Impulse buy: 2015 Fiesta ST

[Senor_Taylor]

So, the MBRP catback is really droney at low speed (silent at highway speeds). It makes all the right crackles and pops, so it's not all bad. I'm also glad I replaced that disaster of an exhaust Midas made, but I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for someone that may want to swap their catback for a louder one so I can trade mine out. I didn't realize how loud this one would be.

[Kaan]

that's something old folks say..

[Senor_Taylor]

A month later and I flip flop between hating and sort of liking the exhaust daily. May pick up a Borla or Cobb unit and try to sell this.

Changed the oil today, so I suppose my maintenance for the year is done.



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[ScottyB]

how much power do you leave on the table going back to a stock catback? i've heard a good compromise sometimes is doing an aftermarket downpipe + cat and leaving the catback or axleback alone so you get the majority of the gains but less of the headaches.

[Senor_Taylor]

how much power do you leave on the table going back to a stock catback? i've heard a good compromise sometimes is doing an aftermarket downpipe + cat and leaving the catback or axleback alone so you get the majority of the gains but less of the headaches.

Exhaust isn't needed until "stage 3" as the stock exhaust is fine.

The reason I got the cheapest reputable catback I could was because the dealer welded a SMALLER than stock diameter muffler on because they're idiots.

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[Senor_Taylor]

New Thermal R&D exhaust installed. Sounds so good, looks very nice (stainless this time) and has MUCH better build quality. Inside is basically stock sound levels until you romp on it. Also installed a poly rear motor mount. It uses to spin tires through third gear, but now it can hook up in second occasionally.

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[Senor_Taylor]

Made a video to help poor souls avoid my mistake

Description from Video: 

[color=rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87)]I originally purchased the MBRP because my car came with a hack job exhaust and I wanted to get something better on there in a hurry. The attractive option for budget exhausts is the MBRP. Coming in at $450 before shipping, it is of an aluminized steel construction which rusts very quickly, and contains only one small resonator. The tone is extremely deep and aggressive, but it suffers from insufferable drone at almost all RPMs, especially under deceleration. This video is best enjoyed with a sound system with a subwoofer or good bass to appreciate just how low the pitch is of the MBRP. I will note that the MBRP did contain some very high quality welds and everything fit perfectly. The mounting hardware was sufficient and it also came with upgraded hangers.

The Thermal R&D Catback retails for almost double the MBRP (around $800 before shipping), but is constructed of polished stainless steel which will not rust and provides a very nice aesthetic. The difference in sound is immediately apparent. The tone is sharp and crisp, and does not contain the lowest frequencies which irritated my ears like the MBRP did. However, the most important difference is the additional (quite large) resonator that is on the rear section of this exhaust. There is no drone anywhere in the rev range and the exhaust sounds stock at idle inside the cabin with the windows up. On the outside, the ton is tame, but distinctly sportier than stock at idle. Under heavy acceleration, it provides great sound, and under deceleration there is no drone. The construction of the exhaust is very nice (to the casual observer, the welds do seem of slightly lower quality, but that is expected when comparing welds on steel vs stainless steel) and it even includes a new chassis brace that provides a very nice place for a new hanger location exclusive to this exhaust.

Overall, the MBRP does what it is meant to do, which is be cheap and loud without skimping on quality of construction. It is by no means a bad exhaust. However, the drone makes it unbearable for all but the most obnoxious of boy-racers. The Thermal R&D has less turbo whistle through the exhaust, is more quiet, and lacks all of the crackles, pops, and burbles of the MBRP, but it provides a great soundtrack and reasonable levels and with no drone. To me, it's the best Fiesta ST exhaust to buy.[/color]



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[Senor_Taylor]

Track car ended up not being ready with the cage builder, so I towed this thing to Summit after throwing on some parts store brake pads and old summer tires I bought on the cheap in Charlottesville.

The car felt very good for the few laps I drove it. A lot more neutral than the GTI was, maybe even feeling loose in the rear at times. It was quick, stopped well, and the turn in was very very good. I was really afraid to get the brakes hot in my first session so I took it really easy, then I saw my coolant temp hit 241 and I pulled in.

Sitting on grid for the session before my TT checkride and I realized the brake pedal would sink down to the floor very slowly if I kept pressure applied. Dangerous? Maybe. Something that concerned me? Yes. I ran another bottle of RBF 660 through it and the pedal didn't get any better. It seems to be either a bad master cylinder, or just a $5 brake switch that freaks out the ABS system or something. I decided to park the car and can my TT checkride. Another day, I suppose.

[Senor_Taylor]

Replaced brake switch and master cylinder, but the pedal still sinks to the floor when the car is running.

