RE: Ford Focus ST | Spotted
Discussion
WCZ said:
The Vambo said:
Purely out of interest, how much of a power increase would say £5K get from this the ST engine?
400+crazy how cheap some tuned examples are
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Surely a few bolt on bods a remap and a little boost increase will see that and leav you £4.5k change?
PHMatt said:
WCZ said:
The Vambo said:
Purely out of interest, how much of a power increase would say £5K get from this the ST engine?
400+crazy how cheap some tuned examples are
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
https://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/...
Surely a few bolt on bods a remap and a little boost increase will see that and leav you £4.5k change?
If you want 400bhp and have £9k to spend (acquire an ST and £5k in mods) you will be much better served buying a car with a 400BHP engine AND something other than an economy car chassis, surely? You'll be able to actually use it in anger a lot more without killing it too.
As others have said, great engines.
Especially in the better-looking (to my eyes, anyway) Volvo C30 T5. A bit softer and fatter than the ST, but it's got more kit, it's comfier and the handling can be fixed with some shocks and a thicker rear ARB. Here's mine:
And here's my thread on it, if anyone's interested: Clicky
I really should update that thread...
Especially in the better-looking (to my eyes, anyway) Volvo C30 T5. A bit softer and fatter than the ST, but it's got more kit, it's comfier and the handling can be fixed with some shocks and a thicker rear ARB. Here's mine:
And here's my thread on it, if anyone's interested: Clicky
I really should update that thread...
thebigmacmoomin said:
Chrispee said:
Shame these never came with cruise control as would make a decent mile muncher for my dual carriageway commute (aside from the economy)
Had this engine in a S-Max for a while and that was good fun
The Volvo C30 with the same engine has cruise control.Had this engine in a S-Max for a while and that was good fun
I really don't understand the "it's owned by chavs" thing. Why on earth would someone not buy a car because a tiny handful of them are owned by 
s? Yes, some chavs own them....and? So you would rather miss out on good things because you're worried about being unfairly judged to be the same as some other people that you yourself are unfairly judging? I think that says a lot more about you than it does about them....
Anyway, back to the car. I quite like them, though i would go for the facelift if I did ever have one. I think the early cars have aged rather badly compared to the later version.
It's a cracking engine though, in a very capable chassis. Apart from fuel economy, there isn't much to dislike but, if you're expecting good fuel economy from an engine like that, then you should probably stick to diesel dross.
s? Yes, some chavs own them....and? So you would rather miss out on good things because you're worried about being unfairly judged to be the same as some other people that you yourself are unfairly judging? I think that says a lot more about you than it does about them....Anyway, back to the car. I quite like them, though i would go for the facelift if I did ever have one. I think the early cars have aged rather badly compared to the later version.
It's a cracking engine though, in a very capable chassis. Apart from fuel economy, there isn't much to dislike but, if you're expecting good fuel economy from an engine like that, then you should probably stick to diesel dross.
Owned my 2011 ST2 for nearly 8 years now. Mountune MP260 with exhaust, downpipe and sports cat and on Eibachs.
Every time I consider changing can just take it out and on a clear bit of road the sound wins me back over.
Seat position is rubbish and the handling not the best, but I find the amount of feedback helps make up for this. The sound is addictive I could only replace it with something with a minimum of 5 cylinders, and there doesn't seem to be many better value for money options around meeting this criteria.
Every time I consider changing can just take it out and on a clear bit of road the sound wins me back over.
Seat position is rubbish and the handling not the best, but I find the amount of feedback helps make up for this. The sound is addictive I could only replace it with something with a minimum of 5 cylinders, and there doesn't seem to be many better value for money options around meeting this criteria.
I must be one of the few that gets reasonably MPG's out a 5 pot ST (mines mildly tuned, 280bhp ish). Monday I covered around 200 mile in mine attending various meetings (I opt out the co car scheme and take the allowance), average 34mpg. Typically I commute 14 mile a day in mine, down B roads and see around 30mpg average. Obviously if you point it down a B road and proud the loud pedal, its as thirsty as any other performance car, I've seen 12mpg average before. However, drive it sensibly and it's perfectly acceptable.
I'm 2 and half years into my ownership of a facelift 2010 ST, one of the last 5 pots made before they changed to the awful mk3 ecoboost ST. Before this I had a 2012 Mondeo with the ST Ecoboost engine, which was entirely devoid of any character hence quickly becoming bored. I wanted something fun that still had the bare essentials you'd need for a company car (or at least what I class as bare essentials), so aircon and bluetooth for calls. I tried a variety of things of similar age, Golf GTi, Megane RS250, Leon Cupra, FN2 Type R, Clio 200, mk3 Focus ST and nothing really scratched the itch I wanted scratching. Golf GTi was a great all rounder but ultimately a bit dull, lacking something. Megane RS was great fun, nice inside but I had a bad experience with a 172 many years ago. Leon Cupra was much like the Golf, not as nice inside though and still dull. FN2 felt like it needed more power and felt rock hard to me. Clio 200 awful at motorway speeds. mk3 Focus ST, dull engine and didn't feel particularly involving. So I looked at numerous mk2.5 ST's, found them all to be ragged to death and was ready to give up, until I chanced upon the one I bought, tucked away in a Honda dealer.
