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I thought it was about time there was a 'beginners guide' for MK7 ST ownership.

 

Please Note: This is a very basic guide, for the full story (particularly the modification side) it is recommended that you become a member, there's a vast amount of knowledge and experience available. 

 

The Basics.

 

Colour:-

             The ST is available from the Factory in 5 colours. Race red is the only non cost option, the rest are optional extras, the most expensive being Molten Orange. In brackets are the abbreviated versions commonly used on the forum. 

 

Race Red.(RR) http://www.fiestasto...-photo-gallery/

 

 RR FiST.jpg   80.83KB   9 downloads

 

Frozen White.(FW) http://www.fiestasto...-photo-gallery/

 

 fiesta-rear FW.jpg   21.35KB   5 downloads

 

Spirit Blue. (SB) http://www.fiestasto...-photo-gallery/

 

 fiesta-st3-Spirit Blue.jpg   290.74KB   9 downloads

 

Panther Black. (PB) http://www.fiestasto...9499-black-sts/

 

 pantherblack FIST.jpg   95.85KB   8 downloads

 

nb: At some point in late 2015 early 2016 Ford replaced Panther Black with Shadow Black, I would add a photo, but, well, it's black and even the most keen-eyed amongst you would struggle to spot the difference

 

Molten Orange. (MO) http://www.fiestasto...-photo-gallery/

 

 2014-ford-fiesta-st-molten-orange-t2ejivwe3.jpg   76.17KB   12 downloads

 

Body:-  As of late 2016, for the first time since it's inception Ford made the ST available in both 3 and 5 door guises.

 

   fiestast 5 door.jpg   91.89KB   3 downloads

 

Trim:-

Initially available in two trim specs, ST1 and ST2, but in 2014 Ford introduced the ST3 due to a significant number of people ticking a lot of the boxes on the options list of the ST2.

 

ST1

The effective base model, with;

• Cloth Recaro seats
• Quick Clear heated windscreen
• Ford branded DAB CD SYNC head unit
• Non Projector head lights with tungsten DRL's (up until some point in 2015 when they changed to projector light with LED DRL)
• Key start ignition
• Manual Air-conditioning

 

ST2

In addition the ST2 has;

• Heated half leather Recaro seats
• Sony DAB, CD SYNC head unit
• Projector Style Head lights with LED DRL's
• Tinted glass
• Powerstart button ignition

 

ST3

The top of the range ST, on top of the ST2 you get;

• Sony CD-Sync-SatNav head unit
• KeyFree Keyless Entry
• Cruise Control
• EATC (climate control)
• Rain Sensing wipers
• Auto-dimming Mirror
• Auto lights
• Powerfolding mirrors with built in puddle lights

An ongoing poll/thread about trim and colour maybe of interest, don't hesitate to add your own vehicle as and when. 

http://www.fiestasto...people-ordered/

 

Optional Extras

The ST1  has the options of,

• Ford Sat-Nav
• Adjustable boot floor
• Central head rest   
• Space saver spare wheel

The ST2 has all the equipment from the ST3 available as optional extra, ST2s AND ST3s have further options of;

• Parking sensors*
• Space saver spare wheel
• Split level boot floor
• Central  rear head rest

*For the majority of cars, this appears to be rear parking sensors, but there is evidence that some ST's have been fitted with front ones too. 

 

Other Extras:-

 

Style Pack

A fair amount of MK7 ST's come with the Style Pack, thanks to it either being thrown in for free or at a very low cost. 

 

This consists of;

• Red Callipers
• Illuminated ST Scuff plates 
• Gun metal grey wheels. This is an item that is subject to change for the 2015 cars, illustrated below

Rado Grey

 

 Rado Grey.JPG   51.18KB   37 downloads

 

FItted to models up 2015 (also vehicles post 2015 without style pack)

 

Rock Grey

 

 rock grey.jpg   64.03KB   41 downloads

 

Fitted to models post 2015, including some '64' plate cars.

 

Interior:-

For vehicles in Frozen White, Panther black and Molten orange, two interior colour seat choices are available *.

 

Smoke Storm Grey

 

 ford-fiesta-st-5_0 interior grey.jpg   40.08KB   14 downloads

 

Molten Orange

 

 FiestaST_interior_MO.jpg   99.17KB   17 downloads

 

Race Red and Spirit blue cars are only available with the Smoke Storm Grey option.

 

*please note, on the Ford configurator and the Drive The Deal order form, Molten Orange seats are available for Race Red vehicles. This is in fact an error, at least one member has tried to order this and been informed by the dealer that this is not an available option.

 

Performance:-

The Fiesta 1.6t Ecoboost has the following performance figures;

• 180bhp (c.197bhp with the 15-20s Over boost facility)
• 177lb/ft torque (c.213lb/ft with the Over boost facility)
• 0-62mph - 6.9s
• 31mph-62mph - 6.4s
• 1163kg*

 

*Ford/Parkers' figure, a forum member had his ST3 with parking sensors and spare wheel options, an a full tank of fuel weighed 1200kgs

 

Economy:-

Ford official figures quote 47.9mpg, we have our own fuel economy thread here http://www.fiestasto...257-fuel-range/

 

Servicing:-

When purchasing your ST it may be advisable to ask your dealer about service costs, some members have found that dealers are asking more than others, on the basis that the ST is a performance vehicle, even though it shares a significant amount of its parts with lesser models.

 

Purchasing:-

A common first thread on the forum is 'Where's the best place to buy an ST or, what's the best price to pay?' A good place to start would be contacting someone like the STOC sponsor @StoneacreYork . However if they're out of your area, you can check out websites like DriveTheDeal or CarWow and using the on-line prices from the websites you may be able to negotiate a better deal with your local Ford dealer.

 

Ford Modifications/Upgrades:-

Throughout the ST's life Ford have made various minor modifications, at some point in 2014 Ford reduced to the rev limit slightly for EuroIV compliance, they also changed the design of the pedals and handbrake. Later on in  2014 (July onwards I believe) Ford introduced Applink to allow the integration of certain apps, particularly Spotify, in to the Fiesta's multimedia system. Once again, at a slightly unknown point in 2014 Ford introduced some cubbies in the boot area (pictured below)

 

 cubbyholders.jpg   220.17KB   39 downloads

 

 cubbyholder2.jpg   208.03KB   31 downloads

 

Here's another odd one, some get this little net and others don't. There seems to be no rhyme nor reason to who gets this and who doesn't, in some cases it isn't even year dependant.

 

 interior net.jpg   66.62KB   36 downloads

 

 

In 2015 they introduced the darker grey wheels in to the Style Pack and non Style Pack cars got the rado grey wheels. For the 2016 model (Sept 2015 onwards) they introduced the LED rear lights (pictured below)

 

 LED3_1024x1024.jpg   203.48KB   46 downloads

 

Another little modification Ford snook in was the slight softening of the suspension for the MY2016 cars, which is detailed below :-

 

It seems there was some concern that the back of the ST was too aggressive, so Ford has stiffened the rear torsion beam by 27%, fitted a thicker front anti-roll bar (21mm instead of 19mm), and recalibrated the steering to match.

These alterations then allowed the engineers to reduce the spring and damper rate by using new front springs and dampers and new rear dampers (using the same springs) making the ST softer, and better able to deal with sudden bumps and camber changes."

As Ford couldnt justify the expense of sending two different chassis setups down the production line, it started to put the suspension changes onto the standard ST last year (apparently from 13/8/15) without telling anyone, as it didn't want to ruin the ST200 surprise. The shorter final drive is unique to the ST200, though.

