2014 Ford Fiesta ST project
Aug 16, 2014, 03:38 PM
#48
Installed the Airtec FMIC today.
Fit great, easy install. There are only three things you have to remove to get it to fit perfect and that is three bolts underneath that would otherwise hit the core and eventually wear through it. So wonder no more, this FMIC fits USDM Fiestas no problem!
Comparison:
OEM:
Airtec:
Tight fit but fits perfect:
With the bumper cover on, it looks exactly like stock, which is exactly what I wanted.
Fit great, easy install. There are only three things you have to remove to get it to fit perfect and that is three bolts underneath that would otherwise hit the core and eventually wear through it. So wonder no more, this FMIC fits USDM Fiestas no problem!
Comparison:
OEM:
Airtec:
Tight fit but fits perfect:
With the bumper cover on, it looks exactly like stock, which is exactly what I wanted.
Aug 16, 2014, 07:30 PM
#49
Drove the car around today after setting ride heights.
The suspension feels sooooooo much better than stock. The bouncy resonance that the stock set up had is basically gone and the car is super smooth and more refined feeling. EXACTLY what I was looking for. Very happy with it so far. Of course, need to still get an alignment and put more miles before I do a full review but so far so good.
The con, at least for me, is that I have the front perches basically all the way up and it's still 1.25" lower than stock which is a tad too low for me. Kind of a bummer. Would be great for most people but I'm just not into too low. I'll see how it goes...
I also think I might be wanting more than just 100lb/in more than stock spring rates in the future... we'll see how it is on track next month.
The suspension feels sooooooo much better than stock. The bouncy resonance that the stock set up had is basically gone and the car is super smooth and more refined feeling. EXACTLY what I was looking for. Very happy with it so far. Of course, need to still get an alignment and put more miles before I do a full review but so far so good.
The con, at least for me, is that I have the front perches basically all the way up and it's still 1.25" lower than stock which is a tad too low for me. Kind of a bummer. Would be great for most people but I'm just not into too low. I'll see how it goes...
I also think I might be wanting more than just 100lb/in more than stock spring rates in the future... we'll see how it is on track next month.
Aug 17, 2014, 06:14 PM
#50
Datalogs!
Look! A intercooler that works! Happy to have this on the car. Works great.
Here are two datalogs, OEM FMIC vs AIRTEC FMIC. It was the closest to the same temp log I could find. It was a couple degrees cooler for the OEM FMIC log and as you can see, the AIRTEC still kicks its ***.
Red is AIRTEC, green is OEM.
Starting temp OEM: 77F
Ending temp OEM: 99F
Temp increase: 22F
Starting temp AIRTEC: 79F
Ending temp AIRTEC: 83F
Temp increase:4F
Ambient temp for both logs - Approx 70-74F
Look! A intercooler that works! Happy to have this on the car. Works great.
Here are two datalogs, OEM FMIC vs AIRTEC FMIC. It was the closest to the same temp log I could find. It was a couple degrees cooler for the OEM FMIC log and as you can see, the AIRTEC still kicks its ***.
Red is AIRTEC, green is OEM.
Starting temp OEM: 77F
Ending temp OEM: 99F
Temp increase: 22F
Starting temp AIRTEC: 79F
Ending temp AIRTEC: 83F
Temp increase:4F
Ambient temp for both logs - Approx 70-74F
Aug 21, 2014, 09:56 AM
#52
Went and got the car aligned today by Jack at Motorsports Techniques in Hayward, CA.
I've been going to Jack for about 14 years now I think. He has aligned all my cars and does great work.
For a recap, the car, suspension wise has:
Bilstein B14 PSS coilovers (#47-167490)
Goldline camber bolts (#81250)
Lowered 1.25" front and 0.75" rear
I set the camber bolts at full negative camber before bringing the car in to see Jack and here are the numbers after an alignment:
Front
Camber: Left -1.9* / Right -1.8*
Caster: Left 3.4* / Right 3.6*
Toe: Left 0.00 / Right 0.00
Rear
Camber: Left -0.7* / Right -0.4*
Toe: Left 0.08 / Right 0.13
This is the first rear beam car I have owned so it pains me a little that I can't do any adjustment in the rear but it is what it is I suppose. I'm so used to Evos that you can adjust pretty much everything straight from the factory.
The car feels amazing now. Turn in is awesome, almost as good as my Evo 8 was, which is no small feat. Lateral grip and stability is way up too. I'm hoping this all translates well to the track. I will find out next month!
The brakes....
The car just stops NOW. I'm running the Wilwood BP-20 pads up front, which is a step up from the BP-10's they usually put in the kit and the BP-20's are supposed to be their street/track hybrid pad. Braking is really amazing now and all the squirrelyness with the back wanting to come around that the stock setup had under braking is completely gone now.
Totally happy with the brakes, especially for under $900 including the upgraded pads and the upgrade GT spec rotors. Total bargain.
With true race pads the car will probably feel like I threw a 5,000lb boat anchor out the back on braking.
I've been going to Jack for about 14 years now I think. He has aligned all my cars and does great work.
For a recap, the car, suspension wise has:
Bilstein B14 PSS coilovers (#47-167490)
Goldline camber bolts (#81250)
Lowered 1.25" front and 0.75" rear
I set the camber bolts at full negative camber before bringing the car in to see Jack and here are the numbers after an alignment:
Front
Camber: Left -1.9* / Right -1.8*
Caster: Left 3.4* / Right 3.6*
Toe: Left 0.00 / Right 0.00
Rear
Camber: Left -0.7* / Right -0.4*
Toe: Left 0.08 / Right 0.13
This is the first rear beam car I have owned so it pains me a little that I can't do any adjustment in the rear but it is what it is I suppose. I'm so used to Evos that you can adjust pretty much everything straight from the factory.
The car feels amazing now. Turn in is awesome, almost as good as my Evo 8 was, which is no small feat. Lateral grip and stability is way up too. I'm hoping this all translates well to the track. I will find out next month!
The brakes....
The car just stops NOW. I'm running the Wilwood BP-20 pads up front, which is a step up from the BP-10's they usually put in the kit and the BP-20's are supposed to be their street/track hybrid pad. Braking is really amazing now and all the squirrelyness with the back wanting to come around that the stock setup had under braking is completely gone now.
Totally happy with the brakes, especially for under $900 including the upgraded pads and the upgrade GT spec rotors. Total bargain.
With true race pads the car will probably feel like I threw a 5,000lb boat anchor out the back on braking.
Aug 25, 2014, 10:54 AM
#53
Here is my cold start up and commute to work this morning. Some noticeables are, my lean cruise settings for AFR so far, some WOT events and Charge temp and intake temp being very close to each other. Yay Airtec FMIC!
This is approx 25 miles of driving.
http://datazap.me/u/razorlab/fistcom...14&zoom=0-8987
This is approx 25 miles of driving.
http://datazap.me/u/razorlab/fistcom...14&zoom=0-8987
