Fiesta ST MK7.5 Track car
Discussion
Another update .
After changing the seats out to the new OMP units i could not re use my Kap industries fire extinguisher bracket so have had to look to mount the fire extinguisher in another location .
After looking at mounting locations I ordered a Gold Fire Quick Release Roll Bar Fire Extinguisher Mount .
And all mounted to the roll cage .
After changing the seats out to the new OMP units i could not re use my Kap industries fire extinguisher bracket so have had to look to mount the fire extinguisher in another location .
After looking at mounting locations I ordered a Gold Fire Quick Release Roll Bar Fire Extinguisher Mount .
And all mounted to the roll cage .
So another week and some more new parts fitted to the car .
Going on from the plan to get the kerb weight of the car down but not going to far I have so far fitted fiberglass bucket seats that have shed 27.6 Kg from the car .
Looking at the next part to focus on with the cars diet I set about looking to change out the battery for a light weight unit .
After looking at different options I went with the Deadweight industries Touge 200 Lithium battery .
The battery is super lightweight at just 2 Kg and has the best CCA (630) and AH (45) compared to the other units on the market .
The Ford OEM battery removed .
The Ford OEM battery comes in at 20 Kg .
The Deadweight industries Touge 200 battery comes in at 2 Kg .
That is a nice 18 Kg weight saving for just changing over the OEM SLA battery to the Lithium unit .
The only problem may be that if the unit goes flat you can’t jump start the Lithium battery so I have got a new Odyssey PC680 that is the same size and shape and will be used as a backup if needed .
Then it was on to the problem of mounting the battery as the dimensions are very different from the OEM battery so it will not fit correctly in the Ford OME battery box / tray .
After looking around I found a company in the USA that makes light weight battery mounts .
The unit is from MeLe design and is a handmade light weight 5050 aluminium battery mount that mounts in the same location as the OEM battery tray .
And then all installed on the car .
I will need to keep an eye on the charging but think this will last around 2 weeks before it need to be put on a quick charge but as the Deadweight industries battery has a BMS it will shut down the cells if the battery voltage gets too low to save damage to the battery .
Going on from the plan to get the kerb weight of the car down but not going to far I have so far fitted fiberglass bucket seats that have shed 27.6 Kg from the car .
Looking at the next part to focus on with the cars diet I set about looking to change out the battery for a light weight unit .
After looking at different options I went with the Deadweight industries Touge 200 Lithium battery .
The battery is super lightweight at just 2 Kg and has the best CCA (630) and AH (45) compared to the other units on the market .
The Ford OEM battery removed .
The Ford OEM battery comes in at 20 Kg .
The Deadweight industries Touge 200 battery comes in at 2 Kg .
That is a nice 18 Kg weight saving for just changing over the OEM SLA battery to the Lithium unit .
The only problem may be that if the unit goes flat you can’t jump start the Lithium battery so I have got a new Odyssey PC680 that is the same size and shape and will be used as a backup if needed .
Then it was on to the problem of mounting the battery as the dimensions are very different from the OEM battery so it will not fit correctly in the Ford OME battery box / tray .
After looking around I found a company in the USA that makes light weight battery mounts .
The unit is from MeLe design and is a handmade light weight 5050 aluminium battery mount that mounts in the same location as the OEM battery tray .
And then all installed on the car .
I will need to keep an eye on the charging but think this will last around 2 weeks before it need to be put on a quick charge but as the Deadweight industries battery has a BMS it will shut down the cells if the battery voltage gets too low to save damage to the battery .
In a short answer no .
As I work with battery's for a day job I will try not to get too excited explaning
As the compound is LIFEPO4 and not SLA the chemical composition of the old lead-acid batteries means that they do not like to sit at partial charge.
After a couple of months on partial charge with a SLA battery this will result in irreversible damage to the battery .
LiFePO4 cells prefers to sit at partial charge rather than being completely full and are at there happiest below 85% charge .
Anything over that for extended periods adds undue stress to the cells and can lead to premature wear of the battery so keeping it always connected is quite unnecessary for this type of battery .
