Rally FiST

[Caddis710]

Hello all, long time lurker first time poster. I’ve had my ST a few months and have decided to go the rally route as I’m a long time rally fan and the rebel in me wants to take the unbeaten path. No competition for me as this is my DD but I do fish in the mountains frequently and take forest roads often. I’m in Southern California and would like to know if anyone local has a reputable shop that can fabricate skid plates and other off road work. My goal is to have a durable ST to take on the forest roads but can also be a comfortable DD. I have been looking at the YSR gravel coil overs but not sure if I want to pull that trigger. Any one have suggestions on a beefy suspension setup that doesn’t cost Reiger money lol. Strut/spring combo or other coil over options.. Anyone have experience with ceika coilovers? Also looking for information on the best tire/wheel set up. Right now I’m running Terra 16s on 205/50 extreme contacts on stock suspension. Any other information suspension wise like a-arms etc things to consider when going the rally route. Much obliged.
- Jacob

 

[D1JL]

Dave

 

[Dpro]

Welcome!
while there are some local shops that do work on our cars like FSwerks in Anaheim not any that make rally stuff for them per se.

 

[Caddis710]

Welcome!
while there are some local shops that do work on our cars like FSwerks in Anaheim not any that make rally stuff for them per se.

Thanks for the reply..
Yea the FSwerks exhaust is on my list as I do not like the MBRP exhaust the previous owner installed. If I were modding the engine I would definitely look into a visit to them. So far engine mods are BOV and drop in filter, possibly RMM but I’d also like to find a shop I can trust that has knowledge in turbo engines (not that you need to know that for a RMM) but later down the line I might look into an intercooler. I work in the desert and temps get to 120+. I was concerned when I called my local shops for installing my BOV and they had no idea what I was talking about. I’m sure they would have a similar response if asked to install an intercooler.

 

[CarGuy]

Welcome!

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

 

[FiestaSTdude]

Welcome!
As far as skid plates go, there are two options that you could buy and install yourself. ADF customs makes one that's very light. It's fine if you want to keep gravel and debris from hitting the engine and transmission. If you expect the skid plate to take serious impacts, there's a skid plate made by the skid plate guy that attaches to the frame. I think that he only sells them through Facebook, assuming he still makes them. @M-Sport fan uses that skid plate, and he will also probably have some useful info about suspension mods for rally.
For tire/wheel setup, I would recommend 15 inch wheels with a snow tire as a dedicated off road setup. I say snow tire because no one makes an all terrain in the right size.

 

[FiestaSTdude]

https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/fiesta-st-rally-and-offroad-mods.28543/
Here's a thread I created to discuss rally FiSTs. Hopefully it will have some helpful info

 

[M-Sport fan]

Any one have suggestions on a beefy suspension setup that doesn’t cost Reiger money lol.- Jacob

I WISH!!

I've been seeking exactly this from before I even bought this ride new, in May of 2016.

I've seen both tarmac and gravel Reiger R2 setups for sale, used, but rebuilt/refurbished online at times for ~$3K to $4K, but still that is out of my range for a car that only costs ~$20K or less to begin with.

I've been told by Team O'Neil, O.D.D. Racing, and many others that one MUST convert to base Fiesta uprights/knuckles in order to use those R2 Reigers on an ST Fiesta, so there's that expense/bother as well involved with that suspension setup.

And yes, WELCOME!

 

[M-Sport fan]

Also, yes, as FiestaSTdude has said, a few of us on here (including JDG, who actually does SCCA RallyCross with it!) use the Skid Plate Guy's front bash plate, and they are pretty solid pieces,

Mine has a big dent in it from short-cutting an exit to a stage on the New England Forest Rally two years ago, through a 'boulder field' type, totally washed-out road, but it did not damage anything else like the mounting points, or function).

Team O'Neil, back when they were still in the rally car prep business, used to offer a front plate which was much more solid yet than the SPG one, with welded-on, threaded mounting points, and they reach up further to the lower part of the front bumper cover/lower intercooler section than the SPG's ones do, and a heavier gauge yet alloy, truly 'competition grade', but no longer available.

