Just finished the initial break-in on my '05 GSR. Took the car to Mines Rd, a very twisty road here in the SF Bay area.



From here: http://www.pashnit.com/roads/cal/LickObservatory.htm

It was cold and raining the entire time, so I had plenty of opportunities to push the car. I just got rid of my '03 Evo and wanted to see how the changes to the '05 perform.

The first thing I noticed is that the engine is smoother. From idle all the way up to the limiter, the engine just feels much smoother. I like it. Feels great. There does appear to be slightly more power too, especially in the midrange. Maybe just a little more up top. Boost seems to come on at about the same time, so I didn't perceive any improvement there.

The next thing I noticed is the steering. When the front end hit bumps, I could feel something through the wheel I never experienced in my '03 (or my friend's '03 that I put a fair # of miles on). If reminds me of the vibration you feel when you hit a baseball with an aluminum bat. Ok, that probably sounds horrible so don't read too much into it. I just mean that when the front hit some bumps, especially while accelerating hard, there was just a slight vibration kicking up through the steering wheel. I dunno. It is hard to describe, so bear with me. It didn't really detract from anything, but it is a sensation I never felt with my '03.

I did a couple of 'panic' stops in the wet. As usual, the stock Yoks and the Brembos were amazing. Very drama-free. I was not able to engage the ABS, where I think I might have been able to on the '03. That's highly subjective though. I read just a little info about the new 'Sports ABS' system, so I was looking for a difference today. More experimentation is in order.

ACD: I tried switching from 'Tarmac' to 'Snow'. I was going through some wet turns near the middle of 2nd gear. As I neared the apex, I fed in the power. I was surprised to feel the front end fighting through the steering. The next turn, I was more aggressive getting on the power. Wow. Felt just like front wheel drive! Next corner, giving it more power than it could take would then wash the front end out slightly, just like good old FWD. I switched back to 'Tarmac' and tried the same move. Back to how my '03 always felt. No fighting from the steering, just acceleration. So I switched to the middle mode - 'Gravel'. As expected, it felt like a combination of both, but more like the 'Snow' setting, imo. So in the rain, the ACD's different settings can be felt.

Used the parking brake to do tight hairpin turns. Pulling up the parking brake immediately results in a loud pulsating sound. Not pleasant. I imagine it is the ACD system cycling. That, or the car is telling me to stop my WRC antics.



There are a number of 1st gear hairpins on this road. Powering out of them, again in the rain, the car just rocketed forward with basically no drama. The FLSD is doing its job. Accelerating out that hard would have been pretty dramatic in a RWD car. No news here, but the Evo is quite easy to drive fast in slippery conditions.

As luck would have it, I ran into another Evo owner. If any of you know Mines Rd, you know that it is a long, very narrow and twisty road that leads nowhere. The only people that travel the road are usally sportbikes. Due to the cold and rain, there were no bikes today on the road, and none at the usual roadhouse - The Junction. But just as I pull in, another white Evo is leaving. I haven't seen anyone on this road for over an hour and the first car I see is an Evo and one the same color as mine. Too funny. Turns out I've met him before at the Junction, as he is a fellow motorcycle rider.

He has about 15,000 miles on his '03 and he was curious about the differences for this year. After describing them at length, I finally threw him the keys and let him drive it. That was an experience. I know I leave a safety margin when driving on public roads, but apparently it is a much larger margin that I ever realized. He drove through some high speed turns VERY FAST. He was very smooth and confident, but I have to admit to being...uh....concerned. Anyways, flying through these rain-soaked sweepers, he fed in quite a bit of power and he commented that he could feel the front end scrambling to put the power down. He thought it was a nice improvement.

Overall, the car is everything I love about my '03, but with a noticeably smoother engine and slightly more power. The FLDS, ACD, and Sports ABS are much more subtle, but the difference can be felt under the right conditions.

Joe
www.joe250.com

 

Thanks for the review joe, and for that great drifting pic as well .

 

great review. hoping to read more of these from 05 owners who previously had 03 or 04.

 

Nice review Joe.

 

Neil, you have an '03. You've driven at least 1 '05. Do you think the engine is smoother?

I don't know what to say - it has really surprised me. At first I thought I was imagining it or that I was comparing a 13,000 mile car to a brand new one. But the more I have driven the car, the more I think it is quite real. The guy who drove my car today agreed that the '05 is smoother, too. I am just really curious what changed.

Joe

 

Good review Joe,... when did you buy the car? and how much did you pay?

Are you going to move the mods from your old EVO onto this one?

I'm curious why you didn't keep your old EVO and put in a front LSD?

Steve

 

Nice review joe!

 

nice review man. i always wanted to hear this from previous 03 or 04 owners.

 

When you pull the e-brake it makes the center diff cycle into open diff mode.... I didn't realize this would make any noise though.... was it the tires making noise since the rear were locked up and the front pulling the car or was it the center diff itself making the noise?

Keith

 

Nice review. Makes me wish I lived out in Cali....and want an '05 too.

 

By smoother, do you mean the power comes on smoother when boost hits? Or do you mean less vibration gets transferred into the cabin through the rpms?

With the larger 10.5cm^2 housing, power delivery should be a bit smoother. Boost shouldn't hit as hard, while you get more top end.

 

Is that the new wicked white? It looks exactly like weightless white. I guess they just changed the name

 

dont let MMNA read this or their goes ur warranty

 

Congrats on the 05 That road in the first pic looks like a dream.

 

I took delivery last weekend. The only thing I kept from my old car was my trusty Kartboy shortshifter. I LOVE THAT FRICKIN THING! I couldn't wait more than 1 day before I ripped the new car apart and installed it. Ahhhh....much better.

I didn't keep my old car because....it needed a bit of work to get it 100% again. We did 37 races in 9 months. It took a toll. Plus the Exedy twin disk clutch we installed was barely streetable. And finally, when I talked #'s with the dealer, the price was unbelievable. Trading up was truly a no-brainer.

Joe