Hi guys. I'm getting ready to go from a gsx to an Evo ix as soon as I figure out which one to get and what I plan on doing to it. I've got a couple of kind of newbish questions I'd love to hear some feedback on.

1) As far as daily driving goes, does anyone wish they had an extra gear enough to warrant another $5k?

2) On these so called 9.5 SE's will HID's be an option w/o the ssl?

3) Can the ecu be reflashed to hold 20psi?

4) As far as mods go, is there anything you guys wish you did differently?

I'm kind of thinking perrin intake, RNR O2 eliminator back w/high flow cat to keep my dealer happy, BR race intercooler and full piping, forge bov, 255, and Dynoflash custom reflash. I've got @ $5k to play with for mods if I don't get an MR.

I'm just looking for other peoples thoughts and opinions.

i hear the IX's bovs are quite good, you might want to save some $$ and stick w/the stocker

As soon as you mention intake...you better adjust your flamesuit. The stock intake is all you'll need till you get over 400 hp. So, save yourself $280 plus shipping and dont do the aftermarket intake. As, was mentioned...the stock IX BOV is all you'll need unless you wanna boost over 25#.

The O2 housing delete DP hasnt received much discussion on here. Probably, on exhaust you'll wanna go cheapest price unless you gotta have a particular namebrand or a certain look. The Ebay O2 housing, and a Megan Racing TB exhaust are cheap and just as effective as any other. A cat delete pipe will net you a few more hp than the HF cat.

Really all the guess work has been taken out of what to buy, as for a tad over a grand you can buy a package of mods for your IX that'll put you into the low 12's. The Warrtalon package, which includes the Dynoflash, I think, and some well thought out basic mods should get you close to the 11's and you'll still have most of your $5000 left over.

If you really must spend your money piecemeal on mods, then it behooves you to thoroughly research this forum first. There is a ton of good info on here. There is a great Dave Buschur thread on here where he takes a stock Evo and basically Dyno tests each bolt-on part one by one until he gets the car up to about 400 WHP.

Oh yeah, the majority view concerning a FMIC upgrade is that it's a waste of money if you're still on the stock turbo. And to recap: stock IX diverter valve is excellent, aftermarket intakes are a waste of money as the stock intake setup is fine until 400 hp is achieved. The IX already has a higher flow fuel pump. The lower intercooler pipe is a power producer but the upper pipe is a waste of money. Did I mention: get an MBC and a flash.

a dynoflashed ix does taper a lil (at like 5k) but its not very noticible IMO

The Evo is not an investment, it is a sink hole. Not only will it not hold its value, but it will continue to depreciate and all the while you will be throwing money at it for mods to keep both of you happy!

But buying her was the best fiscally unsound decision I've ever made

1.) I am very content with my 5 spd.
2.) I do not know for sure, but usually HIDs are only included in the SSL package
3.) get a manual boost controller for $75
4.) There's already been good advice in this thread. Go with a turbo back exhaust and cat delete for the most power, just hold onto the stock pieces for when you need warranty work. Intake = waste of money, BOV = waste of money, FMIC = waste of money on stock turbo.

Full exhaust, MBC, fuel pump (I'm not sure how they are on the IX's, do some research here), and a tune. That will be a great start. Put the rest of the $5k toward the down payment, unless of course you are paying cash for the Evo.

Well I talked to the guys at my mitsu dealer and I think I'm going to get an MR because it just makes more sense to me. They're only like $1400 more than an SSL and they have so many they're willing to work on the price with me. It's optioned the way I like it as well.

I talked to their svc. mgr. about mods. I've got to have a cat, he'd prefer I didn't run an mbc, I can't change or modify the turbo in any way, and I can't modify any of the vaccum lines. I'm looking to get over 350whp. Do you guys really think a turbo-back and a reflash is enough?

NO if ur gettin a IX and dont have an MBC. The boost will taper to around 20.5 and spike to around 22, then taper to 16 psi at redline. Gettin a flash and TBE will yield around 300whp when a stock IX puts out around 240whp.

If u want over 350 whp, the best and cheapest is gettin the mbc, custom tune, tbe, jus a drop in K&N filter, and either cams( very few on the IX) or alky kit