Getting serious power from your Ford Focus ST begins with an upgrade of the wimpy factory unit. Picking the best intercooler for Focus ST upgrades will depend on how much power you hope to add and how you drive your car. We found five great solutions that will boost power, provide cooler intake charges, and fit with few or no modifications to your car.
Best Intercooler for Focus ST – Top Picks:
- Mishimoto MMINT-FOST-13GD
- Mishimoto MMINT-FOST-13KBBK
- Rev9 ICK-056
- Wagner Tuning Competition Intercooler
- Pacific Best Inc. Factory Replacement
 |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mishimoto MMINT-FOST-13GD | Mishimoto MMINT-FOST-13KBBK | Rev9 ICK-056 | Wagner Tuning | Pacific Best CV6Z6K775A | |
| OEM Part Number | CV6Z-6K775-A | CV6Z-6K775-A | ICK-056 | 200001068 | CV6Z6K775A |
| Increases core size | 128% | 128% | No data | No data | No data |
| Increases fin surface area | 32% | 32% | No data | No data | No data |
| Horsepower increase | 5HP | 8HP | No data | No data | No data |
| Torque increase | 7 ft/lbs | 10 ft/lbs | No data | No data | No data |
| Item Weight | 30 pounds | 29.7 pounds | No data | 33 pounds | 9.81 pounds |
| Price | Find on Amazon | Find on Amazon | Find on Amazon | Find on Amazon | Find on Amazon |
The products we share below are among the best intercoolers for Ford Focus ST cars on the market. The products from Mishimoto are ideal for DIY customizers who are making significant changes to a street-driven car. The Rev9 kit is an affordable upgrade for street cars that are mostly stock. In contrast, the intercooler from Wagner Tuning is the best choice for cars prepping for race track use. Pacific Best offers a stock replacement intercooler to fix a damaged unit.
Mishimoto MMINT-FOST-13GD
This is one of the best fitting intercoolers on the market for your ST Focus. The only modification you’ll have to make is the removal of the active splitters. The intercooler won’t fit with them in place. You will be able to keep the lower air duct and it helps to push air across the cooling fins.
The MMINT-FOST series of intercoolers feature a 128 percent increase in overall core size and a fin area increase of 32 percent. That increase in cooling capacity translates into average gains of three to five horsepower and five to seven foot-pounds of torque depending on your piping kit.
This intercooler is sold without hot or cold side piping. You’ll have the freedom to select any manufacturer’s pipe that mounts to a two-and-a-half inch inlet and has proper provisions for sensors and brackets.
Pros
- Attractive intercooler with a pedigree of performance success
- Installs easily in just a few hours with basic hand tools
Cons
- Doesn’t include piping
- Gold color can attract unwanted attention in localities where intercooler upgrades are illegal
Mishimoto MMINT-FOST-13KBBK
This kit from Mishimoto completely replaces your stock intercooler with an oversize unit and streamlined piping to maximize airflow and cooling capabilities. This kit includes the same intercooler as above, only this one is black. If you want a stealth upgrade, this is the way to go.
The performance-tuned piping kit is made from aluminum and is precision-bent to fit precisely in the stock location. MAP sensors fit properly and are correctly placed so that you don’t have to modify wiring. The intercooler fits in the stock location but requires the removal of the air splitters.
Testing has shown significant power increases from this complete kit. Under rigorous standardized tests, this kit consistently produces five horsepower and seven foot-pounds of torque on an otherwise stock engine.
Pros
- Perfect one-and-done upgrade to ensure optimal cooling efficiency for any engine build
- Hot and cold side pipes fit perfectly in stock location
Cons
- Complete kit is expensive
Rev9 ICK-056
Building on a budget often means that you have to compromise on quality or performance to get better-than-factory performance. This intercooler kit from Rev9 gives you both performance and cost efficiency to get increased performance from your Focus ST.
The intercooler is bare aluminum which will add a racing style to your Focus. The intercooler has a built-in tunnel that improves airflow. The larger intercooler design improves efficiency over stock to increase horsepower and torque.
The kit includes hot and cold side piping that replaces the factory equipment. Piping is aluminum with silicon seals that improve longevity over the factory rubber seals that are prone to deterioration. While this kit fits your Focus ST, installers have noted that some bolt holes and bracket mounts don’t line up correctly.
Pros
- Effective way to boost power without spending a fortune
- Modifications are simple to make to fit this part
Cons
- Not a direct fit intercooler
- Some evidence of low-quality welds
Wagner Tuning Competition Intercooler
An intercooler upgrade makes a street car more fun to drive, but when you are going racing, it’s an essential upgrade. This is a competition-level intercooler that is perfect for track cars and is functional for street machines, too.
You’ll see instant power gains and significant drops in intake cooling air temperature with increases in cylinder pressure. This intercooler fits in the stock location with no cutting. It gives you 24 percent fin area increases and a total of 60 percent more volume capacity than your stock intercooler.
This is one of the most rigorously tested products you’ll find. It has undergone bench flow testing that confirms this intercooler’s ability to make more power and a better running race motor. When budget is no option and winning races is the only goal, this is the intercooler you need.
Pros
- One of the highest quality, best made intercoolers on the market
- Proven to work well for reducing air temperature when racing
Cons
- One of the most expensive intercoolers on the market
Pacific Best Inc. Factory Replacement
One of the easiest components to damage in a minor accident is the intercooler. It sits right behind the bumper and is easily damaged by impacts. Upgrading your intercooler for performance is fun, but if all you want is a budget way to get your car running again, this intercooler from Pacific Best is a great option.
This is a no-frills intercooler. In fact, you will have a hard time telling this from a stock unit. It is designed to fit, function, and perform exactly like a factory intercooler at a discount price. You will have an easy time installing this intercooler in the factory location. Your factory pipe kit will connect exactly like stock.
Pros
- Factory replacement is a direct fit
- Inexpensive way to replace a damaged intercooler
Cons
- Doesn’t offer any performance increase
Buying Guide- Ford Focus ST Intercooler
It can often be the case that buying the biggest, best thing isn’t the way to make the most power. Intercoolers are a good example. You want to purchase an intercooler that provides the right amount of airflow without causing a drop in pressure due to an overly large inlet. Stock to moderate performance cars can benefit from up to a 2-inch intercooler pipe. Vehicles with performance exhaust, computer chip upgrades, and other performance modifications can take advantage of larger 2.5-inch intercooler pipe sizes.
An intercooler upgrade will boost your power, but often in such a small increment you won’t notice. However, as you add other upgrades, the performance of your intercooler upgrade will become more significant. An intercooler upgrade is essential for cars with performance exhaust headers, custom intake porting, and larger turbo chargers.
Always check the laws in your area before upgrading parts on your vehicle. Modifications to the intercooler are prohibited in some areas. You should keep your old parts if you are running an intercooler so that you can swap back to the original if you want or need to do so.
Conclusion
An aftermarket intercooler upgrade can give you a boost in power output and provide lower intake air temperatures. The combination of effects will help prolong the life of your engine and make driving your Ford Focus ST more enjoyable. A properly installed performance aftermarket intercooler can increase the value of your car.
The intercoolers we share on this list are among the best for upgrading your car. Each one has unique features that make it desirable. You can’t go wrong buying one of the intercoolers on this list to increase the performance of your car.