Fiesta ST MK7.5 Track car
Discussion
Now we are well in to the new year I have taken the covers off the car after it all got packed away 3 month ago and will start to crack on with a few new upgrades for the car this year and will look to get the car back out on track around May time .
I have been collecting a few new parts over the winter and will look to get them all installed before the first track day of the year .
Thought I would start off with something simple and easy in the form of a gearbox oil change .
I had been running the Motul gear 300 gearbox oil for all of last year but thought I would try the Millers 75W-90 motorsport stuff as it has a slightly higher temperature range .
Millers 75W-90 motorsport gear box oil .
I also picked up a couple of VUDU magnetic gearbox filler and sump bolts as the OEM bolts do not have any magnets on them .
I have been collecting a few new parts over the winter and will look to get them all installed before the first track day of the year .
Thought I would start off with something simple and easy in the form of a gearbox oil change .
I had been running the Motul gear 300 gearbox oil for all of last year but thought I would try the Millers 75W-90 motorsport stuff as it has a slightly higher temperature range .
Millers 75W-90 motorsport gear box oil .
I also picked up a couple of VUDU magnetic gearbox filler and sump bolts as the OEM bolts do not have any magnets on them .
Just tidying up a few things on this build thread with some parts that have already been installed on the car .
I am running the P3 gauge that has a rev counter and shift light function but with it being in the drivers air vent this is not that easy to keep an eye on when you want to keep you view on the track .
I also want to keep this set to monitoring coolant temps , EGT etc. when on track .
With this in mind I wanted a small shift light / tacho meter that I could mount in my eye line .
After some looking around I ordered the RGT race tech SL20 unit .
This is a shift light and has a rev gauge that works from the OBD2 port and can be programed to whatever shift point you want .
As the unit is nice and small I have mounted this to the front of the dash and tucked the wires behind the dash to give a nice neat and tidy install .
RGT SL20 installed .
Quick vid of the installed unit .
https://youtu.be/L-cyeNVQZ5c
And a quick vid of the unit in action at Thruxton .
https://youtu.be/oz3lQ2oCXzg
Im really happy with this little unit and the information it gives and with it being mounted right at the front of the dash i can keep my eyes on the track and the shift light as the same time .
I am running the P3 gauge that has a rev counter and shift light function but with it being in the drivers air vent this is not that easy to keep an eye on when you want to keep you view on the track .
I also want to keep this set to monitoring coolant temps , EGT etc. when on track .
With this in mind I wanted a small shift light / tacho meter that I could mount in my eye line .
After some looking around I ordered the RGT race tech SL20 unit .
This is a shift light and has a rev gauge that works from the OBD2 port and can be programed to whatever shift point you want .
As the unit is nice and small I have mounted this to the front of the dash and tucked the wires behind the dash to give a nice neat and tidy install .
RGT SL20 installed .
Quick vid of the installed unit .
https://youtu.be/L-cyeNVQZ5c
And a quick vid of the unit in action at Thruxton .
https://youtu.be/oz3lQ2oCXzg
Im really happy with this little unit and the information it gives and with it being mounted right at the front of the dash i can keep my eyes on the track and the shift light as the same time .
Which styles of brakes discs have you run on this car? I've read the whole thread, but not recently, so forgive me if you've already gone into that.
I'd be interested to know what difference you have found between straight grooves, holes and those J-hook grooves you are running currently.
I've read somewhere that J-hook gives the best initial bite, but it would be useful to know just how much difference they make.
I'd be interested to know what difference you have found between straight grooves, holes and those J-hook grooves you are running currently.
I've read somewhere that J-hook gives the best initial bite, but it would be useful to know just how much difference they make.
Hi there the car is running 330 mm j hook two piece floating front discs and 280 mm j hook rear discs .
The j hook desigen keeps the pads clean but I'm sure solid discs would be fine as well I just like the feel of the j hook and that it clears up the pad a bit .
Below is from the ap racing site explaning the set up .
RA = J hook design.
Gives improved bite and debris clearance and reduces distortion / vibration, outer grooves run out to outside diameter. Thick wall discs only
The j hook desigen keeps the pads clean but I'm sure solid discs would be fine as well I just like the feel of the j hook and that it clears up the pad a bit .
Below is from the ap racing site explaning the set up .
RA = J hook design.
Gives improved bite and debris clearance and reduces distortion / vibration, outer grooves run out to outside diameter. Thick wall discs only
omniflow said:
Which styles of brakes discs have you run on this car? I've read the whole thread, but not recently, so forgive me if you've already gone into that.
I'd be interested to know what difference you have found between straight grooves, holes and those J-hook grooves you are running currently.
I've read somewhere that J-hook gives the best initial bite, but it would be useful to know just how much difference they make.
I'd be interested to know what difference you have found between straight grooves, holes and those J-hook grooves you are running currently.
I've read somewhere that J-hook gives the best initial bite, but it would be useful to know just how much difference they make.
Another change to the car has been done this time with regards to the suspension and new coilovers .
I have been running the BC racing coilovers and they have done the car proud but I wanted to look at a more track focused suspension set up .
The BC coilovers on the car at the moment are the BR series and are more suited to the road with the spring rates being 5 Kg at the front and 3 Kg at
the rear .
After talking to Track Dynamics I placed an order for a custom set of Gaz gold coilovers set up to the spec of my car that are fully adjustable with ride height and damping adjustment .
The custom Gaz gold units have a front spring rate of 8 Kg and 6 Kg for the rear so the springs have a lot stiffer spring rate that the BC units I was running .
The Gaz gold unit also has a larger damper at 62mm vs the 52 mm for the BC unit so the increase oil capacity should help keep the oil cool preventing damper fade when on track and the larger dampers means that the kit has larger bearings that should be better at withstanding the high side loadings of the semi slick tyres the car is running .
New Gaz gold front coilover unit .
New Rose joint solid top mounts .
New rear Gaz gold rear shocks .
New rear Gaz springs .
New Febi / Bilstein rear top mounts .
I have also change over the rear spring isolator to a power flex track Black compound unit .
Dyno test sheets for the shocks .
New front Gaz gold shock vs BC front shock .
New rear Gaz gold shock vs BC rear shock .
New rear Gaz gold spring set up vs BC rear spring set up .
Front Gaz gold units installed .
Power flex rear spring isolator installed .
Rear Gaz gold units installed . ( this is the only pic I have but with the rear spring mount collar not install in its final place )
The new coilover units are now all installed on the car and with them being larger and tougher they should be better able to handle the abuse of the track work .
It will be good ( when we can ) to see how they feel on track vs the old BC units .
I have been running the BC racing coilovers and they have done the car proud but I wanted to look at a more track focused suspension set up .
The BC coilovers on the car at the moment are the BR series and are more suited to the road with the spring rates being 5 Kg at the front and 3 Kg at
the rear .
After talking to Track Dynamics I placed an order for a custom set of Gaz gold coilovers set up to the spec of my car that are fully adjustable with ride height and damping adjustment .
The custom Gaz gold units have a front spring rate of 8 Kg and 6 Kg for the rear so the springs have a lot stiffer spring rate that the BC units I was running .
The Gaz gold unit also has a larger damper at 62mm vs the 52 mm for the BC unit so the increase oil capacity should help keep the oil cool preventing damper fade when on track and the larger dampers means that the kit has larger bearings that should be better at withstanding the high side loadings of the semi slick tyres the car is running .
New Gaz gold front coilover unit .
New Rose joint solid top mounts .
New rear Gaz gold rear shocks .
New rear Gaz springs .
New Febi / Bilstein rear top mounts .
I have also change over the rear spring isolator to a power flex track Black compound unit .
Dyno test sheets for the shocks .
New front Gaz gold shock vs BC front shock .
New rear Gaz gold shock vs BC rear shock .
New rear Gaz gold spring set up vs BC rear spring set up .
Front Gaz gold units installed .
Power flex rear spring isolator installed .
Rear Gaz gold units installed . ( this is the only pic I have but with the rear spring mount collar not install in its final place )
The new coilover units are now all installed on the car and with them being larger and tougher they should be better able to handle the abuse of the track work .
It will be good ( when we can ) to see how they feel on track vs the old BC units .
Time for another update on the car .
At the end of last year i noticed that there was a small weep on the coolant bottle and after a closer look the plastic OEM unit seem to have a very small crack .