 

Special Editions

 

As the MK7.5 ST heads towards the end of its production lifespan, despite still being a class leading Hot Hatch, Ford have begun the stream of inevitable Special Editions. The first one being;

 

ST 200

The main features of this being the following;

• Unique Storm Grey
• Unique Matte Black wheels (std ST wheels with diamond cut details and matte black centres)
• Unique  Black half leather interior with silver stitching.
• 197bhp + 217lb/ft of torque, with an overboost facility of 215bhp and 239lb/ft of torque.
• Final drive reduced from 3.82 to 4.06.
• 0-62 in 6.7  and top speed 143mph. 

 ford-fiesta-st200.jpg   85.7KB   8 downloads

 

 ST 200 Rear.jpg   42.51KB   7 downloads

 

 fiesta-st200-interior.jpg   69.52KB   11 downloads

 

And with the release of the ST200, they're starting to pop up on here, so the inevitable has happened..

http://www.fiestasto...-photo-gallery/

 

 

Performance and Visual Modifications.

Like all Fast Fords, they're never fast enough! So, there is a world of tuners who will happily relieve you of your cash to give your pocket rocket Fiesta, that little extra ooomph. Here are just a couple of the more popular choices.

 

Mountune:-

Mountune are the Essex based tuners chosen by Ford to be in the enviable position of offering performance mods with Fords blessing and therefore a lot of their parts retain the manufacturers warranty. 

 

The most popular being the MP215, which offers.

• 215ps/212bhp
• 320nm/236lb ft of torque 
• 0-60 in 6.4s
• 31-62 in 5.7

Further details here http://www.mountune....fiesta-st-mp215

 

The next level is to go the MR230 conversion, HOWEVER THIS, DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE CONVERSION, IS NOT COVERED BY THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY

The MR230 conversion http://www.mountune..../fiesta-st-2013

• 230ps/226bhp (rumoured to be a somewhat conservative power figure)
• 340nm/250lb/ft
• 0-60 in 5.9s

Collins Performance:- 

Collins Performance, a firm favourite amongst the Ford community, offer various levels of tune for the Fiesta.

 

This link takes you to their packages http://www.collinspe...s-fiesta-st180/

 

Peron:-

Peron are well respected amongst the ST community, being comparative new boys, but having a very good reputation for customer satisfaction and good value for money.

 

http://www.sico-deve...3-mk7-fiesta-st (link to SiCo developments, for clarity sake as the Peron website was a less easy to navigate)  

 

Pumaspeed:-

Known for good value for money, Pumaspeed offer a good selection of performance parts for the MK7 ST

Link to their tuning kits http://www.pumaspeed...boost_1_326.jsp

 

Revo:-

The new kid on the block,with a history of making performance VW's and Audis that bit quicker.. In some cases a lot quicker. However, they certainly have their fans in the Fast Fiesta fraternity.

 

 A link to their selection of parts/services http://www.revotechn...12-&engineid=97

 

Other Common Modifications:-

 

Roll Restrictor

A favourite mod is to replace the rear engine mount for an uprated version that uses Polyurethane bushes in an aluminium mounting,

 

 RollRestrictor.jpg   112.54KB   19 downloads

 

Pictured is the Mountune item, but Collins, Boomba, Cobb to name but a few  make their own versions and I believe Superflex do replacement bushes for the Ford OEM mounting.

 

Quickshift

A common modification is to fit a quick shift to reduce the throw of the gearchange, a comparatively easy fit and really takes the gear change up a level. Again lots of different varieties available with Mountune and Boomba being among the most popular,

 

Lowering Springs

Even though Ford have already lowered the ST by 15mm, lowering is one of the first thing a lot of people do. For the most part, it's a case of sticking to lowering springs, some people fit coilovers for some serious lows or total control for the track day addict.. But we'll stick to the common or garden lowering springs. Eibach, Mountune and H&R are some of the more commonly selected brands. They offer between 25mm and 35mm drop and due to their progressive nature a lot of owners actually see an improvement in ride quality, meanwhile giving the ST an even more aggressive stance.

 

Splitters

Although blessed with a factory body kit giving the ST a sporty look, a lot of owners find the addition of a front splitter below the front spoiler gives a more aggressive look to the car. The most popular being the Triple R Components, of which there are 2 different kinds

 

This one that they used up to some point in 2015

 

 Triple R Composites.jpg   433.16KB   35 downloads

 

Then in 2015 they adopted this look

 

 New TRC.jpg   67.25KB   31 downloads

 

Of course you are not limited to just the one manufacturer

 

KMS offer this

 

 12112019_939701442769400_7057381591755850648_n.jpg   88.1KB   24 downloads

 

Maxton also do this splitter for the ST

 Maxton Splitter.jpg   116.47KB   22 downloads

 

Graphics

One of the common ways ST owners stamp a little originality on their Fiesta is graphics, I'm not talking about Fast & Furious style stickers down the side of the car. Things are much more subtle than that.

 

 Mike ST.jpg   437.03KB   34 downloads

 

Pictured above are the very popular 'Inlays', which change your the colour of the ST badge to your chosen shade from the DMB range. http://www.dmb.uk.co...lay-set?preview

 

 noonoo.jpg   116.63KB   29 downloads

 

Another frequently asked questions is about the wing gels, as seen above, they can be found here http://www.dmb.uk.co...gel-badges-pair

 

Handbrake Gap Guard

 

A little annoyance on the ST (and all MK7 Fiesta's presumably?) is the handbrake black hole of doom. Many members have spent hours foraging around in the dark crevice that lurks between the base of the armrest and the top of the handbrake lever. Phones, keys, you name it, it's ended up down there.

 

Luckily, there's a company out there  that will sell you an insert to save your blushes:

http://www.strongshapes.co.uk/

 

And here's a guide to fitting it:

http://www.fiestasto...ake-black-hole/

 

M Sport

If you like your ST modified, but want it ready made, you might want to look at the M Sport ST. It's a standard ST with some modifications by rally legend and WRC Fiesta builder Malcom Wilson's M Sport, these include;

•  A Quaife Limited Slip Differential,
• Mountune MP215
• OZ Superturismo 7x17 (et 42) Lightweight Alloy wheels 
• Custom M Sport interior pack, including Leather and Alcantara steering wheel, M Sport embroidered seat cover, and various carbon fibre bits.
• M Sport WRC style rear spoiler
• M Sport graphics. 

Also available are the following options pack;

• Chris Tullett (manufacturer of WRC exhausts) exhaust
• M Sport cold air induction with Piper Cross filter
• M Sport Handling Pack, Eibach Springs, Bilstein Mono-tube dampers and 11mm track width increase.
• M Sport brake upgrade, featuring; Alcon Callipers with 332mm discs and Goodridge braided hoses 

 M Sport.jpg   40.66KB   28 downloads

 

 Sport 2.jpg   87KB   18 downloads

 

http://m-sportedition.co.uk/

 

With a discussion thread here;

 

http://www.fiestasto...-sport-edition/

 

 

Security:-

The little Fiesta is very popular and has sold in significant amounts, everybody wants one. Unfortunately, not everybody wishes to pay, so the ST is high on the underworlds hit list. One of the first things to purchase for your ST (especially if you live in Essex or Birmingham apparently) should definitely be:

 

 disclock1.jpg   190.99KB   27 downloads

 

A Disklok, in small (standard, not the wide version), the cover is very much recommended and the bar is best pointing down to avoid leaving any marks on the steering wheel.

 

For other ideas on how to protect your ST check here http://www.fiestasto...o-secure-my-st/

 

 

 

 

Pros and Cons:-

 

If you're looking at buying the ST you no doubt want a run down on what's hot and what's not? So here is a very basic run down on the MK7 ST.

