The MR is slower in a straight line. On the road course it is not. So the MR wins in one category and looses in another. I guess that makes them even especially when you consider that competition usually has a track segment and a drag segment. At least that what it had in your testing and every form of testing in a shootout. My point has ALWAYS been performance and not creature comfort. I never argued if the creature comfrots were worth it, I always said Perfromance. In this instance it is not worth it to spend $7000 and loose on the drag strip and win on a road course. $7000 should make the MR dominate in every category. It clearly does not.
You do not know what it really is. It could be many things. Had you bothered to swap trunk lids and VG, then you could have eliminated these two variables. But you did not. With $7000 in my pocket I can easily upgrade the brakes, get a JIC suspension, slap on a wing and have money to spare for more mods. Yet you are still stuck with the same MR.
I checked the web site and you only mention the numbers for one dyno run and not the others. Please tell me what are the ALL the dyno numbers if you have them. I will average them out myself.

 

I am arguing the PERFORMANCE point and not the value point. The performance that you get from the MR is not worth the extra $7000 over the RS.

 

I agree 7 grand istn worth it. Sure the MR may be more comfortable, have a wing and w/e else, but its and EVO, who cares? The RS is fun and fast. enough said. RS over MR any day

 

As a professional dyno operator, I tell you that is false. Provided the engine isn't heat soaked, an engine that's properly tuned makes the same amount of hp with little margin variance.

Neil has explicitly said that on the dyno the RS made more hp. The similar trap speeds of the MR despite being low on hp and up on weight, means it is using it's powerband more effectively.

That's some bull**** right there. Even if you replace the pads, fluid and lines... the major part of brake locking is the tire. Also, changing the pads, fluid and lines... has little to do with lock up... That has a lot more to do with preventing brake fade.

but beside that point, are you gonna tell me the RS with minor brake mods can out brake an ABS MR in the rain? Road racing is rain or shine.

 

I have found this thread to be amusing and educational. I spent valuable hours (that should have been spent studying) just reading through it. As far as whether or not the MR is worth the extra cash, being an MR owner, I would have to say "yes". I'm sure that MR owners would agree. And I think that MR owners are the most qualified to answer that question; we're the ones who spent the extra cash for it. We could have purchased an RS or straight VIII, but we chose the MR. Mitsu is offering three flavors of the Evo for a reason, to suit different tastes.

For those that have the intention of invalidating the purchase of an MR, I would recommend that you attempt to evaluate why someone would purchase one Evo as opposed to the other. And for that individual the purchase is justified. Before purchasing, I evaluated the pros and cons of each model, and the MR just happened to suit my taste best. I got it for MSRP -$500 for owner loyalty, and after reading this thread and many others like it, I still think it is worth the extra money. Quantifying the difference will not always be the best way to make a decision. Numbers aren't everything. We must take into account the all around feeling that comes with the purchases we make.

Thanks to JT for starting this thread (probably a few more like it). Thanks to EFI and EVO Neil. I am a member of evolutionmr.net (good info there) and I have an MT subscription (along with 4 other car mags I subscribe to). I very much enjoyed the "Is 22 feet worth $7000?" article. And thanks to NJ for his input into this thread, and possibly inspiring the MT article. And most of all, thanks to Mitsubishi for bringing the Evo to our shores, a great car in whatever trim you choose.

 

That was a perfect quote... i agree totally. I also have the MR and Love it.. so to me it was worth the extra money..

Mark
SBR

 

Fine.. not tiny... but should have been wider..
Oh wait.. for a 3300lb car?? It is TINY!

You drove them back to back? Is your GSR an 05 as well?
The thread started comparing 05 Evo to 05 MR... I'm sure the 05 MR has "some"
obvious advantage over pre-05s...

 

??? It is my problem.. It is my opinion...
and it's obvious that world doesn't revolve around me and my little 30k... look at
how fat every single new car is compare to the older model..

I never say people has to agree with me... merely asking if people feel the same
way like I do... I have to say there must be other hardcore performance guys
among Evo owners...

Anyways, I'm glad you find MR to your liking... and we'll probably see the direction
Mitsu is taking soon with Evo 9.

 

There will always be variance. It can be 1 hp, 2 hp or 0.5 hp, but there will always be variance. I write for Nissan Performance Magazine for the Spec V project and we have over 39 dyno runs on the car. We dyno three runs for every mod we put on the car. EVERY run varies from the other run. That is why I asked Neil for an AVERAGE of the three runs for each car. That is a far better indicator of the EVO hp than one run where the RS got 8 peak hp more than the MR. Furthermore, peak hp is not everything it is the area under the curve that each car has. Given the 6 speed vs. 5 speed I would like to see the MR dyno overlapped with the RS dyno.
There is a differnce of 0.8 mph in trap speed. Does that account for the 8hp difference in favor of the RS? Could it not mean that the 8 hp more gave the RS a 0.8 mph better trap speed? You should be able to answer that. How much hp does the EVO need to improve its trap speed by 0.8 mph?
Why is it that most club racers disable their ABS on the track? Could you please tell me? Changing pads, fluid, and lines will improve pedal feel and makes the brakes less prone to fade. Most of the club racers that I know do not have ABS on their cars.

 

I don't mean to be a dick in some of these posts. Originally, I just posted the results of my MR in the EVO tuner challenge to show MR owners what their car was capable of stock vs. some of the best modified EVOs on the westcoast. I took my then brand new car to get flogged at willow springs, only to be criticized by Nj1266 (who at the time didn't even own an EVO). So, naturally I was just a bit defensive.

I have about 10,000 miles on my MR now, and I still love the car. 3 weeks ago, I had a great time with it at Buttonwillow raceway. I've driven fwd cars in various states of tune (from 130 whp to 400 whp) and some rwd cars (miata and nsx) on the same track previously, and none of those compare to the MR in terms of feeling comfortable/safe when driven at speed.

 

Remember, the MR is a limited production car...give it 5 years, and there will be 500...

 

Can anyone who has driven both either confirm or deny this statement?

This is quite easy to confirm - if you are driving on the highway at 70 MPH and they are both at the same RPM - then both gear boxes have the same final gear ratio. As for gears 1 + 2 - that logic seems to make sense as well.

The main reason I would get the MR is for the 6 speed and the associated lower RPM driving and gas MPG savings. But if the final ratio is the same as the 5 speed then I don't see a real advantage in the 6 speed - particularly if you consider the added weight.

 

Gear ratios and final drive ratios are different betwen the five and six-speed boxes.

 

For those that say the MR finished first at the Streets of Willow because of the track configuration, let me add that when Mitsubishi goes to the NURBURGRING to set the record they take their best Evo, period! Do you think they may know a thing or two about which one is the best for setting records? They don't take the RS, because even though it is their "track" model it was primarily designed to be sold to racers, who would normally strip and modify it to meet the rules and requirements of whatever series they are racing in. That's why it is sold, that is it's main purpose for being offered. When the GSR was the top of the line, that's what they took to set the records, but now it's the MR. Why, advertising hype? Some may say, but it's because they gave the MR the best they had technologically. When they take the Evo IX to Nurburgring they'll take whatever version has the best chance for performing best.

 

If the US models came with Active Yaw Control it would have been another story. I've driven Euro models, worth it, and the 05 US edition MR, not really. The Euro cars are a different bird all together. The MR's are cool no doubt, but I'd stick with my none ACD Evo, which came with a vortex generator. Although its for sale now, so I'll have no Evo at all