The transfer cases on the EVO were as faulty as the tranny on the WRX. Only the 03-04 present such transfer cases problems. You are fine were you are, I think the STI is a bit better than a regular 03 EVO(more equiped, better tranny, more horsepower).

 

I drove an '06 STi the other night, and I gotta admit, it was an awesome car... and if you need to make a commute or a long trip in it, it's smoother and quieter than the Evo hands down... but when the Evo's turbo kicks in, it's a rush!!

I still like the feel of the Evo more.

 

Well that is what I wanted to hear. Thanks for helping me make up my mind. My goals would be 450whp on pump gas and 11's for my daily driver from what you have said sounds like the MR is up to the challenge and the STi isnt cause they dont make that kind of power on pump gas and are expensive to mod also. So just to make sure I am correct I should have no problems making 450whp besides maybe clutch which is given, with drivetrain or tranny with the MR. That would deicde my mind on the Evo vs STi cause the STi may be reliable and look nasty but if it can barely make over 400whp on pump it wont suite my needs. Also if for some reason I cant afford the MR if I got a 05 Evo or 06 IX does there 5-speed and drivetrain hold up to the power and lauches the MR's will. Thanks sorry about all the questions

 

Sorry but honestly what kind of answers are you expecting from an EVO forum, um yeah the STi is the King, it rules all!

Seriously the 05 model of the EVO is the best one yet and should be the least problematic. Still that does not mean problems will not exist, when trying to double the horsepower of any car, problems can begin to arouse. Still the potential of the EVO for the every day tuner IMO is still superior to that of the STi, although the gap between the two has closed somewhat. The EVO can reach your goal of 11s on pump gas, and while the STi can do so also, it would still be more expensive. The EVO can reach your goal on the stock turbo too, which is a big bonus in my opinion. The best thing about the EVO though is that the potential for awesome numbers, like 500WHP plus is reachable for us people who do not make high dollar incomes. That's what impresses me the most about the EVO. I'm not saying reaching 500WHP is cheap or easy, but it's very possible (When I get my EVO one day), even for me, a full time college student/full time security guard making $10.00 an hour (I work a lot of hours and do my studying and homework at work, awesome).

 

I'd say get the STi if you want to keep it stock.

the 4G63 can handle alot more though so if you want to mod get the Evo

 

Do a search this has been covered many times before and the EVO 9 is almost identical to the EVO8, except it has MIVEC ...

I have to agree with what fromWRXtoEVO says. The EVO tranny is also bulletproof like the STi tranny. Infact the EVO 5 speed is stronger than the 6 speed MR tranny (can hold more torque). Comparing the EVO to a DSM is like apples and oranges. Everything in the EVO is far superior to a DSM. Yes it is true that the TC on some EVOs have failed but that only happened to early 03 models, where the parts were incorrectly shimmed from the factory. Until now I haven't heard of 1 EVO with stripped gears in the tranny and there are some very high HP EVOs out there ... infact so far there was only one incident where the tranny case cracked because of the HP the car was making ... but that owner was making INSANE amounts of power (700-800HP I think) ...
Go for the EVO because,
The engine is stronger stock on the EVO compared to the STi.
It has better handling.
Easier to mod.
Tranny is as strong as the STi.
Has more space in the back for passengers.
Looks a lot better (subjective) ... Subarus have always been ugly IMHO ...

Finally don't listen to spm1024 ... he owns a chevette .

 

werd^

 

Ask yourself this, how many STI's have been daily driving for 2 years making over 400whp without any tranny problems?

 

Drive them both and see what you like better. If you want to run low 11s, you'll brake stuff in both cars,

 

Tre!

 

If you're going with the Evo, go with the IX, as others mentioned.

I don't mean to hijack, but are the standard IXs coming with 6spds?

 

I had an 03 Evo, got hit and wrecked by a drunk driver now I have an 04 STi, i'm trading it in for a IX MR. THat should speak volumes about Evos. they're both great performance cars but i loved my Evo. It was simple, cheap (relatively), no frills performance.

