I decided to start a thread about my experiences in going to the STH class. The primary reason I did this was that I wanted to modify the car after keeping it HS legal for 4 years. I like to modify cars and who doesn't want more power and better handling? I realize that I won't be nationally competitive in STH, but my talent behind the wheel is a bigger handicap than anything else and I only run locally anyway, so who cares. Hopefully I can share some advice and maybe get help sorting things out.
As for the build, the car already ran Koni Yellows and an Eibach rear sway bar for suspension. I kept those and added the Eibach front bar, lower camber bolts up front, camber plates out back, and I slotted the front towers 4mm to get me -.2 deg camber all around. I lowered it with Swift springs, Whiteline sway bar end links, and I secured or trimmed out some of the wheel liner material for clearance. I run Hawk 5.0 pads front and rear on PowerSlot/OEM rotors, but upgraded to braided stainless steel brake lines and flushed it with Motul synthetic brake fluid.
For better traction, I had the Quaife LSD from Mountune installed. I kept my HS wheels, Enkei RFP1s, but switched to 205/50-16 Bridgestone RE71s from my BFGs. On the engine side, I upgraded to a Whoosh front-mount intercooler (FMIC), added a Cobb cold air intake (CAI), and installed a custom tune from Stratified through a Cobb Accessport.
OK, so why did I do what I did and what do I think?
Wheels/Tires: I got the Bridgestones really cheap, so while I don't particularly like the taller 50-series or the narrower 205, I saved money for entry fees. I find the tire fits my driving style better than the Rival S. If you are full of finesse and grace you may have a different experience, but if you drive like an angry gorilla like me, you might find the RE71s to be more forgiving. Around here (Pittsburgh) doing well while still cold and wet is often an advantage and the Bridgestones seem to have an edge there. I am WAY under the maximum 265 width allowed in the class, and while I won't be hitting that size, I would like to go wider at some point. This means custom 15" wheels with 40-series tires, we shall see.
LSD: The jury is still out on the LSD. It cost $1000 plus $2000 to install, which is pretty steep. I was hoping for a night and day difference, but can't say that I am blown away. The car pulls well out of corners, but can still spin a tire. If you pull the #1 fuse to disable traction management, you will spin tires like crazy, so I am not sure exactly what the LSD is doing up there. I would recommend doing this after everything else to see if you really need it. Maybe $3k in wheels/tires would be a better investment?
Engine: I ran the OTS Cobb tune for a while before I went to the Stratified tune. Both are a worthwhile improvement over stock, well worth the money. I went with Stratified because of good reviews and good customer service. They also adjusted the tune for the FMIC and intake. Power is good, torque is good, I can generally leave it in 2nd and send it. I think that sending them data logs and refining the tune would also be worth it, but I am going to dyno the car first and see what gains I made. If I think there is more to go, then I will do a full custom tune. OH, and don't forget to switch to the go-fast tune when you get to an event!
The Cobb intake was easy to install and doesn't hurt performance or sound, I am sure it is helping to make some more power. The Whoosh FMIC was harder to install, mostly because there is no clear indication as to which is the top. I had to install, uninstall, and re-install the brackets a few times before I got it hung properly. Maybe I am just a moron, but better instructions would have helped. I went with Whoosh because you use all the OEM hoses and clamps. This keeps ou STH legal, but seriously, who would protest non-OEM hose clamps?!?!?
Suspension: The most notable change is the massive Eibach front bar. After 4 years of NE salt and crud, removing the front subframe was a bitch. Some of the bolts thread into capture nuts and they popped out. That means cutting holes in the bodywork to access them, UGH. The front bar definitely reduces body roll and keeps the tires planted, but the ride is stiffer and it imparts a lot of squeaks and groans. Without the LSD, I would not recommend doing this. I bent the OEM sway bar links, forcing me to upgrade to the Whitelines. I am not sure if they should be run fully extended or fully compressed...do you go longer than stock when lowering or shorter than stock? Longer seemed to bang around a lot, shorter was quieter, so that's where they are now. Advice would be helpful!
Lowering also helped the body roll, but the Swift springs will cause a lot of rubbing even with a 205/50-16 or 205/45-17. I was able to secure loose plastic and felt within the wheel wells to remove some rubbing and trim some spots for added clearance. As of now, there are two spots up front that will scrape at full compression. They are metal parts that can't be removed, so I may look at longer bump stops. Had I not already had the Konis, I would have gone for coil-overs which would allow me to fine-tune ride height. That's on the upgrade list.
One thing to note on the camber, you cannot bring the wheels back to 0deg camber after an event to save your street tires. The design of the front suspension means that doing this will add a lot of toe-out. Tires never last me long anyway, so I am OK with it.
Brakes: I have spoken with plenty of national-level autocrossers who say that the OEM pads for the 2014 Fiesta ST are just fine. Apparently, later years had two pad options and only one is the one you want for autocrossing. I have tried track pads, but they have too much bite and you will lock the front end with no modulation. They also throw a shit ton of dust. I like the Hawk 5.0s: good modulation, decent bite, but I am hearing good things about other pads and may try another brand, or go back to OEM. I feel that the brakes on the Fiesta are not great overall however, the pedal always feels like its going to the floor even with good fluid, braided lines, and recent bleeding.
Interior: One other addition was a set of Schroth Quick-Fit seat belts. They were easy to install and a great addition for non-Recaro cars like mine. They hold you in place and let you concentrate on driving. I know all about "real" 5-point belts, believe me, I have hung upside-down from a set in a race car before. These are not suitable for a caged race car, but for autocrossing, they are way better than stock.
I have also tested the interior lighting. I have found that with red lighting on, the car loses about 3 hp, and with the blue, it gains about 2.5 hp. Yellow and White have no effect on hp, but both raise RPM by 500.
