The 04+ VIIIs have the upgraded LSD and the 05 VIII's have ACD and the 10.5 hotside. That's why if MIVEC and the other cooling mods on the IX engine aren't what you are after the 05 VIII's are a great option.

 

ah. that's what i was wondering. very good to know, thanks.

 

don't discount the importance of LSD in the front, though. other than the '05 VIII as mentioned above. it makes quite a difference and is not too easy to install later. a friend of mine has asked me to help him do his; not looking forward to it LOL.
for track use, that is.

 

So looks like 05 evo 8 or evo 9 is what I'm looking for!! Not sure how much of a difference mivec makes honestly.

 

How much power are you looking at making? As you really start to build your motor, mivec becomes useless. If you are looking for 300-400ish whp. I would say Mivec is still useful to slightly increase lower end torque.

 

Probably gonna stay stock turbo and just go e85, anything else isn't really an optimal setup at the track with turbo lag and such

 

it's minimal as you start to make more power, really.

it's a lot of fun. i've autox'ed a friend's VIII with that setup and it worked great. i do more road course events, so i went with a larger turbo so it wouldn't have to work so hard. the stock IX turbo is a ton of fun, though.

 

That's why I want a 9 because I know the turbo is better than the 8 (from what I've read/heard at least)

 

but if that was the only concern, buying an VIII, then a IX turbo is cheaper. most VIIIs already have the swap done.

 

...and there's this beautiful thing called an FP HTA71 upgrade. Cheap and awesome!

 

if you can find one. i passed up on a 71 and 73, i think it was. probably would have been very happy with either.
or does FP still upgrade if you send yours in?

 

I got one of the firesale CHRAs a while ago. I know forum members have bought them recently and I just checked their site and they're on there.

 

They have less than 60. I was thinking about it LOL

 

If you do autox, this is a no brainer.. get an 8/9.

If you are looking to build a competitive car, stick to STU or maybe ASP.

Don't worry about the 6 speed. Other than 4th gear + track use, or crazy power, it is fine. I have ~500 runs on mine including 95+ prosolo (i.e. drag style) launches, no issues.

The thing about the MR's is that there are more 9 MR's than all the other 9's combined. So it's a lot easier to find a 9 if you don't rule out the MRs.

 

Ever think of going a bit older? A 5 or 6 goes just as well as a later evo and as an added bonus costs half as much.

They have the same brakes and also some come with front LSDs.

Use a evo 9 turbo or just change the stocker to 20g internals and your onto a winner