Even when it was, it was ~$850 or so, BEFORE the labor to weld on the mounts, so yeah, much overkill for most of our uses.

O'Neil used to offer an underbody kevlar protection 'kit' as well which also went by the wayside, as did M-Sport Poland (for the R2/R2T cars), but not sure if those are still available outside of their whole R2 prep kit, as I have not checked in a while.

 

[FiestaSTdude]

Also, yes, as FiestaSTdude has said, a few of us on here (including JDG, who actually does SCCA RallyCross with it!) use the Skid Plate Guy's front bash plate, and they are pretty solid pieces,

Mine has a big dent in it from short-cutting an exit to a stage on the New England Forest Rally two years ago, through a 'boulder field' type, totally washed-out road, but it did not damage anything else like the mounting points, or function).

Team O'Neil, back when they were still in the rally car prep business, used to offer a front plate which was much more solid yet than the SPG one, with welded-on, threaded mounting points, and they reach up further to the lower part of the front bumper cover/lower intercooler section than the SPG's ones do, and a heavier gauge yet alloy, truly 'competition grade', but no longer available.

Even when it was, it was ~$850 or so, BEFORE the labor to weld on the mounts, so yeah, much overkill for most of our uses.

O'Neil used to offer an underbody kevlar protection 'kit' as well which also went by the wayside, as did M-Sport Poland (for the R2/R2T cars), but not sure if those are still available outside of their whole R2 prep kit, as I have not checked in a while.

I'm curious, do you have any pictures of the SPG skid plate on the car? I know you have to deal with the oppressive HOA so you can't put your car on jackstands. I was just wondering how much the SPG skid plate covers compared to mine.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I'm curious, do you have any pictures of the SPG skid plate on the car? I know you have to deal with the oppressive HOA so you can't put your car on jackstands. I was just wondering how much the SPG skid plate covers compared to mine.

I will get one the next time I install it for a rally working stint, as it is off of the car right now since the last oil change.

It basically comes right up to behind that plastic/ABS factory air dam thingy in front, and attaches to about the mid point of the factory k-member/subframe at the back.
(WHY it cannot be used with any of the current 'traction bar' control arm attachment point braces.)

It IS really easy to remove/install once you get those PIA to mount drop brackets in front, and the threaded binder plate bolt holders fished into the k-member/subframe installed in the back.

Once that is done, taking it off and re-installing it takes less time than jacking up the car and putting jackstands under it does.

 

[Caddis710]

Welcome!
As far as skid plates go, there are two options that you could buy and install yourself. ADF customs makes one that's very light. It's fine if you want to keep gravel and debris from hitting the engine and transmission. If you expect the skid plate to take serious impacts, there's a skid plate made by the skid plate guy that attaches to the frame. I think that he only sells them through Facebook, assuming he still makes them. @M-Sport fan uses that skid plate, and he will also probably have some useful info about suspension mods for rally.
For tire/wheel setup, I would recommend 15 inch wheels with a snow tire as a dedicated off road setup. I say snow tire because no one makes an all terrain in the right size.

Thank you 🙏
Yea seems the only online options are them. I’m guessing the skid plate guys plate has more coverage..? I feel the ADF wouldn’t be enough and I’d still need gas tank, evap can coverage too.
Which snow tire would you recommend? I think I want to keep my 16s cuz I just bought them ha. I do like the tire size I run they have a decent sidewall but also perform well on curvy mountain roads my only concern with my current tires is being able to handle rocks and frequent ruts.

 

[Caddis710]

I WISH!!

I've been seeking exactly this from before I even bought this ride new, in May of 2016.

I've seen both tarmac and gravel Reiger R2 setups for sale, used, but rebuilt/refurbished online at times for ~$3K to $4K, but still that is out of my range for a car that only costs ~$20K or less to begin with.

I've been told by Team O'Neil, O.D.D. Racing, and many others that one MUST convert to base Fiesta uprights/knuckles in order to use those R2 Reigers on an ST Fiesta, so there's that expense/bother as well involved with that suspension setup.

