Hello EvoM members. I figured I would start a build thread partly to chronicle the mods to the car and partly due to vanity. I bought the car in March of 2013 from a member on here (runny yolk). He was the original owner and had taken great care of the car. It had 65,820 miles on the clock when I bought it and had never been modified. Apex Siver Metallic is my third favorite Evo color, but I settled on it as the car was too good to pass up. I knew that with the correct wheels and accents it would look good.

Original for sale thread here:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sa...3-evo-8-a.html

I used to own a ’95 Talon TSi AWD back when I was in college. I always wanted 350whp and a great handling auto-x car. Unfortunately I couldn’t afford to build it to meet my goals as being a full time college student doesn’t really pay that well. So, I sold the car and told myself I’d get another one someday when I could do it correctly.

When I first drove the Evo I was grinning ear to ear. My Talon couldn’t have dreamed of being so well rounded from the factory. I knew I wanted to do simple, cheap, horsepower mods and a decent suspension/wheels but that was the extent of my intentions. I made the mistake of taking the Evo to an auto-x when I only had minimal mods. My love for auto-x bit me hard and I started ordering parts. I decided I would buy as much as possible used so I could get the most bang for my modding buck. I have saved over $5k in mods so far by using this approacch.

Fast forward 9 months and the car has a good bit of mods and is about to get ripped apart to put on the rest of the pile of parts sitting in my living room. I’ll be updating this as I rip into it but I figured I would at least get the thread started. The parts installed and/or waiting to be installed are:

Engine:
AMSOIL air filter
STM intake
Mini battery
AMS battery tray
Homemade COP kit
GSC S1 Cams
Fidanza cam gears
Zaklee timing cover
ARP head studs
FP HTA71 turbo w/ ported 9.8cm hotside
ETS short route 3" FMIC kit
Synapse DV
FP race manifold
MAP heat shield
MAP Rev2 O2 housing
AMS catless TBE
Torque Solution exhaust hangers
Front mounted B&M oil cooler
STM sealed catch can
Kiggly HLA
Koyo radiator
FAL slim fan
OmniMAP 4-bar MAP sensor
GrimmSpeed 3-port boost controller @ 26 psi
AC removed
B&M oil cooler front mounted

Fuel:
Deatschwerks 200lph fuel pump
FIC 1100 high-Z

Gauges:
Innovate MTX-L wideband
Innovate MTX-D boost gauge
Innovate MTX-D oil pressure/temp
Gruppe-S dash pod

Drivetrain:
Torque Solution motor mounts
Torque Solution driveshaft bushings
Homemade shifter base bushings
Homemade shift linkage bushings
ACT Monoloc
Comp Clutch Stage 3.5
Comp Clutch Lightweight Flywheel
Jack's transmission
Jack's transfer case w/ Wavetrac LSD
TRE Max-Lock w/ upgraded side cover
ES diff/mustache bushings

Brakes:
Girodisc 2-pc rotors
Raybestos ST43 pads
Girodisc titanium shims
Motul RBF 600
Techna-Fit SS brake lines
Binary brake duct nozzles
Bumper blockoff plates with integrated duct inlets

Suspension/Wheels:
AST 5100 Coilovers with 12k/12k springs and Vorshlag camber plates
Whiteline KCA395 RCA kit
Whiteline KCA400M Anti-Lift/Caster bushing
Whiteline W0593 front LCA bushing
Whiteline KCA390 steering precision kit
Whiteline KCA388 rear bump correction
Whiteline W0594 rear lower trailing arm
Whiteline BMF48 26mm front swaybar
Whiteline BMR65XZ 24mm rear swaybar
Whiteline F&R end links
Cusco front STB w/ master cylinder brace
Cusco rear STB
RS trunk bar
ARP extended studs
Muteki SR48 lug nuts
17x9 +35 5-Zigen FN01R-C Hot Edition
255/40-17 Potenza RE-71R
18x10.5 +30 Enkei NT03+M (no tires yet)

Looks:
Evo VII tails
Amber side markers
Mynes hood struts
Rexpeed side spats
Mini wire tuck
Do-Luck style front lip
Binary seat lowering brackets

 

Nice looking car! How are you liking the z2's for auto-x duty?

