivated for circuit driving.
Stable High-Performance Set-Up
|
At each corner, Focus RS is set up with stiffer springs and higher spring rates, with rear spring rates increased 40 percent, versus Focus ST. These are matched to thicker and longer, 24 mm anti-roll bars, aiding stability and mechanical grip.
Front and rear track width has been increased by 40 mm versus Focus ST, with the resulting wider wheel offset and increased overall vehicle footprint sharpening handling and improving stability. At the same time, the front sub-frame has been lowered 20 mm, giving a low roll centre height.
The highly acclaimed Focus independent rear suspension has been refined to reflect the RS' high performance intent, particularly in managing higher lateral acceleration. This is achieved through a rigid, cast suspension knuckle and larger rear wheel bearings, the combination of which improves stiffness significantly, creating the low rear suspension camber compliance critical to a responsive high-performance car.
The rear anti-roll bar has also been modified to control immediate roll, heightening vehicle stability and maintaining a fun-to-drive character. The Dynamics team studied and developed further the 'elastokinematics' of the Focus rear suspension, generating a more direct build-up of cornering forces through reduced lateral compliance, for a more immediate and linear steering response.
The car's 19-inch alloy wheels are thus wrapped in 235/35/R19 bespoke Continental tyres with a special, Focus RS-specific compound, giving superior road contact and huge lateral grip.
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics also played a part in the Dynamics team's work. The target for high speed stability of a performance car is to position the aerodynamic centre of pressure at a controlled point behind the centre of gravity.
In Focus RS, the starting point was the standard Focus shape, crafted to generate moderate front end and rear end lift at higher speeds. The challenge was to transform this lift into downforce and bring the aerodynamic centre of pressure forward, without undue sacrifice to the drag coefficient and top speed.
Extensive wind-tunnel testing was conducted to refine aerodynamic performance, with a target of delivering about 40 points of downforce at the front and 10 points at the rear. The resulting aerodynamic elements for Focus RS achieve these targets, creating 26 per cent more downforce than Focus ST, yet with a drag co-efficient (Cd) of 0.38.
The result of all this effort is a car that is not just fast in a straight line. It is the fastest ever car around the infamous handling circuit at Ford of Europe's Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium - known to the team as 'Route 7' - beating even the Ford GT and cementing its dynamic credentials. In addition, Focus RS has completed over 400 laps (over 8,000km) of Germany's fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife during its circuit performance development.
The purpose of all this work was to ensure Focus RS continues and enhances Focus' reputation as a driver's car and stays true to its core philosophy of generating pure driving enjoyment by flattering the novice driver, while rewarding the expert.
Six years have passed since the last Ford RS - the Mk1 Focus RS - finished its strictly limited production run. Now the famous badge has returned for its league of devoted fans and a new generation of performance car enthusiasts.
RS - A Significant Event
This new Focus RS is the product of Ford Team RS, headed by Jost Capito, a committed car enthusiast and racer. Alongside Capito is a small team of dedicated performance car and motorsport engineering specialists, led by Chief Programme Engineer, John Wheeler, whose own expertise stretches over 20 years of Ford performance and motorsport vehicles.
From early in its development programme, the team set a target to create a car with the poise, power and to be a benchmark for performance and value for money.
Their result is a car capable of lapping the legendary 20.8km Nurburgring Nordschleife repeatedly at speed and equally adept at cruising home afterwards.
Power Generator
The 2.5-litre Focus RS engine shares its fundamental structure with that of Focus ST, but there the similarities end there.
The objective was increasing power and torque without affecting durability. To meet that, multiple detail changes were made to the powertrain including a revised cylinder head gasket, ultra-durable metal sprayed cylinder bores, revised pistons and a bespoke camshaft profile and connecting rods, allowing bigger small end bearings.
However, the most obvious changes are the new intake system, exhaust manifold and turbocharger. The larger Borg Warner K16 turbo fitted to Focus RS offers a maximum steady state boost pressure of 1.4 bar - double that of Focus ST's 0.7 bar - to generate the car's 35 per cent power increase.
Focus RS needed its own, more aggressive performance character so engineers also modified the torque 'ramp-up', to enhance performance feel when on boost. With the turbo spinning, power arrives quickly. The 300 hp peak is reached at 6,500 rpm and holds until the 7,050 rpm redline, to allow full use of the top of the power band. After three seconds at this redline, the engine management system recognises no gear shift and then limits revs to the car's maximum continuous running rpm of 6,500.
The result is a car capable of 0-100 km/h in 5.9 seconds and a top speed of 263 km/h.
Differential Difference
Putting the torque on the road is aided by a Quaife helical limited slip differential. The Quaife differential was first developed for the original, five-speed Focus RS in 2002, but revised and improved by Ford Team RS for the new, six-speed Focus RS. Today, it features a sixth planet gear and has been revised for increased strength and a more subtle intervention and torque transfer.
Computer-aided engineering drove the design of the differential, identifying the potential areas for increased strength. This was aided by measuring rig work and whole vehicle development, with particular attention to refining performance plots for the differential's torque bias function, to maximise dynamic performance.
|
Creating a high-performance version of the Duratec 2.5-litre with this level of power also required significant attention to its cooling ability. The cooling strategy was two-fold:
1. Create a cooling pack that met the high performance requirements of Focus RS and;
2. Match this to a comprehensive aero pack that delivered the required volume of cooling air to the system.
Around 80 percent of the external cooling for Focus RS comes through the car's lower front grille aperture and its precise size, shape and mesh density were a critical part of the Aerodynamics team's work.
