So my question is half and half, i know this is an evolution forum and i have been posting on a clubwrx forum but i would like to get both sides of the arguement before i make my final decision.

Lets start from the beginning, i am buying an sti or an evo, the two i am looking at are a 04 sti, or an 06 evo 9 (se). Now the price difference is large, 25k (5000 miles) to 28500k (3000 miles). I also know the interior is very different along with a bunch of other things.

My questions is concerning the performance aspect of the cars which is why i posted here. First of all i am not trying to build a 988hp AMS evo. I am trying to get a fun car that has power and sounds good also. I believe that both the sti and the evo sound great. Now a key difference ive been reading is something in the engine. This bring me to my first question, I have read that the STI has a MAF sensor which means when a after market blow off is installed problems may occur due to the fact that inbetween shifts the air sensor has already metered the air and when the air is blown off into the atmosphere it causes the ECU to provide a rich fuel content to the cylinders. This causing a long term problem of engine wear. I have heard that evo's have a MAP sensor, which means that blowing off air into the atmosphere is no problem at all. Is this true? Do evos have a map compared to a MAF, and have what i read stating that the after market blow off is certainly no problem for the evo to have on a daily driver true?

Secondly in theory somewhere along the line i might want to add an exhaust, alot of talk has gone on about the catalytic converter and problems that may occur. Do any of these problems occur with the evo through adding an after market exhaust? whether it be a UP,DP, turbo back, etc.

Also, engine management may play a factor in what i want to do with the car, as in i want to add a easy EM system to gain a little more horse power, or maybe go stage 1 or 2. Is the evo accepting of these changes without many major problems?

All in all i know that more power means more risk by any standards, there will always be risk that comes along with engine management or different stages. My main questions are really concerning the after market exhaust and the aftermarket blow off valve, because those are going to be the first two parts i am concerned about. Also, ive asked this question on the STI website, so ill ask it here. Evo or STI? The STI people were very bias so i dont mind if you are too but they also listed some valid points about their cars.

Id like to say i am getting sucked into evos the more i read and see them because they are very appealing, I just hope that for the aspect that i am wanting they are the right car. Because the STI seems to be a completely different car than i thought it was ( not being able to modify ANYTHING except the exhaust without major concern ). So any opinions you can give me to any or all questions i asked would be greatly appreciated, and would help my final decision. I would love to join the evo world i just need a little know how first.

 

1) Evo's have MAF - but work is being done to let you run Speed+density setup.
2) What cat-converter problems? you mean CEL when you replace the frontpipe? there are serveral fixes that work for USDM models
3) Forget about a ATMO BOV, really its a waste of time
4) stage1/2 lol, most evo's will put out 220kw atw with exhaust+ebc+tune
5) Both are good cars, I prefer the Evo because its more raw and the computer is smarter :P Also every man and his dog has an WRX/STI
6) Sti sounds better - boxter burble

HTH...

 

i prefer the looks of the evo, so i purchased an evo