Any zc32 Suzuki swift sport users?

[trickywoo]

Garett said:

Does anyone have any experience replacing the headlight ballast? I have a flickering N/S headlight and I'm guessing its the ballast, it could just be the lamp but it might not be.

I'd be trying a bulb first. They are D2S and the factory spec is Osram Night Breaker. They are about £30 a pair.

If you want to rule it out you can just swap the good one over and see if it does the same flickering on the suspect ballast.

You have to unclip the top of the bumper and take the headlamp unit out to get at the bulbs but its all logical. There is a 'hidden' screw in approximately the 2 o'clock position on the arch liner for the bumper. Also one for the headlamp unit straight on. Its easiest to get at from the very front with an extension than trying to get at it the shortest route.

Remember to put the weather seal back before you refit the headlamp unit.....

I don't think I've seen anyone ask about failed ballasts on the forum or facebook group but bulb failures are also very rare.

If it is bilbs don't bother with top spec Night Breaker Laser Xenarc (next gen) the improvement over the base Night Breakers is marginal at best.

[Garett]

Thanks for the quick reply, can you get at the headlight without completely removing the bumper then? I thought you had to remove completely but there's probably a knack if you know what you are doing.

I can't see the bulbs for £30 per pair anywhere, they are at least that each from what I have seen. When I've used nightbreakers in halogen in the past they would always have a much shorter life span than a regular bulb so I have never been convinced by them, despite them being marginally brighter. To be honest having new bulbs over what is in there now will probably be enough of an improvement, I think a lot of people don't realise that HID bulbs need replacing, they don't last forever. My car is a 2012 with 90k miles so they are getting to that age now where a ballast or bulb probably will need replacing. Fingers crossed its just a bulb!

[trickywoo]

The factory fit bulbs are Osram Night Breakers. I 'upgraded ' to the Xenarc next gen at £100 the pair. They are a tiny bit better.

I think is was misremembering the price of the pair of standard ones as you are right. About £50 a pair is the best I can see.

You just need to loosen the top bumper bolts and unclip it. You can then pivot it plenty to get at the headlamp units without taking it all the way off. Its not a big deal to get the whole bumper off but there is no need.

[gweaver]

Garett said:

I have a flickering N/S headlight and I'm guessing its the ballast, it could just be the lamp but it might not be.

When do the lights flicker? When hot/cold, or going over bumps?

[Garett]

gweaver said:

When do the lights flicker? When hot/cold, or going over bumps?

Temperature doesn't seem to affect it, whether they've just been turned on or on for a while they still do it.

It does seem to do it more when going over bumps, but still occasionally if sat in traffic.

[Garett]

Bulbs replaced, flicker appear to have gone. Hurrah!

[gweaver]

That's a good result, thanks for the update (saw your other thread)

[Kev_Mk3]

Garett said:

Bulbs replaced, flicker appear to have gone. Hurrah!

Do you have a link to the ones you bought i think its time I bought new also

[Garett]

Kev_Mk3 said:

Garett said:

Bulbs replaced, flicker appear to have gone. Hurrah!

Do you have a link to the ones you bought i think its time I bought new also

Yeah sure, here you go

https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/xenarc-d2s-sing...

[trickywoo]

Kev_Mk3 said:

Do you have a link to the ones you bought i think its time I bought new also

We have two swifts in the family. One is 60k miles and driven in the dark a lot and one 20k mile. As the 20k one is mine and the Mrs doesn’t like me doing anything to hers I put £100 top spec Osram D2S on mine. The difference back to back is marginal.

What I’m saying is that I wouldn’t change the bulbs unless you’ve actually got a problem.

[Kev_Mk3]

Garett said:

Kev_Mk3 said:

Garett said:

Bulbs replaced, flicker appear to have gone. Hurrah!

Do you have a link to the ones you bought i think its time I bought new also

Yeah sure, here you go

https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/xenarc-d2s-sing...

Thanks

trickywoo said:

Kev_Mk3 said:

Do you have a link to the ones you bought i think its time I bought new also

We have two swifts in the family. One is 60k miles and driven in the dark a lot and one 20k mile. As the 20k one is mine and the Mrs doesn’t like me doing anything to hers I put £100 top spec Osram D2S on mine. The difference back to back is marginal.

What I’m saying is that I wouldn’t change the bulbs unless you’ve actually got a problem.

Yeah somethings not good so will have to investigate

[Saudade]

Picked up a ZC32s about a year ago now, I think from a contributor on this thread from reading it back...

Anyway, I think it is great out the box, the damping and suspension is perfect imo, every other "drivers" car/hot hatch I have driven with MacPherson struts and a solid rear beam has been utter rubbish with aggressive front camber and what feels like a concrete slab for a rear end that is way too hard/crashy over bumps and promotes lift of oversteer at legal speeds (i.e. when you don't want it), a late MK7 Fiesta ST being the worst offender by far.

