FocusCanada Forums

I was inspired by a local CFOC member and his write up of a torque damper install on his ZX2 so I am going to post this on a few other forums as well.
I started trolling e-Bay looking for one. It seems to be a good mod to help control some wheel spin. Well I picked up an Ingalls Stiffy damper for an Acura for under $80 shipped ( I think they sell for over $150). I was mostly after the damper and figured I could adapt and make custom brackets to fit the FoFO.
This is what I got...

You will notice that the one bracket is already cut-I almost forgot to photo document the install.
After looking at the Ingalls website as to how the Focus damper is installed I realized the Powerworks intercooler reservoir is in the way, so I looked into some alternative mounting locations. After some measuring I decided to mount it to the strut tower and the engine lift bracket.
I had to cut up one of the brackets to get this...

After looking and test-fitting it looked like the second supplied bracket wasn't going to fit. Off to HD for something to work and I found this...

Yep, a gate hinge! It's 1/8" thick and plenty big enough. Only $7 at HD. I modified it thusly...

And after a test fit I had to slot the holes...

It will give me the adjustability I need for the damper install.
The brackets in place...


And the finished product.



I may look at extending the shock tower bracket to straighten the damper but I think that's only for aesthetics as I think it will work out fine. I set the pre-load at 11mm (10 mm is the stiffest) for now. I hope to get out to Race City this Friday and post some time slips.
I think it looks pretty good; now to try it out!
Later, Ian.

brilliant!

thats interesting, cause they actually make one for the focus.

Zetec Ingalls Stiffy

i've see something like that on my buddy's cobalt ss/sc.......basicly as he told me it works as a stiff mount and also gives some car vibration

i bet with all 3 VF mounts and this thing being....the focus is gonna be on tourqie bastard!!

too bad this wouldn't work for me at this point as i have a strut bar

FocusGuy7476,Aug 8 2007, 02:31 PM Wrote:thats interesting, cause they actually make one for the focus.

Zetec Ingalls Stiffy
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I wanted to mount it in this location but the damn Powerworks kit got in the way! Oh, well, small price to pay for boost!

yeah the supercharger would get in the way with that.

feel differenece with it??

Still in the garage. Will take it out today and try some 5 grand clutch drops!

how much boost does it show on ur boost gauge?? I only show max 9psi

the point of that is to keep the engine from moving around too much when you are driving hard?

isn't that the same thing as using stiffer engine and transmission mounts?

(for example the STi Group N mounts that live in my sube)



What is the advantage of using that damper setup over stiffer mounts?

also, is the top of the strut tower strong enough to be a mounting point for this? in that picture of the damper mounting that someone else posted it is mounting using the stock engine mount point right? i'm not an engineer but i think there is a huge difference in the strength of engine mount point versus the top of the strut tower...

The strut tower is plenty strong, as it does support the suspension. I believe the one I bought, designed for an Acura, uses the strut tower and only two bolts. And it's purpose is twofold-to eliminate wheelhop from soft engine mounts and to reduce engine movement and to transfer the energy usually spent moving the engine and transfer it to the driveline. It does make a funny noise as it compresses during even moderate shifting.
And as far as boost, I usually only see 8.5 lbs. I'm looking at the filter and intake as a possible restriction, or perhaps our altitude in Calgary (3000' ASL). So 208 hp at 8.5lbs is pretty good on a Mustang dyno.

why not just use stiffer mounts and call it a day?

i mean.. i must sound like i'm ragging on your creativity but this just seems like a situation when shade tree stylez could be doing something harmful to the vehicle..

if this really was the optimal way to control engine motion.. i should have 'STi group N engine movement damper attached to the strut tower' instead of 'STi group N replacement engine and tranny mounts'..... this might be the time to go with a proven setup?

here's my reasoning:

the way that bracket is setup all of the force is going to be applied front to back and the two bolts at the top of the strut tower are taking all of that force

it just seems to me that you are applying a shearing force to that bolt (force is applied perpendicular to the shaft of the bolt) that it isn't designed for..

i think the strut tower is designed to handle forces from weight transferring and bumps that are up and down forces (ie parallel to the shaft of the bolt) not the perpendicular shearing force that you have setup

if you put a strut tower bar on there.. the bolts just hold the bar in place.. and the forces are transferred to the actual strut tower.. in your setup you are applying the force to the bolts themselves not to the strut tower...

i'm concerned you are using something as load bearing that really isn't designed for it.. and you are applying forces to the strut tower top in a way that i dont think the strut tower was designed to handle....

Hay quick question, did you notice a difference when the car was under acceleration? Was it worth it?

On the question of strut bars my understanding is they are there to control deflection of the front suspension-that is, to keep one strut moving by tying it to the other strut for additional support. Thus, the strut bar applies lateral (shear) force from one strut to the other.
And the purpose of the ETD is to control engine movement and to prevent wheelhop, which it does-I noticed a considerable improvement. And I have not noticed any additional vibrations. So, a big yes it was worth it. And the cost was in my budget whereas new engine mounts are not.
As for "shade tree stylez" well if anyone who ever has modified cars or built "hot rods" will tell you sometimes you have to make parts from scratch, or modify existing parts to make them work for your particular application.

02ztsian,Sep 2 2007, 06:50 PM Wrote:On the question of strut bars my understanding is they are there to control deflection of the front suspension-that is, to keep one strut moving by tying it to the other strut for additional support. Thus, the strut bar applies lateral (shear) force from one strut to the other
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the strut towers in the focus are so close to the firewall i don't think those strut tower bars do anything.. the firewall provides so much more stiffness compared to that bar.. so i dont think the bar causes much force on the bolts at the top of the strut tower.. i think that damper under hard launch applies more forces to the bolts

also, the bar apply the shear forces from one strut to another but what i am saying is i think the force the bar applies "to the bolt" is mostly in the vertical plane because of the way the bar is angled as it approaches the strut tower. it isn't a direct shear force like the one that damper is applying

anyway.. it seems to be working out great for you and i don't have any bulletproof tech to bring to the discussion so i'm like 99% wrong. just wanted to point out what i thought was a concern