2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR Long-Term Road Tests Archives

Our long-term test of the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR is coming to a close and the wrap up posting soon. We put a lot of effort into Project Evo, but couldn't do it all ourselves. We had some help. Below you'll find the speed sources deserving of credit:

AEM
Intake

Advanced Clutch Technology
ACT ME1-HDSS Clutch and Streetlite flywheel

AMS
3-inch exhaust, Widemouth downpipe, upgraded intercooler and plumbing

Cosworth
MX1 Cams

Dynamic Autosports
Dyno Testing

Garrett Turbo by Honeywell
GT30R turbo

GST Motorsports
Engine calibration

Injector Dynamics
1,000 cc/min injectors

Mackin Industries
Volk Racing RE30 wheels

MD Automotive
Installation

Road Race Engineering
Installation, repair, engine calibration, dyno testing and all-around Evo excellence

Stoptech
Stainless brake lines, 309-series front brake pads

Tire Rack
Bridgestone RE-11 tires

Vorschlag Motorsports
AST 4200 coilovers

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 26,002 miles

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Take a hard look at the photos from our Project Evo vs GT-R track battle and you'll notice something odd. No, not that tool in the cowboy hat. It's that sometimes Project Evo was wearing a wing, and sometimes not.

Rewind the clock a few months. Editor in Chief Scott Oldham decided that he preferred the look of the Evo sans wing and removed it. Some of our readers argued over the aesthetics while others wondered whether it makes a difference.

Since Josh Jacquot insisted the wing be in place during the fast laps at the Streets of Willow Springs, we decided to measure the difference in speed both ways.

Josh completed several fast laps with the wing removed. Then we reinstalled the wing and sent him back out on the track.

Hit the jump for the quickest times in each configuration.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Here's a follow-up to the post addressing our Evolution GSR's transfer case dilemma. At the time of diagnosis, our sevice tech faxed (hence the image quality) over a copy of the latest warranty procedure for all Evos. Note the effective date, Dec 1.

A quick summary of the policy is this: All engine, clutch, transmission differential and or any powertrain warranty repairs costing $500 or more require prior approval by the DPSM (District Parts & Service Manager). Suspension and brake components have a $400 limit before such approval is required. Prior to contacting the DPSM dealers must also have hordes of documentation on-hand. This paper trail includes reflash inspection printouts and photographic evidence of the engine compartment and undercarriage.

Visible and audible proof of our Evo mods were unmistakable. In the back of our minds we hoped a warranty claim was possible, but we knew better. We were really just looking to confirm the cause of the problem. Fate determined the rest. Our test was complete. Our loan on the Evo was nearly up. And we had to return it to stock before passing the keys back to Mitsubishi. So we avoided dealer red tape and sent it to Road Race to handle the job. We'll let you know when the de-mod wraps up.

(full warranty bulletin here)

Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Manager @ 26,355 miles

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Ever wonder what happens when the seal separating the active center differential (ACD) and transfer case on a 2008 Evo GSR stops sealing? Bad things happen. And they are illustrated by our mechanic in the diagram above.

More after the jump.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

See this mess? It's what the Evo attempted to leave on my driveway over Thanksgiving weekend. That just happens to be gear lube which seemed to be escaping from the transmission's power take off for the rear drive shaft. It was dark and dirty under there and even with the car in the air it was impossible to nail the exact location of the leak.

The bottom line is that it looks like the transmission (which we've removed but never opened) is going to need to be removed to solve this problem. Fortunately, the Evo's main duty (the lap battle vs. the GT-R) has been completed. We'll keep you updated.

Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Since having its cams swapped, our Evo has enjoyed a power peak near 8,000 rpm. And a lumpy idle. We like them both. The idle is difficult to fully capture with any video, but here's how it sounds and how it looks on the tachometer.

Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

The wing, that is. In case you hadn't noticed in the last two posts, this much-derided piece was returned to the GSR's trunklid during our GSR/GT-R lap battle. And it made a difference.

Kavanagh will have all the gory details in an upcoming feature story in the next few weeks.

Josh Jacquot, Senior road test editor

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

This morning I drove our scary fast 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR to my kid's preschool for the annual Thanksgiving sing-along. I arrived on time and, thanks to the Evo's aftermarket exhaust system, not exactly unnoticed.

