Happy Madison

only the IX MR and IX RS get the alu roof. and whether the RS is "significantly" faster is debatable.

_EVOlved_

iTrader: (12)

Is there actually a NOTICEABLE performance difference in accelleration with the RS compared to the GSR/MR, whether it be significant or not??

the owl

why would you get another sti?

EVO X Owner-2-B

iTrader: (14)

Yes.

I haven't experienced it myself, but in my extensive research time before I bought my Evo, I found written proof that I'll share here.

Proof #1) The Motor Trend article that compared all three VIII variants - http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/...vos/index.html

While the RS wasn't the quickest around the track, it was in a straight line. The RS's lighter weight and lack of spoiler are the reasons. It's lack of ABS hurt it's track time the most.

Proof #2) A favorite quote of mine by a fellow EvoM member:

"test drove an 05 RS last night impressions inside."

Jan 8, 2005, 12:12 PM #1

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My test drive was not brief and since I already purchase two MRs from the same dealership, they just handed over the keys to me to take on a test run.

Weather conditions: Cold mid 30s.

Location: Somewhere in freehold I found a nice road that said "twisty roads" <-- no BS

The car was not abused and not once that I touch the 5k RPM.


By the time that I left the parking lot, I already felt that the 05 RS is faster and more responsive than the MR. The 5 speed is better suited for track driving as you do not have to shift as often but I find out that there is more turbo lag than the MR. When the turbo finally spooled around 3000 rpm, the RS shot up like a banshee. The difference in smoothness of the power curve between the MR and the RS was so obvious that i found myself saying "holy***T" .

The 05 RS felt more connected and it quickly became an extension of the driver. While I banked it into the first jughandle, Its response was extremly precise and I believe this has to do with the stiffer struts and shocks. The RS steering felt quicker than the MR as I found myself correcting my steering input the majority of the ride. I'm not saying that the MR steering is not quick, I'm simply saying that between the RS and the MR, the steering was so fast that it almost feel like it is too nervous. The no nonsense attitude of the RS makes it a blast to drive more so than the MR. It felt lighter, it communicates with me as if I had a hard wired plug from my brain to the car's ECU.

The beautiful trashing noise that was coming from the turbo and the engine is to die for. Noise is magnified and it is not a bad thing since you really get a sense of what's going on overall. The turbo noise is louder and the rush is more apparant. I found the the engine builds rev a lot quicker and thus made me feel that the RS is faster than the MR <-- of course this is only seat of the pants reaction. The RS felt extremly light especially in the twisties where I test drove it. Not once did I have to get on the brakes and the car was very stable and extremly firm.
I enjoyed the test ride so much that I am going to trade my s2000 in next week to get the RS as a weekend racer only. The MR will be my daily driver as it really is more refined, supple and a lot quieter. In a road course or autocross course, I'm sure that the RS will do better than the MR."

THE END

Proof #3) My deciding factor, another fav' quote of mine posted by another EvoM member. It's more a testiment to handling:

"Would u trade an 05 MR for an 06 RS?"

Oct 8, 2005, 03:08 PM #50

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The where...Portland Intl Raceway. And I never did say the RS was faster, I said it handled better. We never put a stopwatch to them. I'd like to be able to go back, and do a back to back test and time them all. There were 4 of us instructors from the race school and a bunch of journalists from all the mags driving the cars over a three day time period. Us instructors could get in and out of the cars all we wanted and would do so for hours on end untill the journo's would show up. There was myself, the owner of the race school, the chief instructor, and another instructor that aside from several SCCA road racing national championships, currently holds the outright speed record for the Silver State Classic.
Anyway, all of us initially thought the MR would be the better/faster car given the closer ratio gearing, suspension ect. However, after driving the RS, ALL of us felt It was the better track car. At times we were fighting to see who would get to drive it. It was just so noticeable as to how much lighter it was, and how the weight difference plays into the over all handling. It was MUCH more nimble. Any throttle or brake input made a much larger difference in the balance of the car with regard to weight transfer. We could brake later and take the corners a bit faster because of the lighter weight. It would be interesting to compare them back to back on a track like Road America, where hp and aero wold make a bigger difference. I could see the MR having a bit of an advantage because of better aero packaging, being able to hit a higher top speed.
The Mitsu engineers from japan were suprized that we liked the RS better than the MR for much the same reasons most people think of.
A side note with regards to suspension... the RS and the GSR have the same suspension settings. the RS felt great the GSR did not. The only real difference is the weight and center of gravity."

THE END

I've only wide-open-throttled (WOT'd) my IX RS. The one other Evo that I "opened up" was a used, slightly modded '04 VIII. Between these two, handsdown my RS was night-and-day quicker. I took it easy on the other two Evos I drove, an '05 VIII and an '05 MR,so I won't include those cars in my personal comparo.

silverEVO8

iTrader: (12)

The STi is a very nice car. I had a WRX before I went with my first EVO VIII and now I'm on my second EVO, an '05 MR. The EVOs are definitely much faster than the WRX and handle 1K times better. However, the STis are very different from the WRX. they handle great, definitely have more low end torque and pull like mad, but I don't think they'll out run the EVO in a 1/4 race with equal drivers. As others have said, once you start modifying the cars, the EVO will win hands down.. OTOH, if you compare them stock vs. stock and you don't plan to get into drag racing, the STi is a very compelling car. You cannot go wrong with either one. I'm very happy with my MR and I'm keeping it almost stock. My friend just got an STi and he's happy with it, he drove an EVO VIII before....

Dayton_EVO

iTrader: (3)

Yes the Evo is easier and cheaper to mod, but all this stage 1 and stage 2 STi's being in the 13's and slow is rubbish. Most of those guys doing 13's in a modded STi, need to go to driving school. I like both cars and own both. They are entirely two different beast's and it really boils down to your preference. I know my bone stock 05 STi did 12.9 in the 1/4 with good launches with less than half a tank of fuel and 13 flat to 13.1 with a full tank and junk in the trunk. As for the handling part, the Evo gets the slight edge for a quicker steering rack. And yes the STi can and does take a corner as well and sometimes better depending on the surface conditions. I have exclusively tested these two vehicles back to back for the last two years and honestly, it is a toss up in general.

If you want something cheaper and easier to mod, the Evo is the way. Everyone has an opinion on the subject and that is the beauty of it(keeps the fires going). Point is buy or drive what you want, and there will always be plenty of opinions to go around. I personally love both cars and for different reasons.

BTW, there is one STi model in the States and 3 Evo models. Lets see a new Spec C type RA over here and then we will talk. The steering is on par with the Evo as well as power.

Cheers

Ph3n1x

iTrader: (12)

So who cares, stick with the scooby.

WrX Kila

iTrader: (18)

That hard pull you feel in the STI is the 2.5 bottom end. Thats all, after that it falls flat on its face upstairs with that small turbo.

Nvr2old32

I'm kind of lost here. My car only dynoed 263whp on Buschur Racing's MD and in 1st and 2nd gear, it pulls like a demon. First gear feels like a wall just hit you and second is scary because you feel like you don't have control.

I went with the 264's which are better down low so this may be the difference. Not sure...

I guess all cars feel different, I'm just surprised a 300hp EVO didn't feel like it pulled as hard. The STI must pull like a demon!

silverEVO8

iTrader: (12)

First of all, 263 whp is pretty decent.. Secondly, I've been in EVOs that seemed to pull much harder than mine, but somehow were not as fast in the quarter mile. The reason these cars pulled so hard was the torque and hp curves were heavily biased towards the big TQ numbers in the lower RPMs..... One of them was Dynoflashed and had a MBC I'm pretty sure the other one was Dynoflashed as well. This was back in '03.....

Bom's Evo

iTrader: (14)

number one thing would be the short gearing from the STI. So its always like... shift shift shift.
Also the stock turbo does have a lag on the EVO. Its alot bigger than a WRX turbo.

No replacement for displacement.

caswanso

My evo has aprox. 275 wheel on a mustang dyno and I raced an Sti that was aprox. 315 wheel on the same dyno and I walked him from a dead stop and from a 40mph roll on the high way. You may have 300 whp on a mustang and he may have 300 whp on a dyno jet. BIG Difference.

Soon2BEVO

iTrader: (41)

Take a ride in my car, youll feel that torque everywhere. 386ft/lbs at 3500-4200rpm. Stock turbo spools like lightning and huge kick in the *** even down low. Stock turbo, 93oct, under $4k in mods (minus the volks of course!)

cutieone

iTrader: (7)

I know what you mean all my freinds have sti's and when they take me for a ride it does sit you back in your seat way more than the evo but it is because all the torque from the boxer 4! I think they pull way harder! My evo has about 350 horsepower and i think that my friends 320 hp sti pulls way harder! But when me and him go from a roll i just pull away from him!

Want to Evo

The STI has a rear power bias so it feels like it is pushing you. The Evo has a front power bias so it feels more as if its pulling you.