Okay, here might be a stupid question that I've always been curious about but never really wanted to ask...

You know a few months after ownership people dyno their cars and view their dyno results, some better than others. They say it's stronger from the factory. Well, what do you do if/when you go to buy your car at the dealership and they have 2-3 of the same exact car with the same exact color/options you're interested in?

Let's take the 2006 Evo IX MR in Graphite Gray for example. The dealership I'm looking at has 3 of these in stock, all indentical. I thought about just getting the one with the newest build date but then I thought about which one might be stronger from the factory. I realize the difference is like 5-15awhp .. maybe. but still something that's driving me nuts. What if I pick the "slowest" one? I don't want to test drive all of them, and put 10-15 miles on all of them (doubt the dealership would let me) and even if I did that, I doubt I'd feel such a little increase.

I guess 1 question I have is do the dealerships get any engine dyno specs from Mitsu Japan on each car? is there -any- way to tell/see which car might be stronger than the next, before buying? Or is it, as I suspect just a crap shoot and hope for the best?

Thanks

Kevin

 

They dont actually dyno each car. Sounds to me like youve got a 33% chance in picking the "fast one". Either way you cant go wrong with the IX.

 

No, haha, they don't dyno each car. It's all random, and the differences are very minimal. 5-15whp is a stretch - that happens rarely. Also, you can make up a lot of those stock differences with light mods...meaning, you sometimes regain whatever lack of power there was originally by getting back to an even keel. If a car just has a defect and makes less power due to some internal problem, then you may not overcome that, but usually it's just a matter of differing boost levels that can be adjusted with a boost controlling device..

 

Thanks to both of you for the fast replies!

Forge MBC and Forge RS DV along with gauges will be my "starter" mods.

Kevin

 

That's my man right there!

Great choice for starters, but even though I am a big fan of the Forge RS BOV and am being sponsored by Forge, I feel obligated to let you know that the stock BOV on the IX is already _very good_. It is the aluminum BOV that many of us with VIIIs had to purchase as an upgrade. I personally used that same BOV for the past year and did all of my drag racing accomplishments with it. You certainly won't need to upgrade from that one, especially not early in the game using the stock turbo. Of course, I'd love it if you upgrade to the Forge, but just know that it isn't necessary in case you want to spend your money on other useful mods, such as a mail-in Dynoflash.

 

Well, when doing my research I found a post by you actually, stating you had the MR Bov and were very impressed for the Forge's performance in direct comparison to it and how it held MR bost levels at it's minimum setting and how great it was at 10 rotations and that 6-7 rotations would be even better. That pretty much sold me on it.

I have Defi BF Imperial Amber gauges ready to be installed as soon as I get the car, and then I'll go through the break-in and monitor the car for any trouble as I continue to upgrade. First will likely be a full TBE exhaust, once one is created for the IX and proven to show gains, lose weight and be cost effective. IE, not just cause it's shiny. :P
Then suspension first (not 100% sure on the direction I'm going with this as I'll be buying an MR) Then I/C Piping, Fuel Pump and tune at the same time.

Kevin

 

Is the IX BOV exactly the same as the VIII? Except its aluminium Warrtalon?

 

Well, no, not exactly the same. It's the same shape and design, but it's much more sturdy and has a stiffer spring. It will hold more boost more effectively than the stocker. The IX BOV is basically the same as the JDM MR DV.

 

Ok, then, great. I'm glad my review was helpful. I am enjoying the RS BOV very much, and I look forward to testing it at 24-25psi next time at the track.

As for your mod path, it looks pretty good. You may want to hold off on the suspension mods until you've gone out and learned how to push the stock suspension to its limit. I spent a year of racing this year and have yet to maximize the utility of the stock MR suspension. Maybe after next year, I'll be ready to do some coilovers and get serious. I won't bother with little things like STBs and sway bars until I know exactly what I need to accentuate my driving style. If you are already a very seasoned racer who will be held back by the stock suspension, then carry on with your plans.

Take a while to think about the IC pipes and fuel pump, because 1) only the LICP is actually useful, and 2) the IX fuel pump appears to be improved, so an upgrade doesn't appear to be necessary at least at this level of modding.

 

Warrtalon thanks! I think indirectly you just saved me close to $1,000-$2,000 of immediate cash

I have been running cars in autocrosses for a few years now, E46 M3 and my last car an STi. but, no experience in an evo yet, so I will take a few months or more to get used to the car before I start with suspension mods. Thanks again

Kevin

 

Kevin,

I just PM'd you.

-Nate

 

Its not cost affective to make every IX different, they all make the same hp.(1-2 whp difference at best)

 

Keep in mind alot and I mean alot of factors can come into effect. Each car is different yes most are within 1-3whp of each other but ive seen some crazy stock numbers in person. Things such as maybe a 1psi boost difference from factory sensors such as coolant or iat that could be some what low reading allowing more timing. **** maybe even the piston rings seated better on some cars. Even the factory ECU can play a role in horse power.

 

I think it's more important to get your Evo right off the truck with no more than 5 miles and break it in yourself. You would be suprised what some of these cars go through between the salespeople and test drives.

 

The biggest reason for differences in stock TQ/HP numbers is that different dynos are being used (or the same dyno with different conditions). Unless all the pulls are performed on the same dyno, with the same correction, at the same time there will be some variance in TQ/HP numbers.