Well, we are two years into this recession and still no bail-out package for EVO owners. Since it looks like my economic condition is going to remain rather anemic for the foreseeable future, I've been doing a lot of thinking about maintaining my '03 VIII long-term.

I was extremely impressed by this thread: Hitting 200,000 miles. But in general, I did not find any threads related to improving longevity.

Assuming an appropriate fuel is used and a conservative no-knock tune, what PSI is an ideal balance between max performance and max longevity on a stock block EVO?

Obviously following the MFG's maintenance schedule would certainly be wise. Any additional suggestions for longevity of the 4G63 engine?

 

I'd worry more about timing belt and water pump than anything else. If you keep the stock turbo even with all bolt on you should easily get 200k out of it. Hell the O6s were warrantied for 100k!

 

under 400whp, respect and maintenance =-)

 

I'd be interested in learning about what wears out on the car as well. I've only got 40k, but plan on keeping the car for a while. BTW Isn't 60k when you change the timing belt and water pump?

 

engine wise = belts, tensioners, pulleys, waterpump, clutch
drivetrain wise = transfercase is the weakest link

most older evos will need minor maintenance like the throttlebody seals get rock hard and leak, along with injector seals, and anything that has a rubber seal usually.

overtime the axle boots will tear and release grease.

the wing and sometimes the brake calipers will fade color.


yes 60k you should do the timing belt and pulleys/tensioners and waterpump, but most people do not do the waterpump until the 120k mark.


change oil every 2500, change tcase + rear fluids every 15k, trans fluid every 20-25k? ... spark plugs every 3k depending on which kinds. overall these cars arent that bad to maintain, but do require alittle more than your average vehicle on the road.

your should also have a tune for warm and cold weather.

 

TTT

I'd really like to get more participation in this poll.

159 views but only 18 votes. What's up?
Is the question too difficult? Should I rewrite it in Dick and Jane?

See Jim.
See Jim turn up the boost.
See Jim turn up the boost too much.
Oops!
See Jim turn down the boost.
Where should Jim set the boost?
The end.

 

I stick to the maintenance schedule religiously, and even do fluids sooner if I've been beating on the car hard.

Oil changes are absolutely a religious thing!

I've ALWAYS used Diaqueen for my drivetrain.

Every 10k, I check under hood, look at the injector seals, vacuum lines, hoses, under chassis, brakes, bushings, etc.

I started out turning the boost up to 21, then 23 on the 03 turbo. Now 24 on a ported 9 turbo.

I don't exceed the rev limit, and don't do clutch drops. I do launch the car, and do a lot of "spirited" driving.

I daily drive my Evo, and don't track it. It's seen some auto-x.

I'm at 147,000 miles.

 

Aside from normal maintenance and having a good solid tune, learning how to drive properly is the best thing you can do to prolong the life of your Evolution. I'm not saying you do or do not know how to drive properly, obviously I have no way of knowing that. What I am saying is at least 97% of Evo owners do not know how to drive any better than your average soccer mom. Simple stuff like: Letting the clutch out smoothly and as close to idle as possible on a daily basis, not power shifting, learning how to rev-match and downshift smoothly, etc. All these things become even more significant when pushing the car hard. Pushing the car hard and not knowing how to drive are the most common causes of mechanical failure (and crashing). Driving is an art that has been mastered by no one- except Ayrton Senna.

 

The honest answer? The car will live longest with the least boost. Take off the turbo! Done!

For fun purposes though plus longevity, I'd stick to 20-22 psi, and depending on your fuel maybe 23-24. But I definitely would never go over 24. Of course, 20 sounds like a lot to me now

 

Amen to that

 

Step 1: Drive 200,000 miles.

There you go.

Even at your power level if you keep up with maintenance, don't drag race and the car stays in a good state of tune there is no reason why it should not go at least 200,000. The way you created the poll is not going to give you the type of result you want, there is perfect boost. A good compromise before you raise the PR too much and create tons of heat is mid 20's. Obviously the lower the boost (20 and under) the longer the turbo will last. Seeing as they're easy to swap and go for cheap on the forums I wouldn't worry.

 

I wouldn't know how to get 200K, I only have 196K, LOL.

Regular maint. Oil change(ful syth) every 3-5K.
Belts, IR plugs, W.Pump every 60K or so.

Front wheel bearings at 120K(noise)

Boost 24 PSI Max. on stock turbo

No Burnouts at stoplights. I'm still on the original clutch!!

As for exterior, calipers and wing will peel and the front end will get stone chipped like crazy.

Drive it every day for at least 160 miles!!

 

I don't think there is any accurate answer. It can vary depending on mods, tune (even no knock), turbo, routine maintenance and driving style.

 

throw your hands up in the air.. DRIVE it like you just don't care... and change them fluids like they are supposed to be changed and should last for a while..

 

I think max psi can heavily depend on what kind of turbo you have and how you drive the car. If you nail it everywhere you go then the previous max suggestion of 24 would be accurate. If you can live with just nailing it every once in awhile, you don't hot lap it and have a large enough turbo to efficiently support it, 30+psi is not out of the question. I have run my car this way the last 2 years and 20000 miles, but you have to be smart about it.

I tried running 31psi on a 2 mile hill climb and that wasn't happening without extreme overheating. Even then the engine never blew up, but overheated. The head didn't warp too badly though as I was still able to run several more passes without trouble. I figured out the max boost I could run without getting hot was about 27psi on a gt35r. Of course this is pretty much the worse case scenerio stress test, as you are full throttle 90% of the time and going uphill for a full 2 minutes straight.