The lower front aperture is approximately 30 per cent larger than that of Focus ST and none of the cooling air it collects is allowed to escape, thanks to carefully designed ducting. A new, 25 per cent larger capacity radiator keeps engine coolant and engine oil temperatures under control, even in the most committed performance driving, in combination with a larger, 14-plate, engine-mounted, water-cooled oil cooler.
The final part of the engine cooling picture is Focus RS' signature bonnet louvers.
Testing of the cooling pack took place around the world, to find the broad range of required conditions, including Arizona, Southern Italy, the Austrian Alps and a variety of European race circuits.
RS Breathing
The new intake system for Focus RS includes a new body-mounted airbox with a low-loss, cylindrical filter, revised turbo ducting, a modified hot charge duct, high-efficiency intercooler and new cold charge duct. The airbox also has a unique, double intake entry system to reduce induction losses further.
Intercooling is critical in high-performance engines and the Focus RS intercooler system is new, larger and specially developed for the car. It is capable of reducing air temperatures from 160 degrees Celsius at the compressor, to a maximum of 60 degrees Celsius at the intercooler outlet, in ambient temperatures of up to 38 degrees Celsius.
RS Exhaust
The sports exhaust system is also unique to Focus RS. It uses a one-brick catalyst to enhance flow and reduce exhaust back-pressure, whilst meeting current exhaust emissions requirements. The design of the turbo and manifold allows Focus RS to use ST's exhaust geometry, downpipe and flex, with revised hangers to accommodate the car's 20 mm lower sub-frame.
The exhaust system also features a modified mid-section, with a revised, 4.2-litre mid-muffler, fitted around Focus RS' larger, 62-litre fuel tank (up from 55 litres in Focus ST). At the rear, a modified muffler uses two larger, 100 mm-diameter, 'trumpet' tailpipes to further reduce pressure losses.
The entire system has been tuned to provide a sporty sound. Team RS engineers knew well that, for Focus RS customers, how the exhaust system sounds is as important as how it looks or performs. Every Focus RS customer wants their car to sound 'right' and creating an induction and exhaust sound to fit the image and character of Focus RS was another critical aspect of its powertrain development.
Focus RS employs a 'sound symposer' system, to amplify selected engine frequencies and convey pleasing engine sounds into the cabin, contributing to that all-important RS performance environment. As in all aspects of the engine, the symposer system has been adapted and tuned to fit the character of the vehicle, giving a raw, motorsport edge not present on Focus ST.
Stopping Power
Large 336 mm x 30 mm, ventilated front discs are gripped by stiffer, single 60 mm piston calipers, supported by 302 mm x 11 mm rear discs. Focus RS also boasts unique high-friction brake material and a tandem brake booster, all combining to generate up to 1.2 g under braking and give Focus RS a stopping distance of just 34.8 metres from 100 km/h.
Anti-lock braking with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) is standard, as is Ford's Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), here tuned specifically for the car, to allow a high level of sporty driving before intervening.
The ESP system can be deactivated for circuit driving.
Stable High-Performance Set-Up
|
At each corner, Focus RS is set up with stiffer springs and higher spring rates, with rear spring rates increased 40 percent, versus Focus ST. These are matched to thicker and longer, 24 mm anti-roll bars, aiding stability and mechanical grip.
Front and rear track width has been increased by 40 mm versus Focus ST, with the resulting wider wheel offset and increased overall vehicle footprint sharpening handling and improving stability. At the same time, the front sub-frame has been lowered 20 mm, giving a low roll centre height.
The highly acclaimed Focus independent rear suspension has been refined to reflect the RS' high performance intent, particularly in managing higher lateral acceleration. This is achieved through a rigid, cast suspension knuckle and larger rear wheel bearings, the combination of which improves stiffness significantly, creating the low rear suspension camber compliance critical to a responsive high-performance car.
The rear anti-roll bar has also been modified to control immediate roll, heightening vehicle stability and maintaining a fun-to-drive character. The Dynamics team studied and developed further the 'elastokinematics' of the Focus rear suspension, generating a more direct build-up of cornering forces through reduced lateral compliance, for a more immediate and linear steering response.
The car's 19-inch alloy wheels are thus wrapped in 235/35/R19 bespoke Continental tyres with a special, Focus RS-specific compound, giving superior road contact and huge lateral grip.
Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics also played a part in the Dynamics team's work. The target for high speed stability of a performance car is to position the aerodynamic centre of pressure at a controlled point behind the centre of gravity.
In Focus RS, the starting point was the standard Focus shape, crafted to generate moderate front end and rear end lift at higher speeds. The challenge was to transform this lift into downforce and bring the aerodynamic centre of pressure forward, without undue sacrifice to the drag coefficient and top speed.
Extensive wind-tunnel testing was conducted to refine aerodynamic performance, with a target of delivering about 40 points of downforce at the front and 10 points at the rear. The resulting aerodynamic elements for Focus RS achieve these targets, creating 26 per cent more downforce than Focus ST, yet with a drag co-efficient (Cd) of 0.38.
The result of all this effort is a car that is not just fast in a straight line. It is the fastest ever car around the infamous handling circuit at Ford of Europe's Lommel Proving Ground in Belgium - known to the team as 'Route 7' - beating even the Ford GT and cementing its dynamic credentials. In addition, Focus RS has completed over 400 laps (over 8,000km) of Germany's fearsome Nurburgring Nordschleife during its circuit performance development.
The purpose of all this work was to ensure Focus RS continues and enhances Focus' reputation as a driver's car and stays true to its core philosophy of generating pure driving enjoyment by flattering the novice driver, while rewarding the expert.
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