Mines given me no major problems, purchased on 58k now on 79k. At 65k the top mounts and front drop links needed replacing and that's all I've spent outside normal maintenance. I've had cambelt changed, waterpump together with block mod for peace of mind before I upped the power. It pulls well even by modern standards, it sounds incredible at full chat, it handles well and it's cheap to run for me. Fuel card from work, £300 to insure with mods declared (because I'm old), VED is a bit pricey but meh, cheap to service (180 quid at Ford). The downsides for me is the interior, which is well screwed together, doesn't rattle and everything works fine, but is properly low rent. I've seen fridges with higher quality plastics, especially the low level stuff which is nasty. Chassis isn't quite as good as a old GTI-6 I used to have either, it's not as playful or involving but it's still much better than a Golf GTi but not as good as a Megane RS.
Been looking at things to replace it with recently, but all I want is a fun hot hatch for a daily commute and the odd business trip. I simply can't seem to find a reason to trade this in for something like a i30 N or 4wd Focus RS or M140 etc, which are ultimately all vastly better all rounders but I can't see any that will deliver anymore fun, certainly not 20k+ more fun! So instead I'm pocketing the car allowance (which I've been doing for 2 and half years anyway) and enjoying the finance free smiles.
I'm 2 and half years into my ownership of a facelift 2010 ST, one of the last 5 pots made before they changed to the awful mk3 ecoboost ST. Before this I had a 2012 Mondeo with the ST Ecoboost engine, which was entirely devoid of any character hence quickly becoming bored. I wanted something fun that still had the bare essentials you'd need for a company car (or at least what I class as bare essentials), so aircon and bluetooth for calls. I tried a variety of things of similar age, Golf GTi, Megane RS250, Leon Cupra, FN2 Type R, Clio 200, mk3 Focus ST and nothing really scratched the itch I wanted scratching. Golf GTi was a great all rounder but ultimately a bit dull, lacking something. Megane RS was great fun, nice inside but I had a bad experience with a 172 many years ago. Leon Cupra was much like the Golf, not as nice inside though and still dull. FN2 felt like it needed more power and felt rock hard to me. Clio 200 awful at motorway speeds. mk3 Focus ST, dull engine and didn't feel particularly involving. So I looked at numerous mk2.5 ST's, found them all to be ragged to death and was ready to give up, until I chanced upon the one I bought, tucked away in a Honda dealer.
Mines given me no major problems, purchased on 58k now on 79k. At 65k the top mounts and front drop links needed replacing and that's all I've spent outside normal maintenance. I've had cambelt changed, waterpump together with block mod for peace of mind before I upped the power. It pulls well even by modern standards, it sounds incredible at full chat, it handles well and it's cheap to run for me. Fuel card from work, £300 to insure with mods declared (because I'm old), VED is a bit pricey but meh, cheap to service (180 quid at Ford). The downsides for me is the interior, which is well screwed together, doesn't rattle and everything works fine, but is properly low rent. I've seen fridges with higher quality plastics, especially the low level stuff which is nasty. Chassis isn't quite as good as a old GTI-6 I used to have either, it's not as playful or involving but it's still much better than a Golf GTi but not as good as a Megane RS.
Been looking at things to replace it with recently, but all I want is a fun hot hatch for a daily commute and the odd business trip. I simply can't seem to find a reason to trade this in for something like a i30 N or 4wd Focus RS or M140 etc, which are ultimately all vastly better all rounders but I can't see any that will deliver anymore fun, certainly not 20k+ more fun! So instead I'm pocketing the car allowance (which I've been doing for 2 and half years anyway) and enjoying the finance free smiles.
stickleback123 said:
A great engine but not as much fun as the high pressure turbo 'proper' T5 from the S60/V70. Personally I'd rather have one of it's more interesting looking and more nicely trimmed cousins; a Volvo C30, V40, or S40. You can get cruise control and a decent stereo then too.
After test driving a couple of STs I bought a C30 T5 R Design as the engine is equally wonderful and had it remapped to about 270bhp. Huge midrange grunt. I preferred the looks and image to the Ford, and figured a Volvo would be less likely to have been ragged silly.
But be warned the C30 is not set up anything like as well as the ST in steering, handling, clutch feel (the C30 is plain weird in this regard) and bizarrely even the brakes are smaller than the ST. Perhaps in order to go under 17 inch alloys - as 18s were optional on the C30.
I upgraded the suspension with a budget Koni kit to reduce the large amount of roll, which improved handling but even then it didn't quite match the Focus, the steering seeming a bit vague in comparison and it suited sweeping A roads more than bumpy B roads. I preferred the C30 interior and the seats are super comfy, and it seemed well screwed together, although the boot design is useless compared to the cavernous Focus.
