TUNER’S CHOICE
In the fast-paced modern world where everything seems to be streamed ‘live’ and online across the million different social media platforms we frequent, it’s all too easy for the important and useful information we crave to get lost and tangled up with all the chaff and click-bait we don’t.
Performance tuning advice is no different; yes there is some fantastic advice on offer from reputable sources online, but before you can compare one specialist’s suggestions with another, you realise you’ve been side-tracked, too busy looking at which celebrities have got fat or placed an order for some tat that you didn’t really want or need.
Fear not, though. As a good old-fashioned magazine we’re able to take the old-school approach; we’ve picked up the phone and pinged off several emails to some of the biggest names in the fast Ford scene and asked them for their tuning suggestions, which we have then compiled in one place for you to directly compare to see which is right for you.
We asked the tuners to give us their suggestions for three of the most popular ST models: the Mk2 Focus ST(225), the Mk7 Fiesta ST(180) and the Mk8 Fiesta ST(200). We then told them they had to assume the car was factory-standard and in good overall health, and asked what modifications they would recommend for a small budget of just £500. Then we asked what they’d suggest if they had £1500 to spend. Finally, we asked what a full £5000 would get you.
The results make for some very interesting reading; there are contrasts and similarities along the way, but the most impressive thing for us is seeing just how easy it is to make genuine performance improvements to any of these models regardless of budget.
So, from £500 to £5000, here’s what the tuner’s recommend for your cash…
TUNING THE: MK2 FOCUS ST(225)
COLLINS PERFORMANCE
01260 279604
£500
“For a little bit more than £500 you can skip straight past the entry-level packages and into the CP2 software. The software costs £360 but also requires a Stage 1 intercooler upgrade at £250. This takes us a little over budget, but the 320bhp-plus the CP2 delivers is well worth the extra £100.”
£1500
“Now we can build on the foundations of the CP2 package we laid down with our first £500. The next £1000 would see us suggest a Mongoose cat-back exhaust (£685) and a closed