 

Pros:

• Cheap - The ST range is a fantastic buy, being a good deal cheaper than its rivals from Luton and on the Continent. Excellent finance deals available.
• Handling - A fantastic chassis that is exploitable and enjoyable at almost all levels.
• Engine - The ecoBoost is gutsy, willing and rewarding, whilst remaining economical and very civilised on a long run/motorway trip.
• Looks - From it's arch filling 17" 5 spoke alloy wheels to the macho body kit and the sporty twin tailpipes. It's a fine looking beaST
• Seats - The figure hugging Recaro seats are definitely a highlight, they manage to hold you in place when enjoying the Fiesta in its natural environment, the B road or even the track, yet is a perfectly comfortable on a long trek and add the heated option it's the only way to start a winter's day.

 

Cons:

• Headlamps - One of the biggest gripes for some owners, are the headlamps and the lack of HID option. Personally, I've seen better and I've seen worse, but the lack of HID option this day in age seems somewhat of an oversight.
• The Ride - A regular thread from first time ST owners is that they find the ride a little on the firm side, especially around town. Most find that once the springs bed in, it's not all that bad. Besides, it's a hot hatch, a firm ride is par for the course to my mind.
• The Stereo/Infotainment System - To the uninitiated the ST's stereo set up can seem a little bewildering and some find that the Sync system can be a little temperamental. Once you get used and get it set up to how you want it, it's a reasonable little system, with decent connectivity.
• Squeaks and Rattles - Some cars seems to suffer with a few squeaks and the odd rattle from bits of trim. Others have no problems whatsoever. Luck of the draw.

TBC

Beginners Guide to the MK6 Fiesta ST and a brief introduction to the popular modifications

NOTE TO NEW MEMBERS Please do not ask questions about any of the below in this topic, make a new topic. This will result in this thread being moved to a different section of the forum available to "Paid Members" only, and therefore, won't be seen by its intended audience. Thanks on behalf of Yarde and the FiestaSTOC staff

Disclaimer
Please note, this is what I've learnt over my time on the FiestaSTOC forum and in the ST circle. The information provided is correct to my knowledge, however, things may change over time and this guide may not be reflected to suit. I have no responsibility to any problems that arise as a result of you reading this information

Links to threads were correct and working at time of writing.

Why should I read this?
A lot of people buy a car and don't know where to start. They join an owners club, as your reading this on FiestaSTOC.com, you've already done that part! Joining an Owners Club (OC) is the best way to learn about your car, however, the established members will know a lot more about your car than you do, I've aimed to consolidate all of the major things I've learnt into one place, and link to the appropriate guides and threads when I can. So read, enjoy and hoon responsibly!

About the Fiesta ST
The Fiesta ST/XR4 was the performance model of this Fiesta. It includes a 2 litre Duratec Petrol Engine rated at 150 bhp in standard form, with a top speed of 129 mph. The Fiesta ST also features 17 inch alloy wheels, different front and rear bumpers, side skirts, body colour handles and bump strips, partial leather seats and a ST logo on the front seat backs and on the steering wheel.
In Australia, the Fiesta ST was sold as the Fiesta XR4. To stay in line with all sports model Fords sold in Australia it received the 'XR' badging, instead of the 'ST' badging used in Europe. The vehicle was unveiled at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show

Colours
Although there are slight variations in colour availability depending on which market the Fiesta ST was sold in, the colours available in the UK were:

• Panther Black
• Performance Blue (Often shorted to Perf Blue or PB)
• Diamond White (later superseded by Frozen White - Often shortened to FW)
• Moondust Silver
• Colorado Red

Prefacelift (MK6) and Facelift (MK6.5) & The ST500
In November 2005, a revised version of the fifth generation Fiesta went on sale. A number of cosmetic changes were introduced. Inside, the dashboard was redesigned with better quality soft touch materials, following criticisms of the hard, cheaply textured original. A new analogue instrument display is included. The facelift also includes new technology, including power folding mirrors, automatic and 'home-safe' headlights, automatic windscreen wipers, Bluetooth with voice control, Trip Computer, MP3 Player Connectivity and the Electronic Stability Program.
The following is a by no means definitive list of some of the major changes to the ST, postfacelift:

• Front Headlight redesign
• New style Rear lights - 2 reversing lights & 2 fog lights
• soft touch dash facia available in Blue, Red and Pewter (Grey)
• Dials which now include analogue fuel and temp gauges
• Onboard computer - Outside Temperature / Average MPG / Miles left / Average speed
• 1 touch down electric windows
• Gear lever surround and interior door handles are now shiny finish
• Vents for side windows have been moved onto the dash
• Sidelights switch on when unlocked (Home Safe Lights)
• New style CD player (6 Disc Changer or Sony Digital Unit)
• Reshaped Steering wheel airbag
• Variable timing wipers
• Lane change indicators (1 touch 3 flashes)

New added options

• Bluetooth hands free phone with voice control system
• Portable music connection socket (AUX Input)
• Electric folding mirrors
• Rain sensor including auto headlights activation
• EATC - Electronic Auto Temperature control
• Second remote key

Thread Link: http://www.fiestasto...celift-updates/

The ST 500
The ST 500 was a limited production (500 vehicles) model of the Fiesta ST. It includes 17 inch 11-spoke black alloy wheels, red brake calipers, unique exterior vinyl graphics and carbon fibre pattern interior trim. The interior also features a Sony audio system and ebony leather heated seats.

Modification Disclaimer
With this section, I will try to remain subjective and not inject my own opinion. This section aims to provide facts and inform new owners of the products that are available. This is by no means a definitive list of what is available. As with all forms of modification, your car is your own, you can do with it as you please. The following are just a selection of the most common modifications.

All modifications MUST be declared to your insurance company. No excuses. By driving a undeclared, modified car, you run the risk of invalidating your policy in the event of an accident.

Brief overview
As with a lot of previous "hot" Fords, and other cars in general, the popularity of the Fiesta ST spawned a substantial market of 3rd Party product producers allowing owners to modify, tune and personal their ST to make it their own. This market covers both Performance and Interior and Exterior Aesthetics.

Performance Mods
To allow the Fiesta ST to be marketed to a younger audience, the Fiesta ST was purposely "restricted" or undertuned to limit the power output of the engine, thus allowing the ST to classify under a lower insurance group. These restrictions, with a few aftermarket parts, can be removed to release further potential from the ST's Duratec engine.

Air Filter
The standard air filtration system on the Fiesta ST is a labyrinth of restrictive pipework. When replaced with an aftermarket system, gains of up to 5bhp* (*engine dependent) are not uncommon. In this section I aim to cover some of the most common options. The easiest thing to remember when it comes to air filter systems. Cold air is good, hot air is bad.

Panel Filter
One option is remove the standard filter in the standard cooling system and replace it with an aftermarket panel filter, K&N is a popular choice. This helps improve the flow rate through the system, allowing more air into the engine.

K&N 57i
However, to see major improvements in cold air draw, it is necessary to remove the standard system entirely and replace it with something like the K&N 57i. This system removes the maze of pipework and allows a much more direct route to the cold air. A simple 90 degree, 70mm elbow pipe attached to a cone filter. Combined with the routing of cold air feeds from the lower grill on the front bumper (another popular options is to remove the front fog lights and run the ducts to the gap left by the now vacant fog), the amount of cold air being drawn in is greatly increased.

Replacing the Standard Black K&N Elbow
As your modding obsession grows, attention is destined to turn focus to your engine bay. Although its not really possible to modify the K&N filter. One common change is to swap out the standard plastic elbow for a coloured silicone variety.

