Well, maybe MIts made a big mistake in thinking the buyers would be intelligent enough to know the issues with launching an AWD car considering most of the buyers were expected to be enthusiasts.

 

It was long big mistake which they did nothing about The sterotype about DSM

Maybe if they changed their way and use the TC or drivetrain to void warranty instead of using the clutch they wouldn't be in the situation they are now and a lot of customers would be more happy.

 

It sounds like you should switch to driving Honda's.

 

I think a good number of Evo owners bought this car solely by the performance numbers. Mitsu claiming 0-60 in 4.8 seconds. I cannot see this number UNLESS the car is launched hard and thus taking its toll on the clutch. And I agree, the stock clutch IS NOT up to the job on this car if Mitsu is claiming sub 5 seconds to 60. It cannot be done time after time without losing the clutch very quickly.

0-60 is the first performance stat besides HP that the average consumer wants to hear. Many of us did not understand this clutch issue and went ahead and bought the car. Now we are disappointed when we want to race someone at every light and cannot do it because we have to save our clutch. This is embarassing. I paid 30k and want to take off in under 5 seconds WHENEVER I WANT and not do any damage or abuse.

Where I live, there are no curves. It's a checkerboard layout throughout the city. All straight roads, 3 lanes across, boulevard style and around here, every testosterone driven male wants to race. It's all light to light straight runs. The Evo cannot keep up. Maybe a good once in a blue moon launch to wipe the smile off some yuppie's face.

I am disappointed in this car in that aspect. Maybe if you live in a part of the country where you have all curvy country roads, this car would be a blast. But here, I would have fared well with a new Cobra and kick *** all day and not worry about some ***** clutch wearing out.

 

someone here said that all 05's have the same pressure plate on the clutch. So whouldn't they all hold the same amount of hp.

 

I hate to burst your bubble, but most drivers can't match the posted numbers manufacturers claim in any vehicle, not just Mitsubishi Evo's. So I guess we should be unhappy with all of them because most of us can't drive like the professional who tests cars for a living on closed circuits and doesn't endanger others' lives with street racing.

 

Yep yep this is my first and last . Great car poor manufacture! Back to hondas and toyotas for me or I'll give subaru a try

 

Not true in all cases. Any monkey can brake torque and floor an auto tranny car and get the same exact or even better times mags claim.

I had a '02 V6 240 HP Altima and did better 1/4 mile runs than all the mags I read. And I'm sure as hell not a pro driver. And many Evo drivers on this site got 13.1, 13.2 stock and mags had the Evo in 03 at 13.5 or so.

I can get great 0-60s if you give me a beater tester car that I can put through its paces. i will not do that with my own car.

Street racing is a fact of life nowadays with all these horsepower wars going on between manufacturers and it's gonna get worse. They are pushing the envelope on high HP street cars. Some of these cars are lethal weapons in the wrong hands. Not saying all out street racing, I mean short spurts from light to light.

Come to Vegas, buddy. You see it all day. i live in an area with many high priced exotics. There are more Modenas and twin turbo porsches in my neighborhood than there are Evos and STIs combined right in this area.

 

Please reread my statement "but most drivers can't match the posted numbers manufacturers claim." Besides you are now quoting magazine test numbers and not manufacturer numbers like you originally stated.

That contradicts what you orignally said also. "I paid 30k and want to take off in under 5 seconds WHENEVER I WANT and not do any damage or abuse." Driving to get those numbers is hard on a car, any car. So either you want those numers or you don't. Do you think lanuching a 385-hp SVT Cobra is easy on the clutch? You could smoke that clutch in a few launches also, trying to get the number. Besides we don't have to beat on a car to get the numbers, professionals remember. The age of beating the crap out of a test loan vehicle and then just returning it to the manufacturer is long gone. In this industry you get a reputation and that dictates when, what and how soon you get future press loans and to some degree that is based on your past history.

Now you're trying to justify street racing. Great! It's all fun and games until you kill some inncocent bystander, street racing. In case you haven't read the papers, it's happening every day in anytown USA. Grow up and take it to the track.

 

Sub 5 seconds in not hard on all cars. Automatic trannies can handle it if it's stock power. There are plenty of high priced cars that can do it all day w/o problems. That's why the Evo is so appealing. It can do it if needed and costs a lot less.

