(Un)Natural Selection - RexSeven's Lancer Evolution X

Yea, much better. It looks grumpy

Bearded.Bird wrote: Yea, much better. It looks grumpy

A good car is like a good pet - it resembles its owner.

Some care and feeding will be in order soon. While I'm still not 100% certain what I will be doing to address the track-day overheating issue, I made sure to get the proper OEM fluid and filter to prepare for a fluid change whatever I do.

This stuff is pretty damn expensive, but for the SST-equipped Evo MR and Ralliart, only the OEM DCT fluid won't cause problems down the road. Given that even a used SST goes for several Challenge cars (I do believe Challenge Car is the proper unit of cost measurement for the GRM forums), it's best just to get the factory fill and let someone with deeper pockets than I blow up a few SSTs to find a cheaper alternative. Getrag never even supplied Mitsubishi with rebuild instructions, so if you nuke it you're at the mercy of the warranty department! However, the Getrag DCT470 (a.k.a. SST) is similar enough to other Getrag-built DCTs that aftermarket specialists can repair them. From what I've found out so far, the DCT470 has pretty stout gears, but the clutch packs can only handle about 300-325whp. That's a good target to aim for in a mostly street-driven car that already goes like stink. The aftermarket supplies upgraded clutch packs, so they can be upgraded if I decide to go for ludicrous HP like the cool Evo kiddies do.

I also picked up a used Sakura aluminum upper intercooler pipe. The stock upper intercooler pipe is made of rubber with braided sleeving and has a bunch of connectors, which tend to expand under boost, giving inconsistent performance. I forgot to take before pictures, but this is what a new Sakura UICP looks like installed:

The used UICP I bought has some scraped powdercoating from rubbing, so I dropped it off to be powdercoated again, this time in red. Can't wait for it to come out! Also cool: Sakura is made by Massachusetts-based Kaizen Tuning, who have a ton of Evo tuning expertise.

Finally, I noticed that sometimes at WOT the "Service Engine Soon" light (CEL) will blink. After getting over the initial near heart attack, I found out Cobb helpfully added a feature that causes the CEL to blink slowly at a certain knock threshold, and faster at a higher, more dangerous knock threshold. I plan on uploading a less-aggressive off-the-shelf tune for now and get the car tuned soon. I do still want a catback first, and I think I've finally found one I like.

Do yall have 91 or 93 up that way? As you know, predetonation can be a dangerous thing

We have 93 octane E10, and that's all I fuel the Evo with. I think the issue lies with the off-the-shelf tune I am using, it may be leaning things out a little too much. I am not sure what the knock thresholds are and didn't have the AP hooked up when the blinking occurred, so I will need to fire up AccessTuner and have a look.

This past Sunday-Thursday I was in Maine for new hire orientation for my new job. It felt kind of like a college freshman orientation! I made sure to get a few beauty shots of the Evo. Coastal Maine is gorgeous!

The Evo performed flawlessly on the 3-hour drive to and from. The company provided a shuttle bus, but where's the fun in that? My normal office is just outside of Boston, which I went to on Friday. Call me a wimp or not a tr00 GRM'er, but automatic mode is a lifesaver in horrendous Boston rush-hour traffic. Luckily, I will be starting a different shift next week that will keep me out of most of the traffic.

Earlier today, I attended a cookout with other members of the New England Evolution Club at Kaizen Tuning, a local shop that specializes in tuning Evos and GT-Rs.

There was also some dyno pulls being done, so I put my Evo on the rollers:

Drumroll, please...

274 whp and 298 ft-lb. Stock Evo Xs make about 235-245 whp, depending on the dyno. Considering mine was running only a Cosworth panel filter, a Stage 1 91 octane Cobb tune, and crappy Maine 91 octane gas, I'm pretty pleased with those numbers. Another Evo X MR with similar mods (filter, Stage 1 93 octane Cobb tune, new intercooler pipes) made about 294 whp, so I'm sure I can make that easily. I also found out the CEL knock flash is set pretty low for Cobb's off-the-shelf tunes, as my AFR looks fine. Speaking of intercooler pipes,

my Sakura upper IC pipe was finished at the powder coating shop just before I left for Maine, so I took the time after the cookout to install it. The red doesn't quite match the red of the engine cover, but it looks pretty nice anyways. The boost response feels a bit better now, too. I have a couple more parts I plan to install tomorrow.

