First off I would like to introduce myself since I am new to the EVO scene. I currently drive an STi and this is my 2nd one first being highly modded GT35R w. meth and made 450awhp DD. I am entertaining the thought of switching to a nicely built EVO that has around 500whp. However, the car would be my DD and would need to be very reliable. I know the tranny in the STi is ridiculous, so my question is which EVO year is the best and why...I want the car to be solid in every way without synchro issues. Thanks for your time!

 

Well most people will tell you to at least get a IX due to it having the MIVEC.Also the 5-speed tends to hold up better than the 6-speed with higher HP.I would say go for the IX.

 

was the 5 spd only in the VIII? or is it both VIII and IX with the IX having a choice

 

5spd available in both and good choice for making the switch. I would prefer the 9 also due to the better turbo and mivec.

 

I would like to buy one already built, what concerns or questions should I ask to the owner of the car that I purchase from?

 

+it looks better

 

Part for part the IX is a better package.
I bought my 03 mainly cause I didnt want ACD and I was going to mod the heck out of it anyway. Just a good front limited slip and call it done

 

I think the SE looks sweet. But I actually perfer the VIII bumper to the IX and I like the VIII's wheels way better than the base IX's

 

if you plan on building 500awhp then the IX's turbo is a mute point. Choose it based on the trans, whether you want ACD, MIVEC, etc.

 

If your buying the car already built, both having the 35r.. the only difference is the MIVEC in the IX as far as engine wise. IMO MIVEC is a good thing for Evo's with BPU's, because in the higher HP cars it seems to be a pain in the rear to tune.. Where as in the VIII there isn't the valve timing to try to tune around.. And with that being said, I believe that is a major reason that the VIII seems to produce more power when you start getting in the 500+whp range. As far as reliability there's a thread on here about the guy from NJ (sorry can't remember your name) with an VIII that was tuned by Buschur Racing, in Wakeman, OH.. with their built 2.0 making over 550whp on his low reading mustang dyno over a year ago.. just had the car retuned (drove it from NJ to OH, and back) and made just under 600whp on the mustang dyno.. then returned to NJ and ran it on a dynojet with the same tune and made I believe 618whp with the HTA35r on pump gas... Now as far as the stock block, it'll handle 500+whp easy.. but it should be done by a reputable tuner.. Buschur, Mellon, etc.. I believe Mellon's HTA35r is around 530ish whp on the stock short block, and has been under some punishment and is still going strong.
But it all comes down to what you want.. Most IX owners will say go with the IX, and VIII owners will say go with the VIII.. and like I said, at the stage your looking for being the cars already built, the only difference is the MIVEC..

 

^very valuable information! thank you for taking the time to write that! my price range would be around 30k or less since I would ideally like to sell my STi and go from there, but the 8 with a 5spd sounds like the best bet. Which is the package with HID's? Bottom line after the built motor is the tranny, so 5spd or 6spd?

 

^

 

check out the noob section, has tons of info that will help you, and search

 

It really depends on what your going to be using it for really. I bought my '05 last fall for 18,900+T.T.L. basically all stock and unmolested. I knew I wanted a 5-spd, along with the ACD, which actually does help quite a bit in the winter months.. and it allows you to have some fun in all weather types... on and off road. But, from other owners inputs are that the 5-spds are drag and daily drivers.. but the 6-spd is more for auto-x, and circuit racing, and a daily driver. Now with that being said, the reason the 5-spds are chosen for drag purposes is the major fact of the 1st gear is much stronger than the 1st gear of the MR's (6-spds) and when your dropping the hammer off the line with 500+whp on tap, I'd take the safer bet.. Now also, quite a few people opt to ship their trans. to Sheppard Racing (Jon Sheppard, trans guru for DSM's and Evo's) for upgrading of the synchro's and other stuff just for the added reliability of taking the abuse. He does 5 & 6 speed tranny's so no worries on whichever you choose. Also a recommendation would be to get the final drive gear changed as well, to either a 4.11 or a 3.83 for gas mileage purposes.. Our stock final driver gear is up there a way's 4.85 or something to that affect... I would give you the exact numbers and links to everything I'm talking about, but I'm at work and it won't allow me to post links to the appropriate sites. But I'm sure someone will post them up after reading this *hint, hint*

 

I was leaning toward the 5spd anyways...I live down in Charlotte, NC and there is a shop called 3SX performace and they tuned my STi, so I know they do great work. However, they specialize with 3000gt's and EVO's. Has anyone heard of them on here? Great information everyone keep it coming!