ZC33S, 970kg Hot hatch
Discussion
I thought I would share my Suzuki Swift Sport, the ZC33S, which I bought new at the very start of 2020.
In 2019 it became clear that my MX5 1.5 ND was not going to be a long term practical solution for me and my wife as she could not comfortably drive the MX5 as her legs were too short(!). I got a little Aygo (which I fitted with a Bilstein B12 kit) to tide me over as there was nothing that took my fancy really to replace the MX5. Being a fan of lightweight sporty hatches I was looking at finding a low mileage Swift Sport ZC32S, the 1.6 na one. At this point the ZC33S 1.4 turbo came back onto my radar.
When the ZC33S was announced I remember being a bit put off by the news it would be turbocharged. Some of the initial reviews it received seemed to be on a bit of a downer compared to the previous model. None the less any light weight car will prick my interest so I took a test drive. I liked it and so did the wife, hooray!
I really rate it, for a start it is really lightweight compared to its peers at 970kg. So for reference it is a fairly spacious, well equipped 5 door supermini with a strong rigid shell with extra welds and width over the base models that is lighter than a VW Up GTI, lighter than Clio 172 Cup, an MX5, even lighter than the stripped out Fiat 500 Biposto and a third of a ton lighter than the Fiesta ST or Polo GTI and only 50kg heavier than an ickle 106 GTI!
It's book figure of 140hp and 170 lb/ft is regarded as being very pessimistic, standard examples typically have 150-155 hp. Indeed I remember thinking on my test drive that it felt as fast as my old 172 Cup.
My overall goal with this car is to have a fun daily that fits my definition of a hot hatch. Soon after I got it I changed a couple of things to more my taste. Firstly the exhaust, as standard it makes almost no noise. I went for a HKS Spec-L system which gives a nice sound without any obnoxious volume and saves 6kg. At the same time I fitted a Cusco rear anti roll bar. As standard the Swift handles itself with great composure, it rolls a bit but is well damped which I like, personally I wanted it to feel just that little bit more "alert". The RARB has made turn in a bit sharper and helped quell power understeer.
I am not a huge fan of the standard 17" diamond cut wheels, which unfortunately looked very similar to a neighbours Renault Kadjir wheels. Making use of fabled "over night parts available from Japan" some of which can turn up in as little as 6 weeks
I got some 16" ADVAN RZ's shipped over from Japan. Combined with my chosen tyres these save a useful 14kg. The 17's are now been fitted with winter tyres.
I guess I am basically trying to recreate a modern take on the classic hot hatches of the 80's and 90's, the 205 gti and 106 Rallye being old time favourites of mine. To give the Swift a bit more of the edge is was after I had a torque biasing diff form CTC and powerflex lower engine mount fitted.
The diff is pretty awesome giving an extra layer of feedback and obviously more traction and the engine mount makes the whole drivetrain feel more solid.
I picked up a CTC intercooler as I will probably get an ecu remap next year. The intercooler seemed like a good idea to me as the standard cooler can struggle to keep intake temps down once boost pressure and rev limit are raised. A remap with these supporting mods should put it at 180bhp and 220 lb/ft which will likely be as far as I go. I am not particularly interested in chasing big power. Even with 180bhp it would have 189 bhp/ton, not bad for a supermini.
Further plans include a bit of under chassis bracing on order from Summit and Cusco and when that arrives I want to get it undersealed.
A shortened final drive has recently taken my interest. To be honest this would really be a bit of an unnecessary "luxury" as the 6 sp gear box is already fairly well judged and the turbo torque means in gear acceleration is not lacking but I may find the lure too strong!
The ZC33S seem to have fallen off the radar somewhat, undeservedly so in my opinion. They seem like such a good, very capable platform. Obviously the Japanese are very fond of them and I take quite a lot of inspiration from what they show is capable with them. In my youth I was a big fan of French cars but in recent years have become quite interested in Japanese cars. The MX5 ND, GR Yaris and ZC33S being examples of modern cars that do appeal to me.
Anyway I thought I would put my ZC33S out there.
In 2019 it became clear that my MX5 1.5 ND was not going to be a long term practical solution for me and my wife as she could not comfortably drive the MX5 as her legs were too short(!). I got a little Aygo (which I fitted with a Bilstein B12 kit) to tide me over as there was nothing that took my fancy really to replace the MX5. Being a fan of lightweight sporty hatches I was looking at finding a low mileage Swift Sport ZC32S, the 1.6 na one. At this point the ZC33S 1.4 turbo came back onto my radar.
