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Ford Escort ZX2

1555 messages,  Last post on Dec 19, 2012 at 2:18 PM

You are in the Ford Escort ZX2 Forum.

What is this discussion about? Ford Escort, Coupe

Messages Page 79 of 156

#781 of 1555 by rickgonz

Apr 17, 2001 (9:06 am)

guys shopping for ZX2s:
I'd advice spending a few dollars to get a vehicle history report. Since ZX2s are usually driven by younger males (and females too) who like to go fast, checking for accidents and such makes sense.
If you use traderonline.com to check for Escorts in your zip code area, chances are you will find the ZX2 you are looking at. There's a button that allows you to purchase a vehicle history report, just get your credit card ready.
I think this site (Edmunds) has this service too, you need to know the car's VIN.
 
As for that elusive S/R that I wish I could get if I had the money, there's a 2000 Black S/R at Crystal Ford in Silver Spring, MD for $12,800.
and it's only got 5k miles on it!
Oh well...

#782 of 1555 Zetec Cruising Speeds by speeds2much

Apr 18, 2001 (10:19 am)

Congrats to all who own the Focus with the Zetec engine. I just had the oppotunity to rent one (1.6 litre Zetec engine) from Hertz and drive it to Paris. The car was a blast and sustained 100 mph (about 165 km/h) for the entire 300 km trip like a champ. It also handled great at that speed, with a very secure feel to it.

#783 of 1555 Hmm maybe a second car late next year.. by photog0264

Apr 19, 2001 (1:11 am)

Ralex sorry for not responding sooner I was playing with my new toys... The monitor I picked up was flat screen 17inch Envision. Wow is it difference suddenly I have colour and space...
 
At any rate given the fun I had (at least for me it wasn't raining) it has got me thinking again about that 2nd car option. Perhaps a marginal high mileage Taurus, or Escort Station wagon. On the strength of this idea I even inquired at my newest insurance company about getting a liabilty only policy for such a car. The Rough estimate would be about $30 to $40 with a rather dramatic drop once last years games drop off my record (in about 2 and half years now). Of course I could always go for a Pick up truck or SUV. God I love the ZX2 but it is far from perfect...

#784 of 1555 Wrong Forum??? by photog0264

Apr 19, 2001 (1:16 am)

I think speeds2much has the wrong forum... Though I do know the trip he took. I can't help wondering how the ZX2 would fair on such a drive... Ripping through the French countryside in my ZX2 at 100mph, ahh that would be an interesting drive... Of course I would have to have some minor mods done to the engine, and some non-stock tires added. As the standard ZX2 can barely beat 100mph and I don't think the tires would be able to handle those speeds for very long.

#785 of 1555 by ralex2

Apr 19, 2001 (7:44 am)

That 100 mph Euro Focus puzzled me. I went to some European sites to check it out and it looks to me as though the French and German Zetec is rated at about 74 HP (55 KW). Anybody know for sure? I also got a look at the Ford Puma and the KA. Wish we had choices like that in the states.
 
Nobody had any ideas on "Fliphed's" post about the ZX2 that only turned 2200 rpm at 65 mph. That still puzzles me. Wonder if a tach malfunction could be the cause? Fliphed, your ear should tell you whether the car was turning 2200 or 3000 rpm. Do automatics have pretty much the same gearing as 5 speeds or are they taller in the top gear?
 
Plhotog, I looked at flat screen moitors and really liked them. Really weird when you first look at them because your eye has come to believe standard monitors are flat. I dedided since the 17 in flat and the standard 19 were the same price, to go with the 19.

#786 of 1555 transmission fluid by ralex2

Apr 19, 2001 (7:51 am)

Since I put the short throw shifter in my Z, the resistance you feel changing gears has been exagerated by the leverage change on the aftermarket shifter. Not a serious problem, but an additional annoyance. Someone posted that they had switched to Redline synthetic transmision fluid and it solved the problem. At last weeks oil change, I changed out the transmission fluid as well, putting in 3.5 quarts of the synthetic in place of the Mercron Ford reccommends. It has made a difference, but only a very slight difference. At $7.40 a quart, I'm not sure it was worth it. Of course, I think it's always a good idea to get rid of the factory fluid and whatever manufacturing junk was left in the tansmission at the factory.

