Flew out to Boston and drove my evo 9 mr back home to Iowa, which was 1436 miles, and it was a blast!! Only down fall was no cruise control but you get used to it and forget about about it. Found my self pulling over alot on random truck stops to clean off the car, and do some pulls getting back from the on ramp hahah

 

I should rephrase myself.. Maybe not scared but i heard on here that the six speed transmission is not "perfect" even though there is no such thing. Hence the fear, I would manage to find a flawed one and would be SOL. Is the MR the only model of the 8 and 9 that has the 6 speed?

 

^+1 on the MR comment. im from san diego CA and drive up to big bear quite a handful of times for the snow which is about 3 hours away and super fun going through the mountains and probably have to fill the gas tank maybe twice for a 6 hour dive?

 

I drove my VIII from central Arkansas to SoCal and back (24ish hours one way) and didnt mind it. I drove the whole way with out stopping for anything but gas/food on the way to California. Didnt like racking up that kind of mileage or the bug mess on the front end. Other than that it was fine. Also, I only had to fill up 5 or 6 times one way. One thing I was unhappy about was, my encounter with a big rig tread sitting up on its side in the middle of the highway in the dark on an unlit stretch of highway. Lost my front lip and dented my stock fmic that night. All fixed and replaced now though!

 

I have done a 12 hour drive in my VIII multiple times and loved it. My only issue was that my ears would be ringing for a few hours afterwards and my exhaust is a lot quieter than most. In my opinion the evo is a fun road trip car.

 

How are evos in sand? I'm thinking about taking mine to the beach.

 

That was a strong 7th post man! Why don't you just try it out and let us know how it goes?

 

I take mine all the time. Just make sure you wash the under body.

 

Are the MR transmissions as sketchy as they have been made out to be?

 

LOL!! Just like AndyCT9W said, they're just as comfortable as any other car. Unless you're used to Cadillacs. And whenever you're in an Evo, gas mileage should never be looked at. Its always gonna be bad.

Whats your reason for taking the Evo on a road trip? If its for fun, or for a show, then by all means. But if you're just going to grandma's down in Florida over spring break, just take the civic. You'll be happy you did. No need to put anymore miles on your baby then need be.

 

I took my MR on two road trips. One of which was a two week, 8000 mile trip from coast to coast and back. I had two friends with me, and if I could do it again, I would not have taken my car. It was too cramped, loaded up with crap, and significantly heavier = not as fun to drive. If it had just been me or just one friend, it would have been a different story. Other than that, it was fine.

Also, I've had my MR since new and never had any transmission issues. From what I've read on here, you only run into problems if you take it to the track a lot where the thinner 4th gear is more prone to failure after extended heat buildup. Some people recommend getting an upgraded trans oil cooler to prolong the life of the transmission if you are going to be tracking it a lot. But I really like the 6speed compared to the 5speed. The shifts feel better, and I do a lot of highway driving so the extra gear is nice to have

 

Picking up and driving my car home was a small road trip. It was about a 6.5-7 hour drive and I was fine. I got bored more than anything because the radio kept going in and out and I was by myself. Other than that the ride was fine and I didn't even notice I was driving so long.

 

I've taken my 8 on several 6-7 hour drives and I have no complaints. Apart from gas mileage (which I disregard for the most part) I don't mind it being a bit noisy, and as far as I'm concerned the seats are actually quite comfortable for my frame (still using stock recaros).

My girlfriend was a bit sad when she found out the seats didn't recline, but even she said it was worth it to take my car "simply because its an evo" haha as for the drive itself, its 98% standard highway driving but there are a few canyon carving sections that make it all worth while!

 

I drove my evo 8 from NYC to Chicago a few times and loved it... Wish it had Cruz control though lol

 

Okay cool thanks guys, the majority of my driving will be country roads, highways and a city sometimes but only accomplish the to do list. So the difference between the five and six will not be noticeable in this case?