Anyone running a ZX4 ST ?

[motorholmes]

I've been researching different models to take to the track and beat on, but to get a decent car for cheap in Minnesota means you have to get one that has some serious rust issues.
Anyways, the ST that I've owned for 3 or 4 years has the specs already. Wide stance, HP, discs, and light wieght. A little body roll, but I'll work on that. I hate to beat on a 48k mile car though.

Just wondered if anyone has run this car more than just a casual Sunday afternoon, and what all did it take to get it tuned to where it was competitive?

[GodLovesUgly]

ZenRanger94 does, and from his vids he is a pretty damn good driver. and it looks like he beats on it. and it's an 06 IIRC.

seriously, everyone will tell you that you need seat time. & a lot of it to be competitive. even locally. this is my first season 8 races deep, and this stands true to the fullest.

[sjdwales]

i run my 05 focus st, this year ive only ran 2 events in it, maybe have 2 more to go. if i didnt have work and need the money i would of gone to atleast another 3 events.

i did very good at the last event. i dont have brakes but i have half decent summer cheapo tires. i beat the svt and mazda 3 in my class. also beat the 98 vw beatle in my class by .01 of a second. the guy driving it is an experienced autocross/track driver. also taught me how to race last year. this was all in HS class ( H stock)
brad/Klodkrwaler05 can tell u how the car ran.

only things u really need for autocrossing....
1) good tires
2) good brakes
3) lot of driving time

if u have those and ur 130whp focus u can beat 300whp cars there

[ZenRanger94]

Yup, I beat the hell out of it on the track! then I'm nice and gentle in town. It's a great platform to start out on for the reasons you mentioned. Honestly, if I knew then what I know now, I would have kept it stock and invested in some good R-Comps and beat up on the H-stock class. I've seen some mazda 3s do that.
The mods I've done were for a good compromise of streetability and track handling (see sig) so my goal was to keep it in the ST class. I've ran R-comps a few times this year putting me in FSP. I burned those out, so I'm back on my street tires. I place pretty well in the ST class in my region, as well as overall (top 10 on most days), but then again we're a pretty small region, so you'd have to check to see what others are running in your area to find out how well you'd fair (If its a sht load of 89 Civic Si's, it might be tough!).
The only problem I've had is that my powersteering overheats and leaks out of the reservior. It's tough to steer at the end of the day, but after she cools down, there's no problem. I still haven't gotten around to adding an oil cooler to the ps line, I may do that this year.
Other than that, as long as you keep up on the maintinence, she'll be fine. Mods are up to you, and the biggest mod is fixing the nut behind the wheel. I've still got plenty of kinks to work out there.
check the auto-x vid thread, I've got plenty in there. good luck!

[motorholmes]

Originally Posted by ZenRanger94

check the auto-x vid thread, I've got plenty in there. good luck!

One step ahead of ya. Checked out the vids already. Geez you know how to drive that car!

I'll have to figure out how to mount my vid camera-maybe next season.

I'll have to go thru the specs for each class before I buy any mods. I really want (at least) some poly sway bar bushings and some light weight 17" rims would be nice, but not if they're going to bump me out.

[GodLovesUgly]

WD40 has a how to for a pretty cool camera mount, i've used it and it works very well.

if you HAVE to mod your car, i would say tires and suspension should be first.
not sure if you mentioned what class you wanted to shoot for, but like Zen said, h-stock would be AWESOME in a stock st or svt w/slicks

[thenorm]

the ST is a great start. you have the duratec 2.3. locally you may do well in H stock with some good shocks and some R compound tires, but you might get smoked by the mini's. in ST, you'd probably get beat by the civics. FSP seems to be where we all settle. slap some 275 wide hoosiers on it and have fun.

theres nothing wrong with beating on a 48k mile car. mine has about 80k now (although its a zetec) and still races strong.

just research the classes first, also follow along with some of the auto-x build threads here and on FJ. find out what works and what is a waster of time/$$

[GodLovesUgly]

can the ST or SVT be ran in FSP? i thought they would go to DSP?

[ZenRanger94]

the ST goes to FSP and the SVT goes to DSP, dunno why though since the SVT is now in HS with the ST, and both the ST and SVT can end up in ST...got all that?

[GodLovesUgly]

not all, lol. the part where the ST goes to fsp and the SVT goes to DSP lol! lame. DSP around here is ruled by a 328is and a 325is.