Fiesta ST180 Tuning.
Surely one of the best hot hatches of 2013. With its 1.6 litre direct injection Ecoboost engine giving a strong, linear, almost normally aspirated feeling power curve it is a great example of how things have moved on with turbocharged 4 cylinder engines.
Surely one of the most capable Ford ST vehicles to date with.
However, as with most production cars, it feels a little "soft" out of the box.
We can tailor the calibration in your ECU to ensure all existing modifications are accommodated for and you can rest assured the vehicle will retain all the safety features programmed in by the manufacturer such as EGT control, Knock control, closed loop fuel control and other such important features. We wont remove these to facilitate a power increase as some tuners do. The vehicle will retain these important safety features and will run just as well as it did standard, in fact probably even better.
Our tuning packages for the ST180 start at +40PS at the MSD 220 and go up to the MSD 380. We are of course happy to push further for those customers with bespoke hardware but as I am sure you can appreciate these are conversions that need some discussion as to what best suits you as a driver so those conversions are not detailed on the website.
MSD 220 (320Nm and 220PS)
This calibration works perfectly on a totally standard car and lifts the power restrictions from within the ECU, further enhancing the power output to 320NM and 220PS which really brings the car to life!
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU's incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery. Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive "Safety" tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
- None.
Standard Calibration Features
- Improved idle stability
- Factory drive-ability under all conditions.
- All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
Personalisations Available:
- Decat MIL eliminated (For vehicle with a de-cat fitted)
- Eco shift light permanent disable option.
- Overrun burbles activated
Additional fuel programming available. (Ask for further details)
- WMI (water methanol injection) optimisations available on request.
- Ethanol (E10-E40) optimisations available on request..
- High octane fuel optimisations available on request. (100+ RON)
Total cost of this calibration installed: £249.00 inc vat.
(Includes diagnostics and test drive to asses vehicle pre and post tune condition)
MSD 240 (340Nm and 240PS)
This calibration utilises uprated intercoolers and free flowing exhaust and intake systems on an otherwise standard vehicle and optimises the calibration in order to enhance the power output to 340NM and 240PS.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU's incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery. Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive "Safety" tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
- Free flow induction kit
- Free flow exhaust with Sports Cat (Or decat)
- Uprated intercooler
Standard Calibration Features
- Improved idle stability
- Factory drive-ability under all conditions.
- All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
Personalisations Available:
- Decat MIL eliminated (For vehicle with a de-cat fitted)
- Eco shift light permanent disable option.
- Overrun burbles activated
Additional fuel programming available. (Ask for further details)
- WMI (water methanol injection) optimisations available on request.
- Ethanol (E10-E40) optimisations available on request..
- High octane fuel optimisations available on request. (100+ RON)
Total cost of this calibration installed: £299.00 inc vat.
(Includes diagnostics and test drive to asses vehicle pre and post tune condition)
MSD 280 (400Nm and 280PS)
This is where things start to get serious!
A calibration designed to utilise serious upgrades such as the X47 or OCM 11 blade hybrid turbochargers, uprated intercoolers and free flowing exhaust and intake systems. On suitable vehicle hardware this calibration will enhance the power output to 400NM and 280PS.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU's incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery. Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive "Safety" tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
- Free flow induction kit
- Free flow exhaust with Sports Cat (Or decat)
- Uprated intercooler
- X47 or OCM 11 blade hybrid turbochargers(Or similar)
- 1 step colder spark plugs
- Turbosmart 7psi actuator with correct 3mm pre-load
Standard Calibration Features
- Improved idle stability
- Factory drive-ability under all conditions.
- All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
Personalisations Available:
- Decat MIL eliminated (For vehicle with a sports cat fitted)
- Eco shift light permanent disable option.
- Overrun burbles activated
Additional fuel programming available. (Ask for further details)
- WMI (water methanol injection) optimisations available on request.
- Ethanol (E10-E40) optimisations available on request..
- High octane fuel optimisations available on request. (100+ RON)
Total cost of this calibration installed: £399.00 inc vat.
(Includes diagnostics and test drive to asses vehicle pre and post tune condition)
MSD 320 (440+Nm and 320PS)
320PS in a Fiesta just has to be regarded as serious!
A calibration designed to utilise serious upgrades such as the Turbo Technics S242 or X47R hybrid turbochargers, uprated intercoolers and free flowing exhaust and intake systems. On suitable vehicle hardware this calibration will enhance the power output to 440NM and 320PS.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU's incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery. Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive "Safety" tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
- Free flow induction kit
- Free flow exhaust with Sports Cat (Or decat)
- Uprated intercooler
- Turbo Technics S242 or X47R hybrid turbochargers (Or similar)
- 1 step colder spark plugs
- Turbosmart 7psi actuator with correct 3mm pre-load
Standard Calibration Features
- Improved idle stability
- Factory drive-ability under all conditions.
