Riding shotgun in a Focus RS

[skidro87]

fake news, man
So far the RS is better daily, little more comfort but shift/clutch is worse
I haven't autoxrossed it yet
On highway it's godlike, 5th gear is amazing

 

[skidro87]

ha
there was a time when I would respond to that but I understand what fuels it
thanks for looking

I'm biased, wouldn't get a new mustang regardless

 

[ron@whoosh]

fake news, man
So far the RS is better daily, little more comfort but shift/clutch is worse
I haven't autoxrossed it yet
On highway it's godlike, 5th gear is amazing

I'm not here to argue maybe we are misunderstanding posts in jest or have different levels of maturity
Like said I've owned all of the above mentioned vehicles and have my opinions
If you own an RS and prefer the RS over the Fiesta and Mustang I can respect that and move on

enjoy your RS

 

[neeqness]

^^^THIS x1000!

I just do not 'get' so many wanting/expecting these types of cars to have a cushy, luxo-yacht like ride, as I want to feel the road as much as I can, and would not want that type of 'ride quality' in ANY car I owned, even if the Bimmer Ms/et al can pull off great handling along with that 'ride'.

I do not get why you keep saying this.

First of all, you can not get a "cushy, luxo-yacht like ride" on this car pretty much no matter what you do. It is far from a Mercedes S class or a Lincoln Towncar...it is just way too light to get a ride like that. That weight in THOSE cars is a huge factor to the ride.

Secondly, I don't think most people here are looking for a luxurious ride anyway. The setups proposed on here to reduce bounce and jarring do not provide a luxurious ride at all. Besides, the roads in this country are quite diverse...yet in the cities located just a couple hours north of me, I would be perfectly fine driving my car stock with just lowering springs. Unfortunately as soon as I hit LA prime (which is where I spend most of my time), it's a whole different ballgame. Potholes, expansion joints, etc. so much so that you are basically constantly watching for and attempting to dodge them to MINIMIZE the number of bumps you hit on your commute.

Now on the other hand if YOU like bouncing all over the street like a pinball in a pinball machine all power to you...there are others who do that as well and I am not trying to change your mind, to each their own.

All most people really want here though is to take that jarring out when on these kind of roads. I have high aspect tires and Koni Str.T (which by the way is a SPORT shock and not a "luxo yacht shock) so trust me when I tell you that I still feel all the same bumps in the road I felt before...the difference now is just that my car rolls a lot smoother over those bumps without jarring the car. Well, except for maybe now I don't feel the grains of sand as much when cruising along the beach...

^^^THIS x1000!

I just do not 'get' so many wanting/expecting these types of cars to have a cushy, luxo-yacht like ride, as I want to feel the road as much as I can, and would not want that type of 'ride quality' in ANY car I owned, even if the Bimmer Ms/et al can pull off great handling along with that 'ride'.

Sent from my LG-H918 using Tapatalk

 

[Truth in Ruin]

but who gets a mustang for the ecoboost? Or for track? That's like putting make up on a pig

I drove a 2015 5.0 with the performance package across a few states, and It's definitely a trackable car; the turn-in was great for a hotrod. It shocked me a little bit, but I'm used to hotrods being like my old 71 V8 Vega, 70 Chevelle, and 72 Corvette. It's a breath of fresh air that hothods can race outside of a strip these days. That said, I have more fun driving the FiST than I did driving the Mustang LOL

 

[Guaji]

I like driving the FIST around daily cuz its a softer ride than the RS and for driving around in traffic, its fun and practical. Also it maneuvers in tight spaces better.

 

[meFiSTo]

Hey man. I just purchased a white RS. it's a great car and I plan to keep it a long time, well, as long as I can. Hah. My Fiesta will continue to be my track car. I don't need to attain the ultimate top speed at the track, just enough speed to have fun. The Fiesta does that. The RS replaces my 2004 Audi wagon. I like AWD for winter versatility. I'll get some winters wheels with studless snow tires for that car. Might have some winter fun.

I concur with your comment regarding the two cars appealing to different sensibilities (grown up vs. hoonigan). Works for me to have both. I like the lightness of the Fiesta's steering and the immediacy of its responsiveness. I am interested to see how the bigger car feels on track at some point. I recall the STs at the STOA event feeling very stable at speed. I liked that.

In any event, it'll be fun to sneak the new grocery getter to the track once in a while no matter what -- with suitable minimum pad, brake line, fluids, extinguisher adjustments.

Here's a pic of mine from Sunday drive and stop at a nearby river park.

 

[Truth in Ruin]

^^^ love the white.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I drove a 2015 5.0 with the performance package across a few states, and It's definitely a trackable car; the turn-in was great for a hotrod. It shocked me a little bit, but I'm used to hotrods being like my old 71 V8 Vega, 70 Chevelle, and 72 Corvette. It's a breath of fresh air that hothods can race outside of a strip these days. That said, I have more fun driving the FiST than I did driving the Mustang LOL

^^^AGREED!

