Evo VIII Build in The Mitten State
Apr 8, 2013, 10:11 AM
#152
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lol
My coilovers showed up on Saturday, so that was a nice surprise! KW was kind enough to hook me up with a partial sponsorship on the set, so many thanks to KW Suspension and PT for helping me out. I'll be sure to post a detailed review with pics when I am able to install them and take the car out for a spin, but for now here's what is included:
A nice little plastic case is included with stickers, instructions, and all of the adjustment tools I've never owned a set of coilovers with anything like this before. Pretty nice!
My OEM top hat components I need for the installation should be here this week. I've got some busy weekends ahead of me, but I should manage to find the time to install them pretty soon. Can't wait!
My coilovers showed up on Saturday, so that was a nice surprise! KW was kind enough to hook me up with a partial sponsorship on the set, so many thanks to KW Suspension and PT for helping me out. I'll be sure to post a detailed review with pics when I am able to install them and take the car out for a spin, but for now here's what is included:
A nice little plastic case is included with stickers, instructions, and all of the adjustment tools I've never owned a set of coilovers with anything like this before. Pretty nice!
My OEM top hat components I need for the installation should be here this week. I've got some busy weekends ahead of me, but I should manage to find the time to install them pretty soon. Can't wait!
Apr 8, 2013, 12:36 PM
#154
Car looks amazing Damon!
I don't see a point in having a wideband either, especially for a car on pump gas with a stock turbo.
Last year, I looked at my wideband maybe once? And mine was in the 600HP range on E85
It's tucked away in my glovebox.
I am not over reacting at all. I know these cars, I know these motors, I have seen them last, I have seen them fail. I by no means am I tring to say this build is bad or nothing, I am just saying there is a reason we all do. You say your going to do cruising on the freeways etc, that's fine, what happens when you get on the freeway and start to make a partial pull and you after a year or whatever end up with a pin hole in the system and it gets worse and your conservitave tune goes real real lean? It may seem unlikely but I will tell you from experience it happens. It happens when injector seals start to leak over time. I myself have had to fix that. I know it seems harsh to say that it could happen but it really does. A wideband guage is just extra pertection. I mean its your car man and I understand its your option, but when you look at the cost of building motors such in the toyodas and mitsus a couple 100 extra bucks isn't that bad of an idea
Last year, I looked at my wideband maybe once? And mine was in the 600HP range on E85
It's tucked away in my glovebox.
Apr 9, 2013, 06:57 AM
#158
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Thanks man! Hopefully we can hang out sometime soon.
Doh, I should have mentioned that. These are the Variant 3s.
Thanks for the comments! Hopefully I'll be able to post some more progress soon when my parts arrive and I find some time to sneak into the garage.
Doh, I should have mentioned that. These are the Variant 3s.
Thanks for the comments! Hopefully I'll be able to post some more progress soon when my parts arrive and I find some time to sneak into the garage.
Apr 16, 2013, 10:06 AM
#159
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My AMS remote oil pressure sensor line & fittings arrived the other day, so I was finally able to change the oil and install the sensors for the oil pressure and oil temp gauges last night. Should be able to toss the gauges back in when they arrive and have that all sorted out now!
OEM top hat components will finally be here today, so I hope to have the coilovers assembled and ready to go on the car very soon. I'm booked the next two weekends, but I hope to sneak them on during the week sometime this week or next week! Then it'll be off for an alignment.
OEM top hat components will finally be here today, so I hope to have the coilovers assembled and ready to go on the car very soon. I'm booked the next two weekends, but I hope to sneak them on during the week sometime this week or next week! Then it'll be off for an alignment.
Apr 17, 2013, 07:19 AM
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Very small amount of progress here, but I'm excited. I got my box of goodies from my dude Russell at MitsubishiParts.net last night, which included:
- Evo IX Front bumper access hole caps (mine were missing when I got my IX bumper)
- Evo IX Pedals
- Rear top hat/strut mount components
I ordered a lot more parts than I actually needed for the suspension assembly, but I couldn't find a straight answer anywhere as to which pieces were needed. I actually didn't need anything for the front (aside from the Cusco pillow ball mounts I purchased,) and only need four parts for the rear assemblies. Here's a shot of what I needed for the rear and the part numbers:
Assembled and ready to go on the car (when I manage to get some free time):
The factory clutch pedal pad was worn through to the metal when I bought the car, so I ordered a replacement. When it arrived, I noticed it was a lot different than the one it was replacing. After a little research, I believe these are the Evo IX pedals. I ordered up a matching brake pedal pad and accelerator pedal assembly as well so that they all match:
Bumper caps came pre-painted, so that was a nice bonus:
Hoping to set aside a bit of time to toss the coilovers on and get the car aligned in the next week or so. I'll bust the camera out then for some detailed install shots and a review.
