My Evo Experience
09-20-2012, 07:37 PM
#1
Thread Starter
My Evo Experience
So about 5 days ago I bought myself an extremely clean 1-owner 2004 Evo 8 RS. I thought I'd post up some impressions + story about the whole experience.
2.5 weeks ago I went and saw the car, test drove it, and loved it. It was owned by a 30-something year old guy who had it since '04, and was VERY meticulous. The mod list on the car is high quality and very carefully chosen: 3" downpipe, 3" test pipe, 3" Greddy exhaust, turbo timer, Evo 9 BOV, nice gauges, Walbro fuel pump, etc etc the list goes on. The car is a clean title, never been in an accident, and I got it for an incredibly low price. It had 96k miles when I picked it up.
When I went to pick it up on Sunday, the owner had a TON of spare and extra parts for me - everything from stock parts to brand new gauges he had never installed all the way to a brand new "Lancer Evolution" keychain. The guy is a big DSM/Evo guy and has been in the scene for 15+ years, so it was amazing to buy the car from such a dedicated, passionate enthusiast. By the time I left, I had a back seat and trunk full of 30+ extra spare items, paper work, hell even an official Mitsubishi 2004 Evo 8 owner's manual on CD-ROM! The previous owner was the ideal person to buy any car from, let alone the oft-abused, hard to find in good condition Evo 8. One of my favorite things he did was that he installed the gauges + AFR/turbo timer in the glove box in a carbon fiber holder. Talk about sleeper/awesome.
I lucked out and got my ideal model: A Rally Red RS. What is the RS? The RS is a stripped down, track friendly package: Front LSD (MR + GSR don't have the front LSD), weight reduction, non-power mirror, locks, and windows, no stereo (PO installed a stock stereo though), it has AC, and the trunk is pretty much gutted from the factory, not to mention it is wingless. With a full tank of gas the RS weighs 3181 lbs according to Road Race. Also, the car has no sunroof + has an aluminum roof so that's even more weight savings + sunroofs are lame. What's not to love?
On to the car, though:
Speed/Acceleration: Mind you, I haven't put the 3" downpipe + test pipe back on (PO took them off to pass smog) but DAMN the car is fast up to 100 MPH. The low end torque is awesome and even off boost the car feels great.
Transmission/gearing: So, so close to perfect. The gearing is incredibly aggressive and feels absolutely amazing. Even out of boost the car very quickly revs up to get the turbo spooling, and I drive around at low speeds (20-30 mph) off-boost in traffic with no problem. The transmission isn't super smooth like an S2000, but the throws are short and very distinct, if a bit notchy. But what do you expect from a transmission that handles 500+ whp?
Handling Good god, the handling. This is my first AWD car and it is just as satisfying as the RWD cars I'm used to, if not more so. I can lob the car around corners with brute force AND precision and it just STICKS perfectly, transitions smoothly, and puts down the power as if God himself was holding the car down to the ground. I haven't even come close to pushing the limits yet... and this is on 235mm BF Goodrich tires which are definitely not super grippy summer tires, nowhere near the level of RS3's or Star Specs and their ilk. I can't even imagine the grip with 255/265mm RS3's/Star Specs/595 RS-Rs... wow.
Not to mention the steering is PERFECT, better even than the S2000's. It's even more direct, tighter, and go-kartlike than the S which is a huge feat in my eyes. It is one of the most satisfying cars to steer and maneuver I've ever driven, and puts my S2000 + E30 to shame.
Misc Yeah, the interior isn't amazing, but that's ok, I prefer more spartan interiors anyways. It's a very performance driven car, and it shows. The seats are AWESOME. The exterior is very menacing, but the stock Evo 8 tail lights + head lights have to go. The wheels look great for stock wheels. The car is much quieter than my S2000 and E30, and while the suspension is stiff, it rides better than either. Very comfortable to daily drive.
Some fun facts:
My RS, the way it sits, weighs 3000 lbs or less. It can be reduced down to 2800-2900 and retain full interior + stereo and even AC if you do some clever weight reduction.
Next week when I tune on E85, I should make 400-420 whp with similar wheel torque. Should be making 400~ wheel torque at 3500-4000 RPM.
It actually gets good MPG, what the f@#k. I hit boost 30-40 times a day, lots of partial boost up to the torque peak to feel good and several WOT runs and the car is still averaging 23-26 MPG. It is getting about 28-29 mpg on the highway on 91. Wow. On E85 I expect to get about 25 MPG on the highway... which is fine, because the car will feel like a rocketship.
Here is the only pic I've taken of it thus far, about an hour after I got it and took it to my cousin's house to show it off (he has a 500 whp Evo 8 as well). I want to clean it up a bit and change the tail lights + head lights before I take more. Maybe use my orbital polisher on the paint too.
2.5 weeks ago I went and saw the car, test drove it, and loved it. It was owned by a 30-something year old guy who had it since '04, and was VERY meticulous. The mod list on the car is high quality and very carefully chosen: 3" downpipe, 3" test pipe, 3" Greddy exhaust, turbo timer, Evo 9 BOV, nice gauges, Walbro fuel pump, etc etc the list goes on. The car is a clean title, never been in an accident, and I got it for an incredibly low price. It had 96k miles when I picked it up.
