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Cobb AccessPort V3 Review on STOCK Fiesta ST

BlueBomber

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#1
NOTE: YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LEAVE THE ACCESSPORT CONNECTED AFTER INSTALLING THE MAP!!










So I know a lot of you are on the fence regarding what tuner to get... I received my Cobb AP V3 this last Thursday, installed it and had it mounted in 10 minutes, literally. I did it on a 10m break. It literally could not be easier to install, and the cable routing is a snap - I ran it through that crack in the lower dash over to where I mounted the unit, next to the start button. This looks tidy and doesn't obstruct my view, and I can clearly use my boost gauge.

The 91 Octane Stage I Map is what I am currently running, and holy hell, the car wakes up. On paper, the gains don't look that significant, until you drive with it and realize those gains are across the entire powerband. I haven't needed to downshift as much and the car has significantly more low-RPM torque - 2nd gear starts are now possible - and easy. I don't need to downshift after losing revs.

I also tried the Economy map. I ran the 91 Stage I map back to back with the Economy Map - the Economy Map limits you to 5psi of boost, which really takes a lot of steam out of the car, BUT the tradeoff is that it DOES legit improve fuel economy. Normal range for me on a freeway run is 30 even, today's run in light traffic both ways was 28 for the Stage I and 32 for the Economy tune. I don't really feel lacking for power on the freeway with the economy tune, it's just low-speed stuff like passing on the street where you discover where that other 15psi of boost gets you out of the hole. It's a great option for those who really like fuel economy or want to make a road-trip. The 91 Octane map is daily driveable but you do need to be more ginger with the throttle as the car is now MUCH more responsive and has much more noticeable power.

A friend of mine has Randy from FSWerks' maps on the car and notes that the FSWerks maps, while they do make more power, are harder to drive with - any throttle = you are making boost and mileage goes down - the Cobb tune seems to be a nice middle of the road place to be for those who want more speed but don't want to feel like they're driving a goddamn racecar to work (those who have driven a racecar know just how different than streetcars they are - they are not comfortable and DEMAND your full attention at all times)

Install/Removal takes moments and there's nothing the dealer would see - take 5 mins and reflash to stock before your every-7500-mile dealer visit. Do you know how infrequent 7500 mi is? That's every 6.5 months or so of average driving.

For $500, it's a hell of a lot of bang for the buck and makes way more difference than an exhaust or "intake" will net you. Hit up Jurrian (ModBargains on this Forum) and he can probably work you a deal - and they pricematch.

Dollar for dollar, it is the best money you'll spend on your Fiesta ST. Don't waste your money on anything else until you've got one of these badboys - and the thing to keep in mind is that it's easy to change maps to adjust as you mod the car more.

Coupled with a performance airbox and an intercooler, it might be REALLY formidable.

Something to note, you may want to hold out for the Cobb IC - I recently installed the Cobb FMIC on a Focus ST and the one thing the Cobb kits include that Mountune doesnt is intercooler piping. You wouldn't think there's that much to lose from IC piping, but the OEM Ford bastards were all kinds of wonky with weird oval bottlenecks and had some sort of weird resonator donut. MounTune's IC doesn't include piping - they just sell that separately.

I don't know what you're holding out for - this is the best mod on the market.
 


rooSTer

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Excellent review, just waiting for my tax refund check to come in haha.
 


rodmoe

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Good review ..
When did FSWERKS release there maps ?? I'm still
Waiting for mine ..
 


Harvick

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Very well written. Doesn't Cobb offer a more aggressive mapping like FSWerk or is it just economy and regular maps?
 


MKVIIST

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Great Cobb review, thanks for sharing.[rockon]
 


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Good review. Mine just showed up today. We are a Subaru shop and Cobb dealer so we've been stocking, selling and installing Cobb AP's for many years. I just hit 500 miles so I plan on putting on some more miles, then do some baseline dyno runs and then with Cobb Stg1 for comparison on our crappy CA 91 fuel.
 


OP
BlueBomber

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Thread Starter #8
There's several to choose from, all of which are listed on the site. I'm not touching stage II until I've got more supporting modifications (eg intercooler, a REAL intake of some kind, downpipe etc)...

I noticed that exhausts are kind of optional and not as critical as a downpipe or FMIC, so my plan was to run a downpipe and FMIC with OEM exhaust.

Cobb has a bunch of cool stuff planned for our cars...

FWIW a friend's told me that Cobb's springs are rebranded Eibachs and the Sway Bars will probably be Hotchkis. Internal sources at Hotchkis have confirmed they're doing suspension for Fiesta ST... so if you're a cobb dealer why limit yourself to just a tune? ;)
 


stuntdoogie

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Great review and I agree with everything you said. This AP with 91 tune definitely woke up my car. But why does 91 feel more responsive than the 93 map? boggles my mind.
 


pelotonracer2

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Great review and I agree with everything you said. This AP with 91 tune definitely woke up my car. But why does 91 feel more responsive than the 93 map? boggles my mind.
[wave] Oh oh, I think I know why... when you reset maps, it automatically resets ecu learning, so you are starting from scratch. I left the 93 map on for awhile and it seems to have better drivability than the 91 map. It also seems to get better fuel mileage than the 91 map. As for performance, I don't notice much between either map.
 


stuntdoogie

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I left 93 for a week. Felt ok but went back to 91 and instantly feels more agressive especially 3rd, 4th and 5th. Those gears pull harder on 91 than 93 map.
 


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Great review, I was kind of on the fence about spending $500 for a gadget like this but now, I am convinced.

This is my next mod... I just need some cash now :p
 


Colin1337

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Great review, I was kind of on the fence about spending $500 for a gadget like this but now, I am convinced.

This is my next mod... I just need some cash now :p
It really is the best bang for the buck at the moment. The raised rev limiter is almost worth the price on its own lol
 


OP
BlueBomber

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Thread Starter #19
Cool guys, thanks for the support. I write most of the articles on the Blog and try to focus on good technical and informational content at work. I also especially like doing Customer Car features, so if anyone grabs something here, hello photo coverage ;)
 


Kip2MyLou

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Quick question; people are saying the 91 pulls harder than the 93 but I don't have 91 around me, just 87, 89, and 93. So is 91 that much better? I don't want to get this and run the 93 map and not get the best results, you know
 


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