Evo vs. Sti

recaro (more supportive) > sti seats
carbon fiber wing (adds more downforce at high speed > sti's double deck wing
quicker steering > sti's dull steering
wider and stickier advan tires > sti's retarded 17x8 on 225 tires
mod friendly > no-so mod friendly retarded boxster engine
moderate understeer > heavy understeer

the evo is all about performance. if you want creature comfort, the sti would be your choice.

 

Yeah you can still go over 6000rpm if you want, you can set the shift light and beep to any RPM you want all the way up to 8000 I think. The point of this is so you don't have to keep your eye on the dash when you're racing, you can just shift when you hear the beep.

The EVO does not have a differential lock that I know of, the STi has Mechanial LSD for the front and rear, active diff in the center.

 

I specifically chose the EVO because it DIDN'T have leather boondoggles, computer climate/entertainment/navigation/communications programming control and walnut stained wood interior paneling. It is simple and honest, which is a form of elegance all it's own. Not to mention that my money went for performance, not so I could feel "luxurious". It requires a certain aesthetic sense to appreciate the EVO, and while I won't knock yours (you mentioned the ugly STI front end so there's still hope for you) I will say that for me, the EVO is as near perfection as I'm likely to find in a US sold car.

 

You are asking for alot because you don't want to pay more then 30k for it. Just the performance of these cars is leaps and bounds above many others sports cars in the 40-50k range. Seriously man, your getting ALOT of performance.

If you just want a little bit of both all in one package , go look elsewhere. These cars don't offer a little bit of performance and for the money, just having 4 doors should be enough luxury and shiny guages and Recaro seats should be enough interior aesthetic.

 

Wait till 2007/2008 for the new Infiniti GTR

Since its going to be an infiniti I'm sure it will have all the lux you need + bad *** performance

 

Ohh thats right, now I remember the topic of DIFF LOCK. So STI and EVO offer the same stuff, the only thing the STI has is DIFF lock?

 

To the advanced driver it's in the same ballpark. But to the average driver, the STI understeers quite a lot compared to the Evo.

 

Huh? You'd think an advanced driver driving these cars to the limit at a track would notice the understeer of the STi a whole lot more than your daily driver whose not really driving them hard.

 

No, it's more then that, in the STi you can manually adjust the torque split of the center diff, ie. you can set it where the diff will transfer 65% tq to the rear, 35 to the front, or whatever setting you fancy. Or you can leave it in auto and let the computer decide for you. There is also a setting for Open, ie. Open diff, totally unlock.

In the EVO, you have 3 presets, snow, tarmac and gravel, no manual adjustment.

 

what's the point of all those adjustments, when none of those adjustments make the STi faster around corners than an EVO?

 

 

Jag - Thanks for your insight and opinion on these cars.

your objective approach to a mature decision is not unappreciated by all.
If I do get the MR it will be a third car for me. I already have a dedicated track car and a pickup. This will be my cruiser for a while til it is old and scraped enough to see track duty.

A car that can give the best of all worlds, looks as well as performance is truely a gem (like the M3.)

A little work on these rally cars interiors would do them a world of good. I would not mind the leather seats in the MR one bit. I can always use a harness for track days.

After calculating the out the door price on the MR $38G - I recalled seeing a low milage 2001 preowned M3 for a little less and thought that it would not be a bad alternative if I wanted a bit more luxury. The M3 also put a huge on my face after test driving it. If you haven't tried one - you might want to give it a shot.

 

Those adjustments are pretty much useless on the street.

But it comes in extremely handy if you're driving in off road rally.

Honestly, I think the cornering differences has something to do with the stock tires on the STi. It comes with 225/45/17s compare to the EVO's 235s, I think the best modification you can do to the stock STi is to replace the factory tires to something wider. Not saying that's the only reason, but I think it plays a big role.

 

Did someone mention the GTR - 450 hp beast from Nissan will be here for 07 I hear.

Plan B

 

Even if it were the tires, that's not a cheap MOD at $250 each for the Advans.