Originally posted by CraZx2ing
OUCH! did i ever step on 'phatstangs' toes! lol. now lets think here... the escort was axed around year 2000. the zx2 as well... its now 2004 and the zx2 is STILL here... so if ford can't get rid of them... why... 4 years later do they still make them?? they even got a face lift... and for the LONGEST time the zx2 outsold the zx3. now you say the zx2 can't perform suspension wise? you ever hear of the zx2 s/r? comes with eibach springs, better struts, ES bushings everywhere, wider more grippy tires... that makes for a nice handling car... sure... the focus might be the replacement for the zx2... someday... but hey... the escort has been around since '68 like escortlover said... so yeah. also... zx2's have no aftermarket support? considering they've only been around for what.. 6 or 7 years... and are the bastard child of ford i think they are doing great... just to prove it... heres my mod list...
and the BEST part about it... i've seen a zx2 pull a 15.4 with JUST an intake... i've seen an svt run a 16.8 all nite long. and i still dont have any recalls on my old, outdated, pos escort.
~Tim
When did the ZX2 outsell the ZX3 for the "longest time"? Dealers couldn't keep the ZX3 on the lot when they arived in '00...meanwhile the dealerships were giving deep discounts on the ZX2's in an attempt to get rid of them before the arrival of the next model year. Heck, I looked into purchasing a ZX2 because they were so damn cheap back in 2000, but I couldn't stand the nasty interior styling and lack of aftermarket support.
Yeah, the S/R was a nifty little package. The aftermarket springs and shocks were a band-aid for the less than spectacular stock suspension. I always thought the stock ZX3 had better over all feel even compared to the S/R. To me, the ZX2 just never felt right going around a corner. The suspension lacks cohesion, the front and rear feel so disconnected from each other.
As far as the SVT vs. the ZX2 thing goes...as usual it all depends on the driver. Mid-upper 15's are possible with the stock SVT, you just need someone behind the wheel that can actually drive (that 16.8 is pathetic, my relatively stock ZX3 ran a 16.6 on my 2nd attempt at ever running the quater mile).
Unfortunately I think our days are numbered with the Zetec. Ford wants to eventually phase the Zetec out in favor of the new Duratec line. This probably won't happen for quite a few years, but who knows what kind of impact this will have on the aftermarket for both our cars. The 2.0l Zetec is a fairly unspectacular motor...with all the work we can do to our cars, it still doesn't yield the same gains found doing the same sorts of things on an Import 4-banger. The new Duratec line responds quite well to minor bolt-ons, so hopefully this will power the Focus into being more competitive with the Imports.
Oh, I no longer have any recalls on my Focus..........I had all 7 of mine fixed 2 years ago.
