It’s Officially Not Ford’s Fault if You Can’t Drift a Focus RS

It's the ultimate "Do not under any circumstances buy this vehicle used" (or at least take it to a frame shop first for inspection) flag.

It's a pretty cool idea. I wonder what the performance-tuner USB port part of it is all about.

If you could configure the car to change its AWD/e-diff lock-up curves that would be pretty neat.

Since the RS has a standard handbrake lever, it appears this activates the brake lever warning switch and the USB reprogram alters the Drift mode to activate the rear brakes via the ABS whenever the warning switch is activated.

Count me as one who will not be buying one for his RS, but to each their own.

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

itsarebuild said:

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

Because ricers

itsarebuild said:

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

The same could (should?) just as easily be asked of anything being put in street cars that makes them excel at drag, autox, or track days.

Driven5 said:

itsarebuild said:

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

The same could (should?) just as easily be asked of anything being put in street cars that makes them excel at drag, autox, or track days.

Yeah. Why do you need 350hp and all-wheel drive in a Focus? The speed limit is only 55mph/65mph/70mph

itsarebuild said:

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

The proper answer is: Because people will buy it and Ford is in the business of selling things. 

And once you use it they will pull the ECU and tell you any drivetrain claims are denied.

Now you need to carry TWO canbus systems, that way one is for stupid head driving, the other for regular not stupid head driving. 

$1k for a hydraulic handbrake with a rear driveline clutch, just like the Hoonicorn has? That's actually not bad.

In reply to GameboyRMH :

It isn't hydraulic so much as it tells the ABS module to lock the rear brakes, rather than having it's own master cylinder. 

I wonder if we can just buy the cool handle and swap it with the ordinary e-brake handle? Forget the drifting, I just want the billet! 

Kreb said:

I wonder if we can just buy the cool handle and swap it with the ordinary e-brake handle? Forget the drifting, I just want the billet! 

I'm sure that they'll be on eBay in about a week. 

The lawyer in me says that's a product liability suit waiting to happen.

z31maniac said:

And once you use it they will pull the ECU and tell you any drivetrain claims are denied.

Nah this isn't Nissan we're talking about!

Sooooooooo it's a thousand dollar parking brake?

poopshovel again said:

Sooooooooo it's a thousand dollar parking brake?

Not really.  It’s a thousand dollar parking brake button lock.

dculberson said:

z31maniac said:

And once you use it they will pull the ECU and tell you any drivetrain claims are denied.

Nah this isn't Nissan we're talking about!

You really meant Subaru, right?

itsarebuild said:

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

To increase the number of owners who want to be famous on Youtube.

ZombyCougar Woofencamp said:by

dculberson said:

z31maniac said:

And once you use it they will pull the ECU and tell you any drivetrain claims are denied.

Nah this isn't Nissan we're talking about!

You really meant Subaru, right?

I think he means Mitsubishi.

Will there be an increase of those so inclined to do the handbraky parallel  parking twostep ya think???

I see viral ytubes  at an iphone near you........

stanger_missle said:

itsarebuild said:

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

To increase the number of owners who want to be famous on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fOelONV_unQ?rel=0&showinfo=0

 

That's one strategy to sell more cars...

759NRNG said:

Will there be an increase of those so inclined to do the handbraky parallel  parking twostep ya think???

I see viral ytubes  at an iphone near you........

Ford teaches you how to do this at the octane academy when you buy an ST.

It is a toggle or can you vary the pressure applied to the rear brakes?  Can we have a normal, nondescript parking brake with a setting to make it do the same thing?

NickD said:

Driven5 said:

itsarebuild said:

Aaaaaannnnd why is this being put in a street car?

The same could (should?) just as easily be asked of anything being put in street cars that makes them excel at drag, autox, or track days.

Yeah. Why do you need 350hp and all-wheel drive in a Focus? The speed limit is only 55mph/65mph/70mph

The same reason people buy corvettes to go autocrossing...

Apple Cougar Mellonseed said:

ZombyCougar Woofencamp said:by

dculberson said:

z31maniac said:

And once you use it they will pull the ECU and tell you any drivetrain claims are denied.

Nah this isn't Nissan we're talking about!

You really meant Subaru, right?

I think he means Mitsubishi.

Nah, he still means Ford. Remember, they put the cool line-lock thingy that lets you do big burnouts in Mustangs but if anything happens while you were using it you are SOL.

759NRNG said:

Will there be an increase of those so inclined to do the handbraky parallel  parking twostep ya think???

I see viral ytubes  at an iphone near you........

oak tree you're in my way

There is a big difference between making a street car go fast or turn well and making a street car go sideways intentionally. Just saying

Matt B said:

759NRNG said:

Will there be an increase of those so inclined to do the handbraky parallel  parking twostep ya think???