 

Looks like a good start, got any dyno results or comparisons of the HTA71 to stock?

Whats your goals? Just have fun or looking to get competitive?

 

A lot of this stuff is going to be installed in the next month. I'm still on stock turbo with fuel pump, intake, IC kit, exhaust, struts/springs, and wheels. I don't have any dyno numbers as I tune it myself. From comparing my mods to other people's I should be in the 280-320whp range currently.

I ultimately want to start doing SCCA auto-x races and make it out to Lincoln. My setup is good for local events but won't cut it in SCCA $M at this point. With how I've been running with current mods my 2014 build should be untouchable in local events. Then I can just spend a little more for 2015 and get a killer suspension/diffs to be competitive in SCCA.

 

Nice work, the car looks super clean.

 

Well done

 

Having done a ton of DSM racing, I can say the rear diff (which you've already done) is definitely the biggest help. Front diff does help some, but its not like the results you get in the rear.


Definitely let us know how the HTA71 works for you, I've been eying that but waiting to read more reviews. Later this winter Ill be selling my AST5100s cause I'm switching to Ohlins (local re-valving support), let me know if you're interested.

 

I will let you know about the HTA71. I know 211ratsbud has one and loves his. He's making 400whp I believe. The turbo is sold with a 9.0cm turbine housing but I bought one of FP's sale units without the turbine housing so I will be using my stock 9.8cm. For the price I couldn't pass it up. Definitely keep me in mind when you sell that suspension. What are you running for spring rates? Also, cheers to all the old DSMTalk peeps that are now playing in the Evo world.

 

If you look through my old posts Ive gone through nearly an uncountable number of iterations and done the math, and its all brought me right back around to the standard suggestions of 2.5hz front and 2.6-2.7hz rear. I run 700/700, found that more spring and less bar has more steady state grip but hit a bump and the car just cant handle it.


For the ASTs I have I think 8k, 10k, 700lb, and 900lb springs and in various lengths and diameters. Basically, I have a box of hyperco and swifts springs to play around with

 

I'll have to look some of that stuff up. I decided to try out swaybars as a result of the Trackable Evo - Sway Bar Upgrade thread in the motorsports section. I know the GTWorx are super soft compared to the standard high spring rates used in auto-x. So I figured I'd add some swaybars and see if they help. I'm a suspension noob but it makes sense to me. I need to get all this stuff on and get a few events under my belt before I decide to switch the suspension up. None of the Whiteline parts or the Weir are installed yet and I'm sure it's going to be a completely different animal when they are.

 

I see you upgraded rear diff, i too upgraded mine I went with the fully built 12 plate max lock unit from tre...do you get any kind of chatter/binding at slow speeds (5-10mph) turning lets say into parking spaces or u turns? im wondering if its the rear diff, maybe agressive lock or fluid? or if its something else...ive also been running with no rear sway bar temp purposes

 

Yep, Mine did it real bad with the redline NS fluid (no friction modifier) which I used to break it in with. Switched to the regular LSD fluid and it got significantly quieter. 2.5 years later and it still will make a little noise when cold and turning tight radii but doesnt last long.

 

Good photo from my last event before the rebuild and most of my parts waiting to go on. I cannot wait for this to happen!

 

Looks good. Keep up the awesome work

 

Well the t-case and transmission have been removed. From looking at the stock clutch it didn't have too much time left. Not a bad run for 66k stock miles and 6k miles of elevated power and auto-x launching. Now I'm trying to decide if I want to upgrade the t-case as I don't feel like ripping it apart again. I'm already planning on sending the transmission to Jack's so I might as well send him the t-case and get a Wavetrac diff, right? Decisions, decisions...