LakerRaider

iTrader: (12)

My car is completely stock, I want a meth kit. Is it safe to get one with my stock car or will I have to get extra parts orother mods? Will the meth kit prolong the life of my ngine or will it just beat on it more cuz mine is a DD and I can't afford to be fixing broken stuff all the time.

Thanks in advance

RoadSpike

iTrader: (5)

Hmm one of those few areas not really covered here i guess..


Methanol Injection:
Basically this is an alcohol container with a pump attached to it not so unlike your windshield fluid tank. These devices are usually preset to come on during some kind of trigger say... boost, throttle position, or maybe even a combination. What they do is flow methanol or some other alcohol into the intake stream via a nozzle. You can buy nozzles of different sizes to increase the amount of fuel flowing in. What this does is not only add additional fuel to the engine so your injectors will work less but increases the octane rating because methanol and ethanol both have much higher octane ratings than standard pump fuel. An additional side effect is the intake charge temperature is lowered due to the evaporation of the alcohol, just like when you get some rubbing alcohol on your hands and it feels cold same effect.

If you plan on getting one of these kits make sure you get a tune. A stock Evo already runs very very rich and by adding more fuel your only going to make it worse.


Water Injection:
Water injection is by all means absolutely the same idea as methanol injection but water does not provide additional fuel nor does it provide additional octane. The reason people do this is the combustion chamber contains a lot of residual heat left behind by the burn. The water enters the chamber and rapidly cools down the air in the chamber allowing you to run more boost and more timing but the downfall is the octane is still limited so it will not be as effective at controlling detonation.

LakerRaider

iTrader: (12)

anks for the explanation, but I'm still guessing I can just purchase the kit and have it installed in my stock car and not have any problems down the road? Do I need a tune up too? Does anyone even have one of these on their evo as thier one and only mod?

RoadSpike

iTrader: (5)

As stated yes you do need to tune or your just dumping fuel into an already rich condition. Plus if your going with meth you should consider a MBC so you can turn up the boost with more control.

As for reliability I am hesitant to speak on it. Typically owners with meth run much higher timing and boost than they would without meth so when it runs out then BOOM bye bye motor. Since your so stock I think you are much better off with some other mod then a meth kit.

Most definitely I would do these:
1) Turbo back exhaust
2) Tune

Beyond that maybe add cams the choice it yours.

LakerRaider

iTrader: (12)

well the reason why meth kit appealed to me so much was because it adds 70+ hp as opposed to the TBE which will most likely cost more than a meth kit, if not the same, and the TBE doesnt add that much power

RoadSpike

iTrader: (5)

No the TBE doesn't add that much hp but it does help any other mods you put on it like your meth kit. Plus its not going to suddenly run out of power because you didn't fill up your meth tank just like cams

My evo is my DD which is why i'm steering clear of the meth kits I just know i'll forget one day to fill the damn thing up.

chaotichoax

iTrader: (149)

updated with RoadSpike's meth and water injection explanations

will be adding engine mounts soon

EGbeater

iTrader: (35)

Great info chaotichoax! How about a "basic alignment recommendations/ride height/suspension tuning" section?

I'm by no means an expert on Evo alignment/suspension tuning, but this is what I've gathered from talking to some Evo drivers who are successful in SCCA autox circles, having been an autocrosser and "tuner" for 12+ years, and doing research here. I know, it's a little long... :

Alignment

As with most cars, Evos respond extremely well to aggressive alignments. Getting a proper alignment is arguably the cheapest mod to your car that you can do that will net noticeable, real-world benefits in your car's handling or your lap times. Your Evo offers OEM adjustments for toe front and rear as well as camber adjustment (albeit only a simplistic +/- one degree adjustment in the front via an eccentric strut fixing bolt).

To minimize understeer (yes, your stock Evo WILL understeer, especially at lower speeds), set your rear toe to zero or up to 1/8" total toe out. Front toe settings can also be ideal between zero to 1/8" total toe out.

Toe in tends to make a car more stable, but reduces its ability to rotate and slows initial turn-in response. Toe out helps a car to turn aggressively and can make it more nimble, but can lead to unwanted oversteer. NOTE: no matter what your alignment settings are, your Evo can still understeer AND oversteer. Your inputs to the steering, brakes and throttle determine handling response as much as any vehicle factor.

Once you add coilovers to your Evo, you will likely have adjustable camber plates that allow you to increase the negative camber of your front tires. Increasing negative camber up front will helps the front tires to be planted more squarely to the road surface under cornering loads, which increases grip and reduces the car's inherent understeer.

"Ideal" camber settings for handling are somewhere between 2 and 3.5 degrees negative for the front, and about 1.2 to 1.5 degrees negative in the rear. However, read on to get the "no free lunch" disclaimer about setting your alignment outside of what Mitsubishi intended.

Ride height

For many of us, a lower Evo is a better-looking Evo. Admittedly, it looks like a monster truck from the factory. However, when you lower an Evo based purely on your desired aesthetics, you can actually make it handle WORSE.

