Considering a FiST...help!

[Mashy]

Hello everyone, hoping you can help me with a decision.

I have an S550 Mustang GT which I’m considering supercharging. But I have driven a FiST a few times and can’t believe how much fun it is. My car now (it’s not stock) is about 2.5 seconds faster 0-60 but a stock FiST has that turbo lunge and just feels fantastic, even more so maybe than my car with its linear power curve; I even like wrestling with the steering wheel when the boost hits, makes it more exciting somehow. It also of course has nimble handling but honestly that’s not as big a priority to me as acceleration feel.

With a supercharger my mustang will trap probably 30 mph faster than a stock FiST (literally), and undoubtedly feel awesome but only for a few seconds on an on-ramp before getting to felony speeds. Whereas, the FiST can be hammered around town. Plus, the $ difference is very substantial if I sold for a new 19 FiST and didn’t buy/install a supercharger. And there’d be leftover for modding.

The downside of the FiST for me is mostly the cheap interior and lack of “presence” compared to a v8 mustang. But I’m okay with that. My friends think I’m bonkers...I assume you disagree?

What do you think? Also, if you have experience, do the Mountune 215 or 230 tunes (or Cobb equivalent) with FMIC, etc, upgrades but stock turbo really make that “lunge” even better?

19s are fading and I may need to make a decision soon. Thanks for your input.

 

[Capri to ST]

I also came to this car from a much faster car, an E90 M3. I felt the same way about its power, you could only use it for a few seconds before you got to a speed which would turn your license in. I like this car more in almost every way, it's much more usable and fun for driving in the real world. It's very well made and feels solid to me, its outstanding attribute is the quick turn in and the great handling. It also has really nice steering and a great gearbox and shifter.
The interior was certainly nicer in the BMW, I would recommend getting the Recaro seats to make this car's interior a little nicer and more purposeful looking. They also of course hold you in while you're whipping the car around.
Concerning the power that a tune adds, I have done the Mountune MP215 as my signature says, and it's a nice extra bump of power, but it's relatively subtle, not dramatic or huge.
You can always get another Mustang, but as you said this car is going to be disappearing soon, and it's really a fantastic car. Some of my car friends thought I was crazy too when I sold the faster car for it, but you have to get what you want, not what someone else thinks you should have.
Look at all the fantastic reviews it gets from professional car people, that's helpful in making a decision. This is one of my favorites, from a respected car magazine, and a rally racer-

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kM1nkR8pkX4&list=FLur65YQuzud3gXqwZTZTrxQ&index=17&t=27s

 

[Mashy]

Great to hear. When I started thinking this way I thought there was either (a) something wrong with me, and/or, and importantly, (b) that I’d really regret it later on. It’s great to hear a former E90 M3 owner chime in and not seem regretful.

 

[Capri to ST]

I have no regrets at all, if you offered me an even trade back for the M3, I wouldn't take it. I just edited my post to add a video you might enjoy, and as I said it will help you in your decision to get the car to read all the great reviews about it. When I first heard about the FiST I didn't really take it seriously, the reviews from traditional car magazines I respected helped me see how good it was.

 

[Flaco]

Buy now before the 2019's are gone. I've had 2 FiST's and no regrets either !

 

[slopoke]

I'm going to be going the other way. Selling the Fiesta with big turbo and aux fuel for a 5.0 Mustang and putting either a Whipple or Edelbrock supercharger on it. Yes the Mustang is a lot bigger and heavier, but with the supercharger the Fiesta can't come close.

 

[Mashy]

I'm going to be going the other way. Selling the Fiesta with big turbo and aux fuel for a 5.0 Mustang and putting either a Whipple or Edelbrock supercharger on it. Yes the Mustang is a lot bigger and heavier, but with the supercharger the Fiesta can't come close.

I’m also glad to hear this. I’m thinking Whipple, and it’s insanely fast, and I can understand the appeal of essentially supercar power in a “normal” car.

The size of the FiST I suspect makes it seem fast. My car now will trap about 115 and 0-60 in about 4.1s, which is why I’m so shocked how strong/fun the stock FiST feels. It’s “feel” not actual speed...when I look down at the speedo I’m going way slower than a pull in my NA S550. But it was fun.

Question for you: Another appeal of the FiST is the path to higher power in the future. Have you taken the big turbo to the strip? If so what’s your trap speed? Is the low end “lunge” gone? Is there still a surge?

Thanks.

