Mk7 Fiesta ST "Happy Tail" or "Dangerous Oversteer" Question

[RedFlash]

Hello

I'm planning to buy this car (100% Stock) since I fell in love with it...but i have this one little thing that bugs me, you see few years ago with my old car, i was changing tires from winter to summer, and mechanic when he changed the tires he put way to much air pressure into tires which made them ROCK hard and resulted in me spinning the car on a wet road and crashing it (it was partly my fault for not checking tire pressure since car didn't have pressure sensor), since that day i rlly have anxiety when it comes to cars that don't have good rear end grip

So i just wish to know from fellow ST owners how happy or dangerous is FiST tail, have you had any nasty surprises with it so to say?

 

[Ford ST]

I have never had a problem with this car and I have driven it like an idiot many many times.

Can you make the rear end come out absolutely whip it around a corner at a high rate of speed and slam on the brakes.

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[XR650R]

I have stock suspension and tires. I find the cornering very predictable. The rear will kick out a bit when you get off the gas going into a corner, the front will pull you back on line when you get on the throttle.
I've had tire installers over/underinflate new tires lots of times. Always check it yourself with an accurate gauge.
I think your accident was unfortunate, but it happened for a preventable reason. Keep an eye on tire pressure, especially if you're planning on getting aggressive with it. Take it easy in the wet. Nothing is going to stick as well on a wet road.

 

[SrsBsns]

I have stock suspension and tires. I find the cornering very predictable. The rear will kick out a bit when you get off the gas going into a corner, the front will pull you back on line when you get on the throttle.
I've had tire installers over/underinflate new tires lots of times. Always check it yourself with an accurate gauge.
I think your accident was unfortunate, but it happened for a preventable reason. Keep an eye on tire pressure, especially if you're planning on getting aggressive with it. Take it easy in the wet. Nothing is going to stick as well on a wet road.

This is great advice.

I ride a motorcycle, so it's extra important to check tire pressures before riding and it's a habit that's carried over to driving. I'm not generally worried about it day-to-day, but if I know I'm going to be doing some fun driving, I'll always double check and inflate them properly. I have a pump that I got from Amazon for $25 and it's great. Plugs into the 12v port and I can have all my tires inflated properly in less than 5 min, regardless of where I am.
The FiST is pretty predictable when it's going to get a little loose. Ideally, I would recommend heading to an empty parking lot to do some practice to see if you can get a feel for how the car will behave when you drive hard/corner hard. You'll get some good experience and build up your confidence in an environment with very little risk, as opposed to the road. You definitely should take the time to start slow and build your confidence again. Doubt, hesitation and fear can lead to bad outcomes.
With oversteer with these cars, if you lift while starting to turn, the back end will come out. If you get scared and get on the brakes, you'll most likely continue the slide and spin. But if you can get back on the throttle, the car will pull itself out of the slide. Just keep your eyes on the exit of the corner and get back on the gas as soon as you're able.

 

[Zormecteon]

The handling of the Fiesta ST is very much affected by proper inflation. There NEEDS to be a pressure differential between front and rear tires.. Factory specs are 39 psi front, 36 psi rear. .. ...

This kind of differential is what caused the CORVAIR to have such a bad reputation. It was supposed to have higher pressure in the rear than the front to help prevent over steer. When people didn't pay attention and ran equal all around.. disaster ensued.

My Sprite also has a recommended differential.. again higher in the rear than the front to help prevent over steer.

The Fiesta (being front wheel drive) has a problem with under steer, so higher in the front...

 

[RedFlash]

I have never had a problem with this car and I have driven it like an idiot many many times.

Can you make the rear end come out absolutely whip it around a corner at a high rate of speed and slam on the brakes.

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Oh i see, what tires do you have? Stock?

 

[dhminer]

I'm on OEM tires and find the car to be one of the most predictable I've ever driven, if not top of the list. The back end steps out exactly when I think it will, and is easily reined in with a bit of throttle. No car has ever given me such confidence to drive like a moron without the fear of it punishing me for doing so.

 

[RubenZZZ]

My car is pretty tail happy.

Drive it hard and learn its break away points.


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[TyphoonFiST]

My car is pretty tail happy.

Drive it hard and learn its break away points.


