FAQs : Power Upgrades Ford Rocam
FAQs relating to our Rocam performance products.
1. Just want to know if the performance manifold has the air/fuel ratio bung located on the manifold?
Yes the SWR manifold does have the bung.
2. Could you tell me if the original 4-wire air/fuel sensor will reach down to the 4-2-1 bung or do I have to extend the original wiring to fit?
The wires will fit.
3. Does the manifold have hole built in to allow for O2 sensor?
Yes the manifold does have the hole for the O2 sensor.
4. Am I going to have any clearance issues for the standard exhaust?
You will have no clearance issues.
5. I am an owner of a Ford KA 1.3 Trend. What you can do with this car performance wise?
We have the ST90 kit which makes a massive difference to the power and torque. Your Ka will fly. Power increases from 51 kW to 67 kW. You can purchase the complete kit or in stages, starting with the SWR 4-2-1 performance manifold.
6. Does the performance exhaust manifold fit the European Ford Streetka assembled in 2005? Is it possible to adjust the catalyst?
Yes it will fit your 2005 StreetKa. We have many happy Streetka and SportKa customers in Europe with our SWR 4-2-1 fitted. You can fit a sportcat after the manifold.
7. You mentioned a sportcat, so that means that the 'original cat' could not be installed after the manifold? Does the engine work without 'cat' or are there modifications necessary e.g (software/engine control?)
The original cat cannot be installed. You can leave the cat out. The unichip software will take care of that.
8. I'm very interested in your performance kit for my Ford Sportka. Can you tell me what I have to check before I order? Do you have same standard in ECU that we have here in Europe?
Yes we have the same ecu as your European car. There is nothing you need to check.
9. I want to get more performance out of my 1.6 Bantam Rocam bakkie. It is a 2011 model with a brand new block from Ford and a reconditioned head. Can you help?
We have the ST 120 performance kit for your Bantam. It will make it fly. The new Bantams like yours make around 90kw with the kit fitted. The older ones without cat make around 87kw. Your Bantam will be more economical as well.
10. What is the best exhaust system to use with this conversion kit? (standard or free flow)
The best is to leave the system standard. Don't go bigger on the diameter, keep it 47mm. If you want to you can just change the silencer boxes to free flow units. They are less restrictive and you will gain 1 or 2 kw. The bigger the box the quieter it will be.
11. Also I wanted to know what comes with the camshaft and if you recommend changing the lifters at the same time?
It bolts straight in like the standard cam. There is nothing to change. The lifters are fine.
12. I have recently bought a Ford Fiesta Rsi 1.6. I have some experience in wiring and some mechanical knowledge, do you think it will be possible for me to wire it myself? Also will the vehicle need to be dyno'ed after the chip is installed?
You can fit the Unichip yourself. Plenty of my customers do it. It comes with a wiring diagram. You won't need to dyno the vehicle. It is perfectly mapped.
13. I'm fitting a full stainless steel freeflow when I receive the branches. I read that you stipulated that the size shouldn't be bigger. The current unit however is freeflow. Any idea as to what size the original exhaust was/should be?
The standard size is 47mm diameter. 50mm will also be ok. But if you live up at altitude keep it 47mm. Don't go bigger.
14. Another question is, should I put a performance filter? If I do will it help with performance? What would you recommend and where would you place?
We have played around with cone filters. There is no real gain. The standard set up works well. If you like you can put a cone filter on the end of the throttle body like most guys do. It will have a bit of a humming noise at idle which some people don't like. But at higher revs you have a bit of an induction roar which is quite nice. You could fit a Simota or K&N.
15. Also please let me know if your branches are mild steel, stainless steel or powder coated?
Our branch is thick mild steel. It's not worth the expense of ceramic coating.
16. I have a 1.3i bantam and looking to add a few performance goods. What would you recommend? Will I have to change anything else on the vehicle to make use of these parts?
We have the ST90 kit for your 1.3 Bantam. Power increases from 55 kW to 67 kW and torque increases by 10 Nm from under 2000rpm all the way to the limiter. Also your fuel consumption is much better. The kit consists of 3 parts. You can purchase the complete kit, or build it in stages. The first part is the SWR 4-2-1 performance exhaust manifold. It gives you more power and lots of low down torque. Second is the SWR performance camshaft which gives you lots of extra power from 4500rpm all the way to the limiter. It can be fitted by any mechanical workshop near you. Nothing special needed. Lastly the SWR mapped unichip with wiring loom. This gives more power and torque and better throttle response all round and improves fuel economy. It comes with a wiring diagram and anybody with a bit of technical skill can fit it. Just a few wires to solder.
