I traded in a 2003 Evo VIII on a 2006 Evo IX RS. To set a baseline, the Evo VIII had Sparco Evo racing shells, sunroof and rear wing. All else was stock. I transferred the Sparco shells to the IX, and everything else is stock. The VIII had Pirelli Pzero Nero M+S tires on it (no love lost getting rid of those) and I of course have new A046's on the new car.

First of all, the 2003 had a noticeable rake, from the rear to the front, and the IX seems to sit much more level. The side valences seem to sit almost parallel to the ground. I'm not sure if the ride height was reduced at the rear at some point in the model years, or maybe it's an optical illusion. There's an Evo meet locally and I'm bringing a tape measure to see if it's for real, but I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed this.

I live in Omaha NE, and our roads here are bumpy due to frost heaves to say the least. The first drive in the IX seemed less harsh than the VIII. I just drove to my parents tonight, and there's a bridge with 3 expansion joints that in the VIII when I hit them felt like I was going to bust a rim. In the IX, I virtually glided over them. So another question: Is there any evidence that spring rates or shock valving has changed since '03?

It's hard to compare apples to apples since the tires on the VIII weren't in the same league as the A046, but during the whole time I owned the VIII I always noticed that taking bumpy turns at speed made the car feel "skitterish" and want to drift to the outside of the turn.

On the way to work, there's a turn with a 50 MPH sign (to give you an idea of the radius) and it's bumpy, and to make things worse, they're doing construction, so there's dried mud tracks to add some high frequency bumps to the mix. The VIII never liked that turn, and the IX takes it with utter aplomb. The IX feels absolutely planted. So that gets me thinking once again, that Mitsubishi tweaked the suspension tune without telling us.

Oh, and for those interested in the engine, yeah, the IX feels much stronger. I just got past break in, and it's super funny, the RS from about 5500 to redline is stupid loud inside the cabin. I love minimal sound deadening.

I'm interested in anyone's comments who've made the switch I have, or even better the people that are intimately familiar with the Evo suspension like the Mueller types. I'm an engineer, so I guess I'm just unnaturally curious.

Cheers!

Edit: Oh, I should mention a bit about my driving background. I've done 2 HPDE weekends with the local Porsche club (nice people) and 3 RallyCrosses. I'm pretty far from being a professional race car driver.

 

On the Best Motoring vid it describes the slight drop of the rear end. I think it's like .5" lower springs and are a little softer too I believe. My buddy has my Best Motoring vid's when I can ever get them back I will double check. I can say after working on a IX that a friend of mine got with the exact same mods as my car he got 42 more WHP and 58fts more tq. Just by having the Mivec and bigger Turbo. All on 93 pump gas.

 

yes the rear is lower , which actually raises the front up a tad
bmi ,if i remember correctly, said that mitsu did this for added handling

 

Cool! Okay, maybe the rear drop isn't a figment of my imagination.

I was merging tonight on a long on-ramp (it wasn't really a ramp, it was just flat) and I floored it in 5th which I shifted into at about 60 (I'm giving my engine a nice long break in). I was looking at a minivan I wanted to get in front of, and then I looked down at the speedo, and I was doing 105. Hell! This thing is strong! I hit the brakes in the interest of my driver's license, and merged at 75. The 4G63 in Evo 9 trim is an absolute gem.

 

i call it the pinnacle of the evoluton

 

And probably the last incarnation of it with an Evolution wrapped around it. At least we can say it went out with a bang.

 

I own a 2005 VIII with leather and sunroof and was thinking about a new RS, but can't decide whether to give up the richer interior for the spartan RS. Not sure I can deal with the RS on a daily basis. Is there really that much more power in the IX?

Dave

 

I also drive the IX RS. All the things you wrote about are spot on. I love the race car hints, i.e., gutted trunk, no radio, and, best of all, no sound deadening. The sound in the cabin when the motor's revs get higher, add to that the sound of the turbo when it spools up . . . both sounds electrify me every time. The way the turbo spools so effortlessly at normal, around-the-town, leisure driving, how it accelerates even when you're not trying all that hard, is simply to die for. The race car that lies within always reminds me what a special car I'm driving.

I bet you're glad that you ditched the sunroof for the aluminum roof on your RS. The roll center of gravity in the RS is fun to exploit. Have you tried swerving side-to-side on the interstate yet, going 70-plus? I think you'll notice a hell of a difference between your old VIII and the IX RS, especially since your VIII had a sunroof.

