Focus 225 st

[Piston2022]

All

Like st 225 and there are some very cheap ones out there. Are they solid cars for trackday?

I come from rwd and want to try fwd for track days and a car which is not expensive to run

My m5 track day costs me around £800 a day including fuel and insurance not considering pads tyre etc and want to get a cheap focus which it seems you can push to 300-400 with small outlay and parts are cheap

I don’t have to insure it then so….

I am very tempted by caterham style/mx5 however think I will go focus as always had rwd

At brandshatch had a st225 which was hard to keep up with. That car was full race though on slick tyre vs mine which is road car.

On straight line of brands hatch, i hit around 140 mph and it focus was right by my side

[Redline88]

I had a 225 focus a few years back that I used for some track days. It’s pretty heavy relatively speaking so will go through there’s and brakes at a pretty quick rate (albeit not as quick as your m5). The brakes themselves could do with an upgrade if you were planning on regularly tracking it. It was a great car whilst I had it but it would be far down my list if I was looking for something mainly for trackdays.

[Cambs_Stuart]

They're fairly heavy, but there is a lot of aftermarket support for coil overs, brakes, engine upgrades etc.
I suspect that in standard trim they're not going to be amazing, so it depends on how much you want to modify it.
From memory of 15 trackdays I've only seen two 5 pot focus' on track, but innthebsame time i have seen a lot more fiestas

Edited by Cambs_Stuart on Tuesday 28th November 08:37

[culpz]

They do feel quite soft and wallowy. Fairly nose-heavy with that big engine up front too. I enjoyed mine but never took it on track. Mine was hideously unreliable, despite being 1 owner from new, FSH, stacks of invoices and paperwork with it for all sorts, including the cambelt done. I thought getting a decent facelift model, which was completely unmodified, would be a better bet, but I was wrong. Never broke down on me, somehow, but seemed to have constant oil leaks and boost issues which couldn't be sorted, for some reason.

I think it's more of a road car but I'm sure it can be fun on a track. They can be tuned easily but you need to make sure it's had the block mod done or get it done yourself, as these are known for cracking liners; even on standard unmodified engines. There are better cars out there though for track work. Something like a Renault Sport Megane would be much more suited. I think the FN2 I have now would actually be better than the Focus. I do miss it and that 5-pot howl was lovely, but it gave me daily anxiety, which I don't miss!

[Piston2022]

Great thanks guys. I will do little more research or may ditch the rs and go with caterham alternative/ cheap ones. They are fast and light so may be better.

I think westfield etc as wear and tear should be smaller as well