So...........
Obviously these ideas are not for all....but being new to the Fiesta ST, just 4 months in now, and to this forum, I've noticed after hours of reading these forums that from 2014-2015 all the excitement was about bolt-ons while in the last year or so most of the excitement is about cyborg/big turbo upgrades. Not all, but most.
Not saying I'll never go there, and not saying anything against those who do....but after months of research and planning I've concluded that for me at this point, stage 2 + is the place to be. So I thought I'd share why.
By "stage 2 +" I mean that I have the essential "stage 2" hardware - that is, a better FMIC and a tune to match - plus a few other things - a true CAI that doesn't heat soak, a BIG MOUTH intake, and a few braces to help keep the new power to the ground.
To me, this is the ultimate cost-effective price point for our cars. For the FMIC and Accessport for tuning you'll spend around $800. Throw in $300 more for lower front and rear brace/bar and RMM and you have great power and the supporting mods to keep the car gripping the road. For $500 more you get a few intake mods that help with cooling even more. Then for another $300 you get a custom tune and call it a day. At this point you've invested somewhere between $1000-$1800 and probably added around 25 HP and 50 TQ, a conservative estimate.
Beyond this, big money is required to make the car faster and it seems to me that that is where you are spending much more for your HP/TQ. This is why I chose not to go DP/"stage 3"...at that point you drop another $1000ish for a down pipe and exhaust and get more power that the wheels can't handle....then you spend $500 more on tires to help handle the power and $300 more on a tune to limit the power that the turboback gives so you can go WOT without burning the tires and dealing with wheel hop/traction issues.
Beyond this, even bigger money is required to upgrade the turbo, and more for install. While most of us are probably comfortable installing mounts/bars/intake/intercooler, the mods beyond that are more typically installed for a price. So you add several thousand more, I estimate $3000-$5000 parts and labor and tune depending on your setup. That includes the price of "stage 3" above. For that you lose some of the low end power that makes this car fun, but gain awesome mid/high end power, better track times, etc. And of course if your goal is a drag strip/track car, big turbo is without question the right path for you. But it will cost.
In conclusion - to go beyond the "stage 2" setup, which can be had for $1000, you're spending an additional $3000 or much more for the next level of power. Depending on what parts you buy and whether or not you install yourself or have install done for a price:
Stage 2 = $1000-$2000
Stage 3 = $2000-$3000
Big turbo = $4000-$7000
Money aside, the personality of the car, in my opinion, is perfect at stage 2. You get usable power (with bracing) early on, and while mid- and high- range power isn't as beastly as a big turbo'd car, it is still there much more than stock, and relatively decent. My car as it sits right now, short of a custom tune, feels about how my STi did at stock levels, though I have more power early. The car is plenty quick.
As I've contemplated my mod path over the last few months, and arrived at this milestone recently ("stage 2 +"), these are the thoughts going through my head. Very happy with this car. Granted I have not driven a big turbo'd FiST so I am speaking somewhat out of ignorance....but my Subaru was modded to 297HP/337TQ AWHP and i can truly say that my Fiesta as it sits now is a much more satisfying ride, the perfect setup for street driving.
Obviously these ideas are not for all....but being new to the Fiesta ST, just 4 months in now, and to this forum, I've noticed after hours of reading these forums that from 2014-2015 all the excitement was about bolt-ons while in the last year or so most of the excitement is about cyborg/big turbo upgrades. Not all, but most.
Not saying I'll never go there, and not saying anything against those who do....but after months of research and planning I've concluded that for me at this point, stage 2 + is the place to be. So I thought I'd share why.
By "stage 2 +" I mean that I have the essential "stage 2" hardware - that is, a better FMIC and a tune to match - plus a few other things - a true CAI that doesn't heat soak, a BIG MOUTH intake, and a few braces to help keep the new power to the ground.
To me, this is the ultimate cost-effective price point for our cars. For the FMIC and Accessport for tuning you'll spend around $800. Throw in $300 more for lower front and rear brace/bar and RMM and you have great power and the supporting mods to keep the car gripping the road. For $500 more you get a few intake mods that help with cooling even more. Then for another $300 you get a custom tune and call it a day. At this point you've invested somewhere between $1000-$1800 and probably added around 25 HP and 50 TQ, a conservative estimate.
Beyond this, big money is required to make the car faster and it seems to me that that is where you are spending much more for your HP/TQ. This is why I chose not to go DP/"stage 3"...at that point you drop another $1000ish for a down pipe and exhaust and get more power that the wheels can't handle....then you spend $500 more on tires to help handle the power and $300 more on a tune to limit the power that the turboback gives so you can go WOT without burning the tires and dealing with wheel hop/traction issues.
Beyond this, even bigger money is required to upgrade the turbo, and more for install. While most of us are probably comfortable installing mounts/bars/intake/intercooler, the mods beyond that are more typically installed for a price. So you add several thousand more, I estimate $3000-$5000 parts and labor and tune depending on your setup. That includes the price of "stage 3" above. For that you lose some of the low end power that makes this car fun, but gain awesome mid/high end power, better track times, etc. And of course if your goal is a drag strip/track car, big turbo is without question the right path for you. But it will cost.
In conclusion - to go beyond the "stage 2" setup, which can be had for $1000, you're spending an additional $3000 or much more for the next level of power. Depending on what parts you buy and whether or not you install yourself or have install done for a price:
Stage 2 = $1000-$2000
Stage 3 = $2000-$3000
Big turbo = $4000-$7000
Money aside, the personality of the car, in my opinion, is perfect at stage 2. You get usable power (with bracing) early on, and while mid- and high- range power isn't as beastly as a big turbo'd car, it is still there much more than stock, and relatively decent. My car as it sits right now, short of a custom tune, feels about how my STi did at stock levels, though I have more power early. The car is plenty quick.
As I've contemplated my mod path over the last few months, and arrived at this milestone recently ("stage 2 +"), these are the thoughts going through my head. Very happy with this car. Granted I have not driven a big turbo'd FiST so I am speaking somewhat out of ignorance....but my Subaru was modded to 297HP/337TQ AWHP and i can truly say that my Fiesta as it sits now is a much more satisfying ride, the perfect setup for street driving.
