Hello all!
I figured I would start a build thread since I have been starting to get the Fiesta ST up to snuff.
Prequel
I am long time car enthusiast who has spent much of his time in the rotary world. I have owned 9 Rx7's with my last one being my all time dream car, a 94 FD. I took it to the max and enjoyed the journey of each evolution the car went through. The final setup had a 416ci LS3 stroker, Magnum T56 and a Cobra 8.8 rear. I sold the car late 2016 and bought my Fiesta ST a month later. It was time to get away from a car that required my constant attention and so much of my bank account.
But enough about the past, on to my new automotive joy! My Fiesta ST
The FiST
The Fiesta ST caught my eye when it first hit dealerships and I had been reading reviews as its popularity grew among automotive journalists. I always said it would be the perfect daily driver; peppy, functional, and inexpensive. I was daily driving a 2000 Mx5 and it was starting to feel cramped. After selling the Rx7 I had my sights set on just owning one car to keep me satisfied. I looked at many cars but kept coming back to the Fiesta. In November 2016 I found the perfect car at the right price. 2017s were moving in and a local dealer in Mobile, AL had a 2016 white ST w/Recaro and navigation. One drive and I was sold. I was actually a little worried about fitting in the Recaro seats as I am 6'1" 220lbs. Bodybuilding is another hobby of mine so my back and shoulders are relatively wide for my frame. Nonetheless, I fit perfectly and was very happy to get a car with the Recaro's.
Let the Modding Begin!
I broke the vehicle in slowly and methodically. It had about 3k miles on the odometer and it was time to start making it feel like mine. Of course, I originally said I would leave it stock, get a 100k mile warranty and live the simple life, but we all know that never lasts. Modifying cars is in my blood and that was never going to work out. I did a fair bit of research here and there to see what the drivetrain and engine could handle. The car would remain my primary vehicle so I had to keep things in the stratosphere of useable.
Exterior
Tint - I decided to go with 35% all the way around. I move around alot so I didn't want to have any issues as some states are more lax than others. In the south, cops rarely haggle about tint, but when I lived in NJ they were always watching for it. I wanted something that helped with interior heat and still looked nice. Ironically, 35% looked darker then what I originally imagined. I was quite pleased with the choice.
Wheels - Probably the hardest decision with building a car. Wheels are the single biggest mod that will change how a car looks and sometimes handle. I was looking seriously at OZ for their price and weight. But after some research I felt the rim would be soft for the roads my car would possibly face. I am also a HUGE fan of Work wheels as you can see from my Rx7. To me, there are none better, but the initial investment was more than I was willing to accept. But who knows, I may get a set one day. I settled on a set of Sparco Corsa. They are 17x7.5 and still allowed me to mount the factory Bridgestones. Though they are factory weight, they look and fit excellent. They are also strong enough to tackle some potholes that I will likely encounter.
Springs - I have used Eibach in the past and always liked their products. I didn't want anything too low but just enough to give me a little more confidence in the turns and reduce the wheel gap. I read that both Cobb and Mountune has Eibach make their springs so I figured I would get them from the source. The ride is virtually the same but it does feel better in the turns. Fender gap is perfect. I am definitely happy with the Eibach springs.
BEFORE
AFTER
Mountune Lip - I looked for a lip that would help with styling and that mounted up well. I wanted quality without breaking the bank. The Mountune front lip turned out well. I primer'd it, and gave it a coat of semi-gloss black. It takes a beating so in time it will need resprayed.
That pretty much wraps up what I have done to the exterior. I may consider some other basic stuff but overall I think it looks clean and simple, which I like.
Interior
The interior hasn't gotten much other than a dead petal and an added Rockford Fosgate powered subwoofer. I think the ST interior is great, and I don't need much else. The dead pedal will protect my carpet and I highly recommend it. I use it daily. The Sony stereo isn't terrible, I just needed more a little more punch. The RF subwoofer was a breeze to install and adds the extra depth I was looking for. I'm not even touching it's potential as the gain tuned out to about 1/3 of the way up. I am considering a short throw shifter at some point, as I hear it's definitely a nice improvement over stock.
Power
I decided to go full stage 3 off the bat. I ordered my Access Port from Stratified so it included a flash tune. I heard great things about them so I figured it was worth ordering from them. From there I went full Mishimoto. I liked the looks of their intake so I started looking at the other parts they made. Everything seemed to be of high quality with a lifetime warranty. I admit, they aren't' the cheapest but after it was all added up the difference was only a few hundred. I also worked some price matching that saved me a few dollars. I ordered their downpipe, resonated catback, FMIC in black, intake, and catch can. I also ordered the Cobb rear motor mount to go with it.
