Dhbamby

What's up guys? I've been debating on buying an Evo for awhile now. I have a wrx and I've come to the realization of how much better evos are. So with that said I'm gonna sell the wrx and buy and Evo , but I can't decide on the 8 or 9 ... What are the main differences between them. How much Hp will each driveline take? Is the 9 worth the extra money? Basically someone please convince me on which to buy. I plan on doin basic bolt ons , and my wrx has a glass tranny , are there any weak points in the Evo? Much thanks in advance, sorry for all the questions, I am in the military and don't have much time to find these specific anwsers

03EVOGUY

iTrader: (1)

the main difference between the 8 and 9 are, the 8 has a stronger tranny and can take more abuse over the 9. ive seen people take it up to 600+ hp on stock driveline. the evo 9: the 9 does come with more HP and TQ then the 8, but has a weak 6 speed but does have a bigger turbo and mivec which makes it alot torqier then the 8. but you cant put big cams you might break the mivec part. the 9 also has the ACD which is sensitive to traction loss and will break. I dont think its worth the extra money IMO. but the only real weak point in both evos is the transfercase. IMO i would just go with the 8, it will last longer in the end.

MitsuJDM

iTrader: (6)

I'm suprised there isn't a thread explaining the differances.

In my opinion, IX's are work better with basic bolt on's, but once you start to REALLY build them, most of the IX's benifits are throw out the window. So if you want to just do bolt-on's, buy a IX, if you want to REALLY build it up, get an VIII. The VIII's are cheaper too, obviously. It's hard to find a decently priced IX.

Domolution

iTrader: (74)

Ahhh.....sooOOOO many f these damn exact threads!!!!

Dhbamby

Wow I am suprised the 8 had a better driveline.. I thought you could get the 9's in a 5 speed? Is the 9 5 speed the same as the 8? ... Alos I would be planning

TBE
o2 housing
cams
Ic piping
porting and coating
tune

which brings me to my next question , is it worth it to get an aftermarket exhaust mani or just get the stocker ported? Same with the intake mani...

Also, is the a specific year of the Evo 8 that is beterr then the others , I.e. A 2005 Evo 8 would have better parts then the previous years

03EVOGUY

iTrader: (1)

Im pretty sure the 9's come with a 6 speed unless you get the RS then thats a 5 speed. IMO I dont think its worth a exhaust mani unless you do a bigger turbo. I would just port it and port the intake manifold and get a MIL.Spec 65mm TB. your mod list is like every one elses lol if you got an 8 your lookin at around maybe 340hp-350hp and a evo 9 at around 380-390 due to the bigger turbo and with a ported exhaust and intake add 15-25hp....your other question. i would assume so. i heard the 03 engines the idle air motor and cam angle sensor go out alot. but other then that i havent heard of anything majorly different.

Steve93Talon

iTrader: (5)

You shouldn't reply if you're "pretty sure". All VIII's came with a 5 speed except the MR. All IXs came with a 5 speed except the MR. The only real difference between an VIII and IX 5 speed are the gear ratios. The VIII ratios seem to be better suited to drag racing.

Other differences are MIVEC, ACD (only 05 VIII's have ACD), front LSD (04 RSs and all 05s have it), larger compressor housing on the turbo (same 16g wheel), larger 10.5 cm turbine housing (also came on the 05s).

In the VIII's favor, the '03-04s have no ACD (one less thing to break, cheaper to replace if you do break your t-case). 03s also came standard with HIDs, later models are optional. you can also buy a VIII cheaper and put the difference toward some mods.

EriCS

iTrader: (9)

Ummm??? I really don't think this guy knows what he is talking about at all! First off the mivec thing that he mentioned is valve timing similiar to vtec. It doesn't break just a few grinds of some aftermarket intake cams had flaws and broke but the issues have been resolved! Secong the ix's all have 5spds just the MR is a 6spd and isn't as strong as the 5spd but can hold up to 450whp. 3rd The ACD doesn't break either it has to do with controlling the power to the rear wheels and the front wheels during loss of traction. The transfercases I believe are all the same so don't know where he is getting his info. Actaually the ix's are a better vehicle cause they were able to solve some of the issus that occurred in the earlier viii's such as weaker spider gears in the transfer case etc.. As far as them breaking there not weak at all. If u take care of it and know how to launch them they will hold up, maintenance is a big deal on these cars (changing fluids).

Az3ar

iTrader: (18)

I don’t post often but I had to comment on this post above

No matter what you do don’t listen to that guy above... everything he is stating is wrong.

Just for your info I have an EVOIX with 5 speed tranny


Now do a little research and you will find ton of info regarding this subject. However, and from experience since I had an 03 and an 06 the IX is far superior as a daily driver/ all around car.

Good luck

fromWRXtoEVO

iTrader: (18)

After I am finish typing my response you should have absolutely no other further questions.
I have had a 03 WRX (purchased brand new in 02, special edition Sonic Yellow 1500 units sold)
I had a Evo 8 MR (first week available in the USA, first registered in AZ, Sep 2004 was the dealer's showroom car )
I had a Evo 9(first ever sold in AZ, sep 2005, was the dealer's showroom car)
Now I have a Evo IX again, my third)

First of all, I modded all my cars already so I already know the outcome. My short response to you is :Sell your WRX and get a Evo IX!

My long explanation is that the WRX is in a inferior league compared to the Evo. It is inferior in every subject except the BS things like gas mileage and perhaps interior quality and maintenance expenses(tires,brake pads, etc).
It will take you an astronomical figure of money to even match the Evo performance, you would have to go far beyond to actually surpass the Evo performance like big brakes kit(just to match the Evo's braking power), coilovers(just to match the Evo IX's awesome handling) and a list of gazillion mods just to equal the Evo IX power output.

Save some money for a pair of seats because you wouldn't easily beat the stock Evo Recaros, save money for tires, rims because the WRX stock tires are one or two step below the Evo's OEM.

I was pioneer modding my WRX, I put all the new parts readily available for the WRX, I did not care how much it was, I wanted the mods and the best tuners and I did, the car responded miserably in all aspect. The transmision broke twice in two month by the way. Dyno figures were laughable compared to other cars I had.

I could be talking for hours. Botton line the Evo IX is the best to get, end of the history, there is no margin for arguing. On the other hand, I can tell you that a STI is a well match for a 05 and up Evo 8(the one with the ACD, 10.5 turbo hotside etc) but better than a 03-04 Evo(my opinion).

Best of luck and PM me if you have further questions. I would like to see you with a Evo IX but if you can't get that a Evo 8(05 and up) or a 06-07 STI is a terrifiuc buy. Botton line, the "cheap" WRX becomes expensive in the long run when it comes the time to make it fast and handle well but the true of the matter is that the"expensive" price of a STI or a Evo becomes"cheap" in the long run. Just remember that!


Carlos

Corey

iTrader: (10)

1. The 8's and 9's have the same tranny, but the 9 has different gear ratios. If your talking about grinds, both 8's and 9's can have that problem.

2. The 8 and 9 MR's are the only Evo's with a 6 speed

3. You can put big cams in a 9 just like a 8. Wait, look around and you'll see that the same big cams available for the 8's are available for the 9 as well. Maybe your getting something mixed up with aftermarket MIVEC cams breaking?

4. 05' Evo 8's have ACD as well, 03'-04's do not. 05' was also the first year to have a front LSD on all models. Only model before to have a front LSD was the 04' RS. Both the ACD and front LSD HELP traction.

5. I've owned two Evo's now (03' and 06') and haven't broke a t-case. It all comes down how you drive and maintain them.

project_skyline

iTrader: (30)

If I could i'd get a 9 over an 8. Less issues especially compared to the first gen evo's like mine.

fromWRXtoEVO

iTrader: (18)

Good review Corey..

Carlos

Dhbamby

Wow thank you guys so much, I think I'm gonna get an 8 and get the 9 turbo ported and polished for it ... I know I will benifit from a Walbro, but W'll my injectors be maxed out? What are stock injectors rated at? Also I was thinking about getting the apexi sw2 catback and mating it with a qtp cut out DP... I want something quiet for a dd but when I wanna go WOT I ant the power... Can I get flashed with the cut out open and use that as my primary wot set-up, and still be alright crusing around with it closed/ocasionally getting on the gas? Or should I just say screw it and get a regular TBE and deal with the noise? Persude me please. Coming from a subaru backround, my wrx needed to be re-tuned after every little thing ...From what I've gathered evos are the opposite so I don't see the cut out being a problem closed

Corey

iTrader: (10)

Thanks, hopefully my post cleared some things up for the OP and for 03EVOGUY.

A Evo 8 with a 9 turbo is a good setup. You shouldn't have to worry about your injectors, but once you turn the boost up you will need a Walbro. The 9's have a little better fuel pump than the 8's. The injecotrs are 560cc. You shouldn't need to have a reflash for the cutout open and closed. I don't think it would make that much difference. I have the Apexi GT Spec on my car. Its loud at WOT, but bearable just cruising around. I don't see a reason for a cutout myself, but thats just me.

On my old Evo 8, I had a full exhaust and intake without being tuned. Once I added a boost contoller, I added the Walbro and was tuned at the same time. Then I added some 264 cams and was retuned. After a while, I swapped the 264's for 272's, added a 10.5 hotside, and a 02 housing and never had it retuned and it ran fine, but I'm sure I never really benefitted from those parts after I added them. The guy that bought my car from me added a intercooler and had it retuned and it acted like a different car from what he said.