Common as muck - Fiesta ST to M140i
Discussion
2 cars that seem to crop up very regularly on here!
I've had many, many cars since the late 80s when I started driving but the common theme amongst them is probably that they were mostly hatchbacks and varying degrees of heat.
Latest in the line was my Fiesta which I bought new in 2016 and modified over the next couple of years (CP2 package, Mountune shocks and springs, full poly-bushed plus a heap more) my intention being to take it to somewhere around 320bhp at some point. I never did take the power past the 230ish from the Collins map but with the suspension and bushes it really was a fantastic car to punt down an interesting road. Whatever their image or what you might think of them in my view they deserve to be on anyone's list of great hot (as opposed to mega) hatches.
Earlier this year I thought I better make a decision as to what to do car wise - Mrs Moose did not like the harshness and NVH of the Fiesta so I wagered would be pretty happy with a change to something a little quieter. In an ideal world I'd have kept the Fiesta and got an MX5 with BBR bits as well but I just couldn't justify having 2 cars considering the miles I do now. So I thought about scratching a 140 itch I've had for a while.
Here was the Fiesta on the day of sale:
I figured on keeping whatever I purchased for 4-5 years before replacing at which point no doubt something electric with no gears will be the sensible option so my desired spec for the 140 was 3 door, manual gearbox and one of the last pre-ppf builds. I was more interested in big engine, small car, manual gearbox than most people's choice of auto, pro-nav etc etc. I really wanted one of these before they are a thing of the past, but still relatively new.
A bit of searching and this March 2018 3 door, manual Shadow Edition became mine:
Now I knew the standard suspension was bad and would never be like a go-kart but honestly it was awful. Truly awful. So I took an expensive trip to these guys for their suspension, spacers and LSD package:
I can only assume the "preparation" by BMW of the car was a cursory wash followed by submerging the whole thing into a vat of wax and not bothering to wipe it off so I booked it in for a paint correction and ceramic coating at a local place:
The Birds suspension and Quaiffe diff are superb. Not much, if any, worsening of ride quality but absolutely transformational for the drive. No more bouncing, bucking bronco just a connected, planted feeling that really encourages and rewards some commitment from the driver.
And of course, encourages the quest for more power
So as a "stopgap" while I pondered stage 2 I flashed it with Vudu stage 1, transferred my plate and drove it to head office:
And promptly received a NIP in the post from my drive back down the M5 to home. Sigh. So stage 2 is on hold while I await confirmation of the size of the fine. That aside - Mrs Moose is happy, the dog is happy (albeit was sick the 1st time he went in it - mental note not to demonstrate 0-60 to him again) and I'm happy with my "last of it's type" new purchase.
Future plans are to change the budget tyres BMW fitted to it(!) at the end of summer and the aforementioned stage 2 as long as I can do that without making it tooo noisy.
Less happy that I seem to have copied everyone else on here by either having or having had an ST and a 140 recently
I've had many, many cars since the late 80s when I started driving but the common theme amongst them is probably that they were mostly hatchbacks and varying degrees of heat.
Latest in the line was my Fiesta which I bought new in 2016 and modified over the next couple of years (CP2 package, Mountune shocks and springs, full poly-bushed plus a heap more) my intention being to take it to somewhere around 320bhp at some point. I never did take the power past the 230ish from the Collins map but with the suspension and bushes it really was a fantastic car to punt down an interesting road. Whatever their image or what you might think of them in my view they deserve to be on anyone's list of great hot (as opposed to mega) hatches.
Earlier this year I thought I better make a decision as to what to do car wise - Mrs Moose did not like the harshness and NVH of the Fiesta so I wagered would be pretty happy with a change to something a little quieter. In an ideal world I'd have kept the Fiesta and got an MX5 with BBR bits as well but I just couldn't justify having 2 cars considering the miles I do now. So I thought about scratching a 140 itch I've had for a while.
Here was the Fiesta on the day of sale:
I figured on keeping whatever I purchased for 4-5 years before replacing at which point no doubt something electric with no gears will be the sensible option so my desired spec for the 140 was 3 door, manual gearbox and one of the last pre-ppf builds. I was more interested in big engine, small car, manual gearbox than most people's choice of auto, pro-nav etc etc. I really wanted one of these before they are a thing of the past, but still relatively new.
A bit of searching and this March 2018 3 door, manual Shadow Edition became mine:
Now I knew the standard suspension was bad and would never be like a go-kart but honestly it was awful. Truly awful. So I took an expensive trip to these guys for their suspension, spacers and LSD package:
I can only assume the "preparation" by BMW of the car was a cursory wash followed by submerging the whole thing into a vat of wax and not bothering to wipe it off so I booked it in for a paint correction and ceramic coating at a local place:
The Birds suspension and Quaiffe diff are superb. Not much, if any, worsening of ride quality but absolutely transformational for the drive. No more bouncing, bucking bronco just a connected, planted feeling that really encourages and rewards some commitment from the driver.
