Everything I've learned after 4+ years with my Evo
- You are wrong on the ACT part, I have run three of them on three separate cars (2 Evos and a DSM). They work fine but do have to be adjusted.
- eBay piping is fine if it fits and has a beaded edge, piping is piping, most of the time it fits like ****.
- I picked up a solid 15WHP across the board on my Evo IX with my GSC S1's on a stock turbo. Obviously fell on it's face when the turbo ran out of breath.
- The Stock 02 Housing is a joke, get a proper unit that is 3.0 pronto.
- Almost all lowering springs are a compromise Tiens being the worst by far and will kill your suspension in no time. GTWORX and SWIFT springs stay within the OEM strut rates, Eibach as well to a lesser extent on performance. Ralliart made springs that drop the car .5 inch and double the rate, you must use a progressive spring.
- less is more, the crazier you get with these cars the less it is an Evo and the less it'll behave like an Evo. You have to understand the millions (Billions) of dollars spent on research and engineering parts procedures most aftermarket vendors couldn't even come close to touching
I bought my Evo IX brand new in late 06. This is everything I've learned that a new-comer might find useful (the list will probably expand as I think of more things):
- Don't use Mobil 1. It's a factory fill for its emissions benefits, not its engine protection. FP voids warranties of people that use Mobil 1. Use AMSOIL, ENEOS, or any other high-performance, high-protection oil
- A fuel pump should be one of your first mods, especially on Evo 8's.
- Dyno (or Virtual Dyno) your car before you do anything. Having an accurate baseline should be the starting point for any modded car. You can't rely on the claims of salesmen saying thing like "my exhaust will put you at 330whp" or the stories of others saying things like "I hit 350whp on the stock turbo". Every car is different.
- Avoid the ACT Xtreme Street Clutch. Sure, it can hold a lot of power for a single-disk clutch, but nearly every owner complains of lock-out issues, especially high RPM lockouts. Either stick to a Street Disc or go for a Twin Disk. This is why.
- The only "eBay-brand" performance part worth buying is an exhaust. Everything else (FMIC, piping, boost controllers, blow-off valves) is junk
- Go big on injectors. Even if you have no plan to use 1000cc/1050cc/1100cc injectors, with a good tune, it's not really any different than driving around with the stock 560cc's. And it's always frustrating to have to upgrade the same part more than once in the event that your plans change and you DO want the bigger injectors.
- There is no need for an aftermarket ECU or any type of tuner or piggyback. The stock Evo ECU is absolutely fantastic, and the tools needed to tap into it are cheap and even free in some cases. Make some use of the EcuFlash community on EvoM and you won't think twice about AEM EMS, Cobb AccessPort, SAFC, etc.
- Buy a Tactrix cable and learn how to datalog your car. Even if you have no desire to tune your own car, being able to properly log it's vital signs will give you a lot of useful information, especially when something's not working.
- Get a wideband with a gauge. Again, even if you won't be tuning the car yourself, knowing actual AFR goes a long way towards getting the most out of your car, and making sure you're not running into dangerous territory.
- Get a 3-bar or 4-bar (or even 7-bar) MAP sensor and accurately log boost. You shouldn't be trying to eyeball a gauge while at WOT anyway, and mechanical gauges can be notoriously inaccurate (eg. every stock turbo owner who thinks he's holding 24psi at redline is the victim of an inaccurate mechanical gauge)
- Zip tie the vac line that goes from the intake manifold to the FPR, especially if you tap this line for a boost gauge. If you should lose boost to the FPR, you'll go very, very lean, very very quickly.
- The stock Evo IX NGK iridium spark plugs are awesome. Gap them to 0.020 and they'll hold 500+whp without breaking a sweat... or a misfire :-)
- Evo 8 cams are a great mod, and for 8 owners, HKS 272s or 280s are worth every penny. Evo 9 stock cams are awesome, and 9 owners don't need to worry about cams until they go to a decent sized turbo like the FP Black.
- Use T-Bolt clamps on every pipe that will hold boost, or else deal with the inevitable intercooler piping that pops off.
- If you ever have to rebuild or want to upgrade your transmission, get a Shep "Ultimate Ratio" which consists of an Evo 9 1st, Evo 8/9 2nd (same on both cars), Evo 8 3rd/4th, and Evo 9 5th. It's absolute perfection. Get the double-synchro 5th while you're at it.
- Tell your tuner that you DON'T want fuel cut completely turned off, nor do you want your Low Octane Maps set the same as your High Octane Maps. These two safety features are often completely disabled by lazy tuners, but are vital should you overboost or encounter a lot of knock.
- Your tune (even if you want an aggressive tune) doesn't need to be borderline-dangerously lean. On pump gas, keep the AFR's at 11.5 or richer, there is little-to-no benefit it leaning beyond that. If you're on the stock intake manifold, always remember that Cylinder #3 runs the leanest, and is likely running slightly leaner than your wideband shows.
- If you live in an area that readily provides E85, CONVERT! It's more than just higher octane, it's also higher oxygen count. Time and time again, people have made the switch and it's worth it every time.
