[Jbailey1187]

Figured I would finally spend the time to make a build thread. This will be very DYNO heavy and I hope to help people out with the results I have found from mods.

First I want to say Thanks to:
CJ Pony Parts
PSI Speed Solutions (Frank Soldridge)
These two companies have been excellent in helping make this ST the way I would like it to be.

I went to look at my Oxford White ST3 on 7/19/2013 at the Ramsey Ford Dealership in Rising Sun, Maryland
- Vehicle had 23 miles on it and was the closest Oxford White to me in an ST3 trim
- Service at Ramsey Ford was GREAT and the salesman (David) was able to take a significant amount off of the MSRP!!!
- With help from the PSECU loan department, I drove the car home that day.

Without wasting much time, I took the car over to CJ Pony Parts.
- I used to work for the company and knew there interest in the Ford Focus ST.
- They took hundreds of photos to assist them with online images of upcoming parts.
- You may have seen my car in the many helpful install videos that CJ's has uploaded to YouTube


IMG_1034 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_1033 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_1027 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

Next up was removing the "Focus" badge.
- I used dental floss, glass cleaner, and a hair dryer
- Badge came off easily and in one piece

I then changed out my puddle lights for LED replacements I got from AMAZON. I also changed the turn signal bulbs in the mirrors for chrome/amber bulbs that take the "orange" look out of the mirrors.
- Changing the bulbs in the mirrors was easy to do by turning the mirror glass all the way toward the car and up.

I also changed the turn signal bulbs in the rear taillights and the headlights to chrome/amber bulbs to take the "orange" color out of the lights.
- This was fairly easy since the taillights are held on by plastic nuts that are easily unscrewed and the bolts for the headlights are easily visible.

I used this post to find out the bulb sizes. http://www.focusst.org/forum/focus-st-appearance/8666-2013-st-bulb-sizes-types.html


IMG_0509 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0508 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0507 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

And to be different, I changed out the fog lights for Red LED Bulbs. I got them from stangmods. Apparently the bulbs are the same as the fog lights on a California Special Mustang.

ST by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0383 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

I then heard about DMB Graphics in UK making gel decals to go over the Ford badges. I picked up the Black Ford badges with white lettering and the Black Center Caps with white "ST" lettering.

2_142_t by jbailey1187, on Flickr

2_936_t by jbailey1187, on Flickr

I had to get the car dynoed, so in September of 2013 I went to Frank at PSI Speed Solutions in Palmerton, PA. Frank tuned my 1987 Mustang GT with 68mm turbo. PSI Speed Solutions specializes in boosted vehicles and specifically turbo cars.
- PSI uses the largest Mustang Dyno available which uses it's mass to create realistic numbers.
- The best of three runs resulted in 246whp and 251wtq
- The last run was 242whp and 250wtq


Stock 2nd Run by jbailey1187, on Flickr

 

[Jbailey1187]

The first major modification was the Eibach Sportline Spring Kit.
- I absolutely love the drop. I initially looked at the Pro-Kit but it just wasn't enough drop for me.
- I haven't had any rubbing or scraping on any speed bumps
- The ride feels just like the original springs but the car definitely feels tighter through corners

The camber was thrown off slightly but not enough to cause any abnormal tire wear. Toe was thrown off but that was easily corrected by a Wheel Alignment.


Wheel Alignment after Eibach Sportlines by jbailey1187, on Flickr

 

[Jbailey1187]

OCTOBER 2013
Next up was the Flowmaster 2 1/4" Cat-Back Exhaust Kit
- the exhaust tips are clamp on and were easily adjusted to get the look your looking for.
- The sound is exactly what I was looking for.
- The exhaust is a deep growl with some burbling/popping.
- When cruising, the exhaust is not overwhelming in the cabin.
- I drive 25 miles to work and with my music on, I don't hear the exhaust at all unless I get on it.
- The only con that I can report is the small size of the exhaust tips. They just don't fill out the opening like 4" tips. I will be changing them out for ones from Magnaflow.

