I've been needing to buy a car for a long time and it's becoming time to do so. With prices low because of the economy I believe I'm ready to take the plunge.

I believe that the Lancer Evolution is going to be my chariot but there are many different options and I'm having some trouble breaking it down into the best bang for the buck, as well as getting more of an edge in autocross because of those features. I plan to purchase a stock Evo and keep it stock so I can be in a stock class.

I think I've deduced down that the 05 Evo MR would be a good choice because it has a 6 speed transmission with lower gear ratios which i would hope keep me in the boost range better. It also has a helical front lsd which I assume is better maybe then whatever the other models have as well as ACD (Active Center Differential) which is a ecu controlled differential force limiting thing which I believe is the main reason it handles better than the STI.

Of course if you go to the 06 model you've jumped to the 9 series and all models have the same things as the 05 MR minus the 6 speed transmission. The 9 series does have about a 10 hp and tq increase as well as MIVEC which has to be awesome since they stole the idea from Honda. The 9 series does have a little bit of a price increase but I don't know if it's worth the increase to get the extra power. I'm mostly wanting a wonderful handling experience and if I can get that at a cheaper cost and a cut of power then I think the 05 MR would do just fine.

What do you all think? Should I go with 05 MR or look for a 9 series?

 

not true

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if you are solely doing low speed autocross an MR would be okay...the transmissions are known to have issues handling high temps in the upper gears (road racing scenarios mainly)

ix rs would be optimal if you can deal without electric windows and doors

if you plan on keeping it at or near stock the ix is your better option if you can afford it

 

why not concider a X

 

The main difference of the RS is the lack of a wing, visually speaking? Or is that the main difference of the RS in the 8 series?

cost, i'm just a humble noc tech.

 

Mr handles better then all of them also a plus is the 6spd to many myth's about the tranny and 3 of my friend push well over 470whp daily with 29 psi to 33psi also great for the hwy.

 

road racing failures are not myths and he's not talking about big power

 

main difference visually between the RS and MR is the wing and the zero lift kit (lip under front undertray)

 

Agree that the IX RS would be your best bet... Thanks to autocross classing, a car that is 200 lbs lighter is in the same class as the exact same car but 200 lbs heavier. But then again, a car that has S-AWC is also in the same class... Stupid SCCA autocross classing.

 

9 RS it is... Thanks.

 

I see a lot of misconceptions in the first thread. I suggest reading/researching a bit more about Evo's.

 

The RS doesn't have ABS, and isn't 200lb lighter than the MR. I could be wrong, but I believe that the 05MR didn't have the front diff (but don't quote me on that). I also owned en EVO8 and the 9 does make a better stock class autoxer, but not by much.

By the way, I'm getting ready to sell my 06 MR prepped for stock class autox including front bar, muffler delete, shocks, rims and tires. PM me for more info.

George M

 

All I will add is I wish you luck in finding a stock Evo.

 

unless you are trying to compete on a national level with the RS, and stay in A Stock, I think you're better off getting a car that has power windows and other creature comforts.

IMO, for the 30-40 seconds you're on an AX course, loosing all the power options doesn't make up for the likely thousands of hours you'll spend on the road driving.

 

Then you don't want to run A-Stock in an Evo. An S2000 or Solstice GXP will run rings around the Evo at Stock prep levels, and the results are out there to prove it. There have been a handful of victories for the more serious AS Evo guys, but I think they would be the first to admit that they have the odds against them...

I can understand if it's a daily driver and you don't want to modify it, for budget reasons or otherwise. But believe me when I say that you won't find a "wonderful handling experience" in a Stock-prepped Evo.

A BSP/SM Evo with proper diffs is much closer to what you're probably looking for.

 

^^ Unless your idea of "wonderful handeling experience" is an understeering machine.