No offense Kris... but your clutches have to be totally thrashed. You use launch control way to much. especially since you never installed a cooler.

Also the GSR Evo is lighter than the RA. The MR is heavier but only by 70 lbs.

The brakes and suspension alone are worth the cost difference between the RA and EVO.. so if you can afford it upgrade.

 

Not to ask too stupid of a question (hopefully) but what do they help with?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_S-AWC

 

Well I'm not a religious drag racer as most may think I am, I've been to the track a total of 6 times and on 2 of those times I've did no more than 4 runs and no more than 2 runs at the rest. I've had the car a little over a year. The clutches still grab as they have when I first bought the car, plus I drive in Sport/Manual mode daily to prevent as much slippage as possible.

@ Bullett

If my memory serves me right, it puts all the horsepower into the direction you're turning and aids the turn at high speeds. When I did a test drive at Don Herring we hit 90mph on the clover ramp to highway 183. Racaros surely did their job keeping me in place.

 

Upkeep is totally dependent on how you drive the car and how well you maintain it. I've done all the maintenance on mine (with help from Kracka from time to time). All I do is daily drive mine and throw down the hammer every now and then. Here's what I have to report for my 2008 GSR:

Current Miles: 49,xxx

Brakes: Only replaced once. Went from stock pads to ET500s. Changed them out Feb 2011. I bought my car brand new May 2008.

Clutch: Still on the stock clutch. No issues. Don't feel any slipping. Keep in mind, I don't track my car. Simply a daily driver. Again, I bought my car brand new May 2008.

Tires: Changed stock Advans at 14k but would have lasted probably 16-17k.

 

Here's mine (I sold my car with 33k miles on it)... a more extreme usage pattern. 08 GSR.

Brakes: replaced the rotors (stock had been turned twice), lines, fluid multiple times. Used 2 sets of pads for the street and 4 for the track/autox.

Clutch: Original died with 10k miles. Swapped to ACT 6 puck sprung and with ~50 launches and almost double the HP no issues.

Fluids: oil changed every 3k miles or track day (sometimes forcibly on the track up my windshield). Driveline fluids changed on a 10-15k miles schedule, at least once a year. I had minimal driveline whine.

Tires: Advans lasted about 6k. Then new tires every 5-7k (Star Specs, NT05s). Track tires, I went through a used set about every weekend (RA1, Hoosier A6).

Other wear and tear items:
- 2 ultimate racing o2 housing/downpipes (cracked welds, finally replaced with the AMS one)
- pulled the turbo 3+ times to fix the above... had to drill out broken bolts almost every time. Finally swapped the studs for bolts to make this easier (snapping them in the process, so more drilling out).
- 2 access ports, 1 open ecu dongle, multiple ED road tunes, 3 dyno tunes
- 2 walbros, a surge tank, injectors, stupid injector orings, one filter in the fuel pump housing, fuel pump sock (to a IX sock for E85)...
- multiple phases of "green relay, no blue relay, no black relay"
- blown off intercooler pipes, so new, $$ constant torque clamps (thanks Krisiun, never blew off another one)
- grinded core support to support the big *** intercooler
- AAA membership (removed the spare/tools/etc.)
- about 20% hearing loss from the loud *** exhaust. My rear passengers still have tinnitus.
- RCK kit to help recenter the car since it was so lowered.
- at least 20 alignments (lifetime FTW)
- 2 sets of suspension, 1 set of SPC camber bolts (that had to be sawzalled out), a stiff back from the ride.


About a million smiles and a lot of blown off doors. And scared passengers (adding to the million smiles).

 

25k miles
Daily-driver
Bought new June 2010
Still on the stock brakes.
Stock clutch is still holding perfectly (I removed the clutch restrictor pill @ 3k miles).
OEM Advans were done at 10k miles, now 15k miles on my Hankooks and they should be good for another 5-10k.

Loving every minute/mile of it! The only thing that could pry this car out of my grasp is a GT-R.

Really what you need to decide is do you want an automatic or a manual transmission? Both have their pros/cons. If you want a car for drag-racing the GSR will be the better choice IMO. "Launch control" would then be your feet; if you want a computer to figure it out for you then get the MR and just mash the gas. If you want a smooth easy driving car for commuting the MR will be a better choice. The major cons of the SST are the cost of maintenance and cost of upgrades. The pros to the 5-speed manual are it's simpler, cheaper (to buy and maintain), and easier to upgrade the clutch.

If you're also considering a IX then that's really the first decision you need to make; IX or X? Cost to modify is about the same, and both make about the same power with similar mods. For example, my IX made 360/369 whereas my X makes 352/375. Both have similar bolt-ons, but my IX had a fancier ported intake manifold and cams, my X is still on the stock cams and has a basic ported intake manifold. The IX's advantage is less weight, the X's advantage is better suspension, better AWD system, and a nicer interior w/creature comforts.

 

I don't think the maintenance is that bad.

Mine:
2010
34k miles
1 set of brake pads
Stock rotors
Brake fluid changed twice
Drive line fluids changed twice
Clutch replaced (stock clutch had another 10-20k miles on it easy)
stock advans replaced at 19k miles

Wish I would have changed my spark plugs every 10k miles.

Other than that I can't think of anything else.

