first port of call. With the COBB Accessport
already installed, they were able to use this
to remap the car, and I left it with them for
a week so they could get it perfect. After
ninety-four runs on the dyno, it made 360PS
[355bhp] and 522Nm [385lb.ft], which I
was more than happy with! Afterwards,
Stewart Sanderson sat down with me for
about two hours before I collected the car
and explained exactly how and why it was
mapped in the manner it was; their after-
service is second to none – Stewart and I still
have chats about the car to make sure it’s
still all running OK.”
A natural consequence of putting more
power through any drivetrain and chassis
is that you’ll keep finding bits that need
upgrading as the new forces operate
outside of the stock parts’ tolerances, and
sure enough with 385lb.ft to cope with the
OE clutch cried ‘enough!’ – but this was easily
remedied with a swap to a Mk3 RS item,
supplied by Pete at Demon Performance
Centre. Liam also saw fit to install a QuaifeATB diff to quell the torque-steer and help
to get that power down effectively, and the
front lower arms were polybushed for good
measure.
“The most recent items to really help
cope with the extra power are the KW V
coilovers, and the upgraded brakes,” says
Liam. “The car now has Brembo 4-pots
at the front with two-piece 350mm discs,
and a conversion to 300mm rears.” All of
which must make the daily commute pretty
entertaining, as well as fully lighting up the
potential on those Nordschleife runs. Liam’s
Focus may look relatively subtle, but that
really is its trump card: to the uninformed
observer it might simply pass unnoticed
as a white five-door commuter hack. But
the fact that the number plate says ‘BYE’
is significant – hiding beneath the demure
exterior is a heart of pure darkness. A full-on
track build, masquerading as something
mild-mannered and sensible. Liam’s playing
the subtlety game masterfully here. These
still waters run deep.MK3 FOCUS STȭ FAS T FOR D SEPTEMBER 2019first port of call. With the COBB Accessport
already installed, they were able to use this
to remap the car, and I left it with them for
a week so they could get it perfect. After
ninety-four runs on the dyno, it made 360PS
[355bhp] and 522Nm [385lb.ft], which I
was more than happy with! Afterwards,
Stewart Sanderson sat down with me for
about two hours before I collected the car
and explained exactly how and why it was
mapped in the manner it was; their after-
service is second to none – Stewart and I still
have chats about the car to make sure it’s
still all running OK.”
A natural consequence of putting more
power through any drivetrain and chassis
is that you’ll keep finding bits that need
upgrading as the new forces operate
outside of the stock parts’ tolerances, and
sure enough with 385lb.ft to cope with the
OE clutch cried ‘enough!’ – but this was easily
remedied with a swap to a Mk3 RS item,
supplied by Pete at Demon Performance
Centre. Liam also saw fit to install a QuaifeATB diff to quell the torque-steer and help
to get that power down effectively, and the
front lower arms were polybushed for good
measure.
“The most recent items to really help
cope with the extra power are the KW V
coilovers, and the upgraded brakes,” says
Liam. “The car now has Brembo 4-pots
at the front with two-piece 350mm discs,
and a conversion to 300mm rears.” All of
which must make the daily commute pretty
entertaining, as well as fully lighting up the
potential on those Nordschleife runs. Liam’s
Focus may look relatively subtle, but that
really is its trump card: to the uninformed
observer it might simply pass unnoticed
as a white five-door commuter hack. But
the fact that the number plate says ‘BYE’
is significant – hiding beneath the demure
exterior is a heart of pure darkness. A full-on
track build, masquerading as something
mild-mannered and sensible. Liam’s playing
the subtlety game masterfully here. These
still waters run deep.MK3 FOCUS STȭ FAS T FOR D SEPTEMBER 2019