IMG_0179 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0180 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0181 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0182 by jbailey1187, on Flickr


IMG_0079 by jbailey1187, on Flickr
Afterwards, I took the car back to the trustful hands at PSI Speed Solutions.
- Unfortunately, the humidity was extreme this day and seemed to have an effect on the numbers
- Best of three runs showed 249whp and 251wtq
- Peak power was streched to around 5700rpm which was up from 5400rpm. There was also higher gains throughout the curve
- The last run showed 248whp and 250wtq


Flowmaster Exhaust Dyno by jbailey1187, on Flickr

Flowmaster 1st and 2nd Run by jbailey1187, on Flickr

Flowmaster Exhaust 3rd Run by jbailey1187, on Flickr

This graph shows the Stock Vs. Flowmaster Cat-back Exhaust


Stock Vs. Flowmaster Exhaust by jbailey1187, on Flickr

 

[Jbailey1187]

Next up was the Redline Tuning Hood Struts
- I understand that Ford wanted to save cost to the customer but WHY did they not just add these from the factory. They could've just made it part of the ST3 package or something.
- The struts are great! I went with black over the stainless since the car will be themed in mostly white and black. No Chrome Here!
- The struts are a must have for doing mods on the engine and for showing off any engine mods at car shows.

IMG_0220 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0219 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0218 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

 

[Jbailey1187]

As winter came closer, I decided to look up smaller wheels to put on the car with Snow Tires.
- I looked up the full size spare specs and used that as a guide.
- I ended up with stock 2004 Volvo S40 wheels which are 16X6.5 and have the same bolt pattern 5X4.25. After some gold VHT paint, they were good to go.
- I wrapped them in General Altimax Arctics 205/60/16's which are very similar to the stock circumference keeping the speedometer accurate.
- This setup fits great and clears the brakes. In the snow these tires work excellent.


IMG_1129 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0266 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0405 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

IMG_0452 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

 

[Jbailey1187]

December 2013

I felt that I needed some more turbo sound from the intake so I started looking at intakes.
- I really liked the CPE Intake but couldn't justify the price.
- I settled on the Roush Intake and had a friend powdercoat the tubing in white.
- The intake is great. The intake sound is very audible and drowns out the fake sound of the imposer.

I also needed to have a blow off valve.
- I ordered the Turbosmart 2nd Generation Kompact BOV
- It is a 50/50 BPV and BOV combination
- The sound of this thing is pretty loud. While cruising with the music on it is silent unless I get on it.

The great things about these two modifications is that there is no need for a tune. So I took the car back to the PSI Speed Solutions to test out the new upgrades.
- The result of the best run was 251whp and 267wtq.
- The 1st run showed 253whp and 256wtq.


Roush CAK&FM Exhaust 1st & 2nd Run by jbailey1187, on Flickr

Before going to PSI, I did purchase the SCT tuner from CJ Pony Parts which came with a free tune based on my current modifications. I wanted to see how much of a difference this tune would make before I have Frank from PSI work his magic and create a custom tune for the car.
- The result showed 266whp and 277wtq on the best of two runs
- Below is the dyno comparison from stock to the current setup (Flowmaster Exhaust, Roush Intake, and SCT Tune)
- A peak gain of 20whp and 26wtq over stock! Next up will be a custom tune by Frank at PSI Speed Solutions.


Stock Run 2 Vs CAK,Exh, and Tune by jbailey1187, on Flickr

This latest dyno also allowed me to meet up with other ST owners. Even though it was quite cold outside, we all had a good time and plan to do another dyno day in the spring/summer.


IMG_0487 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

 

[Jbailey1187]

COBB Short Shift Bracket installed
-optional 30% or 40% reduction. I opted for 40%.
-love this bracket. The shifts are only slightly heavier (still can shift with two fingers).
-the shifts are extremely shorter than stock.
-below is a video of the shift changes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/12281816715/

Steeda Oil Separator Installed
- simple install
- the separator is hidden behind the intake making the engine bay still look clean.
- It is harder to drain the separator in its location but I should only need to do it once or twice a year running the stock turbo.
- I'm going to check it in 5,000 miles and let everyone know what I find.

Cobb High Flow Catted Downpipe installed
- 304 Stainless steel with hangers for the factory location.
- 200 cell high flow magnaflow catalytic converter.
- Comes with 2.5" or 3" gaskets to fit stock or aftermarket exhausts.
- Fit right up to the Flowmaster exhaust which has the 2.5" flange on the downpipe side.
- I did not noticed any difference in the way the car drove with the base SCT Tune which came with the SCT from CJ Pony Parts as far as issues or hiccups go.
- I kept the car below 4,000 rpm and drove it easy until I could get to the dyno.
- This downpipe will bring up a check engine light for insufficient catalytic converter so the rear O2 sensor must be turned off. This is due to the increased flow with the new cat.

