Hello to all-

I am a newbie to your boards, but not to modding cars, nor to the politics of car club message boards! Please excuse my inexperience with the cars you all know so well. I have done my research with the good ol' [SEARCH] button the last two days before my account was activated.

MY SITUATION:

I have almost closed a deal to purchase an '03 black evo8 w/ 15,000 miles on it for the sum of $25,000. The price is right around KBB, but since the motor has been prepped for a bigger turbo, all the mods are practically free.

I come to you, EvoM, in search of some advice and knowledge about the mods that are on the vehicle, and what I can expect from it. Ok, lets get down to it.

The one mod that im worried about most are the HKS 280 cams... I took the time to SEARCH, and i read a lot about the different cams. When I went to see the car, it had the rough idle that is characteristic of the 280 cams. I'm worried this is going to drastically reduce reliability on the street, and raise the power band so much that its going to be an "all or nothing" kind of throttle.

The car has a Vishnu Exede module that is tuned, but theres no papers on WHAT figures its tuned for and if there are other maps set on the exede.

There is a boost controller also, and i believe the car is pushing 20psi right now. With the mods listed, is this a safe boost level? Should I worry about the head gasket or anything else? Is it possible to turn the boost down on the car without having the Exede retuned? Is it possible that the Exede has maps that are scaled back that I could switch to? Which is the proper device for this type of alteration?

I have a feeling the exede may also have a map for higher boost + race fuel because in the add this hp and 1/4mi was claimed: and from the research i've done here on EvoM, it seems that those numbers are obtained at boost levels of about 24psi, often time with race gas. I think the hp numbers the car is doing now on the street at the 20psi (which i personally saw the gauge hit) are closer to the 300whp range, which seems to be what other people here are getting.

I am excited to become an Evo owner, but I want to get the support of you all before I jump into this. Who better to ask than EvoM?

This car has immense potential with just a few more grand + a turbo upgrade to be in much higher horsepower range, but if its a trailered ***** because of those cams and because its not gonna live in ANY sort of traffic at 20psi... then I may look into turning the boost down a little and swapping the 280 cams for 264i/272e cams.

 

IMO I wouldnt purchase a modded vehicle. I would like to create a setup that is for me and my driving habits.

 

for that kind of price I would most likely go for a 05 or 06 RS and mod as money allowed. It sounds like that car was run hard, and I personally would like to have a better idea of what I was getting and who installed exactly what parts on my car.

to each his own, and I figured that you would feel a similar way being a guy who likes to mod cars and spec out what is installed on your vehicle.

good luck and as always: YMMV,

Greg

 

true, but its a very tempting deal since there is so much money invested in the mods and the car seems to be such a deal.

 

There is another 03 evo with similar mileage on it selling for the same price without mods... who's to say that THAT evo was run any less hard, or was taken car of any better?

i dont believe in buying a new car because of depreciation, but the one im looking at is in a great range with only 15,000 miles on it

In regards to modding a car to fit personal flavor and attitude, the car is stock outside and in(other than a couple gauges)... only the motor has work done to it. So this would give me the chance to find the wheels i like best, the suspension i like best, and a stereo to my specs. I figure the only part of the motor that i might not do is have the 280 cams on it and boost it that much...

if the 4g63 motor would not typically be harmed by having boost turned up in the past, then it should sitll good with only 15k miles... and im assuming that the 280s can be switched out pretty easily. I even recall seeing a thread where someone wanted to trade their 272s for someone elses 280s... PERFECT.

thank you all for the input, very helpful. keep it coming guys, PLEASE!

 

I'd rather start with a stock or very close to stock car than a car which could be a huge headache.

 

very true, but that car IS modded, and HAS been to the track so you know that it has been driven hard. You know what they say about something that seems to be too good of a deal...

Caveat Emptor

 

Seems like you have your mind made up already.....

 

thats precisely what ive been fighting in my head about.

 

almost made up... i was going to go get a loan today... but seriously, im stupid.... maybe i need to get smacked in the face and wait for a different evo to come along... its not like they are that hard to find.

There are evo's for sale on these boards, modded, similarly priced... and all driven hard im sure... but what evo hasn't been driven hard. thats the ridiculous part about it... even the car ad im talking about says but of course its been driven hard.

 

Whether you buy it or not, 20 psi is definitely safe for the mods you listed. I have a lot less mods and I street about 20 psi on my daily driver. I wouldn't worry about the boost as much as the wear on the rest of the drivetrain and/or the prior maintenance.

 

I wouldn't buy it. Reasons:

1. It's used
2. Already modded
3. The car has been tracked (alot of abuse there)
4. Most, if not all, all those mods are not smog legal
5. If something goes wrong, you don't know what modification is causing the problem

I would save my money and get a brand spanking new RS.

 

i told the guy i wasnt going to buy it without a smog cert. in my hand that i can take to the DMW with me when i finish the paperwork.

hahaha, im not getting an RS, guys... my friend got one and yea... i'll take one with A/C, PW, and a stereo.

i dunno what to do... this sucks... im torn. the story i got from the seller sounded good, but also pretty shady when i think about it... i met his friend, the orig. owner moved away to go to medical school, was a rich guy from a rich family - mid 20's - spared no expense on the mods and unexpectedly got accepted into a medical shcool out of state... he left his friend to sell the car for him. i have seen some, but not all paperwork on maintence and mod installation, all i was shown was a clutch work order from june. He did show me the stock parts in his trunk included the valvetrain, and flanged oem cat.

 

On a stock ECU, those 280's will idle like ****, unless i missed a standalone in that list of mods already done.

 

well from what ive learned the exede is NOT an EMS, its just a piggyback... right? so no... its doesn't ... and yes... when i saw the car, it didnt idle well, and i noticed it struggled to start up as well... is that likely due to the 280s?