As I work with battery's for a day job I will try not to get too excited explaning
As the compound is LIFEPO4 and not SLA the chemical composition of the old lead-acid batteries means that they do not like to sit at partial charge.
After a couple of months on partial charge with a SLA battery this will result in irreversible damage to the battery .
LiFePO4 cells prefers to sit at partial charge rather than being completely full and are at there happiest below 85% charge .
Anything over that for extended periods adds undue stress to the cells and can lead to premature wear of the battery so keeping it always connected is quite unnecessary for this type of battery .
alex98uk said:
You'll need to be trickle charging the battery when not in use no?
Another update and Continuing on from the weight reduction from the seats and battery i have looked in to a few other parts that can be changed / removed to get the weight down some more .
As stated before i dont want to strip the car fully and make it awfull to drive on the road but still want to reduce the weight of the car as much as possible .
I will be fitting another part soon that requires me to remove the Air con compressor so with this in mind i have removed the compleate air con system .
As im doing some other jobs i have removed the compleat front of the car to give me all the access i need to fully and easley remove the air con system .
Air con fully removed .
Air con compressor weight is 6.1 Kg .
All the other parts like condenser , dryer , brackets , pipes etc come in at 5.4 Kg .
The total weight of the air con system removed is 11.5 Kg so a nice bit of weight remove again and i will just have to put up with not having A/C on the hot days .
As stated before i dont want to strip the car fully and make it awfull to drive on the road but still want to reduce the weight of the car as much as possible .
I will be fitting another part soon that requires me to remove the Air con compressor so with this in mind i have removed the compleate air con system .
As im doing some other jobs i have removed the compleat front of the car to give me all the access i need to fully and easley remove the air con system .
Air con fully removed .
Air con compressor weight is 6.1 Kg .
All the other parts like condenser , dryer , brackets , pipes etc come in at 5.4 Kg .
The total weight of the air con system removed is 11.5 Kg so a nice bit of weight remove again and i will just have to put up with not having A/C on the hot days .
Another small update with some more weight saving .
As im running two sets of wheels and tyres i have removed the spare wheel and jack from the boot .
The spare wheel , jack and tool kit weigh 16.4 Kg so a nice chunck of weight removed again .
So far with the seats , Battery and Air con and now the spare wheel and jack i have removed 73.5 Kg from the car .
I have a few more plans to take some more weight out and will update soon .
As im running two sets of wheels and tyres i have removed the spare wheel and jack from the boot .
The spare wheel , jack and tool kit weigh 16.4 Kg so a nice chunck of weight removed again .
So far with the seats , Battery and Air con and now the spare wheel and jack i have removed 73.5 Kg from the car .
I have a few more plans to take some more weight out and will update soon .
Edited by Kaveney on Friday 23 April 19:55
Amazing build - been following since the beginning and loving the incremental approach to it. Interesting for me because I skipped all the steps and bought a pre-built car.
Have to say though, was really surprised when you ditched the AC? Wondered what your logic was because 11kg vs all the condensation and steaming up in the wet, and sweating my balls off in the heat, feels like too much of a compromise?
But, loads of people do it - so just wondered how you weighed it up ('scuse the pun)?
Have to say though, was really surprised when you ditched the AC? Wondered what your logic was because 11kg vs all the condensation and steaming up in the wet, and sweating my balls off in the heat, feels like too much of a compromise?
But, loads of people do it - so just wondered how you weighed it up ('scuse the pun)?
Many thanks sir and I have been enjoying reading your posts as well about your cars and the new mini track toy you now have . ( might bump in to you at bedford some time this year )
On to the logic of ditching the ac .
I will be installing a new track spec oil cooler that is much bigger than the airtec one I have been running and this sits where the ac compressor lives so it has to be removed but is one thing that I did not want to remove but there you go .
The good thing about the fiesta is that it has a heated front windscreen so that should sort any misting issues .
I will miss it on the hot days but keeping the engine happy outweighs me getting a little hot and I will just have to put up with it
Regards
On to the logic of ditching the ac .
I will be installing a new track spec oil cooler that is much bigger than the airtec one I have been running and this sits where the ac compressor lives so it has to be removed but is one thing that I did not want to remove but there you go .
