IMO I disagree with the statement that the 6spds are "nothing but trouble" I have had no problems with mine and I have an Exedy twin in it and am pushing 332 whp.

As far as tracking the car then yes I would agree that the 6spds tend to have moe problems but as for DD they are fine.

To the OP go with a GSR for what you are looking to do. Again IMO get a IX they definately respond to modding alot better, I agree with brodienuchies ^ that if you upgrade the turbo then it wont be much of a difference though. Still the IX looks a little better. + revised tranny in the 5spd

 

IX RS...cheapest, fastest from the box, and why pay for things you're going to upgrade anyhow?

 

If you are going to be upgrading the turbo and everything around it then I would just go with the 05 viii over the ix because you won't see that much of difference if any with a different turbo and everything on it.

Also the MR 6sp is not really a problem plaged tranny. Either tranny with alot of power and abuse is going to need to be upgraded. The 6sp 1-3 is strong than the 5sp tranny and is better gearing for auto-x. The real problem is when you do long sessions of road racing where extreme heat can build up. Anyway I have 401whp out my 6sp on a cusco twin and it is great. I will doing some road courses next season though so we will just have to see how it does.

 

athankyouverymuch^

 

+1
5 speeds do break too, plenty of threads about this on this forum....
MR is great for daily driving with HIDs, power windows and locks (compared to RS) but also has lighweight aluminum roof panel like the RS... Unless you road race or put non-Daiqueen brand tranny fluid in, you probably arent much more likely to have problems running up to 400 whp than a 5 speed... will you be road racing? If not you will probably be ok....

 

*the Best Evo for the VIIIs would be an 05

*the 03 is a First Production Evo in the US, so, you know what i mean, so i would stay out of it.

*the Evo IX , is best for simple bolt ons to make more power out of it due to the turbo and Mivec!

 

Dude...05 RS is the best Evo in my book!!

If only the RS have ABS, I would have gotten it in a heart beat

If you wanna get junk like leather seats, HID, moon roof, and some ugly fin on the top of your roof....dont get the crappy MR, get an 335i

 

mine is 05 in your range. its an MR, but like ppl are saying, the 6 speed isn't junk, the ratio of 5 speed tranny's breaking is more than the ratio of 6 speeds, people just tend to freak out because a few have broken and there are less around. and if your plans are daily driver at 350-450 you really wont have any problems and the little things are nice for daily driving. https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=306855 just a thought.

 

9s seem better...im in the market for one!

 

+1

 

depends if you can get a good deal on the 9 go for it other than that get the 05 evo 8.

 

i wish i got a mivec 4g63t.

 

hmmm 05's ? wat about the 03's ?

 

+2 As long as its tarmac black

 

How much power to the wheels can the non-mivec 05 evo put down, compared to the ones with mi-vec on a identical setup? (all bolt ons, cams, same boost, tune, etc)

I might end up just getting an 03 and saving money for the mods. The engine is still solid and I can always just upgrade the turbo later down the road. I really only want about 400awhp. So, my main concern would be the ACD and front diff. Will these make a big difference in handling? If so, I will probably just go with an 05 evo 8. I think the evo 9's will be pushing my budget as far as the initial car purchase. I really want to stay around $22-24 as much as possible.

Also, what mileage do some of the more expensive maintenance needs to be done? (timing belt, water pump, diff, tranny fluid, clutch, etc? Even though I will be doing all the work myself, I dont want to have to start replacing things right when I purchase the vehicle.