modified mondeo??

[tony351]

hi all,
Has anyone modified a mondeo yet? im looking at one for a company car (xr5) and haven seen any of the new models modded, anyone on here fiddled with one yet... ive got the price for20's, but im struggling to find someone who has done exhaust or suspension..... happy to hear form anyone!!

[paulie0735]

check out fordxr5turbo.com
I have done quite a bit of dyno testing only to discover that there isn't much to be gained. Problem is the factory tune is very lean and increasing airflow does help a little (I do a spacer for the ECU) but that’s about it. Exhaust changes only increases noise, does nothing for performance. The best upgrade is the Bluefin flash tune, this will make the exhaust and airflow upgrades worthwhile but without the Bluefin the only thing that works is the ECU spacer. You can checkout the Bluefin stuff here; http://www.mybluefin.com.au/
How far you go just depends on how deep your pockets are and how much you value your warrantee. Good luck.

[LRsedan]

I've done a bit to my mondeo, any info ya want feel free to pm me if ya need any info.

Ive done.

Exhaust.
Cold Air Intake.
Bluefin
Suspension
Wheels and Tyres.

[warren77]

Originally Posted by paulie0735

check out fordxr5turbo.com
I have done quite a bit of dyno testing only to discover that there isn't much to be gained. Problem is the factory tune is very lean and increasing airflow does help a little (I do a spacer for the ECU) but that’s about it. Exhaust changes only increases noise, does nothing for performance. The best upgrade is the Bluefin flash tune, this will make the exhaust and airflow upgrades worthwhile but without the Bluefin the only thing that works is the ECU spacer. You can checkout the Bluefin stuff here; http://www.mybluefin.com.au/
How far you go just depends on how deep your pockets are and how much you value your warrantee. Good luck.

Have you got a price on the ECU Spacer?
And any stats or description on the benefits?

[paulie0735]

The factory (Volvo actually) placed the ECU directly over the bell mouth entrance to the main air intake tube.
This picture shows where the ECU is placed, it mounts up against that orange rubber seal and protrudes about 10mm into the air space inside the airbox making the airflow into the airhorn very 'ineffective'.

The spacer is not my idea, the Europeans are currently selling them for around AU$200 which is a joke for a piece of moulded plastic. I started off making them out of 12mm alloy plate for a few friends and members of that web forum but later switched to laser cut polycarbonate plates that are 8mm thick which allow (in most cases) the ECU cover to go back on. The results are well documented in the fordxr5turbo website under the ECU and tuning section .
The result is quite noticeable at the higher end of the rev range, the Mondeo has reasonably good bottom and midrange torque but runs out of puff at around 5,000rpm, however these engines will rev comfortably to 6,500 – 7,000 and the spacer frees up the airflow at high rpm to take full advantage of the engines ability to rev. You will notice a difference from mid 3,000rpm right through to 6,500 if you wish to spin it that hard. It also improves throttle response. Unfortunately the factory mapping is very lean so there are little or no improvements to be had by fitting some of the expensive European CAI systems, problem is you can give the engine as much air as you like but if you can’t increase the fuel supply to match than you have achieved zero! The factory fuel mapping does not have the flexibility to cope with more air (if it did than a quality CAI would make a big difference) Ford (Volvo actually) have tuned the car to run with the factory air intake but the spacer does allow what little flexibility there is to be taken advantage of. Hope that makes sense? The bluefin flash tuner fixes this problem by reworking the fuel maps to fatten up the fuel supply so they can dial in some more boost, the cai’s and exhaust mods can than be worthwhile. The bulefine flash tuner and the ECU spacer is a very effective mod and will have the Mondeo XR5 leaving any standard WRX in its wake.
I supply a spacer with a rubber adhesive seal, longer retaining screws to suit the spacer and full detailed instruction with colour pix to guide you through the installation. It’s a simple process, takes about 90 minutes from start to finish (quite a bit quicker after you have done it once). I buy these 25 at a time to get a price that makes it worthwhile, they come as a blank so they need to be drilled and finished. I charge $50 for the finished plate ready to install with everything you need to fit it, the price also includes postage within Mainland Australia. I have even sold a few to the Volvo owners both locally and overseas (funny how word gets around) I don’t make much on these once everything is covered, I simply do it as a service so that people don’t have to purchase them at rip-off prices from Europe. PM me if you want one.

