You guys who talk of 'fractions of a second' on a racetrack crack me up. Are you competing in the HPDE nationals?

Drive what you like, there's no right or wrong answer.

Those fractions of a second shifting are overshadowed hugely by the other stuff that happens on track during a typical DE or open lapping day.

 

On a track a GSR might beat an MR if everything else was matched.

But let me put it this way....On a twisty road I would dust most guys in an M3 and the MR only had a modest tune. Heck, my buddy owns a M3 and even he admitted as much when he drove the MR. The SST is insanely good 95% of the time, which is better than virtually any non-pro driver.

As I said...most nay-sayers just haven't driven an MR hard on a twisty road. If you don't back road your Evo then it won't matter much because lots of cars go fast. But when the SST, S-AWD and AYC sing in harmony it's the logical evolution of what Mitsubishi has been pushing for.

My main reason for probably choosing the 5 speed will be waiting for a even more evolved SST version. Oh...and even my much younger friend had to admit that he also chose the MR because driving a GSR on at 65MPH is insanely silly at such high RPMs. It's almost like Mitsubishi didn't expect anyone to drive the car very far. She needs a extra gear in a BIG way.


R.

 

Heh man, you really need to do yourself a favor and drive an MR. You're sounding foolish. I drove a GSR, but never got above 80. I've driven my MR very spirited and 130mph is not hard to hit what so ever. I don't know if it's the extra gear or the quickened shifts, but to say you can't get above 100 on a track is nonsense. It's very easy in the MR, especially when you add that extra 80-100whp from mods. And yes, we're at 332whp is very easy on an MR.

Sure a GT-R is faster, but as Ryan Gates has proven a X (GSR OR MR) can easily beat a GT-R. It's all about the driver. The real test is taking a driver like Ryan, having the same speed car and seeing which one he gets better lap times in.

And again, we were comparing GSR vs MR, not Z06 to the MR. Fractions of a second over the GSR. And yes that adds up and adds up quickly. 1 second can be a straight away on a high speed track.

 

Fractions of a second... this is what racing is all about. Whether you get fractions of a second from shifting, cornering, coming in hot, or drafting... it ALL adds up. It is part of the larger picture. If I'm making up fractions of a second from shifting, my competitor has to make those fractions of a second up somewhere else. No matter how you look at it, it's all relevant.

 

Ummm, yeah.

Are you a racer?

 

Stock for stock with a pro driver who would win? Which track? Some tracks would have a gearing advantage with one transmission over the other... IIRC the MR is heavier so power:weight ratio may come into play as well... anyways, who cares which one is better on track, just know that you will never have a time attack monster MR because of the SST limitations...
... but for daily driving with basic mods get whichever you prefer and who cares what other people think as long as you are happy with it.

 

yes.

I've been racing motocross for 22 years. I have been pro for 8 years. I've raced BMX, Downhill Mountain Bikes (for 4 years now), Rally and I tracked my VIII at PIR. After my bumper to bumper warranty is up on my X I'll be back at PIR.

 

What I mean is that during spirited driving the downshifts are excited and precise.. It feels like their's another person in the car shifting for you. Everytime The car shifted it made me happy that's what i meant..

 

So you race motox? I did too. Scambles, enduros and motox. All back in the day. Tough on your body though. . . I'm too old now.

Anyway, unless you are racing your fully prepped MR in a sanctioned event (nasa, scca, whatever is in you area), 'fractions of seconds' in your street car is pretty much meaningless. As my fishing buddies say, 'it's pumpin the neighbor's cat'. If you are racing it, and have GSRs in the same class, and you don't have a ballast penalty for your auto transmission, then the discussion is valid. And germane.

For the vast majority of people on this board, fractions of seconds is meaningless in a typical HPDE, open lapping day, or on a spirited back road run.

That's my point. All this talk about the performance advantage, on the order of tenths of a second on a 2 minute track, so what? Kind of like a 0-60 4.8 run v. 4.7 run.

 

Yah you're right. When you get into Time Attack, you're competing with X's that are 600+ whp (ETS, AMS, Buschur, etc). But when it comes to autocross and casual track use, the MR is a great car.

The MR has barely been out a year, and there are already multiple transmission upgrades. There is no telling what the future holds, but as the transmission #'s grow the mods will as well. Perhaps we will see a SST hold 650whp some day?

And you're right about the different tracks. The MR has a higher top speed, but the GSR is lighter.

 

Get a GSR then drop a dogbox true sequential, problem solved.

 

Yah, it's starting to catch up to my body. A lot of things take a lot longer to heal (almost 28). I'll do it until I can't do it any more. It's where I get my "release". Plus keeping up with these 16 year old bastards gets annoying. I don't do enduro or scrambles, I like knowing what's around the corner and knowing that I can get back to my vehicle easily if I have a nasty wreck (or run out of gas).

I can see your point about the technicalities. But without those, you must agree with me with your background that a race is all about making that little bit of extra time everywhere around a track. I mean we're comparing apples to apples here. GSR to MR. .. without all the technicalities.

 

Shoulda bought an STi Couldn't help it

Anyway, on to my actual post:

I really need to drive an MR again, that one I drove must've been busted or something... It would take a good 200-300 rpm at least before it would shift up or down upon me hitting the paddle... And you guys say it can shift faster than a person can... I probably would've bought one once the 0% and huge knock-offs of prices came out if it didn't drive so horribly. (And if I didn't have the grudge I have with Mitsu).

 

It takes a little getting used to on, but you have to shift a fraction of a second before you want it to. It's almost as fast as blinking, but you have to think about 100-200rpms before you want to shift and shift then. It sounds weird, but now with 1700 miles on mine it is second nature.

 

I don't think that's true. I think the trans shifts between the higher and lower gear depending on a number of factors, like the mode the trans is in, the engien speed, throttle position, etc etc. It is basically trying to predict whether you will upshift or downshift next. If it gets it right, it is lightning fast, wrong and it's a little slower.

My take on it is this. The only arguments for the 5 spd over the SST is 'it feels more fun', 'I feel more in control', you are purely a drag racer or because you want to mod. Stock for stock the MR has been proven faster on a road course.

I think I have the same general opinion on the MR as the OP but I agree with Noize on some of the specifics. The MR is phenomenal. It's really good. But an evo MR will be munched by the current M3 on almost any track. Porsche's PDK is every bit as good as the SST (and is a 7-speed).

Automated-manual transmissions are the future for both automatics and manual tranmissions. For the enthusiast I think regular stick shifted manuals are going to go away over the next few decades.

It's just like power steering, power brakes, ABS and traction control. The enthusiasts all cried about these things as they became the norm and how they diluted the driving experience. What we have seen though is that when the manufacturers implement these things intelligently we can have cars that are just as much fun when we want to go fast and a whole lot easier to live with when we don't.