- If you don't live near E85 stations, consider a methanol injection kit from a reputable manufacturer. If you have access to it, run 100% VP M1 Methanol (0% water) for street cars, or a 50/50 mix (or even 100% water) for track cars. With a properly implemented failsafe, the risk is minimal and the gains are fantastic (40-50whp)
- Before you buy a full turbo-back exhaust, consider running just a downpipe and cutout with the stock catback. Some people want the look/sound of a full TBE, but the sound CAN get annoying after a year or two, especially if it's always getting you pulled over. Not to mention the cutout will likely perform a bit better. In fact, now that I've switched back from a full TBE to just a downpipe and a cut-out, I consider this to be the best mod I've done.
- Don't be afraid to learn how to tune your own car. Before you drop $200 or $300 or $500 on a tune, why not just datalog it yourself and spend some time in the EcuFlash forum on EvoM? There are tons of great tuners willing to give you advice for free, and it's an invaluable learning experience.
- The stock boost solenoid is awesome. I still use it today, running 30+ psi. All you need is a more restrictive pill (#65) before the wastegate, and some patience and attention to detail with the tune. It holds boost better than any MBC that I've run, and you don't have to buy anything beyond a piece of aluminum rod and a drill bit.
- You can do a lot with a little in the Evo world. If I had to start over from stock, and I only had $1000 to spend, I would get (in this order):
Walbro 255 HP Fuel Pump ($80) - Needed to support more airflow than stock
Tactrix Openport 2.0 ($170) - Needed to datalog the car and flash the ECU
Innovate LC-1 w/ Gauge ($160) - Needed to log Air:Fuel Ratio
Omni 4-BAR MAP Sensor ($100) - Needed to log Boost
#65 boost pill ($15) - Needed to run more than 20psi on the stock boost solenoid
QTP Downpipe w/ Cutout ($475) - Gives the performance benefit of a full exhaust, with the ability to keep it quiet
Last edited by High_PSI; Feb 16, 2011 at 08:21 AM.
The XTSS has to be respected, you dump it you dump your transmission, it holds like a bear trap. It is also as easy to slip as a stock clutch and you get used to it by the end of the day. In 4 years I had to adjust it once which can be done in less the 5 MINS.
It'll outlast most any twin disk and is certainly much much cheaper.
Agree with all but the oil as well. The standard Mobil 1 leaves some to be desired but will in no way harm your stock EVO engine due to the lowered ZDDP levels. If you want to know how your oil is doing send it for UOA.
That said there are other off the shelf M1 products such as the EP and HM oils that have better additive packages then the standard.
I know how well my oil is doing UOA's, 5+ years, and 130k+ miles car has only seen EP and HM and will only see HM now until the bottom end is built. From there follow your builders recommendation for oil.
That said there are other off the shelf M1 products such as the EP and HM oils that have better additive packages then the standard.
I know how well my oil is doing UOA's, 5+ years, and 130k+ miles car has only seen EP and HM and will only see HM now until the bottom end is built. From there follow your builders recommendation for oil.
Another XTSS user here. One thing I will say right off the bat is that I can't see any clutch being "smoother" in terms of engagement. The XT pressure plate is heavier than stock (and more pleasant/natural feeling, I think) but the full face SS disk is just as smooth on engagement as stock. Compared to the 6 puck I ran before, the XTSS might as well be stock.
As for lockout, no issues here but 1) I haven't had it long and 2) I never launch. From my understanding all ACT SS lockout stories happen immediately after a hard launch. Heat makes them bind temporarily or something at high RPM. If you want a very strong, stock feeling clutch and don't live your life a quarter mile at a time, the XTSS is pretty great.
As for lockout, no issues here but 1) I haven't had it long and 2) I never launch. From my understanding all ACT SS lockout stories happen immediately after a hard launch. Heat makes them bind temporarily or something at high RPM. If you want a very strong, stock feeling clutch and don't live your life a quarter mile at a time, the XTSS is pretty great.
Good post indeed, minus the stock IX cams not needing to be swapped out before an FP Black. As for the Mobil 1 issue, I'm on the fence with that one since I have never used anything in my car except for Mobil 1 even after they "changed their formula".
Last edited by RyuEvoIX; Feb 16, 2011 at 09:34 AM.
less is more, the crazier you get with these cars the less it is an Evo and the less it'll behave like an Evo. You have to understand the millions (Billions) of dollars spent on research and engineering parts procedures most aftermarket vendors couldn't even come close to touching</ol>
An anecdotal example of why you're wrong, drive on kyb/stock springs vs Bilstein/GTworx. The later is 50% stiffer yet more comfortable.
Great thread wish i saw this when i had my first evo 5 years ago! should definitely be sticky'd in the newbie thread.
And we forgot one more thing, the infamous "VTA" bov, well maybe with speed dens you can get away with it now.
And we forgot one more thing, the infamous "VTA" bov, well maybe with speed dens you can get away with it now.
I went 9.96@139.83mph on the stock IX plugs gaped at .024. VDR on dynojet settings showed 617whp peak.
Good post indeed, minus the stock IX cams not needing to be swapped out before an FP Black. As for the Mobil 1 issue, I'm on the fence with that one since I have never used anything in my car except for Mobil 1 even after they "changed their formula".
Good post indeed, minus the stock IX cams not needing to be swapped out before an FP Black. As for the Mobil 1 issue, I'm on the fence with that one since I have never used anything in my car except for Mobil 1 even after they "changed their formula".
Just bolt the turbo in. Cams may give you a touch more top end, but that can always be done down the road.