Intake - I had trouble finding an intake that would fit the 2016 as the other vendors had not released the option yet. The intake fits well and retains the factory snorkel, which I wanted. It has a nice stealthy look with the crinkle black powder coating. It definitely opened up the sound of spool when under throttle. It was nice to hear something other than raw intake noise of the symposer. Of course, retaining the factory snorkel allowed me to add the Velossa Tech big mouth tube. Such a neat part as well!
Downpipe - I really like the look of their 3" downpipe. One thing that struck me over a few other options was that they used a factory brace location. The weight of the exhaust wasn't hanging solely on the turbo flange. Overall a great piece. Fitment was awesome once we muscled the stock unit out.
Catback - I opted for the resonated catback as they stated it would reduce highway drone. They are RIGHT, there is none. It has a nice deep note and burbles during decel, but highway drone is non-existant. I REALLY like this exhaust. I chose the black tips at an added cost but it added to the look overall. I didn't take any pictures of the full exhaust and I wish I had. Fitment and installation was excellent. I will say their slip joints make installation a breeze, but put some extra muscle in the clamps. I had to retighten mine a few times as they would slowly work loose in a few weeks time. In the end, I added lock nuts and lock washers to remedy the problem. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.
Intercooler - They put some solid data into their intercooler design. They stuck with a tube/fin design to help keep flow optimal. I also got it with the piping kit in black. It looks so clean! After monitoring my intake temps I have never seen them over 10 degrees above ambient after repeated pulls in the MS heat. I usually only see a few degrees above ambient consistently. It does it's job well, and the fitment was perfect. Another nice feature was the ability to delete the symposer or not. I chose to, and I'm glad I did.
Access Port - It looks like all others. Mounting location was chosen based on ease of function and being able to monitor the gauges. I chose the mount Cobb offers and it works perfect. Best position I have seen yet.
Current State
That brings the car up to its current state. It will get a turbo upgrade soon. I was dead set on DHM's GTX360R as my goal is 300whp on pump. But I am now waiting to see the turbo that Tune+ will be releasing in the next few months. If it delivers what they say, the cost is not justifiable to go with DHM for my power goals. But time will tell...
I figured I would start a build thread since I have been starting to get the Fiesta ST up to snuff.
Prequel
I am long time car enthusiast who has spent much of his time in the rotary world. I have owned 9 Rx7's with my last one being my all time dream car, a 94 FD. I took it to the max and enjoyed the journey of each evolution the car went through. The final setup had a 416ci LS3 stroker, Magnum T56 and a Cobra 8.8 rear. I sold the car late 2016 and bought my Fiesta ST a month later. It was time to get away from a car that required my constant attention and so much of my bank account.
But enough about the past, on to my new automotive joy! My Fiesta ST
The FiST
The Fiesta ST caught my eye when it first hit dealerships and I had been reading reviews as its popularity grew among automotive journalists. I always said it would be the perfect daily driver; peppy, functional, and inexpensive. I was daily driving a 2000 Mx5 and it was starting to feel cramped. After selling the Rx7 I had my sights set on just owning one car to keep me satisfied. I looked at many cars but kept coming back to the Fiesta. In November 2016 I found the perfect car at the right price. 2017s were moving in and a local dealer in Mobile, AL had a 2016 white ST w/Recaro and navigation. One drive and I was sold. I was actually a little worried about fitting in the Recaro seats as I am 6'1" 220lbs. Bodybuilding is another hobby of mine so my back and shoulders are relatively wide for my frame. Nonetheless, I fit perfectly and was very happy to get a car with the Recaro's.
Let the Modding Begin!
I broke the vehicle in slowly and methodically. It had about 3k miles on the odometer and it was time to start making it feel like mine. Of course, I originally said I would leave it stock, get a 100k mile warranty and live the simple life, but we all know that never lasts. Modifying cars is in my blood and that was never going to work out. I did a fair bit of research here and there to see what the drivetrain and engine could handle. The car would remain my primary vehicle so I had to keep things in the stratosphere of useable.
Exterior
Tint - I decided to go with 35% all the way around. I move around alot so I didn't want to have any issues as some states are more lax than others. In the south, cops rarely haggle about tint, but when I lived in NJ they were always watching for it. I wanted something that helped with interior heat and still looked nice. Ironically, 35% looked darker then what I originally imagined. I was quite pleased with the choice.
