Table of contents
Introduction
The Ford Focus ST is an absolute riot of a car. Prior to it’s release in 2012, the hot hatchback market was lacking in the United States. If you wanted a car with utility and good fuel economy but wanted a fun driving experience, your option was pretty much the Volkswagen GTI. Ford’s release of the Focus ST to the North American market provided an awesome driver’s experience at a great price. With the ST’s release came a solid aftermarket with the best upgrades for the Focus ST becoming quickly available.
I took advantage of Ford’s 0% financing and started my journey with a black Ford Focus ST. From my years of ownership and lessons learned through forums, I compiled a list of the best Ford Focus ST upgrades for you to take the guesswork out!
Best Ford Focus ST Upgrades
Rear Motor Mount
If I could only do one modification to the Ford Focus ST, it would definitely be the rear motor mount upgrade. The factory rear motor mount is soft and allows the engine to move alot due to it not being able to handle the factory torque numbers. Switching to a stronger rear motor mount like a Mountune or CP-E will limit wheel hop at launch and improve your shifter feel.
Upgraded Front Mount Intercooler
The factory intercooler is decent, but is prone to heatsoak. Unfortunately, this provides inconsistent power during spirited driving or track racing. Switching to an upgraded intercooler, even at stock power levels, provides much lower charge air temperatures. The lower temperatures provide consistent power and will also allow you to push the power levels further! Personally, I went with a Mountune intercooler. I liked its performance and it came powdercoated black for a stealthy look!
Turboback Exhaust or Down Pipe Upgrade
Turbocharged cars like the Ford Focus ST love a free-flowing exhaust. While the factory catback exhaust is not restrictive, the downpipe provides a chokepoint for the Turbocharger. A downpipe upgrade, such as this 3″ downpipe upgrade from Depo, will let your Focus crank up the power levels. Should you elect to move forward with an aftermarket catback exhaust, I would find one with a quality muffler. Frankly, the car can drone pretty bad without a muffler, especially when you upgrade the downpipe.
For my car, I did a muffler delete with a high flow resonator. I loved it as it did not drone at all. Shoutout to Muffler Tech in Sacramento! If I were to buy a complete catback exhaust from a company, I would probably choose the AWE Touring exhaust. The touring exhaust sounds great in person and looks amazing.
Cobb Accessport
With the addition of the turbo-back exhaust and the front mount intercooler, its time for power! With the Cobb Accessport and a tune from a reputable tuner, the Focus ST will take advantage of these upgrades. When I finished the tune, the power delivery was perfect. Along with the power upgrades, the data monitoring capabilities are great. The Accessport allows you to monitor inlet temperatures, boost levels, and more. All of this combined make this one of the best Ford Focus ST upgrades available.
Rear Sway Bar
With many front wheel drive cars, the Focus ST leans towards understeer. To fix this and improve the handling, upgrade to a thicker rear sway bar! A thicker rear sway bar provides a more neutral handling feel and minimizes body roll!
My Build Sheet
- Muffler delete + High flow resonator
- Steeda Rear Sway Bar
- Rally Innovations Front Splitter
- Perrin Shorty antenna
- ZL1 Rock Guards
- Anarchy motive Shift Knob
- Steeda sound symposer delete
- Steeda Clutch Spring
- Steeda Short shift bracket
- Cobb Accessport
- Mountune recirculation valve
- Mountune rear motor mount
- Roush Cold Air Intake
- NGK Iridium IX spark plugs
- JST Performance custom tune https://jst-performance.com/collections/custom-tuning
- Mountune Intercooler
- Autostyle shift boot
- Diode Dynamics LED headlight bulbs
- TB Performance sway bar endlinks
- TB Performance Rear Traction Bar
- Enkei NT03 18×9.5 wheels
- BFGoodrich Sport Comp 2 Tires (245/40/18)
- Maxton Design RS Valence
Conclusion
Overall, these upgrades will transform your Focus ST without breaking the bank. While you can go build a big turbo motor, most people just want a bit more power and better handling. Fortunately, the Focus ST’s aftermarket has a huge aftermarket to fit any budget.
When modifying any car, consider planning out your goals. With my build, I definitely could have avoided wasting money on parts that I bought twice. Regardless of how you modify your Focus ST, you will not be disappointed!