ESSENTIAL performance mods for ANY FORD FOCUS ST owner

In this video I give you the ESSENTIAL performance mods for any Ford Focus ST. These are the mods that I think should have come on the vehicle from the factory. I am going to show you what you'll need to make more horsepower, and have the car handle much better, as well as making it a lot more fun to drive!
Instagram: @rileypaynestewart
Business inquiries: [e-mail]

[@blindsight3690]

Its hard to be a car guy and broke....im still on my first mod...the intercooler 😅

[@rileypaynestewart]

I feel you too man! That’s the best first mod to have though so you’re doing it right. Better than most for sure

[@runningwildttv3648]

​@rileypaynestewart what about your Stratified tune makes you like it better? I am planning on going with Edge just because Alan puts health of the car over everything but pushes proformance to that edge. Lol.

[@patrickbenja34]

I am right there with you man... It's a grind

[@zachhays7157]

"if you wanna steal it, just break into the car, its in the glovebox" hahahahahaha

[@greecoboost]

I have a non-crackle combo tune from Stratified for 91, 93, E30, and Eco-Mode for putt-putting around town since my ST is my daily. Stratified is definitely a great option for tuning budget-wise. However, at some point I'm going to upgrade my factory turbo to the Garrett Powermax and get it tuned by Alan at Edge Autosport. Looking to make about 320hp or so. Oh yeah, and also, the Powermax makes nice spooly boy noises, too 😎

[@Jeremy-ff3jm]

I’ve had my focus St for over a year and it’s still stock, not sure what to do and this vid helped a lot, Thankyou

[@rileypaynestewart]

Awesome man! Glad to have you on the channel

[@janvanderwalt2207]

New st owner here, thanks for your content

[@rileypaynestewart]

Absolutely! Welcome to the channel:)

[@RGNightHawwk]

I got a mk6 golf 2.5l tuned to 222hp, might get a st next tho!

[@Roddy451]

The BOV is to help avoid a compressor surge when you suddenly close the throttle. If you have a low restriction filter and remove the filter assembly's top cover, you will hear the famous "stuttering" sound that many like. When this happens, it puts a lot of load on the compressor/turbine assembly of the turbo and will lead to premature turbo failure. However, some light stuttering will NOT lead to damage. You have to make sure you calibrate it according to the manufacturer. On the GFB (Go-Fast-Bits) brand, the correct adjustment is achieved when you rev the engine, the throttle closes, and the engine should not stall or stumble badly as it returns to idle. If you have the factory Ford BOV, replacing it with a better aftermarket assembly is recommended. Replacing takes patience because you have to raise the car, remove the right front wheel, and deal with a lot of clutter. A good trick on the Allen bolts is to apply some dielectric paste on the tip of the driver so that it sticks to it and doesn't fall off. Do not use the wrench to reinstall the bolts. If you get that cross threaded, you will be in for a painful thread repair. Even using a ball-end Allen driver requires a steady hand. GFB offers two types of BOVs. One allows you to adjust how loud you want the sound to be. Of course, it will cost more... Last but not least, bypass the electronically controlled BOV system with a regular intake plenum positive pressure actuation. There are threads on the boards on how to do this.

[@rileypaynestewart]

Thank you for this!

[@greecoboost]

Yeah, I had the GoFastBits DVX adjustable BOV. I had it set to 50% vent to atmosphere and 50% recirculate. Not very loud at all. Would not recommend if you want the loud "PSSSHHH" BOV noise. Also, GFB recommends running these off the factory boost solenoid and NOT running them off a true vacuum source like a symposer delete.

[@assshark5666]

I LOVE UR ST, I own a 2014 st myself and slowly trying to make it perfect for the track. I would recommend getting some better suspension if you havnt already. Bc coilovers in particular. It rlly makes it just feel much more easier to handle in corners and even when just cruising makes turns feel smoother instead of having body roll

[@rileypaynestewart]

Thank you! The car is ok BC Racing Coilovers right now

[@assshark5666]

@@rileypaynestewart literally I applaud thee 👏🏼, hope the build continues to get better and better

[@gn6311]

Keep going bruv

[@rileypaynestewart]

I'm not stopping!

[@kelvinsullivan1126]

What are your wheel and tyre specs fitment on point

[@johnpeake6653]

What area in Florida are you in? I am in Tampa area and have a 2018 st with Intercooler, tune from Edge Motorsport (performance and eco), motor mount but my favorite mod which is not performance is a rear wiper delete. Focus rear wipers are butt and getting rid of it is very cool. Like the video. Thanks

[@rileypaynestewart]

Thanks for watching! I’m in Jupiter

[@donaldcarner369]

You can't really corner your ST untill you have better swaybars... front AND rear whiteline's, eibach pro's and bilstein b-8s are especially sweet since the stock suspension is basically mush at 55-60k... and far-better (NO BOUNCE ) then somebody's entry-level coilovers. Also check ebc's signature brake pads with slotted for the car and... your big turbo will be NOTHING without upgraded charge pipes.... I went mishi cooling but may look at JBR hard pipes later for my big turbo

[@jakeducote8754]

Such a clean ST bro, Are you going to go to a big turbo eventually?

