Evo owner looking for a realistic project car
 

Hello noob-bashing jerks.

I'm from the Chicago area and have a 2008 Evo X GSR and in the process of converting to E85. I always tell myself "I'm ALMOST done with this car" and then find something else to waste money on. I want to take this thing to the track as often as possible and will be at Autobahn at AMS's track day on July 10th, 2010. That will be my first road course experience.

My reason for being here? I obviously have a very potent road course competitor, but it's almost a brand new car (just passed 3,500 miles last week). I want something to completely gut, something extremely light (but can't afford a Lotus), and back in the day dreamed of having a Monster Miata. My plans are now a little bit more realistic: a 1994-1997 (1.8L NA) with 250-300rwhp.

A little bit about me... I'm 25, going to school full time for Business Administration, did 6 years in the Navy.

Oh and here's the Evo pictures/story:

First picked it up in Los Angeles, August of '09

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Blue-taped up for the 2,000 mile road trip

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About 1,000 miles in at a scenic rest stop

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And at the end of the 2,000 miles

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First engine bay layout, was going for a "stealthy" kind of look

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The new engine bay color scheme is called "Poo on Blue"

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Went wingless (OEM trunk, no holes)

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Advan RZ, only 18x9.0 +25, swapped stock tires over and no need to roll the fenders

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Fogs deleted

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AMS single cat-back, soon to be turbo-back (4-21-10)

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EVO emblem idea, didn't really like it so I took it off shortly after putting it on

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Advan center caps

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Swift springs, perfect height in the rear and unfortunately monster-truckin in the front... but very comfortable springs with an actual improvement over stock as opposed to Eibachs that slam it but handle for shit unfortunately

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Zeitronix wideband/boost/EGT install in progress

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Made a custom bezel for it, will get pictures of that later

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My niece helping me clean

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Welcome, Very nice Evo. I have a buddy with an Evo VIII making ~600hp, and its still very tame, haha.

So are you still thinking V8, or Turbo?
IMO, V8 is the way to go if you can afford an LS engine(due to weight). If not, go turbo.

Nice intro.

Welcome aboard.

I think you should look for a 94. It is my understanding that the 94 was the last of the OBDI cars. It is also a 1.8L engine. Older models (90-92) were 1.6L and had a much weaker drivetrain.

Welcome to here. Them Evo's them sick. Good luck with your track car!

Thanks for the compliment, I'm thinking turbo now, no V8 for me.

I was supposed to take the Evo to Import Wars at GLD (Wisc/IL border) yesterday but Saturday was a rough night and Sunday morning wasn't looking so good... Hennessy...

Yep, looking for 94-97 for the 1.8L and don't really care about OBDI vs OBDII... but thanks for the info!

Welcome. Nice evo.
300whp miata with properly set up suspension/chassis mods will rape face on the track. Similar to the Evo but much sharper/raw

Serious question, have you ever driven an Evo X?

Refined is one way I'd describe an Evo X when comparing with an Evo IX, but this thing is extremely precise. Slight understeer, but can be dialed in perfectly with just an adjustable rear sway bar.



Ideally I'd want a '94-97 Miata with all of the proper suspension work done already so I can just work on the power goals... is this recommended or would I be probably looking at a track abused, beat up car? Of course best case scenario is a guy who made a project Miata and got as far as doing the full suspension goals and then was forced to sell the car due to unforeseen reasons...

threadjack\

hey do you need a clutch kit for dat tC?

/threadjack

Serious answer: yes. It was nice. I've also driven a ton of IX's and honestly liked those much more. No offense.

They are precise. Very precise. And handle great. But just not as raw (if that makes any sense). In a miata you feel like you're in a go-kart: no electronic nannies, not variable anything, no bullshit: just you, tires, suspension, and powertrain. Evo's are great but you'll have tons of fun in a miata.


To me honestly noting beats a "clean start" where you do all modifications yourself and have 100% reassurance of everything being done right. That's not to say there aren't some VERY well sorted ones out there for a steal.

In fact, there are a couple in the for sale section that are absolutely badass and worth every penny of their asking price. (they're NB's though)

Hi there neighbor.:wavey: Welcome to the forum.

That's a nice ride you got there. Should be lots of fun. Especially on ethanol, which I assume will be accompanied with a fair amount of boost

I live 25 minutes from the Autobahn. I've seen some pretty cool cars going in and out of there. Actually, I've been working at the railroad yard they built next to it for the last couple of years so I had the luxury of watching them rip around the track quite a bit. Is that an open track day or do you know someone with a membership?

Buy Y8's car, he is a quitter.