There are a good few suppliers out there include ASH, Samco and Roose Motorsport. For an air hose, quality probably isn't of upmost importance, or not as important as hoses that carry fuel, water, coolant, oil or similar critical fluids. Aftermarket silicone elbows come in all shapes, sizes and colours. The important facts for the elbow are listed below:

Internal Bore: 70mm
Bend: 90 degrees

Now, to get the silicone elbow to sit correctly on both ends (throttle body and filter cone) you may need to use the standard black elbow to create a sleeve to facilitate a better fit. Now, what to do with the breather hose. Besides using the standard black hose you received as part of the K&N 57i kit, You have two additional options:

1) Replace it with a colour coded aftermarket hose.
2) Remove it

If you wish to replace the hose with an aftermarket hose, you'll need about 1m (this should leave you some spare). Always double check measurements before you purchase any hoses. Again, you can get these from pretty much anywhere online, and its a similar air pipe (often referred to as Vacuum pipes or hoses). Important specs below:

Internal Bore: 13mm
Length: 1m

If you wish to remove this breather hose altogether, often done to tidy up / declutter the engine bay, you'll need 2 additional parts.

1) Some way to blank the hole (15mm) that will be left in the K&N cone base. This will have to be measured before you purchase your own bung. ASH motorsport to make a billet alloy blanking bung.
2) A Breather Filter for the Cam Cover - This is a small air filter that attaches directly to the Cam cover to filter the oil vapours and keep them out of the engine bay. 12mm diameter for the connector is needed

NOTE ABOUT COLOURS: Be aware, manufacturers often charge a premium for non-standard colours (often limited to Blue, Red and Black, but not unknown to be purely limited to blue). You may incur an additional charge if you wanted a yellow/orange/green elbow for example. You may also face long lead times of 2-4 weeks on your order, as your elbow will be a special order for the manufacturer.[/i]

Mountune Cold Air Induction System (CAIS)
Often described as a "K&N in a box", the Mountune CAIS is a closed system, which helps minimise heat soak from ambient engine bay air, and draws air purely from the cold air feed on base of the unit. This works in a similar way to the K&N 57i, removing vast amounts of pipework and allowing more cold air into the system.

There is somewhat of an ongoing debate as to if the CAIS is worth spending the extra on over a K&N 57i. At time of writing, the CAIS is nearly twice the price of the K&N 57i. This is an debate I shall not cover here as I do not have the facts to form a concise argument.

Other systems
For the sake of roundness, there are other systems, although less popular, that you may see referenced in various project threads around the way, these being:

• Graham Goode Racing (GGR) CAIS
• K&N Typhoon
• Pipercross are also common alternatives

Thread of Interest: http://www.fiestasto...induction-kits/

Exhaust Systems
The Fiesta ST exhaust system is commonly referenced as being in four main sections:

• Manifold
• Flexi Pipe
• Cat Assembly
• Cat Back

As mentioned above, the Fiesta ST is rather restricted by these factory fitted parts, and changing them can yield some impressive results, and not to mention, sounds!

NOTE: The factory system is welded together in places, and not necessarily a straight swap between standard and aftermarket parts. If you are not confident to carry out the work yourself, please consult a professional / specialist.

Popular Manufactures
Which manufacturer you choose depends what sound you want from your exhaust. The best way, in my opinion, to choose your exhaust, is to hear one in person, head down to your local Fiesta ST meet and listen to what sound you want and go from there.

You don't have to change your full exhaust in one go. You can start with a manifold, then add a cat or catback, start with the Catback and work back towards the engine, or do the whole system in one.

NOTE: Cheap eBay systems - These are systems advertised a ~£300 for the full system (Manifold, Sports Cat / Decat and Catback) Baring in mind, a full system from a reputable manufacturer is ~£1000, the quality is expected to be substantially less. The decision to take the risk is your own, but it is universally advised to avoid these systems.

Popular manufacturers, include, but are NOT limited to:

• Milltek
• Mountune
• Mongoose
• Piper
• Scorpion
• Cobra
• Sportex
• Powerflow

Each manufacturer is slightly different, resulting in different sounds and appearances (especially on Cat Backs). Popular options for Cat Back tips (the bit that sticks out the back of the car) include:

• Roll Direction - Inward or Outward Rolled (Which way the metal at the end of the tip folds)
• Tailpipe size - Ranges between 3" and 4.5", Standard is 2.5"
• Cut Style - Straight Cut or Slash Cut.

Sports Cats and Decats
Again, there is much debate between owners on this issue, between which is better, Sports Cat or Decat. Again, I will not cover this debate here, but will mention the legalities surrounding the Decat option, namely, a Decat is illegal and should not pass an MOT. However, there are some "friendly" MOT testers that will pass a decatted car.

Decats are a lot more likely to cause your Engine Management Light (EML) to illuminate on your dashboard due to incorrect pollution reads in the second sensor. This often solved by putting spacers between this sensor and the decat, or, alternative, having a custom remap (more on this later) to remove this error from the system (commonly referred to as "Mapping out the error")

Please also note, the Police are well within their right to cause you problems for running a car without a cat. I'm avoiding specific Police / Legal terms as I don't know what specific powers they hold.

Thread of Interest The Fiesta ST MK6 Exhaust Thread by Alec M - http://www.fiestasto...m/#entry1050154

Uprated Camshafts (aka Cams) and Valve Springs

Another common tuning option. This is often the first step towards serious power output from the Fiesta ST. Popular manufacturers include, but are NOT limited to:

• Cosworth
• Piper
• Newman
• Mountune

When choosing cams, it is probably best to ask on the STOC as to which cams are best suited to your vehicles usage. Cams often require specialist knowledge to be fitted, so ensure that your chosen garage / mechanic is able to confidentially fit Cams before purchasing.

NOTE: Although not necessary, a remap may be required to allow your ST to run correct with uprated Cams installed.

Thread of Interest: http://www.fiestasto...8797-cams-kits/

Inlet Manifold
Moving on well from Camshafts comes the Inlet Manifold. Cams and Inlet Manifolds are often upgraded at the same time, again, due to the increased need for a remap, by having both installed at the same time, only one remap is necessary, as apposed to fitting cams, having a remap, then fitting an inlet and then having to have another remap.

Popular inlet manifold options include:

• Mountune (as part of the MR200 kit) - More on Mountune later
• Cosworth (suited to the 2.3 litre Duratec but does fit to the ST's Duratec)
• AutoSpecialists

NOTE: Some inlet manifolds (Cosworth and AutoSpecialist) require the power steering (PAS) fluid resevoir to be relocated using a specialist kit, make sure you factor this into your budget when considering an inlet manifold.

Throttle Body (TB)
Again, another natural procession from the Cams / Inlet combo is to fit a large throttle body. The standard Fiesta ST throttle body is 55mm, the popular upgrade choice is to move to a 60mm throttle body. This is available from other select Duratec engines or from specialist parts retailers. The Throttle body aims to allow greater air flow into the engine.

Remapping / Custom Mapping and Rolling Road Sessions
ECU remapping is an engine tuning service which enables some of the restrictions put on a vehicle by the vehicle manufacturer to be lifted or, to recalibrate the vehicles ECU to coordinate the engine's running in a more efficient manner after modification.

There are two types of remap, Generic and Custom. A Generic map is available via handsets such as BlueFin. These apply a preprogrammed map to the vehicles ECU using a predefined map. A custom map is what it says, a map that is custom to your vehicle. Naturally, engines perform in different ways despite being identical. Some engines have been abused, both physically and neglected from services and maintenance, whereas others have been cared for more sensibly, others just differ for no apparent reason. A custom map takes into account your specific vehicle and gets the most out of the engine and running gear. Custom maps are essential for highly tuned vehicles, as generic maps are not written to cope with such specialist changes.

Most owners tend to wait until most major modifications are complete before getting their vehicle mapped, this avoids "wasting money". Although, if you are able to, there is nothing against getting your car mapped after every upgrade. Remaps help maximise Brake Horse Power (bhp), Torque and Miles Per Gallon (MPG) figures by ensuring the engine runs as it should, avoiding issues such as overfuelling etc.