- Evo IX Front bumper access hole caps (mine were missing when I got my IX bumper)
- Evo IX Pedals
- Rear top hat/strut mount components
I ordered a lot more parts than I actually needed for the suspension assembly, but I couldn't find a straight answer anywhere as to which pieces were needed. I actually didn't need anything for the front (aside from the Cusco pillow ball mounts I purchased,) and only need four parts for the rear assemblies. Here's a shot of what I needed for the rear and the part numbers:
Assembled and ready to go on the car (when I manage to get some free time):
The factory clutch pedal pad was worn through to the metal when I bought the car, so I ordered a replacement. When it arrived, I noticed it was a lot different than the one it was replacing. After a little research, I believe these are the Evo IX pedals. I ordered up a matching brake pedal pad and accelerator pedal assembly as well so that they all match:
Bumper caps came pre-painted, so that was a nice bonus:
Hoping to set aside a bit of time to toss the coilovers on and get the car aligned in the next week or so. I'll bust the camera out then for some detailed install shots and a review.
Apr 19, 2013, 08:50 AM
#161
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I was finally able to install my KW Variant 3 coilovers yesterday and I am really happy with the results! Installation went smoothly and everything was very straight forward. The added instructions were clear and helpful as well.
I can't say enough about the quality of KW's components. Everything is executed flawlessly. Here's a shot of the coilovers with top hats assembled and ready to be installed on the car:
A side by side comparison of stock (with lowering springs) vs. the KWs:
I noticed after I removed the rear suspension that there was a washer on top of the assembly that I did not order when I bought my new OEM parts for the install. This added a little bit of time to the install while I compressed the Skunk 2 springs and removed the washers, then placed them on the KW assemblies- but it wasn't too bad.
Washer vs. no washer:
With that out of the way, I was able to install the rear coilovers. Everything was really straight forward and went together without issues:
After reinstalling my rear three-point Cusco strut brace, I moved on to the front of the car. Installation was a breeze up here as well. One thing that I really liked about the V3s is that KW includes their own eccentric bolt setup for the top bolt, allowing for a bit more camber adjustment than the factory bolt does. Pretty nice touch!
Cusco pillow ball mounts went on easily as well. Always convenient to have these for camber adjustment too- and they look sweet! haha.
After about 2.5 hours, I had the car back on the ground. This meant it was time for my least favorite part of an install like this- adjusting the ride height. The coilovers were set pretty high initially, so I brought them down quite a bit. The front can go about 3-4 turns lower and the rear can go a substantial amount lower if desired, but the super slammed crowd probably won't be happy with these up front.
I was extremely impressed with the way height is adjusted on the KWs. I actually didn't even need the included adjustment wrench- the lower collar turned so smoothly and easily that I was able to do it by hand! A welcome change from any of the previous coilovers I have owned. The collars have a tiny grub screw in them to tighten after adjustments are made to ensure your settings stay where you want them.
I chose the KW's for their handling capabilities, so I was content with a more sensible ride height this time around. My S13 looked great, but it really wasn't possible to drive the car aggressively through corners at all with the ride height and wheels specs it had. I'm happy I changed things up a bit with this car so that I can still enjoy spirited driving without having any issues.
Unfortunately, we were hit with some pretty wild weather as soon as I completed the install. Things cleared up a bit later though, so I was still able to get some shots in. I'm really happy with how the car looks now!
And then the rain arrived...
Fortunately I got a window of dry skies before it proceeded to rain for the rest of the day and overnight:
I never posted a proper shot of the Tomei exhaust:
I didn't really get to put the V3s through their paces yet due to the wet conditions, but I have to say I am VERY impressed thus far! I chose to leave the compression and rebound settings as they were set from the factory based on KW's recommendation for the Evo, but I'll probably try different settings late on to see how they affect the car.