Will try to bleed tomorrow with all 4 wheels in the air and the car on to see if that produced different results. Running out of ideas, however.

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[Deceus]

The Demon did the same with the first iteration of my brake system. Decent pedal with the engine off but sunk to the floor while running. It was my brake booster but there's obviously a lot more at play here. Apparently the ABS module is another source of the problem. Silly question: but when you replaced the switch did you make sure the pedal assembly wasn't bent? Apparently that's a big problem as well.

[Senor_Taylor]

The Demon did the same with the first iteration of my brake system. Decent pedal with the engine off but sunk to the floor while running. It was my brake booster but there's obviously a lot more at play here. Apparently the ABS module is another source of the problem. Silly question: but when you replaced the switch did you make sure the pedal assembly wasn't bent? Apparently that's a big problem as well.

I didn't see any visibly obvious bends, no.

[Senor_Taylor]

Welp, tried bleeding with all 4 wheels in the air. Did not fix it. I'm out of ideas. Off to a shop it goes.

[Senor_Taylor]

Drove my F150 to get my car today and realized the brake pedal does the exact same thing. I'm guessing the old pads were really grabby so I never put much pedal pressure down, so I never noticed. I think I'm going to call it quits on the trouble shooting and let it ride. Perhaps I just psyched myself out.

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[Tyler.M]

Got a chance to drive this today. Absolutely glorious BOV sounds and great torque. Love it. Hope your runs went well, today Taylor

[Senor_Taylor]

I'm glad you liked it! It's a great little car. I'll post the videos when I get time to edit them. I placed .3 seconds behind the other guy in my class who was AWD. My biggest issue besides being a bad driver was traction. I fiddled with tire pressures but the tires were just too hot by my last runs. My best and worst times were all within a second so at least I was consistent

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[Senor_Taylor]

Rusty rusty rusty. First Autocross in this car went "okay". 3 tenths of a second off a first in Street Touring Hatch. I started with way too much air in my tires and kind of ruined the whole heat, but mostly just didn't drive the car right. 

Critique welcome. DJ?

[Senor_Taylor]

Did an autocross at VMP last weekend and another in Aberdeen MD this weekend. I think I've finally figured out how the car likes to behave and realized my biggest mistake was trying to brake too hard with the wheel turned, which this car doesn't like doing. Overheating the front tires in a FWD turbo car is always top concern in autocross, so I made sure to be very conscious of that. There were 9 people in STH so I was excited to actually try to compete.

I managed to improve my times almost every run and went back and forth for first place with a WRX. A car snapped a ball joint at the starting line before my 5th run so that gave my tires time to cool off so I decided to push is really hard and ended up securing first place by about a half of a second. The tires I'm running are the stock summer tires Fiestas came on which are a 140tw, but after 5 years they're not very sticky anymore.

The car hasn't given me too much trouble except for my interior getting wrecked by all of the junk I haul to autocrosses rolling around and scratching plastics, that damn rust on the hatch, and the blend door actuator clicking non stop ($20 part on order), so overall I'm still pleased with the car.

[D_Eclipse9916]

 The tires I'm running are the stock summer tires Fiestas came on which are a 140tw, but after 5 years they're not very sticky anymore.

First, congrats on the win.
Second, 140TW tires are illegal in STH (Mr complainer about non-legal cars )
Third, your driving is much better.  However you are diving too hard into a corner; plowing mid-apex out and slow to get back on throttle.  Hurting your exits as you are still trying to get the car turned while in what should be an acceleration zone.  Work on backing up your braking zones just a bit.  Then just keep working at it. You got potential to be a good autox driver with just more practice and a bit of coaching.

[Senor_Taylor]

 The tires I'm running are the stock summer tires Fiestas came on which are a 140tw, but after 5 years they're not very sticky anymore.

First, congrats on the win.
Second, 140TW tires are illegal in STH (Mr complainer about non-legal cars )
Third, your driving is much better.  However you are diving too hard into a corner; plowing mid-apex out and slow to get back on throttle.  Hurting your exits as you are still trying to get the car turned while in what should be an acceleration zone.  Work on backing up your braking zones just a bit.  Then just keep working at it. You got potential to be a good autox driver with just more practice and a bit of coaching.

I'm fully aware the tires are illegal, but I'd like to see someone protest me since they are the stock tires on the car. These are in no way better than any set of RE71Rs people are running in class.

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[Senor_Taylor]

Thanks for the advice about the turn in. I agree. It's a tough balance with this car since you can't really get on gas if the wheel isn't complete straight. These cars would be AMAZING with an LSD.