As for the cobra, BS. I know a neighbor with an 11 sec Cobra and he launches every day and his clutch is fine, never a problem and drags it on may occassions. The difference is RWD. Same with the SRT4. Those cars with a little mods can kick our asses all day on the street.

Did I ever say one time that I street race? Justify it or not, it happens and it's getting worse. A little traffic light encounter won't kill anyone as long as you cut it off by the speed limit.

Face it, the Evo does not leave the line quickly UNLESS you rev it up and slip/drop the clutch. It's a dog off the line until boost on a normal 1500 RPM start.

 

I think you'll find all AWD cars have a hard time tolerating repeated high rpm launches. Subaru's are no different Gokou. Not to mention, the base WRX transmission is fairly fragile.

One of my buddies killed the clutch on his 02 911 Turbo from repeatedly dumping the clutch. And he used to race in ALMS and drove one of the factory Ferraris at Le Mans 2 years ago, so it's not like he doesn't know how to drive.

With AWD, something has to slip. Since it won't be the tires and you don't want it to be the tranny, the clutch is your safest bet.

 

agree.
no matter what MR, they are still evo,
even they have different part number, clutch will wear out before you realize it.

 

I really think that our clutches are getting fried because of a fault in the hydraulic system. I know of a lot of high horsepower mustangs with basic clutches or even stock ones and they dont fry clutches like EVOs even with slicks and getting full traction. Maybe our discs should be bigger.

 

Seriously? You live in Vegas and bought an Evo and expected to beat the crap out of all these other cars? I mean really . . . 4.8s is fast. The Carera 4S does it in what ... 5.1? 13.5 QM isn't bad either. Ferrari Modena does a flat 13. We're not talking about an FQ-400 here, we're talking about a aprx. 35K car. The FQ-400 beat the Pagani Zonda on the Top Gear test track. See any of those in Vegas? And the FQ-320 beat the Lambo Merc. on the Top Gear test track.

And this idea that clutches don't burn on High Performance Exotics ... I have no idea where people get that from. First of all, a lot of them don't burn because someone's grampa is driving them, and resells it 5 years and 12,000 miles later. Honda clutches don't burn because they're not generating monster torque at 4000 RPM, they're generating like 5 ft./lbs. :-p

We have a cherry Porsche ('63 911), and that thing costs like 20% of it's value every year to upkeep. Do you know how much it costs to do a 12K mile service on a Ferarri? Thousands.

It's silly, we have cars that . . . and by the way, I live in Northern California, where the roads are very windy, and I don't know why anyone would buy an Evo to drive in the city, because in turns is where this cars shines . . . are a BARGAIN at the price we pay for them, and we complain about clutches?! Please. Save it. The Evo is the best (bar STi, at that point it's just personal preference) new performance car in it's price range, I've driven em all. GTO, Mustang GT, G35, RX8, S60R, R32, SRT4. Even stacked against an M3, I'd take my Evo.

This car is the best sports car out of Japan in America. It's not uncommon for auto writers to rank the MR above the NSX in terms of driving pleasure. And that's what you bought this car for right, driving pleasure. It sure as h*** wasn't the supple leather.

 

There are lots of modded performance cars in this city and the Evo ain't nothing compared to them. Just in my neighborhood alone there are numerous 11 and 12 sec cars, a couple 9 sec Supras and countless 13 sec cars.

Forget about low 13s in the Evo in the warmer weather which is almost half the year. A N/A motor with big displacement does much better in the heat. The Evo hardly pulls in 105 degrees.

Didn't buy this car to beat everyone. This car is quick but not fast. But with 2 liters and no boost on a normal street start, it leaves much to be desired. When boost hits, you are playing catch up on many cars, especially automatics that just floor it off the line.

Clutches do burn on exotics very quickly if you don't know how to drive, but you can roll one of those cars off the line gently and then floor it and they will eat us up. I had many head start races against Vipers, Lambos, Ferraris modded Cobras, Z06s and even a Lingfelter Vette and they come roaring by like I'm standing still and I'm in full 20 PSI boost.

I agree with you about owning one in the city. I take mine out of town to do spirited driving. You cannot do it in town w/o looking like an ***. There is too much traffic. A straight line monster would do better since there are very straight desert roads here.