I have had my 2008 Evo GSR for almost 3 years now. I have done nothing to do, which is odd for me. I am not a huge fan of the way it looks and was thinking about getting a new vehicle. But after a long long thought process I have decided to keep it a couple more years and save up to get something I really want rather than just getting something a lil better now that I'll also get sick of. But I need to make it faster and a lil bit sexier in order to do that.

So a few questions:

1)I want to improve performance. Everyone says Evos are so easy to get power out of but from what I'm reading all you can do it exhaust, intake, tune and get another 60-80 hp and then thats about it without going crazy and spending a ton on mods, engine rebuild, etc. I'd like to get around 400 hp to the wheels. Is that possible without a total rebuild or will I just have to stick with a few bolt ons and tune?

2)Does anyone know of any tuners in Central Pennsylvania? There is NOTHING around here. I know CBRD is in PA, but thats like a 3-3 1/2 hr drive. Was hoping to find someone closer. Is there a benefit to getting a shop tune over say a cobb accessport. I'm not entirely sure how they work. Like how you can tune it after every mod.

3)One possible issue with my car. It has only done this a few times and not very recently, but a few times I'll be in a gear....lets say 4-5 cruising at around 3000 rpm. If I try to accelerate hard it will shoot up to the redline, and then drop by itself back down....almost like it's an automatic. So essentially it redlines oddly quick, goes back down in rpms by itself and then goes up again like normal. Not sure if this was a possible tranny issue or what. Anyone ever heard of this?

So essentially I'm a very neglectful Evo owner who has finally decided to give his car some love and wants to know the best, easiest and most cost effective ways to get this done. I will continue to research forums but if anyone wants to throw me a bone or link me to some really helpful threads that'd be great. Thanx guys.

 

Why you get it if you dont like the way it looks? Your gonna spend a couple grand in parts an a accessport is a safe off the self tune another couple hundered for that why not leave it alone an save that money for your next car?? Heck you might get more in a trade in leaving the stock then what you would with mods to me seems like your just gonna waste money on something you wont own much longer

P.S that accelerate hard while your in 4-5th at 3000RPM will ruin your motor an sounds like your clutch is already junk

 

A couple years is kind of a long time. I'm not gonna put 10,000 into it. I wanna do a few mods to get as much performance out of it as I can without breaking bank. IE-most bang for buck.

Don't know how you figure it to be a clutch problem when I'm not even shifting. You're right I should never accelerate in my Evo.

Why do people even post if their not going to offer any helpful advice????

 

Hhaha i am helping you by saying YEA you shouldn't accelerate HARD IN low RPMS in a high gear i didnt say 10 thousand but its gonna be couple thousand in DECENT aftermarket parts........ i can see it now it's gonna be one of them honda's with a coffee can muffler an a drier hose intake system

 

Your redline issue is a tell-tale sign of a clutch that is slipping. You'll likely need to replace it very soon. It has nothing to do with when you are shifting. If you're RPMs are shooting up when you're in gear and hitting the gas, it's your clutch.

As far as the mods, the best bang for your buck goes like this. 1) tune 2) exhaust (cat back only won't do much other than add noise, you'll need a full turboback) 3) wide mouth downpipe 4) intake 5) intercooler & pipes

That's the easy mods without getting into a new turbo, or cams or anything like that.

 

One other thing - you say you're "not a huge fan of the the way it looks" - are you considering any aesthetic mods like a new body kit, spoiler, wheels, lower the car, etc, etc?

 

That cost to much money

 

1. Clutch is bad. You'll have to get one that can hold 400hp (since that's what you want)

2. Intake, Intercooler Piping, Intercooler, Exhaust, Injectors, Fuel Pump, Electronic Boost Controller, MAP EF2 Turbo. That's around about $5,000 right there without a tune, tax, shipping, ect.

 

Yea, I was thinking wheels definitely. I could keep them and put them on any car. Perhaps front lip, maybe a different, smaller spoiler and possibly aftermarket taillights. Not going to go all on on a full body kit or anything but a couple mods to make it look better is what I'm looking at.

For me though, I've never seen an Evo where I thought "holy ****, that is sexy." Since everyone is going to ask why did I buy it then. At time my wife and I lived different place and worked two seperate directions about n hour apart. So I had to drive car year round in PA = needed AWD. Now we carpool and I dont drive Evo but a couple times a week mayb so I was thinking of getting something else. But after looking I can't quite COMFORTABLY afford exactly what I want right now so I decided to just keep Evo awhile longer.

I do like driving it tho, handling is amazing. So its not as if I loathe the car. I'm just looking to spruce it up a bit so it's a lil more fun to live with for another couple years. Of course it would be most financially smart to not do anything and just bank money for next car. But is half the things we do with our cars the best financial decision? Gotta have fun in life too.

 

1.Thank you

2.Notice i didn't get an apology about telling him about his clutch being junk

3. This is another person who makes Evos look bad just like the dude blowing his motor on a 2010

 

If the OP didn't catch what others are saying, DON'T go WOT when you are on high gear and low RPM.

 

I think if you don't want to drive to cbrd then maybe Tom is your best bet:
http://www.tscomptuned.net/

Don't take a risk with your tuner. I don't know of anyone else in PA I'd trust my baby's life with. Maybe someone else has some recommendations, but these two have more happy customers than you can shake a stick at.

Note: I took a greyhound bus to get my cams installed and car tuned at cbrd.

 

Just sell it in its stock form.. Give someone the opportunity to own and care for the car. Its obvious it was an impulse buy for you..

 

you wont get your money back from adding mods...expect the opposite

mod it if ur going to keep it

 

Exactly. Apparently he doesn't know how to drive an evo, WOT in 4-5 at 3k rpm? good luck to your engine. Get a 4wd SUV instead if you want something you can drive all year.