The steering is great, the engine is decent for a modern N/A engine, the gearbox ratios and gear change are great (with some mods) and in general it is great fun and worry free. I think the best compliment I can give it is that it is 70-80% of an Integra DC2, just missing the rawness, LSD and final finesse that the DC2 offers, but it's feel good factor is there, making you feel like a hero when you get it right. Obviously it is not a DC2 but I never find myself wishing I took the DC2 instead.

Question time:


We have a child on the way and have bought a GK5 jazz which also makes for an interesting comparison which I will leave for another day, however it does fill the same need as the ZC32s (on paper they are very similar) which has made me think about replacing it with something, and to be honest the only thing I can think of is the ZC33s.

The other option is to modify the ZC32s to try and extract 150HP from it, install an LSD and see what it is like? Has anyone done that and can share thoughts/experiences? My head says just buy the ZC33s, remap it and fit an LSD but that means I lose the N/A engine and is more money, plus my ZC32s is in great condition.

I haven't test driven a ZC33s yet so maybe that will answer my question.

[trails]

The 33 is nicer than the 32 in almost every way. Only things I didn't like were the intrusive lane assist and auto brake function, but you can switch them off. Hybrid isn't as nice as the straight ICE car either.

My wife wants a silver one so we will import one early next year.

Deffo get yourself a test drive.

[Kev_Mk3]

Saudade said:

Question time:


We have a child on the way and have bought a GK5 jazz which also makes for an interesting comparison which I will leave for another day, however it does fill the same need as the ZC32s (on paper they are very similar) which has made me think about replacing it with something, and to be honest the only thing I can think of is the ZC33s.

The other option is to modify the ZC32s to try and extract 150HP from it, install an LSD and see what it is like? Has anyone done that and can share thoughts/experiences? My head says just buy the ZC33s, remap it and fit an LSD but that means I lose the N/A engine and is more money, plus my ZC32s is in great condition.

I haven't test driven a ZC33s yet so maybe that will answer my question.

Buy a ZC33.

Trying to extract 150 bhp from a 32 is going to cost more than you think. Several folk claim they have and same with 31's but they haven't, generally happy dynos. LSD you wont need if its on the road only. Even with cams etc you'll be just around 150bhp but thats a fair bit of money, turbo / supercharger etc is thousands to get to 200bhp - not worth it at all.

I repeat buy a ZC33 and be done.

[PJ_Parsons]

If you are willing to spend the the money, buy a ZC33S. If not, it is worth a remap. I had mine done by Reidy Remaps. I found a used Miltek exhaust and then had the remap done, Think it was £300-50 a few years back. The engine pulls better all the way through the range with no downside on mpg or anything else. 150bhp? No chance, but it did improve the car. If somebody paid me £600 to have the remap taken off, I would not do it. However, if you do have it remapped, make sure it is via CTC/Reidy. Others have had it done by Superchips and the like because they are local, then moaned about it. Kind of like deliberately buying fake Duracell, batteries and moaning that Duracell is rubbish.

Edited by PJ_Parsons on Saturday 30th December 21:02

[JohnnyD1999]

Saudade said:

Picked up a ZC32s about a year ago now, I think from a contributor on this thread from reading it back...

Anyway, I think it is great out the box, the damping and suspension is perfect imo, every other "drivers" car/hot hatch I have driven with MacPherson struts and a solid rear beam has been utter rubbish with aggressive front camber and what feels like a concrete slab for a rear end that is way too hard/crashy over bumps and promotes lift of oversteer at legal speeds (i.e. when you don't want it), a late MK7 Fiesta ST being the worst offender by far.

The steering is great, the engine is decent for a modern N/A engine, the gearbox ratios and gear change are great (with some mods) and in general it is great fun and worry free. I think the best compliment I can give it is that it is 70-80% of an Integra DC2, just missing the rawness, LSD and final finesse that the DC2 offers, but it's feel good factor is there, making you feel like a hero when you get it right. Obviously it is not a DC2 but I never find myself wishing I took the DC2 instead.

Question time:


We have a child on the way and have bought a GK5 jazz which also makes for an interesting comparison which I will leave for another day, however it does fill the same need as the ZC32s (on paper they are very similar) which has made me think about replacing it with something, and to be honest the only thing I can think of is the ZC33s.

The other option is to modify the ZC32s to try and extract 150HP from it, install an LSD and see what it is like? Has anyone done that and can share thoughts/experiences? My head says just buy the ZC33s, remap it and fit an LSD but that means I lose the N/A engine and is more money, plus my ZC32s is in great condition.

I haven't test driven a ZC33s yet so maybe that will answer my question.

Do you care to elaborate on the Honda Jazz GK5 experience and comparison?

[Saudade]

JohnnyD1999 said:

Do you care to elaborate on the Honda Jazz GK5 experience and comparison?

I can try but I am no motoring journalist.

Engines:

Both similar power, redline, torque, though on paper the Swift has the Jazz bested on all three of those. However I'm convinced the Jazz is the faster car and best motoring videos seem to back this up. The engine in the Jazz definitely feels better to use. Either way neither are amazing engines but I find them quite fun, they beat the average turbo engine making similar power for involvement anyway, the low torque also means it is difficult to overwhelm the front tires.

