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Pops and Bangs - Where you at?

11K views 20 replies 12 participants last post by  MynameisMichael 
#1 ·
Been waiting for my Focus ST and have watched every video I can find. All of them have the ST snap crackle and popping like a lunatic..... so when I collected mine today I was ready for some sweet pops..... theres none.

The car sounds good dont get me wrong but there are NO pops and bangs. Normal, sport and race all the same. I took a video to prove it and when I changed to Sport and revved the very first rev popped and then every other rev had nothing at all not even a burble.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Is this due to it being new and having few miles or is this unusual??
 
#4 ·
Needs time for the exhaust to soot up and the engine bed in a bit.

Exhaust also needs to be hot and the car in Sport mode.

I got pops without even trying when I had it in sport mode at around 700-800 miles on the clock

Patience young padawan ;)
This. And for example my MK8 Fiesta ST has to be revved once after a motorway cruise to get the temps up for it to pop. And it needs a bit of driving after getting the car to work properly. The more you drive better it sounds.
 
#5 ·
Mate, I had the same issue. Those saying you have to let the exhaust soot up are speaking twaddle. It will pop and bang with 3 miles on the clock. I too contacted the dealer after not getting any pops and bangs, but what you realise is that after coming from a Mk8 Fiesta ST where it will pop even at half throttle, the Focus requires you to go to the floor.

So let the engine get warm, then rev but push your foot all the way down to the floor and it will bang and pop away. You will adapt your driving style to it soon enough mate.

Let me know how you get on.
 
#6 · (Edited by Moderator)
What's twaddle is that it needs the foot to the floor to get it to pop and bang, it doesn't. Plus doing that to a car with 3 miles on the clock isn't advised.

I got it quite unexpectedly from a pretty average half throttle pull in sport mode with the exhaust nice and hot after a good few hundred miles - I too came from a Mk8 Fiesta ;)

You want to burn off the waxes they put to protect the exhausts when new and in stock at the very least.
 
#7 ·
What's twaddle is that it needs the foot to the floor to get it to pop and bang, it doesn't. Plus doing that to a car with 3 miles on the clock isn't advised.

I got it quite unexpectedly from a pretty average half throttle pull in sport mode with the exhaust nice and hot after a good few hundred miles - I too came from a Mk8 Fiesta ;)

You want to burn off the waxes they put to protect the exhausts when new and in stock at the very least.
My car will not pop at all unless the throttle is to the floor, which has been echoed by some review videos on YouTube and confirmed by the dealer and also Dreamscience when I spoke to them.

I was not suggesting that you should do it to a car that has 3 miles on the clock, I was merely saying you can.

Modern engines do not require running in for the full 1000 miles, I was heavy on the throttle after 200 and it was fine. I say treat from new like you mean to go on, and that has been proven many times as engines that have been used more vigorously is when owners who have differing driving styles, where for example the owner from new drove it like Miss Daisy, whereas the 3rd owner likes to thrash it and it was not used to that use.

I personally do not aim to have mine more than 2 years as I am waiting for an RS to come along, so I have zero benefit in looking after the engine outside of making sure it has fuel and the oil level is correct.

My Mk8 Fiesta ST was ragged with 5 miles on the clock when I got her, and that popped from the word go, so I cannot see how you would need to burn off exhaust wax etc. I spoke to my friend who happens to run a BTCC team and when I asked him if an exhaust needs to burn off wax and soot up he laughed out loud, and given his huge motorsport experience, I'd defer to his knowledge.
 
#9 · (Edited by Moderator)
Its just my experience that to sound good an exhaust needs to burn off its wax and soot up a bit from new. I realise that the pops and bangs on modern cars are intentionally mapped in but its not a stretch to assume it might still need a bit of bed in time, I only meant it in terms of it being good practice anyway.

There is still good reason to give the car a running in period. Tiny imperfections on the cylinder block, although the tolerances are much better than they used to be. Its also still important for the friction surfaces such as tyres, clutch and brakes anyway.
 
#10 ·
I believe this attitude is very common nowadays, no doubt due to the popularity of PCP where cars are under manufacturer warranty for all or most of the first persons ownership.
It's a sad sign of the state society is in, nobody thinks of anyone else anymore.
 
#11 ·
So as miles are going on the car it does seem to pop more often. I still don't get any pops on upshift or pops from overrun but I cannot really pin the throttle due to the weather.

Once warm I can rev it and it pops up a storm, and whilst driving I can dip the clutch and rev and it will pop, and there is only 350 miles on the clock.

I will keep monitoring, but hopefully once run in I get the upshifts and downshift overrun pops and bangs.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
There's no incentive to look after the car on pcp, it's essentially a rental.
The incentive is your pride in knowing you looked after the car and the next owner won't have any trouble because of the way you treated it. Like I said it's about thinking of others :)

I looked after all three of ST's that I had on PCP. Don't get me wrong I drove them hard on occasion and enjoyed them, but not once did I think 'Meh, if I break it it's under warranty' or 'Pfft. Won't be my problem in a couple of years'.
 
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#14 ·
There's no incentive to look after the car on pcp, it's essentially a rental.

Also something about "mapped in popping" seems rather sad, if the car does it naturally then fine but mapping it in.
They have to map in the popping because so much effort has been made for efficiency (power as well as MPG).

A bit like F1 (not trying to derail), making less noise. Pops and bangs and exhaust noise are all wasteful byproducts. A "perfect" engine would produce no heat and no sound, all energy from the fuel would be converted to useful work (power).
 
#15 · (Edited by Moderator)
They have to map in the popping because so much effort has been made for efficiency (power as well as MPG).

A bit like F1 (not trying to derail), making less noise. Pops and bangs and exhaust noise are all wasteful byproducts. A "perfect" engine would produce no heat and no sound, all energy from the fuel would be converted to useful work (power).
I get that, what I mean is why bother mapping in extra noise? Would people honestly not buy one if it didn't pop and bang?
The incentive is your pride in knowing you looked after the car and the next owner won't have any trouble because of the way you treated it. Like I said it's about thinking of others :)

I looked after all three of ST's that I had on PCP. Don't get me wrong I drove them hard on occasion and enjoyed them, but not once did I think 'Meh, if I break it it's under warranty' or 'Pfft. Won't be my problem in a couple of years'.
I know what you mean, but posts on this topic are evidence that people don't think that way, and the well its not mine so **** it mentality is becoming more common.
 
#16 ·
Hi Guys

Just thought i'd settle the debate with calibration facts, the "Burble" is armed when the ECT engine coolant temp is 70 deg C or above, the throttle only needs to be above 5% and 1000 rpm and above.

Product Blue Screenshot Font Line


Blue Product Screenshot Font Line


Blue Product Screenshot Font Line


All the best

Jared@DS
 

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