Evo VIII MR Vs Evo IX opinions, whats better?
 

Hi all

I'm stuck on which Evolution I should purchase out of the Evo VIII MR or Evo IX? I live in Australia and we can't import the Evolution IX MR since Mitsubishi sent limited stock of the Evo IX. So just needed to know which one is going to be the better buy for me in the long run!

Thanks to anyone who helps!!!

Damien:mitsu:

I've been lucky enough to actually own both of those cars, but flipped haha. I owned a normal Evo 8, and just recently picked up a 9 MR. From my experiences however, id have to say go with the 9. From what ive read (i personally havent had a problem with anything on either of them) the 9 just comes with stronger parts and is over all a hair better than the 8. However i dont think id give up my 6th gear for anything, so you might want to go with the 8 MR if you do a lot of highway/long distance travel.

In the end, it all comes down to preference :) Neither is really REALLY better than the other. Hope i helped, ya know, at all haha. Good luck!

I have an 8 and i wish i had a 9, the stock cams,turbo and the addition of Mivec is way better on the 9, stock turbo can clear 11s quarters and 400hp.

Thanks for the opinions guys. I've been leaning towards the Evolution IX myself and think that's the right one for me! :)

Well... I own an 8MR and have well over 150k on it... stock tranny stock turbo stock t-case... and I just recently have an issue with my tranny I lost 6th gear. I put 400 down on Ethanol easy with the stock parts and I'm sure you can do the same with 9 and its MiVEC. I'm glad I picked up the 8MR vs the GG9 as the 8MR only came out in 05 here in the states but all in all I'm happy with it. yeah it doesnt have the MiVEC and well the 9 turbo is sligtly different but all in all its the same car.. Like everyone says its driver preference.

this topic has been beaten to death. the IX will always be better than the VIII, but at what cost?

yes the IX is better, but is it worth, for example, $5000 over a similar condition VIII? i would say no. if the difference was only $2000, then i'd vote go for the IX.

in all honesty, i think the combination of price, mileage, condition, choice of mods should be the bigger deciding factor than anything.

heres being different...

ive owned 2 evo 9s and 1 evo 8 and I like my 8 the most :D

upgrade the turbo and say bye bye to caring about mivec

It really depends on your long term goals. Either way, you cannot go wrong with both. Just all depends on what you want to spend.

would you like to have the Mivec on the IX or will most prob get the IX and disable the Mivec.... :lol:

anyway, whichever is better conditioned car wins.Best is to know the previous owner's driving habits. {thumbup}

Bottom line is the 9 is better off the shelf. I have both and mr is worthless to have if you plan on drag racing or if your power goals are beyond the 400 whp range. The 9 has stiffer chassis, better turbo, and mivec. Mod for mod a 9 will make more usable power.

I've always likes the front bumper on the 9s

I'd say find a IX S.E. everything except the 6 speed (overrated) gear box if keeping stock for a while 9 has a stronger d.v. twin scroll and mivec :D

IX comes with stronger parts? It's the the same car. The only difference from the VIII and IX is that the IX has Mivec(overrated), turbo and Acd.

To my knowledge theres some mis-information on the differences between the two on this thread. The differences on the USDM ones (dunno about the JDM/EDM/AUDM) are:

ACD
different ratios on the 5 speed (most gears are shorter)
MIVEC
better head cooling passages in the IX
slightly better fuel pump
BOV (metal on the IX)
turbo (compressor side)
more capable ECU in the IX (3 high octane maps, bigger stock maps, etc.)
no IC sprayer
different front bumper
different seats (VIII are narrower and cloth/suede, IX is wider/flatter and leather/suede)

There are other minor differences like the SE package on the IX which gives everything except for the 6 speed.

I personally have the a VIII MR and the only significant difference for me is the MIVEC. I don't think its a big deal once you get higher in HP with big cams and ported heads, etc. Theoretically it should but I'm talking real world results on big power evos. Its useful though when aiming for like 400whp and thereabouts. Even still when I go for built head its gonna be IX built head. {thumbup}

If you plan to heavily mod your car the differences are insignificant. Right now except for the turbo and MIVEC my car is pretty much a IX or better in every way.

Also do yourself a favour and go for the 5 speed. The 6 speed is over-rated. Its got slightly taller overall gearing in top gear but not enough to make a difference I find. Plus the 5 is definitely a lot stronger.

EDIT: 05+ evos in general gained ACD and a limited slip front diff. Something to look for IMO.

an explanation? other than you currently own the 8?

these cars are pretty much exactly the same minus mivec and looks, once u start modding its pretty much out the window. mivec still plays a role, albeit less, so pretty much in the end its just a difference in looks and newness

So whats good about Mivec? I don't know about it that's why I'm asking?