Daily Driver Mod Thoughts

[Stkid93]

@Gone in 60 @gtx3076 @dhminer

while i got you all here, have you guys found any tires that allow you to hook up in 2nd gear without feathering the throttle. Just getting on the gas?

how are the fire hawks? The only tires I have had in my fist so far are the original potenzas it came off the lot with. So at this point they are 6-7 years old. And the fronts are now extremely worn. I got some all seasons for now, cause I’m in the dead of winter in Connecticut. But I would be interested to know if you guys have found any tires that allow you to hook in 2nd. With the potenzas I have never been able to hook in 2nd. Even when it was summer, and my potenzas were warm and not as worn out.

Side note- when I had my srt4 neon. I had a set of bf Goodrich g force ta kdw tires (they are the tires with the tread pattern designed to look like flames so they made sick burnout marks). These tires allowed me to hook up perfectly in 2nd gear in my srt4 (made 323 wheel horsepower and 387 wheel torque on the stock turbo). There are some obvious differences, the biggest one is the fact that my srt had 225 tires while the fist has 205. But the gear ratios were actually surprising similar between both cars in 2nd gear.

But these have been discontinued and replaced with the newer generation of g force. And the new ones look significantly less aggressive. I have not tried the newer ones. I’m wondering if they have the same grip as the old g forces.

 

[Gone in 60]

When the Firehawks came out, they were like an underground secret that the FIST guys grabbed onto. I think I paid around $85 each for mine, now they are expensive like any other good tire. Almost as sticky as the original Potenzas in dry, without the laughably short life of the Potenzas. The Firehawks are ok... not great.. in the wet.

The original Potenzas were awesome, but I only got around 22k miles from them and sent them out in a blaze of glory with a few autocross sessions.

 

[Dpro]

I personally do not like the Firehawks and do not think they are great. If you want an excellent tire that also performs in the wet look at Continental DW 06’s or the Contact Sport extreme 02’s . I have Extreme 02’s on my car right now for winter tires i.e. it only rains here. They are leaps and bounds better than the Firehawks and I have experience with both brands. I have had two FiST’s that had Firehawks one with relatively new FireHawks and one with older FireHawks they sucked new and they sucked old. 🤣
P.S. my Continentals are on my S280 powered FiST and followed a set of super sticky RT660’s and honestly I was impressed even coming from the 660’s.

 

[scooter123]

My engine is stock in regards to the turbo and tune. What I added are mainly heat related, as in get the heat down to normal temps when under load no matter the Ambient Temperature. So it has the full Mountune Intake kit, a Mountune intercooler, a Montune Radiator, Cobb RMM, and Cobb 2 1/2 inch catback. So, what does that do for me. First off when I installed the radiator I had a 3.5-4 mpg gain in gas mileage in town and on the highway. Second on the 205/50R 16 tires I am traction limited in first and second gear in the summer. Next set of tires I'm playing with the idea of going to 215 profile 16 inch tires. My sister lives in Lexington, VA and middle of August that 5 mile long 7% grade climb going to West Virginia has my engine temp sitting dead solid at 4 bars when the ambient temp is 97.

Next step is the installation of a Direct Injection Meth kit to clean up my intake valves and provide a bit more knock resistance. Hopefully the Meth kit will provide enough knock resistance that I don't see the highway mileage drop into the low 30's when I get a tank full of 87 octane from the premium pump. BTW, Octane cheating is a lot more common today than it was 20 years ago so if see a mysterious fall in your fuel mileage it's not a sudden problem with your engine, it's most likely Fraud at the gas pump. If you think you got cheated take a sample of the fuel in an empty glass jelly jar and file a complaint with the local PD and your states Weights and Measures Dept.. Because if that pump handles 10,000 gallons a year that adds up to a 4000 dollar Felony Fraud potential.

 

[rallytaff]

Here in LA, I either gas up at COSTCO or AM/PM. My gas mileage stays at either 24 or drops to 23.9. I only use 91 and have never noticed any drop in power.

