nitz

iTrader: (3)

new year greetings to all. i have been reading this forum for sometime to help me decide on an upgrade path for my WW 05 VIII RS 8K miles about $6K (priced on the mid-high side) including parts, labor and tuning. i am considering going with a 9-20G, reflash and all the supporting mods to make use of the larger turbo and compressor wheel. mods are to include the following:

9-20G kit
drop in air filter
3" tbe & test pipe (if cel fix is not a pain)
O2 housing
port and coat exhaust parts if not too expensive (ex mani,10.5 hotside, 02 housing etc)
fuel injectors (680cc)
cams (264/272)
cam gears
arp head studs (if necessary)
mbc
recirc diverter valve
255 fuel pump
any other suggestions welcomed (no alky thankyou)

i know lots of you like to work with whp numbers and if i had to throw one out there, 350whp on 93oct would be nice. however, it might be a stretch for this setup especially since i would prefer to run a conservative and safe tune.

i can probably get $24K as a trade-in and pick up an 06 EVO IX RS for about $29K. i know, sucky price but the dealers in miami don't want to deal. i went to one this weekend and they had and MR listed as $41K, and thats before tax,tag and title!

so what's my question you ask? assuming that i can make similar power with IX and minor mods (tbe,filter and mbc and a reflash) and a better torque curve (MIVEC), is it worth the extra $2K-$3K ontop of the 6K in mods i would spend on the VIII. if you're confused about the numbers, remember that i will be keeping the IX stock turbo, injectors, cams and fuel pump. in addition, any performance gains realised when intake cams are produced for the IX. finally, i will be getting car one year newer with no miles which offers some intangible value (tangible if i sell or wreck it..ins

VIII $6K in mods
IX $5K trade-in + $2K ttl + $1-2K in mods = $8-9K


ultimately, i would like to keep this car for at least 3 years and continue to build it so that i can really enjoy it. i just want to make sure i am starting with right model to achieve the most gains and streetability in the future.

your thoughts and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated..if you actually made it to the end of this post. if your wondering why an RS, well its because i don't think about power windows or locks when i'm beating on it for the weekend.

warrtalon, any comments are welcomed..

Darwinator

iTrader: (8)

I'd mod the 05, it would be very fast!

taenaive

iTrader: (20)

I am staying with my 05 RS. I thought about getting evo 9 RS also, but It is not wise to sell the car in a year and buy the hot new car. you lose too much money. turbo back and cams will give you enough power for the street. looks like evo 9's Mivec cams don't really need upgrade. They put out numbers like evo 8 with cams. I don't think evo 9 is that different beside the MIVEC. 9 is bit better like having better head design and turbo..etc but I would wait for evo X and save the money mean while.

GootBoost

iTrader: (7)

+1

nitz

iTrader: (3)

thats quite a bit different if you ask me, MIVEC, larger turbo, better head design (haven't heard about that yet)!
in my opinion the X is not even an option at this point when considering modding, especially if they do away with the 4g63 (this is debateable). the only reason i am considering this is because i got my RS at a steal for $22K with 2K miles on it, and i am up on the trade-in. it's a tough one for me. thanks for your reply.

4g63_24

iTrader: (3)

You should keep the 05 if you want to drag race it more...I think the gear ratios on the VIII should help more in drag since the gears in the IX has been changed...with 4th gear being shorter than the VIII. Either way you should hit 12's easily with the extra cash in mods. But if you want Mivec and a larger turbo, it's your call. I would suggest the IX because there has been so many great reveiws on its power. Whatever your decision is, good luck...i'm sure you'll be happy one way or the other.

nitz

iTrader: (3)

bump...thought i would get better input on this guys.. come on

GoneIn420

iTrader: (8)

The only thing I can think of is that if you are going for hp over 500, MIVEC will become worthless. I don't think they have engineered cams for this application yet, the exhaust side is the only thing you can do. Late.

boostedwrx

iTrader: (27)

yea the 05's are still a huge improvement over the 03's, at least in my opinion. Be lucky you didnt buy first year like me I finally dumped mine though...but, If I were you, I'd keep the 05!

Soon2BEVO

iTrader: (41)

I dont know why youd even consider the 264/272... just get straight 272s. My car idles like butter withOUT cam gears! Bigger intake cam will help with more esp with the 20G-9

nitz

iTrader: (3)

i was considering the 264/272 combo becuase of just that, the idling issue. seems as though experiences with idling and cams vary from car to car and tune to tune, so i thought this might be a good combination for both a smooth idle and performance..but i will take that into consideration and ask my future tuner (prolly Al), what he thinks and decide then. hey if i could get your numbers in the miami heat, i'll go with whatever you say

Soon2BEVO

iTrader: (41)

Well Al didnt touch my idle the first tune and it was still fine, never stalled in 30k miles and sounded great. I got tuned again yesterday and he actually did the idle upon my request and its even better than before. You wont regret it. If I did it over again Id get the damn 280s!

shimla

iTrader: (7)

call nearby state dealerships and for sure there are a lot out there dealing invoice on their IX's

taenaive

iTrader: (20)

it is really hard to convince newbies. oh well... they will learn eventually.

nitz

iTrader: (3)

ahhh..i was waiting for the one useless post in this thread..cheers