I just bought a 2012 Evo MR and was wondering if anyone has done the AMS STX300 ECU flash?

It says the tune will get +60 hp out of stock engine. Not sure if I buy it. Just wondering if anyone had any input

 

This has been my experience:

You'll see somewhat of a noticeable gain, but the Cobb and the Evos are sort of Frienemies. Sometimes the Evo doesn't quite like the Cobb and the Cobb unit will throw a MIL light on for half a second (but not anything serious and/or long enough for the ECU to log it) and the SST will act more like a manual. I've actually stalled my car out trying to take off from red lights and stop signs leaving it in automatic mode because sometimes the car forgets to either completely downshift to 1st, or for whatever reason the car will just stall out like a regular gated manual, and you'll look like an idiot who can't drive a stick shift to the people behind you, when in reality you've got a Manu-matic. I was told it's nothing serious, and it's a known thing, and it's not like its life threatening or damaging to the car. It's just while your in automatic mode you just have to be on top of your car a little more than usual and drive it more like a manual and if the car starts to chug and your RPMs start to drop like the car is going to stall you need to pump the throttle a bit.

I bought the Cobb, but not with the STX300 package. I sort of pieced my parts together, and I've got basically what equates to the STX400 tune on mine, but with the Cobb alone you'll definitely feel some more kick out of your car, but don't expect a whole lot if all you're going with is the STX300 alone. It is a noticeable gain and will set it apart from a stock ride, but it's not some HUGE increase. Mainly you're going to be gaining a little WHP and your rev limiter will be gone, any OEM things holding your car back like electronically controlled speed governors will be gone, things of that nature, and you'll be able to have a bit more fun out of your car.

To start getting some really noticeable gains you're actually going to FEEL and definitely be able to tell a difference between your stock car and your car with the AMS's Cobb tune on it while driving is when you get on the phone and actually talk to a sales rep and tell them what you're going for and go with more than just the Cobb. If you want the Performance Intake, the Downpipe and Test pipe, and the Cobb, they'll have Chris do a custom tune for your car to match those parts up to the custom Cobb tune, and also have it set up so that you'll be pretty well set with any future mods outside of going hardcore with a larger turbo kit and things of that nature. And if there are any problems you just talk to your same sales rep (Whoever your sales rep is becomes like your go-to guy, and he'll always be the one you talk to), and they'll send you instructions on how to log the information through the Cobb unit, have you do some 3rd and 4th gear pulls and maybe some idle logs, and then have you email them the data so they can see if your car is running as it should, or if your tune needs adjusted, and then email you back a new MAP to flash your ECU with.

I would also suggest the Boost Pill if you're running an MR to help keep your boost at a more stable and constant level, BUT (and your AMS rep will probably tell you this) if you get the boost pill, the car needs to be taken to a shop and dyno tuned. The boost pill isn't something you can just install and run with without having the car actually tuned in a shop, because you're running the risk of overboosting. I was going to get the boost pill for mine, but since there is no shop around here anywhere near qualified to work on imports, it's kind of hard for me to buy the boost pill and have a shop tune the car up to work with it, so for the time being I'm not running one.

 

Hi Stonewall,

I really appreciate that awesome response. That was sort of my original suspicion - that the stx tune was more hype than reality. Also, I was actually laughing picturing you stalling out at the red light - good story.

I like both of your ideas about contacting an AMS rep, and also about the boost pill. I just moved to a new area but I found a good garage nearby that works mainly on imports. I'll ask about getting a tune after the boost.

How do you like your MR? This is my first EVO and I love it. I miss having a regular stick a little but I went with the MR for the sst twin clutch and the small spoiler. No regrets

Anyways, thanks again

 

Yeah, with the STX 300 Package, basically all you're doing is just paying for the Cobb unit, and whatever little tune AMS throws in with it for the 300 pack. When you actually order parts from them, like the performance intake, a downpipe, their FMIC, UICP, Test pipe, etc., then the Cobb really becomes helpful because it unlocks the OEM potential of your car, plus you're getting an AMS tune built for the mods you just bought to run proper on top of the power you're getting out of your new mods anyway. Then you can always take it one step further and go have your heads ported, build the block up, have it balanced/blueprinted, throw a bigger turbo on and have a garage pro-tune it. Around my area, aside from having someone build up the block, there's not a huge import scene here, and there's no demand for those types of shops, so I'd have to go out of state to have the car pro-tuned, so there's certain things I just can't do yet until I know for sure I have the time, the money, and a shop with enough reputation that I trust to work on my car and pro-tune it. My step-sister lives in the Raleigh-Duram area and if I'm ever down that way I know there are plenty of shops around there, and around Charlotte, and I know there's an AMS garage in Knoxville and one in Virginia somewhere.

As for the MR, I love it and would buy it all over again if I had it to do over. The added bonuses you get from the MR trim far outweighs just having that 3rd pedal, but that's just my opinion. And MR does stand for Mitsubishi Racing. I mean it's got that MR badge on there for a reason. And as I've said before, people can argue whether or not it's lost a little bit of it's racing heritage over the different generations, but I think the MR is still a contender.

Some people just can't get over not having a stick shift. I mean that's fine and dandy, everyone has their own opinions and driving styles. But for me, having the Eibach/Bilstein combo in and of itself was enough to seal the deal for me itself, plus the nicer BBS rims, and the more luxurious features the MR offers just has me sold over the GSR. But personally, I still like having that rear wing, and as soon as I can gather up 2 grand, I'm ordering a Phantom Black Pearl rear wing off a GSR and putting it on my MR. To me an Evo just isn't an Evo without that wing, and when you start putting shady aftermarket ones on there you start bordering on the "rice" territory and it looks wrong.

