Switchback's Fiesta Fun Car Build

[M-Sport fan]

Many on here seem to believe that it is the rear factory damper's valving which is the main culprit for the 'bounciness', 'porposing', or any other ride quality maladies they perceive this platform as having in stock form.

I personally do not mind the factory valving all that much.

I would want to change to the Bilsteins simply for their much better build quality/longevity than the stockers, and their ability to better deal with the higher spring rate of the Swift Spec R springs I would pair them with if/when I ever change out the factory suspension.

 

[Switchback]

Many on here seem to believe that it is the rear factory damper's valving which is the main culprit for the 'bounciness', 'porposing', or any other ride quality maladies they perceive this platform as having in stock form.

I personally do not mind the factory valving all that much.

I would want to change to the Bilsteins simply for their much better build quality/longevity than the stockers, and their ability to better deal with the higher spring rate of the Swift Spec R springs I would pair them with if/when I ever change out the factory suspension.

I've never noticed any issues with either my 2016 or now my 2015 with suspension weirdness, but then again I'm not a professional driver and don't notice the difference. But hey, Bilsteins are nice and haven't had any noticeable problems so that's good right!

In other news, I was able to snag an Open Box new Whoosh Motorsports v3 intercooler for $300, so I went ahead and slapped that in the car. Loaded up the latest Cobb stage 2 tune (My accessport hasn't been updated since 2018 so I updated firmware and the tune), loving the temperature reduction with the new IC. I think I have a boost leak though as I'm topping out at 18lb of boost (not 21 like what's expected) so I need to go around and tighten all the bolts I can. Also, the stupid hose clamp holding the Symposer in snapped the tab off, so I think I'm going to pull out the whole intake pipe and give it a piece of my mind before putting in the plug.

Lastly, I unfortunately received some news that the contract I'm on was not renewed so I'm staring down the barrel of unemployment in the coming months. (They've got funding for me for 3 more months) So I likely won't be spending anymore on the Fiesta which is unfortunate, but housing costs must come first. I really really don't want to get to the point where I have to sell my Fiesta off, I just bought it

 

[M-Sport fan]

Yes, affordable (low to medium income/fixed income seniors) housing is NON-EXISTENT here in Joyzee (25K people vying for ONE available less than $3k/month apartment, lotteries just to get onto a 1000 person waiting list, etc. ).

I can only imagine how horrid the 'market' is in that very desirable part of Cali!

 

[rallytaff]

Yes, affordable (low to medium income/fixed income seniors) housing is NON-EXISTENT here in Joyzee (25K people vying for ONE available less than $3k/month apartment, lotteries just to get onto a 1000 person waiting list, etc. ).

I can only imagine how horrid the 'market' is in that very desirable part of Cali!

San Diego is known for its high costs. You also get the stench from the flow of sewage from the Tijuana River flowing north and its free!

 

[Switchback]

Yes, affordable (low to medium income/fixed income seniors) housing is NON-EXISTENT here in Joyzee (25K people vying for ONE available less than $3k/month apartment, lotteries just to get onto a 1000 person waiting list, etc. ).

I can only imagine how horrid the 'market' is in that very desirable part of Cali!

Well I do own my home (Okay well the bank owns it), but yes housing is SoCal is...spendy.

San Diego is known for its high costs. You also get the stench from the flow of sewage from the Tijuana River flowing north and its free!

I mean you don't really get that past Imperial Beach. At least I've never noticed it... (I also don't really go to the beach because sand)

 

[Switchback]

So I found my boost leak. The hose that goes to the symposer had a crack in it. After cursing the gods, three beers and enough swearing to fill a gallon jar I got the symposer out. I cut down the symposer tube and put in the plug using the leftover good tubing. Unfortunately during this process I managed to pull the upper coolant reservoir hose out. Shoved it back it and clamped it down however that didn't fix because it leaks when running the engine. So now the Fiesta is parked waiting on a replacement tube. (Ordered from Whoosh, cheaper than Ford parts which was nice) and a jug of coolant. Going to call my mechanic who did the Timing belt to see what coolant he uses (It was standard Green not the Motorcraft stuff) so I can get some more.

 

[Switchback]

After much swearing and rage I replaced the whole assembly. Should be good for now.

In more fun and exciting news, I found some old-date-code (2022) Bridgestone Potenza RE71-RS tires in my size (205/45R16) for half their normal going rate! ($120 instead of the $260 they usually retail for) So now I have some extra-grippy tires for half what their usual price is, now I just have to wait for a reasonable San Diego day to go find some backroads.

 

[EscortSportage]

So I found my boost leak. The hose that goes to the symposer had a crack in it. After cursing the gods, three beers and enough swearing to fill a gallon jar I got the symposer out. I cut down the symposer tube and put in the plug using the leftover good tubing. Unfortunately during this process I managed to pull the upper coolant reservoir hose out. Shoved it back it and clamped it down however that didn't fix because it leaks when running the engine. So now the Fiesta is parked waiting on a replacement tube. (Ordered from Whoosh, cheaper than Ford parts which was nice) and a jug of coolant. Going to call my mechanic who did the Timing belt to see what coolant he uses (It was standard Green not the Motorcraft stuff) so I can get some more.

Whoosh cold side pipe eliminates the symposer which i hear is known to crack and leak boost.

The Whoosh hot side pipe eliminates one rubber coupler and eliminates the stock baffle, I just swapped the hot and cold side, totally worth it.

 

[EscortSportage]

After much swearing and rage I replaced the whole assembly. Should be good for now.