I want more power, but have ran out of things to do?!
So far, you've gone pretty much as far as you can on the Duratec without going down the Force Induction route, or making some seriously big changes. So, you've got three main choices:

• Turbo
• Supercharge
• Individual Throttle Bodies (ITB)

To do each of these modding routes properly, you've got to be prepared to part with some serious cash. I'm not going to cover what you need to do, or who to speak to, because quite frankly, I don't know enough about the subject to cover it properly. If you want to go down this route, speak to some of the members that have already done this, and see who they used, what products and which companies. I've just included this section to make new users aware of this possibility.

Coping with the Power
So far, I've only mentioned modifications to the power of the ST. So at the minute, we're running standard everything else! So, you're hurdling down the straight at your local track day, go to stop, and you realise that standard brakes weren't designed for 200+bhp and just aren't going to stop you in time, so you end up chucking your car at scenery, backwards, on fire, screaming, with feaces violently evacuating your bowels because you've stuffed your pride and joy into the gravel / armco / tyre wall. Let's avoid this by making some changes!

Braking System
What brake upgrade you chose depends on what power modifications you make, there's no hard and fast rule as to whats necessary at certain power levels but, these are the three most common paths to choose:

1)Upgrade your standard brake discs and pads to uprated ones. Grooved and drilled/dimpled discs and uprated pads (such as EBC's range of Green, Red and Yellow Stuff pads) will provide your standard sized brake set up with a bit more punch

2) 300mm Conversion - Using either Mondeo or Focus ST170 carriers and callipers combinations, alongside the relevant discs and pads, you can add some more real estate space to your brake set up

3) Brembo Conversion - Using the Brembo Callipers from either the Focus RS mk1 or Fiat Coupe (other callipers may fit, check on the STOC before purchase) and various brackets to mount the callipers, these can add some serious stopping power to your ST.

NOTE: Brembo Conversions used in conjunction with Standard ST wheels will require spacers to allow the calliper to clear the wheel. Aftermarket wheels will need to checked on an individual basis. Brembo conversions also require specialist brake lines to allow the Focus RS callipers to attach to the Fiesta ST brake system

Braided Brake Lines
According to Wikipedia, The intent of braided brake lines is to improve brake system effectiveness and longevity compared to an equivalent system fitted with flexible rubber hoses through near-elimination of hose expansion. This allows for an increased feeling and response from the brakes, essentially allowing the driver to brake longer and harder. Another plus is that braided steel lines are aesthetically pleasing, and therefore a popular item with car show attendees and Concours entrants.

There are multiple manufacturers for braided lines, with HEL and Goodridge being popular choices.

Suspension
If you've upgraded to the Fiesta ST from something lesser like I did, I went from a 1.2 Punto to the Fiesta ST, at first you'll be thinking "phawww this handles like a go kart" and after a while and attending a few meets, that'll soon change to "I'm driving a 4x4". The ST may be 15mm lower than your standard MK6 Fiesta, but, in the opinion of many many owners, it needs to go down that little bit more. The two most common options are Lowering Springs and Coilovers.

Lowering Springs
The cheaper of the two options, and simply replace the standard springs in most cases. Eibach kits tend to be the most popular for appearance, ride comfort and quality, but manufacturers such as Spax, Apex and H&R are other equally highly spoken of kits.

NOTE: Some lowering spring kits do not quote a true drop distance as they do not take into account the initial 15mm drop from the factory. For example, a quoted 35mm drop will only be 20mm in reality.

Spacers
After lowering, some owners find that the rear wheels sit in the arches too much, and do not follow the natural lines of the Fiesta ST. 12.5mm or 20mm spacers on each wheel solve this problem. Pushing the stance of the wheels out by this distance. Some consider this to be a style modification, whilst others stay it providers great stability whilst cornering and under heavy braking.

Coilovers
Coilovers are more expensive, but are a much more complex beast. These replace the whole standard suspension unit, spring, strut/damper and all. As a result, most do offer a harder ride, but provide less body roll and an improvement in handling. Coilovers are favoured by those who regularly track their cars.

Some coilovers are more complex than others. Some offer simple heigh adjustment, others don't have any adjustment at all, and then there's the top of the range models that offer a multitude of suspension changes including camber and damping.

AP Coilovers seem to be the current STOC favourite for the best budget coilovers worth buying, anything cheaper seems to provide poor reliability. Other popular manufacturers include AP, Biltsein and GAZ.

Weight Reduction
For the serious trackday attendee, its common knowledge that power isn't everything. It's potentially have 1200bhp if your car weights 12 tonnes. Some go mad in the quest for a lighter car. If it unbolts, it's ripped out. The most common thing to go first is rear seats and anything that is easily removable such as spare wheels and boot contents.

However, if you can live without your creature comforts, and more often in cars that are track toys and not daily drivers, its not uncommon to see door cards, radios, roof linings and dashboards being butchered in order to save a few more KG. Not to mention removing unnecessary electrical components such as rear wiper motors, electric window motors and Air Con pumps and radiators.

For the serious track goer, the next step is to start replacing heavy metal pannels for counterparts made from Fibreglass or Carbon Fibre. Bonnets, doors, wings, boot lids and even roofs all can be replaced. Although you'll need to be very good friends with your bank manager. At time of writing, a carbon fibre bonnet won't see much change from £650!

It is also known to replace glass windows for Lexan or Plexiglass / Perspex Windows, agian, saving weight and lowering the vehicles center of gravity.

Adding Further stiffness
Some drivers still want extra stiffness even after modifying their suspension. Strut Braces and Anti Roll Bars (ARB) are solution.

Strut Braces (Front and Rear)
Strut Braces for the Fiesta ST come in Front and Rear varieties. The front strut brace is mounted to the top of the front suspension struts and minimise body roll and chassis flex to provide a more tight and precise drive. Technically, the most common Rear strut brace is not a strut brace as it does not attach to the suspension struts, and merely adds lateral rigidity to the rear chassis.The front strut brace is universally agreed to have a positive effect, however, the effectiveness of the Rear strut brace is more heavily debated. OMP is the most common manufacturer of the Front strut, and Jamsport the most common supplier of the rear strut brace.

Anti Roll Bars (ARB) or Anti Sway Bars
Manufactured by Whiteline, their blurb states...

"The fitting of bigger Whiteline sway bars is an effective handling improvement you can make. Cornering loads are spread more evenly across the tyres delivering more grip. You also get improved tyre wear as your tyres stay flatter and more upright during cornering. Comfort improves because your car sits flatter through bends meaning less movement inside the vehicle"

ARBs are relatively expensive and only tend to appear on very highly tuned Fiesta ST's or "Track weapons"

Polybushes
Powerflex are regarded as one of the best Polybush providers.
Taken straight from the PowerFlex website:

Suspension bushes are fitted to all cars at all points where the vechile chassis is joined to a moving suspension component. They are fitted to provide a noise and vibrattion absorbing barrier between you and the road. Car Manufacturers fit rubber bushes which act as a sound barrier. Without them cars would feel much harsher and noiser. Rubber is predominently used as it is cheap, and relevantely soft to offer a comfortable and quiet ride. A vehicles original bushes will become softer and more pliable over time, allowing more and more movement of the vehicles suppension components, making the car feel �woolly� . Handling will become less responsive and you might experience accelerated tyre wear and braking instabvility. Standard bushes are manufactured from a rubbercompound containing natural products which perish and deteriorate over time and do not have the best properties for resisting oils and fuels, combined with contant stress rubber suspension bushes eventually deteriorate and break up.

Polyurethance is an ideal material for making into suspension bushes, providing high tensile strength, elasticity and immense durability in the toughest conditions. Polyurethane is also impervoius to petrol and vehicle oil, will not age or perish and has a longer working life; up to 3-4 times that of rubber bushes. By correctly engineering the polyurethane compound, bushes can be made 25-30% stiffer than new rubber items but with exactly the same noise absorbing properties.

