Let me just start off by saying that like all of you, I love my Fiesta. As awesome as this car is, and on a sadder note compared to many of you here, this is the fastest car I've ever owned. It's also my first brand new car purchase of my life. I'm a 27 year old who grew up scrapping his pennies working minimum wage jobs to put wheels and tires, suspension, and even stereo systems on my Miatas, Civics, and other hot hatches I've owned in the past. I was too broke at that time to afford modifications that gave cars (real) power. But after 6+ months of ownership and going through the motions of modification and countless hours of labor time and research, I want to share my experience and hopefully help others along the path of modification happiness. I'll share my experience with the modding bug, I almost got sucked in because of boost...
What I've learned in my short time of owning this car, is that this car has a funny aftermarket. What do I mean by that? I've found a lot of companies are making parts that are pretty, but have very little usefulness or substance. There are many parts that have no true benefit, no gain, or lack of proof of such benefits that the company claims their parts provide. I admit, I fell into the hype on some parts, like my Mishimoto intake. But hey, hard to resist at over 30% off with a discount code from them. I gained "maybe" 5 hp/tq, but I feel the tune made that possible. I am a ricer, because I enjoy the sound it provides. It is only somewhat louder than stock and doesn't hiss like most open cone filter intake systems for this car. Same with my FSWerks catback, no real world gains but (supposedly) improves turbo flow and gives a great noise that's slightly louder than stock. But even still, I digress that a lot of people are (sometimes intentionally) wasting money that isn't necessary...
Perfect example, and not meaning to rip anyone, but Cobb is milking many unaware FiST owners dry. Stage 3 costs over $3000 (MSRP) for very marginal gains of (roughly) 25-30 hp and 50 tq. This is the sorriest gains for the money I have EVER seen in any car community, especially a turbocharged car.
With that being said, with how great this engine is, short of a new turbo, you won't get any substantial gains unless you spend an ungodly amount of money (for how much this car costs). I don't know about you, but it seems to me that this car is meant for people like me, that want a fun, somewhat quick car at an entry level price. This car isn't meant to be a powerhouse platform like the WRX, Golf, etc.
When I dyno'd my car recently, I hit almost 300 ft/lbs of torque (285) and for the life of me, I don't understand how people launch these cars and try to drag race with the FiST. I can hardly get traction while moving in 2nd gear, why waste the tires and thousands of dollars to shave tenths or hundredths of a second to get the best time possible at the drag strip? This car is meant for budget oriented people who want to have fun at a decent price point. Drive it through canyon roads, take it to the local autocross so you can take advantage of the situations that the car was meant for. Don't try to make this car something that it isn't.
Anyway, thanks for reading my rant and my BS. I mostly want this post to help others in deciding what they should do or spend (or not) their hard earned money on.
What I recommend (if I had to do it all over again):
- Accessport with tune of your choice ($500 or less)
- MTC FMIC ($325 shipped)
- Drop-in air filter (<$50)
- Lightweight wheels and tires
- Better brakes (if you compete)
- E30 tune (if fuel option is available)
What I've learned in my short time of owning this car, is that this car has a funny aftermarket. What do I mean by that? I've found a lot of companies are making parts that are pretty, but have very little usefulness or substance. There are many parts that have no true benefit, no gain, or lack of proof of such benefits that the company claims their parts provide. I admit, I fell into the hype on some parts, like my Mishimoto intake. But hey, hard to resist at over 30% off with a discount code from them. I gained "maybe" 5 hp/tq, but I feel the tune made that possible. I am a ricer, because I enjoy the sound it provides. It is only somewhat louder than stock and doesn't hiss like most open cone filter intake systems for this car. Same with my FSWerks catback, no real world gains but (supposedly) improves turbo flow and gives a great noise that's slightly louder than stock. But even still, I digress that a lot of people are (sometimes intentionally) wasting money that isn't necessary...
Perfect example, and not meaning to rip anyone, but Cobb is milking many unaware FiST owners dry. Stage 3 costs over $3000 (MSRP) for very marginal gains of (roughly) 25-30 hp and 50 tq. This is the sorriest gains for the money I have EVER seen in any car community, especially a turbocharged car.
With that being said, with how great this engine is, short of a new turbo, you won't get any substantial gains unless you spend an ungodly amount of money (for how much this car costs). I don't know about you, but it seems to me that this car is meant for people like me, that want a fun, somewhat quick car at an entry level price. This car isn't meant to be a powerhouse platform like the WRX, Golf, etc.
When I dyno'd my car recently, I hit almost 300 ft/lbs of torque (285) and for the life of me, I don't understand how people launch these cars and try to drag race with the FiST. I can hardly get traction while moving in 2nd gear, why waste the tires and thousands of dollars to shave tenths or hundredths of a second to get the best time possible at the drag strip? This car is meant for budget oriented people who want to have fun at a decent price point. Drive it through canyon roads, take it to the local autocross so you can take advantage of the situations that the car was meant for. Don't try to make this car something that it isn't.
Anyway, thanks for reading my rant and my BS. I mostly want this post to help others in deciding what they should do or spend (or not) their hard earned money on.
What I recommend (if I had to do it all over again):
- Accessport with tune of your choice ($500 or less)
- MTC FMIC ($325 shipped)
- Drop-in air filter (<$50)
- Lightweight wheels and tires
- Better brakes (if you compete)
- E30 tune (if fuel option is available)
