Well im gonna go ahead and get a boost controller first...and Im very much looking at the Bushur 3" Downpipe for now..I wonder if the downpipe will fit directly to the catalytic converter...............Wait if i buy the 3"downpipe then bushur racing will also send me a free testpipe(as advertise) And if sooo....then wouldn't i have to buy a whole Catback exhaust for the whole car? Just so it will fit directly. hmmmm.....any ideas??

 

Evo i duno,
but no matter .5 or 1 G, get the springs+sways+struts right 1st.
Eibach
///RRM lower anti-sway
ralliart struts

 

It all depends on what you want to do, i'm guessing since you mentioned the boost controller first that you are looking for speed, probably more top end, and not better handling characteristcs or stiffer suspension. You can make the argument that it doesn't need it right away because it pulls a .97 stock on the skidpad...but then again it also has 271hp stock...so it's your choice. Personally I would go with the basics first downpipe/cat/exhaust to start, do some more research on tuning ect until you feel fairly comfortable with atleast knowing what is going on if you have someone else tune your car. My second mod is going to be replacing these lights with the euro evo VII lights...damn altezza fad!

 

This may sound crazy to most people, but I usually go after suspension and braking before I start in with the engine (intake/exhaust excluded of course). Granted these mods are usually much more expensive than your typical engine management mods. I also like weight reduction mods as well (no, I'm not talking in "Gran Tourismo" terms). My first mods: 1-VIS carbon fiber hood, 2-Rotora 3D GT carbon fiber wing (weighs 6 pounds total), 3-full JIC suspension. The next mod (in a couple weeks) will be a new Rotora brake kit-14" 6POT front 13" 4POT rear that is in final stages of development as we speak...expected to bring the car to a stop at or right around 90'!! On the other hand I'm at the track RELIGIOUSLY twice a month so I place a lot of stock in handling and stopping. Of course most people on this site and most other sites are usually more interested in straight line performance (i.e. future run ins at red lights with STI's and the like), but if you want to go sideways fast, then suspension, breaks, and a diet should be your first mods. Work the engine after you have the ability to late brake the guy in front of you heading into a flat dual apex 180 left hander like the Andretti hairpin at Laguna Seca!! That's my sermon...bring on the flaming.

 

Suspension??? Nah....I think the evo's stock suspension is good enough. I like speed i love speed and i like people to read my license plate after a race hahaha. Im guessing Mitsubishi spent a lot of money experimenting with the suspension...so y should i mess with it....NO POINT...Now y would i spend bout 3-4 grand just to turn a lil bit sharper hahhahaha nah speed baby...wazzzz my Name....just 2 Evo hehe

 

oh yea Altezza on my white car looks pretty nice already...if any other color then i would change it to the 7's

 

get steel braided brake hoses, they are cheap and work wonders

 

I disagree on this point. I think the EVO is a phenomenal handling car already. I don't know about the rest of you guys but I'm not capable to extract all the handling performance that the car has out of the box

Another thing, without meaning any offense to all the suspension gurus, I think that it's very easy to spend lots of bucks and totally screw up a fantastic handling car. Who are you gonna believe, who are you gonna take it to. I think it's a huge crap shoot and you are just handing your EVO and a big wad of cash to somebody who more likely than not is just playing a guessing game. Oh yeah, beware too of all the armchair, catalog experts who don't even own an EVO.. They'll be right there with advise based on hearsay and brand hype

I think it's much easier and rewarding for the average person to get a few more ponies. Those are easy to feel and use in a straight line contest. This is much easier than getting in a race track and trying to out drive somebody else (a real race driver maybe?).

Anyway, some old articles come to mind about the Miata. A few years ago, several highly modified Miatas were tested at road Atlanta, these cars had all kinds of engine *and* suspension, tires wheels and other mods... The result? the lap record for a Miata at Road Atlanta after all those cars was held by a stock Miata with stock tires

Same thing happened when a magazine started an Integra GSR project car... They modified the GSR until the cows came home but it was never as fast as the stock ITR they were trying to surpass.... The EVO is even a better handling car than the ITR and it damn near equals the Miata in tossability... I say leave the suspension alone unless you are building a race car....

 

i agree, leave the suspention alone, maybe some strut bars later, but im sure potholes are annoying as is....