#787 of 1555 100mph by freddy_k

Apr 19, 2001 (3:13 pm)

I would hope that those who like to drive their cars fast and/or hard would have swapped out the tires immediately. right away my factory tire became my winter beaters and I picked up some better ones without dumping a lot of cash into it (H rated 205/40 Yokohama) (and some rims to go with them). I've kept the car just under max speed, about 175 k/h, I think about 100-105 mph for extended periods of time on longer trips without any problems at all, except for gas mileage even more drastic then normal.

#788 of 1555 Curious... by photog0264

Apr 20, 2001 (1:29 am)

Ralex when you checked out the European sight did you happen to notice if there was a ZX2 or ZX3 equivilent over there? Though I haven't been back for a number of years. I would imagine the ZX2 would fit right in over there. It really would be a lot of fun to take a ZX2 on a long English Country Road at speed.
 
Granted other mildly more exotic cars may have the ZX2 beat for speed, and general handling. However for general pleasure of driving on low country roads the ZX2 is very hard to beat. Unlike so many of it's contemporaries it realy does seem to drop it's body down low, and hug the bends. In many of the cars I test drove such as Cavalier, and Mirage the cars either started to lose the back end out, or you couldn't feel the road at all. I can only imagine how much better the ZX2 would be with improved shocks, and Tires such as Ralex and few others have. So many of the other Sports Coupes out there seem to have lost the feel of the road in favour of open highway performance. Oh well more fuel for my wish list.
 
Ralex thinking about what you said I wondered over to CompUsa (it's in the same shopping center where I work) and glanced at the 19 and 21 inch monitors. Specifically those by Envision like the one I purchased. I also looked at the boxes and there is Zero chance of one of those larger boxes fitting into the ZX2. Though I am wondering how the ZX3 hatchback would fair under similar circumstances.

#789 of 1555 by ralex2

Apr 20, 2001 (7:33 am)

Didn't see any ZX2s on French or German dealers pages, but the ZX3 showed up, probably because of it's success as a rallye car. I'm sure it is significantly different than the US model.
 
Different manufacturers are going to use different sized boxes for their monitors. The 19 in Viewsonics would only fit in my front seat one way and then it was close. Like you, I'm thinking I need a pick-up or wagon as a second vehicle.

#790 of 1555 rpms at speed by rickgonz

Apr 21, 2001 (1:22 pm)

fliphed:
 
Perhaps your friend's car had aftermarket wheels and tires thus taking them to a smaller diameter?
And thus showing a faster speed on the speedometer when actually it's 3-5mph less?
 
I can't account for such a big difference unless perhaps he has put in a Superchip or something like that which enormously changed the program.
 
Here's what I saw on my speedo and tach yesterday:
 
Speed RPMs
55 2400
65 2750
70 3000
 
My car has manual 5 speed and stock everything, including tires with 15,000 miles on the odometer.
 
As for the Speeds2much's post, why not?
I take his post as compliment to our cars.
The Zetec engine is used in a wide variety of European Fords, including a 1.8L version in the Puma which uses the same platform as the Ka (which we also don't see here).
 
Ford Puma vs. Opel (GM) Tigra get it?
 
Anyway, it's a testament to the versatility of this engine to see so many uses and configurations of the design.
 
There is no ZX2 in Europe or Asia, as this is a purely North American vehicle: USA, Canada and Mexico only.
  
Europeans have different requirements of their cars. Immediate speed as acceleration off the line at traffic lights is not as important as overall gasoline economy and top speed.
Whereas in the US, top speed capability would be "why the hell do we need to build a 150MPH car when you can't drive anywhere like that without going straight to jail?"
 
Therefore one will find the Zetec 2.0L in the Focus ZX3 and ZTS (designed in Europe) having different gearing and different camshaft configuration from the ZX2.
The ZX2 also has a Mazda-built tranny vs. the Focus's which I believe is Ford and similar to the one on the old 4-cyl Contour.
Their Escorts were built on a different platform from ours which are Mazda 323 based.
   
If anyone has a copy of Auto Motor und Sport's AutoKatalog, or a British one which I forget the name you'll see so many cars we will never get here in the US. Things like an Opel roadster called VX200 or something like that, or a Fiat Coupe and the aforementioned Ford Puma not to speak of the Mondeo. Oh well, we have SUVs over here hahaha.

Messages Page 79 of 156

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