I've owned both and MR and GSR. I personally prefer the SST. I never had an issue with mine though, even at the track. But we also had some high speed straights + foglight deletes to keep the SST cool.

It's just preference. In the end, I did get rid of my MR because I didn't want to risk ever having to spend $7k-$10k to replace the transmission IF something went wrong. If the transmission was rebuildable, I would have kept it.

 

First and foremost, I don't own an EvoX anymore (used to own a '11 GSR), but I am seriously considering adding one to my garage again for winter-time track days. My feedback:

• Street comfort: I couldn't care less about comfort of an auto in traffic. Shifting has never ever been a hassle for me. I tested both the GSR and MR before I purchased my '11 GSR at the time, and GSR actually seemed to be a better option for the street use. After all, it does not have the bog-down or confusion that MR suffers at conditions with very low or medium throttle input. MR either launches very fast or very slow, and it didn't feel like there was a middle ground. This is actually a problem with other dual clutch transmissions, too. The problems of GSR transmission in street use is the horrible grind you get every once in a while from 2nd to 3rd, and the obnoxious RPMs you need to have at the 5th gear to go anywhere on the highway at a decent speed. IIRC, MR's RPM is 3300 at 80 MPH, while GSR has to turn 3700+ RPMs for the same speed. This issue only gets more exaggerated as you increase your HP, since you end up running out of gears very quickly.
• Your turbocharger's call: Yes, GSR is fun to drive in the streets, but let's face it, a dual clutch transmission is a god-send for Evo's tiny little turbocharged engine with a decent amount of turbo lag Each time you shift with the GSR, you not only lose precious acceleration time, but also the turbo spool and gobs of torque. MR, on the other hand, keeps the turbos boiling.
• EvoX clutch and transmission: I found the brake/gas pedal placement of GSR curiously too apart from each other, which forced me to do a sliding foot-and-toe instead of a heel-and-toe at the track. If you miss it, it might cost you your down-shift, and becomes a huge hassle/distraction at the track. I actually had to buy new pedal covers at the time to solve this issue. Moreover, since they share the same housing, the transmission/diff overheat and cook each other if you drive it hard at the track with high ambient temps, and it is easier than you think to damage the transmission. My transmission actually starting having notchy shifts after a 2-day track day event at Oregon Raceway Park with ambient temps around 96 degrees F outside. Mind you, this is happening on a 2-month-old car with 2500 miles on the odometer Granted, MR also suffers from overheating, but if you won't get past 400 whp/wtq (which is also an issue for the stock engine, too, anyway), you can mitigate this issue with a much more efficient cooler.
• My bottom-line: Even though GSR is admittedly more fun at the street, its transmission is frankly not as well-designed as the rest of the car in my opinion. It lacks a crucial 6th gear for daily use, starts grinding from the factory, and can easily cook itself at the track since it shares its housing with a very hot-running differential. MR, on the other hand, is the perfect mate to a small-displacement turbocharged sports car, and is a huge asset at the track, even though it also suffers from overheating and needs a better cooler for any serious duty. I love manual transmissions, and my current car is also a manual, but GSR's transmission is just not up to the task in my opinion

EvoX is a treasure, has a much better steering feel than a GT-R, the best AWD system available, and is fun to drive at any speed. Until Mitsubishi replaces the 5-speed with a transmission as good as the rest of the car, my pick for the best Evo will be the MR.

 

Thats some good information man, do you know of any remedy for the 5-speed transmission? I know that Ford has run into the issue with the BOSS during hard track days and has developed a air dam for the transmission to keep temps down. What would be the best course of action for the GSR?

 

The people who call the TC-SST an automatic really need to learn what a torque convertor does.

Sure, for some, fun rowing gears is why they pick a manual. But coming from all strictly manual cars, fun for me is less time shown on the clock during autocross and time trials.

And that's why I prefer the twin clutch. Plus it's useful for stop and go traffic which is a bonus. If it wasn't useful or comfortable for daily driving, I'd still pick the twin clutch since it shifts faster and more precisely than I ever could.

 

FWIW, I purchased the SRP pedals for my GSR and it fixes the problem of the pedals being too far apart. And completely agree, the manual transmission isn't as refined as the rest of the car. It's my one huge complaint about the GSR. 5th gear is very sad imo.

And after time, you can learn how to control the launch of the SST. There is an automatic clutch engage / disengage that is triggered by brake and throttle input. Once you learn that medium, you can be in control

 

14K on a 2010?! my '12 has that much! waaaahhh!!!

 

Glad to hear that there's a way to control soft launches with the SST!

The others should chime in here, but AFAIK, you can get the transmission/diff rebuilt to remedy the grinding and overheating issues. I believe Jack's transmission and RPI provide these services to say the least and it costs about $1200. You can also get the final gearing replaced with a taller one once you increase the torque. As you can imagine, the cost quickly adds up.

 

You really don't want to replace the final drive unless you're pushing some mad power. The car will fall on it's face.

What really needs to be done is change 5th gear, and no one does that yet :-(. The diff only needs to be rebuilt on 08/10 as the pins were upgraded in 11. I wouldn't worry about it unless you're going to be launching it more than a few times.

 

Personally I look at it from the are you daily driving the car or not. If you are on the race track and have the money the MR is the best choice... if you are daily driving and maybe want to have some fun time to time..GSR is going to be just fine..

 

90 TSI > 95 GSX > 06 IX > 06 IX SE > 08 GSR > 10 GSR > 12 MR
Tracked everyone of them and so far the MR has been the most rewarding on the track and street. I drive in both auto and manual about 50/50. Its just nice to have the option to drop it in auto and still get the rewarding driving experience from the Evo.

After driving manuals my whole life there was a bit of mind re training I had to do to get comfortable driving the MR like my other 5 speeds in the past but now its a very fulfilling experience every time I get in the car. When ever I drive a 5 speed now shifting feels archaic and a old school way of doing things.

Driving the SST feels like an advancement in driving. If I wanted to stay old school I would have just kept my IX SE. Progression feels good and I am glad to be a part of it.

Good job on the SST

 

If you care about power then the MR isn't your best choice for reliability issues. I have an MR that I've worked on but keeping it safe for daily use and then my other toys are for the weekend for the real fun. Sure the SST is fast and you can change its ratios, but it can be jerky in traffic and when it comes to maintenance there are more issues with the SST to the manual thats just a fact! The GSR's are great for moding to the max with no hassles of the SST to worry about. On top of that with the MR you would have to wire an electric cooling fan by the tranny cooler because even with the air ducts that mitsubishi designed to allow air to flow to cool the tranny down there is so much in the way that it still overheats during track use. On top of that once you get around 380-400hp range I recommend that you get the SSP clutch pack and there about $3k new. For a daily its practical but for the reliability of modifying then no. PLEASE KEEP YOUR GSR