What did you do to your Fiesta ST today ?

[pixelzombie]

I reckon it's been a while since I've done an update, and I'm about halfway through a 5,500ish mile road trip to visit Family and Friends for the Holidays in Virginia, so here we go!

Did an oil change at 23,840 miles before departure, about 1,700 miles before my normal 5K oil/filter change interval.
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I drive like the Bandit, so I left Prescott, AZ at about 3am this past Saturday with the goal of completing 1,300 miles to Little Rock, AR in around 17-20hrs.

Here's a pic of the valley just west of Albuquerque, NM on I-40. I didn't take many pics of the drive since it requires a lot concentration to drive far and fast, but if I remember correctly it was about 12-14 degrees driving through most of New Mexico. That giant white building to the right is a Casino, and Albuquerque is just over that hill.
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I made it to Little Rock, AR in 17hrs and 20mins with 4 Fuel/Food/Pee Pitstops over 1,282 miles, averaging 74.1mph, my new record.

Stayed in a Best Western and successfully had the worst night's sleep of EVAR when the people in the room above me let their kids set up what sounded like a bowling alley using grenades until 1:30am regardless of my complaints to the front desk.
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With roughly 4hrs of sleep after a 17hr drive, I was back on the road at 7am with the second leg of the trip being from Little Rock, AR to a friends house in Evington, VA.

For anyone road tripping, Love's gas stations are your friend. The coffee is good, the food is decent for truck stop food and they have showers if you need them. This was a fuel stop just outside of Memphis, TN.
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For those of you who haven't been to or driven through Memphis, Tennessee, they've got the 9th largest Pyramid in the world, which also happens to be a Bass Pro Shop that you can't miss as you cross the Mississippi River. It's 321feet tall with base sides around 590feet. I haven't been in there due to time constraints when I pass through, but apparently it has a hotel, restaurants, bowling alleys and an archery range. Maybe I'll plan a stay there on my next drive through the area!
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I made it to my friend's house in Evington, VA, totaling 882miles in 14hrs flat after dealing with terrible traffic through Tennessee. That put me at an average of 63mph over the second leg of the trip, not stellar, but not bad considering how terrible people drive in TN.

I lived in Bedford, VA for 2.5yrs, so I decided to visit a few friends around the area and go for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway(while it's still open before snow).

I've driven the entirety of the BRP in my Jeep Cherokee XJ and all of the surrounding Off-Road trails many times over, but it's nice to just cruise it in the ST and enjoy my time here.
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This is overlooking the Peaks of Otter, which is just north of Bedford, VA. There are 3 peaks of the Peaks of Otter: Sharp Top, Flat Top and Harkening Hill. This picture is overlooking Abbott Lake(and Sharp Top Mountain) which lies in between all 3 of the peaks, at the Peaks of Otter Lodge. Sharp Top(pictured) is 3,875ft tall, whereas Flat Top is the tallest peak of the three at 4,001ft tall.
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I filmed a YouTube video here about 4yrs ago on my Jeep Cherokee XJ, roughly 150yds from where I shot these pictures that has about 340k views if you care to watch it. I've done about 50lbs of weight reduction to myself since this video, so I'm quite a bit more aerodynamic nowadays than what you see in this video.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78WD_EQGNhc&t=83s



Anyways, if you ever get a chance to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, whether that's Summer or Winter, do it! There's plenty of camping and hiking to waterfalls and beautiful views to keep you infinitely enthralled!

It's obviously winter, so it's very brown and dead looking right now, but when the Blue Ridge Mountains are in full Spring and Summer, the green vegetation views are simply incredible!
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These pictures were taken at Apple Orchard Mountain, which is the highest drivable part of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia at 3,950ft. I adopted this area of the Parkway to keep it clean and tidy from 2018-2019 and it is still trash-free to this day.
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The Blue Ridge Mountains will always be home for me, and where I feel most at peace.
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More to come from this trip.

That is one road trip I need to make. But first I need to visit the Smoky Mountains.

 

[skinnyjeans]

Finished install of an MBRP exhaust! Wow does it drone!

 

[TyphoonFiST]

Finished install of an MBRP exhaust! Wow does it drone!

Didn't read the threads on the MBRP did ya? I'm sure you will enjoy it for a little bit!

Sent from my SM-N975U1 using Tapatalk

 

[our guile]

I got WeatherTech floor mats for Christmas so I put those in the car to replace the originals that nearly had holes worn through them (on the driver's side at least). Also, driving to work today I realized I passed the 6 year anniversary of owning the Fist. I bought her in mid-December of 2015.

 

[skinnyjeans]

Didn't read the threads on the MBRP did ya? I'm sure you will enjoy it for a little bit!

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Yeh I read about it but was pretty much clueless as had never heard anything like that before first hand. Ill get used to it and it will fade away with time. If it doesnt Ill just be blasting the stereo louder to cancel out the frequency!

 

[METZGER]

How many miles on the car when this happened?

Sent from my IN2025 using Tapatalk

Close to 111,000km. The coolant tubes are definitely not up to the long term job. As with the suspension bushings.. Not to mention that BS rubbish plastic coolant tank.. We get up to 45° Celsius here in Australia... My first coolant hose burst about a year after I bought the car brand new...

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[METZGER]

Added a new piece of coolant hose, filled it up with new coolant but I really want to replace all the old coolant hoses now as I could literally tear that old hose with my fingers, actually very easily.. it was that weak.. [emoji15]

I am struggling to find a set of all the little tubes online.. I only come across the upper and lower radiator hose as aftermarket upgrades..

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[METZGER]

Not bad for 111,000km.. After I sort the coolant tubes I want some new wheels or an intake and intercooler and new charge pipes ect ect..

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[XR650R]

Not bad for 111,000km.. After I sort the coolant tubes I want some new wheels or an intake and intercooler and new charge pipes ect ect..

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Stock radiator?

 

[Sam4]

I use the same overzealous zip-tie installer!
I replaced the check valve (1 of 2) on the tank due to drip-drip, and had to sort of ream out the plastic from the tube. Very messy/not necessary except to drive oem parts sales. I remember buying 7mm braided fuel line (parts store owner) in rolls - you could take over the world with that shit....split in 1/2 and its a rub reducer for wear spots!

 

[iammacey]

Installed LED bulbs in the low beams using the TechMax Minis. Also pulled the fog lights and did the yellow Lamin-X film. Easy to apply, especially with the lights out of the car.

Pulled all the brake pads and greased the backing plates. These pads had an insane squeal that was making me crazy. I don't normally apply it, so lesson learned on this set.

And last, but not least, did an oil/filter change. Good day for sure.

 

[Erick_V]

Paid the car off today 😎

 

[DaleFredriks]

Paid the car off today [emoji41]

Congrats! I'm getting close to there as well! Must be a big relief!

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[Erick_V]

Congrats! I'm getting close to there as well! Must be a big relief!

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Big relief! Gives me more money to finish my project in time for spring lol

 

[MajorDuds3]

Changed all the interior lighting and plate lights to LEDS

 

[Business6]

Changed all the interior lighting and plate lights to LEDS

ugh, I really need to do this. Which did you purchase, if you don't mind me asking?

 

[MajorDuds3]

ugh, I really need to do this. Which did you purchase, if you don't mind me asking?

just a cheap 10 pack off amazon

 

[LionsTooth]

ugh, I really need to do this. Which did you purchase, if you don't mind me asking?

Amazon

 

[Business6]

Amazon

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Thanks, I'll finally be bothered to do this, lol

 

[flbchbm]

Finally changed the oil after the long Knoxville trip. (About 6.5k this change)

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