ZX2 S/R

I'm a sucker for special editions and there has been one of these tormenting me on CL for a while. It's not listed as an S/R, the ad states it's great on gas and would be a great car for a college student. I'm thinking he doesn't know that it's special.

Anywho, are these things worth a damn? Will they survive RallyX abuse? What may be about to explode with 154K on the clock?

I know there have been a couple threads on them in the past, I'm just too lazy to go digging them up.

Paging IceRacer...

The short answer is, It Depends. Rare, yes. Significantly more power than a "standard" Zetec, yes. Also, the BG chassis can be made to handle extremely well. America's BG suspension tuning guru is: Pierce Motorsports Escort/Protege suspension goodies

Check out everything listed for both Escort and Protege, it all fits both cars. DOn't worry about the model years listed, it's all the same from 1991 to 2003 in terms of chassis and suspension components

Another pierce vote for suspension bits, Jim also makes some slick front arms that aren't on the site. You'll already have a limited slip, so you'll be ready there. I know more about BP engines then zetec, so I'm not much help there, but a certain magazine has a zetec powered rallycross project. BG chassis make for awesome fun in the dirt, get it and enjoy.

I'm assuming that hovering around challenge price is about market value of they are not rusted badly and it isn't making death noises. Sound about right?

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock:

Sounds fair I'd expect 1700-2300 depending on mileage. If the seller isn't aware that it's a S/R $700-2100.

It was pretty much a pre-riced ZX2. Lowering springs and a cold air intake. The engine had a "tune" but experience with standard ZX2s suggests that the MAF transfer function required certain intake resonators to be in place or the car would run poorly (notably a big torque hole right in the midrange where a stock Zetec shone), so the "tune" was probably just a MAF table adjustment due to the cold air intake.

Nick. How do YOU know that it is an SR. These things are pretty rare and ID is not easy. Not all ZX2's are SRs.

The SR did not have a limited slip, the only thing missing.

Mine got DD use as well as track days and ice racing. For track use a much larger rear bar and sticky tires worked well. 1:08 at Lime Rock.

Most after market power stuff was not worth the money.

I did find a Quasi limited slip device. A spring loaded block that installed between the spider gears. forget what it was called.

The drive train was very reliable.

Ah yeah, the annoying thing about the ZX2... It has a Mazda "G" box, at the time the only people who made any kind of diff for it was Quaife, and Mazda Motorsports had exclusive US distributorship. But to buy from them, you have to show proof of using a Mazda (the specific Mazda you're buying parts for) in some form of sanctioned motorsport. So you couldn't buy a Quaife unless you knew a guy who autocrossed a turbo MX-6 or something.

Supposedly the diff has the same form factor/spline count as '84-up Mazda 7" rears, meaning an RX-7 or 1.8 Miata diff would fit, if you could machine a shoulder into the diff for the speedometer drive. Never had a chance to compare, although I did confirm that the axles had the correct 26-tooth spline.

The diff pins are extremely fragile, a single one-wheel tirespin incident could leave you with a spun pin which rapidly leads to an exited pin and an exploded trans case. So I would consider some form of diff to be mandatory.

In reply to Knurled: The intake resonators were thrown away on the SR, and could be on the stock with no problem.

All ZX2's had a cold air intake. The one on the SR had a plastic tube, slightly larger and straighter, Stock air cleaner with now two intakes.

The power increase was from a different PCM.

iceracer wrote: In reply to Knurled: The intake resonators were thrown away on the SR, and could be on the stock with no problem.

Not in my personal, direct experience. It made a big torque dip. It sounded louder, and you felt a kick once you got out of the dip, but this was not a performance gain, just the engine coming out of a performance loss.

In this way does the butt dyno lie.

In reply to Knurled: I once received directions from Mazda as to how to install their limited slip.

I wouldn't say the pins were FRAGILE. However, I did have a failure on it's last track day. Shenandoah track has essentially a very long curve where you run full throttle may have contributed. Luckily no catastrophic failure. Small hole in the case allowed oil on exhaust. Smoke.

Transmission shop fixed the case with JB weld.

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock:

I considered buying one of these new. I happened to drive by tiny a Ford dealer in Charleston, IL with one on the lot, so I stopped in and took it for a test drive. I'd been spending quite a bit of time around then driving friend's Neons & ACRs, and I remember thinking the S/R felt like a bit of a disappointment compared to them. Then again, it hadn't even been broken in yet, so that may have been part of it.

If I found one for cheap & had the cash and a place to park it, I'd buy it without much question.

In reply to iceracer:

It's yellow, has the right wheels, and has the little S/R stickers on the doors. Looks box stock, in average condition for a car it's age. I doubt someone would go to the trouble of putting the S/R stickers on a regular one. It's certainly not a commonly known option package like an Si would be on a civic.

In reply to Knurled:

Team M makes a torsion limited slip for the G series, runs 795, or you can run a msp limited slip with sephia axles.

Actually $749 but it's hecial, not torsion.

Yeah, If it's the one in CP, I'd be really surprised if someone would track down the stickers and wheels for the heck of it.

Looks in pretty good shape except the bumper. Sounds like a good one to offer $1500 for.

In reply to bmw88rider:

That's the one.

Blue intake tube, blue valve cover. 150 mph speedometer is a hint but not positive.

Wheels and stickers do not make an SR.

The yellow color sounds good. Is there a little "SR" emblem on the rear.

In reply to iceracer: Here are the pictures of it from the ad. I'd be very surprised if it wasn't one.

Whoa. How has that not been on my radar. Looks like a great find. I would scoop that up.

I've always eyeballed them here and there and ZX2's in general. They're the peppiest of the zetec powered cars. I've owned a Contour and Cougar w/ that motor both with over 160k on the clock and will say they're very durable + non-interference to boot.

I think everyone covered the S/R differences above but I'd ad I beleive they came with Eibach-sourced springs and Tokico struts. Not sure if the sways were any different than stock ZX2. Borla muffler(see large tip in pic of rear), which that alone I'm sure can fetch a pretty penny in the classifieds. Not a fan of the yellow but that seems most common. I want to say they came in black and red, maybe following year?

In reply to Stanger2000:

They definitely came in red at some point, not sure about black.

In reply to rslifkin:

They came in black as well.

In reply to rslifkin:

They were yellow only the first year, then added red and black for second and third years. IIRC, the Borla exhaust was a full cat-back and it sounded really nice.

One of those taught me to drive bad manual transmissions, albeit it was not an S/R. First I lost first gear, then I lose 1-3-5, then for a while I lost 2-4-R... it was a fun car, but rusty things kept falling out and the transmission was difficult.

In reply to Nick (Bo) Comstock:
Sure does look good.