This is an owner's opinion on owning a second hand manual 2008 Suzuki Swift Sport (ZC31S).
For driving enthusiast in Malaysia, there are not many choice for an affordable and fun manual car. So for those who is considering a ZC31S, can refer to my experience below.
I bought a manual 2008 ZC31S in 2017 for RM33k on the road. The car had 80k on odometer, unmodified, and is officially brought in by Suzuki Malaysia back then.
It is the facelift version, most notably change is the engine redline raise to 7000rpm. A taller 1st gear and shorter final drive for manual gearbox. So when cruising at 100km/h in 5th gear, engine RPM is 3500 (before facelift is 3300RPM).
Coming from Kelisa, ZC31S feels a lot more planted and solid. But surprisingly, practicality is only slightly better than Kelisa, especially the boot space which is only slightly bigger. There is a boot separator, if you fold or remove it will give you a deeper boot space. There is no pocket behind the driver and passenger seat, which is weird because the normal Swift has it.
The ZC31S does not come with spare tire, because the boot space become shallower to accommodate the twin exit exhaust. It only has tire repair kit.
The manual gearbox is very nice to use. The gear stick shift throw is short and accurate, at least when compare to Kelisa. All 5 forward gear are close ratio, you can even go uphill using 5th gear at about 50km/h!
The clutch feedback feel nice and easy to modulate. There is a noticeable throttle lag when compare to Kelisa, which is really annoying, luckily after market have fix for it.
The car has a bit of rattling noise from front suspension when going through bad road, some rattling from driver side mirror. It's acceptable for me.
ZC31S accept minimum RON95, recommend RON98. Below are my experience with different RON fuel:
RON95 (less power, better FC O_o )
RON97 (better power, poorer FC)
RON100 (same like RON97, but feel even more powerful after ECU reflash, I could be wrong)
VPower Racing (same like RON97)
My average FC is 13.5km/l or 7.4l/100km, with RRP fifth gear and using RON97.
On with the list of parts repair or replacement done within a year of owning it. I skip those regular wear and tear stuffs like spark plugs and transmission fluid.
Engine mounting
Oil filter housing O ring
Front suspension mounting
Front stabiliser bush
Thermostat housing (Corroded and leaking due to previous owner run ONLY WATER in cooling system!)
Coolant hose T Joint (Same as above)
Rear shock absorber (Replace with Kayaba Excel G, original Monroe is too expensive)
O2 sensor (both top and bottom, used unit)
Exhaust manifold (Top O2 sensor stuck, so gotta replace too, used unit)
Reverse sensor (Botch paint job sprayed over the original reverse sensor, render it useless!)
Magnetic Clutch Kit (Keep blowing fuse hence no cold air. The magnet insulation has cracked)
Blower fan (Was noisy, so replace it)
Reinstall windshield (Leaking due to previous poor fitting)
Cost about RM3600 for all above including the workmanship incurred.
Modification done:
RRP Reinforced Fifth High Gear Kit (Replace original fifth gear. Lower 500RPM from original gear, less noisy at highway. Recommended if frequent highway drive.)
RRP Super ROM Version 2 ECU reflash (Eliminate throttle lag, stronger low and mid RPM performance, raise redline to 7800RPM. FC same. Definitely recommended!!)
Ultra Racing Front Strut Bar (Used, don't feel much different maybe because I'm not hardcore corner freak)
So if you decide to get one, there's a strong community on FB too. Parts are easy to get too. So worry not.
Can i know how much does the rrp super ecu cost? Computer and the remap. And where did u bought it from? Trying to get one of those, now surveying for prices. Cheers!!
Apr 24 2019, 08:26 PM
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