I took the car over to Frank at PSI Speed Solutions once again for a dyno comparison.
- Frank ran the car with the current base tune which came with the SCT Tuner from CJ Pony Parts
- Frank noticed that the car showed to be a little bit off of the ideal percentage for the Air Fuel Ratio but was still well within safe operating range.
- Frank saw no problem if the car was driven daily with the current SCT tune, which is good news.
- Frank then made a custom tune for the car.
-The tune is conservative to fit the vehicle's main job of being a daily driver but showed improvement at the top end.

Here is the weather forecast for the dyno session.

The graph below shows the dyno results of the Cobb Downpipe with the SCT Tune vs. Frank's Custom Tune. Franks tune made 275whp and 281wtq.



DSC00120 by jbailey1187, on Flickr


The graph below shows the results of Frank's dyno tune with the current mods versus the last dyno.
- Intake, Downpipe, Exhaust, Frank's Tune
- VS.
- Intake, Exhaust, and SCT Tune
- Gains from 4,100rpm on up
- Peak gain of 10whp and 4 wtq


DSC00119 by jbailey1187, on Flickr

The graph below shows stock Vs the current Mods
- Roush Intake, Flowmaster Cat-Back, Cobb Catted Downpipe, and PSI Speed Solution Custom Tune


Stock Vs. DP, Intake, Exhaust, Frank Tune by jbailey1187, on Flickr

 

[Tangerinest13]

Nice build so far! Subscribed for future updates

 

[Jbailey1187]

Thanks! CJ's will be installing the steeda oil catch can next

 

[[email protected]]

Subbed.

Joe I LOVE this picture. :wink:

 

[Jbailey1187]

Subbed.

Joe I LOVE this picture. :wink:

I'm quite fond of it too. Some kid I know named Steve has some artistic abilities.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[stainlineho]

Good build.

 

[Jbailey1187]

Altimax Arctic's worked terrific in the snow. Especially up the hill by my house.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jbailey1187]

I forgot to mention about the TSB for the motor mounts.

After about a month of owning my ST, I found myself next to my buddy in his 2008 R32. As we played around a bit, I realized a lot of engine movement when shifting from 1st to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd
- I did some research and found the TSB through the focusst.org forum.
- I spoke to my local Hoffman Ford Dealership who had me drive a technician around to show the issue.
-After the parts were put on order it took about two months for them to arrive
- The wait was definitely worth it though. The shifts were extremely improved and actually smooth. Also I did not notice any vibration or noise that has been reported with certain aftermarket rear motor mounts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gottligm06]

Altimax Arctic's worked terrific in the snow. Especially up the hill by my house.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Dude I have never driven a better car in snow and these tires make it possible. I loved passing every single car I came up to on my way to work this morning after a decent amount of snow.

 

[Jbailey1187]

Gottligm06: I agree 100%. They are a good price and just awesome. I don't even have them studded which is an option from discount tire direct. The only thing that held them back was SUV's going 20mph on a 40mph road that I couldn't pass. Lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Jbailey1187]

Put my COBB short shifter bracket on order which will be installed alongside the steeda oil separator by CJ Pony Parts. Then I went to the auto show in Harrisburg with some friends.

 

[brazwewn]

Put my COBB short shifter bracket on order which will be installed alongside the steeda oil separator by CJ Pony Parts. Then I went to the auto show in Harrisburg with some friends.

Very cool, how did it look in person.

Wes

 

[Jbailey1187]

Very cool, how did it look in person.

Wes

The body work was simply impressive. The doors and bumper were reworked to flow with the flares. I'm more of a fan of the full flare that goes all the way around the wheel opening but this looked so good. I could do without the front rally lights but they go with the theme. The carbon fiber side skirts are the tanner foust ones I believe. They are tempting. I wish the front splitter didn't hang out so far. If the thickness was chopped in half it would be perfect for my ST.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Tangerinest13]

Put my COBB short shifter bracket on order which will be installed alongside the steeda oil separator by CJ Pony Parts. Then I went to the auto show in Harrisburg with some friends.

Love those wheels! From what I can see they look like forgestars?