Looking for something with more grip

[JDM_GUY]

Looking to upgrade soon and would like to know where to go next. Should I get a EVO or STi? which one will give me that edge and grip level in autocross. And which model from the 2 staying within 150k.

I currently own a civic SiR and it pretty good around corners, I have good tires and suspension but I am looking for some more power and more grip.

[Dave]

Ess Tee Eye!
Price doesn't make a diff as depending on decked out the car comes, price would vary.

[Jimbo]

You should have bought PBJ818 lol...

[Sanctifier]

Should I get a EVO or STi? which one will give me that edge and grip level in autocross. And which model from the 2 staying within 150k. ... I am looking for some more power and more grip.

I am looking for some more power and more grip... IMHO if you need a "daily driver" with smooth ride, good brakes, power and adhesion (but NOT ultimate "autocross handling" characteristics) then buy an STi. They are very good cars, with better trim and dashboard layout than an Evo IMHO.

However 99% of all the Road Tests, Comparisons & Magazine Reviews that I've read over the past 15 years, agree that Evo 5-9 models all understeer less... stop shorter... accelerate faster... generally give quicker & sharper "driver feedback" than STi's... and have much stronger engines too.

staying within 150k... When buget is also important the Evo wins 'hands down'. IIRC a couple Evo 6s were sold recently for +/- $135k... the best of the bunch was Ryan Pinhero's E6 RS2. AFAIK that went for well over $200k with spares.
Local Evo prices are usually lower than STi prices... and AFAIK 'Parts & Maintenance' costs are even worse...
5 years ago, local Brembo pads for STi = ~ $6,000... Evo 5-8 = < $3,800. I don't know what they cost today.

BTW these are the opinions of ex-STi owners about the main differences between the two cars...
Link--> What many Subaru owners think about Evos!
Their $0.02¢

Also, the Reviews usually rate the Evo 6 RS/RS2 and the Evo 9 GT highest of all... with the edge going to the Evo 6.

.........

Low budget... Evo 5 or Evo 6. Go for E5-6 RS or E6 RS2 only - Almost impossible to find locally... lowest weight, best handling & performance of all Evos... but body parts are an issue. E5-6 GSRs with rear AYC may need costly maintenance... and give lower handling performance for autocross. (pm Devi Nath for E6 GSR handling info.)

Good... Evo 7-8 is a good compromise. More reliability but more weight, slightly less handling but good spare part supplies.

Best Pick... Evo 9 GT or E9 RS is the most expensive and your best choice for spare part supplies. Best handling and performance of E7-9 generation.

IMHO raise your $$$ limit over $200k... and buy an Evo 8-9 (RS or GT) for less maintenance headaches, more reliability & better performance.

My $0.02¢

[SiR8081]

Sanctifier what is your opinion of the Evo ix MR FQ 340 as a daily driver?

[Jimbo]

Comfort for a daily driver is a matter of preference and more importantly relativity. Coming from an EG Civic, a CT9A evo will feel like a luxury sedan, except for that ridiculously razor sharp quick steering and firm suspension. My 2 cents lol

[Sanctifier]

Sanctifier what is your opinion of the Evo ix MR FQ 340 as a daily driver?

Great car! Excellent reviews... although some prefer the FQ 320. IMHO keep it as close to "stock" as possible if using as a daily driver. If you MUST upgrade, focus on brakes, rims & tyres first... then maybe a Water/Meth kit... maybe later, injectors + FP Green turbo + Reflash.

My focus changed after seeing so many local Evo 2nrs chasing a non-stop cycle of power upgrades...
and the increased unreliability that goes with it... especially for a daily driver.

Eventually, my daily driver will be this... Link--> "GroceryGetter!" - Lancer 1800 GTX (A175X.)...
Using a "strengthened" but "bone stock" 4G93T (205 bhp) "in-line" in place of the G62BT with IRS and ft. and rr. Brembos from an Evo 8 + CNG kit for lower running cost.

I'm going to rebuild my E6 to Solodex rules for a "stock" Evo 6 and use it on weekends and for 'dex only.

