Pkh72
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It's been to the Mountune PixiesHah Ha Ha, LOL.
That was my reaction when i did my first 4th gear overtake after picking up the Focus after it's Mountune tweaks, quickly followed by F**k me!
Although i haven't driven any other re-mapped ST's and i only have the standard model as comparison i can confirm that the hype about this Mountune gubbins appears to be fairly well justified.
A couple of things are immediately noticable -
1) The throttle response is now very keen compared to it's previous rather lazy nature and pick up is instant.
2) Low speed driveablilty seems to be quite a bit more linear than before.
3) The boost gauge is now far more active than it previously was.
4) Overtaking power is immense, the afore mentioned 4th gear overtake after i had picked it up being a case in point. I was behind a current shape MINI on NSL country road, doing 40mph, a clear straight appeared so i left it in 4th and pinned it, i was doing 70mph in a flash and it had heaps more to come but i didn't want to be daft.
5) I can see torque steer being an issue if not treated with respect.
Overall, although i haven't driven it too far yet i'm very happy with it.
I've kept the old intercooler so i'm not sure whether to keep that as a spare or chuck it in ebay's direction.
The other nice thing is that i asked the garage not to put any of the mountune badges on it so i have them in a bag at home, which means that my car remains as understated as before.
Which is nice. 
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franki68
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Nice to see someone else take the plunge in tuning their motor,I am still amazed at the difference in my car,but the increase you get in turbocharged engines must be something else.
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Turbonutter
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Re: It's been to the Mountune Pixies | Pkh72 wrote: | Hah Ha Ha, LOL.
That was my reaction when i did my first 4th gear overtake after picking up the Focus after it's Mountune tweaks, quickly followed by F**k me!
Although i haven't driven any other re-mapped ST's and i only have the standard model as comparison i can confirm that the hype about this Mountune gubbins appears to be fairly well justified.
A couple of things are immediately noticable -
1) The throttle response is now very keen compared to it's previous rather lazy nature and pick up is instant.
2) Low speed driveablilty seems to be quite a bit more linear than before.
3) The boost gauge is now far more active than it previously was.
4) Overtaking power is immense, the afore mentioned 4th gear overtake after i had picked it up being a case in point. I was behind a current shape MINI on NSL country road, doing 40mph, a clear straight appeared so i left it in 4th and pinned it, i was doing 70mph in a flash and it had heaps more to come but i didn't want to be daft.
5) I can see torque steer being an issue if not treated with respect.
Overall, although i haven't driven it too far yet i'm very happy with it.
I've kept the old intercooler so i'm not sure whether to keep that as a spare or chuck it in ebay's direction.
The other nice thing is that i asked the garage not to put any of the mountune badges on it so i have them in a bag at home, which means that my car remains as understated as before.
Which is nice. |
I'm glad it's turned out to be what you wanted 
Engine mapping on turbos has come a long way in the last 20 years and any decent tuner can make even older turbo cars very responsive compared to how they were ( esp with a change in the turbo spec ). I know a few people on meets were quite surprised by how responsive my car was low down compared to what they perhaps expected
I can well imagine how good yours is now although I've only been in a standard ST and FRS.
The colder air at the moment doesn't do any harm either 
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"him"
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Excellent, I am glad you can notice the difference after such a short time...
Is the new intercooler much larger than the old one?
I am glad you have kept it de-badged too, oh and "Welcome to the dark side"
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Guitar Zero
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Just to be clear - there is a big difference between the Mountune conversion and a lap top ECU handjob from shitpish performance
1) It's factory sanctioned and has been developed by an established Ford partner/supplier - fit it to a new ST and the warranty is unaffected.
2) It's not just a remap - it's a package that addresses the standard car's main weakness - the inadequate standard intercooler.
3) The power and torque claims are copper bottomed minmiums
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Turbonutter
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| Guitar Zero wrote: | Just to be clear - there is a big difference between the Mountune conversion and a lap top ECU handjob from shitpish performance
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That is indeed true - when I said decent I meant people like Dave Mountain not stuff like Superchips. By the way, the guy who did mine worked for Ford Motorsport/SVE on the original Cosworth mapping/RS500s/WRC/Racing Puma - he's quite good
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DradusContact
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Re: It's been to the Mountune Pixies | Pkh72 wrote: | | The other nice thing is that i asked the garage not to put any of the mountune badges on it so i have them in a bag at home, which means that my car remains as understated as before |
Understated + Focus ST = Does not compute.
