Hello,

I am a newbie here, and couldnt find what I was looking for in the Newbie Forum and using the search engine. I sincerely apologize if this has been discussed before.

I currently drive an S2000 and it is my daily driver and auto-x/track toy. I am moving up to Seattle, WA very soon, and was thinking the EVO would be a great daily driver and AX/track car, since it rains 75% of the time up there. The EVO would replace my beloved S2K, but I like the idea of having more utility.

The following questions goes out to the people who spend their weekends doing auto-x/track days.

I wish I could answer some of these questions myself, but the dealers around here wont let me test drive, unless I'm about to buy the car today, or take a rectal exam

1) This one is a longshot. But has anyone made the transistion from a FR car (S2K, Miata, Boxster, etc) to an EVO? If so, how does the larger EVO "feel" compared to your old car? Does it feel way too heavy? I know its not going to be as tossable as the cars I mentioned above, but I dont want to drive a understeering pig either. Speaking of understeer, its there too much, and is it easily corrected with driving inputs? Or do I just need a thicker rear sway bar?

2) How is the steering feel? My ONLY complaint about the S2K is its "numb" steering feel (thanks to an intrusive EPS system). My benchmark is a Miata, great feedback, really "direct" and responsive steering. I have read that the EVO's steering is "light", I hope its not too light, as I prefer steering on the heavier side.

3) How are the brakes? Thats probably a dumb question, considering the EVO has all mighty Brembo's. Just want some opinions on the pedal feel, and if there is any fade (which would probably be cured w/ some ATE Super Blue or Motul 600).

4) How does it feel at an auto-x compared to other cars you have competed in? I'm afraid at lower speeds, the bigger EVO wont have good turn in and will understeer, so I hope my assumption is wrong. When I saw the car in person, I was amazed at how big it was! I'm afraid I wont be able to get through the cones

5) How does it feel on a road course? I'm sure this is where the car will shine. How is the high speed stability? How is the body roll at high speed corners? How easy is it to recover from a "mistake"? From what I read, the car has a nuetral feel on the track and its break away characterics are really predictable (which is GOOD- the S gets kinda scary sometimes). Do you agree with what the magazine writers say?

6) Since the backseat doesnt fold down, can you still fit all of your track tires in your car? That would be sweet to put everything in the car, and not worry about towing a little trailer.


Thanks for any opinions and observations. The handling dymanics and just plain "feel" of a car are most important to me, not really interested in the magazine racing (even though the EVO puts on some damn nice numbers). I may have to lie to a dealership to get a test drive, but I'm hoping the EVO will be a great car. If it is, I'll get it. If not, I'll have to keep the S, which isnt a bad thing either.

Congrats on owning and competing in such a fine car! Good luck this season.

 

Do a search for user WTZ or Lime Rock track report.

WTZ runs a prepared Boxster S and had a great write up on the Evo!

 

You should PM SS RX7 r2. https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/me...fo&userid=7316
He is an established autocrosser who recently switched from an RX7 to his Evo8 (and he let me ride in it at the last practice )

You really know what to consider before making the move. As for tires, I can tell you that I can just squeeze four 215/45/16 wheels in my back seat (2 propped up on the floor, 2 in the seats), so I don't know how that would relate to the size wheels that come on the Evo, and I forgot if the Evo comes with a roll bar or not, which might limit space.

Good luck on the autocrossing. Maybe I'll be good enough to see you guys at nationals some day.

 

don't do any auto-x but i drive on the track occasionaly.

i have not driven S2ks, miatas or boxters on the track but have on the road. however, i have "met" with a few of these on the track. there is no comparison. the evo is in a different class. the car goes into and comes out of corners faster and is easier to balance. steering is a bit light but feel is very good (better than a boxter in my opinion). the brakes are ok is you use street tyres, but if you go to semi-slicks then you might want to think of upgrading (a few guys I know use AP but if you really want better performance you have to go for the 6-pot with the 362mm rotor, which means you need 18in wheels). I still use the stock brakes but have braided hoses and better fluid. stock rotors though, don't last too long, i now use a 2-piece type and its been ok so far.

the cars that will keep up with an evo on the track are usually 996 C2s and C4s. if it is a short tight track, the evo is competive against even GT3s (do you have these in the US?boxter S will also keep up. feel free to go play with 360s, you will not be embarrassed.

then there are those WRXs, unless a lot has been spent on suspension and engine mods, or are driven by very talented people. they will not keep up. too much understeer and not oil cooler means they are not as fast and cannot stay out on the track long.

an evo can hold its own on the track with pretty much any other road car, plus its a lot of fun to drive.

 

Thanks for the replies guys!

I actually got to test drive an EVO the other day, and I was very, very surprised. Good, direct, responsive steering, feels a lot like a Miata (which is my benchmark of great steering feel). The car doesnt feel very heavy at all, I thought it would feel too heavy, but I was surprised at its quick reflexes. Very little understeer, I was expecting the worst with 60% of the weight up front. It makes my decision hard, and I'm not sure I want to give up the S. It sounds stupid, but I like the S because its so engaging (difficult/challenging) to drive, the EVO may be TOO easy Thanks again for all the great responses.

 

I bought my Evo last month after 9 years driving a 3rd gen RX-7. These are two cars which are fairly evenly matched with regard to wheel horsepower and lateral acceleration.

I haven't autocrossed the Evo yet (I will on June 1) but I've tossed it around a parking lot a bit and taken some freeway on/off ramps way fast. And I've driven a twisty road way faster than anyone should.

The Evo feels like an idiot could drive this thing fast... While I know that the 3rd gen RX-7 can be wicked fast through the twisties, the Evo can run with it with a lot less drama. Think of the Evo as having full-time traction control without compromising horsepower -- that's what the AWD does for you.

You want to know how balanced the Evo is? I took a passenger (an experienced auto-xer / road course racer) for a little test ride, and we found an empty parking lot and pulled a couple of full throttle turns at typical autocross speeds. I told him my impression afterward -- that the car understeered a bit, but that I fixed it with just a slight throttle correction. He thought from the passenger seat that the car was oversteering a bit, but remained firmly in control.

 

I just read your pm, I've got to run but nice car combo! I'll write my impressions later

 

For auto -x:
1. Under certain conditions, relatively speaking, it understeers like a pig, i.e. long(over 90 deg) fast sweepers. It's much more course dependant that my rx7. Stability is it's strong suit, only spun once trying, spun the rx7 30+ times.
It is unbeatable in high speed transitions and to a certain extent slaloms, much less sensitive to side -side weight tansfer. As fast or faster than a full stock prepped RX-7 R2 on the right course.

2. steering is great mostly due to quickness.

3. brakes good, stock pads have medium intail bite, but it's more of a preference thing.

4. Actually darn good in slow speed turn arounds, turns in, no signif time loss trying to carry speed, goes down to 1st easy and nothing rockets out as quick due to the 4wd.
5. only one tire in trunk. one behind each seat, and one in the back seat, 255-17"

 

Granted, driving skill is the primary factor in speed around a track, but I took my evo to Texas World Speedway a couple of weeks ago and was mightily impressed with the car. Granted, I had zero track experience up until that point but my instructor had nothing but great things to say about it. He took three of us in the Evo on a few laps during the expert sessions and it was amazing how much speed the car can hold through the turns. We even passed a 996 turbo with four people in the car.... the main thing that will change when coming from an S2K is the line, you can be more aggressive and leave the FR cars behind in the turns. ONe thing which was a surprise was in compound turns, my instructor said to sacrifice the first turn to set up for the second. In other words, the awd lets you go faster on a sub-optimal line, which should help you set up for subsequent turns if they're close.