[LRsedan]

I can vouch for the quality of Pauls spacers, they are top notch.

You would be very pleased with the improvement for a $50 upgrade.

[tony351]

thats good to know.... ive just ordered my suspension.... coilovers and some 3 piece 20" wheels... just need for the car to arrive!! what colour do you have lrsedan??

[r2d2]

I have both the spacer and bluefin. They are great. The bluefin really changes the car and when you pass V8's and WRX easily you will sit back and laugh. Both are easy to install and easy to put back to stock. Plus one of the benefits of the bluefin is that it has a warrenty on your car. So if the bluefin causes damage to your car then you can take it to them and they will fix it.

[LRsedan]

Originally Posted by tony351

thats good to know.... ive just ordered my suspension.... coilovers and some 3 piece 20" wheels... just need for the car to arrive!! what colour do you have lrsedan??

I've got Sea Grey, yourself?

Keen to see some pics of your car once the goods are fitted.

May I ask what coilovers you have got? I've just got eibach prokit springs, been thinking about coilovers.

Here's my car.

[tony351]

ive ordered KW coilovers.... it was the only way i could get it low enough, ive ordered a white car... and a 3 piece wheel, white centre and polished lip... 20x7 and 20x8.5.. i hope it all looks great!!! im itching for the car to arrive!!

Did you have the exhaust done??

[LRsedan]

Should look good. Im still waiting to see a white mondeo XR5, I nearly bought white myself.

Yeah exhaust is done. A high flow cat and catback, new tips etc. Its loud-ish, but not over the top. No highway drone which is good.

Unsure if Im going to touch the downpipe. I think an intercooler is a must before the downpipe. However no one makes a mondeo intercooler as of yet, I need to chase up a custom made one.

Will be interesting to see how you go with the coilovers. Mine is 1 inch lower than stock, and I have lots of trouble on steep driveways. The front bumper hangs a long way in front of the wheels. But I agree, a bit lower would look much nicer.

[warren77]

Originally Posted by paulie0735

The factory (Volvo actually) placed the ECU directly over the bell mouth entrance to the main air intake tube.
This picture shows where the ECU is placed, it mounts up against that orange rubber seal and protrudes about 10mm into the air space inside the airbox making the airflow into the airhorn very 'ineffective'.

The spacer is not my idea, the Europeans are currently selling them for around AU$200 which is a joke for a piece of moulded plastic. I started off making them out of 12mm alloy plate for a few friends and members of that web forum but later switched to laser cut polycarbonate plates that are 8mm thick which allow (in most cases) the ECU cover to go back on. The results are well documented in the fordxr5turbo website under the ECU and tuning section .
The result is quite noticeable at the higher end of the rev range, the Mondeo has reasonably good bottom and midrange torque but runs out of puff at around 5,000rpm, however these engines will rev comfortably to 6,500 – 7,000 and the spacer frees up the airflow at high rpm to take full advantage of the engines ability to rev. You will notice a difference from mid 3,000rpm right through to 6,500 if you wish to spin it that hard. It also improves throttle response. Unfortunately the factory mapping is very lean so there are little or no improvements to be had by fitting some of the expensive European CAI systems, problem is you can give the engine as much air as you like but if you can’t increase the fuel supply to match than you have achieved zero! The factory fuel mapping does not have the flexibility to cope with more air (if it did than a quality CAI would make a big difference) Ford (Volvo actually) have tuned the car to run with the factory air intake but the spacer does allow what little flexibility there is to be taken advantage of. Hope that makes sense? The bluefin flash tuner fixes this problem by reworking the fuel maps to fatten up the fuel supply so they can dial in some more boost, the cai’s and exhaust mods can than be worthwhile. The bulefine flash tuner and the ECU spacer is a very effective mod and will have the Mondeo XR5 leaving any standard WRX in its wake.
I supply a spacer with a rubber adhesive seal, longer retaining screws to suit the spacer and full detailed instruction with colour pix to guide you through the installation. It’s a simple process, takes about 90 minutes from start to finish (quite a bit quicker after you have done it once). I buy these 25 at a time to get a price that makes it worthwhile, they come as a blank so they need to be drilled and finished. I charge $50 for the finished plate ready to install with everything you need to fit it, the price also includes postage within Mainland Australia. I have even sold a few to the Volvo owners both locally and overseas (funny how word gets around) I don’t make much on these once everything is covered, I simply do it as a service so that people don’t have to purchase them at rip-off prices from Europe. PM me if you want one.

