Focus ST MK3

[Yorkshire_LY]

Anyone own one of these? Reliable? Anything to watch out for?

On a budget of about 10-11k.

Can these be tuned to near 300bhp?

[stargazer30]

I've got the Mk3 ST2. Its been reliable so far, I've done 34K miles but I rarely hammer it.

They can be tuned but the weak spots are;

1. Engines are prone to LSPI so only touch reputable tuners who know what they are doing on, forget about running regular unleaded if you do and what ever you do don't drive it like a diesel (aka heavy throttle and boost at low rpm).

2. The turbo is quite small, so 300bhp on stock is probably near its limit and you'd need supporting breathing mods.

Most the guys on the mk3 ST owners group forge the engine and get bigger turbos if they want big BHP. Even then its a FWD with no diff so you can't use anywhere near that kinda power unless your in 3rd or above anyway.

Personally I found my mk7 Fez ST more "fun" but I needed the space and the focus is more comfy, and probably more capable too.

[Nyloc20]

We’ve had one of the last ST3s from new, just coming up to 55K. Great car, totally reliable, only problem has been a couple of faulty tyre sensors early on. Just back from a road trip in the Spanish Picos, never missed a beat. It’s totally standard, no plans for upgrades.

[ZX10R NIN]

Yorkshire_LY said:

Anyone own one of these? Reliable? Anything to watch out for?

On a budget of about 10-11k.

Can these be tuned to near 300bhp?

300 BHP will be the limit of the turbo, they're a reliable car overall but make sure you go to a recognised tuner, have you looked into other options?

I say this because if you're looking for over 300bhp, there are other options.