maybe i'm just frustrated, and think the grass is greener on the evo side but i have some questions.
i have been reading these forums for a long time so to answer the search question:
yes i searched.

i own an 04 sti and have the following mods:
susp: springs, strut tops, steering rack bushings, kartboy short-shifter, f&r sway bars, f&r endlinks
engine: cobb accessport stg2, cobb dp, espelir catback, gt spec header, aps intake, walbro fp
at 1 point i had a turboxs utec, but removed it and went back to the ap.
i like the torque of the sti, and that is the biggest thing engine wise that i'm afraid to lose.
what i don't like are the weak internals, 400 whp seems to be the limit of the stock pistons on any sort of daily driver.
6 spd gearing is a lil bit shorter than i like, especially with a 7k redline
i won't get into aesthetics of any type as i'm just talking about the important stuff here.

my goal with either car:
380-400whp on pump gas. real power, not some barely there dynojet reading.
solid 11 sec car. (slightly easier with evo gearing i hear)
streetable power, not drag racer type power band

let me first preface by saying that i'm not really considering an mr as with all the mods i would put on right away i would be too close to the price of a c5 zo6 or *gasp* a c6. as much as i know the bilsteins are an awesome setup i would still have to get rid of the 4x4 gap, and that might lead me to sell them and get some full c/o's
bbs's would go too
if i were to sell my sti and get an 05 gsr what do you guys think i would miss from my sti?
my plans would be:
xede or reflash
cams and cam gears
helix full tbe (o2 housing and all)
f&r swaybars
17x8.5 or 9 wheels and 245/40/17 tires
mbc
intake
ic piping upgrade
and then depending on how far the 16g takes me i would look into a turbo upgrade from there.
i would have some exterior mods done as well, which is where the savings over an mr would come into play. (mr head&tail lights, possibly seats if i don't like the recaro plaid)

as for what i would gain from gettin an evo:
steering (yes i'm jealous of the evo steering)
seats (ditto)
selection of mods & support (you guys have it made)
shoes and rubber (again more selection and more room)
stock internals?
this is where i have a question. is the stock block in need of anything @ the 400 whp mark?
also how much can the redline be raised before modification is req'd?

with all these power upgrades does the 4g feel like it has good torque, or will it always have that sport bike like power delivery?
i assume it may just be a matter of the difference in displacement.

if i decide to keep the sti to avoid the hit in $$$ i will go with a vishnu stg2 most likely:
fpgreen, injectors, xede, and most likely ic upgrade.
the only thing that worries me is if i'm just livin on borrowed time with the internals.
most all engine work on the ej engines involves alot of labor and that is what kills me.

maybe if any of you have made the switch to an evo, or from an evo to an sti can chime in here.
or if any of u have had some decent seat time in either car?

fanboys feel free to move along w/o posting


thanks in advance...
on the fence sti owner

 

You want a car that can outhandle STi's on the twisties, go with the Evo. You want a car that can out power modded STi's on the drag track go Evo. Evo has more tuning and mod potential then the boxter engine. 600Whp is where my MR will be sitting at.

Id recommend changing out the internals once you hit 400whp though. Id recommend doing it in the STi or any car. Just makes it stronger and more reliable.

 

the evo ownes

 

My friend has an 05 STi and I have an 04 Evo. Both cars are great! Bottom line. I've driven his car many times, before and after some of the mods he has done. Best thing about the STi.... off boost torque! But generally, both cars are just freakin fun!

It's just my opinion, but I definitely think the STi is easier to drive than the Evo. I love my Recaro seats, "point and click" steering and overall feel of the Evo, but with the STi, the extra .5L of the engine, the shorter shifting and the low end torque makes it easy to drive, IMHO. One example of this is when I'm driving really slow, creeping to be exact, I don't feel the need to ride the clutch on the STi because it doesn't feel like the engine is going to stall or slowly die off. The extra 20% displacement helps!

