All show and all go – this sweet ST
packs 300bhp of supercharged shove.
Wheel Deal
Andy also invested in a set of AP coil
overs, which he realised would be required for wider wheels. For Andy, there
was really only one option: big, beefy Escort Cosworth rims at a bargain basement
price. He grins, “I got a good deal on them. A garage on Auto Trader had taken
a Fiesta ST as a part exchange, which had standard high suspension and these
wheels – it looked ridiculous on 16s rather than standard 17s. I swapped them
with my wheels plus $254, and the dealer was well happy – he probably wondered
why I was giving him money!
“We
believe Ford customers will be blown away by the new Fiesta ST, and not only by
the exhilarating performance but by the styling and specification, too.
“But it’s really hard to get hold of
genuine Cossie rims, and they’re worth $1,697 in good condition. They needed
refurbishing, so I had them done in dark anthracite. I changed them again for
this year’s show season because I wanted something to stand out. They’re a Fiat
burgundy red, and look great when the sun hits them.”
Andy had already worked out that his new
alloys would fit without modifying the Fiesta’s wheel arches, as long as he
sticks to stretched 195/40x16 tyres and doesn’t drop the APs down to their
lowest 70mm setting. “I reckon they’re about 50mm,” he says. “The fronts catch
slightly if it bottoms out, but it doesn’t rub on the rears, even with
spacers.”
Blown Away
Feeling happier with his car’s handling,
Andy could at last begin the push for more power. And last year’s Ford Fair was
where the decision was sealed. Andy remembers, “I saw Jamsport’s supercharged
Fiestas going past RSs on track. I wanted one!
Ford
Fair is Europe’s biggest and best Ford festival and after very successful 2013
we are busy planning to make Ford Fair 2014 just as special.
“I considered a turbo but the standard
block is not the most solid, so I decided the supercharger would be safer and
more powerful.
“I went straight for Jamsport’s stage 2.5
upgrade because I already had an Auto Specialists inlet manifold and a set of
Cosworth camshafts. It’s a Rotrex centrifugal supercharger, and without the
manifold makes about 250bhp. Stage 2.5 also has a smaller pulley to run 11psi
boost, and I had the cams fitted the same day – it wouldn’t have made 300bhp
without them.”
Sure enough, Andy’s Fiesta pulled 301bhp
and 264lb/ft torque on Jamsport’s rolling road, doubling the standard output in
a day’s work. “It was a good drive home,” smiles Andy. “It sounds a lot more
aggressive – you can hear air roaring in when you put your foot down – and it’s
like driving a very quick normally-aspirated car. The supercharger only whines
at high revs but you can feel the power all the way to 8000rpm.
“On a long airfield straight it pulls
easily up to 120mph and has lots more to give.” Andy was understandably chuffed
with the entire package, giving on-demand performance combined with the
docility of an everyday driver from autumn through to spring. Right until
disaster struck.
The
supercharger only whines at high revs but you can feel the power all the way to
8000rpm.
Andy groans, “It started using shedloads of
oil. It pretty much burned two litres in a day, so something was seriously
wrong. But supercharging is a calculated risk – the engine was on 68,000 miles,
and the aluminium block gets pretty hot. Upping the power from 150bhp to 301bhp
is asking a lot.”
A standard rebuild would have been a simple
solution, as would replacing the engine with a second-hand unit. But for Andy,
only one option made sense: Jamsport’s forged bottom end with ported cylinder
head. This car is for keeps, after all.
