Safe HP level for a beginner?

[LuSikTV]

Good day folks,

Hope yall are well.

I'm finally back into a 2017 Fiesta ST Mag Grey (Mileage is about 43k) after a couple years away from my 2016 Fiesta ST.

I wanted to know what's a safe power level for the platform? I'm looking to do simple bolt ons for now and later on get a COBB AP possibly.

I'd like to get the most hp I can get without swapping out the turbo or a major component that would need extensive time/tools. Would 250hp be safe? What mods would I need to get there?


Any advice would be appreciated. Stay Blessed.

 

[Capri to ST]

Welcome back, I think you've asked a good question. People have reported going up to 300 horsepower without a lot of trouble, at about 400 horsepower you definitely start breaking things. Here's an article you may find helpful, they had a goal I believe of 400 horsepower and they went through the engine piece by piece analyzing what could take it and what couldn't.
I think you would be quite safe with 250 horsepower. The tune that I have increases the power to 215 hp, it was approved by Ford and maintained the warranty, so that should give you a minimum level of power increase that Ford deemed to be completely safe.
Here's the article-
https://dsportmag.com/the-tech/ford-ecoboost-1-6l-analysis-turbocharged-direct-injection-ccvtc/

 

[Mega ST]

Great article! Thanks for posting. I know Chevy did this with the Ecotec way back when, but I was unaware anyone did the same with the 1.6 Ecoboost.

 

[Nitelife]

As above. If you don't touch the turbo you have no chance of getting to 250 HP on the stock turbo. With tunes you can get over that on the torque rating, especially with the E30 tunes (maybe up to 280). Honestly the AP is the best bang-for-buck mod you can do, with an aftermarket FMIC. From what I've seen following this platform for many years, all the intakes, exhaust, crossover, & hard pipes don't net much overall, but do contribute to the sound of the car quite a bit. My favorite mods have been short throw shift adapter, Ravenol transmission fluid, Cobb AP, Whoosh IC, colder plugs, Dizzy tune, 16x8 Dekagrams with sticky tires. I have a blast every time I get to drive.

Of course, if my turbo fails; I'm getting a S280 or Whoosh equivalent. Then I will be conservatively 280/280 to the wheels and having a little bit of a different party.

 

[Dialcaliper]

The first two limiting factors on this car are the Intercooler followed by the turbo (then technically the radiator)

A Stage 1 “flash tune” is safe with no hardware changes and will go from stock (180 whp) to 200 whp with nothing but a tune (and maybe a drop in filter). I’d recommend starting there, then thinking about quality tires and maybe suspension (rear sway bar and if the car has some miles, the shocks may need a refresh)

Upgrading the intercooler, a couple easy supporting mods and a Stage 2 tune will get you to roughly 210whp. There might be another 5-10hp to be had in the intake, but that’s really about it. Exhaust and to some extent intake are more “quality of life” mods.

If you’re willing to blend E30, you can eke out another 10hp plus a boatload of low end torque. (Call it 220-225whp)

Jason at Dizzy tuning put together a “typical” (recommended?) engine mod path that’s quite helpful.

https://dizzytuning.com/blogs/technical-documents/the-ultimate-guide-to-modding-your-fiesta-st

What I mentioned above gets you basically to step 13-14 on the list, which is a ton of fun. Pretty much everything up to that is pretty straightforward and flash tunes are pretty safe with the intercooler being the only major job, as long as you keep the car maintained and healthy.

At that point (or before!) you might consider addressing other non-power mods if you haven’t already (tires, suspension, cooling, etc).

At that point you’ve pretty much maxed out the stock turbo, and things get more complicated, but if you’ve completed those steps you might start feeling confident for more.

 

[WannabeST]

Is this just a fun street car? or are you going to do any kind of motorsports in this car? If you're going to be doing motorsports the chassis and suspension tuning will do you better first. If it's just a street car. Get the AP first and tune it, then do bolt ons and tune as you get them. Then once you are full bolt on you can decide if you need the extra power from an aftermarket turbo or not.

 

[Dialcaliper]

Is this just a fun street car? or are you going to do any kind of motorsports in this car? If you're going to be doing motorsports the chassis and suspension tuning will do you better first. If it's just a street car. Get the AP first and tune it, then do bolt ons and tune as you get them. Then once you are full bolt on you can decide if you need the extra power from an aftermarket turbo or not.

I definitely agree with this. The only reason I would suggest a Stage 1 tune and a drop in filter is that they are literally the easiest zero difficulty mods you can do, and Dizzy's guide is really helpful in that regard, but only covers power mods.

Good tires and rear sway bar would probably be the easiest handling mods to start with, followed by rear shocks. The front struts are slightly more involved. Not particularly difficult but requires time, tools and realignment (the rear does not require any alignment changes)

 

[LuSikTV]

Hey folks,

Thanks for the replies, I'm just using it for daily driving with some spirited driving here and there. I will not be tracking it or anything that would require serious modifications.

 

[LuSikTV]

Is this just a fun street car? or are you going to do any kind of motorsports in this car? If you're going to be doing motorsports the chassis and suspension tuning will do you better first. If it's just a street car. Get the AP first and tune it, then do bolt ons and tune as you get them. Then once you are full bolt on you can decide if you need the extra power from an aftermarket turbo or not.

I'm just using it for daily driving with some spirited driving here and there. I will not be tracking it or anything that would require serious modifications.

 

[LuSikTV]

The first two limiting factors on this car are the Intercooler followed by the turbo (then technically the radiator)

A Stage 1 “flash tune” is safe with no hardware changes and will go from stock (180 whp) to 200 whp with nothing but a tune (and maybe a drop in filter). I’d recommend starting there, then thinking about quality tires and maybe suspension (rear sway bar and if the car has some miles, the shocks may need a refresh)

Upgrading the intercooler, a couple easy supporting mods and a Stage 2 tune will get you to roughly 210whp. There might be another 5-10hp to be had in the intake, but that’s really about it. Exhaust and to some extent intake are more “quality of life” mods.

If you’re willing to blend E30, you can eke out another 10hp plus a boatload of low end torque. (Call it 220-225whp)

Jason at Dizzy tuning put together a “typical” (recommended?) engine mod path that’s quite helpful.

https://dizzytuning.com/blogs/technical-documents/the-ultimate-guide-to-modding-your-fiesta-st

What I mentioned above gets you basically to step 13-14 on the list, which is a ton of fun. Pretty much everything up to that is pretty straightforward and flash tunes are pretty safe with the intercooler being the only major job, as long as you keep the car maintained and healthy.

At that point (or before!) you might consider addressing other non-power mods if you haven’t already (tires, suspension, cooling, etc).

At that point you’ve pretty much maxed out the stock turbo, and things get more complicated, but if you’ve completed those steps you might start feeling confident for more.

Thank you for this, its really helpful.

 

[M-Sport fan]

Sorry, just had to;

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nzl8EXGODc