Hey guys, figured I would start to document my own build (still in progress at the moment).
2014 Black Focus ST3
This car is my daily driver. I bought it used with around 48k on the clock. I traded my 2013 Toyota Tacoma in on it. Back in 2007/2008 I bought a Mazdaspeed 3 and I always loved the car and it's really what got me into cars/modding, etc. After I sold the speed, I got a cheapy DD (later replaced with the Tacoma) and started building up a turbo miata. It was a blast and I learned a lot thru that whole process. I blew up the 5 speed trans and ended up going down the rabbit hole of rebuilding the motor and a bunch of other stuff while the engine/trans was out anyways. Long story short, the new motor didn't last much more than 1k (and it took forever... over a year....not a typo), and I threw in the towel at that point, after having the car for a few years at that point.
I ended up getting a 2003 Corvette Z06 as my 'fun car', but I was getting the itch for a hatchback again and really just a more enjoyable DD. Tacoma was nice and all, but trucks were never really my thing and I didn't find that having a truck/usefulness wasn't all that I thought it might be. Which is what led me to the ST.
Not surprisingly, wasn't long until I started modding the ST. AP3 was a no brainer- some extra power, ability to monitor data. Got that first but quickly realized how bad the stock IC was and started shopping for those.
My overall gameplan was to keep the mods relatively mild/somewhat budget oriented. I didn't want to spend money on every last possible bolt on, only to still be held back by the tiny K03 (also no E85 here) and make only slightly more power than a 'stage 2' car. I also wanted to keep the car relatively quiet and comfy-- no loud or smelly exhaust, stock motor mounts or possibly the most mild RMM. No drag racing or anything here, just a fun DD and something enjoyable in the turns.
Early on the idea of a mild "BT" build interested me, due to the small K03 turbo and the motors seeming to handle the added power pretty well. After the AP3, a barely used Depo FMIC popped up for cheap, so I couldn't pass it up. And I couldn't be happier with it-- fitment was great and it keeps the charge temps in line. I started looking at the various turbo kits-- the EFR kits definitely interested me the most, I liked how they had a lot of similarities to the stock turbo setup and had great spool. With mild goals, might as well keep as much response and low end as possible. But of course the EFR kits were/are kinda pricey and require you to buy into whatever companies parts to make it all work. I liked the 'stock part compatibility' of the ATP kits and I knew they were tried and true, being by far the more popular option. I purposely held off buying too many parts to keep my options open for either route and kept my eyes peeled for a good dead-- new or used.
Around when I first got it
Depo FMIC install
+20 hp fog lights
2014 Black Focus ST3
This car is my daily driver. I bought it used with around 48k on the clock. I traded my 2013 Toyota Tacoma in on it. Back in 2007/2008 I bought a Mazdaspeed 3 and I always loved the car and it's really what got me into cars/modding, etc. After I sold the speed, I got a cheapy DD (later replaced with the Tacoma) and started building up a turbo miata. It was a blast and I learned a lot thru that whole process. I blew up the 5 speed trans and ended up going down the rabbit hole of rebuilding the motor and a bunch of other stuff while the engine/trans was out anyways. Long story short, the new motor didn't last much more than 1k (and it took forever... over a year....not a typo), and I threw in the towel at that point, after having the car for a few years at that point.
I ended up getting a 2003 Corvette Z06 as my 'fun car', but I was getting the itch for a hatchback again and really just a more enjoyable DD. Tacoma was nice and all, but trucks were never really my thing and I didn't find that having a truck/usefulness wasn't all that I thought it might be. Which is what led me to the ST.
Not surprisingly, wasn't long until I started modding the ST. AP3 was a no brainer- some extra power, ability to monitor data. Got that first but quickly realized how bad the stock IC was and started shopping for those.
My overall gameplan was to keep the mods relatively mild/somewhat budget oriented. I didn't want to spend money on every last possible bolt on, only to still be held back by the tiny K03 (also no E85 here) and make only slightly more power than a 'stage 2' car. I also wanted to keep the car relatively quiet and comfy-- no loud or smelly exhaust, stock motor mounts or possibly the most mild RMM. No drag racing or anything here, just a fun DD and something enjoyable in the turns.
Early on the idea of a mild "BT" build interested me, due to the small K03 turbo and the motors seeming to handle the added power pretty well. After the AP3, a barely used Depo FMIC popped up for cheap, so I couldn't pass it up. And I couldn't be happier with it-- fitment was great and it keeps the charge temps in line. I started looking at the various turbo kits-- the EFR kits definitely interested me the most, I liked how they had a lot of similarities to the stock turbo setup and had great spool. With mild goals, might as well keep as much response and low end as possible. But of course the EFR kits were/are kinda pricey and require you to buy into whatever companies parts to make it all work. I liked the 'stock part compatibility' of the ATP kits and I knew they were tried and true, being by far the more popular option. I purposely held off buying too many parts to keep my options open for either route and kept my eyes peeled for a good dead-- new or used.
Around when I first got it
Depo FMIC install
+20 hp fog lights