FiST fun facts

[tri-pedaler]

some random trivia about this car - what have you found?

-same power-to-weight ratio as the legendary e30 m3 - on which see here

View: https://youtu.be/Xatzi2Whnjo
and here

View: https://youtu.be/u3EiY7sQWr4


- bested the FoST in the R&T comparison

- Car and Driver 10Best winner - not bad for an econo box!

- The manual warns not to drive in high performance settings with more than two passengers - why two?!?

- the manual says you can use 87 octane but recommends premium “for improved performance…for severe duty usage such as [wait for it] TOWING A TRAILER”

- redline is at 6375 but can get to 6500 for 3 seconds of “overspeed”

What else?

 

[XR650R]

It was well-received.

https://www.towneastford.com/blog/2018/june/8/ford-fiesta-st-wins-a-whopping-22-awards.htm

 

[Capri to ST]

Our engines were used virtually stock in the Formula Ford racing series.

 

[Capri to ST]

Another example of racing heritage related to our cars is that professional driver Andrew Comrie-Picard won the 2014 Rally America 2WD championship in his own FiST, which was just slightly modified. It had a completely stock engine (he refers to it as the exact same engine that you get in the car at your dealership,) drivetrain and suspension mounting points. The only modifications that I am aware of were taller wheels and tires, a heavier duty suspension, a sequential transmission and a few other minor things.
The fact that our cars can hold up well to the intense demands of racing makes me feel good about their possible reliability in street car use.
In both of these videos he discusses how close to fully stock the car is.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM1nkR8pkX4

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hUhp4J0ISM

 

[M-Sport fan]

^^^Yes, and if one wants to extend that blanket of mods (albeit yes, MAJOR ones!) out further, Seb Ogier won TWO WRC championships (2017 & 2018) in the AWD, Rally 1 (WRC) class Fiesta Mk8, and Ford took the manufacturer's championship in 2017 as well.

Remember, this is a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, which many consider just as important/relevant (if not more so, since it IS based off of a fully production unibody) as the World F1 Championship.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Also, just last week at the ARA National100 Acre Woods Rally in Missouri, a member on HERE @jcr557 (John Concha) got 8th in the Limited 2WD class in a FiST, and there were many more examples of our rides repped on the finish list as well.

 

[Capri to ST]

It was the cheapest car that offered a Recaro seat option.

 

[Mikey456]

Our engines were used virtually stock in the Formula Ford racing series.

Did they use the turbo or NA engine for the Formula Ford series?

 

[Capri to ST]

Did they use the turbo or NA engine for the Formula Ford series?

It was the turbo engine, based on this correspondence I had with a gentleman who at the time was at Ford Racing for Europe.I had found his name and email address when I was researching the car, and I reached out to him to ask him how stock the version of the FiST engine was that was used in Formula Ford racing. He was kind enough to respond, and said this-

I’m delighted that you have purchased the fantastic Ford Fiesta ST. Apart from running a dry sump there is little we do to the 1.6L EB engine that we install in the race car. The whole idea is to take a stock engine and go racing which is what we have done in single seat racing in junior categories for almost 50 years. We turn down the power a little to meet with the championship regulations other than that the engine is the same as used in the ST.

This was also confirmed in a press release from Ford-
In 2012 the lightweight turbocharged 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine found in the highly acclaimed Fiesta ST was adopted by Formula Ford...
https://media.ford.com/content/ford...dopts-fia-formula-4-regulations-for-2015.html

 

[Intuit]

Indoor speed record... at some point (maybe still) belonged to a Fiesta chassis.
https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/tv-show-top-gear.26318/post-455085

 

[M-Sport fan]

It was the turbo engine, based on this correspondence I had with a gentleman who at the time was at Ford Racing for Europe.I had found his name and email address when I was researching the car, and I reached out to him to ask him how stock the version of the FiST engine was that was used in Formula Ford racing. He was kind enough to respond, and said this-

I’m delighted that you have purchased the fantastic Ford Fiesta ST. Apart from running a dry sump there is little we do to the 1.6L EB engine that we install in the race car. The whole idea is to take a stock engine and go racing which is what we have done in single seat racing in junior categories for almost 50 years. We turn down the power a little to meet with the championship regulations other than that the engine is the same as used in the ST.