In more fun and exciting news, I found some old-date-code (2022) Bridgestone Potenza RE71-RS tires in my size (205/45R16) for half their normal going rate! ($120 instead of the $260 they usually retail for) So now I have some extra-grippy tires for half what their usual price is, now I just have to wait for a reasonable San Diego day to go find some backroads.

When these tires are worn, try the nangkang CRS its a monster 200tw tire extremely quick.

 

[Switchback]

Whoosh cold side pipe eliminates the symposer which i hear is known to crack and leak boost.

The Whoosh hot side pipe eliminates one rubber coupler and eliminates the stock baffle, I just swapped the hot and cold side, totally worth it.

I just put in the Whoosh symposer delete to at least temporarily fix that problem, eventually I'll do all the tubing. Probably also coolant lines when I have more disposable income. As for tires I don't particularly /need/ 200TW tires but if they are relatively inexpensive maybe it will be worth trying out. With the Enkei wheels I'm more or less stuck with 205/45R16 or 205/50R16s.

 

[EscortSportage]

I just put in the Whoosh symposer delete to at least temporarily fix that problem, eventually I'll do all the tubing. Probably also coolant lines when I have more disposable income. As for tires I don't particularly /need/ 200TW tires but if they are relatively inexpensive maybe it will be worth trying out. With the Enkei wheels I'm more or less stuck with 205/45R16 or 205/50R16s.

Im waiting for a set of 16inch rpf1 to come in.

 

[M-Sport fan]

I just put in the Whoosh symposer delete to at least temporarily fix that problem, eventually I'll do all the tubing. Probably also coolant lines when I have more disposable income. As for tires I don't particularly /need/ 200TW tires but if they are relatively inexpensive maybe it will be worth trying out. With the Enkei wheels I'm more or less stuck with 205/45R16 or 205/50R16s.

No, both the Nankang CRSes, and the Yokohama A052s they are copies of, are up in that ~$240.00 to $285.00 range of the new, fresh build date RE71-RSes.

YES, you got a 'banging deal' on those Potenzas, even with them being an older build date.

 

[EscortSportage]

No, both the Nankang CRSes, and the Yokohama A052s they are copies of, are up in that ~$240.00 to $285.00 range of the new, fresh build date RE71-RSes.

YES, you got a 'banging deal' on those Potenzas, even with them being an older build date.

I ran Ao52 on my fox before such a fast tire, expensive japanese, The CRS is prob a copy/their own version of the Ao52 (chinese) and much cheaper.

Theres a serious 200tw tire war going on right now.

 

[Stubborn Approach]

It’s not much of a war on the FiST which is camber & caster limited. The sidewall on the RE71RS is stronger and doesnt require as much negative camber as any other tire on market, -2.8 seems to do it for most tracks where Falken 660s need -3+, which isn’t possible for most setups. The weight over the front of the FiST folds 45 & 50 series sidewalls over pretty easily at the limit imo. I ordered a set of these 2022 tires as backups, but already have 215/45 mounted up & a set of 225/45 ao52s to compare after that on x9” wheels. CRSv2 is another 2lbs heavier while having a smaller footprint in that size.

 

[EscortSportage]

It’s not much of a war on the FiST which is camber & caster limited. The sidewall on the RE71RS is stronger and doesnt require as much negative camber as any other tire on market, -2.8 seems to do it for most tracks where Falken 660s need -3+, which isn’t possible for most setups. The weight over the front of the FiST folds 45 & 50 series sidewalls over pretty easily at the limit imo. I ordered a set of these 2022 tires as backups, but already have 215/45 mounted up & a set of 225/45 ao52s to compare after that on x9” wheels. CRSv2 is another 2lbs heavier while having a smaller footprint in that size.

I have some 16x8 RPF1 wheels coming in, should i stay 205 or go to a 215 tire?

I used the RT660 on a Festiva I had, another awesome cheap tire. I have some camber bolts hoping I can get -2 degrees of camber up front. Once I go coilovers Ill gain more camber and caster but keeping it cheap and fun at the moment.

 

[Stubborn Approach]

I have some 16x8 RPF1 wheels coming in, should i stay 205 or go to a 215 tire?

I used the RT660 on a Festiva I had, another awesome cheap tire. I have some camber bolts hoping I can get -2 degrees of camber up front. Once I go coilovers Ill gain more camber and caster but keeping it cheap and fun at the moment.

205mm is 8” & the contact patch is determined by the wheel width, not the section width of the tire. I couldnt get 660 or 660+ to last an entire day, they separate quickly. I recommend avoiding them if you plan to drive the car hard at all. RE71RS are the only super200s I’ve seen that can hold up for an entire weekend.

None of the coilovers I’ve seen will have plates that will allow for caster changes and will still require a camber bolt to achieve -3 camber. Get a pyrometer and you will see -2 isn’t even adequate for daily duties.

 

[EscortSportage]

205mm is 8” & the contact patch is determined by the wheel width, not the section width of the tire. I couldnt get 660 or 660+ to last an entire day, they separate quickly. I recommend avoiding them if you plan to drive the car hard at all. RE71RS are the only super200s I’ve seen that can hold up for an entire weekend.

None of the coilovers I’ve seen will have plates that will allow for caster changes and will still require a camber bolt to achieve -3 camber. Get a pyrometer and you will see -2 isn’t even adequate for daily duties.

Ah I figured these new cars with new coilovers the top hat of the coilover has the caster and camber adjustment built in...