Then I'll rebuild the Clone (4wd 1800 GSR-to-Evo 6 TME RS) for Drag & Wind with all the special suspension, brakes & engine bits, when the extra $$$$ are available.

My $0.02¢

[SiR8081]

jimbo: feel free to throw in your $0.02, the more info the better.

sanctifier: i plan on keeping it bone stock like you recommend. the only thing i really would like to do to it is the water/meth and the ecu reflash with the goal of the car being able to run fine on premium and maybe even super?

I operate like an old man so I am going to keep it as stock as possible and i plan on doing just a couple cosmetic upgrades and leaving everything else stock from a mechanical perspective as much as possible.

Cosmetic would be

1. vortex generator
2. maybe CF front splitter
3. ralliart mudflaps
4. gauges (what do you recommend beyond oil temp, oil pressure and boost?)

Mechanical

1. AEM water/meth injection
2. Cusco braces

I see what you are saying about the never ending cycle of upgrades. I myself am trying to stay far from this. I know once i start, i will never finish. So trying to avoid this road as much as possible.

I like your 'grocery getter' lol

[Jimbo]

If you're doing water meth do aquamist or coolingmist. Forget that AEM crap. And another 2 cents, if you're doing a daily driver, don't do water meth. Run premium and get your car tuned properly. You'd be surprised at how much your afrs can get thrown off by an exhaust system or intake filter.

[SiR8081]

Jimbo:

The only reason I was going with the water/meth injection was b/c i know that the evos require the UK's super unleaded fuel which has a RON of 98. I know that our premium has a RON of 95 and that evo owners complain of pinging.

I was hoping the water/meth kit with a proper retune would mean safe running on premium. I already fill premium 3X a week at about $160 each time so running premium is no biggie. I was just hoping that the car would run fine on our lower octane fuel with no issues b/c of the water/meth injection.

Please advise.

[Jimbo]

Many people swear by water meth and I not going to detract from the success that many have had running it.
It's just my personal opinion and preference that if you want a daily driver as reliable as possible, skip the water meth and just get a good tune on our premium and you'll do fine.
My Evo 7 is stock except for exhaust and air filter + turbo inlet pipe and I'm making just about 300 whp on our pump gas with the smaller 9.8T turbo.
Lots of nice usable power for a daily driver.
Shameless plug Silvermike for the safe reliable and optimum tune and Teknet for good parts and advice.

[SiR8081]

Thanks for the advice jimbo. I honestly thought, I would need the water/meth injection for the car to run fine on premium, but if this is not the case, I will not bother with it.

So it looks like my 'mods' are going to be:

vortex generator
3 gauges (boost, oil temp, oil pressure)
retune to run on premium

That should be it for me, as I am all for leaving cars bone stock, down to the rims!

[Jimbo]

Vortex generator - Rice! Lol

[SiR8081]

That's why I said 'mods' and was contemplating if to put it under another heading, "rice."
In hindsight I should have.

[Silvermike]

An evo can be tuned to run on super if u like. Its all a question of how much power u want. Send me a pm when your ready to tune.

[SiR8081]

Silvermike

All I would like, is for the car to make the stock power on our local premium/(super?) safely. Not really looking to up the power or reduce it either. Will check you when I actually have the car. lol Which will be before the end of the year.

Can the FQ 340 make stock power on super with no issues or is it just simpler and safer to tune it on premium and done? I am not averse to tuning it to run on premium as I know I cannot have an evo and expect to spend small change at the pump like a diesel owner.

I don't know so I am asking wrt the premium vs super on stock power.

[Silvermike]

it will make less power on super than premium. How much? I dont know, depends on the car. maybe 20-30 less.

An untuned stock evo 7/8/9 makes anywhere from 220-250whp depending on the condition of the car and quality of gas in the tank. A tuned stock evo can make in the 270-280 range on premium. basic bolt ons will get u to 300.

...edit.... I see your looking at an fq340. please keep in mind fq ecus are factory locked. In-order to tune an FQ car you may be required to swap the ecu to a stock e9. There are ways to try to unlock the ecu, but I rather not try anything that will potentially mess up a customer's car.

