nowhereboy Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 I've been meaning to post a thread up of my current car for a while now but been super busy with the run up to Christmas etc. For those who didn't see my other thread I'm now in a Focus ST, obviously a big change from the 350Z, I wanted something quick, modern and in good condition with low miles etc. This thread will be a bit of a review in a way but also a place to follow progress etc. The ST is running the RS Clutch and flywheel, coilovers, section 59 cat back exhaust and downpipe and collins performance CP320 map. As stated it my other thread it needs the de cats and intercooler to run to full potential both of which will be ordered soon, I'm purely guessing here but I'd imagine the car is somewhere between 270 - 300BHP and Torque somewhere close to 400IB/FT. Should be good for 320BHP once the mods are on. It's the final run of the mk2 ST3 so it has all the toys from factory, heated seats, auto wipers, push button start etc. So whats it like to drive? Completely different to the Z of course! First of all this car is pretty damn loud on a cold start, lovely sounding warble on idle and really throaty exhaust note with pop's and bangs on the overrun, it's a proper council estate asbo sound but I love it. The map runs limited torque in first and second and the first thing you notice when putting your foot down is the distinct lack of torque steer, I was expecting hell on earth after reading countless people bashing front wheel drive cars on here over the years but it's actually very useable, my old EP3 type R had more torque steer than this which really shows how the tech has came on over the years. In a straight line the performance is fantastic, the turbos come on at about 2k RPM and hold boost well up to about 6k before they run out of puff. To give an idea of it's pace, the power to weight of this car gives it enough performance to out run a DE Z, from a roll it will outpace a stock focus RS and Evos/Imprezas etc. I always found the Z to be deceptively fast, looking down and realising what speed you are doing etc, the ST is completely different, it feels fast even when your not really pushing on but on full boost you really feel like you're moving. It's not too shabby in the corners either, I'd imagine the coilovers help somewhat but in the dry it just turns in, grips and goes, obviously in the wet it's not even worth trying, wheelspin in 4th gear? No thanks. It's no rear wheel drive coupe in the handling department obviously but to the average driver it's a much easier car to drive quickly. Living with the car everyday is great, so comfortable for the commute and the heated windshield is a god send in the winter months, no more scraping ice of the car while freezing my backside off. So moving forward my plans for the car are minimal really, block mod is a must for piece of mind, stage 2 intercooler and de cats and some subtle styling mods (RS bonnet vents and zunsport grill to show off the cooler and maybe a front spliter, it should be finished by February all going well. I'll post some pictures below of how it stands now, the old owner had it pictured in this months fast ford which was a pleasant surprise when going through the pages. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Fancy one of these for the missus .........................................../me lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Do like these in blue and of course 3dr mk2.5 The brother in-law has a black 5dr 07 plate ST mk2 and I was shocked to see wind up rear windows. His motor the inside is just like any other focus of the same year with a few at badges, just not special enough for me to ever consider one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissanman312 Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 Do like these in blue and of course 3dr mk2.5 The brother in-law has a black 5dr 07 plate ST mk2 and I was shocked to see wind up rear windows. His motor the inside is just like any other focus of the same year with a few at badges, just not special enough for me to ever consider one. They do sound Nice tho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aashenfox Posted December 26, 2016 Share Posted December 26, 2016 I almost bought one of these, I remember being totally put off by the interior. Nice looking motor on the outside though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted December 26, 2016 Author Share Posted December 26, 2016 I nearly bought one years ago and was also put off with the interior to be honest. The facelift one is a nicer place to be inside, the ST3 with the heated seats is a must, the cloth ones look rubbish. Before going to look at this one I was expecting poor interior but was pleasantly surprised, it's way nicer than my 04 Z was, I've not sat in an HR or facelift Z tho so can't compare to that. I l do love the gauge pods on the dash..... I'll have to get a video up of the exhaust sound at some point, in love with the noise of this thing, it's hilarious to think a focus can even make such a sound. The garage I picked this up from also had a 370Z in my budget, I was tempted but it's just more of the same really and I fancied a change. I'll probably end up with one at some point but for going to enjoy this for a couple of years or so first. I realise everyone must think I'm mental for picking this over the Z Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMballistic Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 I'll have to get a video up of the exhaust sound at some point, in love with the noise of this thing, it's hilarious to think a focus can even make such a sound. Oh definitely do that. Heard a load of these at Combe before now and they did sound good. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mopedmark Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 Great little write up it must be like chalk n cheese a Z compared to that focus, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeezeebaba Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 Good cars these, easy to push on in and Ford have been chassis masters on FWD cars for years now with safe predictable and exploitable instinctive handling. In standard trim no faster than an EP3 but with good mods can shift very well. Thirsty but no more so than a Z and the blue is the best colour. Good choice. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted December 27, 2016 Author Share Posted December 27, 2016 Cheers zeezee. Its my first turbo car and I love the bang for buck tuning potential, fairly sure some volvos come with the same motor and stock run 300bhp. Seems like ford downtuned these STs from the factory. A simple map sees 270bhp, thats a couple of hundred quid for 50bhp, mental. I havr looked at the RS turbo conversion, they will run close to 400bhp without needing forged internals but its a bit overkill in my opinion. Ill be more than happy with 330..... for now anyway haha. Oh and yea, the fuel ecomomy is bad, really bad actually, worse than my old Z. Doesnt bother me too much as I was expecting it anyway. Just one of those things, I can see how it would put people off tho. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irn Bru Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 My son's (ShaunRS) ST was absolutely bonkers for what is just a 2.5 family Ford, so much tunning potential in these cars, pretty sure you'll get on just fine with it 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holfy92 Posted December 27, 2016 Share Posted December 27, 2016 Always wanted one of these! Looks really clean 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaunRS Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Cheers zeezee. Its my first turbo car and I love the bang for buck tuning potential, fairly sure some volvos come with the same motor and stock run 300bhp. Seems like ford downtuned these STs from the factory. A simple map sees 270bhp, thats a couple of hundred quid for 50bhp, mental. I havr looked at the RS turbo conversion, they will run close to 400bhp without needing forged internals but its a bit overkill in my opinion. Ill be more than happy with 330..... for now anyway haha. Oh and yea, the fuel ecomomy is bad, really bad actually, worse than my old Z. Doesnt bother me too much as I was expecting it anyway. Just one of those things, I can see how it would put people off tho. you will need forged internals/RS internals for 400bhp. If memory serves me right I think 360-380 is the limit for the standard ST internals. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted December 31, 2016 Author Share Posted December 31, 2016 Cheers Shaun. Let's be honest, 380BHP is more than enough for a ford focus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaunRS Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Cheers Shaun. Let's be honest, 380BHP is more than enough for a ford focus sure is once I get me intercooler and down pipe and de cat fitted I should be about 370bhp, Im thinking about going 400 but I'll see how it copes with the 370 first 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted December 31, 2016 Author Share Posted December 31, 2016 Nice. Have you got a build thread on here? Or a link to one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaunRS Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Nice. Have you got a build thread on here? Or a link to one? I haven't no unfortunately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350jimbobz Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Mate had an rs running 360bhp. Claimed he emptied the tank in 90 miles once 😮 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaunRS Posted December 31, 2016 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Easily done, very thirsty motors and it feels worse in the ST as the fuel tank isn't that big. I nearly ran out of fuel in the RS on our track day at crail, fuel gauge drops like a stone when pushing on. Think it was something like 6.2mpg it was getting out on the track 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeezeebaba Posted January 1, 2017 Share Posted January 1, 2017 Easily done, very thirsty motors and it feels worse in the ST as the fuel tank isn't that big. I nearly ran out of fuel in the RS on our track day at crail, fuel gauge drops like a stone when pushing on. Think it was something like 6.2mpg it was getting out on the track Worth every second though 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted January 6, 2017 Author Share Posted January 6, 2017 As above fuel consumption is nothing short of horrendous, so I can well believe that comment! I'm spending close to £80 a week . I Haven't bothered working out actual MPG, I'd imagine that would be pretty fruitless anyway, somewhere below 20mpg thats for sure. Anyway on a more positive note the old owner has offered to sell me the intercooler and de cats for a very good price so I'll be picking them up tonight hopefully. Going to attempt to fit them myself over the weekend with a little help from a friend. The lad has a dyno print out from when these mods were fitted and the car ran 318bhp. I also have the block mod booked in for February but after more research I'm starting to wonder if it's actually worth doing. Most of the motors I can see that have cracked a liner have been pre facelift models and with way more miles than mine has. You get completely mixed opinions on the ST forum, some people say it's an absolute must and others say it's unnecessary (they have ran 300bhp + for 40k plus miles with no problems etc) There seems to be no solid answer as to why the liners crack, what causes it and how common it actually is. On the Dreamscience website they list the work that gets done alongside the block mod included in the price and I think at 47k miles most of this stuff is unnecessary for me, starting to wonder if I'd be better off waiting until the belts etc need replaced and get it done then. Stainless Steel Shims x 4 Ford Head Gasket x 1 Both aux belts x 2 Ford Cambelt x 1 Cambelt Tensioner x 1 Cambelt Pulley x 1 Turbo Coolant/Oil Feed Washers* OEM Camshaft seals x 2 OEM Turbo manifold gasket x 1 Coolant change x 1 Oil and filter change, Castrol Edge 0W 40 x 1 Water pump replaced x 1 Head bolts replaced .... Variable cam seals replaced x 2 Outer sprk plug seals replaced x 5 Labour included.... Free smoke test and vehicle IDS diagnostic Anyway, expect an update over the weekend with a few pics/videos once the new mods are fitted, quite exited to feel/hear the difference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted January 10, 2017 Author Share Posted January 10, 2017 Update - Picked up the intercooler and de cats over the weekend Tried to fit them myself but failed at the first hurdle as the lambada sensor is completely stuck on the existing cats. Tried using a hammer with the spanner but to no avail. Look's like it's going to need a proper tool to get it off or if not I'll just cut the sensor off and buy a new one, bit of a pain in the rear Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted January 10, 2017 Share Posted January 10, 2017 Not good pal, did you use any heat on it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nowhereboy Posted January 11, 2017 Author Share Posted January 11, 2017 No didnt think of that tbh. Might have another crack today like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davey_83 Posted January 11, 2017 Share Posted January 11, 2017 (edited) Normally with an O2 after a drive to get the exhaust nice and hot, when you've parked up - crack the nut of the sensor half a turn and then once the exhaust has cooled down it'll come out with ease. Edited January 11, 2017 by davey_83 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.