- All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
Personalisations Available:
- Decat MIL eliminated (For vehicle with a sports cat fitted)
- Eco shift light permanent disable option.
- Overrun burbles activated
Additional fuel programming available. (Ask for further details)
- WMI (water methanol injection) optimisations available on request.
- Ethanol (E10-E40) optimisations available on request..
- High octane fuel optimisations available on request. (100+ RON)
Total cost of this calibration installed: £449.00 inc vat.
(Includes diagnostics and test drive to asses vehicle pre and post tune condition)
MSD 340 (440+Nm and 340PS)
Well into seriously fast territory now!
A calibration designed around stronger engine internals (commonly known as 'Forged'), in order to utilise serious upgrades such as the excellent Turbo Technics S280 Turbocharger and all the normal supporting hardware such as uprated intercoolers and free flowing exhaust and intake systems. On suitable vehicle hardware this calibration will enhance the power output to 440NM and 340PS.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU's incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery. Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive "Safety" tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
- Suitably uprated engine internals (Forged)
- Free flow induction kit
- Uprated intercooler
- Uprated tubular exhaust manifold
- Turbo Technics S280 turbocharger. (Or similar)
- Free flow turbo back exhaust with Sports Cat (Or decat)
- 1 step colder spark plugs
- Turbosmart 7psi actuator with correct 3mm pre-load
Optional hardware:
- Uprated DI fuel injectors can be accommodated for if fitted already.
Standard Calibration Features
- Improved idle stability
- Factory drive-ability under all conditions.
- All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
Personalisations Available:
- Decat MIL eliminated (For vehicle with a sports cat fitted)
- Eco shift light permanent disable option.
- Overrun burbles activated
Additional fuel programming available. (Ask for further details)
- WMI (water methanol injection) optimisations available on request.
- Ethanol (E10-E40) optimisations available on request..
- High octane fuel optimisations available on request. (100+ RON)
Total cost of this calibration installed: £499.00 inc vat.
(Includes diagnostics and test drive to asses vehicle pre and post tune condition)
MSD 380 (450+Nm and 380PS)
Things are way past serious now and this conversion is available on our dyno only!
Again, this calibration is designed around stronger engine internals (commonly known as 'Forged'). Alongside all the normal upgrades for this kind of airflow such as the intercoolers, induction kits and full exhaust systems, we are now looking at bigger turbochargers like the Garrett GTX2860R which we can accommodate as internal or externally gated. On vehicle fitted with all the right hardware we are now looking to develop over 450Nm and 380PS.
This isn’t just headline power either, flexibility and reliability are our speciality so the ECU's incredible torque model is fully retained ensuring factory driveability with no hesitations, surges or hiccups in the power delivery. Naturally, as with all MSD power upgrades, all necessary safety limits and protection strategies are re-profiled and enhanced in order to allow the extra performance whilst retaining a strong, O.E Level of engine protection.
Please be aware that power figures don’t tell the whole story with these management systems, making extra power is easy, but many companies completely disable the torque control and most of the protection strategies in order to do so and this can cause driveability and longevity concerns with often massive boost levels required to make the power. Read our comprehensive "Safety" tab for more details.
Additional hardware needed:
- Suitably uprated engine internals (Forged)
- Free flow induction kit
- Uprated intercooler
- Uprated tubular exhaust manifold
- Garrett GTX2860R turbocharger. (Or similar)
- Free flow turbo back exhaust with Sports Cat (Or decat)
- 1 step colder spark plugs
- Turbosmart 7psi wastegate actuator (Internal or external)
- 30% Uprated DI fuel injectors
- MSD tMAP4 TIP Sensor. (we supply and fit)
Standard Calibration Features
- Improved idle stability
- Factory drive-ability under all conditions.
- All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
- Boost strategy utilises our uprated 4Bar sensor.
Personalisations Available:
- Decat MIL eliminated (For vehicle with a sports cat fitted)
- Eco shift light permanent disable option.
- Overrun burbles activated
Additional fuel programming available. (Ask for further details)
- WMI (water methanol injection) optimisations available on request.
- Ethanol (E10-E40) optimisations available on request..
- High octane fuel optimisations available on request. (100+ RON)
This conversion is only available via ourselves and must be installed, tested and tuned on our dyno.
Total cost of this calibration installed: £749.00 inc vat.
(Includes the MSD tMAP4 fitment, diagnostics and our dyno time)
MSD Bespoke calibration solutions
MSD 380 - 500
We recognise that there are many hardware specifications out there and sometimes we need to calibrate to suit your own bespoke hardware build. From MSD 380 onwards we tend to be dealing with a variety of different turbochargers.
Example hardware specification:
- Suitably uprated engine internals (Forged)
- Free flow induction kit
- Uprated intercooler
- Uprated tubular exhaust manifold
- Garrett GTX30 turbocharger. (Or similar)
- Free flow turbo back exhaust with Sports Cat (Or decat)
- 2 step colder spark plugs
- Turbosmart wastegate actuator (Internal or external)
- 30% or higher Uprated DI fuel injectors
- MSD tMAP4 TIP Sensor. (we supply and fit)
Standard Calibration Features
- Improved idle stability
- Factory drive-ability under all conditions.