I can't stand sunroofs on performance cars. It's such an oxymoron.

The IX does in fact ride lower in the rear. However, I've not read nor heard anything official from Mitsubishi about a softer ride on the non-MR models, other than a few testomonials like yours. I do remember the '04 and '05 VIIIs that I test drove did ride harsher.

I wonder if anyone has any official details about this perceived softer ride.

 

Im still keeping my non ssl 05 VIII!!!!!!

Got 16k miles on her and KBB value is still around $27,000 !

 

I switched from 03 EVO 8 to EVO 9. Same tires. I have HPDE experience too if that is of any significance.

- I did not notice any suspension height differences.
- I had the car a week now, put on 200 miles (putting around
breaking it in) and can now share the first round of highlights.

THE BAD:
- This new Evo's do have one really annoying feature. Supposedly it
is to improve fuel economy but I can't find out how that helps it.
Basically, if you want to use your engine to slow down you can't (if
going above around 3K rpm). So, say you are doing 4K rpm, lift your
foot off the gas to slow down, but the car does not. It is like an
automatic, it keeps on going until you eventually use the brakes.
(more details here: https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=178979)
- I was unable to get the HID lights and fogs (as they only come with
a 3K package that I did not want). This car has projector lighting
and it sucks. They could have
done a better job, even with the projector bulbs - the Audi
projectors are better. The lack of fogs lights is also a bummer.
- I find the ACD LED indicators on the speedo a bit annoying (too
bright). The EVO has real crappy contrast on the instrument cluster
to begin with, and then they go and add bright LED to indicate the
ACD setting. I wish this was moved off to the side, into the unused
LANCER circle.
- It is too bad that they removed a storage bin next to the left knee
in the dash. Instead they have plugged with a dummy switch panel
(used on the cars with other options, but not mine).

THE GOOD:
- Steering feel & response - same.
- The suspension feel identical to the 8 (I did not get the MR which
has suspension changes)
- Brakes feel the same as the 8.
- Heel and toeing and throttle response is the same (still the
easiest car I ever drove for heel and toe - yes, easier than even
than the Lotus Elise)
- Although the tranny has different gearing, improved synchros,
teflon cables, I did not notice any change.
- Engine addition of MIVEC and turbo changes make for great
improvement in the low end. Makes the car a lot more derivable for
daily commuting. It is smoother, less rough. Wife even commented
that as a passenger, the acceleration and gear shifting seems
smoother. There is less jerkiness to the whole event. Simply put, the
turbo lag is significantly reduced, the turbo spool up is faster and
everything is just smoother.
- The new seat fabric add a lot to improve the interior of the car.
Seems more upscale now.
- The steering wheel leather appears to be improved. Looks the same
but has a softer feel to it.

THE TBD (to be determined):
- The LSD (Limited Slip Differential) & ACD (Active Center
Differential). Well, I can't really tell you what happens at WOT with
these things yet, but I did notice a handling character change while
putting around. If you apply some throttle around a bend, the car
wants to go straight. If you let off, the car wants to turn in (more details here: https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=180279). My
guess this is due to the LSD. Since I'm not sure, I will test drive
another EVO next time I'm at a dealer to make sure all new EVOs have
that characteristic.
A few threads worthwhile reading on the subject of ACD:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=175195
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=181178
- Mid to High end power: can't wait to see!

OVERALL:
For how similar the EVO 8 and 9 are, I'm stumped with how different
they actually are. Driving the car feels a lot more effortless than
with the 8. Where the 8 had a lag, and then rammed your head into the
headrest, this car feels a lot smoother, more comfortable and yet
quicker and more eager to go. The low and lag is greatly reduced and it
makes it easier and more comfortable to drive. It feels closer to
what an STI feels like down low. So far, despite even the negatives,
I'm glad I got the car.

 

Can't wait to get some Tien Coilovers

 

I never pulled the shade open on the sunroof I had, and I was originally planning on ditching the sunroof and getting an new roof skin. I probably lost 50lbs off the top of my car, and it does indeed feel more responsive. I'll have to try the swerving manuver when I happen on an empty stretch of road.

 

I'm with you, and honestly I hate the changes to the front of the IX

 

For the love of God, please get in a time machine and tell Honda that when they were making the EF chassis Si version of the Hatch. Freaking sunroof.

I want to hear more about the suspension differences you have been feeling.

 

Don't hate function.