If you are planning on tracking or modding your car, go with the EVo. it has been said a million times before, the 4g63 engine is bullet proof. it's been around for almost 2 decades. the usdm STi 2.5L has been around for ~3 years and all it's ins and outs have not been discovered by the aftermarket. mostly because we are the only country with a 2.5L STi. it's not the easiest or most reliable thing to modify. you can mod the 4g63 for cheaper and it will be more reliable. However, there is a huge aftermarket for both.

the evo has better suspension dynamics. download one of the many of the Top Gear videos where they pit the sti against the evo. you'll see what i mean. granted the usdm Evo doesn't have SAYC but the effect is still similar. when pushed, the sti understeers pretty bad. the evo has superb handling right out of the box. you would have to put atleast $3k in to the STi to get it to handle better than the stock Evo. trust me i put JIC FALT2s and Cusco sways and tower braces all around on my STi and there is still a lot of room for improvement compared to my old Evo with similar mods.

If you want to keep the car semi stock, a smoother ride, more low end torque, a slightly nicer interior, get the STi. I've found that the ladies like the STi more. My x told me my Evo looked cheap (the exterior was stock) and she liked my STi better even though she hated my gold bbs rims.

if you think the Evo suspension is rough, try driving a Lotus Elise. The STi feels like a Lincoln Town Car compared to an Elise.

If you're like me, none of that stuff really matters. If you want to track the car and get get lots of reliable performance, get the Evo. Me personally i'd get the RS before the GSR. hell if it were up to me i'd pull out the entire interior. it would just be front seats with harnesses, a shifter, pedals, gauges, and a steering wheel. but thats just me.

Just my .02

good luck!

btw the 06 base STi is cheaper than the 06 MR. I still haven't fallen for the 06 STi face lift either, personally. i like the IXs front better than the VIII. Don't flame me though i fell in love with the Evo back when it was the VI, i feel the IX is the way the VIII should have looked because its a variation of the VII front.

 

While I can't argue with your comparisons on each car, because I haven't owned both, I will say that I strongly disagree with you on a number of factors.

Yes, the EJ25 may not be much more than 3 years old, but I rarely hear ANYTHING about the motors being unreliable. I have, however, heard that if the 4g63 isn't broken in propery, they will either burn oil, or eat oil throughout their lifetime; hardly what I would refer to as "bullet proof." While I would agree that the 4g63 probably can hold a bit more power on the stock block, each motor can be built to be just as reliable as the other for high horsepower applications. The sky's the limit (or your credit card is). I would also agree that INITIALLY the 4g63 is cheaper to modify than the EJ25 as well, but this advantage is thrown out the window once the 500hp mark is reached. Things tend to get insanely expensive at this point.

Regarding suspensions, I believe you are off the mark when you make the statement that it would cost $3000 in suspension work for a STi to handle like a stock Evo. It takes nothing more than an anti-lift kit and some nice swaybars to handle nearly on par with a stock Evo. The understeer problem lies with the front end of the STi lifting when pulling through corners. An anti-lift kit will keep the front wheels planted, and it makes a HUGE difference. I've driven my STi and an STi with nothing more than an anti-lift kit back to back, and the difference between the two was nothing short of amazing. I couldn't believe that there was not anything else done to the car except for an anti-lift kit.

Along with you, I'm just indifferent about the STi's new face. I'm not particularly fond of it, and I'm glad that I dropped for a 2005 model. However, it would be nice to have the DCCD upgrades.

Off the subject. It sucks about what happened to your Evo with the drunk driver.

 

This is true for any motor, proper break-in is very important, the Subaru EJ25 is no exception to the rule ... I've read stories of STi motor consuming too much oil on www.i-club.com ...

Stock for stock (without changing the internals) the 4G63 is stronger period. Forged pistons and a closed deck iron block vs hyperutectic (sp?) pistons and a semi-closed deck aluminum block. No contest .... as you said once you mod the internals sky is the limit ... Also I think by now we all know the limits of the stock blocks

True for the most part, all an ALK does is change the static castor on the STi and the RSB tranfers more of the weight/grip forward while losing grip in the rear. It also makes the ride stiff and bumpy in the rear of the car. While these mods increase overall grip during cornering the STi's steering ratio is still much slower than the EVOs giving it less of a handling edge ...

Subarus after the GC8 models and bugeye (GDB?) have always been ugly ... the newest one is the ugliest one of them all!!! On the other hand the EVOs are very sharp, mean and goodlooking .... In my subjective opinion ...

 

Well this is a tough decision just like I thought it will be. I guess I will just have to test drive them both. thanks for the help. So I believe someone said the 5-speed is just as strong at the 6-speed so if for some reson I cant afford or find a 05 or 06 MR if I got a 05 or 06 5-speed it should be able to handle just as much power and it wont have the transfer case problems of the 03-04. thanks again