When the ZC33S was announced I remember being a bit put off by the news it would be turbocharged. Some of the initial reviews it received seemed to be on a bit of a downer compared to the previous model. None the less any light weight car will prick my interest so I took a test drive. I liked it and so did the wife, hooray!
I really rate it, for a start it is really lightweight compared to its peers at 970kg. So for reference it is a fairly spacious, well equipped 5 door supermini with a strong rigid shell with extra welds and width over the base models that is lighter than a VW Up GTI, lighter than Clio 172 Cup, an MX5, even lighter than the stripped out Fiat 500 Biposto and a third of a ton lighter than the Fiesta ST or Polo GTI and only 50kg heavier than an ickle 106 GTI!
It's book figure of 140hp and 170 lb/ft is regarded as being very pessimistic, standard examples typically have 150-155 hp. Indeed I remember thinking on my test drive that it felt as fast as my old 172 Cup.
My overall goal with this car is to have a fun daily that fits my definition of a hot hatch. Soon after I got it I changed a couple of things to more my taste. Firstly the exhaust, as standard it makes almost no noise. I went for a HKS Spec-L system which gives a nice sound without any obnoxious volume and saves 6kg. At the same time I fitted a Cusco rear anti roll bar. As standard the Swift handles itself with great composure, it rolls a bit but is well damped which I like, personally I wanted it to feel just that little bit more "alert". The RARB has made turn in a bit sharper and helped quell power understeer.
I am not a huge fan of the standard 17" diamond cut wheels, which unfortunately looked very similar to a neighbours Renault Kadjir wheels. Making use of fabled "over night parts available from Japan" some of which can turn up in as little as 6 weeks
I got some 16" ADVAN RZ's shipped over from Japan. Combined with my chosen tyres these save a useful 14kg. The 17's are now been fitted with winter tyres.I guess I am basically trying to recreate a modern take on the classic hot hatches of the 80's and 90's, the 205 gti and 106 Rallye being old time favourites of mine. To give the Swift a bit more of the edge is was after I had a torque biasing diff form CTC and powerflex lower engine mount fitted.
The diff is pretty awesome giving an extra layer of feedback and obviously more traction and the engine mount makes the whole drivetrain feel more solid.
I picked up a CTC intercooler as I will probably get an ecu remap next year. The intercooler seemed like a good idea to me as the standard cooler can struggle to keep intake temps down once boost pressure and rev limit are raised. A remap with these supporting mods should put it at 180bhp and 220 lb/ft which will likely be as far as I go. I am not particularly interested in chasing big power. Even with 180bhp it would have 189 bhp/ton, not bad for a supermini.
Further plans include a bit of under chassis bracing on order from Summit and Cusco and when that arrives I want to get it undersealed.
A shortened final drive has recently taken my interest. To be honest this would really be a bit of an unnecessary "luxury" as the 6 sp gear box is already fairly well judged and the turbo torque means in gear acceleration is not lacking but I may find the lure too strong!
The ZC33S seem to have fallen off the radar somewhat, undeservedly so in my opinion. They seem like such a good, very capable platform. Obviously the Japanese are very fond of them and I take quite a lot of inspiration from what they show is capable with them. In my youth I was a big fan of French cars but in recent years have become quite interested in Japanese cars. The MX5 ND, GR Yaris and ZC33S being examples of modern cars that do appeal to me.
Anyway I thought I would put my ZC33S out there.
That’s a great, I really like that. I’ll be honest I didn’t realise any modern hot hatches weighed less than a tonne, and certainly not one with five doors.
It’s only 60 kg heavier than a 205 GTi and 10 kg lighter than a Clio Williams!
With 190 bhp/tonne it will be a proper little rocket, you might as well aim for 200 though!
It’s only 60 kg heavier than a 205 GTi and 10 kg lighter than a Clio Williams!
With 190 bhp/tonne it will be a proper little rocket, you might as well aim for 200 though!
The Bearded Tit said:
Got any photos of the aygo on the B12 kit? What did it handle and ride like compared to standard?
I don't think I do unfortunately, I will have a look. It sat pretty well to be honest. The wheel arch gap to the tyre was equidistant all round if you know what I mean? It didn't immediately jump out as looking lowered. Once on the B12 kit it got rid of most of the unruly roll and pitching. It did become fairly stiff and a bit crashy at times, but to be fair the Aygo shell and suspension layout is pretty basic. Considering I had it on 165mm Goodyear Vector Allseasons it gripped and went round corners pretty damned fast, on the rural roads I drive it was the straight line hero's often holding it up round the corners. The handling balance remained pretty understeery ultimately. it's not like it ploughed on in a straight line or anything but the front anti roll bar was just too much on those cars. You could give that car an absolute caning though, having to hold on to the steering wheel tight as the seats have no lateral support what so ever.Are you considering it?