I think too many on here somehow think that it is impossible for a RWD V8 to go around a turn quickly, either from never having driven a properly set up one with decent tires on it, or from believing the old(er) school ricer s**t memes that they all MUST BE crap in the 'twisties'.

That's worse than me saying that a FWD 4 banger import nameplate can never ever go any quicker than 13 seconds down the 1/4 mile.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I do not get why you keep saying this.

First of all, you can not get a "cushy, luxo-yacht like ride" on this car pretty much no matter what you do. It is far from a Mercedes S class or a Lincoln Towncar...it is just way too light to get a ride like that. That weight in THOSE cars is a huge factor to the ride.

Secondly, I don't think most people here are looking for a luxurious ride anyway. The setups proposed on here to reduce bounce and jarring do not provide a luxurious ride at all. Besides, the roads in this country are quite diverse...yet in the cities located just a couple hours north of me, I would be perfectly fine driving my car stock with just lowering springs. Unfortunately as soon as I hit LA prime (which is where I spend most of my time), it's a whole different ballgame. Potholes, expansion joints, etc. so much so that you are basically constantly watching for and attempting to dodge them to MINIMIZE the number of bumps you hit on your commute.

Now on the other hand if YOU like bouncing all over the street like a pinball in a pinball machine all power to you...there are others who do that as well and I am not trying to change your mind, to each their own.

All most people really want here though is to take that jarring out when on these kind of roads. I have high aspect tires and Koni Str.T (which by the way is a SPORT shock and not a "luxo yacht shock) so trust me when I tell you that I still feel all the same bumps in the road I felt before...the difference now is just that my car rolls a lot smoother over those bumps without jarring the car. Well, except for maybe now I don't feel the grains of sand as much when cruising along the beach...



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Like you said "to each their own", but the roads around here are not that much better than the worst city streets I've been on, and even the worst of SoCal cannot come anywhere close to the bombed-out/frost-heaved/never ever maintained or repaved roads of Manhattan, and the Bronx/Brooklyn, nor North Joyzee's 'best' bombing range style roads.
(There are still some 19th century COBBLESTONE streets in lower Manhattan for heaven's sake, does the Boulevard have THAT??!)

But somehow I do not get that sense of "bounce" that everyone so vociferously whines about concerning the factory suspension.
In all fairness, when my older son rides in the car he DOES notice it, and lets me know about it all of the time, so maybe I'm too busy driving (and LOVING every microsecond of it) to notice.

Granted, the valving on the factory dampers is NOT perfect for ultimate handling, but THAT is why I will change them, NOT for any less "jounce or bounce", and as long as the turn-in/transient response, bump steer, and everything else handling-wise is improved, I for one could not give two s**ts if the car became even rougher riding, and "bouncier" yet, since to me, it already rides pretty 'soft' from the factory.

Maybe like Brian (BRGT350), I had a very stiff riding, fully set up for road course handling, solid rear axle V8 pony car (albeit a Bowtie), so now anything would seem like a luxo-yacht ride to me after that.

BTW; yes I know how good the STR.Ts are, and yes, they are THE best damper one can get for that price of entry (and maybe even above in some cases).

 

[M-Sport fan]

and this thread is a bit one sided toward the RS

Definitely NOT trying to start a war with you, but I'm just curious, as concerns the above statement, as compared to what else?

 

[BRGT350]

Hey man. I just purchased a white RS. it's a great car and I plan to keep it a long time, well, as long as I can. Hah. My Fiesta will continue to be my track car. I don't need to attain the ultimate top speed at the track, just enough speed to have fun. The Fiesta does that. The RS replaces my 2004 Audi wagon. I like AWD for winter versatility. I'll get some winters wheels with studless snow tires for that car. Might have some winter fun.

I concur with your comment regarding the two cars appealing to different sensibilities (grown up vs. hoonigan). Works for me to have both. I like the lightness of the Fiesta's steering and the immediacy of its responsiveness. I am interested to see how the bigger car feels on track at some point. I recall the STs at the STOA event feeling very stable at speed. I liked that.

In any event, it'll be fun to sneak the new grocery getter to the track once in a while no matter what -- with suitable minimum pad, brake line, fluids, extinguisher adjustments.

Here's a pic of mine from Sunday drive and stop at a nearby river park.

nice seeing another white RS! My dad has a white one coming. One reason for his being white is that it would be the color I would pick and if he ever wants out of the RS, I am in line to buy it. He also wanted AWD for the winter, but since he is only home for a few weeks in the winter, he may just rent a car. He spends winters in Florida now.

The RS and ST are really difficult to compare as they are so different. They appeal to different senses. If my wife would allow it and I had an extra garage stall, I would love to have the RS and the ST. If I didn't have my ST, I would surely have the RS. No other car interests me as much as the RS.