And of course, encourages the quest for more power
So as a "stopgap" while I pondered stage 2 I flashed it with Vudu stage 1, transferred my plate and drove it to head office:
And promptly received a NIP in the post from my drive back down the M5 to home. Sigh. So stage 2 is on hold while I await confirmation of the size of the fine. That aside - Mrs Moose is happy, the dog is happy (albeit was sick the 1st time he went in it - mental note not to demonstrate 0-60 to him again) and I'm happy with my "last of it's type" new purchase.
Future plans are to change the budget tyres BMW fitted to it(!) at the end of summer and the aforementioned stage 2 as long as I can do that without making it tooo noisy.
Less happy that I seem to have copied everyone else on here by either having or having had an ST and a 140 recently
Nice, I think with a manual box, the suspension changes and the diff they have potential as a drivers car that isnt realised in a standard one, certainly not the auto for me.
I went the other way, not regretted it, its booked in for the 300 plus bhp package at Collins on the 25th.
Seems to be a common pairing one way or another, the BMW is a much nicer daily if doing any mileage.
I went the other way, not regretted it, its booked in for the 300 plus bhp package at Collins on the 25th.
Seems to be a common pairing one way or another, the BMW is a much nicer daily if doing any mileage.
Another vote for birds suspension and lsd on their M140i. Transformed the car into something much more pleasant to cruise around in but also give it 10/10ths without it losing any composure. Not cheap but the car is a keeper so worth it IMO.
I also wanted a manual and test drove one, just wasn’t my cup of tea unfortunately. Plus I spend a lot of time on the motorway so 8 ratios does wonders for mpg. But each to their own and completely agree that its certainly a last of its kind. The B58 engine is just fantastic too.
I also wanted a manual and test drove one, just wasn’t my cup of tea unfortunately. Plus I spend a lot of time on the motorway so 8 ratios does wonders for mpg. But each to their own and completely agree that its certainly a last of its kind. The B58 engine is just fantastic too.
Edited by J51dhu on Monday 14th June 23:56
J4CKO said:
Nice, I think with a manual box, the suspension changes and the diff they have potential as a drivers car that isnt realised in a standard one, certainly not the auto for me.
I went the other way, not regretted it, its booked in for the 300 plus bhp package at Collins on the 25th.
Seems to be a common pairing one way or another, the BMW is a much nicer daily if doing any mileage.
I've been following your thread with interest - really keen to know your thoughts on the CP4. I can't praise the ST enough - such a good drivers car and with 230ish there wasn't often where I felt it needed more, and I was concerned going different turbo would give it more lag.I went the other way, not regretted it, its booked in for the 300 plus bhp package at Collins on the 25th.
Seems to be a common pairing one way or another, the BMW is a much nicer daily if doing any mileage.
I can't praise the Birds kit enough - totally, totally transforms the car.
J51dhu said:
Another vote for birds suspension and lsd on their M140i. Transformed the car into something much more pleasant to cruise around in but also give it 10/10ths without it losing any composure. Not cheap but the car is a keeper so worth it IMO.
I also wanted a manual and test drove one, just wasn’t my cup of tea unfortunately. Plus I spend a lot of time on the motorway so 8 ratios does wonders for mpg. But each to their own and completely agree that its certainly a last of its kind. The B58 engine is just fantastic too.
So far I'm getting 31mpg which I'm pleasantly surprised with, about 8 less than the ST and performance on another level I also wanted a manual and test drove one, just wasn’t my cup of tea unfortunately. Plus I spend a lot of time on the motorway so 8 ratios does wonders for mpg. But each to their own and completely agree that its certainly a last of its kind. The B58 engine is just fantastic too.
Edited by J51dhu on Monday 14th June 23:56
My son in law has one with the auto and it is brilliant.
Nice to see a 3 door! Great bits of kit, i splattered mine with Burger stuff, it went really well, but at high speed it felt a bit sketchy. I drove 500+ miles to the ‘ring in one hit and it was comfy and fast.
I sold it a couple of years ago and still look at 135/140’s fondly.
Keep the thread updated!
I sold it a couple of years ago and still look at 135/140’s fondly.
Keep the thread updated!
mooseracer said:
J4CKO said:
Nice, I think with a manual box, the suspension changes and the diff they have potential as a drivers car that isnt realised in a standard one, certainly not the auto for me.
I went the other way, not regretted it, its booked in for the 300 plus bhp package at Collins on the 25th.
Seems to be a common pairing one way or another, the BMW is a much nicer daily if doing any mileage.
I've been following your thread with interest - really keen to know your thoughts on the CP4. I can't praise the ST enough - such a good drivers car and with 230ish there wasn't often where I felt it needed more, and I was concerned going different turbo would give it more lag.I went the other way, not regretted it, its booked in for the 300 plus bhp package at Collins on the 25th.