Wheels - Probably the hardest decision with building a car. Wheels are the single biggest mod that will change how a car looks and sometimes handle. I was looking seriously at OZ for their price and weight. But after some research I felt the rim would be soft for the roads my car would possibly face. I am also a HUGE fan of Work wheels as you can see from my Rx7. To me, there are none better, but the initial investment was more than I was willing to accept. But who knows, I may get a set one day. I settled on a set of Sparco Corsa. They are 17x7.5 and still allowed me to mount the factory Bridgestones. Though they are factory weight, they look and fit excellent. They are also strong enough to tackle some potholes that I will likely encounter.
Springs - I have used Eibach in the past and always liked their products. I didn't want anything too low but just enough to give me a little more confidence in the turns and reduce the wheel gap. I read that both Cobb and Mountune has Eibach make their springs so I figured I would get them from the source. The ride is virtually the same but it does feel better in the turns. Fender gap is perfect. I am definitely happy with the Eibach springs.
BEFORE
AFTER
Mountune Lip - I looked for a lip that would help with styling and that mounted up well. I wanted quality without breaking the bank. The Mountune front lip turned out well. I primer'd it, and gave it a coat of semi-gloss black. It takes a beating so in time it will need resprayed.
That pretty much wraps up what I have done to the exterior. I may consider some other basic stuff but overall I think it looks clean and simple, which I like.
Interior
The interior hasn't gotten much other than a dead petal and an added Rockford Fosgate powered subwoofer. I think the ST interior is great, and I don't need much else. The dead pedal will protect my carpet and I highly recommend it. I use it daily. The Sony stereo isn't terrible, I just needed more a little more punch. The RF subwoofer was a breeze to install and adds the extra depth I was looking for. I'm not even touching it's potential as the gain tuned out to about 1/3 of the way up. I am considering a short throw shifter at some point, as I hear it's definitely a nice improvement over stock.
Power
I decided to go full stage 3 off the bat. I ordered my Access Port from Stratified so it included a flash tune. I heard great things about them so I figured it was worth ordering from them. From there I went full Mishimoto. I liked the looks of their intake so I started looking at the other parts they made. Everything seemed to be of high quality with a lifetime warranty. I admit, they aren't' the cheapest but after it was all added up the difference was only a few hundred. I also worked some price matching that saved me a few dollars. I ordered their downpipe, resonated catback, FMIC in black, intake, and catch can. I also ordered the Cobb rear motor mount to go with it.
Intake - I had trouble finding an intake that would fit the 2016 as the other vendors had not released the option yet. The intake fits well and retains the factory snorkel, which I wanted. It has a nice stealthy look with the crinkle black powder coating. It definitely opened up the sound of spool when under throttle. It was nice to hear something other than raw intake noise of the symposer. Of course, retaining the factory snorkel allowed me to add the Velossa Tech big mouth tube. Such a neat part as well!
Downpipe - I really like the look of their 3" downpipe. One thing that struck me over a few other options was that they used a factory brace location. The weight of the exhaust wasn't hanging solely on the turbo flange. Overall a great piece. Fitment was awesome once we muscled the stock unit out.
Catback - I opted for the resonated catback as they stated it would reduce highway drone. They are RIGHT, there is none. It has a nice deep note and burbles during decel, but highway drone is non-existant. I REALLY like this exhaust. I chose the black tips at an added cost but it added to the look overall. I didn't take any pictures of the full exhaust and I wish I had. Fitment and installation was excellent. I will say their slip joints make installation a breeze, but put some extra muscle in the clamps. I had to retighten mine a few times as they would slowly work loose in a few weeks time. In the end, I added lock nuts and lock washers to remedy the problem. Not a big deal, but worth mentioning.
Intercooler - They put some solid data into their intercooler design. They stuck with a tube/fin design to help keep flow optimal. I also got it with the piping kit in black. It looks so clean! After monitoring my intake temps I have never seen them over 10 degrees above ambient after repeated pulls in the MS heat. I usually only see a few degrees above ambient consistently. It does it's job well, and the fitment was perfect. Another nice feature was the ability to delete the symposer or not. I chose to, and I'm glad I did.
Access Port - It looks like all others. Mounting location was chosen based on ease of function and being able to monitor the gauges. I chose the mount Cobb offers and it works perfect. Best position I have seen yet.
Current State
That brings the car up to its current state. It will get a turbo upgrade soon. I was dead set on DHM's GTX360R as my goal is 300whp on pump. But I am now waiting to see the turbo that Tune+ will be releasing in the next few months. If it delivers what they say, the cost is not justifiable to go with DHM for my power goals. But time will tell...
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