I tried to install a new catback exhaust system on Sunday. Keyword: tried. This is what New England winters do to an exhaust system, even when the car has only 43k miles on it!

The muffler came out easily enough.

However, I ended up snapping off both exhaust hanger bolts on the resonator pipe.

The bolts holding the resonator pipe to the cat. converter were rounded off when I tried to wrench them off.

And here is one of the nuts holding the cat to the downpipe. They're so rusty I didn't even try to remove them. I know they will probably snap off, but I had to keep my old exhaust intact so I can make it to work this week without attracting Johnny Law's attention. I substituted a zip tie in place of one of the broken mount bolts. It appears to be holding up so far, no banging around or anything. I've opted to replace the stock cat with a high-flow stainless cat. The downpipe will probably need to go soon, and I will need exhaust tip silencers for the new exhaust before the car's next inspection to pass.

Good god thats nasty at only 43k. I live in Michigan, so I'm familiar with rapid vehicle rusting but man, that thing is pretty bad. Hope the rest of the car rusts slower than the exhaust!

There is some surface rust on the subframe and some of the suspension bolts. You can see a little here.

I really, really want to put my new exhaust in. Some weld pr0n should tide me over.

I tried again to remove the old exhaust Saturday, and I failed. Nothing went my way- the hardware bits are now chunks of rusty, flaking metal that I can't get a good grip on, my Sawzall isn't working, none of my sockets (including for rounded-off heads) fit, soaking the bolts in Kroil overnight didn't make them budge, I found out the shop that was renting lifts nearby is closing and heading South, and I started to feel sick later on in the day. Like the song goes, you gotta know when to fold 'em. So the Evo is heading to the shop.

I berkeleying hate rust. My 216,000mi ALFA BERKELYING ROMEO has less rust than my 2008, 44,000mi Evo!

At least the stuff that will be replacing the corroded junk is stainless and better quailty. The exhaust I chose is a Kakimoto Racing stainless catback fresh from Japan, yo! The shipping was expensive for sure, but when I factor in the original price the total is competitive to many mid- and high-quality systems sold here. The build quality is top-notch and it sounds great from the clips I can find of it. I find most Evo X exhausts to be kind of boomy and flat-sounding. The Kakimoto has a bit of a rasp to it that gives it some sorely-needed character.

Gotta love Engrish!

Since the stock catalytic converter probably can't be reused at this point, I also got a high-flow stainless cat from a company you Luddites may like: Berk Technology!

The HFC will probably affect my air-fuel ratios, so to measure that I got an Innovate Motorsports PSB-1 combination boost gauge and AFR gauge. The cool thing about this gauge is that it also has a programmable fail-safe mode. Basically, if the AFRs get too lean, the PSB-1 will let off the boost to save the engine. The Berk HFC has a wideband O2 sensor bung already installed, which will make installing this gauge that much easier.

To compliment it, I also got an Innovate oil pressure/temperature combo gauge. I've been reading that the Evo X doesn't normally have oil temp issues, so I may use the oil temp probe to measure the DCT fluid temperature instead. The Innovate gauges can be daisy-chained together.

Finally, I got a used RawEvo A-pillar gauge pod to mount the new gauges in. The nice thing about it is that it looks OEM, because it starts with an OEM A-pillar cover.

I plan to install the gauges myself, starting with the oil pressure sensor this week when I do an oil change on the Evo.

Monitoring the DCT oil's temp would be a VERY good idea. I'd use a sandwich adapter plate for the oil pressure sender if there isn't a port readily available.

The exhaust system was installed yesterday. It sounds great! I'd share it with you but the mic on my camera sucks. Badly.

Been a while since I've updated this thread, huh? Not much new going on with the Evo. I've been daily driving it for the past few months and racking up the miles (19k in a year!). The Evo hasn't missed a beat and the AWD system is absolutely phenomenal in bad weather. I've installed a few parts at least.

First, after speaking to the fine folks at Kaizen, I decided to upgrade the intake from stock with a Cosworth filter to a Sakura Racing CAI. Although there isn't too much more to gain HP wise over the stock intake, the greater diameter of the Sakura CAI allows for greater MAF sensor resolution when tuning. Plus it looks (and sounds) good!

Next, I have a Tomei Expreme stainless steel downpipe to go with my high-flow cat and Kakimoto exhaust. One mounting stud on the exhaust manifold broke- the stock manifolds tend to crack on the Evo Xs anyways, so there is a future upgrade. I didn't take any pictures during the install, so here are some from Tomei that show how much better this will flow.