As for the build, the car already ran Koni Yellows and an Eibach rear sway bar for suspension. I kept those and added the Eibach front bar, lower camber bolts up front, camber plates out back, and I slotted the front towers 4mm to get me -.2 deg camber all around. I lowered it with Swift springs, Whiteline sway bar end links, and I secured or trimmed out some of the wheel liner material for clearance. I run Hawk 5.0 pads front and rear on PowerSlot/OEM rotors, but upgraded to braided stainless steel brake lines and flushed it with Motul synthetic brake fluid.
For better traction, I had the Quaife LSD from Mountune installed. I kept my HS wheels, Enkei RFP1s, but switched to 205/50-16 Bridgestone RE71s from my BFGs. On the engine side, I upgraded to a Whoosh front-mount intercooler (FMIC), added a Cobb cold air intake (CAI), and installed a custom tune from Stratified through a Cobb Accessport.
OK, so why did I do what I did and what do I think?
Wheels/Tires: I got the Bridgestones really cheap, so while I don't particularly like the taller 50-series or the narrower 205, I saved money for entry fees. I find the tire fits my driving style better than the Rival S. If you are full of finesse and grace you may have a different experience, but if you drive like an angry gorilla like me, you might find the RE71s to be more forgiving. Around here (Pittsburgh) doing well while still cold and wet is often an advantage and the Bridgestones seem to have an edge there. I am WAY under the maximum 265 width allowed in the class, and while I won't be hitting that size, I would like to go wider at some point. This means custom 15" wheels with 40-series tires, we shall see.
LSD: The jury is still out on the LSD. It cost $1000 plus $2000 to install, which is pretty steep. I was hoping for a night and day difference, but can't say that I am blown away. The car pulls well out of corners, but can still spin a tire. If you pull the #1 fuse to disable traction management, you will spin tires like crazy, so I am not sure exactly what the LSD is doing up there. I would recommend doing this after everything else to see if you really need it. Maybe $3k in wheels/tires would be a better investment?
Engine: I ran the OTS Cobb tune for a while before I went to the Stratified tune. Both are a worthwhile improvement over stock, well worth the money. I went with Stratified because of good reviews and good customer service. They also adjusted the tune for the FMIC and intake. Power is good, torque is good, I can generally leave it in 2nd and send it. I think that sending them data logs and refining the tune would also be worth it, but I am going to dyno the car first and see what gains I made. If I think there is more to go, then I will do a full custom tune. OH, and don't forget to switch to the go-fast tune when you get to an event!
The Cobb intake was easy to install and doesn't hurt performance or sound, I am sure it is helping to make some more power. The Whoosh FMIC was harder to install, mostly because there is no clear indication as to which is the top. I had to install, uninstall, and re-install the brackets a few times before I got it hung properly. Maybe I am just a moron, but better instructions would have helped. I went with Whoosh because you use all the OEM hoses and clamps. This keeps ou STH legal, but seriously, who would protest non-OEM hose clamps?!?!?
Suspension: The most notable change is the massive Eibach front bar. After 4 years of NE salt and crud, removing the front subframe was a bitch. Some of the bolts thread into capture nuts and they popped out. That means cutting holes in the bodywork to access them, UGH. The front bar definitely reduces body roll and keeps the tires planted, but the ride is stiffer and it imparts a lot of squeaks and groans. Without the LSD, I would not recommend doing this. I bent the OEM sway bar links, forcing me to upgrade to the Whitelines. I am not sure if they should be run fully extended or fully compressed...do you go longer than stock when lowering or shorter than stock? Longer seemed to bang around a lot, shorter was quieter, so that's where they are now. Advice would be helpful!
Lowering also helped the body roll, but the Swift springs will cause a lot of rubbing even with a 205/50-16 or 205/45-17. I was able to secure loose plastic and felt within the wheel wells to remove some rubbing and trim some spots for added clearance. As of now, there are two spots up front that will scrape at full compression. They are metal parts that can't be removed, so I may look at longer bump stops. Had I not already had the Konis, I would have gone for coil-overs which would allow me to fine-tune ride height. That's on the upgrade list.
One thing to note on the camber, you cannot bring the wheels back to 0deg camber after an event to save your street tires. The design of the front suspension means that doing this will add a lot of toe-out. Tires never last me long anyway, so I am OK with it.
Brakes: I have spoken with plenty of national-level autocrossers who say that the OEM pads for the 2014 Fiesta ST are just fine. Apparently, later years had two pad options and only one is the one you want for autocrossing. I have tried track pads, but they have too much bite and you will lock the front end with no modulation. They also throw a shit ton of dust. I like the Hawk 5.0s: good modulation, decent bite, but I am hearing good things about other pads and may try another brand, or go back to OEM. I feel that the brakes on the Fiesta are not great overall however, the pedal always feels like its going to the floor even with good fluid, braided lines, and recent bleeding.
Interior: One other addition was a set of Schroth Quick-Fit seat belts. They were easy to install and a great addition for non-Recaro cars like mine. They hold you in place and let you concentrate on driving. I know all about "real" 5-point belts, believe me, I have hung upside-down from a set in a race car before. These are not suitable for a caged race car, but for autocrossing, they are way better than stock.
I have also tested the interior lighting. I have found that with red lighting on, the car loses about 3 hp, and with the blue, it gains about 2.5 hp. Yellow and White have no effect on hp, but both raise RPM by 500.
. She seems super quick. I was at the last event, but didn't see another FIST outside of HS. Hope to meet you soon! You on the ATX ST/RS group by any chance?
![[dunno]](/images/smilies/icon_smile_dunno.gif "Dunno [dunno]"){kind=icon}