 

[Dialcaliper]

@Gone in 60 @gtx3076 @dhminer

while i got you all here, have you guys found any tires that allow you to hook up in 2nd gear without feathering the throttle. Just getting on the gas?

how are the fire hawks? The only tires I have had in my fist so far are the original potenzas it came off the lot with. So at this point they are 6-7 years old. And the fronts are now extremely worn. I got some all seasons for now, cause I’m in the dead of winter in Connecticut. But I would be interested to know if you guys have found any tires that allow you to hook in 2nd. With the potenzas I have never been able to hook in 2nd. Even when it was summer, and my potenzas were warm and not as worn out.

Side note- when I had my srt4 neon. I had a set of bf Goodrich g force ta kdw tires (they are the tires with the tread pattern designed to look like flames so they made sick burnout marks). These tires allowed me to hook up perfectly in 2nd gear in my srt4 (made 323 wheel horsepower and 387 wheel torque on the stock turbo). There are some obvious differences, the biggest one is the fact that my srt had 225 tires while the fist has 205. But the gear ratios were actually surprising similar between both cars in 2nd gear.

But these have been discontinued and replaced with the newer generation of g force. And the new ones look significantly less aggressive. I have not tried the newer ones. I’m wondering if they have the same grip as the old g forces.

Hard to say on tire hookup. With 200TW tires (Rival 1.5S) and Dizzy stage 2 (91), once fully warmed up, they *almost* hook in second gear, but you have to feather very slightly as the boost comes on to avoid spinning.

I think on a stock tune or something mild (stage 1), or adding a LSD it might be enough, but not with cold tires. There's a reason that the factory tune limits boost and torque in 1st and 2nd gear - there's simply not enough traction on a FWD car.

The Cobb traction control algorithm does help. The reason it isn't tuned to completely arrest wheelspin is that in Cobb's testing, the fastest 30-50mph times were achieved with up to 20% slip (wheel speed difference according to the wheel speed sensors). So a little wheel slip is actually not bad. Tires break loose traction progressively even after beginning to slip, not instantly - otherwise "drifting" would not be a thing and you'd end up in the K-rail as soon as your tires started slipping even a little. The only downside there is that wheel slip does cause some steering instability.

As long as you feather enough when the wheels slip that the car regains grip after peak torque, you're doing fine - its when you get burnouts to redline that you've lost it. That said, it's not "fun" for everyone on a daily driver.

 

[Stkid93]

You guys found that the potenzas were sticky? I never got that feeling personally. They were okay on turns. But in a straight line they wouldn’t hook until 3rd gear. Again, the potenzas I have were the original tires from 2017. I bought the car with 11,000 miles so they were probably about half dead and only got worse from there as I drove on them more.

I now have 25k miles and my front potenzas are dangerously low. My backs are just above the yellow on the tread depth indicator. At about 5/32. I am also tuned on e30 with the stock turbo so I’m making 300-320 ft lbs and the turbo spools fast and hard easily overwhelming the tires. Feathering the throttle does help. But even if I feathered the throttle, and then went WOT at 4,000 rpms the tires would still spin pretty bad.

So, I have not yet experienced new potenzas. So my experience is not a great indicator.

 

[Dpro]

I ripped through my stock Potenza’s finished them off on the stock Turbo just around 10k

Of course I ran the Crest and a lot of Canyons.

 

[Gone in 60]

Here in LA, I either gas up at COSTCO or AM/PM. My gas mileage stays at either 24 or drops to 23.9. I only use 91 and have never noticed any drop in power.

Huh. I get 29-30 on the Cobb Stage 2 91 tune and I drive like an angry child much of the time.

Regarding the Continentals, I'll have to look into those. The Firehawks aren't the greatest in the wet, and much as I'd like to just use my car in dry weather, I end up driving in rain more than I'd like. I spend more time on two wheels than four, but I don't ride in the rain.

 

[Dpro]

Huh. I get 29-30 on the Cobb Stage 2 91 tune and I drive like an angry child much of the time.

Regarding the Continentals, I'll have to look into those. The Firehawks aren't the greatest in the wet, and much as I'd like to just use my car in dry weather, I end up driving in rain more than I'd like. I spend more time on two wheels than four, but I don't ride in the rain.

I think you will like them a lot I get anywhere from 29-30 to 22-24 on my S280 depending on how I drive

 

[gtx3076]

I could spin 2nd as soon as I got tuned. You can turn the traction control multiplier to 1 and the car will intervene very quickly to keep from spinning. I also have continental extreme contacts. They rub if I hit hard bumps or only one wheel does and the other doesn’t. Doesn’t happen often. They do not make a tire in the stock size.

