^ This. Despite living in Minnesota, with the right tires I see virtually no reason to ever put it in snow mode.

 

Switched from my 06 STI to a 12 GSR. Power is stupid with just a EBCS and test pipe. I'm talking full TBE/Intake/EBCS/Injectors/Pump power on an STI you get with just those two mods and a tune.

If you want as much power as can be had (safely) without opening the motor you need:

Full Exhaust
Intake
Upgraded Intercooler w/piping
EBCS
MHI Turbo Upgrade.
Unsure if fueling is needed, I've seen 400WHP broken with and without injectors/pump.

I also suggest clutch packs.

 

Yep. People use their cars for different things. Before my pump died, I was using the S-AWC switch two or more times per trip, since I switch from paved to unpaved on many of my drives. In contrast, being a pinko university prof, my radio is stuck on the local NPR station. Only my daughter plays with the channel.

I think we both have it set up correctly.

 

I've only driven an STI once but I've had 2 GSR's and now an 08 MR. I've never had mine overheat however I have had my wife drop her purse on the AYC button and switch it without realizing, didn't seem to matter much. I just have minor bolt ons and a tune. The car makes 315 whp and is a blast to drive. There is an argument to be made that the GSR is more fun to drive but the MR in sport mode is close and in normal is much more practical as a daily driver. I have 40k on the car and have been tuned since 25k or so, no issues. Not sure what other cars you were considering but I've owned 5 Audi's, 2 A4's, A6, allroad and an S4. The Evo trumps them all, the Audis were more comfortable and quieter on the inside but in the fun to drive category there is no comparison. Even my wife thinks so. Anyway, you can't go wrong with an MR.

 

This is a great thread. I'm wondering if I should make the swap from my 13 STi Ltd too. Mines Stg3 and close to 400 at the wheels, pulled timing and boost for 91 poop gas though. No 93 or E85 w/in 100 miles

Good luck with the hunt. I love my STi. But you can't scoff cheap power!

 

If not forged internals you're playing with fire...

 

Having owned both a '08 MR and '11 GSR, I may be able to help a bit

I'm really a fan of the SST. I think it's a great transmission. I had FMIC, UICP, LICP, TBE, Intake and never had any issues. I was about 330whp on a Dynojet. Never overheated one me once. I did have foglight deletes and always ran in manual mode. I had multiple track days, and it always seemed to do great. Granted, I never went out in 90+ deg on a track day, but the car still did great.

I thought I wanted more power, so I sold it and bought a '11 GSR. Was a silly mistake. The transmission felt primitive after being in the SST for 18 months. And I really didn't need the extra hp. I didn't go crazy on power. If you're looking to make over 450whp, definitely don't consider the SST. It's possible to make above that, but it's going to cost.

From '08 to '11 they added textured wrapped wheel, stopped overfilling tcases from the factory, new exhaust, upgraded diff pins, upgraded side skirts, plastic valve cover, upgraded 1 piece rotors on the GSR, and a few other things here and there.

We are now in the process of getting my wife her own MR (which I'll rape when she's not looking), and everything will be back to neat.

 

08 evo mr..loving the sst,super/all/wheel/control its king in mode snow-gravel-tarmac

 

Upgrading fuel system is needed for the MHI. It would be the bottleneck if you didn't.

 

LOL! Join the darkside!

 

Get the 5spd

 

 

go gsr. do not go mr. you will miss the stick. all future super cars are PDK now. you want to keep the stick.

 

Guys, all he wanted to know if there are significant issues. Not to get a stick or not.

There were a few early issues, but mainly with the ralliart. The mr seemed to be a beefier setup. Most of the issues that arose stemmed from clutches wearing out prematurely. Mitsu didn't / doesn't rebuild sst transmissions, so they would replace the whole unit instead. It seems the later models, much fewer failures have been reported. There was a throttle limiter added to first in '11 I believe. This can be removed via a tune, but supposedly helped clutch wear. Clutches can be replaced with versions that can sustain more hp.

 

Good point, Migs. So I'll add that the lousy timing chain in the early Xs is a good reason to get a newer one.