 

[BRGT350]

but who gets a mustang for the ecoboost? Or for track? That's like putting make up on a pig

I would really consider the EcoBoost Mustang with track pack and a manual. Before swapping in a 302 into my Mustang, I was putting together a package to make it a Cosworth DOHC turbo 2.3L. The problem was that the cost of the project was vastly more than just buying a used 302. I have driven a number of SVO Mustangs and always liked the concept of a turbo 4 in a Mustang. Getting weight off the nose is a primary reason for going with a turbo 4 and being different is the other. However, it is tough to beat the sound of a V8.

Oddly, when I was spending time with the RS, my dad was in Florida with a rental EcoBoost Mustang. He is a Mustang guy all the way and did not care for the new one. It wasn't so much the engine as it was the size and weight of the car. He thought the 2.3L was pretty good.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I would really consider the EcoBoost Mustang with track pack and a manual. Before swapping in a 302 into my Mustang, I was putting together a package to make it a Cosworth DOHC turbo 2.3L. The problem was that the cost of the project was vastly more than just buying a used 302. I have driven a number of SVO Mustangs and always liked the concept of a turbo 4 in a Mustang. Getting weight off the nose is a primary reason for going with a turbo 4 and being different is the other. However, it is tough to beat the sound of a V8.

Oddly, when I was spending time with the RS, my dad was in Florida with a rental EcoBoost Mustang. He is a Mustang guy all the way and did not care for the new one. It wasn't so much the engine as it was the size and weight of the car. He thought the 2.3L was pretty good.

WAAAYY back when the SVO fox body Stangs first came out, I always thought about how cool (and that much more powerful) they would be with a Cossie head on them instead of the factory SOHC deal.

Would anything from Cosworth even be able to bolt onto the old 2.3s?

 

[neeqness]

Like you said "to each their own", but the roads around here are not that much better than the worst city streets I've been on, and even the worst of SoCal cannot come anywhere close to the bombed-out/frost-heaved/never ever maintained or repaved roads of Manhattan, and the Bronx/Brooklyn, nor North Joyzee's 'best' bombing range style roads.
(There are still some 19th century COBBLESTONE streets in lower Manhattan for heaven's sake, does the Boulevard have THAT??!)

But somehow I do not get that sense of "bounce" that everyone so vociferously whines about concerning the factory suspension.
In all fairness, when my older son rides in the car he DOES notice it, and lets me know about it all of the time, so maybe I'm too busy driving (and LOVING every microsecond of it) to notice.

Granted, the valving on the factory dampers is NOT perfect for ultimate handling, but THAT is why I will change them, NOT for any less "jounce or bounce", and as long as the turn-in/transient response, bump steer, and everything else handling-wise is improved, I for one could not give two s**ts if the car became even rougher riding, and "bouncier" yet, since to me, it already rides pretty 'soft' from the factory.

Maybe like Brian (BRGT350), I had a very stiff riding, fully set up for road course handling, solid rear axle V8 pony car (albeit a Bowtie), so now anything would seem like a luxo-yacht ride to me after that.

BTW; yes I know how good the STR.Ts are, and yes, they are THE best damper one can get for that price of entry (and maybe even above in some cases).

That's fine of course...to each their own. All I'm saying is that the difference is really not that much. You will feel bumps in this car no matter what your suspension is. Some like it harsh and super stiff and others rather soften it up a bit for themselves or for others who ride with them. But it's not really as bad as you make it seem sometimes.

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[cinderbike]

Always glad to hear your opinion. Would love to get an RS at some point.

 

[BRGT350]

Here are the photos from the weekend's adventure with the RS
https://flic.kr/s/aHskY1SvBV

Review article from Chad Kirchner https://www.futuremotoring.com/ford-focus-rs-review/

 

[skidro87]

I'd say the fist has a harsher ride than the rs

 

[BRGT350]

I'd say the fist has a harsher ride than the rs

Yes, my Mountune sprung Fiesta ST is stiffer than the RS, except for in Track Mode. My ST with FSWerks exhaust is also louder than the RS, but lacks the pops. I do like the pops.

Chad drove my Fiesta ST and agreed it is stiffer and louder than the RS. On the inside, the RS is very quiet compared to my ST. On the outside in Sport mode, the RS and ST are similar. In normal mode, the RS is much quieter on the outside than the ST. Normal mode actually sucks to be honest. Sport and above is much better.

 

[BRGT350]

I'd say the fist has a harsher ride than the rs

Yes, my Mountune sprung Fiesta ST is stiffer than the RS, except for in Track Mode. My ST with FSWerks exhaust is also louder than the RS, but lacks the pops. I do like the pops.

Chad drove my Fiesta ST and agreed it is stiffer and louder than the RS. On the inside, the RS is very quiet compared to my ST. On the outside in Sport mode, the RS and ST are similar. In normal mode, the RS is much quieter on the outside than the ST. Normal mode actually sucks to be honest. Sport and above is much better.