PM Sent.

[XtRmn8]

Originally Posted by LRsedan

May I ask what coilovers you have got? I've just got eibach prokit springs, been thinking about coilovers.

Can you please tell what the distance is between wheel centre and top of guard on front and back with the eibach springs. I am trying to figure out how much lower the car will sit if I get some fitted to our Zetec. Thanks.

[LRsedan]

Yep. 360MM (front and rear) wheel centre (hub) to the guard.

They have been installed for just over a year, so they are fully settled.

[tony351]

Originally Posted by LRsedan

Should look good. Im still waiting to see a white mondeo XR5, I nearly bought white myself.

Yeah exhaust is done. A high flow cat and catback, new tips etc. Its loud-ish, but not over the top. No highway drone which is good.

Unsure if Im going to touch the downpipe. I think an intercooler is a must before the downpipe. However no one makes a mondeo intercooler as of yet, I need to chase up a custom made one.

Will be interesting to see how you go with the coilovers. Mine is 1 inch lower than stock, and I have lots of trouble on steep driveways. The front bumper hangs a long way in front of the wheels. But I agree, a bit lower would look much nicer.

it was white or red and i thought white... should look good.

i wanted it to be super low, the tyres will be in the guards which is what i want, i know it will be hard on driveways but my car is used for promo and has to look the part... it will have a serious stereo in it too!!

who did the exhaust?? im keen to get a price, i cant find an intercooler either!!

[LRsedan]

I got my exhaust through tony's mufflers. They did a great job.

If its going to be for a promo car though, get the exhaust done at hitech mufflers.

They will produce the best finish, sound and dyno proven power, it won't be as cheap, but you'll get the quality you need. Search for the hitech over at the Fordxr5turbo site, plenty of sound files about.

If I ever get the cash, hitech will be doing me a downpipe, maybe upgrade the rest as well further down the line.

[XtRmn8]

Originally Posted by LRsedan

Yep. 360MM (front and rear) wheel centre (hub) to the guard.

They have been installed for just over a year, so they are fully settled.

Thanks for the info. I measured up the Zetec and its sits at 385mm front and 380mm back. Does not look like the Eibach spring drop the car much at all. Bugga.

[LRsedan]

Yeah, they only drop 25mm.

The handling is much improved however. The car corners so much better, for such a large car you can push fairly hard through the bends, and with a surprising amount of throttle applied.



Whilst on the track of mods, here's my newest investment. Its a genuine ford steering wheel from the titanium X Sport in Europe.

Has a nicer finish with perforated leather and red stitching. My original plan was to take it to the trimmers and get it thickened (mondeo has a thin wheel which is annoying) and re-trimmed in alacantara. But now Im not so sure, I may just throw it in as is?

[TheColonel]

Mmmmm love that red stitching....

[tony351]

i got the price from hitech and i just about fell over for it!!! where is tony's mufflers located.... i cant even get an ETA for my mondeo at the min!!!

[LRsedan]

ha ha... Yeah they (hitech) aren't cheap. But you get a good job. Call them Back and say Sean from the XR5 club sent you. They offered group buy discount, not sure if the price still stands, but Lambros may cut you a better deal.

Tony's Mufflers are at Newbridge RD Moorebank. They specialise in heavy haulage, but do cars also.

[saf453]

As an entry level mod is it possible to get a sport air filter to replace the standard one on a 2.3 duratec engine (Mondeo '08) and will this make any noticeable difference?

[paulie0735]

Originally Posted by saf453

As an entry level mod is it possible to get a sport air filter to replace the standard one on a 2.3 duratec engine (Mondeo '08) and will this make any noticeable difference?

no, won't make any difference, waste of money.