I drove both the 2005 and 2006 and except for the trim they felt the same to me. I wonder how much is psychosematic "Wanting to feel it's better because it is supposed to be" I drove the IX before EVOM started saying it was better than the IIIX, which it is, but IMO not enough to notice vs a 05'.

 

that's most likely due to the STi's more instant throttle response...at WOT u feel less hesitation with the STi and the car just surges forward almost anywhere in the rpm spectrum. the additional 500cc and smaller turbo help this feeling

but in reality u know which one's faster

to the OP...happy break in u'll find the IX to be a slightly different beast than 03 VIII after the break in.

jasil, i drove an 05 before i got my IX as well, and both felt pretty much the same except the 05's turbo spike would hit slightly harder due to lack of MIVEC.

but the 03 i drove i could feel quite a few differences...not extreme but they were there.

 

A lot of us evo owners now have had one or two maybe even three of them... All have their own opinions... Sure the ix has the mivec and acd on all cars unlike the 8's but almost all eights came with HIDs, Sun roofs, FULL carbon wings and high gloss paint on the trim, unlike the stuff they come with now... I think the next evo should be a mix between the two to make the best!

 

i like that i bought an 05. i get LSD, HID and ACD.

plus i get all the previous modability of the earlier ones where as people are getting stumped on things to buy for 9's

a guy i'd just met has a fully built 9. ams 2.3, stage 3 head, gt35r, turbo trix cams, vsr intake manifold

where as if he'd gotten an 8 he could buy an aem ems to get the full potential of those mods, as well as buy jun 272's to get even better power.

i'm glad i have my 8

 

05 is a good year it seems... But AEM is making a EMS system for it... This is a total give and take, some things i wish my evo had and some im glad it doesnt... All I know is that the 9's are making more power with the same mods as 8...

 

yeah one thing i really miss about the 8 is the HIDs. those were some good bright lights. guess i can find some and swap eh????

 

only becuause you have one

 

I would add that the differences between my 04 VIII and my IX MR are much more extensive than stated above. For one, the VIII would shutter whenever the AC came on at idle. With MIVEC, the IX idles very smoothly whether the A/C is on or not. This is a day and night difference. The VIII drive train had a lot of gear noise. In fact, the gear whine made it sound somewhat cheap. The IX MR is a great deal quieter as far as gear noise goes. The IX rides better than the VIII. Both of my cars had the MR suspension. So, the difference was not in the suspension. The IX just seems more solid. Lastly, The IX interior sounds either quieter or has less rattles than my VIII did. It is just a quieter and tighter car. Some of this difference may be due to a difference in the miles on the cars.

 

A little OT, but are the 05 EVO 8 that much different from the earlier ones?
My car is loud, but not any louder then the 9, my AC doesn't change the idle at all
what does change it is the AUX fan, when that kicks on the idle raises a little.

I didn't notice any more or less gear, engine, drivetrain noise from 8 to 9.

Lastly the suspension from the 8 to 9 seams the same to me. Grated I do not have
a MR, and I know they ride a lot nicer. Did they change the suspension from the 8 to 9?

Is it safe to say the 05, 8 is almost the same as the 9 minus the minvac?

 

from 03 VIII to IX is a much greater difference than going from an 05 VIII to a IX. the 05's have the LSD and ACD as well as the larger hotside, only lacking the larger compressor and MIVEC that the IX has.

 

The IX has a larger cold side? What is the size difference?

 

I'm very happy with my 05! But all this talk of the IX makes me sad. Oh well, I bought this car WAY to right to get rid of it, plus since it was my B-Day last Friday, I have lots of goodies to go on it now. Including a set of HID's FINALLY!

 

i'm not sure of the exact size difference, but the IX is larger. i'm sure a search would supply you an answer. i've read/seen a few people that have put IX turbos on their VIII's and had similar peak power numbers only lacking the low-end that the MIVEC provides. but the main difference in peak power from IX to VIII is the larger compressor. they're pretty cheap too, around $700 brand new and $100 or so for the proper oil/water lines and you can bolt it right on your VIII.