Preface: I have spent a ridiculous amount of money on this car, and have installed most everything myself with the help of friends and family. I wanted to write this up to let some people who haven’t modded their car or have only lightly modded their car the best route to do it IN MY OPINION. I have learned a lot throughout 2 motor rebuilds and replacing “most” parts on the evo and want to help the community out by sharing my experiences. I don’t claim to be an expert.

First: Safety and reliability are my number one priorities, and I would highly suggest those be your first priorities too. It’s awesome having a fast car and I was eager to get it as fast as possible for as cheap as possible like I’m sure many of you out there are, but I have learned the hard way that being safe and doing things right the first time will save a lot of time, money and effort in the long run. I have had my car non-operable for over two years in total due to problems/trying to come up with money to fix these problems. Now I can really appreciate having the car running, and running well. You can wait an extra month for that sweet exhaust, I know you can. Do the safety measures first.

TIPS/ HIGHLY RECOMMENDED TO DO’S:
-Check your oil every single time before you drive the car. I spun a bearing because of low oil and I will never let myself be low on oil again. It seems excessive I know, but this is the best way to spot an oil leak and to ensure your car is Reliable. I keep paper towels, shop towels and a flashlight in the evo at all times to make this easier.
-Change all your fluids at the recommended times. Don’t slack on this, I’m serious. As 1000 other evo owners have said, don’t buy an expensive car if you don’t have money to keep it up. And don’t mod it if you can’t afford to change the oil, diff fluid, atf fluid, trans fluid, etc. If you don’t do these things at the proper times, your parts will wear quicker or even fail. Then you’re stuck with a car that doesn’t run and it’s costing you a lot more money in the long run. Don’t just read this and move on, ACTUALLY DO IT.
-Don’t launch the car. It is tempting I know, but once you understand how launching effects each part of your car, you can see how much stress and wear it puts on the different parts. I would highly recommend not launching the car.
-Keep a log with all maintenance you’ve done to the car. This will let you know when it’s time for fluid changes, and is great info if you ever decide to sell the car.
-Let your oil heat up before you drive it hard. I wouldn’t drive the car with a lot of boost before the oil gets to 180 degrees or higher. Things are working at their optimum when your oil is hot, which leaves less risk for oil depravation.
-If you drive the car hard, drive around for 5 minutes to let it cool afterwards.
-Do not purchase anything before doing hours and hours of research. It’s amazing what you find if you just search! When I got my evo 7 years ago I decided to buy an exhaust and didn’t care which one I just wanted to go fast. I ended up waiting a month before buying my first exhaust and changed my mind 3 different times because of research. There are SO SO SO many brands for every single part, just take the time and safe yourself the hassle. Like my dad taught me, do it once do it right.

So without further ado:
If I had a stock evo 9 again, the mods I would do to it would be the following:

Note: I have written explanations for each modification at the bottom. Also, there are obviously more mods you can do after this, but personally I want to keep the car reliable. When you get the car above a certain horsepower more things start breaking and things start wearing faster, which will cost you A LOT of money (I know this from experience). If you choose to do a high horsepower build, please know it is going to cost you a lot of money and many parts will have to be upgraded once you get into the higher horsepower numbers. The car is not made to handle 500whp (although it can), so you’ll be upgrading many many other things if you do decide to get that much power. Dyno numbers are just that, numbers! I’ve had the mod bug before and was always wanting more power, which isn’t a bad thing, just know that it is going to cost you a lot of money beyond a certain power level.

