If you're new to the tuning scene you might be thinking 'what's all this talk about Bluefins?' Well, we're not talking about whale anatomy, we are infact referring to Superchips' hand-help device that communicates through the onboard diagnostics (OBD) port found natively on Ford vehicle since 1996.

The Bluefin plays a host to a database of ECUs and maps and when connected to your car through the aforementioned port, detects both the ECU type and existing map before allowing the existing map to be removed, stored, and then replaced with a new updated version courtesy of the bods at Superchips.

It only takes five minutes to install, is easily removed and comes with a warranty...what more could you ask for?

The Test

Both ST's were taken for extensive road testing with and without a Bluefin installed. In-gear measuring the time it took to accelerate from 30mph-50mph, and also 50mph-70mph in third gear.

This gave both a real-world indication of any performance increases, and eliminated any driver intervention from the equation.

The runs were all started from the same places, the first being noticeably uphill, to highlight any improvements in low-down torque. The other runs were recorded at the same points on a more even surface.

With the road test completed and in-gear times recorded for both cars, the Fiesta and Focus ST were the strapped down on a rolling road, recording power and torque figures both with and without a Bluefin installed.

Fiesta ST

Before : on the road

The Fiesta ST is a real favourite of ours anyway, with it being hard to fault even straight out of the box. Around town you could argue the revvy Duratec takes a while to get going but once revs reach around 4000rpm the little pocket rocket explodes into life, happily hitting the mandatory rev limiter which varies between 6800rpm and 7000rpm depending on the gear you're in, which incidentally is like walking into a patio door in how intrusive it is!

Throttle response was good, although not amazing, whilst the power delivery was faultlessly smooth and predictable in every gear.

In-Gear Test:

After: on the road

Like previous EEC ECU's, the Silveroak used in the Fiesta has learning capability within it, so on installation of the Bluefin the idle can sit slightly higher than usual for a few minutes whilst the ECU corrects itself.

On short drive the throttle response felt more immediate and the revs leapt up noticeably quicker with the knock-on effect of this being instantly improved drivability around town. It's partly helped by the fact that both STs now use fly-by-wire style throttle inputs instead of a physical cable connection that can stretch, for example. This allows the slightest pedal movement to be accurately accounted for and also adds the facility of changing how the engine behaves at any given pedal position, whilst cross-referencing revs as well.

Out of slow second-gear corners, like roundabouts, the ST wasn't shy about lighting the tyres up and further enhanced the massive grin factor the car already has pulling hard to the rev limiter, which has been raised by 200rpm! Speaking of which, the limiter has also been reworked to provide a much softer feel that lets you know you're there, without throwing you through the windscreen... which is very welcome revision!

the in-gear times backed up the improved sense of speed we were getting from the driving seat on all of the tests, and the rolling road figures further substantiated this with good power and torque gains being seen right through the rev range.

In-gear test:

Fitting:

We've covered fitting the Bluefin numerous times in previous issues. It's literally a case of finding the OBD cover, popping it open, plugging in the device and following the on-screen instructions - you really can't get it wrong!

The OBD port on the Fiesta ST is located below the steering wheel.

NB: The new ST files are a lot larger than the previous version so a new spinning wheel has been added to indicate the updates' progress. DO NOT disconnect the Bluefin during this time!

Focus ST.

Before: on the road

We love  the Focus ST to bits here at pf HQ, so improving on the drivability and performance was going to always be tough going.

The Car hits peak torque before 2000rpm, pulls like a train and makes noises like any enthusiast would lovingly soak up like metaphorical sponge.

If we had to be really picky we'd have to say for our liking it does die off too much at the top, although this is only apparent due to the insane torque from such low revs, so that's just us wanting to have our cake and eat it! Park throttle also suffers from slight 'lunging', especially noticeable in slow-moving traffic, and this is due to the ridiculous emission controls imposed by the European laws. Apart from that, we really couldn't fault it!

In-gear test:

After: on the road

With the new map loaded we were off again, and just as with the Fiesta the improvements were instantly noticeable. Part throttle seemed softer and less jolty and trundling along in traffic was pleasant: back to how it should've been in the first place!

The ST features a neat set of gauges on the top dash, similar to the Escort Cosworth in fact. At the centre lives the all-important boost gauge which soars up through 0.3bar intervals to a maximum of 1.2 bar. The standard ST manages to just hit 0.9bar before dropping back to 0.6bar. Substantial testing has revealed to us that the ST left the factory with all sorts of additional parameters that only let you have full power when certain conditions are met. This might be either a particular gear, i.e. above 2nd, or when the car is cornering and returns to a straighter course. Either way on the one hand it's very trick and clever, on the other it's pretty annoying as there's tons of background gadgetry playing about with your driving experience!

Opening the Bluefin'd ST up showed a massive improvement in mid-range punch but what was really interesting was how the boost exponentially climbed with the revs rather than peaking and dropping as it used to.

The Focus really came alive in the top gears where 1.2bar was unleashed and it felt really, really strong - similar to a stage one Cossie in terms of top-end pull - impressive stuff indeed!

In fact we couldn't help exploring 5th and 6th gear, and are confident that had we tested in-gear times from 70mph to, say, 100mph the Bluefin'd car would car would destroy the standard ST, without any doubt!

Having said that, even between the 30mph-50mph and 50mph-70mph increments gains of nearly half a second were seen, which gives a clear indication of the improvement in power.

Combine this with the aforementioned smoothing and improved drivability, and we were more than impressed!

In-gear test:

Fitting:

The OBD port on the Focus ST is easy to find as it has no plastic cover like the Fiesta. It's located to the right and below the steering wheel.

NB: As with the Fiesta, the new ST files are a lot larger than previous version so a new spinning wheel has been added to indicate the updates' progress. DO NOT disconnect the Bluefin during this time!

Conclusion:

Superchips has taken its time developing the Bluefin for both ST's, but this has paid off many times over with a products that not only improves power and torque figures throughout the rev range, but that has also created an even more civilised driving experience through adjustments to low-end fuelling and rev limits.

Both cars feel instantly more eager and torquey, which equates to improved drivability on the road where it matters, and the in-gear timing we carried out showed consistent improvements in how the increase in power was used. In fact, both cars made improvements in every test, conclusively proving that not only do both cars feel quicker to drive, they really are quicker.

The top-end improvements on the revised Focus ST however gave us the biggest grin, and at the time of writing it would without a doubt be the first, and must-have, modification on our list if we owned a Focus ST ourselves. Add to this the fact it's all backed up with Superchips Limited warranty period, and we'd be picking up the phone and ordering one today, it's that good!

Simple to fit, cheap to buy, massive improvements in drivability and performance and backed up with a full warranty, tuning made easy we reckon!

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