Bmurray

iTrader: (5)

Thanks, that one was mine. I appreciate the kind words

Thanks! Was a nice event. I like those kind of "toned down" meets. Not an overwhelming amount of cars, mature group of people, etc. Had a good time. Will definitely have to go to next year's.

I got the evo 9 shield from an ebay seller. I forget his username but i believe if you just search "evo 9 heat shield" or something along those lines, you will find it.

Kevin Trifaro

Hello everyone, I'm new to the area and hopefully will be getting my hands on an evo ix fairly soon. I am located in Morrisville, west of raleigh, South of durham and was wondering what shops are recommended around here? I am not in a position to be able to work on the car myself and would need to bring it to a shop for literally everything. I am currently waiting for the seller to get back to me about a time to set up a inspection. I'm hoping everything comes out good when it happens tho.

06MREvo

iTrader: (90)

Welcome & Force-Fed Performance out of Fayetteville.

dbotkin5

iTrader: (4)

Welcome! There are several good shops around here. Force Fed in Fayetteville is where I've gone over the years. There's also shops further away in Charlotte (Motion Lab) and Hickory (Dyno Time). Force Fed is nearby and can take care of you though.

Also a lot of knowledgeable folks on here who can help out with questions.

06MREvo

iTrader: (90)

Dan, did you really just mention Motion Lab??

dbotkin5

iTrader: (4)

I haven't been there, but several other local guys have been there and didn't have anything negative to say. He asked for options, so I gave him options! lol

I also tried to tell him he could just ask the encyclopedia of BJ

What's up w/ your car these days?

Bmurray

iTrader: (5)

I'm not sure if I have ever heard a single good thing about Motion Lab

dbotkin5

iTrader: (4)

Several local X guys were tuned by them with no problems for years. I have no personal experience with them though.

detroit pistins

iTrader: (102)

Didn't Kasey used to work/tune for them?

06MREvo

iTrader: (90)

What's up with my car? Good question! Adulting may result in letting go of the evo....

'Lectric_Blu_IX

Osteoarthritis in my left knee is going to result in me letting go of mine. Just can't handle sitting in traffic with a 5-speed anymore. Three intra-articular steroid injections now, and it's just getting worse. I never wanted to get rid of this car...

Any suggestions for an automatic replacement? I was thinking about a Golf R...

06MREvo

iTrader: (90)

No bueno. Mine has been a project for way too long. I've somewhat lost motivation & don't have the time nor want to spend anymore money putting it back together. We could definitely use the money to get some stuff done at the new house.

I think Dan still has his Golf R so I'm sure he could give you some feedback.

Kevin Trifaro

Thanks for the help guys. I have been out in the raleigh/durham area, but I've only met 1 evo 8/9 owner. Wheres everyone else hiding? Waiting for better weather?

dbotkin5

iTrader: (4)

I've had the MK6 R and the MK7 R. As a daily driver, the MK7 R is a fantastic car. The interior is really nice and that DSG trans is a really good transmission. As a weekend only toy I think there are "funner" options. The only "negative" on that car for me was that the Haldex AWD system isn't a true AWD system in the same way as the Subies/Evos. It's a front biased system that will send power to the back as the CPU senses it's needed. The result is that the car will tend to push (understeer) like a FWD car when pushed hard. That being said, with a good suspension setup it's still a properly quick car. Those cars respond really well to mods too. Sub 4 sec 0-60 with a tune.

'Lectric_Blu_IX

This is exactly what I wanted to hear! I've been looking into the MK7 as well and, overall, it really seems the best option (with the DSG) at this point. My Evo has been my DD for the past 10 years, and I'll need a DD going forward as well. I hate that they killed the R400 concept, but it sounds like the base R could hit that performance threshold with some mods and a tune. How fickle is VW with their warranty?

Ideally, I'd like to get a Nissan GT-R, but that's just not in the budget. Unfortunately, none of the other affordable "fun" cars (Focus RS, Civic Type R, WRX STi, etc.) have a paddle-shift option. I could get a used X MR I suppose, but I just have a hard time trusting pre-owned Evos...

It saddens me to know that, no matter which car I get, it won't have the same "magic" that the Evo has. I wish Mitsu would consider resurrecting the Evo now that the compact/AWD/Turbo market space has exploded...they got out at EXACTLY the wrong time!

Thanks for the insight, Dan!!!