[CBU = Can Buy Used]

Essential Mods
$ - Replace all worm clamps with T-Bolt Clamps *CBU*
$$ - 2.5lb or bigger Fire Extinguisher *CBU*
$$$$ - Alarm (I have a Viper)
$$ - Pick your brand of GOOD brake pads

Almost as or just as important mods
$$$$ - In dash all in one gauge (pick your brand)
$$ - TRACK TIME
$$$ - DRIVING COURSES/SCHOOLS

Power
$$ - RRE Stealth Exhaust *CBU*
$ - No-Name test pipe *CBU*
$$ - “pick your brand” 3” downpipe (heatwrap it) *CBU*
$ - GM-3 port *CBU*
$$ - Walbro 450 e85 specific fuel pump
$$$ - Injector Dynamics 2000cc Injectors
$$$ - A SAFE LOW BOOST 91/E85 TUNE

Wheels
$$$ - “Good” Tires

Suspension
$$ - Whiteline/Progress Rear Sway Bar 24/25mm *CBU*
$ - Energy Rear trailing arm bushings
$$ - Alignment From a Reputable shop
$ - Front motor mount mod

Braking
EDIT: $$$$ - BBK with slotted rotors (depending on how much power you're putting down)

Exterior
$$ - HIDs *CBU*

Interior
$ - Razo Counterweighted shift knob *CBU*
$ - Cargo Net *CBU*
$ - Window Visors
$$$ - Valentine One Radar Detector *CBU*

EDIT: $ - Rear Diff Clutch Plate Mod ( https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...y-factory.html)

Explanations on modifications:

Replace all worm clamps with T-Bolt Clamps – Never be worried about a boost leak or a hose popping off again with some T-bolt clamps. If you’ve ever experienced that you’ll know what I’m talking about. Invest the small amount of money for the T-bolt clamps so you never have to worry about it again.

Fire Extinguisher- safety, safety, safety. How fast is your car going to be if it’s on fire? Not very I assume. I recommend at least a 2.5lb fire extinguisher.

Alarm – I’m not trying to get into any arguments about brands or any of that. Just get a good alarm that works for you. I would recommend something with GPS so you could track your car if it get’s stolen. Also I would recommend an alarm with a pager so you can know if your car is getting broken into. I would personally drop a lot of cash on this. If your car gets stolen you’re going to be pretty pissed/sad. Don’t be cheap on this, I’m serious.

Pick your brand of GOOD brake pads – I personally felt a huge difference between cheap brake pads and the more expensive ones. I would do this as soon as you can. It’ll be too late when something pops up in the road and you can’t stop in time. Not worth the risk IMO.

In dash all in one gauge (pick your brand) – I have 5 separate gauges in my car right now and I find it hard to focus on them all while driving, which is why I’m recommending an All-in-one gauge. If I could go back I would have done it that way for sure. Knowing your cars vitals is going to be essential to keeping your car safe and reliable.

TRACK TIME – Once your car is safe and reliable go have some fun with it! Track time is great for learning more about your car and becoming a better driver.

DRIVING COURSES/SCHOOLS – this is something I wish I would have done a long time ago. Becoming a better driver can never be a bad thing. I was really worried about having a fast car in the beginning without ever taking the time to even be good at driving said fast car. The sooner you learn these techniques the better. This is honestly probably the best thing you can do to “mod” your car. Really, I know it’s a lot of money but it’s worth it. DO IT!

-Exhaust – have had 2 exhausts in the past, the RSR-GT II and the RRE stealth. I learned the hard way through many tickets and many times getting pulled over, quieter is better (although it is less awesome I agree). This is my opinion, you are entitled to your own.

-Test pipe – I’ve never had a cop look under the car and ask about the test pipe even though I’ve been pulled over 30+ times, nor have I ever heard anything about the smell from the cops. I usually just get my hood popped if anything. This site is worth a read when dealing with cops http://www.nolo.com/legal-encycloped...ver-30186.html. Any brand test pipe will do as long as it’s 3”.

-“pick your brand” 3” downpipe (heatwrap it) – I’d get a 3” downpipe to keep everything 3”, you could go 2.75”, from what I’ve read there is not much of a difference power wise from 2.75 to 3”. My thoughts on it are why restrict the flow, just get a 3”. I do not recommend a QTP. I have one now and I never open it. With the dual map tune you have to choose whether you want it open or closed for the tune unless you want 4 maps which is just too much. And you have to worry about cops seeing the controller and asking about it, not worth it in my opinion.

