Fellow ST Oppos

"R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet" (r-saldana) 08/04/2015 at 13:18 • Filed to: None

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Driving questions for you lads. My wife and I commute and generally get great fuel mileage out of the ST1 (we still haven’t named her/him); but lately an mostly on hot southern days here in Nashville when I jump in the car when she picks me up and I drive us 20+ miles home the car feels sluggish. Mind you no codes, no CEL to be seen, no burning oil smell, no high temps read by the gauges but there seems to be a complete lack of boost. I don’t know if the car was tuned prior to my purchase, although I do plan on tuning it someday soon. We drive home on some back country roads with lots of twisties but he car seems very sluggish and lacking in the grunt I remember when we bought it. I am likely going to take it to Ford to have it given a once over under warranty of course, but wanted to hear of any others who may have experienced this. Also, the car’s AC really suffers when sitting still. The forums tell tales of the stock intercooler foiling everything up with the cars performance.

Gulf livery show FoST that I am digging and disliking at the same time for your time:

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:23

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yea you really want a good front mount intercooler on turbo cars when it gets warm. helps out a lot

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > TheD0k_2many toys 2little time 08/04/2015 at 13:24

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any brand/part recommendations?

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:24

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Define “great fuel mileage”....

CaptDale - is secretly British > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:25

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10/10 would buy a Gulf FoRS

Sweet Trav > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:25

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I dont know if the ST has an electronically actuated wastegate or not which may limit boost depending on inlet air temp, but my guess is, the air charge is too hot, probably from heat sink on the factory intercooler, and to avoid detonation the engine is pulling spark timing which would make the car feel gutless, as for the weak AC, yes the heatsunk IC in front of the condenser is not allowing the proper temperature differential to happen to keep the car cool while stationary. Do you use the recirculate function on the AC? even my N/A Ford Fusion AC sucks when its 90+ out and I have to use that.

Azrek > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:25

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How old is said car? I’d question if your battery was dying. I had a similar issue with my car lately.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:27

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Mountune seems to be the way to go. And you can get it through the dealership and it won’t mess with your warranty.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:29

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Sounds like heat soak, If you are talking super hot weather it’s definitely a possibility, I believe the Focus ST’s have less intercooler than they should.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:30

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Not naming your car is the right decision.

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 08/04/2015 at 13:31

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Well my fiesta gets 7.8L/100kM (30.2 MPG), which isn’t bad considering how often I give it the beans.

I should note that this is using 91 octane.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 08/04/2015 at 13:32

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generally speaking 28+ mpg sunday to sunday

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > PanchoVilleneuve ST 08/04/2015 at 13:32

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That’s where I had been planning on buying kit from, thanks for the recommend

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Sweet Trav 08/04/2015 at 13:33

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It seems like on the ST1 if you have AC on you can only have it on recirculate. I may be wrong or something may be wrong with my car...

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:34

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dont own a st so i cant give you one. i have one on my DSM and it helps a lot

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 08/04/2015 at 13:34

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At most my car is “the angry jelly bean”

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 08/04/2015 at 13:34

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I have never owned a direct injected car before, so this term “heat soak” which I have heard spoken of in passing conversation with STi an other enthusiast cars is new to me.

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:34

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What fuel are you using?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Azrek 08/04/2015 at 13:34

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2013, 29k miles

PanchoVilleneuve ST > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:36

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WAIT HOW?!

I’m hovering around 24/25.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop 08/04/2015 at 13:36

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I believe 93 octane. TN gas is typically reasonable in price

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > PanchoVilleneuve ST 08/04/2015 at 13:38

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Lol, idk man I tend to drive reasonably, especially with my wife and dog in the car. Could be something wrong with it and I am down on power and not know it.

\coming from DD-ing a land rover discovery which should have a speedo that goes to 50 and that’s it

Meaning that this car has the most power in a car I have ever owned. So i am not really sure how it should feel.

Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:38

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Ah, OK. Was wondering if your wife had been filling up with 87 before she picked you up.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Officer Jim Lahey is not a real cop 08/04/2015 at 13:40

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I usually only fill up once a week my wife does a little city driving during the day not much more than 10ish miles to the post office and back to her office and then to mine to pick me up after work.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 08/04/2015 at 13:41

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You drive a Sebring.....lol

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:43

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What?

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:45

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My car is more sluggish than usual for the first mile of a drive if it hasn’t ran in a while. I looked it up and it’s the car limiting the engine until it warms up enough. Maybe something similar here?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 08/04/2015 at 13:49

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oh wait that’s a stringbean right?

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 08/04/2015 at 13:50

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But the car is being driven everyday and my wife is driving it approximately 2 miles to my office from hers and then we drive it 20+ miles home...

Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:51

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Sure? I drive a blue Fiesta ST.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:52

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It could be any parameter causing the car to restrict power though, engine temp too high or too low, intake temp too high etc etc. Apparently it’s common these days as a reliability measure.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Sir_Stig: and toxic masculinity ruins the party again. 08/04/2015 at 13:53

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I remember that being a joke around here and laughed because of that old Will Farrel sketch about “I drive a Dodge stratus!’

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 08/04/2015 at 13:54

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much to think about I now have.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:56

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K-Roll-PorscheTamer > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 13:59

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How the living actual hell??? I can’t do better than 23...

Azrek > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 14:02

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I would do a voltage check on your battery and then check the thermostat. My battery was dying at 40k miles. It was under voltage in some areas and causing my AC to suck and my car was slower than usual. My thermostat was also stuck open.

I had the battery replaced ($650) and thermostat also replaced and it felt like I regained 20HPS immediately...I actually killed the car in the dealer’s lot. Something I haven’t done in years.

needMORv8 now with more V8 > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 14:09

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So is the boost gauge reading as no boost even when you are WOP?

If the car is really making no boost and you have 100% pedal the car *should* be setting underboost codes out the butt so that’s weird.

You could have honestly blown a boost hose off, that’s actually fairly common and sometimes will not result in an underboost code I would check that first. As for the A/C seeming weak, no idea there. My best shot at both is maybe your AGS (active grill shutters) are malfunctioning staying closed on a hot day, the car and charge temps are climbing causing it to pull power and because there is no flow to the condenser your A/C would be weak.

Also the stock intercooler isnt great but it should have no problems with a hot summer day on a spirited drive. The only time you will really have a problem is 90+degF ambients when you are really really beating on it. All of this talk of upsized intercoolers on an otherwise stock car is largely overblown unless real track time is involved.

Coty > PanchoVilleneuve ST 08/04/2015 at 14:35

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I’m at around 30.

BJ > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 14:41

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How hot is a “hot southern day”? Hot air is less dense, and in the south I’m guessing it’s also more humid. What you’re experiencing might be the laws of nature...

But this can be overcome! All that you need is a giant intercooler. Tell the wife to start saving her loose change to help pay for the massive mod storm that’s coming.

http://www.cobbtuning.com/products/stage…

nafsucof > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 15:15

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I removed my active grill shutters. They trap too much heat by protecting the radiation and intercooler from air flow. It can be removed and frees a lot of that up. It will not throw a code or check engine light either. Stock intercooler runs a lot cooler too. As far as aftermarket, the mountune is too expensive. Fswerks sells a $500 intercooler that is 100% as effective that I recommend. You aren't going to void a warranty for an aftermarket intercooler

Street Surgeon > needMORv8 now with more V8 08/04/2015 at 16:15

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Regarding the FoST intercooler, the cars have been shown to completely heat soak the factory intercooler after just a few dyno pulls which would result in the car pulling serious amounts of timing etc. It should be one of the first upgrades you perform when modifying these cars. That being said, I ran my stock FoST all day at the track and while it did pull power the car was still good, well, good as in it didn’t blow up anyway. The charged intake air temps were through the roof!

Being an Evo/DSM/GVR4 guy I chose to purchase the Buschur Racing FMIC kit for my car, that and they use genuine Garrett intercooler cores and not some cheap knockoff stuff. I never got around to installing it as I chose to leave the car alone in preparation for a trade-up to an RS.