17. A customer of ours has purchased a Unichip unit for a Ford KA 2007. The unit came with a small connector, also in the drawing there are 2 capacitors. Do we have to fit them? Where does the little connector fit?
Don't worry about the small connector plug. That is a bridge plug which one can connect if you remove the Unichip. It reconfigures all the wiring back to standard. The 2 capacitors are already soldered in place. If one connects the bridge plug then the 2 capacitors must be removed. That is only if one sells the car one day and wanted to remove the Unichip and use it on another car. So don't worry about the plug. You can just connect the wires and then plug in the Unichip. It is perfectly mapped for the kit.
18. Very interested in your Sportka ST120 package. Do you have any dyno printouts?
Dyno Chart
The power increases from 70 kW to around 87 kW. Torque increases by more than 10 Nm.
19. Is it low down torque? looking for a summer project missing my old 1275gt mini that was great for low down power. How does the Sportka with ST120 pack compare to the 1.7 Puma engine?
The torque curve is basically flat from under 2000 rpm all the way to the limiter. I think it should make very similar power to the Puma. Here in South Africa we only have the 1.3 Ka, but plenty guys fit the 1.6 engine. With our ST120 kit fitted they give a stock ST 150 a good run. That is with the smaller and lighter 14 inch wheels fitted. I think your SportKa is fitted with 16 inch wheels?
20. You're not kidding with that torque curve.... can't really call that a curve more a straight line! Very impressive. Yes comes with 16”. Should put Puma to shame with those figures and been lighter as well. Having dyno results to prove gain is a big plus. Far too many crazy power claims been banded around these days esp from tuning chips. Yours instantly looked more promising with it been backed up with cams and manifold plus realistic gains. No +40bhp from a back box and chip. Almost old school tuning with is what's drawn me to your products! Do you know if the 1.6 responds well to head work?
There are no real gains to be had by working the cylinder head. I have seen too many engines that actually have a big dip in the power curve after porting. Rather leave it stock.
22. We are interested in buying your ST90 performance kit for our 2004 Ford KA. With regard to the exhaust manifold, can you confirm it that this fits directly to the engine and can utilize the rest of the standard exhaust including the catalytic converter? What sort of difference does a free flow unit make to results compared to the standard exhaust and what is the diameter of the exhaust system should we decide to change it?
Yes the SWR 4-2-1 exhaust manifold will bolt straight onto your engine no problem. It comes with a quality spring loaded knuckle (flex) for easy fitting. You will not be able to use your existing cat. It is an integral part of the standard cast iron manifold. You will see it is a terribly restrictive thing. Most customers in the UK fit a Sports Cat after the manifold.
23. My car is a Brazilian produced Ford Ka. Does the SWR ST120 Pre-Mapped Unichip ECU work on it?
Unfortunately the Brazilian made Ka does not have the same Siemens ECU as all the European and South African cars, so the pre-mapped Unichip will not work on your car.
24. We are building up a Sportka for rallying and would like to put your kit on the car. The Sportka is a European model (Belgium). Is you mapping compatible with this ECU?
All the SportKas are the same. So yes the mapping will be perfect for your car.
25. Where is the best place on SWR manifold to fix lamba? Does the camshaft need to be put in phase?
It can be fixed on anywhere on the header pipes. The camshaft fits exactly the same as the standard cam. Just use the standard timing marks.
26. Can you advise if the 4-2-1 manifold fits to the standard pipe or is it a bigger bore?
The SWR manifold is the same diameter as your standards stem. It is best to leave the diameter standard otherwise you lose mid to low down torque.
27. I'm looking into possibly improving fuel consumption & improving torque a little without compromising reliability on a 2004 Bantam Rocam 1.6? Can you recommend something?
We have the ST 120 kit for the Bantam bakkie like yours. It makes massive torque from under 2000rpm all the way to the limiter. Power increases from 70 Kw. The bakkie will be much lighter on fuel driving normally at the same speed as before. You don't need to give as much throttle to maintain the same speed, because of the torque. You can build up the kit in stages if you like. I would recommend you start with the SWR4-2-1 performance exhaust manifold. It will give you lots if extra torque right away. You can have it fitted at any exhaust shop near you. It includes a quality spring loaded knuckle(flex) for easy fitting onto your standard exhaust system. Then you can fit the SWR performance camshaft next. It gives around 9kw more power. Lastly to finish off the kit you can purchase the SWR mapped Unichip which gives you more power and torque and throttle response right through the rev range and improves the fuel economy even more. You can have these fitted by a mechanic at a mechanical workshop near you. It is quick to fit.
Continued... Part 2 here