Fiesta ST NASA TT5, Build-ish, Results, Track Videos

[slyez]

Got all Dyno'd up and certified for the championships. Detuned the S280 to a flatish ~225. We have to be under 233 with our weight of 2750, and we figure the dyno in Monterey will read some higher as the air temp and the elevation will be lower.

 

[slyez]

So NASA Championships have come and gone. We came home without a win, and only 5th place of 13. We ran a 1:41.1 as a best for the weekend. There were several laps that were in the mid and low 1:40s, but always unlucky with traffic, or the occasional mistake. Either way the car worked pretty well, but we were out driven and out carred. We were beaten by 3 BMW 330 SpecE46 race cars, and a well driven and well built S2000 race car. I think we could/should have had 4th, but 1-3 were out of reach this time. Time to decide if we continue with the Fiesta or get into a more appropriate car for the class for next year.

Video of best session, 1:41.13

2 Big learnings:
1-Car doesn't like rough curbing. We had it shut itself off 2 times coming out of turn 3 on the exit curbs. The entertainment screen said "cannot reach 911......" or something like that, and the engine shut off, all buttons became unresnsive, including the on/off button, and the horn and flashers were going off like a car alarm. We had to roll off of the track and a corner worker actually had a wrench to pull the battery for us to reset it. Nothing would happen with the car until battery was pulled....
2-Wrong car to compete within the class. Could be because it is still a street car with most of the interior, AC, and no cage for rigidity, or just the limitations of a beam rear axle and struts, but I am not sure what it will take to get to a 1:39 flat. I need to figure out if its possible in the car before we move forward. It needs to be in 1:38.9 to win.... I need to improve, but the car needs to give more also. Strip it, get the weight lower, a little more power or lower weight with a few modification changes, and maybe some more weight rearranging from front to rear(front crash bar, AC delete, etc.)

Thanks for everyone's support. I didn't embarrass us, just didn't embarrass everyone else either(by beating them with a fiesta). It certainly felt out of place on grid, being more like a minivan than a race car.....

 

[Nitelife]

So NASA Championships have come and gone. We came home without a win, and only 5th place of 13. We ran a 1:41.1 as a best for the weekend. There were several laps that were in the mid and low 1:40s, but always unlucky with traffic, or the occasional mistake. Either way the car worked pretty well, but we were out driven and out carred. We were beaten by 3 BMW 330 SpecE46 race cars, and a well driven and well built S2000 race car. I think we could/should have had 4th, but 1-3 were out of reach this time. Time to decide if we continue with the Fiesta or get into a more appropriate car for the class for next year.

Video of best session, 1:41.13

2 Big learnings:
1-Car doesn't like rough curbing. We had it shut itself off 2 times coming out of turn 3 on the exit curbs. The entertainment screen said "cannot reach 911......" or something like that, and the engine shut off, all buttons became unresnsive, including the on/off button, and the horn and flashers were going off like a car alarm. We had to roll off of the track and a corner worker actually had a wrench to pull the battery for us to reset it. Nothing would happen with the car until battery was pulled....

Not sure if you have read through Woods247 thread on similar issue with 911 + engine shut off. I forget if there was a resolution. Definitely not something you want to trigger in the midst of a race.

https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/airbag-light-hazards-horn-honking-no-power-and-911-call.25419/

Thanks for representing the FiST out there!!!

 

[slyez]

Some images from the races.

 

[slyez]

Also, a brake update....
We love the EBC kit. The SR-11 pads last so long. The image of 2 pads shows a new pad(copper color) and the pad we finished the NASA race on. We already had 100 track laps on the pads and rotors, and put on around 60+ Laguna Seca laps on them and these are images taken when we got home to put the street pads back on. Never faded, no brake problem or inconsistencies. I will be putting them on any other track cars we use in the future.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Also, a brake update....
We love the EBC kit. The SR-11 pads last so long. The image of 2 pads shows a new pad(copper color) and the pad we finished the NASA race on. We already had 100 track laps on the pads and rotors, and put on around 60+ Laguna Seca laps on them and these are images taken when we got home to put the street pads back on. Never faded, no brake problem or inconsistencies. I will be putting them on any other track cars we use in the future.

Those hood louvers really work? Gauging my interest in a set for sale

 

[slyez]

Those hood louvers really work? Gauging my interest in a set for sale

They work very much. Surprisingly. Air pressure numbers didn't seem to change that much under hood. But water and oil temps are significantly lower. It was convincing enough that i cut up a nice carbon hood after testing our vented stock hood against the carbon one. This testing was in Phoenix in summer on the road, so exaggerated ambient temp. This made it easier to see the differences because the car water temp was over the thermostat open temp.

