I've seen several threads on these, but no reviews from any members that have them. So here's a quick review/how-to for this product.

Here's a pic from the eBay seller I got them from, the same pic that has been posted in other threads:



I ordered them for about $80 with free shipping and got them several days later:

This shows the parts lined up the way they would go on the cluster.


I didn't get any pics of the individual components that come in the box, but it comes with the faces for the speedo, tach, temp, fuel, and that silly "Evo X" one that replaces the "Lancer" logo. I didn't use that one though, for obvious reasons. The actual graduated sections for the gauges are separate pieces and look very high quality.

The first thing I did after removing the cluster from the car is take off the clear cover and the black and silver trim piece that surrounds the gauge faces, leaving me with this:


I then applied the new faces over the original ones. The kit supplies 3m double-sided tape to ensure the new faces lay completely flat. This is important because the slightest bit of separation near the center of the gauge and the needle will stick. It was a bit of a PITA to get the tach to turn smoothly, but it was attributed to my putting the silver sticker on a bit off center.


After applying all of the new faces, I then put the numbering on. This gives the "3-D" look they speak of. There's just enough room for the needles to clear these pieces nicely and give a great look to an otherwise bland stock gauge cluster:


I ran the wires out of 2 small openings in the bottom of the cluster that almost seem to have been put there for this very reason. The 2-wire connectors hook into female connectors on a small box that can easily be hidden in the area behind the cluster. This box also has a controller hardwired to it with about a foot or so of cord. This controller allows for brightness adjustment and also has a switch to go from a greenish hue to the bright colorful look shown in the pictures seen online.

These first pics are with the brightness all the way up on the "greenish" setting:




These are with the brightness all the way up in the "colorful" mode:




Overall I'm pretty satisfied with it. It looks great, and will match perfectly with my LCD headunit and the S7 Invision 52mm gauges I'll be putting in in the next week or two.

The only downside I have come across so far is that the box that everything connects to emits a slight high pitched whine when the brightness is on full in the "colorful" setting. This would most likely not be noticeable with the box located inside the dash though.

So for any of you that were on the fence about getting these overlays, I hope this helps. And for those that might not know about them previously you now have another high quality selection for customizing your Evo.

Thanks!

 

Looks sick! Im so doing this soon!

 

You serious. It had a X logo?

 

Yeah, it said Evo X... Not sure why though. But everything else is top notch on it. I guess somewhere in the design phase they screwed it up, and by the time they caught it they had already been put into production.

No biggie for me though, I just tossed that one to the side and installed the rest of the kit. If I was able to get ahold of just the "evolution" part from the Trustz gauges I would go with that, but for now I'm just leaving it like it is.

 

I like it more than the boring stock cluster. I'm surprised there aren't more aftermarket companies offering these.

 

Me too. I think it has a more modern feel to it as well. I tried to find more info on this particular one after coming across it on eBay, but couldn't find a single Evo with them installed. So I said what the hell it's not too expensive and went for it. I'm glad I did...

 

looks sick

 

Looks great. Just curious is a pain getting the gauge cluster out of the dash?

 

It's really easy removing the cluster. 2 phillips screws on the under side of the cowl, pull that piece off, then 3 phillips screws that hold the cluster in place.

You might have to pull the one side of that long trim piece loose to get it out a little easier.

Then there are two connectors that attach to the back of the cluster that have to be disconnected to completely remove it.

It takes all of 5 minutes or so to do.

 

wow

 

Why is the acd and lancer not lit up?

 

 

It says Evo X because these are made to look like Evo X gauges

 

Thanks for taking the time to review the overlays and providing pictures of the fitment and quality. This is making me consider buying a set for myself.

 

This. I actually like these better than the others that everyone has been rocking for so long.