I see viral ytubes  at an iphone near you........

oak tree you're in my way

This will help Ford sell a lot more replacement wheels, suspension arms, uprights etc...it's incredibly difficult to get the amount of rotation right when doing this trick. If you do it next to a curb, you could easily smack it. Notice Ace actually doesn't end up very close to, or parallel with, the curb.

This is one of the tricks I like to practice whenever I'm finishing off a set of tires. Of course I use vehicle-safe obstacles, such as empty cardboard boxes.

itsarebuild said:

There is a big difference between making a street car go fast or turn well and making a street car go sideways intentionally. Just saying

Actually, it's a very thin line.

itsarebuild said:

There is a big difference between making a street car go fast or turn well and making a street car go sideways intentionally. Just saying

The only substantial difference is the slant of your personal bias.  Beyond that, any street car attributes that can only be both fully and legally exploited on closed courses is pretty much all just rationalizations.

For example: I have used the e-brake while driving a FWD car (what this is emulating for AWD cars) to save myself after driving 'too fast for conditions' on winterized roads...I have never once been in a situation where 650+hp would have done anything to help 'save' me.

NickD said:

Apple Cougar Mellonseed said:

ZombyCougar Woofencamp said:by

dculberson said:

z31maniac said:

And once you use it they will pull the ECU and tell you any drivetrain claims are denied.

Nah this isn't Nissan we're talking about!

You really meant Subaru, right?

I think he means Mitsubishi.

Nah, he still means Ford. Remember, they put the cool line-lock thingy that lets you do big burnouts in Mustangs but if anything happens while you were using it you are SOL.

Or how Ford is denying warranty coverage on Voodoo engines in the GT350s because people installed catch cans. 

Because it says to in the owners manual for track use. It's BS companies are allowed to get away with stuff like that.

Driven5 said:

itsarebuild said:

There is a big difference between making a street car go fast or turn well and making a street car go sideways intentionally. Just saying

The only substantial difference is the slant of your personal bias.  Beyond that, any street car attributes that can only be both fully and legally exploited on closed courses is pretty much all just rationalizations.

For example: I have used the e-brake while driving a FWD car (what this is emulating for AWD cars) to save myself after driving 'too fast for conditions' on winterized roads...I have never once been in a situation where 650+hp would have done anything to help 'save' me.

I have been in a few situations where 250 to 400 hp  did help save me, when neither braking nor maneuvering were viable options  to prevent an imminent contact with one of millions of sheep/self-entitled/shiny-happy-person/blissfully un-aware drivers on the road. Or in other words, several "Our Blessed Lady of Acceleration, don't fail me now!" moments.

In reply to WildScotsRacing :

So you still somehow managed to 'accelerate to safety' without a line-lock, a sub-12 second 1/4 mile time, or a 200mph top speed?...Impressive.

In reply to Driven5 :

I know, right! Still, sometimes just a couple seconds of decent power, judiciously applied, can solve certain types traffic problems.

Driven5 said:

In reply to WildScotsRacing :

So you still somehow managed to 'accelerate to safety' without a line-lock, a sub-12 second 1/4 mile time, or a 200mph top speed?...Impressive.

But think of how much more escapeier he would have been with access to all of that.

z31maniac said:

And once you use it they will pull the ECU and tell you any drivetrain claims are denied.

Apparently it doesn't void the warranty. Shocking, right?

In reply to WildScotsRacing :

“When in doubt, throttle out!”

More throttle=gooder in lots of situations...

Video.

 Shrug, driver made a decision. Decisions have consequences, whether driver wants it to be true or not. Conclusion either way: threat removed.

I'm kinda amazed at the backlash against Ford on this one.  In today's environment where lawyers, autonomous cars and ride-sharing have put our car-hobby at risk, we should be applauding a major manufacturer who is producing cars and accessories for enthusiasts.  Whether this is your "thing" or not, you have to give it to Ford for pushing things like this past the legal department, the NTSB and the Board of Directors.  You go Ford! 

I think there's backlash because it's stupid.

In reply to dculberson :

No I've heard they already do this with drift mode. 

Stefan said:

Since the RS has a standard handbrake lever, it appears this activates the brake lever warning switch and the USB reprogram alters the Drift mode to activate the rear brakes via the ABS whenever the warning switch is activated.

Count me as one who will not be buying one for his RS, but to each their own.

Yeah, me either.  I've never even activated the drift mode in my car, and probably never will.  I actually like my rear tires.

Apple Cougar Mellonseed said:

itsarebuild said:

There is a big difference between making a street car go fast or turn well and making a street car go sideways intentionally. Just saying

Actually, it's a very thin line.

A 1" diameter line. It's called a berkeleying hand-brake.