I switched from an awesomely tuned VF-30'ed bugeye and never looked back.

I do kind of miss the community though.

Be sure to save money for maintenance. Things will pop up from time to time.

Interior :: Interior...You'll notice differences. We just have lancers with nice seats.
I do believe that the exterior looks much more aggressive than STIs though.

As far as transmissions: Don't ask me. Mine died 5 days after I bought the damn thing. Went with a Shep Racing Ultimate ratio trans and exedy twin plate. Amazing.

-Adam

 

If you are looking for performance, you won't miss the STI at all.

The things I miss about my STI are: looks, sound, interior, torque from the 2.5l and the 6spd. The Evo kills the STI in performance though. I went 11.9 with basic bolt ons and a tune.

Evo IX is the way to go. The Evo IX will make more power due to having MIVEC and the better head design.

 

There's a lot of little things here and there that seem improved upon with the IX.

Besides MIVEC, a better head, better stock cams, bigger turbo, revised ABS/ACD communication, slightly better fuel pump, revised transmission gearing..... There are little things beyond that even, that the IX has fixed. I wish we had a comprehensive list, because most people stop at what I've listed.

For instance most people don't know that the IX has better ABS control compared to the VIII. This is hardly mentioned but it is different. See below from wikipedia....

"Lancer Evolution IX also uses a revised AWC system that is even more pro-active than in previous generations. On the Evo VIII, the AWC system gave priority to the Sport ABS system in order to stabilise the car under heavy braking. The ACD and Super AYC modules were effectively disengaged. The AWC system has been revised so that the driving force is still controlled actively, even when the Sports ABS is operational. Through a series of high-speed bends, for example, the system will continue to control the yaw moment of the car, even if the driver is applying braking force. The car’s agility and stability are both improved, and the car responds more accurately to steering input on the entry to a corner.[23]"

Since American IX's lack AYC, it's nice to still know that the ACD is functioning during ABS engagement unlike the 2005 Viii's with ACD that shuts off during ABS engagement .

 

I went the other way, but I did go from an '03 to an '08. I loved the STi over the Evo in almost every way. The Evo was easier to mod and could handle em more but I never wanted to go over basic bolt-ons and such, but other than that the STi was better in every category. I miss it compared to the MINI but I cut about 6k off my loan, 50 a month off insurance, and I go about twice as long without filling up on gas.

 

The shop that does all the work on my Evo is predominantly known as a Subaru shop, so I'm used to the same kind of "brotherhood" attitude. The Scoobie guys there love my Evo, and I've seen some sick built WRX/STis there. Most of the guys are into road racing like me, so we aren't too much into the brand war.

Going from a 2.5L Subaru motor to a 2.0L Evo motor is going to feel weird at first as the low end torque is definitely sacrificed for revs. I personally prefer Evo's as they understeer less, make power more easily, and personal preference I think they look far better.

I can't imagine you regretting the change in brand, and you can get 400+ awhp on a stock block Evo all day long on 93 octane let alone E85. If you do high compression +E85 you will make stupid numbers. Look in the dyno forum for examples, as high compression motors on corn seems to be all the rage these days.

 

The mivec Evo 9 motor is just as bulletproof as the Evo 8 motor.

This forum probably has more knowledge about E85 then any other forum I've been on. Yes, there are a ton of high compression, high revving motors on this forum. A lot of guys are building 2.4 stroker motors now which is a 4g64 block with an Evo head.

 

I've never owned a subbie, but I've driven my friends probably 500 miles, and the only thing theyre nice at is cruising on the highway, in pretty much all other respects I'll take an evo, somthin about them just seems way more precise.

 

Really?? Subaru has variable valve timing, AVCS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_...Control_System

I love these kind of posts. Might as well just be saying things like "Yo dawg if yo car had 4cyl it would make more power"

 

 

My 30R (ATP3076) consistently hits peak boost by 3650rpm, so I would miss that punch. And I LOVE the boxer rumble. Sounds like the mating call of a large primate.

 

Yeah I will say the exhaust note of the STi is like no other. I LOVE IT> I wish the Evo sounded like that. The sound alone is awesome. Everytime I punch it in my wife's STi it makes me smile.

 

Hitting peak boost by 3650 rpms is not hard depending on the turbo/motor. You will also generally rev higher. I like the boxer rumble too, but honestly I've always LOVED the sound of the 4G63. I always thought it was one of the best sounding motors long before I planned to own an Evo.

 

The Evo has it's own distinct sound as well, nothing like hearing a well put together Evo coming down the street at full honk. Music to the ears.

 

Its been so long since i've heard mine I forgot what it sounds like.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NSY51dmUjk