FORD’S hot hatches may not be rolling off assembly lines anymore, they’re still some of the most sought after cars on the market for manual enthusiasts in spite of one major flaw.
However, this issue can be fixed for a relatively inexpensive price, and takes the car one step closer to what many gearheads would call the perfect ride.
The sixth-generation Ford Fiesta was made even better by the introduction of the ST trim in 2013, giving the less-than 2,800 pound car an invigorating 180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque.
This was paired exclusively with a six-speed manual transmission, a decision which got gearheads giddy over how fun the car would be in corners.
However, the first-gen ST has a major issue thanks to the sixth-gen Fiesta’s design. Its gas pedal is too close to the floor, preventing drivers from rev-matching effectively.
Also known as heel-toe shifting, it comes into play when trying to downshift the car at high speeds by matching the engine’s RPM to the wheel speed while slowing the car down.
To rev-match, you first depress the clutch before pressing your right foot on the throttle and brake simultaneously, raising or “blipping” the RPMs while also slowing the car down.
While blipping the RPMs with the clutch depressed, you then shift into a lower gear for what will ultimately be a much smoother shift than you’d otherwise get without rev-matching.
This is also why it’s known as “heel-toe shifting,” since you’re often using your heel or right-side of your right foot to hit the throttle and blip the RPMs while your toes or the left side of your right foot hits the brakes.
While one can downshift at high speed without rev-matching, doing so adds more wear and tear to the transmission’s clutch disc than if the shift was rev-matched.
Rev-matching also provides benefits when pushing a car to its performance limits, since non-rev-matched downshifts can jerk the car and upset its balance.
When going into a corner and already at the edge of the tires’ grip, rev-matching can make the difference between losing control of the car mid-corner or getting through the turn with style and poise.
Hence, the problem in the Ford Fiesta ST becomes apparent: the inability to rev-match quite literally limits the performance peaks it can reach.
Thankfully, there is an easy solution in the form of a premium, American-made product that turns your Fiesta ST into a completely different car, and it only costs $47.
The part in question comes from Maryland-based company GarageLine, and is a simple metal throttle spacer meant to bolt right onto the throttle pedal.
It mounts to the firewall, going in between it and the throttle pedal, and is adjustable left to right which allows drivers to position it wherever is easiest for them to rev-match.
Motorautocar and the AARP have east-to-follow tips to avoid being scammed by a repair shop.
Source: Motorautocar, AARP
Being metal, GarageLine’s product is also much sturdier and more long lasting than other plastic versions would be, a key factor considering how disastrous the the spacer breaking mid-ride could be.
Installing the piece is also very simple, and does not require a trip to the mechanic assuming you have the tools needed to access the throttle mount in the garage already.
For current owners and anyone planning on purchasing one, this modification is a must-have which will completely change how you drive the Fiesta ST.
Unfortunately, both the Fiesta and the Focus hot hatches which were once some of Ford’s most beloved cars have been discontinued to make room for EVs which may never come, meaning the used market is the only way to get one.
However, Ford is lacking fiesta vibes in more ways than one amidst a record-breaking year for recalls with 113 reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as of this writing.
While some of these recalls have been for mundane issues such as rearview camera glitches, others have disastrous potential and could fail to provide critical info to drivers or even cause them to lose control of the car.
PEDRO Martinez used to terrify MLB hitters, but at home he has a soft side.
The MLB Hall of Famer and TBS analyst has an affinity for gardening, a special hobby of his.
Martinez retired in 2009, but has stayed around the game of baseball.
However, he has another love that he spends time on when he isn’t analyzing games.
“I’m a gardener. I can tell you proudly—I’m a gardener,” Martínez told Front Office Sports.
“I love dealing with my gardens, growing roses, vegetables, and stuff like that.
“And I also love growing animals like chickens right now in my backyard.
“There’s a whole bunch of geese because I feed them. I feed them. I shouldn’t do that, but I feed them.
“I just, I just love to see nature.”
Martinez got his love of gardening from his mother, who would bring him outside after he fought with his brother.
“My mom would just pull me aside. ‘Come here, go with me to the garden, clip my roses,'” Martinez continued.
“What I used to do before every single game I pitched in Boston, was clip my flowers when I woke up, before I went to the field, and then head over.
“That was my therapy to start every game, and get myself into the zone that I needed to actually go and pitch. Gardening.
“You would never guess that one.”
Martinez estimated that he has somewhere around 1,000 chickens.
He also said that he lives mostly off the food that he grows on his land in the Dominican Republic.
Here are the All-Star teams for the American League and National League at the Midsummer Classic on July 15 at Atlanta's Truist Park, voted on by the fans.
American League Starters
National League Starters
“I like to eat organic. I produce literally everything I eat in the Dominican,” he said.
“My mom is a farmer. I have the land to produce whatever I want and I enjoy it.
“So I have my uncles, my cousins, everybody that knows how to work it, working with it.
“When I’m not there, they keep growing whatever I left. And I try to eat organic from the things that I grow.”