GM-3 port – Great way to control boost, not much more expensive than a MBC.

Walbro 450 e85 specific fuel pump – If you are running e85 I would suggest an e85 specific fuel pump so it doesn’t fail on you. Also, if you get the 450 you won’t have to worry about upgrading from your Walbro 255 down the line when you want more power. You can get away with running a 255 and most would recommend this, I just don’t want to spend money twice and do the install twice when eventually I will probably want more power. Waste of time and money if you ask me. Do it once, do it right.

Injector Dynamics 2000cc Injectors – they are expensive I know, but you’ll never need another injector again. They scale so no matter what you’re doing you’ll have enough fuel. You can get away with running 720,1000,1200,1450cc injectors or whatever I’m sure, but what happens if you want more power later? You’ll have to buy some new ones and sell the old ones, plus the uninstall/reinstall. Do it once do it right, don’t waste your own time and money. I’ve had 3 or 4 sets of injectors by now and would have saved SO MUCH money if I just did it right the first time.

A SAFE LOW BOOST 91/E85 TUNE – I want my car safe and reliable, which means I’m not cranking up the boost to obscene levels. I want my engine and my turbo to last a long time. If you want more power do more supporting mods and keep the boost safe and low IMO. Nothing worse than having something break on you, especially a turbo. Lower boost will also = less knock. Don’t focus so much on the tuner that can get you the most power, rather the tuner that knows the most, fits well with you, and will keep your car safe and running. Dyno numbers are JUST NUMBERS. I had the goal of 600whp at 8500rpm with 35lbs of boost with this most recent build, but decided to not push the car to it’s absolute maximum and am setting much lower goals because I want the car to run, and run for a long time.

Tires – Tires are huge. There’s tons of information about tires already on the forums so I’m not going to get into it, but getting good tires is important. Please don’t get all season tires.

Whiteline/Progress Rear Sway Bar – 24/25mm rear sway bar is in most if not all stage one suspension kits and for good reason. I would recommend any evo owner at least get a stage one suspension upgrade, it makes a night and day difference.

Energy Rear trailing arm bushings – also in the stage one suspension kit. Can’t stress it enough, Night and day difference, I’m telling you. 25$ for the bushings but the install is 2 hrs labor. Learn how to do it with a buddy or DIY to save money and learn about your car.

Alignment – Pick your poison. Find the right guy for you and stick with them, there are evo specific suspension guys for a reason. An alignment fit for your needs is essential.

Front motor mount mod – Put some window weld in your front motor mount with some washers the size of the motor mount on them, Stiffens it up and only costs you about 10-15$. Worth it!

EDIT: BBK with slotted rotors (depending on how much power you're putting down - use your own discretion) – BBK = better stopping power. I would definitely invest in some better braking not only for the track but for the street. I’ve had some close calls and even a fender bender (yes I was driving a safe distance and the speed limit) because the brakes just wouldn’t stop in time. You never know what is going to happen on the road. You can never be too safe.
EDIT: Tires play a big part in your stopping power, as RaptorD pointed out, make sure to invest in the right tire for your needs.

HIDs – Do you like to see well at night? I do. Good cheap mod.

Razo Counterweighted shift knob – I’ve had this shift knob for about 5 years now and I love it. The weight of it makes it easier to throw into gear. Highly recommended.

Cargo Net - best mod I’ve done yet. I have jumper cables, shop towels, oil, paper towels, tools, and whatever else I want to hold in there (works awesome for groceries too!). Seriously, it’s cheap and SO worth it, do this mod first.

Window Visors – I love being able to roll my windows down even when it’s raining, plus they look awesome. You can also have them cracked while tracking the car since you won’t have your air running. I’d definitely invest in these, they’re cheap and the dealership gives you a discount for telling them you’re with socalevo.

