Good advice

 

uscbryan,

Based on your replies, I'm assuming you have not tracked your stock Evo. I'd advise you to try driving the Evo as is and get some seat time under your belt before messing with the car.

The stock suspension is very forgiving if you make a mistake. Adding a thicker sway bar does make the vehicle feel more neutral, but at the expense of the sensitivity to driver mistake (rear end will have a higher tendency to come around).

The extensive aftermarket and helpful vendors, such as Andrew @ GTWORX, will allow you to "grow" with your Evo as you gain experience.

You'd be surpised how well the car performs out of the box.

Personal experience: I was able to keep up with a modified Lotus Exige R with no problem in my bone stock Evo. Your results may vary.

 

Thank you for the advice. I did already order the parts and this is the first thing I have done to the car. I think the car is amazing stock and have pushed it "beyond" physics. I just have a hard time living with the gap between the tires and fenders. LOL But I do want a little less lean in the turns and I figure if I am bringing it in for springs I may as well have them do the other things while they are down there. It's going to cost me a day off of work so I wanted to make efficient use of that time. But I do understand going to more of an over steer is a little more "dangerous" than under steer" Again, thanks for the advice. it all helps when you are new to the Evo culture.

A Lotus? I always thought those were supposed have crazy handling. I had some M3 try to play with me in the rain last week. Wasn't a race or anything. I was just cruising home. But he saw me behind him so in every turn he made he would jump on it to show me what he had and would lose the rear. I would cruise up behind him. And he would do the same thing in the next turn. Thought it was sort of funny. He had all that power but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't do anything with it. And again, this wasn't any sort of street race or anything. Might have even been below the speed limits. The moral of my story is just sometimes all the power in the world can't help you if you can't get it to stick. I love AWD.

 

While on the subject and knowing what parts I am adding next week, what would be the best setting for the sway bar? Taking into consideration that a comfortable ride isn't what I am concerned with. Just want the car to handle the best it can. I am assuming the harder I set the rear sway the more over steer I am going to get but is there any other differences and is it that big a difference from the softest to hardest setting?

BTW Set up an appointment with RRE for next friday. After that I am going to make an appointment with West End Alignment I think. I hear they are good at what they do.

 

Just out of curiosity, what kind of pushing have you done to your Evo? No offense but any type of spirited street driving can't be compared to a high speed road race. I used to do a lot of canyon running back when I lived in Socal (malibu canyon/topanga canyon/gmr). Driving fast on public streets necessitates a lot concentration on not committing any mistakes, like come into a corner too hot and shoot into oncoming traffic or a rock wall. You don't have to worry about that on a track, so you are able to REALLY push the car. Doing so in a safe environment allows one to experiment with the limits of a car and really understand what your car can and can't do. By the way, the Evo really shines the harder you drive it.

I understand the wheel gap is gross, but if you can just stand it for about 4-6 track events, it'll help you a lot in my opinion. I do have to agree that the body roll is a bit excessive, but it's not bad if you can get used to it.

Lotus' do have crazy handling! They're definitely made for the track. Have you ever seen the spartan interior in a Exige or Elise? It's all business!

You're correct, power is not everything! I guess what I was implying with the Exige comment was that the stock suspension system working in unison with all the other systems (especially the amazing drivetrain) is able to gobble up corners and straights so well that I was able to keep up with the Lotus. Although, I have to admit the driver does play a big part in vehicle performance. I don't mean to brag.




Sway bar setting should be done based on personal preference to fine tune the suspension system. One guy's setting might not exactly add up to what you're looking for, as every driver is slightly different. Try the lowest setting and work your way up between track sessions. Try to leave everything else unchanged and see what works well for you.

 

Best setting depends on your driving experience/ preference and stiffness of your springs/ dampers. RRE can help with this but suspect you'll be on the lowest or next to lowest setting such that it will have more body roll than the higher settings.