Sounds like your goind to have alot of fun, well done sir.
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Gurney
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One reason why I always treat ST's with the greatest of respect, just never know what their packing.
It isn't fair! 
Does sound a no-brainer to me, to get a factory sanction as well makes you wonder re the sanity of those who go to shitpish outfits.
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Pkh72
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Re: It's been to the Mountune Pixies | DradusContact wrote: | | Pkh72 wrote: | | The other nice thing is that i asked the garage not to put any of the mountune badges on it so i have them in a bag at home, which means that my car remains as understated as before |
Understated + Focus ST = Does not compute.
Sounds like your goind to have alot of fun, well done sir. |
I meant compared to Fanta Orange and plastered with decals, it's all relative.
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DradusContact
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True enough, yours is fairly subtle in ST terms.
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PG
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Excellent choice to keep it unbadged. The element of surprise, over others who might think that will leave you for dead, will be half the fun.
So unless you're a total exhibitionist with an unlimited tyre budget, the RS looks rather irrelevant?
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scamper
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Good work.
I've had bad experiences of Supershits. The performance gains and the way its delivered are fine when it works. Its the monkeys who do a piss poor installation which is the problem - i believe its a franchise system?
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scamper
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I've seen a few ST's with the badging - just a single small badge on the back, not in ya face at all.
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Pkh72
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| scamper wrote: | | I've seen a few ST's with the badging - just a single small badge on the back, not in ya face at all. |
They give you 2 small enamel badges and a biggish sticker.
I had thought about putting one of the enamel badges on the lower front grille but i decided to leave them off completely, i don't want to entice the yoof any more than i already do.
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scamper
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Has your premium changed, at all?
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Pkh72
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| scamper wrote: | | Has your premium changed, at all? |
Yep, i've had to move away from Morethan as they won't cover it (£325 fully comp with 20% discount for standard car) and moved to Adrian Flux (£460 fully comp).
No doubt with further shopping around i could have got it down a bit more.
Places like Admiral and Elephant have an issue with changing the intercooler and wouldn't cover it.
The daft thing with Morethan and some of the other insurers is that they will cover you for a 2008/2009 Focus referred to as a ST260 upgrade but that doesn't cover a 2006 car like mine so mine is catagorised as a modified car.
A bit bonkers really.
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scamper
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I don't get Adrian Flux. I rang them, and I got the distinct impression they were a broker in the loosest sense and just kept diverting me through to other brokers or insurance companies. In the end I just got narked with giving all my details again and again.
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TimR
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I've never had a competitive quote from Adrian Flux.
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Pkh72
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| TimR wrote: | | I've never had a competitive quote from Adrian Flux. |
They initially quoted me £575.
There is a lad from Adrian Flux that posts on Pistonheads and i told him i had a quote from Greenlight for £472 and he went away and gave me a more competitive quote.
I'll have more of a fish round in 12 months time.
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DradusContact
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Most people who use AF are stuck with them as there are few alternatives if your car is modded. Not declaring mods is the most common alternative but unwise.
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"him"
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| DradusContact wrote: | | Most people who use AF are stuck with them as there are few alternatives if your car is modded. Not declaring mods is the most common alternative but unwise. |
Indeed, especially when you need half a side of A4 to list them all on... 
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DradusContact
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| "him" wrote: | | DradusContact wrote: | | Most people who use AF are stuck with them as there are few alternatives if your car is modded. Not declaring mods is the most common alternative but unwise. |
Indeed, especially when you need half a side of A4 to list them all on... |
That sounds like a challenge
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TimR
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Do you think it would be worth notifying for a chip and intercooler change though, especially if you don't put the badges on?
If you do stack it how many assessors are going to notice the new intercooler?
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Pkh72
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| TimR wrote: | Do you think it would be worth notifying for a chip and intercooler change though, especially if you don't put the badges on?
If you do stack it how many assessors are going to notice the new intercooler? |
It's already done now.
I may omit the intercooler next year and see what the quote looks like. The chip is harder to ignore as it's not a removable one in the same was as bluefin et al.
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DradusContact
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I doubt any insurance verifiyer is going to be able to tell its been chipped. If you do crash it just make sure the ECU gets destroyed.
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Blarno
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Eeeh, I remember the days when all you had to do to get more power out of a turbo was to wind out the screw on the wastegate actuator or a bleed valve!
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