But the Evo's louder than stock exhaust was only part of the reason I drew stares. Fun vehicles like this are just not very common in a preschool parking lot. Everyone else, every mom and every dad, had arrived in some sort of nondescript, oversized, mylifeisovermobile. And they were all looking at the Evo as if I knew something about life they didn't; like how to have fun.

So I parked between a couple of full-size mommy specials and enjoyed being the cool dad for the 20 minutes I was there. Next time I think I'll show up in our long-term Camaro and really blow their minds.

Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief @ 26,024 miles 

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

There always has to be one stick in the mud on an editorial staff, and in the case of our long-term 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR (aka, Project Evo X), I guess that's me.

As you know, Project Evo X is on a singular mission to topple our long-term Nissan GT-R on the Streets of Willow road course... while remaining streetable. And our Evo GSR is indeed streetable, not to mention reliable (in light of everything that has been done to it), but it's not a street car that I'd care to drive every day.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Pull Project Evo X into the driveway. Shut 'er down. Gather cell phone, groceries, nunchucks. Exit car. There's a muted not-quite-whirring sound coming from under the hood. What's that about?

It's the GT30R turbo still spooling down. There's so little friction in the guts of the thing -- being ball bearing and all -- that it continues to spin for thirty seconds or more after you switch off the engine.

Turbos are cool.

Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Below are the fuel economy numbers for October 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.

As usual, a couple of cars are out on the road or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.

After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2007 Honda Civic GX,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Honda Fit Sport,2009 Hyundai Genesis V6,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring,2009 Nissan GT-R,2009 Suzuki SX4,2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS,2010 Honda Insight EX,2010 Mazdaspeed 3,2010 Volvo XC60 T6 AWD

Neglected to fully inform y'all on Project Evo's most recent testing barrage a few weeks ago, so here are the rest of its test results.

To recap, we were (finally?) testing the AST coilovers by Vorshlag and Bridgestone RE-11 tires:

Skid Pad: 0.99 g

We sent Josh Jacquot out on the skid pad in the Evo with no changes to the alignment, damper settings or ride height we run on the street. With a single tire pressure adjustment, grip crept up from 0.98 to 0.99 g. Bam. Just like that. No other changes.

There's little doubt that the 1.0-g threshold could have been annihilated had we spent more time dialing in the car, but it was a busy test day that did not allow such a luxury.

Recall that Project Evo turned 0.93 g with these very same tires on the stock suspension. As  expected, increasing static camber and roll stiffness has definite advantages when it comes to grip.

Notes: "Better balance after tire pressure change, but still lacks stock car's ability to hold slip angle around pad. Overall, understeer balance."

Slalom: 71.3 mph

Slalom speed increased compared to stock (70.3 mph) and with the RE-11s only (69.9 mph) due to the car's improved turn-in and ultimate grip. More than ever, though, the Evo still doesn't like to slalom--the active yaw control system simply can't keep up with the aggressive vector changes induced by the slalom, and adding more mechanical grip has only exacerbated this tendency.

We discussed the car's behavior with the Vorshlag gang. They weren't surprised, having observed the same phenomenon. They suggested some setup changes that would allow it to work well in the slalom, but agreed that such a setup wouldn't have much relevance to real-world or roadcourse duty anyway.

Notes: "Nervous during fast transitions. Wants to spin. Hopefully this setup will work better on the track where the transitions are less radical. Instant turn-in and steering response. Wow!"

And then we re-tested Project Evo's acceleration to quantify the effects of the bigger GT30R turbo. We mostly found frustration. Jump with me.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Below are the fuel economy numbers for September 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.

As always, a couple of cars are out on the road or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.

After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2007 Honda Civic GX,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Honda Fit Sport,2009 Hyundai Genesis V6,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring,2009 Nissan GT-R,2009 Suzuki SX4,2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS,2010 Honda Insight EX

<insert hackneyed comment about power needing control, and/or new shoes>

Yeah, that, and Project Evo X's stock brake pads were wafer-thin and making angry grumbling noises. It was time for new ones.

Stoptech "309" pads are a very recent aggressive street pad we've used with great success on another application, and the 309s happen to be made in an Evo X fitment... for the fronts only. They're working on the rear caliper fitment.

Still, we went ahead with the Stoptech 309 fronts and matched them to Project Mu B-Force rear pads. By matched I mean we confirmed that the friction characteristics are similar enough that we won't have brake bias issues.

