Building a cross country FiST?

[tri-pedaler]

Hi all,

Looking to make the fist a better car for long range travel. I’ll be moving in the next year and we’ll have to drive eight hours a week, with some pretty long stints.

I recently put in a new cat and I’m now getting 35 to 36 miles per gallon consistently on the highway. But looking to improve ride and lighting:

-recommended HIDs for night driving-and/or a light bar??
-Koni yellows set full soft upfront? I already have them in the back.
-Noise. Noise canceling headphones, done.
-Tires. Running Michelin X ice in the winter on Steely, and some Michelin all seasons in the summer on 17 inch rims, but they are 45 series tires so the sidewall helps the ride and is a bigger diameter, which helps bring down RPMs.

Anything else I’m missing?

 

[sonicmn]

If you have the Recaro seats, as a bigger dude (6ft 230lb) I found putting some sort of pad under my butt (in my case a Klymit inflatable seat pad) to lift me up high enough so the seat bolsters no longer pinch my thighs/hips. this allows my hips to pivot to find a more comfortable position on longer stints. I just did 4hr straight last weekend for the first time. Never been able to do that, 2hr was about my limit in the past.

 

[XR650R]

The base seats are comfy for long trips. I've done quite a few with stock suspension. I have some Koni orange for the rear, but I haven't put them on yet. https://whooshmotorsports.com/colle...nge-shock-ford-fiesta-st-rear-set-of-2-shocks

 

[dhminer]

Euro projectors with LED lights and diode dynamics SS3 fogs (pro or higher) is a massive lighting improvement. A TB front crash bar with light bar mounted to it wouldn’t cover more radiator than the stock crash bar does if you shave the grille. More turbulent air, though.

The konis will probably be great up front.

I’m not sure where most of our road noise transmits from but definitely the rear cargo area amplifies it. Some good ol dynamat or similar may help quiet things down without the noise canceling headphones.

Tire choice will be a big factor in road noise of course