 

[oldedub]

I’m not a fan of “stages”. E30 full stock is what stage? Dizzy custom tuned me for 93 and E30 completely stock even though it’s generally not recommended. I was hitting over 300wtq.

I also disagree on the V3. Someone else ran a V1 on their s280 and it sounded like it was just fine. The V3 is not a perfect fit, it leaves a tolerable gap between the front and hood, and I snugged everything up as much as it would go. Tune+ also confirmed what I saw which was a loss of torque on the V3. I’m down 10-20 wtq, compared to the stock intercooler and crossover pipe. I have not ruled out swapping the V3 for a V1.

Heck yeah. I have been a bit skeptical that a "large×huge×deep af" intercooler is necessary or of any real benefit with the most common parts combinations one might find on a daily Fiesta ST.

We have the same old Mountune/Ford Racing tube and fin intercooler that we ran with the MP215 back in the day, now with the S280. With stock fueling and tuned on 93, it is absolutely adequate in the duty cycle that this specific car operates in.

 

[Stkid93]

@nfancera

the accessport will be about the same price no matter where you get it when bought new. Some companies will throw in free tunes if you buy from them. So that’s something to consider. You can try to get one used off a forum member here but from what I’ve heard they go very quickly. (There’s also a hidden secret about transferring accessports, dm me if your interested)

the motor mount is about the same, they will all run you about the same.

The intercooler and intake is really where you can save a ton of money. I bought a used whoosh intake off a forum member for $80. A rear motor mount for I think 75-100 ish off a forum And I got a whoosh v3 intercooler for $400 brand new from his site. Granted the whoosh intercooler is just the core, no charge piping, and I believe cobbs set up comes with all the charge pipes. I have spent $1200 on Cobb intercoolers for other platforms and I imagine it’s about the same price for the fist. They are very expensive thru Cobb, though the quality is top notch.

so if you go the cost saving method and buy everything in pieces here’s what you can expect to spend. $1300 buying everything brand new maybe $1000 or so if you buy used and get some deals. Break down is listed below.

whoosh intake - $150 brand new. 50-80 bucks used

accessport- 600 ish, for this price it doesn’t normally come with a free tune. 650-700 you will usually get a free tune if you pay this price. If you don’t get a free tune a flash tune is $75, if you want both 93 and e30 it will be a bit more. I think has a bundle deal on those?

Rear motor mount- whoosh’s unit is $100, most others are 150-200 brand new. Cheaper if you go used.

Intercooler- $300 for whoosh v1, $400 for v3. And it goes up from there

Other stuff(completely optional)- wastegate actuator, exhaust, blow off valve, lowering springs, short shift kit, ethanol content sensor, wheels, wing risers, etc. this is where you can really start spending a lot of money and the value per dollar goes way down. But, this is also a way to customize your car and make it your own. And I will never judge someone for spending money on something if it makes them happy or makes their car different. Some of this stuff obviously isn’t performance oriented. And just for looks or sound. But plenty of people choose to do this stuff. So figured I would include it. i would say the only thing worth while performance wise is the wastegate actuator, but this requires an e40 tune, so you need access to ethanol. This will help you run another 2-3 psi up top where the stock turbo really starts to die off. Giving you another 10-15 horsepower. But obviously this is pushing your turbo much harder. At this point you are literally doing everything you can to squeeze every last drop of blood from the stock turbo. Which is why e40 is required with an actuator, the additional ethanol help negates all the added heat and pressure from pushing the turbo harder.

 

[Williamson]

@Gone in 60 @gtx3076 @dhminer

while i got you all here, have you guys found any tires that allow you to hook up in 2nd gear without feathering the throttle. Just getting on the gas?

how are the fire hawks? The only tires I have had in my fist so far are the original potenzas it came off the lot with. So at this point they are 6-7 years old. And the fronts are now extremely worn. I got some all seasons for now, cause I’m in the dead of winter in Connecticut. But I would be interested to know if you guys have found any tires that allow you to hook in 2nd. With the potenzas I have never been able to hook in 2nd. Even when it was summer, and my potenzas were warm and not as worn out.

