Wow, that's a lot of pics in both those links. Thanks to those that took them!
Overall, I guess the ST is sort of like the Audi TT; a little faster than the sum of it's parts/specs and somewhat predictable to rotate by unweighting the rear tires. The stock 240 TW Goodyears actually have pretty stiff sidewalls for OE tires and after three events the shoulders are only 'mildly' chunked a bit, albeit I'm running 43-45psi.
I really need to pony up for 17" wheels & at least some Rival/ZIIs soon (even take-offs would work).
Much like the Civic Si sedan that I drove, the ST is one of those cars that's comfortable to just jump in and drive in stock form but I think the biggest advantage is the 8" wide wheels, strong brakes, and an easy electronic steering setup to counter the moments of torque steer under boost. The brakes are almost overkill on the street since they are extremely touchy, but on the auto-x they're great. The dust is pretty bad, so I'm sure they used a semi-aggressive compound. I guess the other main thing the ST benefits from is the 270 ft/lb of torque, plus the lag is almost non-existent. Honestly, despite the open differential and torque, wheelspin really isn't too much of an issue only if you get the car settled early and pointed in the right direction. The first sweeper heading into the quick lane change was a good example, also the turnaround sweeper at Cherry Point too.
Personally, I hope it stays in GS for a couple seasons but in all honestly, this car with showroom tires is faster than my bone stock ITR on Rivals last year. I think the best part is that you can pickup a base model "ST1" for $3k less than the Integra sticker price almost 15 years ago. Ford's doing it right.
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