Long-Term Road Tests

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 Big List of Fuel Economy: October 2009 .

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 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: Grip = Yay; Launch = Boo.

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 Big List of Fuel Economy: September 2009.

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 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: Braking News--Stoptech Pads, Lines, Numbers, Impressions.

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...

Continue reading What You Said (9/13-9/19).

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 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: RRE Tunes The Garrett GT30R.

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 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: GT30R Hearts AMS Widemouth At RRE.

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 Big List of Fuel Economy: August 2009.

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 What You Said (8/17-8/22).

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

What's that? More air from Project Evo's upcoming bigger turbo won't do squat if we don't have the fuel to go with it?

Hang on. Can't we just tell our stock injectors to stay open longer?

Yes and no.

Continue reading 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: Injector Dynamics.

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Replacing Project Evo X's worn-out stock clutch with another stock clutch would be evidence of insanity. Clearly, the Garrett upgrade turbo will require a clutch with more torque-handling capability.

We're picky, though. Project Evo X is not a full-on race car, so the clutch needs to have smooth engagement and minimal noise. That rules out solid-hub discs, which can transmit gear noise. It also rules out puck-type cerametallic discs which judder like crazy every time you engage the clutch.

So, yeah, we want our clutch to do it all. Hit the jump for the lowdown.

Continue reading 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: ACT Clutch And Streetlite Flywheel.

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

One of the goals at the outset of Project Evo, our longterm 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR, was to match or best the GT-R's power to weight ratio. 

Well, we reached the limits of the stock turbo a while back. And since weight removal isn't an option for us, that leaves just one rather obvious alternative.

You see above one very serious piece of hardware to skew the ratio. Though there are a few bolt-on upgrade turbos available for the Evo X, we settled on the Garrett Evo X upgrade unit in GT3076R guise as it has some tricks up its sleeves the others lack.

Click the jump to geek out with me.

Continue reading 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: Garrett GT30R Upgrade Turbo.

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

Here is a preview of the Mitsu Evo GSR getting some new modifications. Right now our blue Evo is down at Road Race Engineering in Santa Fe Spings, California getting some much needed speed for its appointment with the GT-R.

On the agenda is a larger Garrett turbo complete with a tune on the chassis dyno, a much-needed new clutch and few other goodies. We'll give you details tomorrow.

More photos after the jump...

Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief

Continue reading 2008 Mitsubishi Evo GSR: Getting More Speed.

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR

What do you want to know about our Project Evo?

You haven't driven it in our current configuration so I can't ask you to write a review.

But you can put your questions in the comments section.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

Categories: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution GSR