My Miata with stock power was getting point bys from modified evos(shitty drivers) at Lime rock . That was my first track event before that I only did Auto X. My advice to you get a stock powered NA 1.8 Miata and auto x/track the fuck out of it. Then work on power this is what I am doing. Either way good luck with everything

Yup pick out some suspension, sways, and rims from 949racing.com. Add a intake, exhaust, pa system for sounds/funny. Throw in a bar, seat, and belts. Track the crap out of that car. FYI a bone stock miata is 100 times harder to drive than an evo at 11/10's. You made a good choice picking a rwd vehicle, you will learn a lot.

nope.
Yep, that's what I was getting at with the "more refined" part. I've driven my brother's Evo VIII and his, at the time, was definitely pretty raw feeling. I can imagine a Miata feeling to the Evo VIII what the Evo VIII felt to the Evo X.Yeah I generally feel the same way about starting from the ground up, but I've dumped too much into the Evo to have any substantial kind of budget for a Miata build. I might just pick up one with a well-done suspension (after countless hours of research on what you guys prefer, of course) and track it like 02semiata and jacob300zx pointed out, until it's time for MOAR POWAH. I know myself and I know I won't be satisfied with 100rwhp, 200rwhp, possibly not even 250rwhp. I get my kicks from the pull...
Hello! And thanks!

Currently spikes to 26psi on 93 octane, going to maintain that and hopefully control some of the taper with a few other modifications (tighten wastegate actuator, crush the BOV that's known to leak at 25+ psi, use an upgraded boost control solenoid to prevent bleed to the wastage actuator). The taper right now goes from 26psi down to 19psi by redline, and if I can hold from 26 down to 22 coupled with some aggressive timing that E85 is known to allow, I should be plenty happy.


The track day is an AMS track day (amsperformance.com) and I'm registering with them. I don't know any details other than that, sorry.

I get my kicks from the corner, backing it in, the g force, the throttle steering on exit. All this in a NA miata. Straights suck.

SWEET!:drool:

Yo shit Those center caps make the car. Thanks for posting that pic!!! Dayummm

Ooooohhh. Very nice. I have a bone stock '08 Lancer ES. Pretty much exactly the same as an Evo X, except half the power, half the drive wheels, twice the ride height, and 80% of the wheels. Other than that same car really.

Plans for the future include $45 mud flaps to keep the paint on the rear flare from being sandblasted. And possibly new/wider wheels. Other than that it's my econobox.

The X is my realistic dream car, or probably the new ralliart version actually. Although it's quite the cut in fuel mileage. I can barely get 400 miles to a tank with mostly freeway miles, I hear your range is somewhere around 250?

LOL! :bowrofl:

You forgot the fenders. You've got 80% of the body, width-wise. My girl Eva is a fat-bottomed girl compared to your ES.

I demanded that I get an Evo GSR with the SSS and Aero packages, the Aero package giving me the super-wide side skirts that catch rocks. The result? No rock chips on the front of that rear fender, not even a need for mudflaps to stop it.

I can get about 300 miles on a tank in strictly highway driving, but normally it's around 250 with the combination I do, so yeah. I sometimes drive like an ass to feed a little bit of my boost addiction, but for the most part I'm conservative.

Jacob I can definitely relate to the feel of throttle steering the exit, that part takes a close second :drool:

As for the center caps, those things are a major BEYOTCH to get a hold of... took me like 2 months and I ended up spending $52 a PIECE, yo!

Behind those center caps is a rusty castle nut...

I cannot believe the paint damage that has happened in 60,000 miles. You can see they knew about it, as they've put some kind of painted sticker in front of the rear flare, the front wheels pelt it all day long. I wish I had gotten mud flaps for it much earlier. I didn't because the stock ones would cost $120 for all four corners.

These however, are $45 and look like they'd do a little more protection than the shorty stockers.
http://www.rallyarmor.com/store/lanc...aps-p-249.html

I've seen those pictures of your evo all taped up for the ride home before.... you ever been on any Virginia forums by chance? (perhaps while you were in the navy you were stationed in Norfolk..?)

VADRIVEN (aka the old school DRAGVA)... should be a thread called "My first brand new car" or similar. I was in Newport News and Hampton for 4 awful years and had an AWD Infiniti FX35 that I supercharged, blew the motor near Jefferson and Mercury Blvd, got a built motor in with 9.0:1 CR Arias ED pistons, Eagle H-beam rods and valve springs, not to mention ARP hardware. Was going to boost it again but ended up parting out everything for roughly $6,000 and then sold the FX to my brother. It's still rockin the built motor capable of handling upwards of 500whp reliably, but still naturally aspirated ;)

Here's that badboy at Langley (worked out there all the time):

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And somewhere in VA Beach:

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And the motor:

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How come there's such a huge variation in prices of these Miatas? I've seen '94 NAs go for $6,000+ and '97 NAs go for $4,500. I understand there's a difference in amount of aftermarket parts but those rarely fetch any reasonable return.

