Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Zetec Maintenance respect for the zetec engine

i dont have any respect for the zetec when it comes to downright raw power and torque. i do have respect for it when it comes to reliabilty, good gas mileage, acceleration for its size and power ratings, smoothness under acceleration. sure, any motor can be made to run like McQueen's 'stang in bullitt (which was on tonight), but i just dont see the logic in spending a ton of cash on a tiny engine when V8's and V6's offer so much more power without mods. of course it makes sense that they do, but if you want power, why not just buy a vehicle with it already? and i also understand you guys like to tinker and modify your rides, fine. but when it comes down to putting on turbos, internal engine work, superchargers, imo, it is getting a little carried away. and even after all these mods, an average joe in a manual mustang gt or especially a post '93 Z28 will still smoke you stoplight to stoplight, in the twisties, and top-end. jmo of course. when it comes to i-4 fords, i have an '84 Mercury Capri RS turbo 2.3. it has 160,000 miles on it, is still fast and of course, is bone stock. quite a rare car those RS capri turbos are. '84 thru '86 that is. an svo engine with milder cams and a little bit less boost.

I did not have a choice on the car. Ford gave me a good deal on this car and it is reliable even after all the mods I have done. I have found this to be a great road and driving car than a drag car. It will never be that. Plus with this 4 door car my insurance is cheaper than buying a Mustang or anything with a V8. Modding your car is a hobby like anything else. Some people don't like doing it and thats their thing. I do. I love this car and I guarantee all the mods have made a big difference compared to a stock Zetec Tour. If you don't like modding your car that is fine but lately you have been getting on some people for modding theirs. This is a Contour enthusiasts site. This is supposed to be informational and there is no point argueing and starting sh t with anyone else for spending money on the car's that they love and RESPECT. I respect this Zetec because have you ever been a old ford with a N/A 4 banger? That is slow. You don't respect the Zetec that is fine but don't rag on any other Zetec owners because they like to spend money modding their cars. That is my .02.

What's that I see... I worm, Oh how I love worms. Uh Oh, something's not right here. Hook Line an Sinker.

Not everything people do makes sense, if it did we wouldn't need warning lables on everything. I got my tour when my 'ole Taurus was hit while sitting in my driveway. Let me tell you, a Pontiac at 55Mph, a Taurus, 4ft high rock, and a front porch is hell on cars. Given the zetec ATX leaves a lot to be desired for performance the rest of the car is just right for me. Now I could go for a V6 or a V8 powered car but it's not my style.

Turbos, however, are. They've got power when you want it, and good gas milage when you don't. Used to have an 86 Labaron GTS, 30Mpg when cruising or say to hell with it and it'd pull 140. To me $2600 for ~200hp is the cure for what ales the Zetec. Add in ~200 in mods to stiffen the frame a little and it could be my perfect car.

Aside from lack of power there's not much I can say bad about the tour. Sure you get a little road noise and there's a few other quirks but it beats owning a Focus and I refuse to be a "Mustang Guy". That's what I really dislike about American car manufacturers, lack of intuitive thinking. You want more power here's a V6, still not enough for you.. well get this car, we put a V8 in it. Want more power still? Here we'll add an extra litre to the V8. I like different, 2.0L I4 Saab Viegen 234HP, 227Hp F4 WRX, 333HP high winding S6 in the M3, twin turbo 250Hp A6. Problem being those cars are not in my price range right now, that and I don't need a new car.

I've only got 60k on my car, drop a turbo in it and I'll drive it until the wheels fall off and then I'll duct tape them back on and drive it for another 100k all with a an ear to ear grin on my face because I've got what most haven't, a $11k car that's near perfect.

So now we know your opinion out right...thank you for your honesty. This car/engine does have it's benefits and it's draw-backs...like all cars...but the fact is that we all have it and we all enjoy tinkering with it to make it a better car than when we bought it. Maybe we just can't leave well enough alone. I know I can't...If I have the means to make something better than it already is then I will do everything I can to complete that goal.

While you may not agree with putting the effort we do into our cars I believe in it and thats my perogative. On behalf of some of our other members I'll step up and apologize for the condescending remarks and discussions that have taken place. Hopefully you can be an adult about this as well and agree to attempt to not bash our cars/engines in every other post you make. I have no problem with discussion but often times your posts include your opinion of how the car/engine isn't worth a damn when that info doesn't even apply to the topic.

We all know your opinion of the car/engine now so it won't be necessary to voice it in every post you make, agreed? I hope so.

I think we'll all just have to agree to disagree.

Regards,

Brad

Wow, three posts all at the same time! How often does that happen?!

Tbunder, lets think about this one here. My car listed for a bit over $14,000. Mustang GT's are around $25,000, Z28 about the same. Of course these are general figures. But lets role with them. With an $11,000 difference I can put in a lot of mods that will make my car a he11 of a lot faster that any Stock GT/Z28. V8's are very heavy engines and most are over double the size of the Zetec. So, why wouldn't you want to spend a couple hundred dollars to improve some performance? Why jump on people when they want to spend money on making their cars enjoyable?

IMO, I don't see it a problem with spending money on the engine, tranny, exhaust, ect. The kits that they are pumping out for Zetecs will rate with stock GT/Z28. sh*t the FR200 runs a lot faster quarters than the Corvette Z06. That kit is around $5,000-7,000.

So, before you bash people about modding their car, just think of it as a V8(if it's that hard to comprehend a I4 modded engine).

well, as many of you know, i do take pride in my little '97 mercury zetec. it gets driven daily and imo, is extremely reliable. it has 102K on it now, and still runs perfect. im still rolling on the stock wheel bearings, and still accelerating on the stock timing belt. stock plugs and wires were just changed 1000 miles ago. dont tell me i dont respect the zetec. its a good engine and car, i just dont see the point in dropping parts in it that are more than the car is worth. where's the long term logic in that? its not like in 30 years, a zetec car will be sitting in the garage with a dad's son salivating over driving it when his old man leaves. maybe, MAYBE an svt contour, but not a turbo'd mystique or contour. ok, maybe a mercury, but just cuz those are cooler than contours. hehe :p

Come again?!?!

how about this for logic then..... i happily mod my zetec......most importantly the parts that get modded are in order of what needs to be replaced as far as the life of the engine goes.....when i am finished with my other project zetec engine in about a year....it will be modded out and i will have spent around 10,000 on EVERYTHING that is on my car....that will be the total of what i have put into the car, since the car was a gift to me. now looking at that, i will have a brand new engine ready to go anywhere between 100 and 150 thousand miles. by the time i will be getting married and building a house....so when your zetec dies and your are forced to scrounge up some money and then make payments for the next 5 years on a new car, and i am buying my home!? come back and ask me about logic.......

All very good arguments.

SQPlus: You took tbunder's statement out of context in your last post. He doesn't respect it as a performance engine, which is perfectly fine. He respects it for what the engineers created it to be - cheap, reliable transportation.

tbunder: While I won't recant my remarks from before, I am glad to see you voice your opinion in this manner. If you equate big displacement w/ performance then you're right, the Zetec isn't the engine you should be modding. However, that doesn't give you the right to come in and start in on those of us that enjoy modding this tiny little engine. To each his own...

I think Sockdolloger said it best:

Quote:

I've only got 60k on my car, drop a turbo in it and I'll drive it until the wheels fall off and then I'll duct tape them back on and drive it for another 100k all with a an ear to ear grin on my face because I've got what most haven't, a $11k car that's near perfect.