I Plastidipped the front bumper and grille surround black as well. I may peel the surround to show the chrome again. The center bumper cover will stay black, though. I don't like the stock color it came with - it has a similar shade of grey to what you might see from faded black plastic.

So what's up for this year? First, the Evo still needs a trip to the body shop to have all the dents repaired after a hail storm hit Massachusetts last August. I will also replace the front lip spoiler because the factory-optional one the car came with is falling apart. New summer wheels and tires would be nice. And finally, I want to attend a track day this year!

One last thing I had added over the past few months is a Radium Engineering dual catch can kit. This kit is pretty slick- the finish on the cans is quite tough and they even have dipsticks!

This is the sort of tasteful build that wouldn't send me screaming on craigslist.

Radium makes a nice catch can. The Evo is coming along nicely!

Yesterday during the freak nor'easter we got in Massachusetts I smacked my Evo's right front wheel against a curb. The roads were unplowed, untreated, and slicker than greased owl E36 M3. I was taking a left turn from a full stop down a slight decline, and the car slid wide. The asstastic no-seasons got no bite and all I could do was put both feet in and brace for impact. The wheel hit face-first at about 5mph or less.

I haven't been able to get the Evo up in the air but so far I can already tell I'm going to need a new wheel bearing/hub assembly. I'm hearing the tell-tale "wrr-wrr-wrr" noise when I turn the wheel left at highway speeds. The right front BBS is curbed to E36 M3 and the alignment is also slightly off. I just hope there was no further mechanical damage because stuff like control arms are pricey. The mounting tabs for the front lip are busted in the wheel well, but that was on the to-do list because it was a bit damaged when I bought the car and was getting worse.

In reply to RexSeven:

Bummer, dude. I take it you haven't had time to get under the car yet?

Here are a couple of pictures of the damage - the front right BBS has some nasty curb rash and the wheel well clips for the fender liner and factory lip are busted. The factory lip is busted up and slated for replacement anyways so I'm not worried about it. The BBS will need repairing, though.

So this weekend, I finally got the Evo up in the air. Luckily, there is no other damage, besides to this brake air guide that attaches to the control arm (and it may already have been broken for all I know).

Replacing the hub assembly with the aid of another Evo X owner, however, was a massive PITA that took way longer than it should have. The hub assembly is a tight fit in the knuckle, and the surface rust certainly didn't help. I also broke the unreasonably expensive ABS/wheel speed sensor that mounts in the knuckle.

I had to drill it and burn it out with a propane torch. I should have unclipped it from inside the engine bay and left it in the knuckle while we hammered out the hub with a big-ass socket, but I was admittedly tired and in full "berkeley this" mode.

Sums up how the day went, really. The new hub is in there, though, no more grinding/whirring noise when turning left.

With the loss of the ABS sensor, I don't have ABS or traction control and the AWD system won't vector torque (so I essentially have a "dumb" 50/50 AWD system). I have one on special-order.

Time for another months-past-due update! Some good, some bad, some good happened.

I finally got around to having the hail damage from last August repaired this May. The PDR guys did an excellent job removing the dents from the aluminum roof. The hood was too dented and has too many contours to make PDR feasible, so it was replaced. The Evo looked great! That's good...

Then six days later, I backed into a parked Cherokee when leaving a parking spot. I love the Evo, but if there is one thing I would change its the ginormous steering circle! I'm more angry with myself than anything because I am usually a much more careful driver. Anyways, the damage appears to be isolated to the rear bumper cover and wing (no sheetmetal or mechanical damage). I've not had time to get it checked out. That's bad...

Yesterday, I finally had my new wheels and tires mounted up! You can read the drama around getting the wheels here but that's all in the past now. The wheels are WedsSport SA-15R in size 18x10.5", +25 offset. Tires are BFG g-Force Sport Comp 2 in 265/35R18. That's good. Very good!

Been a while, huh? Not too much new with the Evo X lately, but I do have a new oil pan.

This is what the original with 75K miles looked like:

And this is the new MAPerfomance baffled oil pan I bought to replace it.

It's aluminum, it's baffled, it's beefy, and it allows the engine to hold 6.5L of oil instead of 5L. Plus the baffled oil pan wasn't terribly expensive, so I should be all set for a track day!