Hey guys,
Just wondering what you guys think.... If its worth spending money on engine performance for the 08 lancer ES 5spd. Or just make it look nice... Kind of stuck on what to do. But do u guys think its worth it?

 

honestly, it's more up to you than it is to anyone else. What you do to your car should be about you... the heck with what anyone else thinks.

That said there are somethings to remember:

- if you go only for show, IMO, it's almost pointless to have the car done up to look fast but is actually slower than stock due to the added weight. Plus, if you're all show everyone will wanna race ya but ... if that doesn't bother you, then more power to ya

- On the topic of speed, again, IMO, you should only go for as much as you think you'll use. It would be pointless to build the engine up to 300HP or whatever and then never use it. On the same note, there's a saying, "Speed cost money. How fast do you want to go?"

- The middle road, which is the road I plan on taking, minor visual enhancements to keep the car "low key" (but ~different~), minor engine upgrades, and most of my money will be spent on handling improvements. I plan to track my car maybe once a year, maybe do some sporadic autocross throughout the year, and driving in the mountains for fun in between.

I'm a bigger fan of understated cars... the 'sleepers' if you will... and I'm a bigger fan of driving the 'twisties' than drag racing. So, I don't need or want tons of power. Instead, I like to feel the lateral G's as I exit a turn. The less attention my car draws, the less likely I am to be pulled over by an officer...

 

money is the key to the secret

 

true, because if I had it, I would have bought an Elise before I bought my Lancer

 

It sounds like your first choice would be performance mods, but you're unsure if you'll get good enough gains for it to be worth it? And that if it wasn't you'd dress it up instead? Am I reading that right? We'll I'd say this: you can probably spend just as much money doing both. So in the long run, it comes down to personal preference. You can get some moderate gains for not too much money (a few hundred bucks here and there) keeping it naturally aspirated. Or you can get big gains when you spend bigger money (upwards of 4 g's) on forced induction. There's also suspension and handling mods that can be made for not too much which can really improve the ride dynamics. On the other hand you can spend similarly on visual mods. Little things can cost not so much, big things like body kits and carbon fiber can be more costly and put you in the four-figure price range. The question you can ask yourself is, which type of car do you want to drive? Do want one that rides better than stock, or one that looks different than stock, but rides the same or less.

My personal opinion, if I were to ask myself that question, is similar to what nunyas said. I'd rather improve ride quality over looks, so that's where most of my money will go. I might make a couple low-key visual changes, but nothing drastic. You do what you want and what'll make you feel good in your car, though. Worth varies from person to person, so it's up to you. Good luck, and have fun

 

Yup, u read it right, and i understnad what nunya says, and i want to have a nice performance car but the thing is too. Like what you said, Idk, if its going to give me alot of gains unless i go forced induction. But ill keep researchin and see how well this engine is with all the parts comin out, would like to get into the 200hp range but its going to be A WHILE. But thanks for the help though..

 

its up to u if you want to go for performance or looks. I'm asian so I'm going RICE.

 

On the "quick and easy" front. Lowering the car with springs will probably give you the biggest handling improvement for money invested. A stiffer rear sway bar will change the characteristics of the car's handling more than anything else.

Window tinting will help set you apart from the masses. Depending on how much you want to spend or how much you want to learn, you can get creative with your window tint by using different shades, colors, and types. You gotta be careful if you want to use some "mirror" tint as it may draw too much attention from the local police, but if used sparingly it can be successfully used to really set your car apart from the masses.

Axle backs also help set you apart from stock. Though, if you're looking at them from a performance perspective you'll be disappointed. To me, axle backs are more about giving the car more character and making it "yours". To really get performance out of exhaust changes you'll need the complete system from the cylinder head to the back bumper.

IMO, the best engine performance 'bolt-on' is probably a CIA. I don't particularly care for the SRI's on our Lancers. They might give you a little gain, but it won't be as good as a CIA. That's because the SRIs all pull intake air from directly over the exhaust manifold; the hottest spot under the hood.

Body mods obviously go from mild to wild... I see the body kits for out '08 Lancers are coming out. Some are more attractive than others. Personally, I think the most 'extreme' I'll go is adding a front splitter, or maybe changing the front lip if one that goes all the way across ever comes out.

 

Only you can decide what's "worth" your money.

From what little dyno results we have, the 4B11 doesn't seem like it makes much N/A power. Some dyno sheets show huge gains with intake/exhaust, some show almost nothing.

A pretty car will always be nice. Your warranty will always be good. Etc. So show is always a good thing. But it's your choice on whether to address power and handling.

 

Good power always worth it ;P
that said, since we've got a loooooong warranty, and if you don't want to pay an arm&leg for some mod, I think you gotta have the time to get some free money and think about what you want before it ends héhé.

 

Go for both and go for broke

 

i think im going for show personally. the car is sharp as a mo fuh