Sad to see it go. I put a lot of time and money into this car and I absolutely loved driving it. I loved working on it. It was the first car I modified. I was able to salvage my wheels and luckily there’s not a scratch on them. Everything else gone, had to sell the car to a junkyard. Lot of money gone but hey it happens to the best of us.
This is my first manual car, and honestly, I don't think I could've picked a more fun one. There's just something about actually having to drive the car that makes even a boring trip to work way more entertaining.
The aftermarket support for these cars is absolutely ridiculous. Mine is basically FBO, and somehow I still have a giant list of things I want to do to it. Apparently owning a Focus ST means you're never actually "done" modifying it.
The way this car feels is probably my favorite part.
I've never felt this connected to a car before. Being able to row through the gears, hear the turbo spool, the BOV, the exhaust, and all the other questionable noises it makes... it's just addictive. I genuinely don't think those noises are ever going to get old.
It also seems surprisingly easy to work on. Most of my hands-on experience came from working on my old Toyota, so I'm still learning as I go. So far l've done basic maintenance (fluids, filters, plugs), a purge valve, sway bar links, and a short shifter arm
— all with basic hand tools and no crazy equipment.
Definitely gives me more confidence to tackle bigger jobs down the road.
And of course, the hatchback practicality is the cherry on top. It's fun when I want it to be, comfortable enough to daily, and I can still throw a bunch of crap in the back.
Man, this car is sick.
Anyone recommend a good dashcam? Would like one that tucks behind the rear view and easy to install
Well, car started right up this morning no hesitation. Idled fine for 7-10 min and then drove fine.
I’d still like to start troubleshooting this problem
I got my car used and it came with a pretty kickass warranty. I like wrenching on my cars but I’d also like to utilize as much of the warranty as I could. With that being said I really don’t want my car to sit in the shop for weeks. I drive it every day.
Also want to mention I don’t have an AP, and my car is tuned ( I think by stratified ) but not sure by who. I plan on getting an AP soon, but you know, monies.
I have a small cheap handheld obd2 reader so I can see things like my short term & long term fuel trims FR psi, EVAP psi.
Bought this car already modded to oblivion…. Is this the stock downpipe? If not is it catted or Catless? There is a small bulge after the flex pipe. But I also smell burnt gas sometimes at red lights but I always assumed it was the burble tune
Going to swap out both driver side and passenger side after work. The ones from MOOG suspension work fine?
I’ve had my ST about a month now. I love this car so much. Daily driving and getting a good feel for it, I would love tips on how to drive this car better. Maybe I just need to keep practicing. It being my first manual I have literally nothing to compare this to. I’ve gotten pretty good at taking off(lot of stop and go traffic where I live)
My 1st - 2nd shift needs work, I’ve been told to rev first gear out to 3000ish rpm before shifting but idk if that really helps, but shifting before 3000 makes first feel super short. My car came with a tune and the shift light has been disabled via tune, even though I’ve heard to ignore it anyway. I regularly shift around 2500 - 3000 when driving normally, I try to cruise around 2k. But sometimes I find myself riding 2nd gear around 3k rpm in light traffic with the fear of lugging the car in 3rd.
If I’m doing a pull I’ll rev up to 4500 - 5k before shifting. Can I or should I be taking it closer to redline or even to redline on a pull?
Also any tips on rev match downshifting? My downshifts are super clear in every gear except 3rd - 2nd. I can’t seem to get that one down. I try to never downshift into 1st.
Any input, opinions, feedback all helpful and appreciated!
Did some maintenance on my ST over the weekend.
Spark plugs were easy (just like any 4 banger) old ones weren’t terrible but I replaced them with step colder plugs gapped at “0.28
Also did a drain and fill with transmission fluid and I’m glad I did because the old fluid looked nasty.
I used Motul multi dctf,
getting the drain plug loose was pretty easy, but that fill plug… bane of my existence. almost stripped it, bloodied my knuckles and it only took 40 minutes to get cracked loose!
I used I fluid transfer pump from autozone to get the new fluid in, took about 1.7 liters before it started overflowing out of the fill plug.
Lastly I swapped out the Cobb shifter plate and stock shifter arm for a Torque Solutions short shifter arm. I set the throw to 25% reduction and I love it.