And yes, WELCOME!

Indeed it is hard to dish out more than a quarter of the cars worth for it to sit in a shop and frequently sit in the shop lol. I have been around baja trucks growing up and seeing what it takes to build one.. the list never ends.

Once I saw the Reigers for this car I knew that would require a lot of extra work and money to make that happen. Like you said just not worth it. Unless you hit the lotto lol that’s my first project.. street legal 400 hp rally FiST lol

Have you had any experience with ceika coilovers? I like the options for spring rates/valving, height etc Options for a resivoir also, it’s either those or the YSR’s for me but haven’t heard much good about the YSR gravel CO’s…

 

[Caddis710]

Also, yes, as FiestaSTdude has said, a few of us on here (including JDG, who actually does SCCA RallyCross with it!) use the Skid Plate Guy's front bash plate, and they are pretty solid pieces,

Mine has a big dent in it from short-cutting an exit to a stage on the New England Forest Rally two years ago, through a 'boulder field' type, totally washed-out road, but it did not damage anything else like the mounting points, or function).

Team O'Neil, back when they were still in the rally car prep business, used to offer a front plate which was much more solid yet than the SPG one, with welded-on, threaded mounting points, and they reach up further to the lower part of the front bumper cover/lower intercooler section than the SPG's ones do, and a heavier gauge yet alloy, truly 'competition grade', but no longer available.

Even when it was, it was ~$850 or so, BEFORE the labor to weld on the mounts, so yeah, much overkill for most of our uses.

O'Neil used to offer an underbody kevlar protection 'kit' as well which also went by the wayside, as did M-Sport Poland (for the R2/R2T cars), but not sure if those are still available outside of their whole R2 prep kit, as I have not checked in a while.

Too bad they’re not around anymore huh? I’d be a loyal customer lol.

I’ll definitely look into skid plate guy. One question I forgot to ask was if you saw any temp changes with the plate installed?

I know these cars have cooling issues and this has been a concern for me before I bought the car because I work in the desert and temps go up to 120+ I think I might get the Mountune rad before anything else.. if I was smart lol but my mind says coilovers 😂

 

[M-Sport fan]

Too bad they’re not around anymore huh? I’d be a loyal customer lol.

I’ll definitely look into skid plate guy. One question I forgot to ask was if you saw any temp changes with the plate installed?

I know these cars have cooling issues and this has been a concern for me before I bought the car because I work in the desert and temps go up to 120+ I think I might get the Mountune rad before anything else.. if I was smart lol but my mind says coilovers 😂

Strangely enough, no cooling issues at all so far, even though I am still on the factory radiator, and although it will never be as consistently hot here as in Cali (especially the desert parts), or at any of the rallies I work on, it was in the mid 90s at NEFR in '19, even up in the mountain stages.

I've also been stuck in some limited stop and go traffic with the plate on during July and August with no climbing coolant temps unless it was sitting still idling for a while (and even then they only maxxed-out at ~210 to 215*F), and those came right back down as soon as I switched on the AC, and therefore the high speed fan setting, or once traffic started moving again.

But yeah, given where you are, I would definitely go aftermarket radiator, with or without the plate.

I absolutely want to get either the Mountune, or the Kyorad from Ron at whoosh, I just want to get it when I know I will be able to install it (I already have too many parts sitting around waiting to be installed as it is LOL).

 

[FiestaSTdude]

Thank you 🙏
Yea seems the only online options are them. I’m guessing the skid plate guys plate has more coverage..? I feel the ADF wouldn’t be enough and I’d still need gas tank, evap can coverage too.
Which snow tire would you recommend? I think I want to keep my 16s cuz I just bought them ha. I do like the tire size I run they have a decent sidewall but also perform well on curvy mountain roads my only concern with my current tires is being able to handle rocks and frequent ruts.

