I am seeing just a few contradictions with your argument.

I am not saying you are wrong on that, I know that from the factory the Evo's rack is always quicker than the STI's. The STI would have a slight advantage on loose stages and the Evo on tarmac stages. Though I do believe that steering ratios are adjusted for different needs. As for torque, it would be interesting to see actual figures.

You are right, in stock trim. However these cars don't exactley run in stock trim. Tires, wheels, brakes, suspension components, bushings... etc. All of these things are swapped in favor of rally friendly components. Obviously the cars we purchase are going to be prepared for the street since that's their primary function.

Results are the primary indicator of success. The New York Giants didn't win the Super Bowl last year, oh but wait there were lots of variables, so the Steelers weren't the best team.

Ken Block isn't too shabby of a driver either, I actually think he is the best driver in Rally America. There is no doubt that luck is a factor in anything, but over the course of events luck tends to even itself out. But you're right, I have never seen an STI's boxer go up in smoke... oh wait...

 

Depends on the class, in some classes (where modifications are minimal), these factors matter. Obviously in open class, they're not nearly as important.
Results do indicate success, but what do you attribute that success to? In a sports analogy, if a hockey team wins every single game but loses the Stanley Cup final to a team that just squeaked into the playoffs, are they really the second place team? They've won more games overall and presumably beaten the championship team before but they simply choked in the big games. In a rally, you have factors like the car, the driver, the team, the environment and plain old luck all contributing to a performance. To say that X car is best because X car is in first place somewhat diminishes the skill of the driver. I doubt anyone would argue that Sebastien Loeb's success is due to the car he drives and not his unbelievable, god given talent.

 

Nice to know! From what I know, Ken Block is damn good so I'd love to have seen the Evo's run up to 1st and 2nd place.

 

You can read over my posts, I never said it was better, I said it was formidable. They are cars that have always been on more or less equal playing fields, that is what has sparked the intense rivalry over the years.

Also, yes in that scenario who ever wins the Stanley Cup is the better team, all it shows is that the so called "better team" with the best record can win regular season games but bottle it when the pressure is high. There is no margin for error in competition. When people look back in ten years no one will remember who had the best regular season, but they will remember who won the cup.

We are trying to answer the OPs question, and the answer is that the Evo is just as good a rally car as the STI.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrEEq1Qs***

Why the **** didn't I know about this? I got a lot of videos to look up now

Way to kill my work standard here GoKimiGo... I'm sure management is going to appreciate the youTube spike on the network

 

The video isn't working for me lords, is it a Ken Block special? I love those, LOL.

 

The steering and handling were some of the things mentioned that driver's like on the sti over the evo. A few said the STi felt more neutral in dirt/gravel and was easier to control. I watched a bunch of interviews of different drivers on which they preferred between the two. Most of them said STi. Maybe they were paid to say it, who knows. I wish I could remember where I saw it.

Now don't get me wrong. I, in no way shape or form, think the Sti is a better car. I've never had 2nd thoughts about getting an evo over an sti. Just stating what I watched.

Video doesn't work for me either.

 

It also seems that Stis are just more popular of a car. I can't tell you how many people I've talked to that know what an Sti is, and can describe it, and have no idea what an evo is. To me it's like knowing what a mustang is and not knowing what a camaro is.

 

Do you believe either rally teams are recieving the same factory backing? Form what I've been reading I'm lead to believe subaru is capable of stronger backing and sponsership for their teams.

Are the evos leading in these situations even with less support than the sti?

I LOVE both cars, don't get me wrong, but I drive an evo in the end for its strong backing in the after market (and it looks better).

Also, the wrx was crap and turned me off of subaru for awhile. Don't know about the newer ones but I've already heard several horror storys involving bearing spins and 4th cyclinder over heatings.

Of course both cars have their issues but subaru hasn't caught up to mitsu's lead in the tuner market... yet.

 

And I'm not disputing that it's formidable, I've seen a few Evo rally cars in action and they are very very competitive. I was simply trying to explain the comment someone said earlier about rally drivers apparently preferring the STi to the Evo.
If the team that wins the Stanley Cup sucks in the regular season though, how can they be said to be the best when points wise they're not? Dumb luck can win a Stanley Cup.

 

IMO. The STI is just the new black for now.

Go back to early 2000's and look at the rally scene i'm sure you would have seen more about Mistu than Subaru.
It's like any type of advertising and marketing.
Just like a skateboard company or even a shoe company.
Does Element make a better deck than Black label? no, but element has better advertising and more well know people endorsing it.

Does DC make a better shoe than Airwalk did? no, but Airwalks are no where to be seen and DC is everywhere.

Just about what name or movie or magazine is endorsing what or who is popular, marketing what brand.

Like i said, just my opinion tho.

 

I really doubt it's just a fad, otherwise it's a really good one. Moreover, in 2001, Richard Burns won the WRC championship in a Subaru and in 2003 Petter Solberg won the championship in, you guessed it, a Subaru. Tommie Makinen had four wins from 1996-1999 in an Evo. The 2000s weren't a good time for Mitsubishi, if anything Citroen was (and is) the clear winner. Subaru has three manufacturer championships to Mitsubishi's one and 47 wins to Mitsubishi's 34. It's not a fad.

 

Love to have something like that around here but it's quite far for a drive

 

Lets just say we go by the idea that a driver will be a huge factor in how a car performs, then the driver's championship would reflect just that. They will be the major variable in the success for their title. And more so reflect the drivers performance, luck and weather.

By the same token the constructor's championship is used to determine which manufacturer performed the best. This is the yardstick for the measure of which manufacturers have produced the most consistent results for all of their drivers and give a good indication as to the quality and overall performance of that manufacturer.

That being said the last time Subaru won a constructor's championship... 1997. Mitsubishi last won it in 1998. Since then the likes of Peugeot, Citroen and Ford have dominated the constructor's championship except for Toyota winning it in 1999.

So due to the overwhelming variables, Solberg and Burns, those championships were won with "dumb luck" right?

The fact of the matter is that yes there are many things that go into making a winning formula. If Mitsubishi were to not of made the mistakes they did and not have gone through their crisis, then maybe more money would be had for their motorsport divisions and they would have had a better showing in the years after the new millennium. But that would just be an excuse and in competition there is no room for excuses.

Were Subaru the better WRC team during those years? Without question I think so. But as of today, as of right now, Mitsubishi and Subaru can not be separated in terms of rally competitiveness. But in a few months we will know for sure who is top dog for this year and next year it will all begin anew.

 

yeah, but 4 wins in a row, then 2-3 years later "here you go America u can haz car too" i think popularize the Evo over the STI.

and Subaru hasn't won since 2005, and Mistu hasn't had a driver/team since 2005. iirc. But i don't follow it as closely as some of you probably do, so i might be wrong there.