Took me over an hour, lots of penetrating oil and a trip to Home Depot to get that pin out of the stock arm😂
Car is running great with the new plugs, and shifts like butter.
Those that were following with my 3rd gear problem, it’s gone away since I’ve done this work. Thank you for everyone’s tips, recommendations and opinions!
Does anyone have one these installed that can help me? No instructions, but installation seems pretty simple. But if someone could explain the different holes. They’re labeled 1-4 and assuming theyre different throw positions, i dont know which is which. Im replacing the POS cobb shifter plate with this and i have the shifter plate set to 40%
Also if anyone has any tips for getting that pin out of the stick shifter arm I’d appreciate it. I know you gotta hammer it out with a pin but mines in bad shape and rusted. Any tips help
She’s got 126k miles
AWE track cat back exhaust
Roush intake
Turbosmart blow off valve
Mishimoto intercooler
Torque solutions shifter arm
Godspeed lowering springs
Rotiform wheels
Boomba wing riser
LED smoked tails
RS steering wheel
The dumbass canards on the front gotta go, just need to figure out what to do with the holes that were drilled into the bumper that’s holding them on.
Still need to do a few cosmetic things like tints, rain guards on the windows) paint the intercooler (if anyone has any experience or tips doing that I’d appreciate)
My ST has 126k miles and I want to give it a tune up. I changed the oil already.
I got these 1-step colder spark plugs.
And this trans oil was highly recommended.
Anything else I should get to ensure I keep my car happy and healthy?
I did the neutral rest, 3rd is still clunky sometimes. Hoping my synchro isn’t cooked and this will help. I’m also going to change trans fluid.
Wanna thank everyone who chimed in and helped me out. Love this car and this community is awesome and I’m glad to be apart of it❤️
Does that seem like a normal amount of play? I explained what’s going on with my third gear in previous post. Basically it’s sounds really mechanical and clunky when I’m driving and I shift into 3rd gear.
Learning manual on this car, have had it a little over a week. When I’m driving and shift from 2nd -3rd it kind of “clunks” into third gear. It’s not really hard to get it in gear, there’s no grinding or noise after it’s in gear. It sounds very mechanical when shifting into 3rd. More mechanical than the other gears. Is this normal? Is something going wrong? What should I look for / check? There’s a COBB shifter plate installed on the car as well.
I’ve had my ST for a week and I see a lot of people with STs have em. I know they’re used for tuning but would it useful and helpful if I was gonna keep it stock?
Should I look on marketplace and get a used one or should I buy brand new from Cobb?
Got into a 2016 ST3 last week, came with a few mods (BOV, Intake, cat back)
It’s literally the most fun I’ve had in my 26 years of living. I got the car with no stick shift experience besides watching videos, and told myself I had to get it home and I did. Stalled it 4 times but we made it.
I’m getting the hang of it after a week, still need to work on taking off smoother, and 1st to 2nd.
I love this car so much. I wanted a manual car to feel more engaged and in control and this checks every box. It’s mechanical, raw. You feel the boost. It’s kick ass!
Anyone have any tips on driving these cars for someone learning
Maintenance tips as well! I’m no mechanic, but I’m mechanically inclined, and very able to learn from YouTube. Thanks!
Picked up this 2016 st3 today as my first manual car!
(Don’t mind the mess the dealership owes me a detail)
Tastefully modified by previous owner but well taken care of.
Mods:
Rousch air intake (with snorkel)
AWE track catback exhaust
Rotiform wheels
Turbo smart BOV
Anyone have any tips or pointers? First time ST owner and first time manual owner. I’m happy with the mods, I’m probably gonna pick up an access port.
Going to do a few things cosmetically to make it “mine”
If anyone can steer my in the right direction I’d be grateful. Any tips when buying an st
Just ordered this for my 07. Stock tach is so minimal, doesn’t even show RPMS.
Gonna plant this right behind the steering wheel like the stock tachometer should have been located😂
Anyone else put extra gauges in their Yaris to get that extra engine info?
I’m 26 years old, have had my license a little over year. I drive a 2007 Toyota Yaris and I’m paying $167 per month for insurance with The General. I live in Philadelphia PA, and have 0 accidents. Does that sounds right?