This was also confirmed in a press release from Ford-
In 2012 the lightweight turbocharged 1.6-litre EcoBoost engine found in the highly acclaimed Fiesta ST was adopted by Formula Ford...
https://media.ford.com/content/ford...dopts-fia-formula-4-regulations-for-2015.html

I wonder if they did the power reduction through tuning, or by mandating an inlet restrictor, like the WRC uses for it's technical rules.

 

[XR650R]

I wonder if they did the power reduction through tuning, or by mandating an inlet restrictor, like the WRC uses for it's technical rules.

They're limited to 165 PS, so I'd guess that can just be done with tuning.

 

[Capri to ST]

One of the main reasons we got this wonderful car here in the US is because Ford for a time had a philosophy for its world marketing called one Ford. That meant they would sell the same cars all over the world, which would hopefully lead to more efficiency in manufacturing. For a long time before that, they sold all sorts of great and interesting cars in Europe that we didn't get over here. Then, for a brief and exciting time, the one Ford philosophy came in and we got some of the good stuff that we had previously been denied access to like our car and the FoST.
Sadly, that philosophy and marketing strategy seems to be long gone, and we have not gotten the new and interesting three cylinder version of our car here in the US.

 

[Mikey456]

I’m not sure of their strategy now with gas prices up? They left the market open for practical fuel sipping sedans and hatches. Unless everyone starts buying their electric “mustangs”

 

[Capri to ST]

I’m not sure of their strategy now with gas prices up? They left the market open for practical fuel sipping sedans and hatches. Unless everyone starts buying their electric “mustangs”

I agree with you, I wondered if they would regret their change in philosophy if and when gas prices went up.I do think at this point though they're all in on electric cars, and I think unfortunately we're unlikely to get small gas powered cars from Ford here again

 

[Intuit]

Fuel prices have certainly influenced acceleration and left-lane speeds, but not sure how much of an impact it has been seen with buying trends.

............. Then, for a brief and exciting time, the one Ford philosophy came in and we got some of the good stuff that we had previously been denied access to like our car and the FoST. Sadly, that philosophy and marketing strategy seems to be long gone, and we have not gotten the new and interesting three cylinder version of our car here in the US.

The EU model definitely appears to be more of a premium car. They never even bothered to produce a USDM projector style headlamp assembly. We all had to have our projectors shipped from across the Atlantic. 🙄

 

[Capri to ST]

There were two different kinds of brake pads available new from the factory depending on which OEM tires your car came with from the factory.
If the car came with the standard summer performance Bridgestone Potenza RE050A tires, then the car was equipped with what Ford called "power front and rear performance brakes with track pads."
However, if the car came new from the factory with the no cost optional all season Michelin tires (I'm not sure which model they were, maybe A/S 3s?) then it came with what Ford called "performance brakes with low-dust street pads."
Something to keep in mind when you're getting new OEM brake pads. I'm not sure what the part numbers are for the two different brake pad options, maybe somebody can chime in with them if they know them.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Mine came with the pedestrian 'street' pads, since I ordered the car with the AS/3s as I knew that I was going to be getting multiple sets of aftermarket wheels with stickier tires than the 'stones (which would be useless in the winter close to the early November delivery date).

For the brake replacement coming up VERY soon, I will 'upgrade' to the factory 'summer tire/race' pads, paired with Ron's new rotors, as I do not trust any of the performance aftermarket pads to not squeal like stuck pigs, and have no plans on open tracking this car.

 

[Intuit]

^ Get ready for THE DUST!!! 😁

 

[dhminer]

Mine came with the pedestrian 'street' pads, since I ordered the car with the AS/3s as I knew that I was going to be getting multiple sets of aftermarket wheels with stickier tires than the 'stones (which would be useless in the winter close to the early November delivery date).

For the brake replacement coming up VERY soon, I will 'upgrade' to the factory 'summer tire/race' pads, paired with Ron's new rotors, as I do not trust any of the performance aftermarket pads to not squeal like stuck pigs, and have no plans on open tracking this car.

You can get EBC rotors cheaper on CarID btw