Whats up guys. I am new to this community and am currently a 2003 WRX Sedan and an 87 Buick Grand National owner with plenty of modifications which I do myself. I have a question for you guys regarding the differences between the two (EVO & WRX). I understand about blocks, boost levels, transmissions etc. so I am not new to the car world. But I wanted to get your feedback as I may just end up shooting for an 06 EVO. I keep seeing how much HP these EVO's make and I love the body/styling of the EVO. I would slap a set of wheels on one and be happy and the rest would be increasing the HP.

Anyhow, let me get to the point. Originally, when I purchased my WRX, I of course could not afford the STI. At that time the EVO was not in production yet. In short, I did a bit of research and here is what I myself have found out (correct me if I am wrong).

The WRX/STI is much easier for a motor/tranny swap. It sucks for maintenance (i.e. changing plugs is a b1tch) The tranny is more durable.

The EVO has a closed deck which can handle very high boost levels, basic maintenance is a breeze along with an easy cam swap. Engine/tranny swap would be a pain? How is the tranny on the EVO's? I remember reading about the first years that the clutches were going out early and the discoloring of the flywheel was showing signs of high heat. Was this problem fixed?

Thanks for any help guys. The reason I ask these questions is because I like to do all motor/trans work myself unless I don't have a special tool or something.

Whats your opinion?

 

they are about the same.

WRX/STi motor - pain in the *** to work on if you want to swap out cams - total of 4 cams

EVO motor - easier than WRX for sure. the motor is bullet proof - cast iron FTW!

WRX/STi transmission - much easier to work on. Take less time for clutch/flywheel install. But overall the transmission is weaker than EVOs. The casing flexes under extreme conditions. Gears willl shatter when you launched hard many times. Then you will need to purchase STi RA gear set.

EVO transmission - clutch/flywheel takes longer to do. Double the time of wrx/sti clutch/flywheel. But EVO transmission is much stronger. The only thing you need worry about is the transfercase. The discoloring of the flywheel you heard about was probably either the user don't know how to drive an AWD car or launch the EVO way too aggressively.

 

welp, the trans will take some abuse, its the transfercase you have to worry about.

as far as an engine swap. well how much easier do you want?? unplug the wiring harness, drop the trans and t case, your 3/4 the way there...aside from the nicknacks of disconnecting your intercooler pipes, its fairly easy.

the clutch is okay so long as you dont dump the clutch at 7k....first thing i would do is remove the darned restrictor from the slave cylinder. that helps dramatically on clutch life i believe. it doesnt allow it to slip itself, you control the slip.

its easier than you think and it has minor issues, but most of them are resolved.

 

What kinds of preventative things can be done for the transfercase? I have not yet been under the hood of the EVO yet but wondered if it had different length axles on the front. The wrx/sti has equal length.

 

Nice, Grand Nationals are sweet. The best thing for the transfer case is to not launch the car too much. Most likely you will bake the stock clutch before anything else happens, but its very hard on the t-case to launch the car a lot. If you plan on beating the car on a regular basis then have your t-case built by Shep and you should be pretty much set.

 

I have done 4 subaru motor swaps and countless modding on subarus as well as working on a bunch of evos up to and including turbo swaps and head removal. I will take the evo, hands down, any day of the week. I hate working on subarus EXCEPT pulling the motor is extremely easy compared to the evo. I will always vote to work on any in-line 4. Working on a boxter motor, FTL...

 

basically what was said above...have it built by Shep. Shepherd Racing that is sheptrans.com. you can have the t case gears cryo treated to help with strength. not much you can really do since there are no aftermarket parts yet. you have to use mitsubishi factory parts and they arent cheap.

my recommendation-find a good used one and have it treated, cleaned, and built by shep, pull yours out and keep it for a spare.

as far as the axles go, they are almost equal length i do believe. anyone taken measurements??

OH and welcome to the EVO world.

 

coming from a wrx, the evo is a lot better all around mechanically. you are right about changing spark plugs and things like that. Doing a turboback exhaust is a pain in the *** when compared to doing one on an evo. The engine can take a lot more abuse in stock form as well, and the 5 speed can handle a lot. In the wrx u have to worry about the glass 5 speed tranny, but the sti does have a very strong 6speed. I suppose its a toss up strength wise, but i really enjoy my evo a lot more than my old wrx and sti's that i have driven.

 

The STi 6spd is very stout. Take this into consideration....the Jun STi (600hp) uses the stock transmission.

I've worked on wrx's a little bit and yeah...they are a pita. The EVo is def. easier to work on (when it comes to bolt ones).

The Evo transmission is really a toss up. The MR 6spd is known to be weaker than the 5spd.

 

You don't need to swap the motor in an EVO so this becomes a null point and the tranny will hold on to just about as much bolt-on HP you can give it. The t-case will last you just fine if you stay way from launching the wrong way. Throw a clutch in there and you should be in good shape.

There are some things easy to do in a EJ platform, but overall the inline setup is much much easier. The flywheels will develop hotspots just like any other hotrodded clutch setup. The clutch change can take a well planned day to execute. PM me with any questions or check out the install thread I made to lead you in the right direction.

 

Evo's are easy to work on as long as you do your research, same with most vehicles.

 

Yeah the STi 6 speed is one of the most indestructible transmissions i have ever seen but the gearing is terrible IMO.

 

My last car was an 02 WRX and compared to the Evo, it was a nightmare to work on. I personally think that the Evo is much easier to get to anything I would want to mess with. I agree that the tranny is easier on the WRX, but thats about the only thing. As everyone else said, if you treat it right on the Evo you shouldnt have to mess with it, other than to upgrade the clutch.

 

The sti transmission is very stout. Very! Its designed to take tons of torque and there are people out there poundin the tranny and still holds up. The evo tranny not so much. Remember, subaru by nature over engineer their transmissions and rear ends for the Vermont maple tappers.

 

Thats one of the funny differences in the WRX and the Evo. In WRX land the 6 speed is WAY stronger, and take tons of abuse while the 5 speed seems to be made of glass. All the fast WRXs seem to have the STI 6 speed. On the Evos it seems to be just the opposite. Our six speed isnt as bad as thier 5, but its still not the best for the track.