New to my Festiva

[browngirl10]

I have a 1993 ford festiva w/164k on original motor, I would like to make it faster without getting rid of the original motor. Where do i start?
Thanks in advance!

[Bert]

Your car is electronic controlled and fuel injected. Souping them up on the cheap is not so easy. Easiest is to scout out a 1.6 or 1.8 Mazda engine of similar vintage and bolt that in. You will retain durability and reliability and gain 25-40 hp. Or double the hp should you get serious and chance upon a 1.6 twin cam B6T. And then you're definitely gonna want better brakes, suspension and wheels!

[TWFodor]

Normally, making a car a little quicker is relatively easy if you ditch some weight, but since our Festiva's are already very lightweight, there is not much you can do. Removing the back seats is a good start, unless you need them. If you like taking risks, you can remove the spare as well, but I like a backup plan, personally. Less weight is higher mpg as well. However, doing these two things won't make an incredible amount of difference, but you may notice a VERY slight increase in performance.

If you have the know-how and some spare cash you could turbo it. I'm running the stock 1.3L as well, so I'm not sure how much that costs. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're limited on options. But Bert is right. You could grab a cheap used 1.6 or 1.8 for around $300, maybe less. Depends on the condition you're looking for. That's your best bet. And from what I've read, the engine swap can be completed in one weekend.

[drddan]

Turbo .. or swap that motor for a 1.6 sohc, which is the same block, more displacement, and more HP. Bolts in with no modification

[Advancedynamix]

I have a 1993 ford festiva w/164k on original motor, I would like to make it faster without getting rid of the original motor. Where do i start?
Thanks in advance!

You can definitely squeeze more HP from your original engine, and the factory fuel injection is more versatile and tunable than a lot of people think, as it will support nearly twice the original HP with only minor adjustments. We have used the factory original fuel injection on larger, twin cam engines with 40 more hp than the stock engine without changing anything, and the cars have run great (confirmed on a dyno.)

The problem with modifying the original engine to make a lot more HP is that it's more expensive and time consuming than just upgrading to a larger engine. There are a couple of engines that are very easy to swap in, and offer a huge boost in performance, while not drastically affecting fuel economy. Here is a brief list of possible swaps, they are listed in order from easiest swap to most involved.

1. B6 SOHC 8v- 1985-1988 Mazda 323, 1985-1989 mercury tracer. Direct swap, uses completely stock fuel injection.
2. B6ME - lots of pre 1994 Mazda and Kia vehicles. Uses stock engine mounts, requires wiring changes and intake plumbing modifications. Will run on stock fuel injection, but requires some ingenuity to adapt.
3. B6D - 1989-1994 mercury Capri non turbo. Requires custom pass side engine mount, requires wiring modification and slight intake plumbing modification. Will run on original fuel injection with some ingenuity. Produces nearly twice the original hp and requires a high quality clutch.
4. B8 1.8l SOHC- Many pre 1995 Mazda and Kia cars. Requires clearance modifications to the body of the car. Requires wiring modifications and intake plumbing modifications. Will run on original fuel injection, but it's optimal to use the ecm from the donor car. High performance clutch is recommended, but a high quality replacement will work.
5. B6t - 1989-1994 Mercury Capri XR2, 1987-1988 Mazda 323 gt. Requires custom passenger side engine mount, requires upgraded fuel injection, requires high performance clutch, requires custom intake plumbing. Makes well over twice the factory hp and twice the factory TQ. Care must be taken not to destroy the original transmission.
6. BP 1.8- 1991-1995 Mazda protege lx, or Ford Escort GT or Mercury tracer LTS. 1994-1997 Kia Sephia. Requires different fuel injection, requires high performance clutch, requires custom pass side engine mount, requires clearance modifications to the body of the car. Extreme care must be taken with this engine not to hurt the original transmission. Upgraded transmission is advised.

[eurotiva]

I would start by advancing the timing, running premium fuel, and putting some holes in the bottom of the stock airbox. These are free mods, and retain the stock everything. On down the road you could do a turbo (great on stock engine) or a swap.

Welcome to the site, there is all the information you'll need here, to do any of the above posts.

[TheFossMan]

Turbo Fun

Yes I was going to say turbo also, I watched a episode of "Mitty Car Mods" on youtube and they took a 1.3L and fitted a stock turbo a Subaru Forster. If you like little cars these guys are fun to watch.

Here is the link, https://youtu.be/SsfR_B5udeA

[browngirl10]

Thanks everyone!