Lethal Performance embarks on a Focus ST project with Ford Racing’s FR1 Power Package
By Steve Turner
If you haven’t taken the time to drive a Focus ST, you should give it a try. Yes, a Focus doesn’t offer the massive grunt of a supercharged V-8, but it does deliver a spirited, torquey powerband and it handles like a go-cart. If you are looking for a fun commuter, we can’t recommend one highly enough.
New Fords don’t stay stock long when the crew at Lethal Performance buys them. However, this 2014 Focus ST did stay stock long enough for a baseline run at Power by the Hour in Boynton Beach, Florida, before getting Lethalized. Squirt put down 245.73 horsepower and 288.88 lb-ft of torque.
Of course, whether a Focus ST is your primary project or your daily go-to ride, we know you wouldn’t leave it stock. (We sure didn’t.) As you might guess, when Lethal Performance picked up a 2014 Focus ST project and named it Squirt, it wasn’t going to remain stock for long either. Fortunately the company waited long enough for us to come down and document Squirt’s deflowering at Power by the Hour in Boynton Beach, Florida.
“We’ve been following the growth of the EcoBoost market and the newest offerings from Ford and really liked what we saw,†Jared Rosen of Lethal Performance explained. “Small, light cars with turbocharged engines just seems like something we couldn’t pass up on.â€
This is what we like to see when we show up at a shop—a stock car and a pile of go-fast parts getting ready to join forces. On the table in front of Team Lethal’s 2014 Focus ST is Ford Racing’s 2013-2014 Focus ST FR1 Power Package (PN M-FR1-FST) and Ford Racing’s 2013-2014 Focus ST Short-Throw Shifter (PN M-7210). There are a few parts there for Part 2, but you’ll have wait a little while to read the next installment. Patience is a virtue.
To embark on this project, Team Lethal opted to kick off the project with a selection of gear from Ford Racing. The factory performance division has handily put together a well-rounded group of power enhancers in its 2013-2014 Focus ST Power Upgrade Package (PN M-FR1-FST). It includes a cold-air intake, a Cat-Back exhaust, a set of colder spark plugs, and an enhanced calibration.
“As we started looking into EcoBoost mods we decided, “Who would know this car better than Ford itself?†Jared said. “So Ford Racing Performance Parts is where we turned. Our good friends Jesse Kershaw and Wayne Geoffrey were quick to show us support and shipped us a Power Package, which includes Ford Racing’s cold-air intake, ProCal Tuner and Cat-Back exhaust system.â€
Obviously this was a great choice, as the Ford Racking package really enhanced the performance of the Lethal ST across the entire power band. Though it didn’t provide massive peak power, it did offer substantial improvements under the curve. Moreover, the torque gains were massive.
The Ford Racing shifter is a completely new shifter with an upgraded mechanism. It is said to decrease the shift throw by 18 percent, and it comes complete right down to the handle and boot. Of course, this means you have to remove the center console. As such, Power by the Hour’s Harvey Hutch gets down do business by popping off the outer trim.
“I’m definitely impressed,†Jared enthused. “From the factory the stock car felt quick, but I knew some mods would really wake this thing up. Once I saw the huge increase in torque and power it gained from the Ford Racing parts I was super excited to take the car out for a thrashing.â€
In addition to the power package, Lethal wisely opted to replace the factory shifter with Ford Racing’s 2013-2014 Focus ST short-throw shifter (M-7210-FST). It was a wise choice, because the stock shifter is vague and flimsy at best. The shorter Ford Racing unit offered a vast improvement in precision and feel.
“The car drives just as well as it did stock but with way more pep,†Jared said. “Once you put the pedal down it just pulls and pulls, putting you right back into the seat.â€
Now, given the header at the top of this story, you know this is just the beginning of the Lethal ST project. We will be bringing you the complete evolution of the Lethal ST right here on SVTP, so stay tuned.
After removing the rest of the console, Harvey pops off both shifter cables.
With the shifter free of its linkage, Harvey unbolts the base and removes the entire stock shifter mechanism.
As you can see, the Ford Racing shifter (left) is noticeably shorter than the stock shifter. Further inspection also reveals a more robust, billet shifter construction.
Just reverse the steps you followed removing the stock shifter to reinstall the Ford Racing unit. It includes a detailed set of instructions; so don’t be scared off by the install. There are several steps, but it is a straightforward remove-and-replace operation.
Once installed, it is clear that the Ford Racing shifter is quite a bit shorter than the stock unit. The throws feel much more positive and short than the stock shifter as well. We were definitely impressed by this upgrade!
