Tossing around the idea of buying an ST

[Mongoose88]

Hello everyone,
I'm currently tossing around the idea of buying a pre owned ST. Probably 21 or newer, up to 60k on it. I use to work for Ford when they had the ST focus, fiesta and the RS. I enjoyed those cars for what they were. I've owned a bunch of mustangs, last one was an 04 Procharged Mach 1. I currently have a 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia AWD. It's a fun car and I enjoy it, but it's low to the ground and the closet dealer is an hour and half away from me. So thinking of trading it in towards an ST. I like the 400 hp and AWD from the factory, but I know I'm gonna want more. My question is how much power can the AWD version make before needing the built trans? I've seen a lot of people are running Ethonal, do you have to run that to get good power? Can a 93 tune, cold air and exhaust give me good power? Not looking to race it but would like to surprise a few people when leaving cars and coffees. Thanks for any advice

 

[UNBROKEN]

You can get into the 11’s on a ZFG 93 tune and intercooler. A little further if you add catted downpipes.
IC, DP’s and a ZFG E50 tune can get you into the mid/low 11’s.
Things like cold air intakes, cat back exhaust systems and other bolts are pretty much all for looks or sound. Even the stock cat back exhaust flows enough to support more power than you’ll ever make.

 

[Mongoose88]

You can get into the 11’s on a ZFG 93 tune and intercooler. A little further if you add catted downpipes.
IC, DP’s and a ZFG E50 tune can get you into the mid/low 11’s.
Things like cold air intakes, cat back exhaust systems and other bolts are pretty much all for looks or sound. Even the stock cat back exhaust flows enough to support more power than you’ll ever make.

Thank you. How does the AWD system and transmission hold up under those tunes? I really don't wanna deal with trying to mix fuel, would E85 require all new fuel pump, injectors and lines?

 

[UNBROKEN]

Thank you. How does the AWD system and transmission hold up under those tunes? I really don't wanna deal with trying to mix fuel, would E85 require all new fuel pump, injectors and lines?

Have the trans fluid level checked since they run notoriously low but other than that nothing is needed.
Yes, HPFP and injectors are needed to run full E85. That’s a lot of money for very little gain over E50 with basic mods. Mixing fuel is about as hard as two card swipes instead of one…nothing to it.

 

[2020FordRaptor]

Hello everyone,
I'm currently tossing around the idea of buying a pre owned ST. Probably 21 or newer, up to 60k on it. I use to work for Ford when they had the ST focus, fiesta and the RS. I enjoyed those cars for what they were. I've owned a bunch of mustangs, last one was an 04 Procharged Mach 1. I currently have a 2020 Alfa Romeo Giulia AWD. It's a fun car and I enjoy it, but it's low to the ground and the closet dealer is an hour and half away from me. So thinking of trading it in towards an ST. I like the 400 hp and AWD from the factory, but I know I'm gonna want more. My question is how much power can the AWD version make before needing the built trans? I've seen a lot of people are running Ethonal, do you have to run that to get good power? Can a 93 tune, cold air and exhaust give me good power? Not looking to race it but would like to surprise a few people when leaving cars and coffees. Thanks for any advice

Unbroken explained it all, but I’ll add on top of it. With a 93 octane tune, downpipes, and intercooler (which are the biggest power mods), you’ll be in the high 11s and can get further with suspension mods and E50 ethanol mix. You’ll be around 480-530 awhp depending on what fuel and other variables. Usually plenty fast for most people. All the components are fine handling the power so long you keep it maintained and aren’t beating on it all the time. The main thing that you will need to do if you get a car with the 1-bolt rear subframe is get a diff brace.

 

[Mongoose88]

Thank you both @2020FordRaptor & @UNBROKEN for the help and information. What would be to high of mileage for a used ST? I'm not in a spot where I can look at low mileage CPOs, so right now I'm around 45k miles and up. I see once they hit 60k there is a big price drop off too. I know maintenance and records help the longevity. Whatever I get I would have all the fluids serviced if there was no history.

 

[UNBROKEN]

Thank you both @2020FordRaptor & @UNBROKEN for the help and information. What would be to high of mileage for a used ST? I'm not in a spot where I can look at low mileage CPOs, so right now I'm around 45k miles and up. I see once they hit 60k there is a big price drop off too. I know maintenance and records help the longevity. Whatever I get I would have all the fluids serviced if there was no history.

Mine has almost 148K on it…finished up another 4000 mile road trip less than 2 weeks ago. Never had any major issues and has never been back to a dealer for anything at all. There are some common things with these cars, I’m not saying they’re perfect, but they’re pretty damn solid if they’re taken care of.
Mine is also FBO and has been tuned since 5K miles.

 

[Gadgtfreek]

My buddy's 2013 has 315k miles, an original transmission, and an original V6. He drives it about 500 miles a week, craziest thing I've seen.

As said, sometimes things go wrong, but there are a lot of these on the road; they are fast, comfy, and the 3.0 is pretty dependable. The 10R is a better transmission now, vs when it arrived.

I love mine and enjoy driving it. ZFG tune, better tires(I went with wider and bigger 22"), and Thermal 2.5" are a win.

The main things I have learned are, run 1/2 a qt high, change oil at 5k intervals, and keep an eye on when to change the PTU, diffs and 10R fluids. I've run 93 in my fords since 2020.