 

I forgot, I did change my plugs, but they looked fine when I did. I think that the stock gapping is poorly done.

 

Thanks for the update guys. I seriously love the SST, but the GSR is looking strong. Ya always here from most women there's nothing sexier than a guy shifting gears anyways, what I really want is prices for these maintenance costs listed above. Ofcourse it will be my daily, but an occasionally track/drag as well. Very rare though.

 

Look them up, it's easy to find the prices for parts online. A GSR will cost less to maintain than your RA and a MR will be similar.

 

My free hand from the SST can be used on my wife not a stick.

Ok Just kidding..

Seriously if you want to keep your car running perfectly you have to spend money on the safty equipment.. you cant be a cheap ***. I saw one guy getting a FP green and sticking wih the stock intercooler and no SST cooler. Sorry, its not smart. I have heard people even here in NTEC say.. "I cant afford an oil change ATM"

Evo's maintence cost will vary GREATLY depending on how you drive it. Mondo for example is very low key driver. He enjoys his car cautiously and as a result he gets low cost of ownership. Others as stated above drive the **** out of thier car, enjoy every min, and have a high cost of ownership.

You cant nail down exact cost because your schedule will vary based on how you drive, how you MOD, and if you are willing to spend money to keep the car running like new.

But for example here is my cost just for maintence:

Oil changes every 3K miles $60. I use the extended performance Mobil 1 and alternate the Mobil 1 Race oil. Its an average price of $60 per.

SST filter changes every 7500 miles. $120 bucks. Many say you dont need to change this frequently but I do and as a result my oil never smells burnt. Im also pushing more HP and TQ thru my SST than anyone else I am aware of.

SST fluid change $300 every 15K miles. For same reason above.

Spark plugs every 18K miles. Cost $110 bucks

Brake pads every 15K miles $200 bucks. I dont wait till they are at the wear indicator I replace at 80% down.

Brake rotors on the MR, being 2 piece are PRICEY.. I spent $1000 on DBA rotors when the car was brand new and then $700 on the replacement rings after 35K miles. Not trying to sound elitist here, but it blows me away how people will spend loads of money going faster but not a dime on stopping that power or speed.

Brake Fluid flush every 30K miles $300. Really good fluid is expensive. especially the 100% synthetic 660 degree stuff.

All other Drive fluids right at $300 every 20K miles.

For tires my stock advans lasted 12K miles then I replaced and I didnt wait till the cords were showing. I replaced at the wear bar.. We have seen first hand how having bald tires can almost kill you and possibly someone else on a NTEC cruise. Once again not trying to sound like an asshat but tires should be replaced right at wear bar.. not till bald.

Went with the Bridgestone RE760's right at $800 bucks installed, with everything including no question road hazzard. I have 24K miles on them and expect another 6K from them.

So I get tires balanced and rotated every oil change and alignment done every two oil changes for free at Firestone.. cant beat the lifetime bal, rotate, and alignment

 

SST fluid = 250 bucks
Oil change = 80 bucks.
Any other fluid = free for me so not sure.
SST replacement = 6.5k + install
Brakes = still on stock, no idea
Brake pads = I got RB et500 150 bucks for back and front (stock is 350+ parts dept at dealer told me)
Foglight unit = 225
Front bumper (only the bumper not the diffuser or mesh or grill surround) = 745
SST (oem) cooler = 445 (which I replaced for the AMS and that was 530)
SST filter = 150 bucks

For the GSR, I would strongly suggest to get more sound deadening if you can (not sure if you can though, from factory at least) and the 5th gear is loud as hell on the highway (high speeds, not in city) which was another reason why I went with MR T.

My stock advans only lasted 4k miles on me (yes, I know lol. I literally ate them with torque, drove extremely aggressive and pushed the evo to the limit), now I have the continental extreme contact dws for 16k miles which would have lasted me 20k if the driver side front tire wasnt cut into by the fender mesh after I got hit by a tire... So i have a brand new set of 4 (same tires) sitting in my room waiting to get my car back to put em on...

 

Hey Krisko, don't know if you saw my post about this, since I just traded my 2011 RA for a 2010 SE
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/09...preview-6.html

anyway, overall maintenance is about the same - the more important thing is to only make the trade-up if your finances are comfortable with it. I don't think it's a matter of maintenance costs - it's a matter of still having plenty of money left over to handle stuff like maintenance.

If trading up causes you to live off 10% or less of your income, it is NOT worth it. Evo's are great, and I love mine, but I recommend the customers that they are NOT worth maxing youself just to have. I see so many of my customers come into service with their Evo's and they're dead broke, no money for mods or even tires, etc - while I was having WAY more fun modding the RA

and I can't stand how slow stock X's are. I love my SE, but holy f--k it's slow. (I have the money to mod, but I'm waiting for SSP's dyno around the 26th) My situation was unique, so even though I did it, I don't automatically recommend the RA trade-up to Evo. It's a big financial decision (and almost always a big hit). If it ends up eating a lot of your budget, you won't be having much fun in the Evo

 

I know this is off topic... but being a "Insurance/Financial Planner" guy The rule of thumb is this.

For your car.. never buy a car that exceeds 50% of your income in cost.

So.. you make 100K a year you can safely afford a 50K car.

For your house its 2 times income.

These are only guidelines, just be smart with your money.