I've been lurking since the Fiesta Faction ST section (for those of you that posted there,) and finally pulled myself from behind the wheel long enough to sign up and post.
Picking up my ST put the largest smile on my face, and 5 months (and 9 tickets) later, there is no sign of it fading!
I'm in the Ann Arbor/Ypsi area, and it looks like there are a few other members from the Detroit/SE MI area.
I'm thinking a Detroit area meet/drive is in order in the spring --or sooner, as it seems like none of you are afraid of a little snow
Hey, welcome! We should do a Metro Detroit/A2/Ypsi meetup sometime. Does anyone go to Cars & Coffee at JD Karts in Novi? I've never been but it's kind of central to the area.
The tickets started to come after I had the MRT exhaust installed. The YouTube videos are a tame replica of the actual sound it makes, it is LOUD. It will set off overly sensitive car alarms in parking garages and announce your presence to everyone in a 2 mile radius (including the police.) I absolutely love it, though.
I want to go to the C&C in Novi, but I thought that it was on hiatus during the winter. I'll have to check when it starts again.
If you get enough citations they'll take your license...just saying. Then you can't drive your car. No modification, no matter how much I like it, is worth that many citations in that short of a time...
It's time to force feed conservative driving practices. It seems like the new car honeymoon period is never going to end, because every trip to the garage feels like I'm back on the dealer lot picking it up for the first time. But I can't blame a mod for my right foot that refuses to grow up.
Maybe I'll start paying attention to that silly little arrow.
A lot of them were written as minor infractions like 5 over, and a couple of them were for impeding traffic and no proof of insurance, which carry no points and are not reported to insurance. There was also the speed camera that sent a lovely photo (which is hanging on my wall,) as well as a citation.
Someday in the future I'll look back at this period and laugh at my bad luck, collection of tickets, and lead foot...
I'm in AA right now! I think I may have spotted you on 94 before? But anyways I'm interested in the MRT exhaust and have a couple questions for you about it, if you don't mind. Did you have them install it? And were any of your tickets specifically for the exhaust? Lol.
I think I've spotted you before, too! I wasn't sure if that was a customer car or a press vehicle --the first Fiesta ST I saw had manufacturer plates, so it must have been on a road test.
I had MRT install it. Simple installation, took maybe 45 minutes to an hour, and cost about $80. Very friendly, and you get to help the Michigan economy lol. The tickets weren't specifically for the exhaust, but it certainly alerts the police to point the radar (or lidar) gun in your direction to see the source of the sound --and the bright orange car that looks like it belongs in an aquarium is most likely the culprit.
The exhaust is noisy but not outrageously obnoxious below 3k RPM, however, once you go above 3k RPM, you remind everyone around you that you're just a giant kid with a giant Hot Wheels car
I think I've spotted you before, too! I wasn't sure if that was a customer car or a press vehicle --the first Fiesta ST I saw had manufacturer plates, so it must have been on a road test.
I had MRT install it. Simple installation, took maybe 45 minutes to an hour, and cost about $80. Very friendly, and you get to help the Michigan economy lol. The tickets weren't specifically for the exhaust, but it certainly alerts the police to point the radar (or lidar) gun in your direction to see the source of the sound --and the bright orange car that looks like it belongs in an aquarium is most likely the culprit.
The exhaust is noisy but not outrageously obnoxious below 3k RPM, however, once you go above 3k RPM, you remind everyone around you that you're just a giant kid with a giant Hot Wheels car
Haha awesome! If it was you, that would be my first non manufacturer FiST I've seen. And ok that's great info if I end up with the MRT exhaust. I'd love to help out some local guys.
I'm glad to hear non of the tickets were for the exhaust. I like that you can keep it "tamed" under 3k, enough time to make sure the coast is clear then you can rip it! Lol
good to know about the MRT exhaust. we have sound regulations at Solo events and there is a sound limit at Waterford Hills. I plan on going to cars & coffee at JD karting when they start doing them again.
Glad to help! If you do get the exhaust, it WILL change the character of your ST... Dramatically. It backfires and crackles and pops on the overrun, so getting off the throttle can be just as enjoyable as stepping on it.
It can get noisy on the freeway, though. You might need to turn the radio up just a little, and project a little bit more during conversations; be prepared to repeat yourself if you have a passenger.
Aborbs: They're great to work with and have an amazing shop. I know they have some more FiST parts in the works, so that's something else to keep an eye on. We'll have to go on a little A2 meet/cruise sometime; I know there's a black one hiding in Ypsi, too.
eRic: Although I haven't investigated this in depth, there's a chance it might violate noise restrictions. It might be worth your time to look at exhausts with mufflers if you plan on participating in events with noise limits. I'm definitely going to cars & coffee, too, so I might run into you.
I didn't get a chance to see it, but I had a feeling there had to be another FiST coming.
I'm going to be there next month as well, so if you plan on heading out there again, I'll definitely stick around longer --two hours in the cold was all I could take.
Hey eRic, ever since I picked up my ST I've been itching to try autocross, but as the FiST is my first manual car, I wanted to take a little time to learn some fundamental performance driving techniques like heel and toe, and rev matching. Now that I feel comfortable with my footwork (and have a fresh set of ExtremeContact DW's on the way,) I feel like now is the perfect time to get started.
Since you seem to be quite the experienced autocrosser, do you have any course etiquette tips, common beginner mistakes to avoid, or any other helpful information you'd be willing to share? The last thing I want to do is show up and look completely clueless.
When you get there it will look like a sea of traffic cones. Walk the course as many times as you can (at least 3) and you'll be less likely to get lost when you are driving. Look ahead to where you are going, not where you are. Sit as close to the steering wheel and pedals as you can comfortably and you will have better, smoother control. If you don't know or understand something, ask, almost everybody will be glad to help. Most importantly, have fun.
Hey Nemo. Here is a link the the Solo II [autocross] novice handbook. the latest revision was in 1998 so you'll need to consult the current rules book for classing and pax however the advice and etiquette is still good. https://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm
Now you said the magic word. I'll meet at a brewery any day!
On a side note, has anyone asked to take their FIST on the kart track? It's not much larger than the karts...
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