 

[slopoke]

I’m also glad to hear this. I’m thinking Whipple, and it’s insanely fast, and I can understand the appeal of essentially supercar power in a “normal” car.

The size of the FiST I suspect makes it seem fast. My car now will trap about 115 and 0-60 in about 4.1s, which is why I’m so shocked how strong/fun the stock FiST feels. It’s “feel” not actual speed...when I look down at the speedo I’m going way slower than a pull in my NA S550. But it was fun.

Question for you: Another appeal of the FiST is the path to higher power in the future. Have you taken the big turbo to the strip? If so what’s your trap speed? Is the low end “lunge” gone? Is there still a surge?

Thanks.

I didn't get the Fiesta for drag racing and the Mustang is not for that purpose either. I first got the Fiesta for a fun commuter car and having owned the car a few months I did a few upgrades, before even owning it a year I went hog wild with hybrid and now a big turbo. I've realized that no matter how much money I throw into it, I can never match the Mustang with supercharger in terms of power to weight and still be very reliable. Plus If it ever got there, there are differences like traction issues, etc.

Also in terms of California emissions, I've got 6 more years for smog, but I don't want to remove and reinstall the turbo, aux fuel every two years after the initial test to pass the visual portion of the test. I also don't want to get unlucky and get a tester that is familiar with the Fiesta and he or she spots the non compliant upgrades. Where the Whipple or Edelbrock has a CARB EO and no worries at smog time. Yes you can limit the turbo upgrades to a hybrid to look stock, but you still would have to remove the aux fuel and downpipe.

Where in CA are you?

 

[Mashy]

I didn't get the Fiesta for drag racing and the Mustang is not for that purpose either. I first got the Fiesta for a fun commuter car and having owned the car a few months I did a few upgrades, before even owning it a year I went hog wild with hybrid and now a big turbo. I've realized that no matter how much money I throw into it, I can never match the Mustang with supercharger in terms of power to weight and still be very reliable. Plus If it ever got there, there are differences like traction issues, etc.

Also in terms of California emissions, I've got 6 more years for smog, but I don't want to remove and reinstall the turbo, aux fuel every two years after the initial test to pass the visual portion of the test. I also don't want to get unlucky and get a tester that is familiar with the Fiesta and he or she spots the non compliant upgrades. Where the Whipple or Edelbrock has a CARB EO and no worries at smog time. Yes you can limit the turbo upgrades to a hybrid to look stock, but you still would have to remove the aux fuel and downpipe.

Where in CA are you?

That’s what I like about the Whipple S1 as well....CARB compliance. But everyone in the Mustang FI forums say you’ll ditch the canned tune quickly, though of course going back to canned is easy. I don’t think I want to drag race either, I use people’s trap speed to get an idea of power to weight ratio (less a function of traction), unless they have an unusual transmission. I would guess a FiST that traps 100 would feel pretty awesome.

But would you say the low rpm lunge is gone with the big turbo, swapped for better high rpm power? What about when you had the hybrid?

I’m in the LA area

 

[D1JL]

Dave

 

[LastMK7]

As much as I love mustangs, everyone and their grandmother drives them these days. Cars and Coffee meets are almost boring at the sight of mustangs and challengers. People stop to look at my FiST because its different and it just blew past them in traffic.

Its good to be different.

 

[Mashy]

I have no regrets at all, if you offered me an even trade back for the M3, I wouldn't take it. I just edited my post to add a video you might enjoy, and as I said it will help you in your decision to get the car to read all the great reviews about it. When I first heard about the FiST I didn't really take it seriously, the reviews from traditional car magazines I respected helped me see how good it was.

I know you like your FiST, but do you miss the top end power of the M3?

 

[Mashy]

Anyone else step out of a faster performance car for a FiST? If you’re in this forum you’re probably happy with it but I’d be happy to hear anyway.

 

[Capri to ST]

I know you like your FiST, but do you miss the top end power of the M3?

I would have missed it if I could have used it without getting arrested, but no in the real world. A 414 horsepower 4 liter V8 with an 8400 RPM redline is a beautiful thing. However, if you wind it out in third, you're going 110. I did that on a fairly regular basis for a while, and I loved it. I would go way out in the country where there are very few cops, but you can still be unlucky and run into one.
I never felt unsafe going that fast, I just didn't want to take a really bad ticket. I'm a mostly retired lawyer who handled a lot of traffic tickets, and if you get above a hundred around here there's no plea bargaining, you're going to lose your license. This is true even if you know everybody in the court system like I did. I had a good relationship with the DA's in traffic court, but they're not authorized to let a really high ticket like that go.
That's a long answer for a short question, but that was part of my thought process in letting the M3 go, its main attribute was this incredible engine that I couldn't really use. The main attribute of the FiST, its quick and agile handling, is something that I can use everyday, even while just running otherwise boring errands. And it's still fast enough to be entertaining.