At this point I think I will just keep looking until I find the "perfect deal." My intentions would be to start from scratch anyways and I have a whole lot of resources at my fingertips.

Btw, saw a red w/ yellow stripes NA (I believe, didn't get a great look) on a trailer with IL plates SPEC MX5 yesterday near I-90 and Arlington Heights Rd... it was ironic because I was jut telling my buddy who I was driving with about how I wanted to build a Miata instead of getting too involved with the Evo.

We were on our way to take a few new pictures:

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You'll hate a Miata...run away while you can.
I hear the 240 crowd needs a few good people :giggle:

Welcome.

That's cause I left the 240 crowd...lol jk





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Welcome dude!! Great looking Evo!

Thanks for all the warm welcomes.

I have never seen a 240SX I've liked, unless you're talking 240Z (which was battling the Miata for years as a project car, Miata finally won me over).

The 1972-74 240Z was a gorgeous car...

WAS? still is........

Shoulda kept the wing! It looks good on a EVO! Just one of the few cars that i liked with a factory wing. Also the FC and of course the 944

^look up Lancer Evolution X MR Touring

That's the trunk I have...

I'd say it's about 50/50 with people liking the wingless look. I can almost guarantee this car will not have a wing for as long as I own it ;)

Done a ton of research already and have only one real question... why, in the typical v-mount I've seen here many times over, is the IC plumbed right behind the radiator? Has anybody tried the IC before radiator and found cooling issues? Is it fitment issues with the ducting?

I'd like to make a project out of the following:

1. '94 to '97
2. Built bottom (and possibly top) end
3. Megasquirt
4. RX7 550cc injectors
5. Walbro 255lph
6. Bottom mount tubular manifold
7. Haven't decided on turbo sizing
8. V-mount with the IC in front of a beefier radiator

Goal: a not very street friendly 300rwhp with as much weight shed as possible, with comfortableness being the ONLY compromise

So step 1 will be getting to 300rwhp reliably, step 2 is addressing the brakes (would love 13" rotors, but will probably settle for 11" or 11.75" since I'd rather not be a pioneer), step 3 is handling, step 4 is track time.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Huh? A v-mount is a V... what you describe is just a typical install of an intercooler in front of the radiator.

http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/m...s/IMG_0496.jpg

as far as brakes go you can get NB sport brakes, they are 10.5" and will stop your car like a mother fucker. and you can buy everything for around $350 bucks our cheaper. then if your not satisfied you can sell the fronts of the NB brakes for about a $150 and pick up the kit that trackspeed (savingtion) offers or spend a shit load of money on brembos...

Dammit, this makes me want to do a v-mount setup now!

No, I'm sorry maybe my wording was confusing...

http://www.amsperformance.com/galler...2_itemId=10867

Placing the intercooler in "typical" FMIC location with an angled radiator, with a big ass gaping hole in the hood, Evo VIII style

http://www.amsperformance.com/galler...2_itemId=16941

I understand the air in the V-mounts I've seen here are split between going up (for the IC) and down (for the radiator) but I'm talking about routing all air through the IC and then radiator, through the same ducting. I can only see one problem, being out of control coolant temps, but I can think of ways around that.

I guess you can say I'm thinking of changing the angle of the V so the point faces towards the hood latch instead of the oil pan :P

Thanks I'll look into that. Somehow missed that option for the NA's...

You're not going to want something like 13" brakes as you are adding a ton of unsprung rotating mass you don't need. Miata's are light little cars and don't need monster brakes to slow them down.

Suspension / transmission / rear end are missing from your list and pretty big items. We just had a guy blow up a 5-speed in his msm at a mere 250whp, and those threads are pretty common. I hate my 6, but they can be livable. Rear end should be ok at 300whp, but get an LSD, and maybe the MSM unit which has beefier axles.

Suspension will be what makes or brakes this car, not the power, so I'd do a lot of looking into that and see what you like.

Also, External Waste gate setup would be a pretty good idea since your shooting up at the higher power goals of most people. And you'll likely want more, as is always the case.

:ugh: MSM's came with a 5-speed?

5-speeds are good till about 275hp range, then stuff starts to fall apart. and so far the 6-speeds have proved themselves to be stronger than the 5-speeds.

a Torsen should be good in the 300+hp range. if you go with a 6-speed id try to get a 3.9 torsen or get some 3.63 gears to put into a torsen. you dont have to. but it makes first gear more user friendly.

Wow, first I heard of a 5spd being more fragile than a 6spd...

Only real-world experience I have with this is friends with Evo IX MRs using the 6spd and Mitsubishi's decision to shit-can the 6spd and ONLY provide the 5spd manual because of beefier gears for the generally same housing size.

