Wow I didn't realize the MR had such horrible MPG with a 6sp vs the 5sp. What confuses me now however is why the RS, the lightest car, and with the least drag(no wing), is getting less MPG then the VIII.

 

I don't know how they conducted the test. Those numbers are bogus if you do an EPA test... The MR will get lower gas mileage if driven in 3rd or 4th or 5th gear when compared to the 5 speed because all those gears have lower ratios than the corresponding gears in the 6 speed. However, that does not tell the whole story. In actual cruising mode in 6th gear, the MR will have the edge over the EVOs with 5 speed trannies.

 

Well, the guy I responded to said that the EVO was overrated and overpriced compared to the other EVOs. He also said that the Bilsteins "suck ***" and the 6 speed tranny was "fragile".... Obviously, I think he's full of crap.
BTW, I do agree with you about "I don't think the MR is overpriced and over hyped,"

 

But as I said, I don't have the zero lift, the gurney flap, the extra front lip spoiler like the MR does, I suspect this is why the MR gets poorer gas mileage - it has better dowforce at the expense of drag. I think an RS or wingless Evo with a 6 speed would get the best mileage of them all.

 

Gas is a big issue for me too. Has anyone posted where the 5 speeds sit at in the RPM range at 70 mph? I know the 6 speed was around 3000?

 

haha, throw all those EPA numbers out, ANY EVO owner will tell you straight up, they all get the same mileage, it's how aggressive of a driver you are and how much you like to race around the city (I can get anywhere from 180-250miles to a tank!)

. . .I have an 05 VIII, and some of the only reasons I got the SSL were that I had leather recaro's in my last car so I wanted them again, NEEDED THE HIDS because I have horrible vision and feel safer driving with them, and I love driving with my sunroof open on a gorgoeus sunny day, just worth it for me (sounds gay, but whatever). . .there were NO MR's, I would've considered the MR for sure.

But financially, the GSR is your best bet since you'll be modding it. I can't say much about the HIDs, and DOT legality, and even retrofitting them. . .I know people have done them on the 2005's, but I don't know how well they seal, and frankly, living in Houston where it rains so damn often and is so humid, I didn't want to deal with poorly sealed light housings (I had retrofitted HIDs and projectors in my last ride and they ALWAYS fogged up when it rained or when it was humid, so I'm not doing it again!)

BTW, I got my 05 SSL at invoice since the IX's were coming out, for something like $32k, so it made financial sense for me. I wouldn't have been able to pay the $34 or $35k listed since I'm still in grad school.

I'll give props for the IX leather/alcantara seats though, I would've SERIOUSLY considered a GSR if I did it again for a IX. . .

 

it's like 3.2k ish I think. . . .your mileage on the hwy will be BEST at 60-65mph though, you'll get SICK Evo mileage around there (good Evo mileage is like 20-25mpg!)

otherwise you'll be filling it up like you drive a Ford F350 turbodiesel, 10mpg baby!

haha, I just filled up tonight, I raced a couple of 'stangs and (oddly) accords on this tank, I averaged about 15mpg. . .

 

It breaks down like this:
60 mph - 2800 rpm
65 mph - 3000 rpm
70 mph - 3200 rpm
75 mph - 3500 rpm
80 mph - 3650 rpm
Basically sticking at 75 mph or below will yield decent mileage. This past tank, I filled up at 276 miles without the light coming on yet. The first 30 miles included a lot of spirited driving and some regular driving with the A/C on, the next 70 was freeway and street driving, then the next 140 or so was all freeway with some traffic. After calculating everything, I got just about 24 mpg (my best to date). Most of my freeway driving was anywhere between 65 and 80 mph.

 

thanks a lot for the numbers!

It takes me a bit of time to calculate because living in Canada everything is in kms... on the bright side, if I do get pulled over by a cop I can just tell him it's hard as an American citizen to get used to trying to translate the MPH gauges in my head when driving... maybe they will feel sympathy??? who knows... But I usually am driving 65-75 mph on the highway (around 100-120 kph) so that sounds fine to me. Sounds like a 6 speed really isn't necessary.

About lights: I will be in Canada so putting HIDs in won't be an issue, however; when I go to California in a couple of years will I be in **** for throwing aftermarket HIDs in my regular GSR? Also, how do the lights get fogged up? I thought putting HIDs in a non-ssl/non-mr model was fairly simple?