[MadCrix]

you can also look at a snow performance kit as I current use that in my evo.

no complaints 3 yrs later

will simple bolts ons, meth and ecu you can easily hit 400whp

[SiR8081]

thanks for all the advice guys.

waiting on import licence still; 3 months and 3 weeks so far and counting.

[Sanctifier]

^ ^ ^ Which model did you decide upon finally?... the FQ 340

[SiR8081]

I have settled on the FQ 340 however I am more than willing to accept an FQ 320 b/c of the time constraint of getting the car in before the end of the year.

And I got the import licence finally.

Time to shop around!

[Sanctifier]

^ ^ ^ Keep us posted... and post some pix after you decide.

Good luck.

[kjaglal76]

I have settled on the FQ 340 however I am more than willing to accept an FQ 320 b/c of the time constraint of getting the car in before the end of the year.

And I got the import licence finally.

Time to shop around!

isnt the import license vehicle specific i.e chassis # etc?

[SiR8081]

thru a company no but as an individual yes with the certificate of cancellation of registration as proof of the chassis number

[blitzkreig]

^^^ where are you getting a 2007 evo ix fQ? you have to be careful. make sure the manufactured date is actually 2007. do not go by the registration date the UK provides. someone correct me here if I am wrong.

[kjaglal76]

thru a company no but as an individual yes with the certificate of cancellation of registration as proof of the chassis number

so how u get the import licence 1st, den shopping around, i kno a licence is unit specific i.e chassis #, engine #, color etc, as far as i kno, u shop around 1st, get an invoice den apply for licence.

[SiR8081]

I applied for the licence through a registered company. So the vehicle will be registered in the company's name. Therefore I did not need to buy the vehicle 1st. I can buy it after I get the licence, which is what I am doing.

On the licence states: RHD Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 YOM 2007 or less with a/c unit using RC134A refrigerant.

If I had to get the licence in my name, I would have had to have bought the car 1st. Then have it de-registered in the UK and then apply for my import licence with the chassis number on it using the certificate of cancellation of registration from the UK's MOT as proof of the engine and chassis number along with my invoice.


To reply to blitzkrieg:

Evo 9s were manufactured up until 2007 when they ceased production for the evo 10. This way you can get evo 9s that are 2007 and evo 10s that are 2007. I will make sure that the year of manufacture is 2007 otherwise the car will not be able to leave the port in trinidad for being over 6 yrs of age.


Looking to buy the evo before the end of the month. Can anyone point me to some UK sites where I can get one to buy? The more options the better. I checked piston heads, ebay uk and MLR.

[SiR8081]

I have checked all over the UK but I find myself unable to locate one with the deadline for this year coming upon me swiftly. I have contacted UK car dealers and they recommended that I go with the Evo X.

Can anyone give me some reviews on the Evo X FQ 330? I would really have loved to get the evo IX and I am still trying to locate one but I am resigning myself to the reality that I will most likely have to settle for the Evo X.

[Sanctifier]

^ ^ ^ Sorry to hear that. IMHO the Evo IX is much more of a driver's car than the Evo X... at least those models WITHOUT the rear AYCs. I prefer the RS etc with rear LSDs.

Have you tried some of the Main Dealers like Co-ordSport or Xteme Motors etc? I just found these after your post...

Here's an interesting Evo IX on eBay UK... but you better hurry!!!
It's a 2008 (2008/03/27 ) Evo IX FQ360 from Mountsett Garage, with 27,822 miles on the clock, going for £25,995.00.
Link--> 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 Evolution Ix Fq 360 4 door Saloon

With all the current B/S going on with UK stolen cars, there's even a Vehicle Status Report link available on the listing that you can buy. Also you get Buyer Protection with PayPal too.

Here's an Evolution IX FQ320 listed on Parker's by Culloden Car Sales, Inverness.
It's got 62,000 miles on the clock and is going for £11,995...
Link--> Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX FQ320.

If you get either one, you can thank me by giving me 1st dibs on getting to ride shotgun for your test drive.
(Call Wade at 684-4552.)

[16 cycles]

SiR8081...put a WTB thread in the classifieds.....you might get lucky with someone wanting to part with their e9

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p

just some examples off autotrader.com - search a postal code for england - enter, and search