My friend just recently added a Typhoon intake, Kartboy SS kit, 18" Gramlights with Kumho ASX tires and Eibach springs to his car, so I got to test it out over the weekend. The Kartboy is totally badass! I cannot believe how much shorter and mechanical the shifting is... almost always felt like I missed the gear cause it is soo short. The Typhoon intake is ridiculously evil sounding! The car sounds like it has some freakin jet plane turbine ready to go! Everytime I shift and hit the gas, i was getting shivers. It's pretty awesome.

I actually got to drive the Sti around some nice twisty roads in the wee hours of the morning, over the weekend. With the mods, the car felt good around the bends. The handling felt great with the Eibachs, but it still felt like it was understeering a bit. Also, I was afraid to push it too hard cause it felt too "powerful", if there is such a thing. Well for one thing, I really didn't feel comfortable doing it, cause it wasn't my car but i pushed it enough to feel the power.

After a few hours (around 4am), I took my car out to the same area to test it out too. Since I was more comfortable with my car, I pushed it harder than the STi. First thing I noticed right away, was that my car felt alittle sluggish in the lowend. To be expected, but once the boost came in, it was all good again.

Pushing the car hard around the bends, I can easily feel the difference in the chassis and handling! It was sticking like glue, even with the all-season Falkens. The Evo just felt like I can push it more around the curves than the STi without that feeling of losing control. Not saying the STi was crappy, it was just more-so that the Evo felt easier to drive faster around the bends! My friend who owns the STi was sitting in the backseat and he said it felt like a rollercoaster. He said he was feeling sick after the drive. Hehe.. I, myself couldn't stop grinning! The car impressed me even more-so. Cause for one thing... it was probably the hardest I've driven the car since purchasing it. Let's just say...I cannot wait to take it to the track next year!

My friend hasn't gotten a flash or any tuning on the STi, as of yet, but the car pulls pretty hard. I can easily feel the major difference with my pretty much stock Evo. As of yet, I only have a K&N panel filter, 17" Enkei RS-5s with Falken 512 tires and grounding kit on my car. But even stock I always like the torque of the STi... I came from a 2.5RS, so i'm sort of used to the low-end torque. I'm sure with proper tuning and some more mods, the 2.5L STi engine will be a total torque monster. I'm not saying the Evo does not have the potential but stock for stock, the low end torque of the STi might be something you'll miss. And another thing would be the Boxer engine sound!!!Ohhh... I miss that sound. The Evo is ok, but I loved how my old modded RS sounded, and the STi sounds just as good, even with the stock exhaust.

I guess, I really can't give you any clear answers to your questions. I'm biased towards the Evo I own one, but I wouldn't mind having the STi, cause I know it is just as fun to drive as the Evo. I went with the Evo cause I didn't want to pay over $30K for a car, even though I could have gotten the STi under invoice. I got a very nice price for my Evo so I went with it. But both cars are just amazing! I love my car, but I if I could afford both... the STi would be right next to the Evo!

Good luck with your decision though! Hope I kinda gave you a little bit of info about each car. Maybe you should convince a friend to buy an Evo!

 

[QUOTE=chrisfx811]maybe i'm just frustrated, and think the grass is greener on the evo side but i have some questions.

- no question its better on this side!



my goal with either car:
380-400whp on pump gas. real power, not some barely there dynojet reading.
solid 11 sec car. (slightly easier with evo gearing i hear)
streetable power, not drag racer type power band

- get an evo then




if i were to sell my sti and get an 05 gsr what do you guys think i would miss from my sti?

- maybe being part of a large family. an a$$ load more sti than evos out there
- the softer ride




this is where i have a question. is the stock block in need of anything @ the 400 whp mark?

- not sure , but i dont think so

 

you want a mid 11 second daily driver? Evo could do that but it'll cost you.

 

u r going to mod it, right? go for evo.....

 

OBI WAN come to the dark side.......

the Evo has the ability to make 400 awhp and run 11's on the stock turbo, intercooler etc... can the STI do that........

and i know how much you like my seats

give me a call maybe billy will give you and i a group rate on the T90 kit

Jeremy