Thursday 20th October 2016

Mountune Fiesta MR265

Ford probably won't make a Fiesta RS, but Mountune has an alternative

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It seems a long time ago now that PH ran a Fiesta ST, but what a jolly entertaining few weeks they were. You may remember the car was Mountuned during its time with us too, most certainly a worthwhile experiment and a recommended upgrade for all ST owners.

Well the early ones are cheap now...

Put simply, the MP215 pack gives the fast Fiesta more noise, more speed and more fun for not a lot more money. And it keeps the Ford warranty. As tuning goes, it's a real no brainer. But for those who need a Fiesta quick enough to chase down a Civic Type R (probably), Mountune has its racing packages...

Building on the Mountune Racing 230 upgrade, the MR265 Fiesta has - you've guessed it - 265hp, as well as 273lb ft. Apparently that's enough for 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds, and we'd assume a little boost to the 143mph top speed as well. Brisk enough in a Fiesta.

How is it done? Mountune employs a modular approach to most of its tuning, allowing customers to build on their existing mods rather than replacing everything. So existing MR230 owners add a new hybrid turbo (all previous kits have used the standard turbo), an upgraded intercooler, silicone hoses and high-flow rear intake pipework. There's an ECU remap as well.

See look, more power. The graph says so

Mountune describes the MR265 performance as "hugely impressive" with "silky smooth drivability"; interestingly it suggests the top end "just wants to keep revving" too, which would be worth investigating given the standard Ecoboost feels to have given its best by about 6,000rpm.

Cost? Well it's £4,500 if you're starting with a standard car, plus 13 hours install time. A fair old chunk of cash, sure, but used cars do start at £10K now... If you have an MP215 already it's £4K (or a bit cheaper if you have an upgraded intercooler), then £2,500 with five hours installation on an MR230. See the Mountune website for full details, including exactly what you get if starting from scratch. Finally, just to reassure you, the wheels are definitely optional - fear not!

[GTEYE]

All I can see when I look is those wheels.....ghastly!

It actually looks like it was designed by Hot Wheels.

Good news they are optional!

[AMGJocky]

Why does this need so much more power? Is the standard car not already good enough?

I can't help but feel that with that much power, the car will be compromised in the more important areas.

[Bencolem]

AMGJocky said:

Why does this need so much more power? Is the standard car not already good enough?

I can't help but feel that with that much power, the car will be compromised in the more important areas.

Sorry, you appear to be lost. This is pistonheads. I believe you are looking for whatcar.

[Porsche911R]

car cannot cope with 225 BHP so 265 seems pointless. £4.5k is a joke also when a 225bhp remap will only cost you £300.
remap it to 225bhp for £300 and put £4.2k in your pocket.

Mine is remapped to 225bhp and it wheel spins in 3rd gear with the open diff, and torque steers for 200 meters in the wet.

Edited by Porsche911R on Thursday 20th October 13:06

[Rawwr]

Bencolem said:

AMGJocky said:

Why does this need so much more power? Is the standard car not already good enough?

I can't help but feel that with that much power, the car will be compromised in the more important areas.

Sorry, you appear to be lost. This is pistonheads. I believe you are looking for whatcar.

Throw more than enough power at anything and chances are you'll make it sh*t. It's not an unreasonable comment.

[SystemParanoia]

Porsche911R said:

car cannot cope with 225 BHP so 265 seems pointless.

Mine is remapped to 225bhp and it wheel spins in 3rd gear with the open diff, and torque steers for 200 meters in the wet.

Its a throttle... Not an on/off switch

[havoc]

Am I the only one who thinks those Mountune torque curves look thoroughly sh'te?!?

I mean, great, a whacking great initial slug of torque* as the turbo cuts in, then 3,000rpm of disappointment before you hit the rev limiter.





(Yes, I'm aware the y-axis doesn't start at zero, but they still show declining torque and thus declining rate-of-change-of-power, which means the feel from the car will be a big whack in the back as the turbo hits, then a slackening of the feeling of acceleration as the revs rise.)

* Which will overwhelm traction in any low gear, or in the wet, or if there's a "Y" in the day...may as well forget about finessing the throttle pulling away on snow/ice...

[E65Ross]

havoc said:

Am I the only one who thinks those Mountune torque curves look thoroughly sh'te?!?

