I've had quite a variety of fast cars in my life:

Mazda Rx7 series 1 (Bridgeport) - 350 hp
Mazda Rx7 Series 5 Turbo - 400 hp
Toyota Celica GT4 - 400 hp
Audi S3 - MTM - 300 hp
Subaru WRX STi Prodrive - 415 hp
and just recently sold my F430 spider - 495 hp

I was torn between getting a Nissan GTR or a Evo X MR....The GTR was crazy fast but the back seats were impractical and can't really be classed as a genuine 4 seater. Therefore guess who won...(cue Rocky music)....the X...!

Just picked up an immaculate but stock 2009 SST-TC MR in Graphite Grey. This car turns just as many heads as the F430 did, and I love it.
I knew when I brought it that it would lack in straight line power vs my other cars, but it would make up with its cornering and general day to day usability. I was right, this thing turns like a cat on a rug. I am however disappointed with its off the mark 0-100, the engine seems totally choked and needs the crap revved out of it. Compared to my Sti this engine needs to rev so much more and the turbo just runs out of puff.
As far as step by step mods go I have swapped the stock air-filter for a HKS drop in and noticed a gain immediately. I love how this car responds to mods..! I've just ordered a full 3" turbo back exhaust system (widemouth downpipe included) with test pipe. Next part to buy is a one piece UICP, hopefully this will assist with greater throttle response as I feel it is a bit laggy.
I wont upgrade the turbo or intercooler but immediately after fitting the exhaust it will go to the tuner. The tuner has told me the max hp he thinks he will get is 360-370 bhp on the dyno with my mods. He says the stock injectors/fuel pump will run out of juice.
I'm happy to upgrade my injectors and pump to say a 1100cc set up if I will gain more bhp. The cost for these parts is not a lot in the grand scheme of things.
Believe me I've searched every part of this forum and there are equally as many "upgrade your fuel setups" as there are "no need to upgrade your fuel setup unless upgrading your turbo" answers.
The tuner will tune the car to what ever I bolt on before the tune. If I can gain say an extra 15-30 bhp with an injector/ fuel pump upgrade on 98 oct then I will for it. If it's not worth it until I upgrade my turbo then I won't. By the way a custom tune where I live is not cheap...hence I only want to do it once.
I would like to see 400-430 whp, but won't run E85 as I can't be dealing wth the hassle of switching between maps or searching for gas stations. I also don't want to risk damaging the SST gearbox if I go higher than say 400-430 whp.
By the way (don't hate on me) I'm 38yrs old, this is my daily driver, my wife drives it too... I want it fast AND practical.
Whats your advice experts?

 

Pick up day



Love that wing

 

Congrats, looks like you've had some fun cars even before the X!

Regarding fuel, your 98 is equivalent to our 93 here? Upgraded fuel systems will not produce power with bolt-ons. You can comfortably run a healthy full bolt on tune on the stock injectors and pump.


What exhaust did you order? Make sure to take it easy on the way to your tuner if you're putting a test pipe on!

 

That's very nice... an MR in the UK plus it looks clean. Congrats!

I like that prev Celica GT4 of yours with the 3S-GTE... another pretty cool ride.

 

The downpipe won't net you much gains until you get a bigger turbo. I think you are working from a Subaru background, which I was initially when coming here, however the mods are different for both platforms as far as bang for the buck.

Be very careful with who modifies your car, as they need to be very good with the SST to not cause you issues. If they say it is safe to put the torque above 350 take your business elsewhere

Good luck and enjoy

 

Cheers bud...! Yep each of them hold very special memories. For fun and drivability you can't beat a WRC Rally derived road car...this will be my 5th. I forgot to add in my list 2 Mazda's, an '88 1.6 Mazda 323 GTX Turbo and a '91 1.8 323 GTR Turbo.
Our 98 is regarded the same as your 93 is over there. We have both 95 and 98, prices are not too far apart..they specify 98 for European Evo's.

Thanks for the heads up on the injectors. I will probably come close to maxing out the stock injectors, but I need to be careful on the gearbox. I think the SST could be the governing factor in how much hp I will try to get out of her on stock turbo/injectors.

Just going to install the catback until I get the tune dialled in, the test pipe and downpipe will go on in the workshop, but cheers for watching my back.
I went for the Top Speed Pro 1. I used Top Speed for my F430 and I was quite impressed by their welds and quality. They are not crazy expensive either.
I'll post pics as I slowly 'unleash the evil within the X'...

 

Thanks for the heads up. Yep, I read the SST can be temperamental and if not tuned correctly can cost you your lunch money.

I went for the widemouth downpipe as the turbo on the X takes a while to get up and go..the stock downpipe seems pretty restrictive and I want minimum lag.
What do you recommend from your knowledge is a wise whp and torque figure to safely aim at achieving. Keep in mind, stock turbo and injectors.....You think 400whp & 350wtq is achievable ??

 

Thanks Bossing, your line up of cars is pretty impressive...
I especially like the Cayman GT4..I was close to getting one but then I chose
Evo X + boat for the same amount. Sweet ride though. The Shelby GT350 must be a hoot as well.

The Evo is like a new car...straight panels and not a scratch on it. The interior is showroom condition and I only paid 18,000 Euros for it (20k USD) with 30,000 kms (18600kms) I'm not sure if that stacks up as a 'good buy' in the US...

The GT4 Celica (3S-GTE) that I had was a Carlos Sainz Edition ST185. Back in the day that was a panty dropper...!

 

400hp a bit ambitious with stock turbo I believe. You can get higher 300's but you're not going to break into the 400's. If you're lacking any MR specialist tuners in your area there are a few that do e-tunes I would trust with my MR. Kozmic Motorsports is one, 5150 Racing another, and there are more but I am old and my memory sucks.

Good luck!

 

Nice. Really like the view from the bay.

 

Nice pick up! And don't feel bad...I'm 37 and just sold my dsm for an EVO X myself. Although my wife does't drive it...��

 

Thanks.

Driving an Evo X knocks 20 years off your age. At least thats what I told my wife....maybe thats why she's so happy to drive it

 

Thanks again for your advice Napalm. You guys over that side are definitely clued up on Evo's.

I will get in touch with both of them. I will also search more on the forums but I was under the impression that E-tunes required logging a few pulls. Won't I risk problems if I log pulls on my stock tune and my new exhaust set up is installed?
Or are you suggesting uploading and E-tune on the SST only. Is this possible?

 

If you engaged with a good e-tuner they would guide you into safely tuning your car. I can't speak for their methods as I am lucky enough to live in the same town as Kozmic, but I can say that a properly tuned MR is ...wow.

I have heard of many success stories with e-tuners, and the horror stories of people that had an MR tuned by a tuner lacking knowledge of the SST have had very very large repair bills. With the MR you get it right or you will know very very quickly that you got it wrong lol.

 

I think what is most impressive is you own and drive a car in London.