Winner: Jazz (just)

Gear box/change:

With some mods (poly rear engine mount, poly linkage bushes) the Swift has a great gear change when pressing on and actively using the box, especially on a hotter day. Day to day the Swift is just okay. However, the Jazz gearbox feels great to use all the time, a typical Honda trait.

The Swift has shorter ratios I believe, they are pretty close but I find myself preferring the Swift's ratios most of the time, at least when driving for fun.

Winner: Jazz (just)

Feedback:

The Swift wins hands down, and this is why I like it so much. The Jazz has light steering with some feedback whereas I find the Swift very good in this regard, the steering wheel feedback in the Swift is much better at telling you what is happening. In the Swift you can also feel things with your hips which I find is usually reserved for sports cars.

Winner: Swift

Handling:

The Swift is setup better out the box, I run 15 inch wheels on the Swift which does affect the turn in a little bit but improves comfort. The Jazz comes with skinny tires and a un-stiff rear end in comparison. I think with a rear anti roll bar and some fatter tires it will be much improved but it is setup towards understeer. Both are light cars with relatively decent power so unless you don't like driving you will likely be able to have some fun in both.

I'm also not sure if some of the understeer is due to the fuel tank being under the front seats in the Jazz, however I believe due to it's placement it has a very rigid chassis with multiple "skins" to the floor. You can tell this when driving the Jazz, it is rigid and adds to the fun.

Winner: Swift

Build quality and running costs:

Both good, simple and not much to go wrong. Interior quality on both is similar. Paint on the Jazz is very soft so most in the UK look like they have been washed with sand.

Winner: N/A

Practicality:

The Jazz will always win this, the rear seat passenger room rivals an S class and the boot is about double the size of the Swift and you have the magic seats.

Winner: Jazz

Hard for me to call an overall winner, if I had to choose one car it would be the Jazz, namely because of practicality. However if N/A warm hatches are your thing then I think you will like them both, they are both fun little cars. If you want something that rewards you when driving and makes you feel good when you get a section of road just right then the Swift is the better car, the Jazz can sometimes do that but I am always fearful of pushing it harder as the front tends to get washy and if the rear tires did go I'm not exactly confident it would recover gracefully whereas the Swift prods you to push on and you don't really worry about it's limits and you can just enjoy your time - the limits are generally higher than what you should be doing on the public road anyway. As I said part of the fun for me at least is the feedback and communication the car give you and the Swift wins on that front.

The rest of the world (America, Australia and Asia) love the Jazz and do modify them to make them better and to use for auto-cross etc. The general trend is bigger tires, a rear ARB and stiffer suspension makes them into a much improved handling car. As mentioned the chassis is rigid so it is a very good base and one day I may be tempted to follow the mods they carry out and see how it really compares.

[JohnnyD1999]

Thanks for the reply, just what I was looking for. Thanks for taking the time to respond in the way that you have, I’ve been planning on picking up a ZC32S for some time but just recently the Jazz has been on my radar. I’m guessing yours is a 1.5 Sport?

As someone who owns neither my research has shown similar to yours in terms of how well received the GK and even previous generation GE model Jazz’s are around the world with Autosolos and even Best Motoring as you say although it’s not until the latest generation that we got the higher powered version.

Apart from the loss in turn in were there any other negatives to dropping down to 15in wheels on the Swift? Does yours have any other mods? What tyre sizes are you running? Do you have any pics?

Sorry for all the questions. 👍🏽

[Kev_Mk3]

JohnnyD1999 said:

Thanks for the reply, just what I was looking for. Thanks for taking the time to respond in the way that you have, I’ve been planning on picking up a ZC32S for some time but just recently the Jazz has been on my radar. I’m guessing yours is a 1.5 Sport?

As someone who owns neither my research has shown similar to yours in terms of how well received the GK and even previous generation GE model Jazz’s are around the world with Autosolos and even Best Motoring as you say although it’s not until the latest generation that we got the higher powered version.

Apart from the loss in turn in were there any other negatives to dropping down to 15in wheels on the Swift? Does yours have any other mods? What tyre sizes are you running? Do you have any pics?

Sorry for all the questions. ????

Sports are only in 1.6

[trickywoo]

Kev_Mk3 said:

Sports are only in 1.6

In n/a. The turbo ones are 1.4. I know we are only discussing the 32 but its worth saying that from 2018 on the sport went turbo.

I've not driven one but people say it has way more torque than the n/a but isn't as much fun to rev out.

While we are on the subject of Jazz vs Swift what is the real MPG like on the Jazz. Swift is mid 30s which is a constant disappointment for me.

This isn't a heroic statement btw. I ran an original 1.7 Puma long term on the same route and it gave mid 40s. Reason I mention it is that power, weight and performance of the Puma was very similar to the Swift. With 15 years of development and a 6th gear the Swift really should do better on fuel.