Chattanooga, ATL dyno day reminder 5/15 & 5/16
Chattanooga, ATL dyno day reminder 5/15 & 5/16
Vishnu dyno day
There are still a couple of spots left. You can make a few power pulls (no tuning) with WBO2 and get to eat burgers at the cookout we will be having. The power pulls are $100 to Dyno4mance. Custom tuning is $200 extra, and will be provided by Shiv himself.
If you'd like to come by and watch, as well as see an awesome shop, please feel free to stop by. The sign up sheet is in my signature. Click on that and go forward to the last page. Evos, STi, WRX, DSM, Lancers are all welcome!
There are still a couple of spots left. You can make a few power pulls (no tuning) with WBO2 and get to eat burgers at the cookout we will be having. The power pulls are $100 to Dyno4mance. Custom tuning is $200 extra, and will be provided by Shiv himself.
If you'd like to come by and watch, as well as see an awesome shop, please feel free to stop by. The sign up sheet is in my signature. Click on that and go forward to the last page. Evos, STi, WRX, DSM, Lancers are all welcome!
The evolutionm.net official Project Evo X: Turnkey Handler
Lowering a car has always been a nasty box of compromises for me. Because of that, I've never had a positive experience with suspension upgrades. My last Evo had a set of inexpensive coilovers that did a good job making the car more visually appealing, but little else. I removed them and drove for a few days before trading the car in, and the stock stuff felt so much better. In my opinion, people encounter the most problems with suspension modification due to lack of understanding. Internet speculation and misinformation from other people result in poor parts selection and improper setup. Because many cars aren't tracked and used to their full potential, the forums are swarming with opinions that aren't based on factual information.
Due to prior disappointment, I knew exactly what I wanted this time: A suspension setup that would improve the handling of the car without giving it poor daily driving characteristics. On an Evo, that's a pretty tall order. Most people lower these cars for aesthetic reasons, not because they have a complaint with the performance. I needed help with coilover selection and setup, from a shop that not only sells suspension components, but has installed them on customer cars showing quantifiable improvements on a racetrack.
My search was short, it started and ended with CBRD Speedfactory in York, PA. I had an intercooler, upper IC pipe, and BBX Lite turbo from CBRD on my last Evo X, and it was great. The company's owner, Chad Block, has a professional racing background, and has literally run race cars on every type of suspension: Penske, Koni F1 bodies, Dynamic Suspensions, Bilstein, JRZ, Moton, and more. He is regarded as an expert on automotive suspensions.
My car is used as a commuter, about 12k miles a year, and some fun street driving on back roads. Eventually, I'd love to do a track day a year as well.
CBRD has recently moved into a new facility. They will, for a modest fee, set up your suspension prior to shipping it to you, so it's ready to bolt in.
Chad's choice for my car were Ohlins R&T with custom spring rates to better match the Evo X than the standard rear springs for the X, which were 7k in the rear. We decided on a front spring rate of 550, and a rear rate of 572, just a little below 10k in the front, and above 10k in the rear. Chad also recommended I get a quality rear swaybar set to soft, and endlinks, and contacted Perrin Performance for those.
After ordering, a few days later everything arrived. CBRD had assembled and pre-set the Ohlins in height. I'd rate my mechanical ability at a 6/10, and had no problem at all doing this on my garage floor, because it was cake as they assembled to the right height and set preload. They were also kind enough to label everything. I needed the help from my wife for a few seconds to put a nut on the rear shocks from the trunk to secure them, but it's an easy solo job other than that.
Unboxed. Height adjusted, preload set, setup, and shipped by CBRD.
In the air ready for install.
Front suspension comparison shot.
Rear suspension comparison shot.
The swaybar was pretty easy, make sure you follow the directions of setting the endlinks up to mirror the stock setup, and that you do install them with the back wheels still off, as it will allow much easier access to that top endlink bolt.
Perrin rear swaybar and endlinks.
Perrin parts installed.
Once installed, I headed out for a test drive. The turn-in, stability, and lack of lean are greatly improved. But the thing I love about this suspension is that it's functionality in daily driving. The highest praise you can bestow on an aftermarket suspension is that it's nearly invisible in your commute, and the Ohlins achive this. You get a dramatic improvement in handling without a punishing ride!
Shortly after, I worked with Rays to get some quality Japanese wheels. I settled on Gram Lights 57Xtreme in 18 x 9.5 +22 in Matte Graphite. They're extremely concave and look great. Yokohama says the stock tires can be used on an 8"-9.5" wheel, so I tried it. They looked ridiculous, and they made the handling and steering extremely nervous. I had tires that were too narrow on Enkei RPF-1s before, and although there is a huge styling trend toward stretched tires, I'd advise against it, as you're just going to make your car handle so much worse than it should.
Chad recommended Pilot Super Sports in 265/35 for the 9.5" wide Gram Lights. Once the wheels were aligned to his specifications, the car transformed into something entirely new. The harshness of the stiff sidewalls of the stretched tires gone, not only did I have much more rubber on the road, but a better ride, much more predictable turn-in, and grip I didn't know was possible in an Evo. I've owned five Evos, three of them Xs, and this one is hands down the best executed in my opinion. The extra contact patch compliments the Ohlins perfectly. The limit is clearly higher, the harmony of the parts and settings inspire more confidence, and the neutrality is wonderful.