This is because when you lower the Evo more than about 1" from its stock ride height, you risk lowering your car's roll center below the ground under compression, which will actually REDUCE grip and induce understeer. Also, if your front suspension bottoms out on the bump stops under load, your spring rate will go to infinity (i.e., no spring at all), and then the result is again terminal understeer. Basically, there's much more to optimizing handling than just minimizing your center of gravity by lowering the car.

A very simplified way to determine if your Evo is too low is by checking the orientation of your lower control arms. If they are angled "downhill" towards the centerline of the car - i.e., the pivot point/fixing bolt at the wheels is noticeably HIGHER than at the other end - your car is probably too low.

Also, the higher your spring rate, the lower you can go with your ride height, because your suspension won't compress as much under load.

For more detailed information on optimizing your car for ideal handling, taking roll center, ride height, rake, alignment, spring rate and ride height into consideration, check out this thread:

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...d.php?t=295713

Spring Rate

Evos come with fairly soft spring rates from the factory (180#/in. F, 225#/in. R). While the Evo is of course an amazingly competent car as is, there is still a lot of room for improvement, and a lot of this improvement can be achieved through higher spring rates.

Higher spring rates reduce left-to-right body roll, as well as offering more controlled front-to-rear weight transfer (something that anti-sway bars CANNOT do), but more importantly, they allow for higher overall grip, assuming that your tires are sticky enough to achieve these increased cornering limits.

The spring rate that is appropriate for your Evo depends on your intended purpose (autox, track days/road racing, etc) and what type and size of tires you are using. Generally speaking, the stickier the tire, the more benefit to higher spring rates, assuming your dampers are up to the task of controlling that spring.

Most people who want a neutral-handling Evo will run 150-200# stiffer springs in the rear; however, if you are using aftermarket sway bars, this changes the F/R spring rate equation significantly.

Also, softer spring rates are appropriate for rougher or more slippery surfaces (e.g., Heartland Park's sandy asphalt vs. Forbes Field's weathered concrete).

The main downside to increasing the spring rates under your Evo is a harsher ride. Your ride height, damper settings (if adjustable), and type/quality of damper will also affect this to some extent. What is "still acceptable" for street driving is highly subjective - some people think that 600#F/800#R is fine for a daily driver, while others would think they're crazy.

Keep in mind that someone who enjoys smooth roads in Florida or California will think that his setup is still "totally streetable," but he'd probably change his mind real quick if he lived in Detroit or Chicago.


FINAL THOUGHT: There is no free lunch when it comes to alignment or suspension mods. A change that is better for one thing is typically worse for another. When you start getting serious about improving your Evo for handling - lowering ride height, increasing spring rate, altering your alignment settings, replacing rubber bushings with urethane versions or spherical bearings, using "pillow mounts" with spherical bearings as opposed to the OEM rubber bushings - you will typically degrade ride quality... increasing noise/vibration/harshness (what automotive engineers call NVH), tire wear and how sensitive the car is to unsmooth/grooved pavement.

Having toe-in, toe-out or negative camber will all contribute to an advanced rate of tire wear. This is because instead of the tire rolling perfectly straight forward and with its tread square to the pavement surface, you're actually "dragging" the tire across the surface slightly as your car drives forward.

Some people think that negative camber is the main factor the causes fast inner edge tire wear, but in actuality it is a result of a toe-in or toe-out setting combined with negative camber. Bottom line: if you lower/raise your Evo with aftermarket suspension parts, GET IT ALIGNED.

There is no "optimal" alignment setting for both handling and minimal tire wear... it's a compromise that you will have to decide upon.

Also, having a lot of negative camber up front in an attempt to increase cornering grip will reduce the contact patch of the tire for straight-line braking. There is definitely such a thing as too much negative camber, even if you only care about performance, but what that exact figure is depends largely on the type of tires you are running, your ride height, your spring rates, etc etc.

jhonard's_evo

thanks guys.

BadReputation

i have a quick question i was reading on the cam part and i was wondering when you purchase a new cam do you have to purchase new lifters? or is the cam shaft just riding higher so the lifters open up more no need to replace lifters or what? pm me or just reply
Thanks ~

RoadSpike

iTrader: (5)

Lifters are not needed but if the cam is aggressive enough you will have to buy springs. If your buying these from a shop just ask them if the valve springs need an upgrade for your cam of choice

nashmage

i noticed how you mentioned that with the stock turbo an aftermarket fmic wont provide much in terms of power gains. That mean that its not really worth the money? I currently only have a tbe but i was planning on getting an intake and fmic along with upper and lower intercooler pipes would i be better served with something other than the fmic ?

RoadSpike

iTrader: (5)

To answer the question your last assumption is correct.

With just a TBE there are cheaper ways to make power with the stock FMIC. A good rule of thumb is if your going to change the turbo change the intercooler. Take a good look at your long term goals and decide

chaotichoax

iTrader: (149)

updated with EGbeater's suspension input

Slick-IX

iTrader: (4)

nice guys , thanks!