 

[Mashy]

I would have missed it if I could have used it without getting arrested, but no in the real world. A 414 horsepower 4 liter V8 with an 8400 RPM redline is a beautiful thing. However, if you wind it out in third, you're going 110. I did that on a fairly regular basis for a while, and I loved it. I would go way out in the country where there are very few cops, but you can still be unlucky and run into one.
I never felt unsafe going that fast, I just didn't want to take a really bad ticket. I'm a mostly retired lawyer who handled a lot of traffic tickets, and if you get above a hundred around here there's no plea bargaining, you're going to lose your license. This is true even if you know everybody in the court system like I did. I had a good relationship with the DA's in traffic court, but they're not authorized to let a really high ticket like that go.
That's a long answer for a short question, but that was part of my thought process in letting the M3 go, its main attribute was this incredible engine that I couldn't really use. The main attribute of the FiST, its quick and agile handling, is something that I can use everyday, even while just running otherwise boring errands. And it's still fast enough to be entertaining.

I know exactly what you mean. My fun with the Mustang is a rolling jump to 80 or 90 in 2nd and 3rd on a long on-ramp. It’s a few seconds of thrills but that’s it. I live in a congested area.

If I did this, I’m hoping modding to the Mountune MR215 then MR230 or 280 or other vendor equivalent will keep that torquey feeling, just more so. Something to look fwd to. I suspect going big turbo will juice the top end at the expense of the bottom, then I’d have my mustang back only (much) slower...not good. But maybe the car’s small size and lightness makes even that more fun. Anyway thanks for responding.

Nobody seems to have Recaros on 19s by the way...

 

[LuvPug]

I had a '01 Porsche Boxster S before the FiST, it was a super fun little roadster but the upkeep costs, insurance, and impracticality finally proved too much. Coming from a car that is expensive to own I liked the low cost of entry for the Ford, and after test driving it I was sold! It's dynamically different from the Boxster but I feel is every bit as fun, especially because I don't worry about spinning it backwards on public roads (which happened once during spirited driving) and obviously more useable and versatile. I guess the takeaway is the FiST is super fun but feels cheap and has no 'clout'. I'm stage 2 and have an E30 tune from Dizzy, if you like the "lunge" buddy it's hard to beat ∼300 ft.lbs. of turbo kick in a 2700lb car!

 

[Dpro]

I came from and still own a E36 M3 and I do love the 6 cylinder TQ and the RWD but..... even though its famous for making holes where there were none the FiST one ups it in that department. Plus the FiST is much nimbler. I can toss both cars but in the FiST the toss is light in the M3 the toss feels heavy.
The M3 will be up for sale shortly like others have said great cars fun to drive but there are like a high maintenance girl friend you are always spending to take care of . Ya if you are a mechanic by trade or a BMW mechanic you will save some but they will still cost.
M stands for money as in money spent. Lol
I am happy I bought my FiST I will own other cars but I love driving the thing everyday.

 

[Dcs_grey_shoe09]

I traded in my 2010 taurus sho for a 16 fist with 62k miles. The sho might have been faster (it was tuned) but I feel like I'm having way more fun in this car and I dropped 1700lbs in weight as well. I have been in way faster cars so I'm not unfamiliar with a fast car. I feel the fist is just a way more fun car overall. Hitting some twisties with my son in the back he just smiles the whole time. I don't regret the trade in at all I'm very happy even though I lost so much doing.

 

[Mashy]

Thanks, everyone. My gut reaction against an economy subcompact with <200 hp as a real alternative to a fire breathing (and less fun in some ways) Mustang is fading...if I went this way I wouldn’t be alone....

 

[Intuit]

............... I have an S550 Mustang GT which I’m considering supercharging. But I have driven a FiST a few times .............. It also of course has nimble handling but honestly that’s not as big a priority to me ......................

You seem to like straight line. Fist is not straight line. I believe you'll get bored with it, and I'm not sure that you'll be able to get the oomph you're seeking in comparison to modding an already powerful Mustang. Consider turbo-ing that Mustang, instead of supercharging it.