So, my Escort is busy with some drivetrain issues right now. And, I had already paid for a track day this weekend. I took my '90 4wd Protege, 220K miles on the still stock B8, except for an LX TB and a K&N panel filter. I've got Miata daisy wheels wrapped in Dunlop SP Sport 8000, 195/55R14s. Last week I installed new Tokico SR (ZX2) struts along with Pedder sport lowering springs, sort of thought the Escort wouldn't be ready.
Anyways, the car did surprisingly well for something that wasn't suppose to make more than 105hp. By the last session, I was able to get most of the understeering out of the car in most corners. How? More throttle, apparently you just have to have big enough balls to stay on the gas longer or harder. Helps that I don't mind an adventure in the dirt or that I have a spare BP engine in the garage if this engine finally gives up. The low rev and low final drive had me back and forth through the gears more than I remember in the Escort at the same track, last year, in stock trim. I had 3 or 4 different people come up and talk to me out of the blue about the car and how well I was peddling it around in a run group with Corvettes, a Cobra kit car, turbo wad Eclipse, WRX station wagon, MazdaSpeed 6 and a few other faster cars. The only place any of them would make up ground on me was typically in the 3/8 mile straight.
-Jon R.
Anyways, the car did surprisingly well for something that wasn't suppose to make more than 105hp. By the last session, I was able to get most of the understeering out of the car in most corners. How? More throttle, apparently you just have to have big enough balls to stay on the gas longer or harder. Helps that I don't mind an adventure in the dirt or that I have a spare BP engine in the garage if this engine finally gives up. The low rev and low final drive had me back and forth through the gears more than I remember in the Escort at the same track, last year, in stock trim. I had 3 or 4 different people come up and talk to me out of the blue about the car and how well I was peddling it around in a run group with Corvettes, a Cobra kit car, turbo wad Eclipse, WRX station wagon, MazdaSpeed 6 and a few other faster cars. The only place any of them would make up ground on me was typically in the 3/8 mile straight.
-Jon R.
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