When I went to pick it up on Sunday, the owner had a TON of spare and extra parts for me - everything from stock parts to brand new gauges he had never installed all the way to a brand new "Lancer Evolution" keychain. The guy is a big DSM/Evo guy and has been in the scene for 15+ years, so it was amazing to buy the car from such a dedicated, passionate enthusiast. By the time I left, I had a back seat and trunk full of 30+ extra spare items, paper work, hell even an official Mitsubishi 2004 Evo 8 owner's manual on CD-ROM! The previous owner was the ideal person to buy any car from, let alone the oft-abused, hard to find in good condition Evo 8. One of my favorite things he did was that he installed the gauges + AFR/turbo timer in the glove box in a carbon fiber holder. Talk about sleeper/awesome.
I lucked out and got my ideal model: A Rally Red RS. What is the RS? The RS is a stripped down, track friendly package: Front LSD (MR + GSR don't have the front LSD), weight reduction, non-power mirror, locks, and windows, no stereo (PO installed a stock stereo though), it has AC, and the trunk is pretty much gutted from the factory, not to mention it is wingless. With a full tank of gas the RS weighs 3181 lbs according to Road Race. Also, the car has no sunroof + has an aluminum roof so that's even more weight savings + sunroofs are lame. What's not to love?
On to the car, though:
Speed/Acceleration: Mind you, I haven't put the 3" downpipe + test pipe back on (PO took them off to pass smog) but DAMN the car is fast up to 100 MPH. The low end torque is awesome and even off boost the car feels great.
Transmission/gearing: So, so close to perfect. The gearing is incredibly aggressive and feels absolutely amazing. Even out of boost the car very quickly revs up to get the turbo spooling, and I drive around at low speeds (20-30 mph) off-boost in traffic with no problem. The transmission isn't super smooth like an S2000, but the throws are short and very distinct, if a bit notchy. But what do you expect from a transmission that handles 500+ whp?
Handling Good god, the handling. This is my first AWD car and it is just as satisfying as the RWD cars I'm used to, if not more so. I can lob the car around corners with brute force AND precision and it just STICKS perfectly, transitions smoothly, and puts down the power as if God himself was holding the car down to the ground. I haven't even come close to pushing the limits yet... and this is on 235mm BF Goodrich tires which are definitely not super grippy summer tires, nowhere near the level of RS3's or Star Specs and their ilk. I can't even imagine the grip with 255/265mm RS3's/Star Specs/595 RS-Rs... wow.
Not to mention the steering is PERFECT, better even than the S2000's. It's even more direct, tighter, and go-kartlike than the S which is a huge feat in my eyes. It is one of the most satisfying cars to steer and maneuver I've ever driven, and puts my S2000 + E30 to shame.
Misc Yeah, the interior isn't amazing, but that's ok, I prefer more spartan interiors anyways. It's a very performance driven car, and it shows. The seats are AWESOME. The exterior is very menacing, but the stock Evo 8 tail lights + head lights have to go. The wheels look great for stock wheels. The car is much quieter than my S2000 and E30, and while the suspension is stiff, it rides better than either. Very comfortable to daily drive.
Some fun facts:
My RS, the way it sits, weighs 3000 lbs or less. It can be reduced down to 2800-2900 and retain full interior + stereo and even AC if you do some clever weight reduction.
Next week when I tune on E85, I should make 400-420 whp with similar wheel torque. Should be making 400~ wheel torque at 3500-4000 RPM.
It actually gets good MPG, what the f@#k. I hit boost 30-40 times a day, lots of partial boost up to the torque peak to feel good and several WOT runs and the car is still averaging 23-26 MPG. It is getting about 28-29 mpg on the highway on 91. Wow. On E85 I expect to get about 25 MPG on the highway... which is fine, because the car will feel like a rocketship.
Here is the only pic I've taken of it thus far, about an hour after I got it and took it to my cousin's house to show it off (he has a 500 whp Evo 8 as well). I want to clean it up a bit and change the tail lights + head lights before I take more. Maybe use my orbital polisher on the paint too.
09-20-2012, 08:14 PM
#4
Thread Starter
LOL Ameer. I need to bring it by so you can drive the shit out of it. 
Damn... sounds like whoever had it last did some hard launches on it. 03-04 transfer cases are known to go out when launched hard.
Damn... sounds like whoever had it last did some hard launches on it. 03-04 transfer cases are known to go out when launched hard.
09-21-2012, 05:47 AM
#5
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 2,807
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Put the wing back on for the love of god! Not only does it look better, but it actually is engineered to work with the car to generate downforce.
Congratulations on your new purchase.
Congratulations on your new purchase.
09-21-2012, 06:49 AM
#7
Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 2,807
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
"The basic RS Edition does not come with power windows, locks, or mirrors, an audio system, rear wing, sound deadening material, map lamps or an anti-lock braking system. All Evo VIII RS models sold in the US have an air conditioning system."
Excuse my ignorance.
I just can't stand the look of them without the rear wing, it just feels like something is missing.
Excuse my ignorance.
I just can't stand the look of them without the rear wing, it just feels like something is missing.
Trending Topics
09-21-2012, 07:00 AM
#8
Wow - no ABS. That's a weird deletion!