I mean, great, a whacking great initial slug of torque* as the turbo cuts in, then 3,000rpm of disappointment before you hit the rev limiter.





(Yes, I'm aware the y-axis doesn't start at zero, but they still show declining torque and thus declining rate-of-change-of-power, which means the feel from the car will be a big whack in the back as the turbo hits, then a slackening of the feeling of acceleration as the revs rise.)

* Which will overwhelm traction in any low gear, or in the wet, or if there's a "Y" in the day...may as well forget about finessing the throttle pulling away on snow/ice...

That's the torque, not the bhp. Most cars are similar, especially NA cars (which I know this isn't)

[SuperchargedVR6]

Is this still the 1.6 engine? If so, it's an impressive amount of headroom. I assume the engine is standard and they're just throwing more boost at it?

[AMGJocky]

Bencolem said:

AMGJocky said:

Why does this need so much more power? Is the standard car not already good enough?

I can't help but feel that with that much power, the car will be compromised in the more important areas.

Sorry, you appear to be lost. This is pistonheads. I believe you are looking for whatcar.

You've missed my point entirely then.

[E65Ross]

SuperchargedVR6 said:

Is this still the 1.6 engine? If so, it's an impressive amount of headroom. I assume the engine is standard and they're just throwing more boost at it?

direct from the article

How is it done? Mountune employs a modular approach to most of its tuning, allowing customers to build on their existing mods rather than replacing everything. So existing MR230 owners add a new hybrid turbo (all previous kits have used the standard turbo), an upgraded intercooler, silicone hoses and high-flow rear intake pipework. There's an ECU remap as well.

[rampageturke]

SuperchargedVR6 said:

Is this still the 1.6 engine? If so, it's an impressive amount of headroom. I assume the engine is standard and they're just throwing more boost at it?

I think this is getting to the limit of the stock internals (excluding turbo itself). Changing the internals though, the americans have seen somewhere around 500hp

[HJMS123]

I imagine traction would be huge issue, my standard (not even Mountuned) isn't the best for traction and is crying out for a diff

[SystemParanoia]

HJMS123 said:

I imagine traction would be huge issue, my standard (not even Mountuned) isn't the best for traction and is crying out for a diff

dab of left foot braking on hard acceleration will do wonders for traction.
the solution to your traction problem is skill, not tech and gadgets

[Ahbefive]

I bet this car is hilarious with 265bhp.

[havoc]

E65Ross said:

havoc said:

Am I the only one who thinks those Mountune torque curves look thoroughly sh'te?!?

I mean, great, a whacking great initial slug of torque* as the turbo cuts in, then 3,000rpm of disappointment before you hit the rev limiter.

That's the torque, not the bhp. Most cars are similar, especially NA cars (which I know this isn't)

No, they're not. A few examples below of n/a performance engines with very flat and wide torque curves

[E65Ross]

havoc said:

E65Ross said:

havoc said:

Am I the only one who thinks those Mountune torque curves look thoroughly sh'te?!?

I mean, great, a whacking great initial slug of torque* as the turbo cuts in, then 3,000rpm of disappointment before you hit the rev limiter.

That's the torque, not the bhp. Most cars are similar, especially NA cars (which I know this isn't)

No, they're not. A few examples below of n/a performance engines with very flat and wide torque curves

have another



normal (ish) for most cars to begin to drop off at a little over 50% max rpm (give or take). I don't think it'll be as bad as it looks, the intervals on the graph on the Y axis are quite small, so even a small drop off in torque looks quite drastic.

[sjj84]

Is that £4500 plus it'll take 13 hours, or is it £4500 plus an addition cost for the 13 hours? That'd be another grand easy surely?

[Janesy B]

AMGJocky said:

Why does this need so much more power? Is the standard car not already good enough?

I can't help but feel that with that much power, the car will be compromised in the more important areas.

Doesn't need it - but of course if you want to throw money at something there's always a company happy to take that money.

Had mine stock for 4 months, covered 4k miles, mainly A and B road stuff and never wanted for more power - I'll probably still get the MP215 kit anyway. Car pulls in 6th gear from relatively low speeds and I've done many an overtake in 5th with a light squeeze of the throttle. Makes up for the crap interior.

[lee_erm]

Janesy B said:

Makes up for the crap interior.

I really quite like the interior. I think calling crap is a little harsh!