Quaife is excited to announce that our signature ATB Differential is available in the highly anticipated 2018 Ford Fiesta ST. Previously chosen by Ford as official fitment in all three generations of Focus RS, its inclusion in the Fiesta ST brings the benefits of an ATB Differential to an even greater audience.
The Quaife Automatic Torque Biasing Differential is the natural fit for one of the most highly anticipated cars to appear in showrooms this year. Following a long line of award winning fast Fiestas, the first of which was the legendary XR2 of the 1980’s, the new Fiesta ST is set to shake up the hot hatch market on its launch this spring, aided by the availability of a fully mechanical limited slip differential.
The Quaife ATB helps to optimise front-end traction for enhanced cornering ability, in particular delivering more grip on the exit of corners. The mechanical system works to limit distribution of engine torque to a wheel with limited grip, reducing wheelspin, to fully exploit performance potential.
Ford Performance engineers have integrated the Quaife ATB to work alongside the Fiesta ST’s enhanced Torque Vectoring Control system. The electronic aid improves road holding and reduces understeer by applying brake force to the inside front wheel when cornering. This in turn delivers optimal grip on dry surfaces and smoothness on wet surfaces.
Leo Roeks, Ford Performance Director for Europe explains; ‘Performance car drivers will be familiar with the dreaded ‘one-wheel peel’, where a fast corner exit is hampered by an overload of torque to the inside wheel. We’ve fine tuned the all-new Fiesta ST’s mechanical LSD option to work seamlessly with enhanced Torque Vectoring Control to deliver the best possible natural traction without ‘burning away’ excess torque with brake interventions’.
Quaife’s manufacturing hub in Gillingham, Kent has been gearing up for the expected demand for the QDF63Z, the ATB Differential designed specifically for the 2018 Fiesta ST. This production follows on from ATB differentials heading for fitment in Ford’s Focus RS Edition mega hatch.
Engine & Performance
The all-new Fiesta ST features Ford’s new 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine. Power and efficiency go hand-in-hand thanks to turbocharging, high-pressure fuel injection, Twin-independent Variable Cam Timing and a three-cylinder architecture. The engine delivers 200PS at 6,000rpm, and 290 Nm of torque from 1,600 to 4,000rpm. This enables the all-new Fiesta ST to reach 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 6.7 seconds. A high-performance braking system features 278 mm vented front and 253 mm solid rear discs.
Also included in the new Fiesta ST are Ford-patented force vectoring springs which enable faster turn-in and rear-end responsiveness. Now integrated as part of the vehicle’s twist-beam rear suspension, the new Fiesta ST is the first compact hot hatchback to benefit from technology that uses non-uniform, non-interchangeable, directionally-wound springs to apply vectoring forces to the rear suspension. This enables cornering forces to travel directly into the spring, for increased lateral stiffness. Compatible with traditional suspension dampers, there is no compromise on comfort, ride quality or refinement, highlighting the fact that the Fiesta ST continues to offer both a great driving experience, while also being an everyday proposition.
The new Fiesta ST also features Launch Control for consistently fast standing starts on track, supported by a dedicated graphical display in the instrument cluster. Holding the throttle fully open will instruct the system to build engine rpm and automatically hold at the rev limit, filling an on-screen gauge that indicates when the car is prepared for launch. Releasing the clutch fully then enables an optimised standing start with the vehicle’s systems managing power and torque delivery.
The new Fiesta ST comes with three Selectable Drive Modes entitled Normal, Sport and Race, enabling drivers to optimise the driving experience to suit scenarios from the shop run to the race track. Vehicle systems are progressively sharpened, the active noise control valve opens to intensify the sporty exhaust note, while in Track mode the traction control is disabled to benefit hard circuit driving.
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Leo Roeks sums up by saying, ‘Hot-hatch drivers are expecting big things from this small car. We’ve applied what we’ve learnt from recent Ford Performance models including the Focus RS and Ford GT to develop an all-new Fiesta ST that sets a new standard for driving fun in its segment’.
We welcome you to contact our Technical Sales Team for Quaife product selection advice