Gearbox
The gearbox (IB5) in the Fiesta ST, although adequate for the standard power of the Fiesta ST, does have problems coping with increased power, especially from cars with Forced Induction (Turbos or Superchargers). One of the major upgrades is the MTX75 box which runs reinforced internal components, such as the differential, often replaced with Limited Slip Differentials (LSDs). Quafie are a popular manufacturer of LSD.

Forged Internals
Again, to cope with the higher power of highly tuned and turbo'd/supercharged cars, many serious modders tend to reforge their engine using specialist and reinforced parts. If this is a route your are taking, this is something that will require more specific research with regards to your specific build. This is merely been mentioned in this guide as a means of clearing up confusion for new owners.

Mountune and their tuning packages
At this point, you may be thinking, "Great, I want to extract some of this hidden power of my engine, but I have no idea how to do it, and I have the money to do it all at once" Mountune is possibly the answer for you. Mountune is a specialist automotive engineering company formed in 1980 by Dave Mountain. The company was acquired by Rousch (a Ford approved tuner, specialising in the Mustang) in 2004. Mountune is a Ford approval tuning company, meaning any of their modifications (Terms & conditions pending - with exceptions) will not void your Ford warranty. Must be a plus yeah?

For our MK6 Fiesta ST, Mountune offer three tuning packages or stages

MP165 - Mountune CAIS / Full Exhaust & Sports Cat / Remap
MP185 - Contents of MP165 plus Uprated Cams and Valve Springs / Remap
MR200 - Contents of MP185 plus Mountune Inlet / 60mm Throttle Body / Remap

Each upgrade aims to improve the bhp and torque outputs, aiming for, but not promised to, the numbers in the kit:

MP165 - Aims for 165 PS
MP185 - Aims for 185 PS
MR200 - Aims for 200 PS.

NOTE: MP165 & MP185 are Mountune Performance packages and keep your Ford warranty in tact, however, MR200 is a Mountune Racing package and will invalidate your Ford warranty.
Mountune are not the be all and end all when it comes to Ford tuning, but their continued work and development with the Focus ST, Focus RS and Fiesta ZS Mk7 and upcoming 2013 Fiesta ST makes them a favourite with Ford owners.

Aesthetic Modifications
Some people like to modify their cars so that its the fastest out there, but keep it looking standard on the outside. Some like to the opposite, spend all their effort on the outside and keep the engine as standard, and some balance both.

This section is some of the most COMMON modifications, you don't have to do any of these, and can do whatever you want to be honest, its your car. Change whatever colours you want etc etc. This is just mainly for inspiration and to allow new users to have slight heads up as to what people might mean when someone says "Get your plastics done"

Exterior Plastics
A very common modification to perform early on is to spray the exterior plastics which includes:

• Upper Grill
• Lower Grill
• Lower Grill Surround
• Fog Light Surrounds
• Rear Valance (Lower and Upper)

Gloss or Satin black is the most common, but other colours, especially colour coding to the same colour as the vehicle is also popular.

Gel Badge Overlays
A lot of modders pick a colour scheme for their car, and the standard Blue and Silver Ford badges just don't fit in with this scheme. In steps DMB UK, a graphics company. They specialise in vehicle graphics, especially Fords.

Search for the badges you want (Front and Rear come as a pair, Steering wheel and wheel center caps are a common choice as well), chose the colour scheme you want, and then wait for the delivery.

Other common decals include the inlay for the ST badge on the rear of the car. Browse the DMB website and prepare your debit/credit car for a good hit, cause you'll just keep adding more and more to your basket! Dave of DMB is a fantastic guy and will often price for custom work, all to an exceptional standard. DMB is highly regarded in the FordST scene.

Front Splitter
To give the Fiesta ST a more"racing" stance, a common modification to the front of the car is the additional of a splitter or lip. This runs around the bottom of the bumper and adds an element of style. Triple R Composites (aka TRC or RRR) is the most common, this is specifically made to fit the contours of the Fiesta ST bumper and comes with a fixing kit. Other splitter manufacturers include Mike Goodman (although these are not longer manufactured, one may be available second hand) RSParts and the standard Focus RS splitter that needs to be cut to fit correctly.

NOTE: Cars running lowered suspension set ups may have problems with this splitter scraping when navigating kerbs or speedbumps if the car is very low.

RS Style Bonnet Lip
Styled on the bonnet lip from the Focus RS Mk2 and made to specifically fit the Fiesta ST. Another product from Triple R Composites or RS Parts. Attached with 3M sticky tape (don't worry, this stuff is STRONG) and can add a nice touch to the front end of the Fiesta ST. DMB also have a vinyl sticker that mimics the RS Lip at a fraction of the cost.

Aero Flat Windscreen Wipers
These wipers, made by Bosch and other manufacturers, help to add a smoother appearance to the front of the car, removing the horrible metal frame from standard wipers and have one solid rubber blade. Due to the aerodynamic nature of the blade design, they are often superior in performance to standard blades.

With regards to modifying the rear wiper, the standard arm is often replaced with a "smoothed arm" or removed entirely "dewipered"

Wind Deflectors
Whether they actually reduce wind noise when the window is open or they are fitted purely for looks, is debatable. But Wind deflectors are a common modification. These fit inside the window channel and look like a little tinted spoiler running the length of the front windows. Popular manufacturers include Team Heko and Climair

Club Stickers
Stickers to let other people know you represent FiestaSTOC or which club you are attached to. Some people get custom ones fitted to match their colour scheme. Often fitted to the rear quarter windows or rear windscreen. These are often mentioned in "Spotted Threads" when a owner's car has been spotted by another owner. Available in the Club Shop.

Finned Diffuser
The finned diffuser replaces the current valance on the rear of the car. The fins mimmic the aerodynamic valances found on race and track cars. Most commonly found in 3 and 4 fin varities. Depending on the manufacturer, these valances either serve as direct replaces for the OEM valance, or must be bonded to the original valance using some form of strong adhesive. Common supplies include Triple R Composites, JGK Motorsport and MAB Custom Motorsport Parts.

Window Tints and Sunstrips
Fitted to the rear windows and rear windscreen, tint levels vary from "light smoke" to "limo tint". Darkness is down to personal preference. It is advisable to get these professional fitted as they are difficult to apply well and look awful when incorrectly applied.

Sunstrips run the length of the windscreen at the top and aim to block out the sun. Some drivers prefer tinted strips were others prefer solid block colours. Please note the legislation when applying these, contact a professional if unsure.

NOTE: The law regarding the tinting of front windows and windscreens essentially prevents them from being allowed. If you chose to have these tinted, it is at your own risk. May professionals may advise against it, and may, in some circumstances, refuse to fit them.

Mud flaps
These are fitted to prevent mud splashes, but also improve the look or "stance" of a vehicle. Two types of flaps are available, PVC or Kaylan, with the later being the stiffer, but more expensive of the two. These come in a range of colours from multiple manufacturers.

Body Kits
There are a few out there, but the two most famous are the JWRC and ACR Composites (Often referred to as Reeday's Kit after the user who made it). These are body "wide arch" kits. However, they do require some substantial work to be fitted and will probably require a full respray.

NOTE: Vehicles with these kits fitted can be difficult to sell on.

Interior Modifications

Seats
A lot of people change out the standard ST seats for bucket seats and swap the seat belts for harnesses. There are far to many options to cover, only you can choose what seats and harnesses you want.
What is worth mentioning is probably the nicest seats ever made, the Recaro CS Sportsters. Although very expensive, they are commonly regarded as the best seats for the ST.