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I will agree....But in a controlled environment FIRST*

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[JDG]

The traction control does a great job of ending any real oversteer. Leave it on while on the road and you will be fine. If you want to understand what the car will do, go to a parking lot after it rains and turn the TC fully off (hold ESC button for ~5 seconds). You will be able to spin the car around and get a feel for when the back end begins to lose grip.

 

[M-Sport fan]

The handling of the Fiesta ST is very much affected by proper inflation. There NEEDS to be a pressure differential between front and rear tires.. Factory specs are 39 psi front, 36 psi rear. .. ...

This kind of differential is what caused the CORVAIR to have such a bad reputation. It was supposed to have higher pressure in the rear than the front to help prevent over steer. When people didn't pay attention and ran equal all around.. disaster ensued.

My Sprite also has a recommended differential.. again higher in the rear than the front to help prevent over steer.

The Fiesta (being front wheel drive) has a problem with under steer, so higher in the front...

THIS! Even when I run higher pressures than the factory recommends, I ALWAYS maintain that 3 PSI differential, front to rear tires.

 

[Dpro]

The handling of the Fiesta ST is very much affected by proper inflation. There NEEDS to be a pressure differential between front and rear tires.. Factory specs are 39 psi front, 36 psi rear. .. ...

This kind of differential is what caused the CORVAIR to have such a bad reputation. It was supposed to have higher pressure in the rear than the front to help prevent over steer. When people didn't pay attention and ran equal all around.. disaster ensued.

My Sprite also has a recommended differential.. again higher in the rear than the front to help prevent over steer.

The Fiesta (being front wheel drive) has a problem with under steer, so higher in the front...

Yes and playing with tire pressure has quite an effect on how the car performs in corners. You can alter the breakaway point in the rear with just a few psi. The car is quite sensitive to tire pressure.

 

[TemecFist]

If you're that worried about snap oversteer, throw some A/S tires on the front, and some R comps on the rear.......instant understeer!!!
I'm kidding obviously.

I had an incident like you, but in a rwd car. Wet road, lsd, lots of hp and bad tires. It was totally my fault, but I learned a great deal from it. Dont let your past experience shake you. It's a great car, and if it oversteers on you, then it was something you did, not the car. Just take it as a learning experience my friend. We all make/have them. Show me one race car driver that hasn't wrecked a car.....its part of this game we all play. Get out there and enjoy it!!!

 

[TemecFist]

Yes and playing with tire pressure has quite an effect on how the car performs in corners. You can alter the breakaway point in the rear with just a few psi. The car is quite sensitive to tire pressure.

"Sensitive" is an understatement.

 

[dhminer]

If you're that worried about snap oversteer, throw some A/S tires on the front, and some R comps on the rear.......instant understeer!!!
I'm kidding obviously.

I had an incident like you, but in a rwd car. Wet road, lsd, lots of hp and bad tires. It was totally my fault, but I learned a great deal from it. Dont let your past experience shake you. It's a great car, and if it oversteers on you, then it was something you did, not the car. Just take it as a learning experience my friend. We all make/have them. Show me one race car driver that hasn't wrecked a car.....its part of this game we all play. Get out there and enjoy it!!!

I put a 2019 camaro ss into a sign driving on ice with summer tires. Good thing it was a rental!

 

[PunkST]

Only issues ive ever had with handling were on ice ( but thats a given) or on super wet roads with aggressive as hell summer tires.
Properly done snow tires at the right psi range for the tire and keeping the pressure difference is key for winter.
Uhp summers in rain, its best to just slow down and cruise.


I did find that if i flipped pressure front to back ( 36 front 39 rear) the car broke traction out back really nicely for autocross. To the point where it was actually fun as hell.

 

[Tonda-B]

I am happy with following set-up:
Springs rates are now 46 kg/cm in front and 23 kg/cm OEM in the rear (I used to use 18 kg/cm in the rear, but it was worse than with OEM springs).
Shocks C/R are:
Front 1100/ 1400 - 1800 N (set to 25th click)
Rear 750/ 1200 - 2100 N (set to 28th click)
The car has still little bit oversteer, but not so much.
Interesting are the force vectoring rear springs, but I don´t know if they are applicable in the rear of my Mk7 Fiesta.