-Shahul

oh yea, boost controller and turbo timer and vitals guages... but since I have an HKS EVC V thats $500 already, blitz turbo timer w/turbo guage($120...still not as good as a real meter for the guages)

I would say exhaust, I like the 3" turbo back from Ultimate Racing... best looking ive seen... does THERMAL hasve a 3" turbo back?

 

i cannot agree with you about the handling. the stock set-up is not good and it can be improved tremendously. I have had my evo for almost 2 years now and I believe I can say that. Spend money on brakes (lines, pads, discs, in that order. stock calipers should be OK but if you want to go 6 pot, then get the 362mm discs), then suspension (strut, sway bars and decent springs and shocks. after this consider lighter, not necessarily bigger, wheels), then engine.

The problem with engine mods is that the more power you produce, the more heat you produce (usually). And you can't run high boost for sustained periods unless you spend a lot of money on "preventive" parts, otherwise your temps (especially oil) rise very fast.

I always believe that the only thing sadder then a high hp car with a blown engine is a high hp car that cannot handle and has run into something. That is why I suggest spending on handling (brakes and suspension), prevention (steel braided brake lines, larger oil cooler, etc.) before going for high hp

 

I cannot readily accept your statement "no good" is about as far from the facts as one can get.... and"improved tremendously" sounds a bit exagerated too... I don't know what you are comparing the EVO8 to or what the purpose of your car is... My new EVO8 handles very well. I've owned several great handling cars and the EVO is as good as any of them. These cars had "improved suspensions", etc. Yet the EVO is as good or better just out of the box

Of course it can be improved. Anything can be improved, but how much and for what reason is highly debatable. For everyday use and street driving the EVO is nearly perfect as a sports car. To say that the EVO8 could be a "high hp car that cannot handle and has run into something." is a bit far fetched. I don't doubt that your EVO has been improved for your purpose, but before you say it's no good, have you driven other cars? The stock suspension and brakes of the EVO8 are more than lots of guys get as upgrades for their cars

 

$500...
Used SAFC $150 - $200
Boost controller $100
Boost gauge $50
Should have a little $$ left.
Spend the rest on a few dyno runs, with a wideband O2.

I wasn't a believer of the dyno until today.
Found 13whp from adjusting the SAFC by 2%.

 

I agree that the EVO handles well out of the crate, but the reason I suggest suspension, brakes, and some weight loss is purely for circuit type track racing. Many suspension mods can be tuned to be fairly tolerable for the street while maintaining a race ready setting. The brakes on the EVO are phenomenal, however I can't stress enough the fact that stopping is much more important on a track than pure power. If I can stop better I can brake later which dramatically reduces lap times, and if you don't have suspension/brakes to handle all the engine mods...I'll drive right past you in the twisties. But I'm sure most people are much more interested in, and will take part more often in straight line competitions (strip or street). So maybe this is a dead horse. I guess it's just a matter of what tickles your pickle more.

 

Hey, I don't have any problems with your statements. For track use, the car can definitely be improved a lot. I guess my opinion is based of an everyday, non-track use car. I've organized 2 track days and attended 2 others (at the little Talladega Grand Prix track in AL). That makes a grand total of 4 track days in my entire life And I'm willing to bet that I have more track experience than 99.9% of drivers out there... Now for me, it would be pretty superfluous to up-grade the suspension for practical purposes. For bragging rights it's a different story if anybody enjoys having the best track suspension in an every day driver, that's cool too, but I think I'm much more likely to enjoy a bit more straight line acceleration for street or strip use... Really, I'd bet that since you are a more serious driver, you'd probably leave me in the dust even if I had a race prepped EVO and you drove the stock model
Of course, having said all that.... Don't be surprised if I post later about all the neat suspension upgrades I've done to my car

Peace,

Manuel

 

silverEvo8,

Yes, I have driven and owned other cars. Before the tme I used to have an e36 m3 with a sachs suspension kit. I have also driven wrxs and STis, one GTR, and E46m3, Porsches and Elises. In fact I still own a Lotus Europa and occasionally drive karts. If you like the stock suspension, good for you. If you want to get more power, please disregard what I have written. I was just trying to relate my experiences.

Personally, I get more kicks turning the car than accelerating it, but thats just my personal preference