Feisty the "Family Car"

[Dialcaliper]

For tires which have a fairly narrow tread width (7.5"), and only ~ 0.3" taller diameter than OEM 205/40-17s, those look A LOT wider than they should, even on an 8" wide wheel.
But then every wheel/tire setup looks wider to me off of the car than on it.

In any case, there should be NO rubbing whatsoever going on with that setup, especially with your even higher than factory (static) ride height, and higher rate springs on top of that!

So, speaking of rubbing, something weird happened. May or may not be related to the tire wear. (Thinking no because that’s showing on all four)

So my wife and daughter wanted to run up to the local state park and see the snow that fell yesterday morning. Since Rivals no like cold, I quickly tossed on the (taller than stock) snow tires.

My wife reported a strange rubbing noise when braking, especially on the passenger side front tire. Took a closer look after they got back, and lo and behold, the sill cap holding the mudflap got pushed forward…by accumulation of mud, rocks and dirt that somehow managed to get above the wheel liner and wedged down into the sill.

Popped off the mud flaps and got a vacuum, screwdriver and gloves in there, and holy crap a lot of damp junk came out, especially on the passenger side. Drivers side was similar, maybe not as bad but still needing attention.

There was so much in there that I weighed it. My car is now back to being a legit half-pound lighter! You can see just how much came out in the bucket vac picture.

Also no more rubbing and everything sits back nicely against the rear tire well.

It seems like this is not just a mudflap issue, and the amount of moist stuff in the metal upper sill seems like a serious rust trap, so it’s definitely worth taking a look in there!

You can see before (pic with finger) and after (no finger) pics

 

[M-Sport fan]

That's why even if I get the Motorsport Spec Rally Armor flaps to put some flaps back onto this car, I will find a different way to mount them than the standard RA hardware kit.

I wish that @BRGT350 was still around, so I could get a better idea of just how he mounted his Sparco, and SMS mud flaps.

(He did NOT use the 'standard issue', real gravel stage rally car style, alloy angle irons on the outside of the body, drilled into the sheet metal, begging for a rust-out, method.)

 

[Dialcaliper]

That's why even if I get the Motorsport Spec Rally Armor flaps to put some flaps back onto this car, I will find a different way to mount them than the standard RA hardware kit.

I wish that @BRGT350 was still around, so I could get a better idea of just how he mounted his Sparco, and SMS mud flaps.

(He did NOT use the 'standard issue', real gravel stage rally car style, alloy angle irons on the outside of the body, drilled into the sheet metal, begging for a rust-out, method.)

Interesting.

But like I said, it appears the cause of the debris actually had little to do with the mudflaps - it looks like it was all entering up by the strut/spring and falling down inside the fender liner. Based on the way the sill cap sits outside the liner, and the way the liner pinches in, I suspect you’ll have some debris in there even without having modified it for flaps

 

[daloonie]

I have experienced this issue as well(buildup of muck and dirt in the sill behind the front wheels), and I have no mud flaps. It seems to be specific to the ST side skirts as I have not seen it happen on my 1.0 ecoboost non ST-Line nor my sisters 1.5 TDCI non ST-line either.

 

[HAHAFiST]

This is

So I thought I’d finally get around to making a build post for my 2016 Fiesta ST that I picked up in 2022 after selling our Honda Fit to a friend. My goal is basically a “swiss army knife” build that will be adequate for use as a daily, but be ready to go for some canyon carving or an occasional “for fun” track day/autocross, yet be equipped to haul a family of 3 on ski trips and occasional dirt excursions (backpacking trips, etc.

I’ll accept in this kind of build that a lot of compromises will have to be made, like no built motors, passing emissions without a huge hassle, reasonable ride height, etc. Fortunately my wife and daughter like cars, and are willing to put up with a fair amount of my shenanigans. When we went to look at buying it, my wife, ever the voice of reason said to me, “Wait, you didn’t tell me it had Recaros…lets buy it.”

Mods are a mix of off the shelf bolt-on parts and custom DIY stuff, but with an emphasis on quality and reliability. It’s the family car after all…

View attachment 55442


Someday I’ll get a good picture of the car actually clean!

Street tires:

View attachment 55444

Mud and Snow Tires!

View attachment 55480

My daughter has affectionately nicknamed the car “Feisty”, and it has stuck, so I’ll roll with it.

I'll slowly make some catch-up posts for projects I've already completed and add new stuff as I go.

This is exactly what I’ve done to mine. Same goals and everything. Feel free to shoot me a message if you wanna exchange ideas.

 

[Dialcaliper]

Sometimes it’s little things to make you sleep at night. A week ago, I went to top off my coolant reservoir, and classic, the top of the radiator cap snapped off.

Decided I didn’t want any part of the plastic cap junk, and not keen on switching to a metal reservoir.

I accidentally bought the Boomba cap because it looked less bling, and it wasn’t until I recieved it I realized it was only a dressup

It turns out that the only cap that’s functional is the one made by VUDÙ out of the UK. Found it on sale for under $100 shipping+tax.

I was initially worried about metal cap on plastic reservoir threads but I greased the o-rings with some Superlube, and it fit like a glove. Even has the little detent like the factory cap so that it clicks into the correct orientation. I like the design of the relief check valve (supposedly matching the OEM 23psi), and of course the body is one piece of billet aluminum that won’t snap off ever again.

The only downside so far is that it makes my slightly yellow reservoir look shabby by comparison, and will certainly outlast it.

Overall it seems like a decent alternative to a $200+ metal coolant tank if your OEM one is still in decent shape.

 

[M-Sport fan]

True, but I figure one is almost half way to the co$t of an Airtec tank from Whoosh with just the price of that cap, so if I could get over the OCD of not being able to check the coolant level, (and just as importantly, condition!), as quickly and easily as a translucent factory (style) tank allows, I would probably go that route myself.

 

[Dialcaliper]

True, but I figure one is almost half way to the co$t of an Airtec tank from Whoosh with just the price of that cap, so if I could get over the OCD of not being able to check the coolant level, (and just as importantly, condition!), as quickly and easily as a translucent factory (style) tank allows, I would probably go that route myself.

To be fair, the $100 I quoted includes both tax and shipping, so it’s significantly less than halfway to a Mishimoto or Airtec tank which you’re probably looking at almost $250 or $275 when all is said and done, even from Whoosh.

 

[M-Sport fan]

To be fair, the $100 I quoted includes both tax and shipping, so it’s significantly less than halfway to a Mishimoto or Airtec tank which you’re probably looking at almost $250 or $275 when all is said and done, even from Whoosh.

True, but I said "almost half way" above.

I too would prefer the translucent tank as well, just for ease of viewing/checking the coolant level and condition.
But to not ever have to worry about age/heat cycle cracks and leaks of the tank for the life of the car (and the subsequent risk of breaking the connectors/lines every time one changes out the much less costly plastic tanks) is a tempting proposition.