new car

Hey people i have a 2003 ford focus 2003 zts and i put an AEM cold air intake on it but i need to know what to do next, anyone have any ideas??

I'd go get a new cat back exhaust...it's the logical next step in helping it breath better, and is what most people do. Do a search to get ideas for brands. Welcome to AF as well!

what about cams and gears? When should i consider getting these

I wouldn't worry about them until you get really into tuning your engine...just work on some basic bolt ons (intake, exhaust, throttle body, header, etc) at first, then if you want to get new cams and gears, go ahead. Keep in mind that new cam gears are only useful if you have access to a dyno so that you can tune it by adjusting the gears...

what should i get first header or exhaust

Both mods will produce similar results in the Focus, and cost about the same, so it's really up to you. I would go with the exhaust first, since you can get a nice exhaust tone, at least more of an exhaust tone then you would get with the header. Good headers are hard to find for the Focus anyways since Ford but the cat. convertor in the exhaust manifold, so it's pretty restrictive as to what you can do to it without eliminating the cat.

What brand of catback do you recommend? i went to a shop and the guy there told me to get hks but i want some other opinions

You can get HKS, but you'll pay a hell of a lot more then Borla of Magnaflow for basically the same thing. I'd go with either or those two...the Borla's a little more expensive, but it has a better sound IMO, and both produce similar power improvements.

what brand of header do you recommend?

Probably the Borla, or a JBA are the best you can get for the Focus and still keep it street legal.

You can get HKS, but you'll pay a hell of a lot more then Borla of Magnaflow for basically the same thing. I'd go with either or those two...the Borla's a little more expensive, but it has a better sound IMO, and both produce similar power improvements.


If I were replacing my exhaust, it would be the Borla system. It has a nice tone to it, not at all "weedwacker" sounding.

IMO the best exasut for most cars is borla, not matter teh engine size a borla w/ borla muffler makes a nice exaust tone.