The ride is very smooth. In fact, I'd even saw the car rides a bit nicer than it did with the factory struts and Skunk 2 springs on it. There isn't any bounciness over bumps like I was used to with lower end coilovers on my S13, which is a really nice change. The car stays on track and compliant through rough roads, and feels a bit flatter when cornering than it was previously.
I'll have to spend some more time with these and continue to post my driving impressions, but so far I couldn't be happier with the purchase! Thanks again to KW and PT at Modified for hooking me up. I'm really enjoying driving the car now and really like the looks with the height brought down a bit.
I can't say enough about the quality of KW's components. Everything is executed flawlessly. Here's a shot of the coilovers with top hats assembled and ready to be installed on the car:
A side by side comparison of stock (with lowering springs) vs. the KWs:
I noticed after I removed the rear suspension that there was a washer on top of the assembly that I did not order when I bought my new OEM parts for the install. This added a little bit of time to the install while I compressed the Skunk 2 springs and removed the washers, then placed them on the KW assemblies- but it wasn't too bad.
Washer vs. no washer:
With that out of the way, I was able to install the rear coilovers. Everything was really straight forward and went together without issues:
After reinstalling my rear three-point Cusco strut brace, I moved on to the front of the car. Installation was a breeze up here as well. One thing that I really liked about the V3s is that KW includes their own eccentric bolt setup for the top bolt, allowing for a bit more camber adjustment than the factory bolt does. Pretty nice touch!
Cusco pillow ball mounts went on easily as well. Always convenient to have these for camber adjustment too- and they look sweet! haha.
After about 2.5 hours, I had the car back on the ground. This meant it was time for my least favorite part of an install like this- adjusting the ride height. The coilovers were set pretty high initially, so I brought them down quite a bit. The front can go about 3-4 turns lower and the rear can go a substantial amount lower if desired, but the super slammed crowd probably won't be happy with these up front.
I was extremely impressed with the way height is adjusted on the KWs. I actually didn't even need the included adjustment wrench- the lower collar turned so smoothly and easily that I was able to do it by hand! A welcome change from any of the previous coilovers I have owned. The collars have a tiny grub screw in them to tighten after adjustments are made to ensure your settings stay where you want them.
I chose the KW's for their handling capabilities, so I was content with a more sensible ride height this time around. My S13 looked great, but it really wasn't possible to drive the car aggressively through corners at all with the ride height and wheels specs it had. I'm happy I changed things up a bit with this car so that I can still enjoy spirited driving without having any issues.
Unfortunately, we were hit with some pretty wild weather as soon as I completed the install. Things cleared up a bit later though, so I was still able to get some shots in. I'm really happy with how the car looks now!
And then the rain arrived...
Fortunately I got a window of dry skies before it proceeded to rain for the rest of the day and overnight:
I never posted a proper shot of the Tomei exhaust:
I didn't really get to put the V3s through their paces yet due to the wet conditions, but I have to say I am VERY impressed thus far! I chose to leave the compression and rebound settings as they were set from the factory based on KW's recommendation for the Evo, but I'll probably try different settings late on to see how they affect the car.
The ride is very smooth. In fact, I'd even saw the car rides a bit nicer than it did with the factory struts and Skunk 2 springs on it. There isn't any bounciness over bumps like I was used to with lower end coilovers on my S13, which is a really nice change. The car stays on track and compliant through rough roads, and feels a bit flatter when cornering than it was previously.
I'll have to spend some more time with these and continue to post my driving impressions, but so far I couldn't be happier with the purchase! Thanks again to KW and PT at Modified for hooking me up. I'm really enjoying driving the car now and really like the looks with the height brought down a bit.
Apr 20, 2013, 12:49 PM
#165
Outstanding build sir 
. Have you noticed any rubbing or fitment issues with your wheel size/offset since installing the coilovers? I am very impressed with those coliovers from reading you last couple of posts. Maybe one day...I'm a new father so my priorities have shifted for a while but you build thread gives me something to look forward to down the road!
. Have you noticed any rubbing or fitment issues with your wheel size/offset since installing the coilovers? I am very impressed with those coliovers from reading you last couple of posts. Maybe one day...I'm a new father so my priorities have shifted for a while but you build thread gives me something to look forward to down the road!