Ford focus st driving event

[nhbubba]

There you go then.

I know in the VW mk5 golf platform world there are basically three brake setups: the base cars will take 15's, the GTI and my 2.0T wagon will take 16's, and then the R32 won't clear anything less than 17". The 15's make for comparatively dirt cheap snow setups.

What I see a lot of is people insisting their prized auto run on fancy alloy wheels year round, even when coated with salt and road grime. Typically people buy blingy 18-19" wheels for summer use, then retire the (nice) OEM alloys to 'winter use'. These OEM sets are invariably 17 or 18". They could run a smaller, cheaper setup, but they don't. Then they complain about the cost of rubber.

I bought a set of OEM 16" steel wheels for $30 ea a few Octobers ago from tire rack with those Generals I linked pre-mounted. Total cost to me was like $500 delivered. They work great.

[SRTie4k]

Next time I buy a set of winter tires, it will be with smaller winter wheels too. My big wide 18's in snow really don't help grip at all.

[golden chicken]

I run 235/40/17s in summer and 205/55/16s in winter. BIG grip difference, but they cut through snow much better.

[nhbubba]

Agreed. I run 225/45R17 summer and 205/55R16 winters myself. I'm never going back to an all season. Wish the car had shipped with summers on it already. Does this ST ship that way? That's a nice bonus in my book.

[SRTie4k]

Performance hatches always seem to ship with summer tires. I assume the ST is no different.

[xrocket21]

Agreed. I run 225/45R17 summer and 205/55R16 winters myself. I'm never going back to an all season. Wish the car had shipped with summers on it already. Does this ST ship that way? That's a nice bonus in my book.

YEs, the Focus ST comes with Goodyear Eagle F1's

[nhbubba]

Neat. That'll save some guys ~$600 and make for some fun test drives.

My wagon shipped with all seasons. But then maybe it isn't a performance hatch.
I think it was an option on the GTIs... an option not usually ticked by dealers when ordering stock for the lot here in New England unless you got the absurd 18" wheels.

[SRTie4k]

I wonder how the build quality in the ST will compare to other hot hatches. My Speed 3 rattles, creaks and groans like mad.

[golden chicken]

My Saturn came with summer tires on it...and I took delivery in a February blizzard. Whoops.

[KawiSmurf]

I wonder how the build quality in the ST will compare to other hot hatches. My Speed 3 rattles, creaks and groans like mad.

Same here. First impression of the ST was that it seems pretty solid. Nice materials/textures, tight gaps, quality door sound. But the Speed3 had those qualities when I first got it, too. It's just so stiff and tightly screwed together from the factory, that after years of driving on New England roads it eventually devolves into noise. The rags are saying the ST's refinement is somewhere between the Mazda and a GTI out of the box, so it may hold up a little longer. The disadvatage of driving it strictly on a parking lot course is you don't get to hear the tight suspension smash and bang around on the imperfect public roads.

[nhbubba]

We have a Mazda3i (base). I have been disappointed at how it has worn. Carpet pulling out of seems. Dash trim falling off. Door cards falling apart. The doors and trunk lid feel like they wobble. Just about every control surface shows heavy wear.

Car is an '05 with ~97k on the clock. We are looking to replace it next year. Although it has been subjected to my missus continuously.

She won't go for the Focus because of the styling. She won't go for an MT either and I'm turned off by what they've done with the DSG... so she won't get any protests from me. Right now I think she's headed for a Subie.

[golden chicken]

People don't always realize, but moisturizer on your hands can damage the surfaces inside your car such as radio buttons and HVAC knobs.

[nhbubba]

Someone was there taking shots:
http://newschoolofphotography.com/li...orough-ma.html

[Rockhead]

The term "hot hatch" always made me chuckle. If its got five doors, it's a station wagon. Be a man and be proud of your station wagon. It's fast and practical.

Full disclosure: former owner of an S4 wagon, er, Avant. Damn I miss that car some days.

[SRTie4k]

The term "hot hatch" always made me chuckle. If its got five doors, it's a station wagon. Be a man and be proud of your station wagon. It's fast and practical.

Full disclosure: former owner of an S4 wagon, er, Avant. Damn I miss that car some days.

Not entirely true these days. There is a difference between a hatchback and a wagon.

http://jalopnik.com/5872562/what-makes-a-wagon-a-wagon

Just because a vehicle has 5 doors doesn't mean its a wagon. If that were the case, vans, SUVs and CUVs would all be considered wagons.

[nhbubba]

^ That, bigtime!

I spent a decent amount of energy explaining the difference between a hatch and a wagon and that the VW GTI is *NOT* a GD 'station wagon'. ... Then I turned around and bought a wagon anyway.



These two have the same wheelbase, btw. Ditto for the 4-door golf. Nobody believes that looking at them.