 

[slyez]

So we have been trying to figure out where the car could give us more, and we arent sure that it can realistically compete with no compromise race cars. The comforting thing about the NASA championships was that the only 4 cars that beat us (2 BMW 330CI and 1 S2000) were all proper race cars that dont see the street. We were ahead of anything close to streetable, which was maybe 1 other of the 13 total in the class. We had removed the seats, but still have a full interior and just put the seats back in after.

We don't really want to have a stripped car that can only sit between events, so our plan isn't really changing. We will try to rearrange weight and add some chassis stiffness, but the car still needs to be able to pick my kids up from school some days and be road driven when we feel like it. Also, being able to be driven to and from the track is a requirement.

We are looking around the car for areas to improve and are starting with moving as much weight as possible from front to back. We installed the TB Performance front crash bar and gutted the factory headlights.

Crash bar was 13.8lb and the stock crash reinforcement was 22.3lb, so around 8lb savings, and the headlights were 5.4lb each, and gutted they are down to 1.9lb each, so total savings of 7lb. That 17lb will be moved to the rear, so its actually quite significant, at a 34lb shift from F to R. Thats taking us from ~60.5/39.5 to ~59.3/40.7 F/R split.

Also, it means that the headlights at ~220$ for chinese replacements, are way better $/lb than the crashbar at around 420$.

 

[M-Sport fan]

You swap street legal/functional headlights in and out for every track session?

 

[slyez]

You swap street legal/functional headlights in and out for every track session?

Will now, at least swap for the weekend. Its 2 screws, 1 clip, and a connector per light. Takes all of 2 minutes per light. If the event isnt that important we will likely leave the street lights in.

 

[BD_Motorsports]

No oil cooler?

Did MeisterR fine tune the dampening for the GT1 for you or only recommend spring rates? I understand competition ready shocks are rare for this car. I was surprised to find Shaftworks makes a set for us.

Have you ever ran 245 square?

 

[slyez]

No oil cooler. We log oil temps and they do not exceed 240, maybe up to 250 in deep summer here in AZ, so 105-110 ambient. I don't see the need to change the stock oil cooler based on these temps. It is possible that adding an oil cooler would take some burden off the radiator, but i don't see the need of adding one to actually cool the oil specifically.

Jerrick at MeisterR did not specifically revalve our dampers (to my knowledge), but he did give us them knowing our during rates. He also included shock dyno graph with the front struts, so it is possible he valved them, or choose damper inserts to match or springs.

Have never run 245 square, and wouldn't. Reason 1 is that we can only run 8" wheels in the back, and 245 would not work well. Reason 2 is we are almost always looking for more grip in front and less in back(relatively), so more tire in the back doesn't sound like it would be better. Also, 245 are more expensive per tire.

 

[BD_Motorsports]

No oil cooler. We log oil temps and they do not exceed 240, maybe up to 250 in deep summer here in AZ, so 105-110 ambient. I don't see the need to change the stock oil cooler based on these temps. It is possible that adding an oil cooler would take some burden off the radiator, but i don't see the need of adding one to actually cool the oil specifically.

Jerrick at MeisterR did not specifically revalve our dampers (to my knowledge), but he did give us them knowing our during rates. He also included shock dyno graph with the front struts, so it is possible he valved them, or choose damper inserts to match or springs.

Have never run 245 square, and wouldn't. Reason 1 is that we can only run 8" wheels in the back, and 245 would not work well. Reason 2 is we are almost always looking for more grip in front and less in back(relatively), so more tire in the back doesn't sound like it would be better. Also, 245 are more expensive per tire.

Those are oil temps are from an external sensor? Oil pan?

 

[slyez]

Those are oil temps are from an external sensor? Oil pan?

Added sensor to AIM logger. Sensor is in a sandwich plate at oil filter.

 

[esp_martin]

So we have been trying to figure out where the car could give us more, and we arent sure that it can realistically compete with no compromise race cars. The comforting thing about the NASA championships was that the only 4 cars that beat us (2 BMW 330CI and 1 S2000) were all proper race cars that dont see the street. We were ahead of anything close to streetable, which was maybe 1 other of the 13 total in the class. We had removed the seats, but still have a full interior and just put the seats back in after.

We don't really want to have a stripped car that can only sit between events, so our plan isn't really changing. We will try to rearrange weight and add some chassis stiffness, but the car still needs to be able to pick my kids up from school some days and be road driven when we feel like it. Also, being able to be driven to and from the track is a requirement.

We are looking around the car for areas to improve and are starting with moving as much weight as possible from front to back. We installed the TB Performance front crash bar and gutted the factory headlights.

Crash bar was 13.8lb and the stock crash reinforcement was 22.3lb, so around 8lb savings, and the headlights were 5.4lb each, and gutted they are down to 1.9lb each, so total savings of 7lb. That 17lb will be moved to the rear, so its actually quite significant, at a 34lb shift from F to R. Thats taking us from ~60.5/39.5 to ~59.3/40.7 F/R split.