- All engine protections remain in place (See safety tab)
- Boost strategy utilises our uprated 4Bar sensor.
Personalisations Available:
- Decat MIL eliminated (For vehicle with a sports cat fitted)
- Eco shift light permanent disable option.
- Overrun burbles activated
Additional fuel programming available. (Ask for further details)
- WMI (water methanol injection) optimisations available on request.
- Ethanol (E10-E40) optimisations available on request..
- High octane fuel optimisations available on request. (100+ RON)
Total cost of this calibration installed: £900 inc vat.
These bespoke calibrations will ONLY be available on our dyno and the price includes the dyno cell hire and 2x professional dyno operators / calibrators labour.
A small selection of our best selling Fiesta ST180 tuning parts
(Click to see them on our webshop)
Beware:
All ECU "calibrations" are not created equally...
There are many ways to calibrate a modern vehicles ECU but the sad fact remains that a huge percentage of the tunes we see have had all the safety strategies and drive logic features removed from them. These MED17 PCM's have exceptional engine control strategies built into them and these systems are a key reason that as standard, these vehicles drive so amazingly well. Smooth, linear and powerful to the rev limiter. And safe too... the protection strategies are incredibly complex and work alongside a very comprehensive torque model in order to deliver what the driver asks, but keep the engine in one piece should things go wrong.
To recalibrate an MED17 PCM properly, from scratch as we do, takes many hundreds of hours of development on our in house dyno. But the results are worthwhile.
Rest assured that when we calibrate a vehicles PCM we retain:
- Full torque model remains intact. (This is what makes the vehicle drive so well)
- Knock control system is left intact and working (Guards against detonation)
- Over-boost limits. (Protects against over-boost due to fault)
- Under-boost limits. (Protects turbo against air leaks)
- Full Engine speed limits. (Raised if the tune would benefit)
- Exhaust temp load profiling. (Takes over if EGT exceeds limits)
- Fuel flow limit air control. (Takes over if you run too lean)
- Coolant temperature limits. (Never raised)
- All the ECU Limp home strategies. (These are what get you home!)
- All of the 300+ fault codes are retained so your ECU can report faults.
The above may look and read like common sense?
You are right... retaining everything above is desirable, but to do so requires an understanding of how these torque modelled systems work so that we can actually "recalibrate" the various sub-systems to work the way we want them to, whilst targeting higher airflow and power levels.
Sadly, because all of the above strategies will, by their very nature, fight our efforts to create extra airflow, many amateurs find ways to just disable the limits, often by "de-calibrating" the system so it will allow extra airflow.
We regularly see calibrations with various anticipation and prediction systems switched off, load limits flat-lined, air load limits totally disabled, fuel flow limits deleted, knock systems de-sensitised, the list goes on, its quite disappointing to see.
How would you know?
That’s a good question, and it depends just how bad they have de-calibrated the system.
Lets face a simple fact here... if you have a vehicle with a virtually standard engine and turbo that drove perfectly well before a re-calibration, extending its headroom wont make it drive or perform worse during normal driving. Why would it? No reason at all. Same engine, same air path, same hardware. So it should drive the same, but be faster at big throttle openings.
Now, if they have "only" removed all the safety limits (running more boost than a 3bar map sensor can see for example) then the vehicle will still drive perfectly well if the rest of the system has been recalibrated to properly request the torque the conversion makes. That kind of calibration will just have no safety limits in place should anything go wrong. hopefully it wont, so all is well.
However, if you start to disable the torque targeting system, or make a mess of recalibrating it then you end up with all manner of horrible drive-ability problems. Aggressive throttle, unpredictable or surging power delivery, doesn’t want to just cruise along at a set speed, these are all very common when a confused ECU tries to deliver closed loop airflow control with a broken model.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, some of these de-calibrated strategies are of course firing out fault codes so we see some with all 300+ codes just deleted so the ECU cant report them. This in turn disables all the limp home strategies designed to take control and get you home in the event of component failure.
Sadly, this is the reality of modern tuning... Take care out there!
Further reading:
If this has wet your appetite to know more about how your Ford Ecoboost management strategy in the PCM works, you may well enjoy my series of 3 blogs about a very similar system.
Blog 1 of 4. Understanding Ford Ecoboost Torque Control
(There are more located in our main technical info section with Stus other 70+ magazine articles)
MSD 330 Dyno Graph (Calibration revised to MSD 340 recently)
One of our MSD 330 Calibrations.
(MSD330 was revised to MSD 340 recently)
Purchasing Options:
This OBD calibration can be purchased via any one of our professional Installers:
Owners looking to have their vehicle tuned can have it done by us here in Blackpool, or via any of our approved calibration installers across our Evolution Chips network.
Our reviews speak for themselves..