I did not leave suspension off my list, it is step 3, the handling ;)

The reasoning behind 13" brakes is because it would laugh at the job it had to do with stopping a 2,000 lb car. If you go overkill, that means (IMO) more heat dissipation and no worries from the braking department.

EWG is definitely what I'm leaning towards, it'll just be a bit tricky in the header design and I've looked at ways of getting more space in that area (in the DIY section)... ton of shit to consider unfortunately (heat shielding, down pipe angles, minimize sharp bends on the intake/hot-pipe ducting, clearing enough space for the modified radiator shroud).

Again, I do appreciate all of the input and I'll be sure to cover all grounds before this thing is done. I plan on having every aspect mapped out using this forum's collective trials and errors from the past 5 years or so to help me make my decisions. Then I'll buy the car and a good 75-80% of the parts all at once :drool:

Just a little update, I'm converting the Evo X to E85 soon, hoping for 360awhp, 420awtq on a Mustang dyno.

I'm house hunting and hopefully getting a large garage and starting my Miata project.

I was 90% sure I wanted a turbo 1.8L 94-97 NA when I joined here and made my first post.

I am now about 60% sure I want to go naturally aspirated V8 in a 92 or 93 NA :loser:

I'm swaying more and more towards that as I continually think about it. The sad part is I don't even have a Miata yet and I'm more excited thinking about that build than I am with my torque monster E85 conversion on the Evo :jerkit:

So, with that being said, I'll likely be lurking in the v8miata forums instead of here... what's the relationship between that other site and here? Same type of family or is it "those guys" type of mentality?

Thanks for all the info I've already read on these forums.

v8 for sure. Turbo is lame lol

A few of us are on both. No those vs us guys at all that I've noticed.

Same host, no? At least, I got stickers for both forums together in the same envelope. :D

Pm Urbansoot, he has a 70-80% complete Ls1 swap into a NA that he has been bipolar on. Right now he says he is going ahead with the project, either wait 5 min for the next part out, or make him an offer. You may get it.

https://www.miataturbo.net/cars-sale-trade-6/1992-mazda-miata-%2414000-49159/

Those numbers should be no problem with the X turbo...a friend of mine made your goal numbers on an EvoIV turbo on e85. I went 328/361 on a DynoDynamics with a stock EvoIII 16g + e85 in my Talon and you've got a lot more turbo there. If you can nail down the boost drop you'll do even better. I was spiking to 32psi/holding 27psi on the 16g with 21* timing and it was a blast.

I definitely feel you on not wanting to throw more money into anything but a Miata, too. I'm dieing to get my hands on one and get that 16g bolted up. Good luck with the v8 swap if that's the direction you decide to go...will be a fun car either way!

Same owner, different crowd. Most of the V8Miata crowd go their and to the engine conversions forum on m.net.

As others have said, if your looking for a track rat- put a 6 point bar in, seats, and harness. Now its time for 6UL's and NT01's. Then do a front sway bar with brace and blocks. Follow it up with FCM coilovers, Poly suspension bushings with grease fittings, and adjustable end links. When your bored with that on the track, an L33 engine with V8R's swap kit will give you unlimited grins from ear to ear. If you end up getting bored with even that, then the sky is the limit. 500rwhp Lsx's are a dime a dozen, and all you then have to do is drop it in. With just the L33 5.3, you will make enough power to drag a Ferrari 512TR like a dog on a leash. Proven...... twice :)

Don't leave here. Not because I'm in love with your X, but because the V8 forum doesn't have the #'s we do. That's a better place for V8 knowledge of course, but we have a great knowledge base here for the rest of the car. Race prep for the interiors, aero, wheels and tires, that kind of stuff is mostly stock a m.net, and often off the hook here. Not sure what a lot of the V8 guys do, but you might only get one or two examples.

As Curly said, this place has more open information about general race prep (ducting, braking, and aero mods). The hardcore racers (perryrace, Modracer33, and a few others) on V8m.net and the engine conversions section of m.net know their shit, but are not super open about the real tricks of the trade to very many people. Most are like me and just building a toy. Far fewer arguments on the other sites, as the groups as a whole is much older.

In order to get a vast wealth of knowledge if you doing a V8 swap is to visit all three places. If your sticking with a turbo 4 setup, this place is your one stop shop to everything turbo heaven. A lot of VERY knowledgeable cats in here.

Good stuff. Thanks again everybody. I will update here with what the Evo puts down and of course when I get a Miata.

Ideally a rear mount LS2 in a '93, but we'll see how it all ends up next year. Oh and good point with the handling / track prep info, will definitely come here for suspension advice.

Ah shit I totally forgot...

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Aaaand... I entered a little video contest for Auto-X and got 2nd place. First loser gets no prize... which would've been a free rear sway :crx:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHPNy7OGlJs