Toyota is alignededed (lawful good) and cleaned in preparation for our roadtrip this weekend (yes, I clean my cars before I travel).
Only remaining thing to do is repair a boogered up wheel stud--need to run a die down it and clean up one thread.
Toyota is alignededed (lawful good) and cleaned in preparation for our roadtrip this weekend (yes, I clean my cars before I travel).
Only remaining thing to do is repair a boogered up wheel stud--need to run a die down it and clean up one thread.
Whoomah!
12x1.50 die was a GREAT SUCCESS. Was able to hand-thread the lug nut (a new one!) on and off.
Now I can just grump about the fact that the front end is a touch under-damped, and the back end is a smidge over-damped.
Whoomah!
I had to look up what the "EAP wheels" that everyone was selling were. Turns out they are this nice, classic (IMO) design:Originally Posted by thesameguy
http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/f...splay.php?f=25
Just don't take any of the good ones. I'm trying to find a decent, light 16 or 17" for the XR.
Just over 20lbs for a 17x7, which is not great, but $170 ea vs $270 ea for 16lb OZ Ultraleggeras.
Whoomah!
I like the EAP wheels a lot... not the greatest weight choice (the 5-spoke "Ford Racing" wheels I think were the lightest Ford wheels) but they do look nice. I wish I could get them for the XR as they tend to be cheap used, but since they were OE they have a crazy high offset that requires spacers. So, go for it.
A nice 16x7 found in the Audi 4000Q wheel selection at Tirerack: the Sparco Terra, in white. 19 lbs and $125 ea. Hmm.
edit:
editedit: apparently I suck at the Internet today, because I just found this wheel listed for the Focus. Good grief.
Howzabout dis?
Whoomah!
Ye Olde BBS knockoff is on sale: Sport Edition SE-16 in 16x7.5, 17.1 lbs, $79/ea. (Also found in the Audi 4000Q listings) 7.5" is reportedly pretty tight on the Focus. edit: found it for the Contour, as well, so no centerbore issues (see below). Bonus. editedit: and it's ont eh Focus page, too--dunno why I didn't see it the first time. Derp.
edit: these are all 42mm offset, which doesn't work so well for you.
editedit: looking at 16s because there are nearly new Michelins in that diameter on the car already.
Whoomah!
Parking this for future reference: Focus center bore is 63.9mm according to the intertubes. Audi is 57.1mm. The other 4x108 Fords appear to also be 63.9mm for the most part. Saab/Volvo are 65.0mm, again according to the t00bz.
Turns out that Tim traded installing a power-steering pump on the Unitrans shop manager's truck for putting the Audi wheels on the big lathe and expanding the center bore to the correct measurement. Haha. For aftermarket wheels, it might be possible to talk the TR guys into sending the Ford centering rings instead of the Audi version? Hmm.
Whoomah!
I think I can do a 42mm offset if I stay with 215s on a 7" wheel. 42 definitely won't work with a 7.5" wheel, and probably won't work with a 225 tire.
You can buy those centering rings anywhere, so don't sweat that. $10 is a set of perfectly good plastic ones. I may actually still have a set for the Focus as both the wheels on the Saab and the XR4Ti were fresh off a Focus.
You'll all be happy to know that the factory Ford stereo can play both 12cm and 8cm CDs. *whew*
(Yes, I am the type of person that downloads the Owner's Manual for a car that is not yet in my possession.)
Whoomah!
I think it can also play MP3s, but that may only be on the '02 or '03 cars. Easy swap, though. OTOH, aftermarket stuff isn't hard to install.
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