Next up was the Ford Racing cold-air intake. Why is Harvey pulling the headlight, you might ask? Well, the Ford Racing instructions call for pulling the nose to install the included CAI scoop. Don’t worry; Ford Racing details how to remove the nose in its instructions.
Your author installed this scoop on Project Silver Lining without pulling the nose, but doing so makes photography much easier, so Harvey obliged. Besides it was good practice for the intercooler install you will read about in Part 2 (That was a tease…).
Included in the instructions—which you can download over at FordRacingParts.com—is a template that you can use to located and cut a hole in this air shroud to allow the Ford Racing Scoop to dip down below the shroud and grab airflow from right behind the grille.
There is a basic air inlet flange clipped to the stock core support. Simply pop off the two retaining clips and remove this scoop. Then snake the Ford Racing scoop through the shroud and pin it to the core support. You can reuse the stock clips but two new clips are included in the Ford Racing kit incase you damage the stockers during removal.
Ford’s mainstream engineers put a lot of effort into designing an efficient airbox, so Ford Racing simply enhances that work with the cold air scoop and a direct-fit K&N filter. Here Harvey installs the fresh K&N in the stock box.
Included with the Ford Racing calibration is a set of four colder spark plugs (PN M-12405-20T; $80), which are needed to deal with the increased boost and more aggressive tuning in the new cal.
These plugs are two heat ranges colder than the stockers, and they must be gapped down to a conservative .028-inch to live happily ever after.
After pulling the stock air inlet tube, removing the coil packs, and unscrewing the stock plugs, Harvey starts the newly gapped Ford Racing plugs by hand before wrenching them home. Be sure to put a little anti-seize on the new plugs before you install them.
With the plug swap complete, Harvey moved under the car to remove the stock exhaust. It is installed as one piece at the factory, so it will be necessary to cut it just before the rear suspension. Then you can drop the crossmember, drop the midpipe, and snake the muffler out.
Removing the stock exhaust is the hard part. The Ford Racing unit bolts right up to the downpipe and uses a clamp to join the midpipe and muffler. It doesn’t get much easier.
Just wiggle the Ford Racing exhaust (PN M-5200-FST; $995) into place, slide the mounts into the factory hangers, and tighten that clamp and it is ready to run. This exhaust delivers a slightly more aggressive tone without any annoying drone at cruising rpm. It strikes a really nice balance.
No, we didn’t leave the headlights on during our install. It is critical that you put your Focus ST on a battery charger before you recalibrate it with Ford Racing’s Pro Cal tool. This is crucial, because if the voltage dips too low during the flash you might just brick your PCM. That is a bad thing.
The Ford Racing calibration is delivered on a SD card like you might use in your digital camera. Remove the protective skin from the Pro Cal and slide the SD card into the slot at the base of the tool. Be sure it clicks into place.
With the Pro Cal tool set up, Harvey plugs it into the OBD-II port and follows the onscreen directions. The first step is backing up the stock calibration.
Next we flashed the Lethal ST with its new Ford Racing cal (PN M-14204-FST; $595) and it was ready to run.
Though the peak rear-wheel-horsepower gain was only 14.27, it is clear that the Lethal ST picked up power from the get-go. Thanks to the massive boost increase of 17.76 psi the little Ecoboost 2.0 did pick up a massive 72.43 lb-ft of torque at the front wheels from the FRPP gear.
Stepping down from the higher-resolution graph to the 100-rpm increments of this chart you can see that the boost and gains jump on early and taper off as the rpm climbs. This is obviously part of Ford Racing’s calibration strategy to make good power and have the combo livable enough to offer a warranty if you have the dealer do the flashing.
Theres several turbo 4’s out today capable of 400+ ft/lbs. The issue is the stock internals handling it, because stock turbos tend to make peak torque down low, typically in the 3000-3500 range.
Didn’t realize the stock ST’s only put down 7lbs of boost stock. And then adding 17lbs netted a gain of 15hp and 70tq. That little turbo must be out of steam.
Based on these results I predict EcoBoost Mustangs down 400+ lbft with little effort. I still want a Focus ST.
Let’s hope that’s what they mean by “engineered for Mustang performance.”
Theres several turbo 4’s out today capable of 400+ ft/lbs. The issue is the stock internals handling it, because stock turbos tend to make peak torque down low, typically in the 3000-3500 range.
What are the bottom ends on these good for power-wise? Are they forged?
Didn’t realize the stock ST’s only put down 7lbs of boost stock. And then adding 17lbs netted a gain of 15hp and 70tq. That little turbo must be out of steam.
Keep in mind, this calibration offers a warranty (if installed at the dealer)…