Interior Colour Coding
Some owners take the modding to the inside of their car, colour coding interior panels or even going for full retrims. Popular, but "easy" interior items include the stereo surrounds, ST plaque on the steering wheel, gearknob plaque, air vent surrounds and gear gaiter surround.

Thread of Interest: http://www.fiestasto...on/#entry595050

Lighting

Detango (Facelift Headlights)
A lot of people don't like that horrible orange filter on the front of their headlights, so remove the filter and replace the bulbs with Silver bulbs that glow orange. Whilst doing this, headlights are often split open and given a lick of paint to make them blend in with the rest of the car. Colours are down to you but a full guide can be seen here.
http://www.fiestasto...ts/#entry787848

LED Bulbs
LED Bulb sizes for inside are as follows:
Interior Light - Middle - 36mm Festoon
Interior Light - Side/Map - w5w / 501

Number plate bulbs - 36mm Festoon
Boot Light - w5w / 501

Headlight Bulbs
Two main options here, HIDs or Uprated Bulbs.

High Intensity Discharge (HID) Bulbs
HIDs, by rights, shouldn't pass an MOT unless fitted in projector lamps, be fitted with self leveling systems and lens washers, but often do without these requirements. These use the same wiring for the standard bulbs, but via a ballast, to provide a whiter light. HIDs are measured in temperature (K). I believe 6000k is white.

HIDs are often unpopular with other drivers, especially when fitted in reflector headlights (like the Fiesta ST has) the light beam isn't focused properly and causes dazzling

NOTE: Fitting of HIDs without satisfying the necessary MOT criteria is at your own risk.

Uprated Bulbs
As popular alternative to HIDs is bulbs that mimic the light output of HIDs. "White" bulbs will never be as white as HIDs, but are legal. Osram and Phillips are popular favourites. Please be aware that some uprated bulbs are not E-Marked, and therefore not fit for road use.

Engine Bay Modifications, Dress Up Kits or Engine Bling

People that attend shows tend to modify all aspects of their car, even the engine bay. There are a large amount of dress up kits for the engine bay of the Fiesta ST, AutoSpecialists have a large selection. Engine Bay bling includes, but is not limited to:

• Covers for various fluid reservoirs
• Spark Plug or Engine Covers
• Battery Cover
• Engine Tubing or Conduit
• Under Bonnet Vanity Plates
• Colour coded or Chrome reservoir caps

You can do whatever you want to your engine bay, don't be limited to what companies sell, contemplate making your own custom pieces.

[u]Final Disclaimer
Everything I have written here serves as a beginners guide to modding and owning the Fiesta ST. It is by no means a definitive guide and everything written here is for guidance only. I am not responsible for anything that may go wrong as a result of something you have read here. If you are not confident of tackling anything on your own, please consult a professional.

With regards to modifications, especially aesthetic mods, the sky is your limit, you are not limited to the list written here. You are your own limit, you will have to be brave and try your own things to stand out from the crowd. Do your own thing, use other cars as inspiration and talk to people abut how they did things. People are here to share knowledge, but most of all, enjoy owning your ST!

If you are going to copy this guide to anywhere to another forum other than FiestaSTOC.com, please have the courtesy to reference both Myself (Yarde) and FiestaSTOC with its creation, this took a lot time on my part to write. Thanks, Yarde.


Other threads of Interest

Please note, to access the following threads / sub forums, you may require a FiestaSTOC membership, which is available via the Club shop

Buyers Guide and What to look for by Alec M
If you haven't bought your Fiesta ST yet, this is a good thread to have a read through, giving a run down of common things to look for in your second hand MK6 Fiesta ST.

Early Mod List by Iceman
Alot of new members are very keen and enthusiastic to start modding their ST's but tend not to know exactly where to begin, what items to go for and the best way/place to source them from. To save them using the search or posting recurring questions, Iceman thought us more experienced/long attending members could construct a helping hand guide and list, of a few starter mods and general upgrade suggestions, that are most commonly asked for/saught after in the early stages of an ST project.

The Fiesta ST MK6 Exhaust Thread by Alec M
A more detailed look at the standard exhaust system of the Fiesta ST. This thread is a great reference for people to look at the standard system, and where changes can be made

AGAIN, A NOTE TO NEW MEMBERS Please do not ask questions about any of the below in this topic, make a new topic. Otherwise,tThis will result in this thread being moved to a different section of the forum available to "Paid Members" only, and therefore, won't be seen by its intended audience. Thanks on behalf of Yarde and the FiestaSTOC staff

Change Log

13/01/2013 - Document Created
13/01/2013 - Added Admin Notice at top and bottom
15/01/2013 - Exhaust / Decat Section - Spelling mistakes corrected /// Mountune Section - Power figures changed from BHP to PS
17/01/2013 - Threads of Interest Section - Added
07/03/2013 - Air Filter (K&N) Section - Additional Information Added - Aftermarket Elbow solutions
23/03/2013 - Exhaust Section Updated - Additional Information Added // New Sections Stiffness (Polybushing), Weight Reduction, (Asthetic Mods) Finned Diffuser
13/09/2013 - FiestaST MK6 Exhaust Thread link added

 

Excuse the typing mistake Alec...

about 2 years ago i was working in warrington n i'd just got my recaro seats put into my ST.
i picked up this girl i was seeing at the time and she had chocolate on her jeans. she then picked the chocolate off her jeans and wiped it into my alcantara seats.
I asked what the hell she was doing and she said if we were going out she couldn't have chocolate on her jeans in public.
needless to say she didn't last the rest of the night and never sat in my car again.

message of the story is recaro's before hoes

i borrowed my mates corsa 1.2 the other day and burned off an ST at the lights, opened it up with a massive wheel spin then left him for dust.... told all my mates at college about the next day and everything! they we're surprised at how slow I told them the ST was....

My Fiesta ST story.

 

Back in 2014 I bought my first Fast Ford in many years.

Being on the forum, meeting people, changing cars, it's interesting what can follow from a simple decision to buy a Fiesta ST and go on a forum...

 

So after reading the reviews, watching Top Gear etc.. I settled on buying a Fiesta ST.  I'd not had a quick Ford for over ten years.

My 2014 ST-3 in all it's glory.  Such a fun car, I loved it.

 

Straight into Gleam Machine Detailing for a new car prep and coating.

 

Did a few track days in it, really appreciated the handling balance.

 

Was doing some photography courses at the time, so the ST got roped in.

 

 

Even ending up buying Alec's mk6 to see what they are like.  Such good value for money.

 

 

I then bumped into Kester Cook on the forum who races a mk6 Fiesta ST.

Having done a lot of track days, I really fancied having a crack at that, so I thought... hell, why not!

I bought an old Fiesta ST race car and started to prepare for my ARDS license.

 

 

After a while I started to crave more power in the daily, influenced by the forum.

So the car was sold and I bought a cheaper ST-2 off of another forum member, took it to TK Performance in Norwich and had the Peron stage 3 set up installed.

Then big brakes, Meister R GTC1 coilovers and track day tyres.

The car was transformed, a total B road or track day weapon.

 

Big brakes!

 

 

Meanwhile the mk6 race car was tuned, I passed my ARDS test and started to race competitively with the CSCC in the Tin Tops as car 53.

We had some reliabliity issues, but when the car worked it proved to be very capable.  Nabbing a pole at Brands, 2nd at Thruxton in only three races.

 

Qualifying at Brands, screaming around Paddock for 1st place on the grid.

 

Then the ST200 was released.

I wasn't sure, it was expensive, a funny colour after a love affair with Spirit Blue and in the meantime I'd bought one of the new Focus RS.

But I went for one, sold the Peron ST-2 as I was using the RS more and bought the ST200.

