How Ford 'Fixed' The Focus RS's Intercooler After Discovering That It Was Too Cool

When Ford designed the intercooler for the Focus RS, it inadvertently made it too efficient. For that reason, a blanking plate had to be found from the Ford parts bin, and that very plate came from a diesel Transit van
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During the Ford Focus RS launch in Valencia earlier this week, I asked Ford’s vehicle engineering manager, Tyrone Johnson, about a rather large blanking plate on the RS’s intercooler. As you’ll see in the video, the reason for the plate is to reduce the efficiency of the intercooler because Ford discovered that in particularly humid conditions, the intercooler was working too efficiently, which caused a build up of water vapour. And because water in an engine is bad news, Ford searched through its parts bin and took the same blanking plate that it used for its diesel Transit van intercoolers and placed it over the intercoolers of the Focus RSs. So you could say, then, that the RS is part super hatch, part practical van…you know, in case you need to justify the purchase to a wife or girlfriend.

In the video, you’ll also hear about a few other cars the Focus RS owes its life to.

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Comments

Chris 8

Moore poowaaar

01/21/2016 - 16:08 |
0 | 0
Jambret Chinatown

Transit van

Highly useful and versatile since 1965

01/21/2016 - 16:13 |
92 | 0

Can’t wait for the ST and RS version of the Transit

Because why not?

01/21/2016 - 16:14 |
116 | 0
🎺🎺thank mr skeltal

Hipster Ford fixed Intercoolers before they were cool

01/21/2016 - 16:20 |
476 | 2

This made me laugh way too hard…

01/21/2016 - 20:04 |
2 | 0

Someone needs to fix your comment because it is too cool. Made my day.

01/21/2016 - 21:50 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

May I introduce myself, I’m the dutch premier minister Transit Van Blanking plate

01/21/2016 - 16:22 |
148 | 0
RaceTheRing

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Aw man i’m crying :D :D

01/22/2016 - 10:24 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

If it was my car,I’d remove that stupid plastic immediatley,, more cool air=more POWERRR

01/21/2016 - 16:28 |
2 | 32
Clutch63

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Did you miss the point as to WHY they put it there?

01/21/2016 - 16:40 |
20 | 0
Juha Arkkukangas

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Ummm, how about you read it thoroughly first, before commenting

01/21/2016 - 16:46 |
0 | 0
Jambret Chinatown

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Well you will frost the block or waterhammer the cylinder instead the boost…

01/21/2016 - 16:48 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

a guy in a college I went to stuck a sheet of cardboard behind the front grill when it was cold. guess it kind of makes sense

01/21/2016 - 16:28 |
0 | 0
Willgud

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

That’s very common in cold areas.

01/21/2016 - 17:07 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

It is common to put cardboard infront of the radiator so the enging temp. would be heigher at winter

01/21/2016 - 18:08 |
0 | 0
Vixhall

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

I run a big piece of cardboard that covers 60% of my radiator and it’s still struggling to get up to operating temperature. That’s -30°C life for you :p

01/21/2016 - 18:09 |
6 | 0
Jared G.

Focus rs’s cooling game is 2 strong

01/21/2016 - 16:58 |
18 | 2
Anonymous

But water injection bro

01/21/2016 - 17:06 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

This is most likely an issue that came up in development after what happens to the f150 and the 3.5 ecoboost. It had the same charge air cooler issue where condensation would build up and be ingested into the engine under high boost.

01/21/2016 - 17:10 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

2 cool 4 school

01/21/2016 - 17:19 |
28 | 0