LIVING UP TO THE SWIFT NAME.

After sprinting the Co-ordSport Suzuki Swift Sport, back in 2014/15, I knew just how capable these cars are and how much fun you can have in them.

Using one as a daily car, that I can also have some fun with on occasional track-days seemed like a great idea, so I acquired a completely standard low-mileage 2009 ZC31S Swift Sport, making for a great platform to work on.

Going from the cars patchy service history, the first thing I wanted to do was give it a full service, using some high quality product, supplied by Co-ordSport Ltd;

– HKS Iridium spark plugs
– Castrol fully-synthetic engine oil
– HKS oil filter
– Cusco LSD oil (gearbox)
– Magnecor 8mm ignition leads 

The air filter also needed replacing, but the HKS Racing Suction kit from the race car became available, so I installed that instead, to help the car breathe better, as well as make the engine bay look a lot neater, as it includes full polished intake piping.

Now that the service was completed, I turned to ordering products that would improve the way the car handles on the road, as well as track-days, which is what this car is intended for.

First modification I had in mind was a set of coilovers, so I went for TEIN Street Advance Z, which are ride height and damping adjustable. Ideal for road and track use (softer setting for road use, and stiffer for track use).

As the car never came with a rear anti roll bar from factory, I had In mind the Whiteline BSR48Z 20mm 3-point adjustable bar. Anti roll bars are principally designed to reduce body roll or sway. By reducing body roll, lateral loads are spread more evenly across the tyres thereby increasing cornering grip and improving outright performance. This Whiteline 20mm 3-point adjustable sway bar = more grip = better handling = outright performance. It’s the best pound for pound handling improvement you can make to your vehicle.
After a quick chat with the guys over at Whiteline, they very kindly shipped one out same day, for delivery the next day!

Fitting these parts should have been so simple, but as the car is now 11 years old, and  seems that none of the original bolts / fixings had ever been removed, it came with its difficulties. The bolt that locates the brake lines to the suspension strut body was completely seized, so we decided to remove the brake lines completely and remove everything in one go, which allowed me to install a nice new set of HEL braided lines along with the TEIN coilovers, at the same time.
Naturally, when lowering your car, you should always consider installing adjustable drop links, and camber bolts, which are also supplied by Whiteline. Adjustable camber bolts will make it a lot easer to have your vehicle tracked once everything is installed, especially if you plan to use your car on circuit.

As mentioned previously, the Suzuki Swift never came with a rear anti roll bar from factory, so installing this kit is nice and easy. You could do this on your driveway. The kit includes your 20mm anti roll bar, 2 Links, 2 Bushings, 2 Saddles, 4 Brackets, 2 U-Bolts, 4 Bolts, 8 Washers, 8 Nuts and an Install Guide. 

 After adjusting the coilovers to a ride height that I was happy with, I turned to a new set of wheels and tyres to install before having the car tracked. I ordered a set of Nankang NS2-R (205/40R17) and a set of Ultralite F1 wheels (ENKEI RPF1 style wheel). Supplied by Pole Position UK, in Willenhall.

Tracking time at A-Line in Dudley.
After installing the Coilovers, rear ARB, wheels, tyres and setting the ride height, I took it for tracking, so that the car drives as it should. I went for 1.5 degrees camber on the front, and as the rear suspension is a beam axle, it is not too adjustable, so the rear camber was 0.3 degrees camber.

Now the car handles like its on rails. I couldn’t be happier with how it performs. I have a couple more idea’s for the car, but for now, I’m very happy with it.

Few more shots I took of the car how it sits now. Enjoy!

Full list of parts shown below, with links to where you can order;

TEIN Street Advance Z coilovers: BUY HERE
WHITELINE 20mm rear anti roll bar: BUY HERE
WHITELINE adjustable drop links: BUY HERE
HKS super oil filter: BUY HERE
HKS iridium spark plugs: BUY HERE
HKS Racing Suction Kit: BUY HERE
MAGNECOR 8mm ignition leads: BUY HERE
CUSCO LSD oil 80W-90: BUY HERE
PERFORMANCE FRICTION RH665 brake fluid: BUY HERE

FULL RES images viewable HERE