As this needed replacing anyway i have order a new Mishimoto expansion tank to upgrade the OEM unit .
Old faulty OEM unit .
New Mishimoto expansion tank .
The new Mishimoto unit has some uprated Internal baffles that will help to prevent coolant starvation on track .
The new unit also has a handy Sight tube that is more easy to read than the stock plastic OEM unit .
I have also ordered a new Ford coolant cap to replace the old one .
As the car is on track most of the time and that the engine is running a lot more power than stock i have looked to upgrage the cooling system and the car is all ready running the larger Mountune radiaditor and Mishimoto racing thermostat and the coolant temps have been fine so far with this set up .
Looking to improve the cooling system further i will be running a 70 / 30 mix of water to coolant and some water wetter to help keep temps down further .
I will look to change out the water / coolant mix at the end of the year and add more coolant when the temps get down to frezzing again in the winter as the 70 / 30 split will give protection down to - 12 .
On the the fitting and i had to do some modfications to this the expansion tank to sit with the strut brace .
And all installed .
At the end of last year i noticed that there was a small weep on the coolant bottle and after a closer look the plastic OEM unit seem to have a very small crack .
As this needed replacing anyway i have order a new Mishimoto expansion tank to upgrade the OEM unit .
Old faulty OEM unit .
New Mishimoto expansion tank .
The new Mishimoto unit has some uprated Internal baffles that will help to prevent coolant starvation on track .
The new unit also has a handy Sight tube that is more easy to read than the stock plastic OEM unit .
I have also ordered a new Ford coolant cap to replace the old one .
As the car is on track most of the time and that the engine is running a lot more power than stock i have looked to upgrage the cooling system and the car is all ready running the larger Mountune radiaditor and Mishimoto racing thermostat and the coolant temps have been fine so far with this set up .
Looking to improve the cooling system further i will be running a 70 / 30 mix of water to coolant and some water wetter to help keep temps down further .
I will look to change out the water / coolant mix at the end of the year and add more coolant when the temps get down to frezzing again in the winter as the 70 / 30 split will give protection down to - 12 .
On the the fitting and i had to do some modfications to this the expansion tank to sit with the strut brace .
And all installed .
Time to update this build thread again with some more parts that have been fitted on the car .
My plan was to keep the stock Ford seats as they are great for a stock seat and do a great job of holding you in on track but I wanted a bit more hold and feel from the seat and also wanted to add a bit more safety in the form of a race bucket seat .
Another reason to change out the seats is that I’m planning on reducing the kerb weight of the car but without going silly and stripping the car fully so all the weight loss will have to be done with a brief that does not go too far and make the car usable on the road and for long journeys to track days .
So first up was to remove the OEM Ford Recaro front seats .
The OEM seats are very heavy and come in at 22.8 Kg each .
Then on to the new bucket seats .
I went for some new OMP Champ R fiberglass units as they are light and also a nice snug fit for me .
New OMP sub frames .
New OMP side mounts .
New OMP slider rail kit .
OMP sub frame , side mounts and slider all assembled .
And all fixed to the seat .
The full OEM Champ R with the sub frame , side mounts and slider come in at 9.00 Kg so a nice 27.6 Kg weight saving on the two seats .
Next was to bypass the seat air bag light coming on with some 2.7 OHM resistors .
Then as I will still be keeping the stock seat belts for MOT time and driving around the paddock I have installed some seat below warning light Eliminators .
Last part was to install some new Schroth AMS 4 point harnesses .
And some eye bolts to mount to the chassis .
All finished and install in the car .
I only used the slider rail on the driver seat in the end and bolted the passenger seat direct to the sub frame .
The seats feel very sung and very supportive but also not to firm and with enough padding so should be fine on the long journeys .
My plan was to keep the stock Ford seats as they are great for a stock seat and do a great job of holding you in on track but I wanted a bit more hold and feel from the seat and also wanted to add a bit more safety in the form of a race bucket seat .
Another reason to change out the seats is that I’m planning on reducing the kerb weight of the car but without going silly and stripping the car fully so all the weight loss will have to be done with a brief that does not go too far and make the car usable on the road and for long journeys to track days .
So first up was to remove the OEM Ford Recaro front seats .
The OEM seats are very heavy and come in at 22.8 Kg each .