I still liked the car a good deal, the engine really is so much better than any four pot found in any contemporary, a tweaked one really shifts and the 5 pot sounds fantastic, there is nothing else like it in a smallish car bar an Audi RS3 or TT RS.
I only kept for a year and the standard clutch managed to hold out, but I didn't know the cracked cylinder liners had become such a widespread issue.
If you like C30s check out the Car Cleaning Guru's rebel blue Polestar-influenced one on YT. Would like to know what that sold for.
Edited by Drekly on Thursday 12th September 17:23
Who exactly buys a hot hatch for its mpg. Its smiles per gallon not miles per gallon.
On the same journey, my old E46 M3 was doing 14mpg.
On the same journey, my old E46 M3 was doing 14mpg.
vtecyo said:
Friend of mine just paid 10k for a facelift in orange. Madness.
That's a bit too much. Mine was £12k over 5 years ago (May 2014) (2010 ST-3 40k miles)Edited by thebigmacmoomin on Thursday 12th September 17:47
G.Fraser said:
I absolutely love mine! Currently running Mountune’s MR310 upgrade, plus Mountune suspension. It’s been utter fun the whole time I’ve owned it. However as my family is getting a bit older and we’re doing more outdoorsy stuff, I’ve booked an appointment to test drive a new Mk4 estate. I am very excited about a possible new car and it’ll tick an awful lot of boxes, but I know full well that I would miss my Mk2. Absolutely cracking cars!
Hi mate just a cheeky one but can you message me about your focus st as I may be interested in taking it off your hands if your tracing it in 😊ZX10R NIN said:
I averaged 27mpg which I thought was sensible I didn't even think 30mpg was possible let alone 34.
Maybe it's the map I'm running, Imap Mod B? Typically see over 300 mile from a tank.People comparing it to the Volvo C30 or S40, yes it's the same engine but the whole package isn't a hot hatch imo, it's more a GT car. It's geared taller, softer suspension, less responsive steering, smaller brakes etc. Has a much nicer interior though with generally more kit. Although my 2010 ST has bluetooth with audio, keyless, auto wiper, auto lights, aircon, 6 disc changer, usb port for ipod input, so it's not exactly sparse, do wish it had cruise though!
People also tend to blame Ford for the cracked liner issue but Ford simply took the engine from the C30/S40 which suffer exactly the same issues, nothing to do with Ford. I believe it's mostly caused by poor mechanical sympathy and badman ebay maps anyway. People rag these cars to death from cold, then turn them straight off when they've been cained, not allowing the engine to correctly cool. Combine this with a badman remap to 1 million bhp bruh and you've a recipe for disaster. Having said that, you'd have to be daft to not get block mod done if you cars due a cambelt, it's only a fraction more money! Looking at 500 quid for Ford to change the cambelt, or 600 for a specialist to do cambelt, block mod, water pump, aux belt and all relevant gaskets. Anyone Notts/Derby way, there's a superb specialist in Notts where I had mine done and who has recently rebuilt a mates ST after his aux belt snapped which they got caught in the cambelt.
Part of the appeal of this Focus ST for me is that it isn't really a Hot Hatch, the engine is too heavy and I see it as more of a cruiser which I actually really like that part of its character.
I think if you want a Hot Hatch you would go for a Megane RS instead of this. A good friend of mine was used to Renault Hot Hatches and he went for one of these and he didn't like it at all. He didn't like its handling characteristics and he just thought that it felt heavy/cumbersome.
I've always really liked these but I'm a big Ford fan, I love the Recaros/engine and it is a car that I've always fancied owning for sure.
I think if you want a Hot Hatch you would go for a Megane RS instead of this. A good friend of mine was used to Renault Hot Hatches and he went for one of these and he didn't like it at all. He didn't like its handling characteristics and he just thought that it felt heavy/cumbersome.
I've always really liked these but I'm a big Ford fan, I love the Recaros/engine and it is a car that I've always fancied owning for sure.
Mark-3srds said:
I've had a lot of upset, heartache and dam good times with this car... But its left a bad taste in my mouth with the costs involved. Just unlucky? But from what I've heard these engines are failing a lot now.
I had a RS C5 before this ST, so down graded (some might say I'm crazy?!) but the RS was so much worry and maybe I couldn't afford it as you need big pockets. But after all said and done the ST has cost me way more and I'm totally not interested in Fords now. The price isn't set in stone, But there are traders out there trying to get more money for lower miles examples. I've got a car that ticks every box and surely is way better than a forecourt car?
Many thanks Piston Heads for 'Spotting' it and the write up is spot on!!!
What happened exactly?I had a RS C5 before this ST, so down graded (some might say I'm crazy?!) but the RS was so much worry and maybe I couldn't afford it as you need big pockets. But after all said and done the ST has cost me way more and I'm totally not interested in Fords now. The price isn't set in stone, But there are traders out there trying to get more money for lower miles examples. I've got a car that ticks every box and surely is way better than a forecourt car?
Many thanks Piston Heads for 'Spotting' it and the write up is spot on!!!
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