Focus ST curb wait

[clyde]

One thing that bugged me a lot about the two tone seats was that the ones withh yellow at the event JST and I went to were really dirty. My impression was they would be a super PITA to keep clean looking and it may ultimately be a lost cause.

[RMR]

Originally Posted by clyde

One thing that bugged me a lot about the two tone seats was that the ones withh yellow at the event JST and I went to were really dirty. My impression was they would be a super PITA to keep clean looking and it may ultimately be a lost cause.

I agree with you. I also worry (this is just my opinion) that in the long run I'd really get sick of the interior looks and feel. I keep having flash backs to the loose bits (shifter, trim pieces and buttons) from my old 1998 Ford Contour SE Sport 5 spd manual. It's a bit busy and crazy in the interior of the Focus ST. One thing I love about our GTI is that the interior is laid out so well and it's simple and uncluttered. Other than these issues, the Focus ST really hits me. I need to head over to the Ford dealer and drive one.

One other car to note in the pipeline is the forthcoming MK7 GTI. Word is that it should be here mid year of 2013. With it's new platform it is said to be 230LBS lighter (putting the manual possibly around 2850-2900LBS) and the 2.0T will put out around 225hp. And there is even "talk" about the VW GTD making it to these shores. That would be something. Basically a GTI with the 2.0 Turbodiesel motor.

[RMR]

Another good write up (ST2):

http://www.windingroad.com/articles/...ford-focus-st/

[JST]

Another excellent IL suspension walk-around:

http://www.insideline.com/ford/focus...alkaround.html

[John V]

Man, that looks like an almost exact copy of our Mazdaspeed3's suspension (not shocking, since I know where the platform came from). Similar looking front control arms with the same bushing arrangement, similar looking anti-roll bar and attachment, similar struts, ball joint location... Only difference I see in the rear suspension is that on our Mazdaspeed the ARB attaches not out at the knuckle but more inboard on the control arm's lateral link.

[JST]

Originally Posted by John V

Man, that looks like an almost exact copy of our Mazdaspeed3's suspension (not shocking, since I know where the platform came from). Similar looking front control arms with the same bushing arrangement, similar looking anti-roll bar and attachment, similar struts, ball joint location... Only difference I see in the rear suspension is that on our Mazdaspeed the ARB attaches not out at the knuckle but more inboard on the control arm's lateral link.

Yes, one of the commenters notes basically the same thing. Interesting to speculate about how much difference what is in essence a much fatter bar makes to the overall handling of the car.*

EDIT: And, FWIW, here is the MZ3:
http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtest...alkaround.html

Mazda:


Focus:


*Note: I am not qualified to discuss suspension technicalities.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by JST

Interesting to speculate about how much difference what is in essence a much fatter bar makes to the overall handling of the car.*

*Note: I am not qualified to discuss suspension technicalities.

Qualified or not...you know that bar thickness is only one of a number of elements that goes into determining the effective spring rate applied to the car. Not to mention whether the bar is solid or hollow (and if hollow the ID vs OD).

[lemming]

Originally Posted by clyde

Qualified or not...you know that bar thickness is only one of a number of elements that goes into determining the effective spring rate applied to the car. Not to mention whether the bar is solid or hollow (and if hollow the ID vs OD).

what are your thoughts now on the overall package, curb weight/power to weight, packages available, etc?

[John V]

Yeah, the motion ratio of the Mazda implementation looks to be about 0.5:1 whereas the MR of the Ford implementation is about 1:1. The arms on the Ford bar are longer, but I can't tell by how much from these pictures.

Ford might have also softened the rear springs compared to the Mazda.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by John V

Yeah, the motion ratio of the Mazda implementation looks to be about 0.5:1 whereas the MR of the Ford implementation is about 1:1. The arms on the Ford bar are longer, but I can't tell by how much from these pictures.

Ford might have also softened the rear springs compared to the Mazda.

Right. I think my point was that there's more than one way to skin a cat.