I question the value of references to how one did in comparison to another car. I can tell you a Lotus Exige R is a VERY capable car at the race track. The Evo is capable too, but in a different way - the 1000 lb difference notwithstanding. I'm pretty sure if you put my mother in a Lotus Exige R, as nice as she is, I could kick her *** too. What we don't have is the data of the Lotus (or any car, for that matter) who was driving, how experienced were they, what is the track like (the Evo will be faster in the straight because we have more power), was the driver of the Lotus sleepy or only using one hand... Who knows, and ultimately it's irrelevant. I compete against some guys in cars that this and similar forums would think as not particularly fast (Volvo S40s, Porsche Boxsters, VW R32, as well as Vipers, Corvettes and Porsche GT3s. So much depends on the driver, car prep and track that references to the performance of a specific make and model are nuts.

My point is, and I think you on the right path in this regard, focus on getting good components on the car that will allow flexibility as your experience and comfort grows. Get seat time at the track and slowly dial your suspension in to your taste such that you feel confident and then slowly push your envelope. Worry less about the Lotus or Camaro or Porsche and get your braking, turn in, track exit right and the rest will sort itself just fine.

 

Kind of a mute point and I appreciate the input but the parts are already ordered. If GTWorx gets me the springs on time, they will be installed Friday. I do understand your point, but even if I am not a pro who doesn't want a car to feel a little more tight in the turns? By tight I mean less body roll. But again, I do appreciate the input, it's just I got my mind set on it and it's hard to reverse that.

 

Thank you for the info. Makes a lot of sense.

 

I thought I'd still give it a try.

I can't wait til the day I modify my suspension, so I completely understand your mindset. A tighter handling car would definitely be an exciting machine to drive. I guess what I was trying to get at was to take some time to appreciate what the engineers at Mitsu tried to achieve. Knowing the shortcomings and the advantages of the stock suspension can be rewarding, IMO. Anyway, you will definitely have a blast at the track, regardless of the type of suspension.




Well, the Lotus Exige S (my mistake, it wasn't a 'R') makes well over 300hp from the factory and weighs significantly less than the Evo, so regardless of whether its on a straight or a turn the Lotus has the advantage. Technically, the Lotus dominates the Evo on a track. I assumed that part was more or less obvious, hence the "Your results may vary". Although inaccurate, references to other models are easier to comprehend, than "hey my Evo had a lap time of 2:39.040 seconds at MSR on stock suspension". But I digress..

 

The trap that many fall into, and one for which I have been guilty in the past, is to assume that the relationship between two race cars will be similar to the realtionship of their oem counterparts. This is to say, for example, that because a Porsche 911 is typically faster that a Volvo S40 that their race car equivalents will maintain that same relationship. This is often not the case, and while the platform characteristics are generally consistent (an S40 is fwd and will maintain many of those benefits or problems) the performance relationship can be different entirely.

My comment regarding the Exige being slower that then the Evo on a longer course is because, in race trim, I don't see them typically making much more than 330 hp as, in my class, we are limited to a power to weight of 8.71. As the Evo is heavier, we can make more power and, as a result, typically get going a little faster on a longer straight. So again, it is track, set up, dependent.

At this point, I am quite sure I have long since exhausted the patience of the OP and any other readers of this thread and so will wait to continue this discussion the next time there is a question on bushings and springs...

 

Well I had everything installed today by RRE. it handles very well. I drove it about 45 miles, and it seems to ride about like stock, not too harsh, and very little sway in the turn. I can definitely tell the rear is loser in the turns but I also need an alignment so that may change things a little depending on the camber. I'm going to make an appointment for the alignment and let him know my driving style and he can align it how he thinks it should be.

The drop on the GTWorks seems to be about perfect. When I first got the Evo I wanted the tires up under the fenders but luckily I came to my senses. It looks low but not bouncing all over the freeway low. I'm going to have to change my parking habits though because stock the bumper would clear curbs, I don't think it well now.

I think maybe some 15mm spacers and powder coat the wheels flat black and I can start doing the fun stuff, engine bolt-ons.

Thanks for all the advice. I will report back if anything changes on the suspension.

Oh, and RRE did a great job. Thank you

 

Sounds like you have found a good solution.

Will 15 mm spacers fit with the stock wheels and still have enough thread exposed on the stud to hold the wheel properly? I don't know, I use real long track studs, but you should check to make sure you have 6 full turns of the nut. If not consider different wheels, thinner spacers or track studs (preferred). Just a thought. In the meantime, congratulations and enjoy it!

 

use grease and teflon tape. i hear the whiteline sway bars "walk"