1998 Ford Escort GTi from UK and Ireland - Comments

OK cool, thanks about the info on the turbo engine problem :-D, so I have a spare £2000 to spend on my car and apparently due to my position on the car, the best thing I could do with it is a nitros system, sounds crazy, but I can have it set up for about £1200, use it only when some idiot is up my backside, and I press the little button, then it's only a boost every now and then. Good idea??? :-S.

Nos would work well, but I'd still consider upgrading cams, perhaps a stage 2 head and the obvious exhaust and air filter. The more air you can flow and the more power you can create to run standard, the more effect that shiny little go faster button will have!

I'm going for what people call the 1.9 conversion. 2 litre bottom end with 1.8 everything else, then a small super charger, individual throttle bodies and then NOS... over a long period of time obviously.

No. Your best bet is still an uprated engine. You could have a reliable 150/160 bhp all the time for less than 1200 quid. The bigger 2 litre engine is much more flexible all the time than having a NOS kit fitted, and most NOS systems are done by throttle position (i.e when your foot is flat on the floor it triggers the NOS) rather than by a button. And after a few times you gotta replace the bottle... more expense!

Even if you just dropped the 2 litre engine right in with no mods, the whole lot could be done for £600; £200 for engine... £500 for really good example, £400 (estimate.. cheaper some places) for a garage to remove your engine and fit the other one in. Tune the engine with cams, exhausts filters and chip and you will be blowing away chavs in Saxo's all day long.

About windscreen replacement.

Replacing a windscreen means cutting the damaged screen out of your vehicle and bonding a brand-new one in its place. Here are a few facts about replacing a windscreen that may be of interest to you:

Repair before you replace. A reputable company will usually try to repair a windscreen rather than replace it if possible, saving you time and money.

Your windscreen will have to be replaced... if it is cracked, has more than three stone chips or the chips are too close to the edge to be repaired

Insured? If your motor insurance policy includes glass cover, then a replacement screen will only cost your insurance excess (typically £50-75, though check your policy documents for the exact cost).

No cover? The cost of an average screen will be at least a couple of hundred pounds.

Avoid cowboys. Get your screen replaced by professionals such as Auto glass. Your windscreen needs to be properly bonded to the window aperture of your vehicle. An expertly fitted screen will stop you leaving your vehicle via the windscreen in the event of a crash.

How long does it take? Allow in the region of 60 minutes for a windscreen replacement (90 minutes if your car has a front passenger airbag).

So I am sorry, about giving you wrong price.

NO why don't you just buy a Mondeo 2.5 V6 Ghia X 5d (96) 8.0 s 139 mph 167 bhp. They only cost £700 at the most, so what's the point of NOS and changing engine's and all that?

Because Mondeos are big boats, and considering the size of the engine, are not particularly powerful. A slightly modified 1.8 Escort will beat it easily. Escorts can corner at high speed with no difficulty and drama. I have a GTi Escort and my mate has an Mondeo ST. Great on the straights, but as soon as we hit a corner or an island he can't touch me, and I haven't begun to modify mine.

Yeah awesome, I'm gonna get some NOS then and a wet sytem if possible. The one where you put your foot down to activate it is the dry system. This one doesn't have a button.

My car currently has >> 17" team dynamics alloys, 3 and half inch rolled back stainless back box, viper pipercross, k1 kerr nelson race leads, iridium denso plugs, stage 2 jet V chip, working bonnet vents, front corner splitters, and a few other fancy things LOL.

I'd rather have my car over a Mondeo; it's lighter and looks more cool.

Just about to get a boost valve now, may get cams if I have enough money over, and defo after the morete lights. If anyone knows a good place to get them?

Does anyone know where I can find silicone hoses for my GTi, mainly the radiator hose, and a stainless steel air inlet pipe to connect an air filter to the engine?

Yep, but if you modify the GTi, won't car insurance nail you for it?

What am trying say, is if your car insurance is £450, won't it be something like £3000 when modded?

Plus, all that work you have to pay for.

If it was me, I would buy a faster car. But it depends how much you love your car, but good luck anyway whatever you do.

Today I had Cosworth vents and front splitters painted and fitted onto my car; £380 it cost me. Now I have gone out and bought an RS2000 at a very good price. I want these parts on this car, the GTi is black and the RS2000 colour is called Saturn Blue, would it be worth swapping as many parts over to make RS2000 black then have rest painted, or would it be better to remove the GTi bumper and bonnet and have them spayed. As well as this, the RS2000 arches are badly rusted and my GTi arches are fine, what do I do??? Help!?!

I have an Escort 1.8 GTi.. and I have about 150mph out of it... I have loads of mods to it and need more for more bhp.. I have titanium crank shafts, forged pistons and a polished head.. is there any way I can push 170 in a Escort cuz that would be the icing on the cake :-... I don't really wanna do a turbo conversion... I was thinking about changing the engine to a Cossy lump, but would that be possible and maybe make it rear wheel drive, not front wheel?

You want 170 brake? Stick a Focus st170 engine in... and you're there without any mods to it. However if you already have forged pistons n rods etc then you may as well either go for a turbo or stick a supercharger on it... the alternative is NOS...

Oh and rear end drive shouldn't be to difficult. The GTi is basically the RS2000 chassis. Based on this, if you get the rear bead, axle etc from a 4 wheel drive RS2000, get a prop made up and then find a box that drives only the back end (possibly from a Capri, unsure of bolt patterns and whether you'd need to remount the engine inline) and hook it all up you should be able to get rear drive. Won't be easy, but will be comparatively easy as compared to changing a non GTi to rear drive.

HELP!!! Does anyone know of a few UK supplier websites that will supply wilwood brake kits... even just the calipers... can't find them anywhere, and when I do it's a USA site so the Escort doesn't exist!!!

I need someone's help. Can you put turbo in the GTi engine?