Then on to the new bucket seats .
I went for some new OMP Champ R fiberglass units as they are light and also a nice snug fit for me .
New OMP sub frames .
New OMP side mounts .
New OMP slider rail kit .
OMP sub frame , side mounts and slider all assembled .
And all fixed to the seat .
The full OEM Champ R with the sub frame , side mounts and slider come in at 9.00 Kg so a nice 27.6 Kg weight saving on the two seats .
Next was to bypass the seat air bag light coming on with some 2.7 OHM resistors .
Then as I will still be keeping the stock seat belts for MOT time and driving around the paddock I have installed some seat below warning light Eliminators .
Last part was to install some new Schroth AMS 4 point harnesses .
And some eye bolts to mount to the chassis .
All finished and install in the car .
I only used the slider rail on the driver seat in the end and bolted the passenger seat direct to the sub frame .
The seats feel very sung and very supportive but also not to firm and with enough padding so should be fine on the long journeys .
You did and I said I would not be looking to remove any weight from the car so that did not last long did it 
I will still not be going too silly as I did with my last track car as that was not much fun at all driving on the road and to tracks .
The plan will be to change parts for lightweight items but not go too far like removing the complete interior etc as the car will still need to be nice and comfortable to drive on the road and euro trips to the ring .
I will still not be going too silly as I did with my last track car as that was not much fun at all driving on the road and to tracks .
The plan will be to change parts for lightweight items but not go too far like removing the complete interior etc as the car will still need to be nice and comfortable to drive on the road and euro trips to the ring .
RC1807 said:
Nicely done.
I think I'd asked before about stripping the car out, and you're kind of getting there now. OK, it's carpeted, but you know what I mean.
I think I'd asked before about stripping the car out, and you're kind of getting there now. OK, it's carpeted, but you know what I mean.
Tbh they were great for the road and still good on track and I only upgraded to the gaz gold units as they are more taylored for track use and running semi slick tyres .
The bc coilovers were an improvment over the stock shock and spring set up and not as harsh on the road .
The bc coilovers were an improvment over the stock shock and spring set up and not as harsh on the road .
Terry Tibbs said:
Can I ask how you found the bc coil overs on the road? I’m thinking of going down that route to try and sort the ride out on mine. I’ve heard they can make the car feel more planted?
Many thanks and they are quite comfy for a bucket seat but I will be missing the heated function of the oem seats
The stock seats are still very good for an oem seat but like you say when pushing on do start to struggle a bit .
The stock seats are still very good for an oem seat but like you say when pushing on do start to struggle a bit .
alex98uk said:
Those seats look great, actually quite comfy ha.
I've found the stock seats are good, but start to struggle with holding you in when running semi slicks and decent suspension.
I've found the stock seats are good, but start to struggle with holding you in when running semi slicks and decent suspension.
[quote=Kaveney]Tbh they were great for the road and still good on track and I only upgraded to the gaz gold units as they are more taylored for track use and running semi slick tyres .
The bc coilovers were an improvment over the stock shock and spring set up and not as harsh on the road .
Excellent, thank you. I think that’s the route I’ll go down.
The bc coilovers were an improvment over the stock shock and spring set up and not as harsh on the road .
Excellent, thank you. I think that’s the route I’ll go down.
No problem and it's a shame you did not ask me sooner as I did have my bc coilovers that were for sale .
Terry Tibbs]aveney said:
Tbh they were great for the road and still good on track and I only upgraded to the gaz gold units as they are more taylored for track use and running semi slick tyres .
The bc coilovers were an improvment over the stock shock and spring set up and not as harsh on the road .
Excellent, thank you. I think that’s the route I’ll go down.
The bc coilovers were an improvment over the stock shock and spring set up and not as harsh on the road .
Excellent, thank you. I think that’s the route I’ll go down.
Terry Tibbs said:
Ah not to worry! I’m really enjoying mine but I do think the ride as standard could be improved - it’s not too bad as it is but it kinda feels like the shocks and springs don’t quite work together, if that makes sense. Or at least could be better matched.
When I swapped to some KW ST XTA coilovers, I was really impressed by the difference.The stock set up was fine, but didn't seem to ride bumps in the road well. Always felt both under and over sprung.
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff