I was recently talking to a mechanic who suggested that the VR4 motor is actually stronger and more reliable than the EVO3 spec 4G63. He was referring to conrods and pistons is this true?

Is the turbo the same on both motors?

I'm trying to make a final decision, so any help is much appreciated.

 

No offence, but how much experience does this mechanic have with Mitsubishi. The reason the VR4 is chosen over EVO is price and availability. As strength is concerned, the EVO is a more powerful engine, and stronger to cope with the added stress. The VR4 might be more reliable as it is not as powerful and has comparable strength, therefore giving you the false sence it is the stronger engine. Any engine is going to stress when the power is upped if is how you build the engine for strength that will save you in the end.

 

The VR4 engine has heavy duty rods (thick and heavy) and a lot stronger than evo. A lot of guys just get the VR4 pistons replaced wiith forgies as the standard rods can handle plenty of power (I know of a VR4 in NZ which has over 400HP with standard VR4 rods doing just fine). The evo has slightly better pistons however than the VR4. In all, they are both very similar engines, but your mechanic is right - the VR4 standard internals can handle more power than the earlier EVO 1-3 engine internals and runs smoother cause it doesnt have the cams the EVO engines do. I spose thats because in the late 80's the VR4 engine was made with thick cast heavy parts and when they started producing the Lancers for Rallying, weight was a factor, especially for engine components. So the evo engines worked less harder to push making it more revvier (also with help of better cams, bigger turbos etc), but the compromise was loss of strength and thus they were slightly weaker intenrally. Both engines have their pros and cons anyway. especially when talking about the head and intake setups too. In my opinion, the VR4 engine is clearly the better value for money.

As for the turbo question, they are not the same. Both have TD05 housings, but they are have different compressor and exhaust wheels. The VR4 has a TD05H 14G turbo 6cm wheel. The EVO 1&2 have TD05 16G turbos with a 7cm wheel. And the EVO 3 has the Big 16G with 7cm wheel. The EVO 3 turbo is naturally the pick of the bunch as its the biggest. A straight bolt on fit better than that still will also be the TD06 22G or 25G but an external wastegate is required.

 

Thanks for that man, that's the first logical explanation i have had so far.

I have since bought a VR4 RS motor (which i hope is a good decision), and I am dropping in. One of the mounts is giving drama, along with the CV shaft loop.

 

No probs.

Elias, considered joining the Yahoo EVO/GSR Group as well? All your questions like that will be answered by guys who have been there and done that in Australia. Actually most of them on the Forum own GSR's with VR4 engines in them, and a lot of them are from Sydney and Melbourne too.

 

As we all know the 4G63 has many variants, ranging from turbo and non turbo applications, the engine was turned 180 degrees in October 1996, with the release of the Evo IV. The 4G63T is vertually the same but slightly different to the 4G63TB/D version. I agree that there are pros and cons to both engines, and I must apoligise as I was quick to jump (which all of you know is uncharacteristic of me) I should have had more information before drawing that conclusion. Since then I have been digging deep and have learnt the different traits of the engines. Also I have done some testing and put the Evo and VR4 head on a flow bench, and have found that the VR4 head does flow better, mainly the only difference is up top. The Evo creates a little more down low but not a lot. I agree the VR4 is the better value for money, and have stated this all along. Evo I, II and III are very simmilar but all are also different in many ways. Evo I released in October 1992 the II in January 1994, III in February 1995 all have 315Nm of torque but outright power increased across the CC series, so results will vary(Evo I-250hp, Evo II-260hp, Evo III-270hp). I still am doubtful that the VR4 is more reliable, if you up the power in any engine you are stupid not to strengthen. Anyway I hope I have helped a little more. Sorry about the earlier post.

 

Mivec, ur still a champ.

Evo_x_coupe, i have tried to sign up to the GSR_EVO forum, but all i get the home page with the pic of the black EVO3, and no links to get to the forum. What do i do nxt??

 

You got to register a user name etc with Yahoo Groups at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/

Then once you done that, click on the link below and "JOIN" the GSR/EVO group.

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/gsr_evo/

EASY - look forward to seeing a few of you on there.

Rob