It’s finally happened. After all the testing, events, street miles, and races, Project Evo IX’s heart has given out. We’re all bummed here at OR that we’re going to have to rebuild an engine using a budget that we don’t have in the first place but our 4G63 engine has lived a long life.

Photo by Duane Uyeda

This particular Lancer Evo 9 was born as a Sport Compact Car magazine project car. From those days on, this trusty Mitsubishi saw the skidpad, figure-8, drag strip, road course, autocross, track days, and time attack competition. All the while, it was a daily driver and saw regular street miles. It’s lived a good life. Let’s just say this, if it was a rotary–powered RX-7 or E46 M3, the engine would have exploded in grand fashion about 30,000 miles ago.

The road to our failure began at the 2009 Super Lap Battle finals event. Fresh off of an overall victory at the Evo vs. STI Shootout, we stayed at the beautiful Motel 6 in Buttonwillow, California and awoke the next day for the Super Lap Battle time attack event.

Stickers needed changing, tires needed swapping, and brake fluid needed to be bled out. From all the commotion in the pits, it was obvious that we weren’t alone. As the biggest time attack event of the year, the Super Lap event attracted the likes of Sierra Sierra Enterprises, FXMD, AMS, Hasport, Evasive Motorsports, Robispec, TEIN, KW, StopTech, and Crawford Performance. Everyone was busy doing a morning concoction of wrenching, swearing, and waking up.

Photo by Duane Uyeda

The previous day, at the Evo vs STI Shootout, Project Evo 9 showed some serious speed. Fastest time of the day for us was a 1:59.3. We drove our AWD terror to the track, slapped on our 340 treadwear Continental tires, and demolished the Porsche 911 Turbo’s lap time. Since our last outing at Buttonwillow, we made the switch to KW 2-way motorsport coilovers, a Carbonetic rear limited-slip differential, TTech 600 turbo, and a Gruppe-S ACD ECU.

With the weather nearly identical to the previous day, we were eager to switch to our 200 treadwear Nitto NT05 tires and see how faster we could go. Our early predictions were that Project Evo 9 would be running in the 1:57 range with a high 1:56 possible if we got our adjustments just right.

In case you haven’t noticed, that’s flying folks. We’re talking about a full weight, full interior, street legal car on genuine unshaven street tires being able to keep up with a supercar level machine like the Nissan GT-R. Even we didn’t think it was possible until we hit the track.

Many street shocks or coilover setups only adjust rebound or adjust rebound and compression together, especially cheaper Asian dampers. If the shocks are custom valved or tested to have the correct damping range, they can work great on the street and the track.

We’ve had great success in the past building street and weekend track cars using off-the-sheld shocks from brands like Koni, Tokico, and TEIN. But when it comes time to split hundredths in real competition, having independent compression and rebound settings is a major plus. Just take a look at Koni and TEIN’s upper level products, such as the 8611 and SRC, respectively.

Project Evo 9’s KW motorsport coilovers allowed us to soften the compression for the NT05’s stiffer sidewalls without compromising our rebound settings. Vice versa, if we wanted to adjust our rebound damping, we didn’t have to sacrifice the car’s body roll resistance. Our only gripe is, after about the third time crawling underneath our blazing inferno of a car with a tiny hex key in hand, we wish the compression adjuster was easier to reach.

With tire pyrometer, lap timer, and pressure gauge in hand, we were ready for Russ after the first session. We had spent most of our early practice playing with shock settings and tire pressures and Russ reported back that the car felt great, even faster than the previous day. The lap timer read that we were now 0.5-seconds slower than the previous day. An easy win refused to drop right into our lap. Surprising.

Photo by Duane Uyeda

The results were puzzling. Russ reported back that the Nitto NT05s seemed to display much more grip than the Continental ExtremeContact DWs and the car’s balance felt great throughout the course. No issues with braking, curbing contact, turn-in, or corner exit. The car just felt better and went slower.

As we were in the midst of adjusting Project Evo 9, one of competitors came by to pay a visit. Jon Drenas from HB Speed had showed up to the Evo vs STI Shootout and decided to stay for the Super Lap Battle event, since he had already driven himself two hours into the dusty California desert.

With only the Continental tires left on his Lancer Evo X, he was unable to place higher than 5^th. Drenas spotted our practice set of Nitto NT05s sitting in the sun and asked to use the set for his next run session. Since Project Evo 9 had run faster on the same Conti tires, we were interested in seeing how his car would respond to NT05s.

After a few laps, driver Billy Brooks, from Mode Racing, was able to drop the HB Speed Evo X into a 1:57.6 lap. This turned out to be more than 4-seconds faster than the Evo X had been running all morning, putting the HB Speed team into second place and bumping us off the podium into 4^th. With the compression on our KWs softened up, Russ headed out with Project Evo 9. In just a few minutes, he came coasting back into the pits. The outlook was bad.

Russ reported a sudden loss of power and a puff of smoke out the back of the car. He wisely shut off the engine and coasted Project Evo 9 all the way back into the pits. Luckily, he was nearly in front of the pit entrance when the failure occurred.

