Hey guys...newbie here,

I'm seriously contemplating on trading in my Mitsu Montero for an Evo IX SE and need all of your input regarding what you like most about your Evo IX and what you dislike most about it. Also, include your DIY experiences as I am a big DIY person myself. This will be my first boosted car. My other car, aside from the Montero, is a 95 Nissan Maxima SE - 5 speed with the basic bolt-ons such as CAI, downpipe, high flow cat, and high flow muffler. I've been driving MT most of my life so I'm a seasoned MT user.

Any other input / experiences you can think of including will be greatly appreciated.

BTW, I have my eyes set on this Evo IX SE, graphite gray. Also, I'm not much of a rear wing kind of guy. The big tail on the Evo is a little extreme for me since I don't really want to attract too much attention from other kid racers on the street. The RS was my first pick but I wanted the other options that are on the SE minus the rear wing. It costs more to add these options on than getting the SE trim instead. Perhaps I can get the dealer to remove the rear wing and put the vortex generator in if it will help provide some downforce w/o the rear wing (not sure if this will work).

Anyhow, thanks guys.


-Dennis

 

hrm...everything in the EVO IX > the EVO VII

 

The best thing about the Evo that I have not felt in another car: the steering! The steering feel is amazing! Seriously, the closet thing I can think of is a go-kart, it's like you're holding the tie-rods in your hand. Next, AWD! Coming from a high horsepower FWD that could spin 3rd gear, it's nice to have traction. Next, it's easy to mod, play with, etc. Also, it's basically track ready as it is. Swap the brake pads, change the brake fluid, and you're good to go tear up some road courses!

Bad: it's not comfy, lots of road noise (stock exhaust is pretty freakin quiet though, quieter than a 350Z for example), gauges kinda suck, overall cheap interior, expensive to maintain, expensive to insure, crappy gas mileage, attracts attention of the wrong kind.

If you want a car that's fun to drive, can take straight to the track, and easy to mod, this car is it..... if you can live without the nice stuff.

Another option is the version of the STI that's toned down (no wing, no gold wheels, etc.). The STI compared to the EVO is like taking 1 step away from all out performance and 1 towards more daily driveability.

 

Do you do some of the services on your Evo, ie: oil change, plug change, brake change, etc?

You mentioned that they're not that comfy to drive, do you get back aches from it after long commutes in this car? I live 12 miles away from work, I know commuting in this car wouldn't be much of an issue. But I do go to Vegas about 6 times a year so I get this long stretch of desert highway to go WOT in.

 

Go and test drive one! After that you'll be sold. Set some money aside for a new clutch, I have a GG IX SE with the 20G-LT turbo, O2 housing, exhaust, injectors, fuel pump, and spraying 100% meth with a good tune. The car is a blast, but after 12,000 thousand miles with those mods the little stock clutch is done.

 

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My very 1st car was 95 Maxima SE 5spd. It felt like big fat pig (power and handling wises) even with bolts on when compared to Evo.
One thing I miss about Maxima is it's soft comfy ride, even it was lowered as hell. Made my butt happy during long long commutes to work.

 

It is slow compared to the Evo. Did you have a y-pipe and custom cat-back in it? They make the car noticably more responsive to throttle especially when you have a CAI. My Maxima, with 167k miles, CAI, WSP y-pipe, high flow cat, custom b-pipe, and Magnaflow Street Series muffler made 191hp/197tq on the Dynapack, totally NA. Not bad for an old big fat pig.

 

It's been over 10 years since I sold it. I have done few mods on it, mostly basic bolts on like intake, custom y pipe to catback, rear sway, front strut bar and kyb struts with some springs. No aftermarket support for maxima back then, I believe there was Stillen product which was really overpriced and their aero kit was fulgy as hell. Just go test drive Evo, then you'll understand why I quoted maxima as "Big Fat Pig" when compared to Evo.

 

Seats are fantastic for long trips, no back aches here. Lack of cruise control is the only hindrance on long trips.

 

Can't complain about mine. Didn't buy for anything except performance plus I think the IX in black looks bad ***

 

FYI the V-Generator only works with the wing installed, because it creates turbulence as the air flows over the rear window, creating a little extra downforce.

A lip spoiler a-la IS300 might create a pound or two at 150mph if your looking for low profile downforce

 

Thanks for the idea.

 

i personally think the wing makes the evo look like an evo. no wing = econobox. but hey, if you wanted the looks of a lancer, just buy a base lancer and drop a 4g63...

the wing does not attract cops or ricers or anything like that. it has a functional purpose, both cosmetic and aerodynamical.

to answer your question, the ONLY thing i hate about my 9 is the rpm hanging between shifts, really throws off the timing. but not all 9s do that... umm, seats get diry easy, parking stops like to eat lips if your not carefull... umm... thats about it.

things i love, speed, looks, hids, the history, the respect, the comradiere of fellow evo owners etc. the plus's outweigh the negatives. if you want a better ride feeling go with the mr. if you dont want a wing, go with the rs and swap in some hids... i dunno, your choice is yours to make, do whatever makes you happy!

 

Get the IX SE. This is my 3rd Evo. I've owned a black 2003 VIII GSR with the big wing, a red 2004 VIII RS without, and now the 2006 IX SE. The HID's from my 2003 were MISSED when I got the RS. The wing can easily be taken off and the holes covered by a body shop. These cars are so mod-friendly it isn't even funny. Any tooner can juice these things up and they will just come back looking for more. The only real sub-400WHP problems you will see are either driver error or improper instalation / tuning. These things are bulletproof.

Do yourself a favor. Find a shop ahead of time that specializes in that clear bra covering for the front end of cars. Call them and order a kit for your car. Cover as much as you can. There aren't specific kits out for the IX SE (because of the front lip) so just get a kit for the IX instead. Get the front bumper, hood, and as much of the fenders in front of the wheels covered as possible. Have that thing waiting to go when you pick up the car, and take the car and have it put on THE SAME DAY you pick it up.

Trust me. Aluminium hood and fenders make little pebbles look like boulders. It's worth the <$500 to protect your paint and keep your car looking good.