Brake bias is important. Get the bias wrong and you'll overheat your front brakes. Get it really wrong and you'll be looking out the side window if you brake hard when there's a significant amount of lock in the steering.

Braided stainless steel brake lines by Stoptech also went in at the same time, and Road Race Engineering did the dirty work of installation. Stock Evos have a pretty solid pedal from the factory so it's not really lacking in that regard. Still, any bit of compliance that can be removed from the braking system--like the effect of squishy stock rubber brake lines--is goodness in my book.

Likewise, new pads are more about initial bite and fade resistance than outright braking power. Tires are what stop the car--not the brakes--and a few months ago we replaced the worn stock tires with Bridgestone RE11s. We wanted to re-run Project Evo X's braking numbers to assess this change, plus we've altered (lowered) the car's center of gravity with our AST coilovers. This will have an effect of braking performance too.

In any case, we recently ran a pipin'-fresh batch of numbers on Project Evo to quantify the net effect of these changes and get cozier with the pads' behavior once they'd seen the heat of multiple braking runs back to back. Click the jump.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Time for another episode of What You Said.

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: Challenge

We Read Car Porn for the Articles
By wrinklebump on September 14, 2009 3:06 PM
They're both pretty awesome.
The Camaro has a few flattering angles but the Dodge is all-around vehicular pornography.

Memories of Your First Car
By plumcrazy2 on September 14, 2009 7:50 PM
Back when I was looking for my first car everyone had one of three cars: a Camaro, Mustang or Cutlass (circa 1990). My friends dad took me to a Mopar car show I knew what I had to have. I found myself a 74 Barracuda and my dad and I spent 6 months on body and paint. I was the only one on the street on the weekends. This summer we went to my wife's class reunion, the most asked question - "What happened to the car?" (I still have it.)
I can understand why people like the Mustang and the Camaro, both good looking cars - but for me its the Challenger all the way. And if I'm the only one on the road with one, well that's fine with me too. I don't mind standing out in a crowd.
DCuerpoJr I agree I would love a drop top, but I have given up hope on that.

2009 Dodge Challenger R/T: Big Bruiser, Easy Cruiser

Grand Challenger
By jeepsrt on September 14, 2009 8:59 AM
I parked my Grand Cherokee next to one of these and was amazed at the size of the Challenger, my Jeep did'nt look so Grand next to it.

2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS: Animated Design

Car Foodies
By vt8919 on September 14, 2009 9:07 AM
That Camaro sure looks thirsty for a Sonic soda.

By altimadude00 on September 14, 2009 9:54 AM
Camaro Super Slurper?

By DCuerpoJr on September 14, 2009 10:28 AM
LoL @ altimadude00. How about Camaro Super Sonic.

More after the jump...

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Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW 750i,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Hyundai Genesis V6,2009 Mini E,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring,2009 Nissan GT-R,2009 Suzuki SX4,2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI,2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS

Some tuners use ECUFlash. Others swear by EcuTek. Mike Welch of Road Race Engineering, on the other hand, doesn't play favorites.

While Project Evo X, our long-term 2008 Mitsubishi GSR, was in his care, Mike constantly switched between the two calibration interfaces while on the dyno. It turns out that certain functionality and datalogging can only be accessed through the EcuTek interface, while other tables are better served by ECUFlash. An ECUtek license costs real money, though, and uploading changes to the ROM takes several minutes instead of seconds. So he uses both. These are the tricks you learn when you've been modifying Mitsubishis since 1994.

After adjusting the calibration on the dyno until he was satisifed it was producing safe and consistent power, checking the vitals on the street and making subtle tweaks, he was done tuning Project Evo X with the Garrett GT30R turbo.

Click the jump for dyno charts.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Once the turbo, clutch and injectors were installed in Project Evo X, Mike Welch of Road Race Engineering got to work on the dyno.

Let it be known right now that to make real power on 91 octane, regardless of the hardware involved, is a royal pain the rear. Mike had his work cut out for him before he even began.

Oh, and Mike raised the crazy up one more level. He filled our tank with 91 octane from 7-11. It's madness, yet there is method to it--if he can make our car knock-free on this utter crap fuel, then it'll be safe on any fuel we'll ever fill the tank with.

