Ford Focus RS

[MarcsTROPHY]

Just wanted to know how good the handling is? Does it have similar dampers to the Trophy gas/oil or is it just gas but not remote ones as on the spec it says:

Suspension: Front Macpherson struts, Sachs dampers Rear Control Blade multi-link, Sachs dampers.

Has multi-link rear suspension got benefits over torsion beam?
Just would like to know a bit about suspension and what is the best hot hatch road set up.

 

[iain_c]

i think it has an aggressive lsd to keep the power under control.
Its ment to handle a peach but is jumpy on the road because of the lsd.
RWD/4wd is the only way to handle over 200 bhp! :twisted:

 

[hyb]

200bhp+ is fine in a fwd car...just not with a lumpy turbo. Something controllable or progressive like a supercharger or N/A.

4wd is great, but you really lose out once you get rolling

 

[ChrisB]

I had a Focus RS 2 cars ago.
It was very quick on the straights, never caught by 182 / 172 Cups at Cadwell Park.

The multi-link is an improvement over the Clio's suspension, apparently, because it means both wheels have more chance of being in touch with the road in cornering.
I'm no expert, but it was harder to make the RS oversteer.

The worst things about the RS were:
fuel economy (typically 17 or so mpg, around 10 on a track day)
torque steer (in spirited driving, it really did wrench when you put the power down)
stiff ride (MUCH more uncomfortable than Trophy - I remember a road near home where I always had to keep my mouth tight shut to avoid my teeth chattering - same road in Trophy, you don't notice it's badly surfaced at all!)

The best things were:
Speed
Looks
Build quality - nothing went wrong or needed replacing (apart from tyres) in 12 trackdays and 12,000 miles of spirited driving.

 

[ChrisB]

Well, I've now done 2 more trackdays in my second Focus RS (an04 reg I bought last month with 1200 miles on the clock!) and need to revise some of the above comments:
It understeers less than the Trophy on track, oversteers easily in the wet if you lift off, (not surprisingly), the brakes are even better than I remembered, and the ride more comfortable.
Is it faster than a Trophy round a track? If both are driven to their limits, yes, I'm sure it is. But for most trackday situations, driver skill will be more important I reckon.