Here’s what Buschur had to say about it:

The restrictive stock fmic showed charge air temps starting at 114 degrees F and at the end of a 4th gear pull on our Mustang Dyno it showed us an absolutely disgusting 176.85 degrees F, in a matter of a few seconds! We then dyno’d the car with our BR FMIC at the same boost level (20 psi) and found the starting air charge temps started at 122 degrees F and ended at only 127 degrees F, and incredible difference.

Anyway, if you’re interested in buying one I’d let it go for a considerable amount less than what it retails for :)

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 08/04/2015 at 17:14

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R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 08/04/2015 at 17:25

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Like I said, either lightfoot or something is wrong with my car

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Street Surgeon 08/04/2015 at 17:28

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interested for sure, have the knowledge to install it not so much.....depending on price can most likely afford it.

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > BJ 08/04/2015 at 17:28

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90+ with usually 70+% humidity

Oh she is going to love that \rolls eyes \prepares for death

R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet > Azrek 08/04/2015 at 17:29

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Is this in a FoST?

Azrek > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 20:01

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No, a BMW

pitstop_pitowski > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/04/2015 at 22:26

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Heat Soak? Our stock intercooler is barely adequate.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > PanchoVilleneuve ST 08/04/2015 at 23:22

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You have to drive conservatively and avoid stop-and-go traffic. If you cruise on highways exclusively, they get up there.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/05/2015 at 00:04

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I’m sure I could get great numbers if I drove it gently and upshifted every time the WAY TOO EAGER PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF OUR CORPORATE FUEL ECONOMY NUMBERS CHANGE GEAR! indicator told me to (Upshift at 2500? Seriously, Ford? You do realize what kind of car you built here, right?), but I get the feeling it would see it as an insult to all it stands for and in its anger break down on purpose. It wants to be hooned. It NEEDS to be hooned. If I’m not keeping the revs as close to on-boost as is possible, I feel like it’s disappointed in me.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/05/2015 at 00:16

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Mountune is legit, and they are an official racing partner for Ford. Their stuff is really high quality. A bit pricey, yes, but you get what you pay for.

I need $3200+installation for the MR300 package so, so badly.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > PanchoVilleneuve ST 08/05/2015 at 00:55

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If it wants you to upshift at 2500, you’re pretty heavy on the throttle. I rarely need to go over 2000.

The light is based on engine load. Pay attention to it, it lets you know when your engine load is going down. If you really romp on it, it won’t ask you to upshift until the load on the engine has dropped off. You’ll eventually learn when to shift to get the most energy out of your fuel, which will translate to better numbers at the gas pump. There are some special case exceptions, but not many.

I drive mine like a bat out of hell, but I don’t accelerate like it most of the time. I’d prefer to avoid tickets and get the most out of the energy input when possible, so I get most of my joy out of curves, which I can drive much faster than the vast majority of those in other cars.

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/05/2015 at 01:01

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BUT BOOST IS FUN AND THE SOUND SYMPOSER SOUNDS NEAT!

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > PanchoVilleneuve ST 08/05/2015 at 02:21

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Then don’t complain about your gas mileage...

PanchoVilleneuve ST > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/05/2015 at 03:38

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What’s it like being no fun?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > PanchoVilleneuve ST 08/05/2015 at 09:22

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Lucrative.

uofime-2 > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 08/05/2015 at 10:21

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Check with the dealer, on early WRXs of the current generation when the AC compressor ran the knock sensor thought it was knock and pulled timing, it was later fixed with a reflash, perhaps the ST’s had a similar problem.

They dealer should also be able to tell you if its sensing knock in general for some other reason too.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > R Saldana [|Oo|======|oO|] - BTC/ETH/LTC Prophet 12/27/2015 at 19:22

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TIL (technically, yesterday) that resetting the KAM will give you more power if you generally drive very conservatively. I don’t understand this, but my car has distinctly more power after they updated some firmware and reset it in the process.