But myself, I've shifted enough gears, and I find the SST to be a lot of fun. I can drive in heavy traffic or just slowly cruise through town without having to shift every few seconds and enjoy the ride, and when I want to have fun I bump it over and shift gears myself; and if I want to do it on the fly, I don't even have to bump it over, you can have it set in Auto and if you use your paddle shifters it'll switch over to manual mode on its own.

I had a mustang that was a stick, had a truck that was a stick, and my Solstice GXP is a stick, and I get tired of having people get a half inch from my bumper when I'm in traffic or on a hill, or just having to constantly shift when I just want to enjoy a ride. So having that SST is a blast, and it's practical. And where I live, it's nothing but mountains and turns, and I can say just from the short time I've owned it, I can have just as much fun with the MR's SST that I can have with a standard gated manual, and I can blow through these old country roads like I'm on a race course. And I can launch it almost exactly the same as how sidestepping a clutch in a GSR would be (The MR even has built-in Launch Control in S-Sport mode that makes it easier to hold the brake in, rev the car up, build your boost, then launch).

The only thing I'm still getting used to is shifting without taking my foot off the gas. It's just sort of a built in habit, and every time I really get on it and I bump my gear shift I always let off the gas like I'm clutching, but it's just something I have to get used to. If I use the paddle shifters I can remember I don't have to take my foot off the gas, but it's like my right hand and my feet are connected, I go to bump that gearshift and I want to take my foot off the gas. But I've only had my MR for about a month now, and it's a recreational car for me and my little play toy, not a daily driver, so it'll take me a while to fully get used to the SST and how to really get the most out of it.

The only downside to the SST is it takes a little more juice from your engine to run, and Mitsubishi can't seem to build an oil cooler that's big enough to keep it cool under heavy load. So on a Dyno it'll put down slightly lower numbers than a GSR, but that's outweighed by the fact you can shift with your foot through the floor. No one can outshift you, and that's where that little loss in HP evens back out. And as far as the temp issue, all you need to do is buy an aftermarket SST cooler (plenty of them out there, I've got the AMS one myself) and again, you won't have any overheating issues. And in terms of performance, usually the people that run down the MR's SST because it "doesn't hold up" or doesn't allow for as much horsepower as the GSR's 5 speed, don't even have the OEM tranny/clutch in their GSR. They've got different clutch plates, pressure plates, flywheels, etc. And if they do have the OEM parts, they'll have to upgrade for better 60' times, and will have to upgrade even their 5 speed if they start getting too much power, or the clutch is going to go out a lot quicker than it would normally. So either way with either transmission, if you mod your car, you'll be building your transmission up as well. It's like I said, some people just can't get over not having that 3rd petal, it's like a phobia or an OCD thing. I've seen people walk up to beautiful cars (and fast cars) and just go "Piece of crap" because it's an auto.

So if you get to the point where you start putting down some decent WHP and your torque gets near that 400 ft. lb range, all you need to do is buy a clutch pack for the SST and bada-bing, you're right back in the clear and don't have to worry about blowing your transmission.

 

You listed pretty much all the differences between the mr and GSR but forgot the 2 piece rotors . Wish I had gotten an MR myself.

 

Yeah, I forgot to mention the two piece rotors, but I was trying not to get into making a huge laundry list of every difference between the two. I also forgot to mention the MR also has about 14 (I believe the correct weight is 14, may be a tad bit more like 18) pounds more sound insulation material than the GSR. The MR does have things on it that make it a tad bit heavier, so a lot of the things the MR has on it are not only more performance oriented, but at the same time lighter, to try and even out the car's added weight and keep it close to the weight of the GSR. I know the BBS rims take a decent amount of weight off when you add all 4 wheels up, and the two piece rotors are 2.9 pounds lighter each than the GSR's.

When I looked at the sticker on my car where it goes you the GVWR of the front and rear, I think there's only right around an 80 pound different between the front of the car and the rear of the car, which is supercar specs when it comes to 50/50 weight distribution. I can give you an exact number if you'd like, all I need to do is go out and look at the stickers inside the car on the driver's side.

 

I just received the STX 300 from AMS last Friday,my car is completely stock which is a requirement for the tune.My thoughts are this is how the stock MR should feel from the dealership.The power band seems to go all the way through the revs,when I hit 7k redline no beep to shift.I was planning on doing full bolt on's but I am leery of the additional required maintenance.So far is it an awesome upgrade from stock? Probably not but it makes the car feel more "alive".I haven't tried the car in all modes as I never drive in normal unless Im in a parking lot about to park.I also never tried it in sport mode because "sport" mode is only used when you can't come to a complete stop to put it in S-Sport.I have used this only in S-Sport and not in automatic.The car is better for sure,will it blow your mind No,but if you seriously don't want to add a bunch of mods to your car it's good for daily driving plus extra fun from basic stock.If you plan on doing any bolt ons,I would advise against getting this as $950 will get you a good cat back,or a few other things.Overall the car is better for sure though.

 

Great article in the comparison between the GSR and the MR packages. I bought a GSR specifically for the manual because my previous project was an automatic and capped out the power mods with bolt-ons.
My first EVO and really surprised by stock performance before mods... looking into the AMS STX 300 tune for a little more power. Going conservative initially to see how the car responds to tune-only.