Valentine One Radar Detector - any radar detector is a good idea IMO. A ticket costs 200-500$, if you get a radar detector you’ll save that 200-500$ and the hassle of dealing with a ticket. Or just drive slow and save your money.

EDIT: Rear Diff Clutch Plate mod - I have confirmed this from Shepard, they do this mod as an upgrade and it reduces friction, therefore your rear diffirential will last longer
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...y-factory.html

I’m welcome to hear any feedback you guys have as well as suggestions to make this thread better for everyone. Please don’t get into brand war arguments. That is not the intention of this thread. I just want to give some fellow evo owners a baseline for what they can do with their car from my experiences.

Hopefully I’ve stressed this enough, but if not here ya go:

DO IT ONCE, DO IT RIGHT. Sure it takes more time and effort to do it perfectly the first time, but you won’t have to go back and do it again and again and again. If you get anything from this thread I hope it’s that.

 

 

I would have chosen a lot of other mods. It also depends on a person's end goal as that is where you can waste a lot of money and time.

If you know what your intention of your car, it is very unlikely you will pay twice. Do you want it for daily, drag, show, garage, rally or TA/TT? Then RESEARCH before modding begins. Most people get into a car and think "I just want to go fast!".

 

I have an addition and a comment:

Addition: Rear diff re-stack according to FSM. Pretty much free if you do it yourself, other than fresh fluid for the diff and gasket maker.

Comment: Slotted rotors don't equal better stopping power. If anything they can provide less stopping power since there's less surface area that can be in contact with the pads because of the slots. For better stopping performance on the street, tires are the limiting factor, not pads or rotors. Also, bigger rotors = big brake kit, which is overkill on 98% of evos.

 

I think you're right. Although it may not have been written correctly I meant getting bigger rotors, not only slotted rotors. I edited the original post to reflect the importance of tires with effective braking.

I actually have not looked into the rear diff re-stack, but I have heard of it. I'll do a bit of research then add it to the thread. Thank you for your input, very helpful!

 

I would be open to hearing what other mods you would have chosen. I do agree that if you know your intention of the car and are positive you'll be set with a certain power limit you can choose a few different options. (I personally thought I'd be set with 320whp, then later wanted to upgrade to 400, then 500+ etc. - which I think may be the case for others which is why some of my recommendations are "bigger" or more than a person may need with smaller goals. Most people do get into a car and want to go fast, and I took that into play when I wrote this. Thank you for your feedback!

 

Updated the initial thread, Rear diff stack was confirmed by Shepard to be an upgrade they do, which can easily be done by a Do It Yourselfer

 

check your oil every time you drive the car???, or just install an oil gauge and it would be nothing more than a glance at it to verify you have adequate oil pressure

 

I have an oil pressure gauge and it does not tell you when your oil is low.

 

What? Just slap bigger rotors on?

 

Looks like a nice place to start. But with everything it all depends on your final goal with the car. The number one rule for modding should be to know yoour end goal

 

Bigger rotors have a longer radius.
Longer radius means the braking surface is further from the hub.
Further from the hub means more leverage.

EDIT: If you have money I would suggest a big brake kit.

 

I would agree 100%. It's not always that easy though. The funny thing is, with my builds I had an end goal, reached it and became hungry for more power. Then I reached my next end goal, and became hungry for more power again. If you follow my little guide, it won't matter if you become hungry for more power down the road because you'll be covered. And the small extra cost in the beginning will end up saving you money in the long run EVEN IF you decide your "goal" is not enough anymore. There is no downside other than a little extra money, and the upside is saving yourself much time, effort, and money down the road.

 

I like this thread a lot. Great info and a great moral. Do it right once

 

I don't see how this makes sense. You can't have larger diameter rotors without changing calipers, etc, which pretty much IS a big brake kit.