ford focus st

The 2013+ Focus ST begs for more power. While it isn't the easiest thing to accomplish, our engineers are here to help give you quality parts that will help push your ST to and over the edge of high performance. As our release for our Performance Intercooler sits on the horizon, there's no better time than the second official day of summer "17 to tell you Focus ST enthusiasts that we are also developing upgraded intercooler piping to compliment it, because, why stop there?

Underbody shot of the stock intercooler piping on a 2013 Ford Focus ST

Tight fitment in this area, increasing the size there will be challenging

First, just by looking at the stock system, we knew we could make some significant improvements. All along visible areas of the pipe, there are few consistent paths of smooth airflow. There are size reductions, accordion-type sections and overall small piping that we know we can improve upon. The easiest and quickest way to materialize the ideas in our engineer's head is with

Anyone with a car older than 15 years or so likely has a coolant expansion tank with the structural integrity of wet toilet paper. These tanks rarely get aesthetic love in the factory vehicle design. They are usually plastic, look weird and can start cracking given enough time. After 20 years, the expansion tank in my 1995 Nissan 240SX project car will literally begin crumbling around your finger if any sort of pressure is applied. We don't want that happening to your RS/ST a decade or two from now, so we decided to design a sweet looking expansion tank that will outlast the car and be a nice addition to your engine bay.

The stock cap on the RS has a pressure limit of 21psi

Factory expansion tank for the ST

There is a lot of focus (I haven't made that pun in a while, give me a break) devoted strictly to improving how this EcoBoost hot-hatch platform performs since it's introduction. This is important, our engineers have that as a clear goal in their minds. For our RS, we've released an

George R.R. Martin isn't the only author who can write some gripping stuff about the cold. That's right, brace yourselves, winter is coming; and we are jumping into the frigid waters which we know well - improved intercooler performance. The patient going underneath our scalpel for R&D is the 2013+ Ford Focus ST, but per our usual process, let's first take a brief second to examine the stock system.

Our Ford Focus ST intercooler getting inspected

Ford decided to use tube-and-fin construction for this intercooler instead of bar and plate. The difference between the two is pretty simple. Tube-and-fin intercoolers are more commonplace amongst stock applications. They are lighter and promote greater airflow through the core exterior. The trade-offs to these qualities are less heat transfer and more susceptibility to road damage.

Bar-and-plate intercoolers, however, have increased cooling efficiency over a tube-and-fin design. They are physically a stronger intercooler, meaning they can withstand