Side note- when I had my srt4 neon. I had a set of bf Goodrich g force ta kdw tires (they are the tires with the tread pattern designed to look like flames so they made sick burnout marks). These tires allowed me to hook up perfectly in 2nd gear in my srt4 (made 323 wheel horsepower and 387 wheel torque on the stock turbo). There are some obvious differences, the biggest one is the fact that my srt had 225 tires while the fist has 205. But the gear ratios were actually surprising similar between both cars in 2nd gear.

But these have been discontinued and replaced with the newer generation of g force. And the new ones look significantly less aggressive. I have not tried the newer ones. I’m wondering if they have the same grip as the old g forces.

I'd just pick up RT660s or RE71RS for summers (or year round if your climate supports it) and as good a pair of proper wet weather all seasons OR snow/wet winters as you can get. You're always gonna be more limited on a winter set though, unfortunately.

 

[Dpro]

I'm looking to start work on my '18 and wanted input on what kind of mods I should be thinking about. Not looking to race my car, drag or track, just want a bit more speed, a bit more noise, and a bit more fun going A to B.

I currently have a K&N Performance Air Intake System, Stoptech Slotted Cryo Rotors, and Hawk HPS 5.0 pads. Those are the only non-OE items I've installed.

I've considered upgrading the intake to a Cobb CAI, exhaust (catback probably), and Accessport tune. What does everyone think as far as just upping the fun factor?

If you are in California it’s worth the extra dime to get a brand new COBB as it’s not the largest and most free flowing intake setup for the car it’s also CARB legal and comes with an EO sticker.. With that said any front mount intercooler other stock is an upgrade as if you do a lot of canyon or track days and spirited driving the stock intercooler will heatsoak. The other bottle neck is the stock radiator which if you use your air in traffic on a warm day or drive in canyons with it on can cause the car to overheat .Ask me how I know😂
Getting an AP and a tune will get you more power most tuners sell the AP and will quite often sell it below list price if you buy it from them with one of their tuned. Either watch for sales or pick one up used for $400 just make sure it’s unmarried from the persons car..
Other than that you might want an aftermarket exhaust just because the factory is pretty much dead silent. Ya sound symposer gets annoying diisconnect it. IMO.

 

[Stkid93]

@Dpro

wait when you say the radiator is a bottle neck, do you mean upgrading the radiator will actually give you more power? (Obviously it will keep the engine cooler and allow you to make more consistent power for longer periods of time without overheating especially on track)

but are you saying it will add power even if the car isn’t overheating? If so I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a radiator adding power in that way.

 

[Dpro]

@Dpro

wait when you say the radiator is a bottle neck, do you mean upgrading the radiator will actually give you more power? (Obviously it will keep the engine cooler and allow you to make more consistent power for longer periods of time without overheating especially on track)

but are you saying it will add power even if the car isn’t overheating? If so I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a radiator adding power in that way.

It will not add power but its a wise upgrade for the sake of your engine running cool.
its a bottleneck in the fact that stock radiator was not designed for the kind of heat we see in lots of areas in North America , like the southwest . Most people upgrade the radiator to keep the engine from getting hot period. Our stock radiator is small and has plastic end tanks.

 

[Williamson]

@Dpro

wait when you say the radiator is a bottle neck, do you mean upgrading the radiator will actually give you more power? (Obviously it will keep the engine cooler and allow you to make more consistent power for longer periods of time without overheating especially on track)

but are you saying it will add power even if the car isn’t overheating? If so I don’t think I’ve ever heard of a radiator adding power in that way.

It adds a lot more overhead. While I could track my car and keep the heat under control with HVAC, distilled water w/ watter wetter and proper cooling cycles after a session, it would eventually creep up to a point that it couldn't cool enough. With an upgraded radiator, no matter what I'm doing it stops right about 194 with occasional climbs up to 205 under particularly high sustained load. I'm sure I could eventually overheat it but it would be so hard I may as well be unable to, and that's now on an S280 too

 

[M-Sport fan]

Our stock radiator is small and has plastic end tanks.

Which are also much more prone to failure, especially over time with hot running, than any quality, brazed alloy end tank, aftermarket radiator.