Also, it means that the headlights at ~220$ for chinese replacements, are way better $/lb than the crashbar at around 420$.

it looks like you still have the car battery in front (i can't tell if that's a Mele with a smaller battery or not); what's the consideration for not moving that to back? i know a few people on the forum have done it without any real issues. no worries if i just missed that reason somewhere else in this thread and you don't feel like answering (like if it's not race legal).

also have you thought about downgrading from the S280 to the S270? that might solve your 2nd vs 3rd gear outta corners dilemma and the S270 will have no issues hitting the HP you need. that said i think it leans more toward hybrid then BT power band (it does reuse the OEM housing). So that might be a no go either way. Collins Performance out of England makes an S270 turbo kit with a proprietary IWG if you're interested in investigating.

i really hope your team sticks with the Fiesta in this season's racing. I love seeing this build push the realistic limits of a streetable FiST!

 

[Dialcaliper]

Looks like an exciting car! Are you prepping for this year’s season?

Are you allowed under the rules to change final drive ratios? Swapping to the ST200 4.3:1 final drive might help with your 2nd vs 3rd gear dilemma by moving 3rd gear podown slightly - not sure if that will hurt you on the top end, but wheel spin should be reduced compared to 2nd gear

Are you having any issues with intake temperatures and heat soak? Some heat shielding improvements on the cowl intake pipe and/or the exhaust manifold/turbo might help. Just thought I’d share and point a post I made a while ago about some cool high temp aerogel insulation I found and made a crossover heat shield out of. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to collect any real data on it to see if it’s made a real difference

https://www.fiestastforum.com/threads/cerakote-extreme-heat-proofing-mods.30035/page-3#post-487964

Last suggestion is more controversial, but you might consider experimenting with slightly softer spring rates. 11k/10k gives you something like 2.6Hz front ride frequency and 3.3Hz rear, which is more appropriate for a high downforce racecar (25%+ of vehicle weight), not a street car with wing+air dam. A lower spring rate as long as you can cope with it may give slightly better grip and help with the harsh curbing as well.

 

[Woods247]

So NASA Championships have come and gone. We came home without a win, and only 5th place of 13. We ran a 1:41.1 as a best for the weekend. There were several laps that were in the mid and low 1:40s, but always unlucky with traffic, or the occasional mistake. Either way the car worked pretty well, but we were out driven and out carred. We were beaten by 3 BMW 330 SpecE46 race cars, and a well driven and well built S2000 race car. I think we could/should have had 4th, but 1-3 were out of reach this time. Time to decide if we continue with the Fiesta or get into a more appropriate car for the class for next year.

Video of best session, 1:41.13

2 Big learnings:
1-Car doesn't like rough curbing. We had it shut itself off 2 times coming out of turn 3 on the exit curbs. The entertainment screen said "cannot reach 911......" or something like that, and the engine shut off, all buttons became unresnsive, including the on/off button, and the horn and flashers were going off like a car alarm. We had to roll off of the track and a corner worker actually had a wrench to pull the battery for us to reset it. Nothing would happen with the car until battery was pulled....
2-Wrong car to compete within the class. Could be because it is still a street car with most of the interior, AC, and no cage for rigidity, or just the limitations of a beam rear axle and struts, but I am not sure what it will take to get to a 1:39 flat. I need to figure out if its possible in the car before we move forward. It needs to be in 1:38.9 to win.... I need to improve, but the car needs to give more also. Strip it, get the weight lower, a little more power or lower weight with a few modification changes, and maybe some more weight rearranging from front to rear(front crash bar, AC delete, etc.)

Thanks for everyone's support. I didn't embarrass us, just didn't embarrass everyone else either(by beating them with a fiesta). It certainly felt out of place on grid, being more like a minivan than a race car.....

I’m guessing you sold the car but the only fix we’ve found for the 911 false-crash detection issue is to unplug the RCM under the center console. I still seem to have traction control interruption issues with it unplugged but we’re still testing. This issue alone is a pretty good reason to punt the car for something more track worthy. I’ve been eyeballing a few German cars recently.

EDIT: — For track use only — You can hold the TC button down as you normally would to disable traction control while the RCM is unplugged. The status bar will pop up on the radio as it normally does.

 

[Peterson]

So is this car still a thing?

 

[ronniec687]

I removed the factory one and installed an aftermarket cheap one between the battery tray and the headlight. Took a little use of a heat gun, but it allowed the factory pump to be used also.

I realize this is an old post but if you have any info on this tank and modifying it that would be greatly appreciated.

 

[shreddie van halen]

I am pretty sure Slyez is in my local autox community. I will reach out and see the current status of this car. I want to say they moved on to different platforms.