My evo ix is my daily driver and its bone stock, but I am ready to mod but since this is my DD and I'm not rich at all (i work part time and am a college student) I dont have the money to keep doing repairs. I see so many threads on people needing to fix things that went wrong from modding so how about a heads up or warnings?

I know not all products are guaranteed, but what mods do you guys have that never gave you any problems in your DD what you think are the safest? and also I'm planning on a TBE and MBC with tune, but should i get more mods before the tune to save $?

thanks everyone.

 

Along with the TBE and MBC, I would get a intake, either a drop in or a cone, which ever you perfer. with a tune and those mods you should be safe. If you wanted to go a little more, I would get a FMIC, LICP, fuel pump and some cams. But if you just wanna keep it simple, a TBE, MBC, and intake and a good tune you should be set

 

yea i just want to make the possibily of reversing my mods for warranty work to be a small as possible, so im guessing just a tbe, mbc , and a k&n or works drop in filter will be the most reliable while for sure making at least 310-320 hp to wheels?

 

+1 exactly what he said ^^ anything internal will be less reliable of corse.

 

ppl are probly gonna flame u for not searching but here's ur best bet:

1) clutch- evo's eat them so save at least $1500 for one including labor
2) TBE- 3" with a hi flow cat so u stay emissions legal. around $500-800
3) panel filter- stock airbox good to 400whp + helps from sucking in hot air. $40-120
4) boost gauge- a must have!!! $20-300 i got a gauge off ebay for $17!
5) PUMPGAS tune- the right tuner can control boost thru the ECU so u won't have to spend the cash on a boost controller. if that's not an option get a Hallman MBC $100. the tune is most important here so get all your parts throw them on at once & get 1 tune to save money. $free-750 (free if u learn how to tune urself)

so u can spend as lil as $600 to make ur car faster (-clutch) or as much as $3k.
it will not only run faster, but better & get better fuel economy since the motor will be more efficient. evom, craigslist, & ebay are great sources for used parts especially parts that ppl won't see. just do ur research & question anything that looks to good to b true. my car has $1200 invested in it for go fast including the racegas tune & it runs 12's. i'm making 324whp/368tq (421hp/478tq at the crank) & i assure u its faster than 97% of the cars on the road.

the car mod rule is: Cheap, Fast, Reliable? Pick 2

 

Not all high flow cats are emissions legal. I think most of them are still deemed illegal for street use.

 

Your safest mod is a brand new car wash. As soon as you start touching the car needs some serious money. The best bet is to keep your car stock if you are not prepared for a high repair bill.

 

Best flowing exhaust you can tolerate
Boost gauge (map based gauge preferred)
Boost control
clean Filter
really good custom tune.

The stock airbox, cams, fuel pump, and turbo work excellent together on the IX's.

I'm trapping 113 on this setup with 25psi spike tapering to 21ish at 7000rpms

 

unless you drive like a pansy and want to keep the car completely stock - save for a clutch.

 

Beat me to it. There is something to be said for stock. Its fast, you can beat the **** out of it, know its safe, and if it does break (excluding clutch) you can just drop it off with Mitsu and usually after a little haggling it's their problem. My 2c.

 

my car had AMS stage 1-3 done and my car was problem free from 800 miles til 30,000(minus a clutch), then I had the major fun with turbo kit and 2.3 stroker motor!!

They can all be reliable you just need a good tuner...

stick with the basics, boost controller, turbo back, cone/drop in filter, intercooler, boost gauge and a nice custom flash! Should net you some pretty decent gains.

 

man that looks like the setup I want, but doesnt the fuel pump make u fill up more often?

And Ive only had my megan boat gauge for three weeks and its messed up on me, the electrical still works but it seems as if the needle is sticky, like when I boost hard it will go high to like 22psi and stay there when really its supposed to be 17 or so. When I tap the gauge when its stuck it moves back down but not to -15 or 20 where it used to be. Idk this sucks, I was thinkin bout a megan tbe but idk now...

 

I'm not advocating fuel pump replacement for this setup in most cases. Re-read my post plz. What I was saying is that the fuel system and camshafts and intake are sized properly for the stock turbo so it doesnt make any sense to replace them unless you are upgrading the turbo. That stated you can get some additional power from camshafts and other bolt ons but the HP/$$ ratio is not nearly as good as some other modifications like a TBE exhaust and custom tuning + additional boost. +1 on a clutch but If your not drag racing and you drive properly it will last for 10-20k miles even with increased power levels. I got 24K on the stock clutch, but 25 psi put it to it's death. I was just pointing out that those OEM parts are not significantly restricting power at the stock turbo power levels.

Sorry, I have no experience with the megan gauges. Mechanical gauges are subject to mechanical wear and tear. Having a moving part makes it mechanical even if it has a map sensor and the gauge works from signal voltage.

An aftermarket fuel pump will only decrease your gas mileage if your not properly tuned for it. Walbro pump requires fuel tuning since it will significantly richen your car at high rpms. I dont think it's a necessary mod wtih the stock turbo in most cases. Aftermarket cams often push the pump beyond it's limits. NOTE: This only applies to IX's, Evo VIII's more commonly need a fuel pump with just a few psi over stock levels or so I've been told. All of the VIII's that I"ve had dealings with already had aftermarket fuel pumps.

 

i've had issues with megan...i wouldn't get there s**t.. but like a couple of the guys said i'd save for a clutch... evos are known for eating through them mine went a 3500mi and it was a new car..go to gruppe-s.com they have a nice package for it its a helix o2 housing, downpipe, test pipe, and catback exhaust and hks drop-in filter its under $1000... if u need a hi flow at its a $149 option
here a videos for you

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDQGRoJZsvQ (test pipe)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIfa9OBFIHo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24eoC9rJeyg&NR=1 (with hi flow cat)

good luck

 

Whether you mod your car or not it is very important to stay up or ahead of scheduled fluid changes. Keep it clean, watch your tire wear, they can get expensive too. Just LOVE YOUR EVO