[@rileypaynestewart]

I would love to, money is the big issue for me rn though. Can’t really afford to do big mods like that yet but that’s where I’d like to go. Maybe some day! Thanks for watching:)

[@jakeducote8754]

@@rileypaynestewart Always welcome, I’m in the same boat too, I want to do big turbo eventually too, just saving up to either buy a whole transmission for mine or just rebuild it, I love theses ST’s they are practical and fun for a hopped up daily

[@rileypaynestewart]

@@jakeducote8754 very fun card for sure! Enjoy!

[@greecoboost]

@@jakeducote8754If you're going to get the transmission rebuilt, I strongly suggest spending the extra money to upgrade your syncros to the carbon syncros. They're much more robust than the factory ones.

[@salvadormunoz8922]

I bought a Mishimoto intercooler and a Roush Cold air intake, no upgraded turbo, no upgraded exhaust. Roush intake was roughly about $400 bucks. Havent installed yet, Im thinking of sending it back and invest on something else.

[@rileypaynestewart]

Yeah the intake is a little crazy and you don’t get any power from it. Like I said I think you just need a filter if anything.

[@themaker4216]

Return it and get the Cobb filter and RS style airbox lid, preferably without the RS logo so you don’t get hate. Save that money to get an access port

[@matthewgarcia7745]

I’m just trying to figure out why my car looks like a Tacioma after I had lowering springs installed

[@jeffreycastillo8386]

All you need for ford focus st & rs is in edge auto sports .

[@samintrepid]

I have order the same tire firestone 255/40/18 for my Fusion 2.0 turbo. I will intall next week on factory wheel and see if rub in the fender. I have a big turbo Garrett 2867 GEN2 with all bolt on. The car are tune to 20 psi on 91 octane and have 335 whp and run 14.3 at 99.9mph on 1/4 mile on stock tire 235/45/18. I buy the 255 and I will try to run 13.9 at 100mph because factory tire dosn't grip :)

[@davidgriggs3967]

@samintrepid 99mph 1/4 mile trap speed with stage 3 big turbo set-up. Your 60ft must be garbage , what suspension set-up have you got ?

[@samintrepid]

@@davidgriggs3967 I have the factory suspension with stock tire. The tire spin during 100 foot approximately before hook up. I will update my time when the tire will be install :)

[@davidgriggs3967]

@@samintrepid If you have coilovers , stiffen them up as much as you can.

[@davidgriggs3967]

@@samintrepid Sorry stiffen the rear ones up when you get some coilovers. Reason being the weight shift on launch and acceleration shifts the weight to the rear and lifts up on the front reducing traction. Minimising the amount it squats at the rear is critical when increasing the power on any fwd car.

[@davidgriggs3967]

@@samintrepid Really stiff rear springs will help in track work around bends for reducing understeer. When it comes to tyre's for the street/ semi slick I look for tyre review's and look for the tyre that has the worst wear rate. They make the best tyre for the street as they don't need heating to perform and grip well at street temperatures.

[@xlr8jaeger]

For the intercooler. At the very least owners should remove the shutters and the plastic covers around the bumper. My temps dropped 40 degrees and I’ve done it on 3 STs I’ve owned

[@captainhellhound7451]

Also, it looks cool as fuck

[@kelvinsullivan1126]

hey doing intercooler soon do you just zip tie the motor somewhere so it thinks its doing something

[@trustinhighley3142]

so after doing all this how much do you believe this has improved specs?

[@rileypaynestewart]

Greatly improved specs. Feels like a totally different car

[@Petr_Mir]

I would be careful building it 2nd hand because the access port gets married to the vin of the car and it the previous owner doesn’t delete it from his car you will have a useless item just a heads up

[@rileypaynestewart]

Have to by access ports unmarried. Most people sell them that way but yes that’s something to keep in mind.

[@lowbatt777]

No aftermarket header?

[@rileypaynestewart]

Nope not currently

[@jsurf511]

Im your 50th like time to straight pipe lol

[@rileypaynestewart]

I guess if I have to!

[@jsurf511]

@@rileypaynestewart where you at in FL. I'm in Orlando

[@rileypaynestewart]

@@jsurf511 Jupiter. About 2 and a half hours south of you!

[@Fordfocusstmk3250]

For a FMI, airtec or direnzo?

[@rileypaynestewart]

I don’t have experience with either of those. Personally I have a steeda. I don’t think there’s much difference between brands tbh.

[@greecoboost]

@@rileypaynestewart I believe he's asking about UK-based brands. The Focus ST is quite popular across the pond.

[@Rebecca_The_Dragon]

My car ran like crap on strat tune, tons of misses. They refused to fix it unless i paid for a revision, and i bought my accessport from them. Kinda disappointing. I wont so business with them anymore.

[@davidalmanzan412]

What was the point of the mentos cap lmaoo

[@colby8943]

you lost me when you started yapping about the mentos cap ngl

[@rileypaynestewart]

K