On to the tuning, then. First he scaled the bigger ID1000 injectors in the ECU and roughed in a conservative calibration. From there he gradually tuned the car, adjusting those scaling parameters, changing intake and exhaust cam timing, boost pressure and ignition timing.

During and between runs Mike monitors more than just output. There's knock activity, fuel trims, air-fuel ratio, coolant temperature, intake temperature, intercooler effectiveness... you could say that a tuner's job is like juggling cats next to a running chainsaw. If one cat gets away from you...

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Yesterday, our long-term 2008 Evo GSR reached 25,000 miles. This is a car that's been modified, dyno tuned, track tested, modified some more, and always ridden hard and put away wet. Despite this rough treatment, it hasn't blown up yet or, come to think of it, experienced a mechanical failure of any kind. This is a tough car.

If you've been paying attention, then this post has other significance too--it means Project Evo X is back on the road again. Road Race Engineering in Santa Fe Springs, CA, has been busy with it, installing and tuning a Garrett GT30R turbo and Injector Dynamics injectors, plus replacing our worn-out stock clutch with an ACT clutch and flywheel to handle the load. The car also received a few other goodies that I haven't mentioned yet.

In all, I've got tuning notes, dyno results, driving impressions and track testing results that I'm sifting through and will be posting up as time allows.

Jason Kavanagh, Engineering Editor @ 25,000 miles. 

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Below are the fuel economy numbers for August 2009. We've listed the best, worst and overall average tanks.

As always, a couple of cars are out on the road or unavailable at the time of this writing. I'll continue to add them as they come in and let you know in the comments.

After the jump you can see the list sorted by best average MPG.

Continue reading...

Categories: 2007 Honda Civic GX,2008 BMW 135i,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Audi S5,2009 BMW M3,2009 Dodge Challenger R/T,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Ford Flex Limited,2009 Honda Fit Sport,2009 Hyundai Genesis V6,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Mazda 6 i Grand Touring,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring,2009 Nissan GT-R,2009 Suzuki SX4,2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI,2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS,2010 Honda Insight EX

I've been told that last week's WYS was too long. So, I'm being really picky this week. Here are our favorite comments from last week.

2008 BMW 135i: It Defines Effortless

Whenever you can get in a Dukes reference...
By bkochuk on August 17, 2009 8:14 PM
sorry adrean8j. can I call you roscoe??

By adrean8j on August 18, 2009 8:09 AM
As long as you add "P. Coltrane" on the end of it ;-)

Everybody loves Erin
By jazzmanstv on August 18, 2009 5:47 PM
I'm in love with Erin. She's an automotive genius, and a great writer.

2009 Hyundai Genesis: The Ice Breaker

Cars are all about the pick-ups and the weiners
By carguy622 on August 17, 2009 9:07 AM
I've gotten some nice compliments on the Miata. Once a lady getting into her minivan told her daughter: "Mommy is getting one of those when you move out".
Although once I was at a McDonald's Drive-Through with my TSX and the guy behind the window said to me: "Wow that's a nice car. If I had that car for one night I could do a years worth of women."

By smudge12 on August 17, 2009 9:27 AM
Once about my Protege...askin' if it was a good first car for his teenage daughter *sigh*

By miniharryc on August 17, 2009 9:30 AM
:) Had a MINI Back in 2002 (Early 2003 model) and it was a rolling circus sometimes. "What is THAT?"

By benjo3686 on August 17, 2009 11:05 AM
I got asked questions about my first car all the time, a 1975 Dart....and this was in 2002. Although as a sixteen year old, fielding questions from a bunch of 40something men isn't exactly what I wanted.

By misterfusion on August 17, 2009 4:11 PM
"Want attention? Drive Der Wienermobile or a BMW Isetta."
True story: Years ago, my company had an event where the Wienermobile showed up to serve refreshments. My friend was the coordinator of the event, and afterward he got to take a ride in the hot dog-shaped vehicle. When they stopped at a red light, he popped his head up through a hatch in the roof. Just then a convertible pulled up beside them. My friend in the Wienermobile caught the other driver's eye and said, "Pardon me...would you have any Grey Poupon?"

More after the jump...

Continue reading...

Categories: 2008 BMW 135i,2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR,2008 Pontiac G8 GT,2009 Audi A4 Avant,2009 Dodge Ram 1500,2009 Hyundai Genesis V6,2009 Infiniti FX50 AWD,2009 Nissan 370Z Touring