Alright. I'm not really looking to be real competive, just wanna do good when I do run. I'll probably try sticking to sts. Thanks.

Ran again today. Still in HS. Computer was messed up so they did it by stopwatch. I didn't really care about trying to get a great time (I still think I took HS, I'll see whenever they post it on the internet), so I did a lot of fwd "drifting". I marked my tires and the fronts rolled a lot. The passenger side rolled almost to the wheel. I think when going through a ditch making a left hander. Very fun day. Now parts are accumulating in my dining room. Will be in STS next month.

What pressures are you running? What tires? I'm at 45 psi front on mine, with 205/50R16 Fuzion ZRi - pretty soft sidewalls. I'd bet you need a lot more pressure.

Yeah... Well the driver side wasn't rolling much. I ran 40 front 40 rear. Remember this on the escort. I think it was pretty good. Next time I go, I'll be lowered and whatnot, so I'll have to see what all that changes. I'll probably lower the rear because at 40, it's causes the rear to come around a bit, which is what I want. With a bigger rear sway bar,etc. I don't think I'll need that as much. I probably could have gone up to 42 or 43 on the driver side and 45 on the passenger fronts and been better (I know weird to have different pressure, but it would have been approriate for the course setup, which was only a ~30 second course). But really I was just having fun today. I had no idea if one run was faster than the other, so I wasn't trying to best my times or anything.

Forgot to add that my brakes are pretty much shot. The fronts have material left but suck, the rears are pretty toasted. You can even smell the brakes from a moderate stop, not even a hard stop. Something that may explain why my rear tires have worn a bit more than the front is this: my rear brakes are locking. I think I'll do a caliper hardware kit all around as well as pads, and turn the rotors/buy new ones if need be. Also good fluid and SS lines.
Friends asked me if I was pulling the ebrake and of course I wasn't but they said my rear wheels would stop moving around the 180 setup on the course. I think it's gonna be a lot easier to drive when I'm done with it.

I'm thinking already about getting a second set of tires and wheels. I'll probably buy them in novemeber/december to be ready for next year. Now, just what tire? I'd love to find a 215 on a 15" wheel that would fit the escort good, but I don't think that's happening. It'll probably be 205/50/15 on stock or some kinda honda wheels.
Azenis rt-615, kumho mx, or ventus r-s2 z212? Thanks.

If you could get 225s to fit, the extra rubber might be nice. However, depending on how light the Escort is, 205 might work alright for you. I wouldn't really consider the MX, since they've been shown to be slower than the Z212. They have different characteristics, and maybe there are reasons somone would pick them, but I'd say they are out of the running. The 615s are wonderful, but pricey. The Yoko Advan Neova AD07 is a great tire- about as sticky as the Azenis, but a much more well-rounded tire, like a T1-S. It's very pricey, though, a good bit more than the Azenis. So, I'm getting Z212s next summer because you just can't beat the price - close to as fast as the Azenis for much less money. If I wan more serious about winning, and a better driver, I'd get the 615s, no questions, but this is a Contour, not a Civic or 2.5RS. I'd imagine that in your case the Ventus would also be a nice bargain, but if you're looking for that extra tenth, you may find it in the Azenis. GRM had a good article on the new breed of Auto-x tires recently, it's worth a read if you're shopping.

The Neova don't come in the right size.
Widest I can fit on the Escort is 215 without spacers and rolling the fenders and I'd have to make sure I'd have the perfect offset. The 205s are only a couple of mm from the strut body as it is. I'll probably go with the 212s as well. $85 a tire ain't bad.

Won my class today. It was only me and one other car in regular sts, but it's a car that normally beats me. He said he just changed his suspension and still isn't used to it.

I won by just 3 hundredths of a second on my last run!

I put in motor mount inserts the other day in the front mount. Still have to do the rear. Hopefully next "mod" will be replacing the steering rack (I guess that's what causes it). The steering feels horrible when turning and accelerating out of a corner.

Awesome! Those close matches are the best.

I ran today too: pretty wet, and I was finishing up my Fuzions, so I didn't have much grip. The stiffer springs are nice, though: I can't wait to try them out. A lot of fun, and I got some good times, though! 9 runs, and there was a Noble M400 there, too!

Are you going to azenis? How'd the noble do?

Next week, I think I'm gonna go to a Porsche club autox and whoop up on some of em.

I beat the Noble by about two seconds. It was his first time out in the car, and he was having trouble getting used to it. I'm going to Azenis for my next set, but right now I have some used MXs (205/55) I'm going to put on for most - or all - of this season.

Have fun showing up some 911s!

My second gear synchro is taking a crap. I think I may stop autoxing for a while because I really don't feel like pulling the tranny right now.