Project 'Me BooSTa'

[premiershine9]

Tons of fun this past weekend Jake! Thanks for letting me ride shotgun and also letting me drive your new baby- that thing is SO IMPRESSIVE. As I told you many a times....if you told me whilst riding in it/ driving the ST, that we were in a Focus I wouldn't have believed it! Love the short clutch and easy throw and the Recaros....... very nice.

Keep up with the sealant applications

[NTIman]

Also took Route 211 home from JMU. WHY did I not know how awesome this road was during college? Oh man, it just was the cherry on top of a great weekend.

I used to have to drive 211 from Luray to New Market to get home from my creative writing class once a week last year. I can't tell you how much fun I had driving that. My brakes really hated me though. A lot.

[Jake]

Have I really put 1,200 miles on this car in three weeks? Why yes, I have.

[JPolen01]

I'm just going to leave this here for those that didn't see it on facebook.

[FlaakCM]

Slam and poke on the bluey

[Jake]

Figured it was time to do a quick oil change. The car's got 1800 miles on it (after 5 weeks. really.) and people talk about metal shavings and assembly lube (hehe, lube) mixing with the oil on a new motor.

So, I went to AutoZone, bought six quarts of synthetic 5W-30 -- yes, a 2.0L takes almost six quarts -- and a filter. The filter is the same as the non-ST Focii.

Pretty easy job, other than taking down the fuzzy, carpeted tray below the engine. I hate them but they keep the motor looking nice. The filter just hangs there, straight down, so it's easy access.

I don't know who put the filter on in Michigan (The Rock? Arnold? A robot?) but the noises I made while flopping about on my garage floor trying to get leverage to spin the damn thing off were akin to those of childbirth scenes on evening dramas. And no, I didn't get an epidural. Anyway, it finally came off and I spun the new one on, but with less brute force.

Also, it's really easy to reset the oil service monitor. Put the car in Accessory mode (so, poke the start button without the clutch depressed) and floor the brake and gas pedals until the screen says it's been reset.

[V1GiLaNtE]

So, I went to AutoZone, bought six quarts of synthetic 5W-30 -- yes, a 2.0L takes almost six quarts -- and a filter. The filter is the same as the non-ST Focii.

Jebus... thing is as thirsty as my 4.0 I6

[Kaan]

Tractor Motor v. Ford Tubro Motor... are you surprised that the small turbo motor needs lots of oil to stay cool?

[D_Eclipse9916]

So, I went to AutoZone, bought six quarts of synthetic 5W-30 -- yes, a 2.0L takes almost six quarts -- and a filter. The filter is the same as the non-ST Focii.

Jebus... thing is as thirsty as my 4.0 I6

I thought XJs ran on hopes and dreams.

[Jake]

I thought XJs ran on hopes and dreams.

And according to The Internet, WJs run on sheer luck, and nothing more.

[SlimKlim]

I thought XJs ran on hopes and dreams.

And according to The Internet, WJs run on sheer luck, and nothing more.

I'd insert a quippy quote about WJs here, but considering I'm currently shopping for them I should probably try not to tie my own hanging rope.

RE: oil capacity, does this little thing have an external oil cooler? That would explain the extra quarts and be pretty sweet. Maybe they just approach the oil cooling issue the same way they did for the US S50/2 motors, oil isn't cool enough? Add more.

[FlaakCM]

I like the placement of the tow strap. It looks like a tounge :mrgreen:

[premiershine9]

^^^^^ was thinking the same- sorta like the Mut Cuts mobile from Dumb and Dumber

[Jake]

Current Mileage: 3,450

Not much to report with the ST. Took it to the February VIR event with NASA. That was "interesting" on Saturday, when I combined summer tires with cold weather and snow/slush all day. Thankfully, Friday and Sunday both provided weather that was better suited for driving fast in circles.

The bigger rear sway bar really makes the rear want to rotate (which is what I wanted). I learned more about lift-throttle oversteer through Oak Tree on Friday. Oops. Didn't spin it, but the tail was a'waggin. The ST's "torque vectoring" system is a load of crap on a track. It's trying to act like a LSD, and always using the brakes to try and slow down the inside front wheel. The problem is that 1) your brakes get hot on track as it is and 2) you can feel the system kicking in during tight turns. Turn 3 at VIR was especially bothersome. It doesn't catch you off-guard or anything, but it's an annoyance.

I did get to take it out on Sunday for a few laps in HPDE 2, just for funsies. Even with my torque being actively vectored, it really did handle well for what it is. We moved pretty quickly for being on a cold track with cold Eagle F1's, and I backed out of the throttle at 125-130 mph because the cold tires + crosswind scared me. On a dry, warm track, I have no doubt that 135-140 on the back of VIR would be easily attainable.

As the motor has broken in more, gas mileage has gone up. My most recent highway trip earned ~31 mpg over 120 miles. Very pleased there. Commuting, she's getting ~25-27 depending on weather and traffic.

My second "mod" - if you can call it that - was to stop the subwoofer from making such awful boomy noises. I guess Sony thinks that owners of an ST really want to hear Nicki Minaj-style SuperBass all the time. I don't. It hurts my head and sounds like crap for a lot of music. The cheap fix is to go to Wal-Mart and buy a bag of Poly-Fil. Poly-Fil is polyester pillow stuffing. Remove the sub box from the hatch (3 10mm bolts) and take the sub out of the box (10 T25 bolts). Stuff Poly-Fil in every crevice of the box, and re-assemble.

Very happy with the sound now. The bass is just as loud if I crank it up, but it's more balanced and a far "tighter" sound. For $3.95, you can't beat that.

Not sure what I want to do next. I know turbo cars benefit from breathing more air, so some form of filter or intake kit would be neat to put on there. A tune is not in the cards right now for a few reasons. I 'spose I'll just keep um, driving it.

[JustinG]

YES let her breath, intake/exhaust/tune and leave it alone. Looks like Cobb has an Accessport for your ST DO IT.

[D_Eclipse9916]

YES let her breath, intake/exhaust/tune and leave it alone. Looks like Cobb has an Accessport for your ST DO IT.

Under warranty, I wouldnt touch it. But that's me.

[JustinG]

Agreed, atleast nothing that cant be removed. I feel like factory exhaust systems are always more restrictive than the intake? Maybe just throw on a catback.

[Jake]

My biggest concern about doing a tune is that even if you flash the ECU back to stock, Ford can tell that you've messed with it. No need to void my warranty there.

[JustinG]

My biggest concern about doing a tune is that even if you flash the ECU back to stock, Ford can tell that you've messed with it. No need to void my warranty there.

Bah.....don't listen to Mark, what does he know about Fords!

[CaptainHenreh]

Isn't it the same as subaru, where they can tell that you might have disconnected your battery? Don't be pussy.