Seems to be a common pairing one way or another, the BMW is a much nicer daily if doing any mileage.
I can't praise the Birds kit enough - totally, totally transforms the car.
Saw a video of a 300 ish bhp Fiesta on YT, doing 100 to 200 kmh in 11 ish seconds, which I didnt think sounded that fast but looking at comparable stuff, its plenty quick enough.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDUyeNg3H8k
Sounds like I should have invested / persevered with mine.
The disconnected feeling in the chassis ultimately wore thin, especially on fun drives. In my head I didn’t want to chuck loads of cash at it because that was my deposit on an M2 in the future. My replacement car has Birds suspension and it’s really bloody good.
The disconnected feeling in the chassis ultimately wore thin, especially on fun drives. In my head I didn’t want to chuck loads of cash at it because that was my deposit on an M2 in the future. My replacement car has Birds suspension and it’s really bloody good.
Court_S said:
Sounds like I should have invested / persevered with mine.
The disconnected feeling in the chassis ultimately wore thin, especially on fun drives. In my head I didn’t want to chuck loads of cash at it because that was my deposit on an M2 in the future. My replacement car has Birds suspension and it’s really bloody good.
It is a bit of a balancing act for sure - "you could have had an M2 for that" is hard to argue against.The disconnected feeling in the chassis ultimately wore thin, especially on fun drives. In my head I didn’t want to chuck loads of cash at it because that was my deposit on an M2 in the future. My replacement car has Birds suspension and it’s really bloody good.
If you get bored with your (lovely) 130 then feel free to pop round and lavish some attention on mine
This line from the Autocar review of the Birds package pretty much sums it up "How does it all feel? In a word: wow."
And this summary no doubt got M2 owners frothing: "Altogether, it’s not an insignificant sum, but the result is a car damn near as quick and exciting as the M2 Competition and, whisper it, more balletic on the road and certainly more usable, so it’s money well spent. M140i owners, form an orderly queue."
Of course, spend the same on an M2 and you are at a different level again.
A bit of a thread bump as the car has been with me for 2 years now.
When looking for the car my criteria were quite different from the norm in that I wanted a 3 door, manual, late LCI2 but pre-PPF and not the far more commonly desired 5 door, auto & pro-nav. I'm happy with that still and the only thing I really wish it had is memory seats!
Current status of the car is:
Birds suspension
Quaiffe ATB diff
550i clutch
Wagner sports cat
TU HPFP
MHD Stage 2+ tune
I've listed the mods in the order of importance (imho). With the standard suspension it couldn't cope with standard power, with the Birds setup and diff it really did beg for more and copes just fine. At no point does it feel unruly or like it has too much power for the chassis.
I'm not planning any further power upgrades - M3/4 LCAs will most likely make an appearance at some point though.
In my 2 years I've done 22,000 miles and nothing has gone wrong (I wouldn't expect it to) and now sits at just over 50,000 miles. It does daily short runs mixed with a one or two longer 200 mile trips a month. It has real poke now but remains refined on the motorway.
The only thing I quite fancy changing it for would be a C63 estate but I have no imminent plans to do that.
Freshly cleaned for it's birthday
When looking for the car my criteria were quite different from the norm in that I wanted a 3 door, manual, late LCI2 but pre-PPF and not the far more commonly desired 5 door, auto & pro-nav. I'm happy with that still and the only thing I really wish it had is memory seats!
Current status of the car is:
Birds suspension
Quaiffe ATB diff
550i clutch
Wagner sports cat
TU HPFP
MHD Stage 2+ tune
I've listed the mods in the order of importance (imho). With the standard suspension it couldn't cope with standard power, with the Birds setup and diff it really did beg for more and copes just fine. At no point does it feel unruly or like it has too much power for the chassis.
I'm not planning any further power upgrades - M3/4 LCAs will most likely make an appearance at some point though.
In my 2 years I've done 22,000 miles and nothing has gone wrong (I wouldn't expect it to) and now sits at just over 50,000 miles. It does daily short runs mixed with a one or two longer 200 mile trips a month. It has real poke now but remains refined on the motorway.
The only thing I quite fancy changing it for would be a C63 estate but I have no imminent plans to do that.
Freshly cleaned for it's birthday
I went similar direction as you with suspension first then power.
Did you have any issues with the clutch or change just incase? I’m stage 3 and wonder how long it will last but others seem to be running much more power on standard clutch.
I went the other way of what you’re thinking of c63 to m140, I preferred the m140 in every way except space inside and noise, but also still have an itch for another v8!
Did you have any issues with the clutch or change just incase? I’m stage 3 and wonder how long it will last but others seem to be running much more power on standard clutch.
I went the other way of what you’re thinking of c63 to m140, I preferred the m140 in every way except space inside and noise, but also still have an itch for another v8!
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