On the way home I loved it, such a good car.  A great package on the mk7 chassis.  I drove it home 200 miles from Stonacre, followed by a mate from STOC in my Focus.

 

Other people driving my ST200 at Brands Hatch.

 

A major car purchasing scheme then starting to form.

For the 2017 CSCC Tin Top season we started to aquire more Fiesta ST race cars, to run a team of 5 on a projected grid of 30.  Making a clear statement as Brisky Racing.

As the race season finished we bought up several Fiestas that people didn't plan to race next year.

 

With three more added to mine, the last one popped up locally in Kent, and we were there, a team of five Fiesta STs.

Done with time to spare for winter prep and repainting in team colours.

 

 

The RS was going great and I found myself using the ST200 rarely, despite how good it was.

In fact it was often driven by friends when their cars had issues.  So I made the call to sell it, with it going off to Scotland.

I took an ST-3 in part exchange, nice car and reminded me how good the standard ST actually is.  But it'll be sold off at some stage.

But in truth I missed the ST200 after it went.

I wouldn't even mod one with my experience, it's just "right" for the car.

 

My current Scottish ST.

 

 

So after over two and a half years on the forum, here we are.

Looking forward to 2017 racing a group of Fiesta STs.

 

Having been given the push to get my race license here.

Having met some great people on this forum, many of which I now know and talk to on Facebook.  People I consider friends, some of them very good ones.

Having been through 3, soon to be 4 mk7 STs, which I still think are amazing cars for the money.

And finally having also seen the charm and fun of the mk6, to the point we have built a race team around them.

 

 

It's been a mental few years.

2017 is looking like another interesting Fiesta year too...

Just canvassing opinion on changing the way the 'photo of the month' is judged...

it's no secret that sometimes, not many votes are cast by the 'management' in order to pick a winner for the competition....

I moot the notion of a public poll... you have three weeks to upload your pic and then a week of voting via the 'poll' system

thoughts?

I stuff mine full of condoms for all the honeyz wowed by the MO paint. Doesn't hold enough though. Ford, take note.

I contacted Vise about this and another similar issue and I was not satisfied with the response. I have therefore banned him from the site

Craig > he did indicate that he would be paying you but he also included a load of excuses within that statement

I don't think it's overly fair to slander a company based on only the negative feedback you've received.

Take into account that 9 times out of 10 a customer is only going to make a public review or leave feedback based on a negative experience, normally as a way of venting. Keep in mind the amount of positive customer experiences Si probably has under his belt.

I am not a customer, nor do I know Si on a personal level so this is coming from a neutral stance.

It is very un-professional to conjure up a bad smell in a public view regarding a company or service unless you have all the facts. A handful of negative PMs in reference to a single company IMO does not give anybody the right to pull apart all the hard work an individual may have put into their service and products. Holding a discussion allowing the owner to defend themselves is in much better taste and the fact that Si has stood his ground and answered the frustrations and queries raised to him says a lot about SiCo and the service he's willing to provide.

Unfortunately you can never keep everybody happy and that's a shame as it can cost business. Finally, some of the users here who have had problems - I will agree these could have been dealt with better and to make a public view of your own personal experience is all part of the internet these days. BUT for more senior individuals, I feel it would have been in better taste to maybe PM the individual regarding their interest in contacting SiCo if you had concerns. It then allows that user to make up their own mind or conduct a degree of research from other customers.

Just my two pennies worth, no naming and shaming much love x X x X x

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I was stuck behind a woman doing 25 in a 40 zone the other day. I kept my distance because she looked old and doddery.. and I didn't want to be that guy who drives right up someone's back end. At an appropriate time I down-geared and was able to over-take.. keeping the speedo dead on 40mph.

She had her window down and screeched 'bloody boy racer! You'll kill someone driving like that!'

My mate in the passenger seat yelled 'It's a 40 zone love!'

she then proceeded to speed up and drive up the back of me flashing her lights and swerving as if to over-take.

Moments later blue flashing lights appear and she gets pulled over for what must have appeared to be dangerous or drink driving.

Moral of the story: There's a limit for a reason.. and road-rage is appalling.

Shame on you madam!

Really?
 
https://www.youtube....h?v=vy6gJAw4Z_c
 
My own drive recorder footage.

He hit the apex beautifully? The lorry was clearly getting blue flagged and was moving off the racing line?

I see no problem here.

Dalveen Pass, Scotland. Sheet ice, not the best of days to take a 300 mile old ST for a run! 😂


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Frozen White ST and some snowy hills


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Trying to do something a little different for this one.

 

DSCF5453-Edit by David George, on Flickr

Bought an ST!!

Bit of general ramble this so apologies but I've recently been putting my car back to standard due to its impending swap for a new Focus ST and thought I'd share a few of my thoughts now its back to standard- ish. This may sound a bit 'deja vu' to some as I know I certainly have read similar posts over the years on different car forums

 

Currently the only mods on it now are Stg 1 Intercooler & re-map, everything else back to standard. My main thought since driving it like this is what a great little package straight out the factory. Ford got this car so right to start with.

 

The major performance mods that I've had/removed:

 

Mountune Springs - Do I miss them?

Not particularly, looked loads better but did it handle better? Yes but can't say there was a massive difference, sharper turn-in and a bit more 'planted'. Ride better? Subjective this, it rode 'different', not better, not worse. I think the standard suspension actually soaks up bumps better!

 

Mountune exhaust - Do I miss it?

Again, not particularly. Looked and sounded good but I now quite like the fact I can travel normal speeds quietly and without someone at side of road looking at me lol.

 

Forge Hard Pipe - Do I miss it?

This actually helped turbo noise and added extra character, so yes!

 

Boomba quick shift adaptor - Do I miss it?

Yes, definitely.

 

Finsport Airbox - Do I miss it?

No, total white elephant imho and can't believe I paid over £200 for it.

 

RamAir Induction kit (replaced the above) - Do I miss it?

Actually I do miss this a bit, seemed to make a difference to torque and sounded nice.

 

Cobb RMM - Do I miss it?

Sometimes, yes. Under hard acceleration/gearchanges I notice its not there anymore.

 

So this isn't knocking modifying cars (I've already got bits for the Focus waiting to go on lol) and it might be because I'm getting an old git (38 next month) but I think I'm basically done with changing out major components on cars from now on. Its easy to think "Oh this needs uprating, this isn't good enough" etc but actually........

 

Really all this car needed imho is a Stage 1 remap/intercooler (not essential) and a nice shortshift adaptor, unless you are really chasing big power.

Probably would have saved lots of cash in the long run but........where's the fun in that hey?!

 

@Jackd73 The first sentence could have been worded a little better hahahah

HI yeah urrm, this section seems to be the place where everyone posts about anything and everything, so, urrm, can you help me?

 

I want to know;

 

What MPG I should be getting?  Not going to tell you my driving style or what sort of roads I use though!

Which tyres will help get me better MPG?  But I want major major grip in both the dry and wet, no compromises at all!

What brakes should I get?  I don't want to spend too much though!

Should I get Mountune or something else?  I want to keep my warranty but think Mountune is too small of a gain...but want my warranty!

When I do all that, what BHP will I be running?  I like to quote the peak power figure even though it means very little in real world terms!

I have kerbed a wheel already too, silly me, does anyone have the paint code for Rado Grey?

Should I get lowering springs or coilovers?  My budget is 50p as the rest is being spent on monthly payments for the car.

Can someone also do a photoshop for me with pink calipers on a Spirit Blue?  Not going to provide any pictures for you to work with or specific shades of pink I would like.

 

 

Oh yeah, and how much will this cost me to insure by comparing to all of your insurance premiums which bare no resemblance to my personal circumstances whatsoever!

 

  Thanks in advance for your replies!!  I have tried searching but gave up after 1 attempt in which I made a typo so no results were found...