The good thing about the fiesta is that it has a heated front windscreen so that should sort any misting issues .
I will miss it on the hot days but keeping the engine happy outweighs me getting a little hot and I will just have to put up with it
Regards
MDifficult said:
Amazing build - been following since the beginning and loving the incremental approach to it. Interesting for me because I skipped all the steps and bought a pre-built car.
Have to say though, was really surprised when you ditched the AC? Wondered what your logic was because 11kg vs all the condensation and steaming up in the wet, and sweating my balls off in the heat, feels like too much of a compromise?
But, loads of people do it - so just wondered how you weighed it up ('scuse the pun)?
Have to say though, was really surprised when you ditched the AC? Wondered what your logic was because 11kg vs all the condensation and steaming up in the wet, and sweating my balls off in the heat, feels like too much of a compromise?
But, loads of people do it - so just wondered how you weighed it up ('scuse the pun)?
Kaveney said:
Many thanks sir and I have been enjoying reading your posts as well about your cars and the new mini track toy you now have . ( might bump in to you at bedford some time this year )
On to the logic of ditching the ac .
I will be installing a new track spec oil cooler that is much bigger than the airtec one I have been running and this sits where the ac compressor lives so it has to be removed but is one thing that I did not want to remove but there you go .
The good thing about the fiesta is that it has a heated front windscreen so that should sort any misting issues .
I will miss it on the hot days but keeping the engine happy outweighs me getting a little hot and I will just have to put up with it
Regards
Cheers mate, nice of you to say so. Your thread style is my favourite type - lots of nerdy detail and big, clear pictures. I’m also amazed with the quality of parts you pick and just how many bits you’ve found to modify! On to the logic of ditching the ac .
I will be installing a new track spec oil cooler that is much bigger than the airtec one I have been running and this sits where the ac compressor lives so it has to be removed but is one thing that I did not want to remove but there you go .
The good thing about the fiesta is that it has a heated front windscreen so that should sort any misting issues .
I will miss it on the hot days but keeping the engine happy outweighs me getting a little hot and I will just have to put up with it
Regards
The R53 has a similar challenge to you actually - but rather than the oil cooler, people regularly remove the AC in order to add a front mounted IC. A step too far for me - but I can see how a heated front screen massively reduces the downsides.
Just booked both Castle Combe and Brands Indy over the next couple of months but hopefully I’ll get to see the Fiesta in action at some point
Yes i would be with you on keeping your A/C as its not worth getting rid of it if you do not need to IMHO .
Castle combe is on my list for this year as is Brands hatch GP but think im more looking at July for a start date as the car is still in may bits with parts still to come in / go on but looking forward to getting the car back on track .
Castle combe is on my list for this year as is Brands hatch GP but think im more looking at July for a start date as the car is still in may bits with parts still to come in / go on but looking forward to getting the car back on track .
MDifficult said:
Cheers mate, nice of you to say so. Your thread style is my favourite type - lots of nerdy detail and big, clear pictures. I’m also amazed with the quality of parts you pick and just how many bits you’ve found to modify!
The R53 has a similar challenge to you actually - but rather than the oil cooler, people regularly remove the AC in order to add a front mounted IC. A step too far for me - but I can see how a heated front screen massively reduces the downsides.
Just booked both Castle Combe and Brands Indy over the next couple of months but hopefully I’ll get to see the Fiesta in action at some point
The R53 has a similar challenge to you actually - but rather than the oil cooler, people regularly remove the AC in order to add a front mounted IC. A step too far for me - but I can see how a heated front screen massively reduces the downsides.
Just booked both Castle Combe and Brands Indy over the next couple of months but hopefully I’ll get to see the Fiesta in action at some point
Another small update and more weight saving .
As the car has no rear seats to it and just a roll cage i have removed the rear speakers as the two at the front will do me fine on any long journeys .
They come in at 1.8 Kg each so that is another 3.6 Kg removed .
That makes the total removed so far 77.1Kg .
As the car has no rear seats to it and just a roll cage i have removed the rear speakers as the two at the front will do me fine on any long journeys .
They come in at 1.8 Kg each so that is another 3.6 Kg removed .
That makes the total removed so far 77.1Kg .
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