Be warned now, this is my first lancer and my own first car i've bought. So, as much as I would like to mod my GTS and make it faster, it has a hot *** warranty.

My question is: What Modifications can i make to my car to give it extra power without voiding the warranty?

Also, through driving I've noticed the acceleration from a stop is sub-par at best, you can throw the pedal to the floor, but until it reaches 4krpm (about when the MIVEC kicks in) it doesnt go anywhere too fast... Coming from driving a '95 Mustang GT, this is a bit of a culture shock.. (5.0 w/ almost 280horse... 2.0 w/ 152?) Now mind you, i dont know much of anything about how to race a car, and im too scared to do anything crazy without knowing someone else has done it, but what can be done in a physical driving sense to increase acceleration from a stop?

First thought that came to my mind was "since the car doesnt take off until its RPMs are higher, why not put it in N, rev it, and drop it into D thus skipping the early RPMs but risking spinning the tires." Is this thought process correct? or am i completely out in left field? Im such a noob

Well thanks everyone in advance for taking a moment to help a noob out, i hope to become a huge part of this community!

 

Never EVER EVER neutral drop your transmission! Keep in mind that's a CVT tranny and that much stress is bound to snap the bands in twain. Not to mention the possibility of grenading your differential. Even in a conventional automatic this is so freakin' bad for it. I cannot repeat myself enough DO NOT DO IT. If you could see how hard I'm pounding my keyboard then maybe you'd get how much I'm stressing it. Just don't.

Now that that's out of the way, welcome aboard! Mods aren't really available for the car yet, but some people are getting there. As for warranty issues, that's really more up to the dealership anymore. If you're experiencing an issue, and they find (or just believe) that a mod, like an intake or exhaust or underdrive pulley or whatever, has caused that issue, then the issue is not covered under warranty. Pretty much any mod has the possibility of doing this. Kinda the risk you take with modifications.

 

One Thing i forgot to mention that will probably make a huge difference... My GTS has the CVT in it.

I just hope the CVT isnt as limited to power as everyone is imagining/stating them to be...

 

the auto piece sucks from a stop, use the manual instead and you feel a substantial difference.

 

Yeah figured it would stress it and break something in some form which is why i dont do anything without asking! And i know there isnt much, im just asking in a general sense as to different things that can be done.

So basically, if any mod causes a problem, its not covered. (makes sense) But what if something happens that wasnt a mods fault but the mod exists and they try to deny service due to the existance of a mod.. is that also a call that varies based on the dealership?

 

Oh definitely. I've had one dealership tell me that my intake caused a continuous short in the power mirror circuit and refused to work on it. Took it to another dealership and they were more than happy to replace my faulty mirror.

 

My dealer told me that as long as they were the ones installing the mods (I'm probably only going to install intake / exhaust) my warranty would remain untouched and they wouldn't use the mods "against me". I don't mind throwing in a few bucks for the extended warranty they gave me

 

The dealer I contacted and am looking to possibly purchase from said I would have to buy the aftermarket parts from them and only them otherwise it would void the warranty, which sux cuz Ive heard a lot of good stuff so far about the RRM intake and exhaust...Oh well guess I will have to decide when the time comes. He said the dealer has no parts yet but when I am ready to buy in about October he said it shouldnt be a problem getting me the parts.

 

Your dealers are just trying to scam you. If you aren't capabale of doing the work yourself and are comfortable with the rates they would charge go ahead... but be aware that those are not manufacturer's parts so they will still void your warranty unless approved by Mitsu (And they won't be).

However, your warranty coverage is only voided on systems/sub-systems that are directly influenced by the modification. If you blow your CVT and have an intake onboard that is NOT grounds for voiding warranty support on the CVT. If you have an after market exhaust and you blow a cylinder, that isn't grounds either (though they will argue it more effectively than my first case... but they will and always do lose if you pursue it under the laws that protect you).

Dealers you see get to charge Mitsu for their labor, but at a reduced rate compared to normal shop rates for service. And they get no margin on the parts either. So they don't like to do Warranty work unless its slow and there is time to fill. They will try and say it's not covered or what not, but the Magnusen (sp???) act protects you in most cases.

However, as a rule of thumb I always remove any obvious mods before getting service. Some mods you can't do anything about... such as internals or an ECU flash (unless you have the gear and time to do it) or what ever you don't have the tools and what not to do on your own. But if it means I will avoid a conflict with the dealer's shop I will try to 'git r done' before hand.

 

So in the long run I should just do it on my own ad forget about what the dealer says. As DoHboy said it is a nice warranty and I just wouldnt want anything to happen to it by throwin somethin on there.....But im just looking to to intake and exhaust so if somethin goes wrong im sure I could remove before taking it in like you said.

 

I'm leaving it stock.

I had an 02 Lancer. I know what intake and exhaust will get on a small-displacement motor (answer - not much; see my dyno numbers in the registry). It's not worth the possibility of losing a kickass warranty just to have a modification or two. And since RRM and Works have already stated that the exhaust mods yield no gains (except looks and sound), it's really not worth it. I know an intake will make a couple HP, but I'm happy with the car as is.

 

+1

 

^^ if you have mods installed and something goes wrong, couldnt you just take out the mods and re-install the stock parts and bring it back to the dealer? then just say that u havent modified your lancer and you kept the stock parts on.

 

Well Im sure im some cases they would be able to tell. I mean if you bought your lancer, then instantly threw an aftermarket intake on there...your old stuff is gonna still look brand new when you take it in 4000 miles later telling them your stock intake must have done whatever the problem is.

 

The best thing to do is install the mod and keep the stock parts. Most parts made by RRM are easily installed and removed. If you need to take it in, replace it. It's up to each dealership to decided whether or not it'll void your warranty. Some things, like an Intake, are very visible. Others, like a piggy back, arent. Also, remember, that if u install an intake and u have engine problems due to bad Air to Fuel ratio, then u are out of luck.

To it his own. Of course, an intake wont void suspension warranty, or paint...