18 x 9.5 +22 Gram Light 57Xtreme and 265/35 Pilot Super Sport Sweetness.
When it comes to local service, selection, and pricing, it's hard to beat Discount Tire. They didn't have the tires I wanted in stock, but they got them there in a day, price matched the installation, and had them installed in around 30 minutes.
<-Customer cars on the track->
<-Chad's input->
Special thanks to:
CBRD Speedfactory
Ohlins USA
Gram Lights and Rays Wheels
Perrin Performance
Discount Tire, Franklin, TN.
Lowering a car has always been a nasty box of compromises for me. Because of that, I've never had a positive experience with suspension upgrades. My last Evo had a set of inexpensive coilovers that did a good job making the car more visually appealing, but little else. I removed them and drove for a few days before trading the car in, and the stock stuff felt so much better. In my opinion, people encounter the most problems with suspension modification due to lack of understanding. Internet speculation and misinformation from other people result in poor parts selection and improper setup. Because many cars aren't tracked and used to their full potential, the forums are swarming with opinions that aren't based on factual information.
Due to prior disappointment, I knew exactly what I wanted this time: A suspension setup that would improve the handling of the car without giving it poor daily driving characteristics. On an Evo, that's a pretty tall order. Most people lower these cars for aesthetic reasons, not because they have a complaint with the performance. I needed help with coilover selection and setup, from a shop that not only sells suspension components, but has installed them on customer cars showing quantifiable improvements on a racetrack.
My search was short, it started and ended with CBRD Speedfactory in York, PA. I had an intercooler, upper IC pipe, and BBX Lite turbo from CBRD on my last Evo X, and it was great. The company's owner, Chad Block, has a professional racing background, and has literally run race cars on every type of suspension: Penske, Koni F1 bodies, Dynamic Suspensions, Bilstein, JRZ, Moton, and more. He is regarded as an expert on automotive suspensions.
My car is used as a commuter, about 12k miles a year, and some fun street driving on back roads. Eventually, I'd love to do a track day a year as well.
CBRD has recently moved into a new facility. They will, for a modest fee, set up your suspension prior to shipping it to you, so it's ready to bolt in.
Chad's choice for my car were Ohlins R&T with custom spring rates to better match the Evo X than the standard rear springs for the X, which were 7k in the rear. We decided on a front spring rate of 550, and a rear rate of 572, just a little below 10k in the front, and above 10k in the rear. Chad also recommended I get a quality rear swaybar set to soft, and endlinks, and contacted Perrin Performance for those.
After ordering, a few days later everything arrived. CBRD had assembled and pre-set the Ohlins in height. I'd rate my mechanical ability at a 6/10, and had no problem at all doing this on my garage floor, because it was cake as they assembled to the right height and set preload. They were also kind enough to label everything. I needed the help from my wife for a few seconds to put a nut on the rear shocks from the trunk to secure them, but it's an easy solo job other than that.
Unboxed. Height adjusted, preload set, setup, and shipped by CBRD.
In the air ready for install.
Front suspension comparison shot.
Rear suspension comparison shot.
The swaybar was pretty easy, make sure you follow the directions of setting the endlinks up to mirror the stock setup, and that you do install them with the back wheels still off, as it will allow much easier access to that top endlink bolt.
Perrin rear swaybar and endlinks.
Perrin parts installed.
Once installed, I headed out for a test drive. The turn-in, stability, and lack of lean are greatly improved. But the thing I love about this suspension is that it's functionality in daily driving. The highest praise you can bestow on an aftermarket suspension is that it's nearly invisible in your commute, and the Ohlins achive this. You get a dramatic improvement in handling without a punishing ride!
Shortly after, I worked with Rays to get some quality Japanese wheels. I settled on Gram Lights 57Xtreme in 18 x 9.5 +22 in Matte Graphite. They're extremely concave and look great. Yokohama says the stock tires can be used on an 8"-9.5" wheel, so I tried it. They looked ridiculous, and they made the handling and steering extremely nervous. I had tires that were too narrow on Enkei RPF-1s before, and although there is a huge styling trend toward stretched tires, I'd advise against it, as you're just going to make your car handle so much worse than it should.
Chad recommended Pilot Super Sports in 265/35 for the 9.5" wide Gram Lights. Once the wheels were aligned to his specifications, the car transformed into something entirely new. The harshness of the stiff sidewalls of the stretched tires gone, not only did I have much more rubber on the road, but a better ride, much more predictable turn-in, and grip I didn't know was possible in an Evo. I've owned five Evos, three of them Xs, and this one is hands down the best executed in my opinion. The extra contact patch compliments the Ohlins perfectly. The limit is clearly higher, the harmony of the parts and settings inspire more confidence, and the neutrality is wonderful.
18 x 9.5 +22 Gram Light 57Xtreme and 265/35 Pilot Super Sport Sweetness.
When it comes to local service, selection, and pricing, it's hard to beat Discount Tire. They didn't have the tires I wanted in stock, but they got them there in a day, price matched the installation, and had them installed in around 30 minutes.
<-Customer cars on the track->
<-Chad's input->
Special thanks to:
CBRD Speedfactory
Ohlins USA
Gram Lights and Rays Wheels
Perrin Performance
Discount Tire, Franklin, TN.
Last edited by Noize; Oct 29, 2013 at 12:14 PM.
