I just bought myself a used 2015 Fiesta ST and im absolutely in love with this little bean. As I am new to the community I would like to ask the wise council (you guys) about some tips and tricks.
What do you know about the car that I might not? Are there any secret storage compartments? Dare I even say quirks and features I haven’t discovered yet?
Apart from real mods, are there any cool things you suggest I should do to the car? For example, I already ordered a short and stubby antenna. It’s allso getting all of it’s filters and liquids replaced in a couple of days.
I only found out a few years after owning mine that holding the unlock button rolls down the windows.
If the SYNC system stops allowing your android phone to stream music but still connects, pull fuse 24, leave it 30 secs, replace it and it sorts it.
If you get the leaking in the rear footwell and wheel well, it was the old gaskets on the rear lights for me.
Single press of the ESC gives sport mode, holding the ESC button for 5 secs turns ESC off.
When I was using the USB for tunes, I rerouted the USB cable into the glove box instead of the centre console.
The ST 1&2 (not sure about 3) have a physical key in the fob to unlock the car in case the battery runs low. Then you hold the fob to the steering column to start it (you see a NFC type symbol on the column).
Don’t forget to bleed the clutch when replacing the brake fluid. They share the same fluid, and the clutch has its own bleeder on the front side of the transmission.
As for mods, when and if you get there, start with the essentials like motor mounts and upgrading common weak points in the 1.6. Of course, aesthetic mods based on personal preference are a must too. Stiffening up the mounts, suspension, and adding chassis bracing will make a huge difference in shifting feel and help transfer that torque to the ground.
If you plan to push the power beyond a simple tune (e.g., FBO Stage 3/E30), I highly recommend skipping all the small bolt-ons and going straight for a big turbo. I recently got an S280 turbo at 85,000 miles and I regret not doing it sooner. I spent too much time adding one bolt-on after another, multiple tunes, and still wasn’t quite satisfied with the power delivery.
The power with the S280 is much smoother, the gears feel effective for longer, and fuel economy is slightly better on highway drives. Honestly, the car should’ve come that way. It’s going to be a while before you think about doing this, though—I was happy with my car near stock for a long time. But when you get the itch to soup it up, remember this. Enjoy the car however makes you happy, and welcome to the gang!
What he said—just go with an intercooler, radiator, S280, and a TunePlus tune. Exhaust and intake won’t give you much, if anything. My tuner also mentioned that the stock downpipe maxes out about the same as the stock fuel system, so that’s really all you need, aside from motor mount upgrades and spark plugs.