MiseryStreak said:
That’s a great, I really like that. I’ll be honest I didn’t realise any modern hot hatches weighed less than a tonne, and certainly not one with five doors.
It’s only 60 kg heavier than a 205 GTi and 10 kg lighter than a Clio Williams!
With 190 bhp/tonne it will be a proper little rocket, you might as well aim for 200 though!
Ha! It would be cool to reach 200bhp/ton! I worked it out that my car would need 193bhp. The limit of the standard turbo is 190-195 I think. To get it over 180 bhp you need to change the cat and downpipe.....It’s only 60 kg heavier than a 205 GTi and 10 kg lighter than a Clio Williams!
With 190 bhp/tonne it will be a proper little rocket, you might as well aim for 200 though!
xu5 said:
I don't think I do unfortunately, I will have a look. It sat pretty well to be honest. The wheel arch gap to the tyre was equidistant all round if you know what I mean? It didn't immediately jump out as looking lowered. Once on the B12 kit it got rid of most of the unruly roll and pitching. It did become fairly stiff and a bit crashy at times, but to be fair the Aygo shell and suspension layout is pretty basic. Considering I had it on 165mm Goodyear Vector Allseasons it gripped and went round corners pretty damned fast, on the rural roads I drive it was the straight line hero's often holding it up round the corners. The handling balance remained pretty understeery ultimately. it's not like it ploughed on in a straight line or anything but the front anti roll bar was just too much on those cars. You could give that car an absolute caning though, having to hold on to the steering wheel tight as the seats have no lateral support what so ever.
Are you considering it?
No just curious really. Always fancied an Aygo (mainly I just like thrashing small cars) and I'm shopping for a coilover kit for my Corsa so wondered if a B12 kit would give a decent ride.Are you considering it?
Sounds like a great little car and nicely chosen mods.
My only experience of a Swift was a Rent4Ring one on the N'ring several years ago so not really relevant for the road cars but it means I definitely have a soft spot for Swifts and Suzuki's quest to keep the small light hot hatch alive.
ETA - I'd be inclined to just call it a Swift. ZC33S is not going to ever catch on!
My only experience of a Swift was a Rent4Ring one on the N'ring several years ago so not really relevant for the road cars but it means I definitely have a soft spot for Swifts and Suzuki's quest to keep the small light hot hatch alive.
ETA - I'd be inclined to just call it a Swift. ZC33S is not going to ever catch on!
Pebbles167 said:
Great car! And staggeringly light. How did they get the weight down to that level? The older Swift sports were around 1100kg, hell, even my little 2002 Yaris T sport is only 25kg lighter at 950kg.
Will certainly have my eye on these in the future.
I think compared to the zc32s it uses more high strength steel and the platform design it shares with the current ignis and beleano is well developed. It feels robust and stiff when you are in it. It no doubt has less insulation compared to some other cars, the door frames are quite thin for a modern car but I am fine with things like that. People whose hands have grown soft from stroking soft touch dashboards my not appreciate the reliance on hard plastics.Will certainly have my eye on these in the future.
It is not like they skimped on equipment.
Awesome, good write up thanks for sharing!
Love the approach you have taken with the car, had a go in an original 5 speed Swift Sport, and was lucky enough to rent one of the later 6 speed cars from Rent4Ring on a trip to the Ring, opened my eyes to how capable the chassis was with some 'sporty' tyres/brakes/suspension, and this latest model fixes my only gripe that power wasn't easily extractable from the N/A lump!
Look forward to further updates
Love the approach you have taken with the car, had a go in an original 5 speed Swift Sport, and was lucky enough to rent one of the later 6 speed cars from Rent4Ring on a trip to the Ring, opened my eyes to how capable the chassis was with some 'sporty' tyres/brakes/suspension, and this latest model fixes my only gripe that power wasn't easily extractable from the N/A lump!
Look forward to further updates
Cambs_Stuart said:
Really interesting to see. i own a clio 172 so I'm a big fan of an old school light hit hatch and this looks great. Any plans to reduce weight further?
Not really to be honest. Although I have saved 20kg so far I guess some of that will be added back on with chassis bracing and undersealing. Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff