Bruce

Our Ford Focus ST has undergone some radical cosmetic surgery this month, with mixed results


The jury’s still out on whether or not this has been a good month for our Focus ST. After seeing the parts that were about to be fitted to my car when I dropped it off at Ford’s press garage just before I went on holiday, I couldn’t help wondering exactly what I’d be returning to a few weeks later…
It all started when I was sent some pictures of an ST that was parked on the Ford stand at last year’s Paris motor show. A number of subtle changes had given it an impressive new stance, so I called Paul Wilson at the Ford press office to find out if the parts required for this transformation were available through the dealer network and, if so, whether it would be possible to have them fitted to our long-termer. Paul confirmed that you could indeed buy the parts seen on the show car, and kindly arranged for our ST to be so equipped while I was away sunning myself.

When I returned to the airport, my newly made-over ST was waiting outside for me, and I was pleased with the result. The new wheels, which have the same design as the originals but are two inches bigger, didn’t look too out of place, and the new skirts, front and rear splitters and rear spoiler made the ST appear different, but in a positive way.



I’ve been home for a couple of weeks now, and life with the ST has been quite different. Now I’m rolling on twenties my ‘homies’ give me full ‘speck’, calling my car ‘sick’. Oh, and my fillings are on the verge of falling out!
I must have been numbed to the bone by the 24-hour flight when I first drove the ST home on its new wheels, because the ride didn’t seem so bad. But I’ve since discovered that I have to avoid ruts, kerbs and generally anything more than a snail’s height on the road. The tyre noise has also doubled and I have no idea what speed I’m doing as the wheels seem to have changed the gearing, leaving the speedo inaccurate.

On the positive side, other ST owners have been extremely complimentary about our car’s new look, the general consensus being that although the wheels are too big, the extra body parts should have been standard on the ST to make it stand out more from lesser Focuses.

My next task is to see if the new wheels have made any difference to the ST’s track speed. All in the name of science, of course.

EVO Statistics

Date acquired: July 2006
Total mileage: 28,438
Mileage this month:2,209
Costs this month:£2,863 (body kit, wheels and tyres)
MPG this month: 23.8mpg

I love this thing.. bloody shame we don't get them in NA

Curb Zone

 

MikeJ

Great car, but those wheels were a mistake.

Curb Zone