About the seats: I honestly like the alcantara seats better. They are absolutely gorgeous! Thinking more and more I really think it is between a regular GSR and an MR now... the MR has everything I want... hids, better transmission, aluminum roof, better wheels... but it is a hell of a lot more expensive...

 

Can I tag along your thread? What I'm interested in is more info on the SSL audio upgrade. I test drove a IX GSR and the built-in audio basically sucked. Does the SSL just add a powered sub or is the overall sound upgraded? Meaning different speakers, head unit, power to non-sub speakers, etc. If it's just adding the sub, I'll have to rip out all that junk anyway. How good is the sub???
I'm used to excellent audio and really can't even listen to junk. My WRX has Boston Acoustic Pro and Sub with three amps.
I'm also trying to decide between GSR, SSL and MR. I really want the factory HIDs too, so in the same boat. Right now, I'm leaning toward the MR, because I don't like sunroofs (6'5" tall).
Any details on the audio appreciated.

 

first of all - no , you may not tag along, unless you pay the fee

second of all - yes you may tag along, that first part was merely a clever joke engineered by some of my very high-paid writers.

thirdly - I will try to answer your question about the SSL sound system: As far as I know everything has been upgraded, it is advertised as a 350 watt infitiy sound system with a sub (I think 8 inch?) that takes up a small amount of trunk space. The quality is obviously much better than the regular GSR, but I, like you, am used to really top end systems, and I am pretty sure that a true audiophile would not be satisfied with such a small upgrade. I'm running 1300 watts in my car now, and I'm only going up from there

#4 - you are tall

*edit

5. Need pics of viper!!!

SiX ---- next time try out Resonant Engineering. RE > all

 

I don't know anything about the SSL sound system, but I can say one thing about the sound systems in the Lancer EVO cars. IMHO, it's pretty pointless to go for sound quality in these cars because they are too loud mechanically and the road noise and wind noise are too high. No matter how good your sound system is, you'll not really enjoy the HiFi quality unless you are parked somewhere quiet.

Actually, I was rather surprised about how decent the stock radio and speakers are in the regular EVO. The radio does a passable job of picking up stations, the CD player works well and the speakers are comparable with the mainstream aftermarket stuff. I don't care for the building-rattling levels of sound that some cars sound systems produce. I don't think the lack of a subwoofer means that I cannot listen to music, so maybe my opinion doesn't count. I like jazz, latin music, classical music and some country, rock and even hip hop and rap, but I don't think the EVO is the perfect platform for a high end audiophile system. And BTW, you are very tall

 

Thanks for replies. For me, it's not "building-rattling" sound levels as much as it's the quality of the sound. And the subwoofer adds a lot, as well. Wish I could find a dealer around here with an SSL, but no luck - only one EVO (a GSR) within 60 miles of me. If the speakers and all are upgraded, I might be able to live with the Infinity system - also, if there's enough power and the bass isn't too bad, I could just upgrade speakers and keep stock head unit.
Tough call, not being able to hear it.

 

I think the SSL's system is upgraded all around, and that the amp powers all the speakers, but I don't have any more details. It is a marked improvement over the regular system, but again -I'll eventually replace all or most of it, but there's norush to do so.

I am 6'2" and my head comes nowhere near the roof, I don't think a 6'5" person would have any trouble. However, 6'5" person with a helmet might be an issue w/ sunroof.

I think the factory HIDs are fair. I don't think they aim high enough. I have a McCullough retrofit in my Eclipse. It is very bright, but the reason it leaks and fogs is because of the crappy ebay/Nopi projectors I have. If the bulbs seal just as good as the factory halogens, you will have no trouble with fogging, but therein lies the problem.

 

For me the SSL was a no brainer, I has an Audi s4 and 350z with no sunroof and I wanted one more than anything (used to own a t-top camaro also), I knew I wanted HID's and the leather interior gives the car a more luxoriuos feel IMO, but to each their own, if cloth doesnt bother you, you don't need a moonroof and want HID's you can always upgrade the HIDs for less than the SSL package costs.

Also the infinity stereo sounds like poop, however by simply adding an Alpine head unit and wiring harness to the factory amp it made a WORLD of difference in sound, I would have kept the stock sub in the car if I didnt have a 10w6v2 laying around the house from my 350z.