Somebody used to make a evap canister protector, but it's been gone for a while.
I have General Arctic Altimax 12s as my off road tires. Mine are 185/60/r15s, but if you're sticking with 16 inch wheels you'd have to pick a different size. I've not spent a lot of time driving on them, but so far I'm really happy with them. While the generals obviously aren't as good on road as my pilot sport all seasons, they still have enough grip to allow me to have fun on curvy mountain roads. They are significantly better at absorbing bumps when I'm driving on gravel and rocks, and they have less chance of a blowout if I accidentally hit a hole.

Too bad they’re not around anymore huh? I’d be a loyal customer lol.

I’ll definitely look into skid plate guy. One question I forgot to ask was if you saw any temp changes with the plate installed?

I know these cars have cooling issues and this has been a concern for me before I bought the car because I work in the desert and temps go up to 120+ I think I might get the Mountune rad before anything else.. if I was smart lol but my mind says coilovers 😂

I have the ADF skid plate and I have never overheated, even tuned, so I don't think that a skid plate will cause any issues. Not saying that the mountune radiator is a bad idea especially with those high temps though . . .

 

[Caddis710]

Strangely enough, no cooling issues at all so far, even though I am still on the factory radiator, and although it will never be as consistently hot here as in Cali (especially the desert parts), or at any of the rallies I work on, it was in the mid 90s at NEFR in '19, even up in the mountain stages.

I've also been stuck in some limited stop and go traffic with the plate on during July and August with no climbing coolant temps unless it was sitting still idling for a while (and even then they only maxxed-out at ~210 to 215*F), and those came right back down as soon as I switched on the AC, and therefore the high speed fan setting, or once traffic started moving again.

But yeah, given where you are, I would definitely go aftermarket radiator, with or without the plate.

I absolutely want to get either the Mountune, or the Kyorad from Ron at whoosh, I just want to get it when I know I will be able to install it (I already have too many parts sitting around waiting to be installed as it is LOL).

How do you monitor your temps? I have a scangauge but I know it’s not 100% accurate. I had it in for a few drives when I first purchased the car this January and it was reading close to 210 for intake temp in traffic. Weather was in the 60s. So I thought I’d put it back on the shelf.

But with summer approaching and temps already in the high 90s here I’m considering hooking it back up. Or finding an alternative.. I’ve been looking at gauge apps, I picked up a obd2 plug and thought I’d try some apps.

 

[Caddis710]

Somebody used to make a evap canister protector, but it's been gone for a while.
I have General Arctic Altimax 12s as my off road tires. Mine are 185/60/r15s, but if you're sticking with 16 inch wheels you'd have to pick a different size. I've not spent a lot of time driving on them, but so far I'm really happy with them. While the generals obviously aren't as good on road as my pilot sport all seasons, they still have enough grip to allow me to have fun on curvy mountain roads. They are significantly better at absorbing bumps when I'm driving on gravel and rocks, and they have less chance of a blowout if I accidentally hit a hole.

I have the ADF skid plate and I have never overheated, even tuned, so I don't think that a skid plate will cause any issues. Not saying that the mountune radiator is a bad idea especially with those high temps though . . .

Thanks for all the info 🙏
I have no experience with snow tires are they loud on the highway? Do they wear fast?

Looks like the Michelin X-Ice are the next tires for me. 👍

 

[FiestaSTdude]

Thanks for all the info 🙏
I have no experience with snow tires are they loud on the highway? Do they wear fast?

Looks like the Michelin X-Ice are the next tires for me. 👍

I don't find them bad on the highway, but I also have a stripped interior so I get more exhaust noise than most. I haven't had mine long enough to say how they wear but @M-Sport fan uses the same tires as me (or similar ones) and he hasn't reported premature wear.
I've heard good stuff about x-ices from others on this forum btw.

 

[FiestaSTdude]

How do you monitor your temps? I have a scangauge but I know it’s not 100% accurate. I had it in for a few drives when I first purchased the car this January and it was reading close to 210 for intake temp in traffic. Weather was in the 60s. So I thought I’d put it back on the shelf.

But with summer approaching and temps already in the high 90s here I’m considering hooking it back up. Or finding an alternative.. I’ve been looking at gauge apps, I picked up a obd2 plug and thought I’d try some apps.

I use the Accessport to monitor temps