I have owned my IX MR since April and decided I would wait till I hit 10k miles before I mod it. I am going to roll 10k miles in February 07 and will begin my transition from stock to aftermarket. This is also my first Evo and will be a different experience compared to the other cars I have owned or used.

My goal is to be ready for auto-x and track time by next April. I know I won't be the fastest, but I am new to it with this car and will take it slow and gain some experience. Time doesn't matter right now, it's the things I will learn.

Mod list:

January mods: Apexi power intake cone filter only, Greddy TI cat-back, Tune

February mods: MBC, GSC cams 272/280, downpipe, exhaust manifold coated, re-tune

March mods non perf: front/rear sway bars, exedy clutch, jdm rear, defi gauges, brake lines, brake pads

April mods: Rims (still looking), tires (depends on rims), weight reduction, front motor mount, and practice lol...

Feel free to suggest anything if I should go a different route. Remember this car is new to me. I have done a lot of searching and found out a lot about this car. I figured this mod list is kinda basic and will be a good start.

Let me know your thoughts, thanks.

 

I would think that if you did a lot of searching, you would certainly know not to start off with those Jan mods, right?

Jan - please leave the intake stock unless you just absolutely have to have an intake. If you absolutely must have one, then make sure you don't spend more than $80 on a cone filter. Do you want a $1000 cat-back to be cool or because you absolutely need to save that extra 8lbs? You can get the entire turboback exhaust for LESS than just the cost of that TI cat-back while only weighing about 8lbs more and making the same power. Up to you on this, but this is not really a good start. Doesn't make much sense to get a tune for these 2 parts either. On a IX, you should start with a full TBE and an MBC to go with that tune. An intake and TI cat-back don't make sense and cost a lot more than the package you see in my sig while getting much less.

Feb - move the MBC, downpipe and unlisted cat replacement to Jan - do those all together. GSC cams are good, port the stock exhaust manifold - don't just coat it (doesn't make sense). If you meant you were going to get an aftermarket tubular manifold and coat, then I suggest not bothering. The stocker ported/coated will make more power and won't be prone to cracking while costing less. Toss on a BR LICP at the same time as the cams then get retuned.

March - front sway bar? You sure? Don't think that's common on the Evo - be sure to not just add random suspension parts like that. Research and study the Evo suspension and what works best. If you want to auto-x and track it, then you don't want to just randomly change sway bars. Those are just accessories to the real suspension parts: coilovers. Do a proper combination that significantly improves handling. Exedy clutch is a great idea, but I wouldn't get one until you need it - don't take out the stocker for the hell of it, but be prepared for when the stocker goes out. JDM rear is just an expensive thing that removes your rear crash beam - really no use, but that's up to your aesthetic needs. SS brake lines, good pads, and some good fluid are a great idea. Might as well toss in the front motor mount here...

April - too vague to comment. Talk to us later when you have thought more about it...

 

The mod bug is going to get you! haha...have fun with it!

 

/me agrees with Warrt

 

Honestly, Warrtalon, everyone should just PM you their threads, youre the man

 

i wont make any comment about your brand selection. as you can see warrtalon is nicely nudging you to his sponsor lol. i cant even comment if the expensive or "cheaper but works good" is good for you (since we have no idea if you're poor as a student or u got $$ spilling out of ur ****).

the only thing i dont understand is, why are you getting it tuned twice??? save the trouble and put all powertrain mods at one go, then do the tune. oh and you may want to throw in a clutch line also, it does improve clutch feel.

after the "power" stage is done, then i would add each suspension piece seperately and drive for a week or two to get the feel of the improvements.

and yes i commend your patience in getting to 10k miles. i started building my turboback even before i bought my evo LOL, then again this is my 2nd one.

 

Unlike everyone else, my advice is mod depending on the class you want to race in. If your goal is to race in the SCCA SOLO STU, BSP or SM class, mod accordingly to give your car maximum advantage. You don't have to listen to the same old most HP per $ comments, because with a higher price sometimes you will get higher quality better fitting parts or one that makes less noise for the same HP. I know I spent more for my catback exhaust compare to most but by doing so I got a catback that made more power than stock while sounding stock. Go with what you want in terms of price, quality and power and what you can live with.

You are better off freeing up the exhaust than you are freeing up the intake as the exhaust is a bigger restriction. Intakes usually require a retune because they can alter the MAF readings, throwing off your AFRs ....

Also sway bars are considered a performance mod as they make you faster on the race track or auto-x course if tuned properly. My advice is don't thrown on suspension parts without a good understanding of how things work. You are better off talking to a pro and doing the suspension as a whole without cutting any corners ....

Since it seems that you are new to the car and want to learn. You might want to consider leaving the car stock, learning about the car. After you have gained some experience determine what you do or don't like and mod accordingly. Nothing sucks more than being thrown into a class you don't want to race in, where the person will the deepest wallet wins.

 

My advice is to go to autoX stock first to see what the car needs.

 

I have been practicing when I get the chance while being stock and think I got the hang of it without any kind of power boost or handling addition.

As for the mods, I chose some of those because of their performance and quality.

The revised list goes as follows:

Feb mods: MBC, Greddy TI, downpipe, port+coat manifold, gsc cams, tune

March mods: Rear sway bar, rims, tires, JDM IX rear, press/temp/egt gauges, exedy clutch

April mods: weight reduction, brake lines, brake pads, dot 4 fluid, front motor mount

If I just move all the January mods to February I will be able to afford them all at once, I had to break them up due to funding. I saw a thread about intakes and that the stock is good to 400hp?

Thanks for the input, this is really helping me keep on track and not jump the gun with anything that isn't neccessary or buying things too soon.

 

I do have to say that I love the greddy ti sound and light weight. That is the reason I chose this cat-back.

 

i forgot to mention, dont even bother w/ cams if you are doing forcusing on autox. now if you are focusing more on roadracing, good coilovers, tires, and brakes has priority.

 

I would like to participate in all, or is that just asking too much.

 

I recommend to make your April mods in March then test the car on a track. Then do your handling upgrades to suit your driving style. Also, adjustable suspension should be a priority to tires & rims.

 

Here is an update on my IX MR, I hit 11k miles and it has been at Paradigmperformance for a couple weeks now. It will be going to Ohio for tuning in April.

With the mods that I will have by then I think will be good enough to start out with and gettin experience with this car. If I love it, then I will think about moving up to the next level, if not I will keep it for a while and most likely sell, since it would be a waste for me to hold onto a car I won't drive anymore.

Mod list:

February mods: Port/coat exhaust manifold, port/coat intake manifold, port/coat o2 housing, port/coat hotside, 65mm throttle body

March mods: Forge MBC, dc sports downpipe, greddy ti, apex-i power intake, tune defi gauges(installed already)

April mods non perf: rear sway bar, ss brake lines, ss clutch line, brake pads, front motor mount

April mods: Rims (still looking), tires (depends on rims), weight reduction

Feel free to suggest. I have done a lot of searching on when and what to do.

 

Why this ended up in the wrong forum I don't know. It should be in the general.