#TimeAttackFoST Build Part 5 - Modifications/Results Phase 2

So it's been a little while since I have had the chance to write an updated blog post for the Time Attack FoST! There have been a lot of changes in my absence and to be quite honest, I don't think we were expecting the TA FoST to progress this quickly! As we enter phase 2 of the time attack build, I wanted to highlight some of the major changes that the Focus has undergone or will be undergoing soon! 

Exterior

I was finally able to finish the custom wrap on the car (Woo-Hoo)! It was definitely a learning experience and a pretty big undertaking (especially for never having done this sort of thing before) that took many hours and quite a few months for me to finish (mainly due to weather and scheduling restraints). Although it isn't perfect by any means, we love how the wrap turned out and couldn't be happier with the color choice!

As if the wrap wasn't awesome enough, we had Option Lab Wheels come on as our title wheel sponsor for the Time Attack FoST. They sent us a beautiful set of their bronze R716 18x9.5 wheels to campaign for the 2017 season.These wheels are an inch and a half wider than our RPF1s, which will allow is to run a much wider tire (which should translate to faster track times as well). And because we have to run 100tw rating or higher for GTA Limited class, we decided to throw on a set of MAXXIS 275/35/18 RC1s (which measure closer to a 295 sized tire).

However, because we chose such a large tire width, we had to do a bit of body modification to get everything to fit properly. This included pulling the front fenders to allow more under-fender clearance, and rolling them to be sure that the sharp edges under the fender don't cut the tires if there does happen to be any contact with the fender. There was quite a bit of rolling that needed to be done to the rear fenders, which created somewhat of a mini flare for the rear tires. 

Aero

We added a Rally Innovations rear hatch wing to the FoST to help with rear downforce. We can't wait to try the wing out on track in the upcoming weeks to see what kind of results we get. We have a few things up our sleeve to modify the wing if deemed necessary to get a little more downforce out of it.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Walker at S3 Magazine (article coming soon!)

Our next phase 2 adventure with the car will be to fabricate some very custom aero pieces (mainly splitter and diffuser) out of a product called Alumalite. We have been told that a front splitter will be night and day difference on the car! According to the rulebooks, we are allowed to build one that protrudes out about 5 inches from the front bumper. We are also looking into building a custom air dam for the front bumper with an intercooler cut-out to help direct air around the car and into the intercooler a little better on track! I may have to do a whole separate blog article soon on our custom aero adventures!

Power Mods

So, between the last blog post and this one, the car has undergone some serious power level modifications. We installed a Garrett GTX2867 .64 turbo as well as a Stratified 2 Port Aux Fuel kit to add a little more power. We tuned the car on our dyno before installing the aux fuel and came up with 377whp and 356wtq on 93 octane (it makes an estimated 430whp and 400tq on E40 with the 2 port aux fuel kit). With this set-up, we were able to run an impressive 11.9@122.6 at the local dragstrip, making the TA FoST the 3rd fastest Focus ST in the 1/4 mile in the country! We found that the OEM clutch didn't really like drag racing at this power level, but we are pretty confident that we could have been even faster with an aftermarket clutch set-up (maybe we will try again later this year!)

As if she wasn't fast enough, we have decided to take the power modifications even further and upgrade the turbo to a GTX 2971r .64 turbo...after all, when you are competing against 500-1000 whp fwd monsters on track, it doesn't hurt to have even more power at your finger tips! (Of course, we still have to dial it back for our NASA Time Trial Events, but GTA, UTTC, and Gridlife will be even more fun with the extra horses!) Our plan is to keep the stock motor in the car until we absolutely have to replace it with a built motor.

Interior

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, we have been running the Auto Power roll bar for the Focus ST in our car for quite some time. However, as the FoST has gained a massive amount of power (especially for as light as she is), we have felt the need to install a full custom roll cage in the car for safety. With the help of some friends in Atlanta, we will be taking some time out of our racing schedule to have a full cage built and installed before Global Time Attack and the Ultimate Track Car Challenge in May.

Suspension/Drivetrain

Probably one of our favorite modifications to the FoST belongs in this category. We took the time to install a mFactory Limited Slip Differential a couple months ago. It has been a night and day transformation in the car and we couldn't recommend it enough to anyone who is participating in any sort of motorsport competition with their Focus ST! This, plus a custom tune would be our first choices in modifying the Focus ST to get it to where is should have been from the factory! 

We are currently registered to compete at the Global Time Attack/Drift Atlanta and Ultimate Track Car Challenge in May. Stay tuned for upcoming articles and results by following us on our Facebook page and Instagram account! Your not going to want to miss out on all the fun we have planned this year for the Time Attack Fost!