Tuesday, July 10, 2018

Ford Fiesta ST - Turbo Upgrade, Downpipe, and Custom Tune!

We just recently had a clients Ford Fiesta ST in for some fun upgrades, including a new turbo! The owner had purchased a Puma Speed X-47R upgraded turbo unit, along with a downpipe and the associated hardware needed for this swap. We laid out the parts we had on hand to inspect the components and ensure there were no issues, then we got to work!





The turbo is in a very inaccessible spot on the Ford Focus and Fiesta ST, so there is quite a bit that needs to be removed to access that area. First the engine cover, intake, and intercooler tubes need to be removed to access the top bolt on the downpipe/turbo. Once those are removed, then it's time to remove the undercovers and get to the hardware underneath the engine. They don't make it easy...



With the stock downpipe removed, the turbo and manifold can be removed as one assembly. We then separate the exhaust manifold from the stock turbo, and install the new turbo onto the manifold with new studs and nuts. The turbo and manifold need to be installed as one unit, since the top nuts can't be accessed once it is all in place in the engine bay.  Before going into the car we installed a Turbosmart wastegate actuator onto the turbo, this has a stiffer spring and allows for more boost. That whole assembly goes back into the car, with new gaskets and hardware and we torque everything in place!



Next up we installed a new high flow downpipe in place of the stock restrictive pipe. This will alleviate a lot of back-pressure and allow for more power to be extracted from the engine. New hardware and gaskets in place, we buttoned up the exhaust and started to re-assemble everything. The new downpipe is 3" and uses a flat style flange, the OEM catback is about 2.5" and uses a donut style flange. To try and ensure there is no leak here, we use both a donut style and 3" gasket.  Otherwise the standard 3" gasket has a very small surface area to seal and will often burn right through after only a few miles of use. 


This downpipe uses a 3" flat flange, while the stock catback is a 2.5" flange that uses a donut style gasket. You need to use both gaskets for a decent seal, but a 3" catback would be ideal.


Once the engine bay as re-assembled we flashed a new map on the car using a Cobb Accessport with a custom basemap for the new upgrades. We verified the new map and then and handed the keys back to the owner for some serious fun!

OEM turbo and downpipe removed. You can see just how restrictive the factory downpipe is!
These are very cool little cars that don't weigh much and with a few upgrades can be seriously fun. Lightweight sporty cars are few and far between these days!



Circuit Motorsports is a performance auto shop located in Orlando, Florida.  We specialize in performance upgrades, ECU tuning, engine builds, and fabrication - we are also a Cobb Tuning certified Protuner. If you are interested in performance upgrades or a full build consultation contact us today!



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