Photo by Duane Uyeda

After inspecting for gushing oil and odd holes in the engine block, we tried to fire up Project Evo 9. After one crank, the oil dipstick shot 6-feet into the air and oil blew out of the dipstick holder. Our day was done – we would end up in 4^th place Street AWD at the Super Lap Battle Finals. We haven’t tried to fire up our Mitsubishi project car to this day.

In honor of their elevation to 2^nd place, Billy and Jon agreed to tow the stricken Project Evo 9 back towards Los Angeles. The HB Speed Evo X, which was towed to the track, would be driven back by Jon himself after a full topping of E85 fuel. Billy would then be able to help tow us back inside the Mode Racing trailer. At least it all worked out in the end.

A later diagnosis by Tuning Technologies revealed zero compression in cylinder four and a missing spark plug electrode. Our 4G63 engine is kaput. For now, Project Evo 9 has been sidelined, the first time that it has ever sat off the road. We’ve been bouncing around ideas with Tuning Technologies as to what direction we want to go from here. The engine will either need to be swapped out or rebuilt. We’re obviously leaning towards new internals but haven’t arrived at our perfect formula. For now, we’re just saving our pennies.

Sources

ENGINE
Tuning Technologies – TTech 600 bolt-on turbocharger, custom ECU flash, engine parts installation labor
(909) 783-1200
www.tuningtechnologies.com

GReddy – SP2 catback exhaust, PRofec B-spec II electronic boost controller
www.greddy.com

Works – O2 housing, downpipe, high-flow catalytic converter
(415) 226-2500
www.worksevo.com

K&N Engineering – Oil filter
(800) 858-3333
www.knfilters.com

AEM – CARB-legal cold air intake
(800) 992-3000
www.aempower.com

SUSPENSION
KW Automotive – 2-way motorsport coilovers
(800) 445-3767
www.kw-suspension.com

M1 Fabrication & Development – chassis setup, alignment, carbon fiber front splitter, harness bar, brake lines
www.m1fd.com

WHEELS
5Zigen – 18×9.5” +35 offset FN01R-C wheels
(310) 608-5575
www.5zigenusa.com

TIRES
Nitto – 265/35/18 NT05 high-performance street tires
www.nittotire.com

BODY
INGS – N-Spec Hybrid Aero front bumper, side skirts
www.ings-net.com

APR Performance – Rear carbon fiber wing, carbon fiber diffuser
(909) 594-3796
www.aprperformance.com

DRIVETRAIN
Carbonetic – carbon rear limited-slip differential
(310) 635-3555
www.carbonetic.net

Gruppe-S – ACD ECU flash
www.gruppe-s.com

INTERIOR
Buddy Club – Super Low Down Seat Rails
(909) 923-9188
www.buddyclub.us

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 13

With Project 240SX’s stiffer chassis now highlighting the suspension’s movements, we became more and more dissatisfied with the car’s current “drift” setup. You see, our Nissan arrived at our doorstep equipped with generations old TEIN Type HE Drift Spec Winding Master coilovers (yup, that’s really the name – Ed.).

S13 TEIN Mono Flex

Although we want to be winding masters as much as anyone else, the suspension was built with drifting in mind. This meant that lots of compression valving was the name of the game, which is useful for quick weight transfer and Scandinavian Flick-type feint moves to initiate drifts.

But Project 240SX rockets over the undulating pavement and curbing of Buttonwillow Raceway, meaning that a damper resistant to compressing will shock the chassis over rough surfaces and cause the tires to lose contact with the ground.

After pulling the coilovers and making a trip over to TEIN USA for a damper rebuild and revalve, we were told that the Type HE’s twin-tube damper design was nearly a decade old. TEIN’s internal damper piston and shim designs have changed dramatically since and the Type HEs could be rebuilt, but not with the modern internals. We ended up leaving with a lighter wallet and a set of TEIN’s latest Mono Flex coilovers.

The MonoFlex system is based around TEIN’s newest 16-position adjustable monotube design. The monotube damper features a larger piston than TEIN’s twin-tube designs, displacing more shock oil per stroke and thus giving finer damping control as well as greater heat dissipation. TEIN also inverts the front strut monotube for a reduction in unsprung weight.

Stock (L) vs Aluminum Z32 rear spindles (R)

During installation, we maxed out the front upper spherical bearing camber plate by shoving the strut top all the way in. To our surprise, the front lower strut mounting bolts were 14mm in size, while the Mono Flex lower mounting bracket had 12mm holes. We guessed that Project 240SX was already equipped with S14 240SX front spindles but didn’t think much else of it and drilled out the brackets to fit the bolts.

After driving on the new Mono Flex suspension, we couldn’t believe that the Type HEs came from the same company, regardless of the difference in production date. The Mono Flex exhibited a much more smooth and controlled ride, even on full stiff, with more precision than the HEs and better traction due to the tires actually being able to stay in contact with the ground at all times.

Looking for a more precise alignment, we sourced a set of adjustable rear arms from SPC Performance. Manufactured out of steel tube with full adjustability, the SPC arms are vastly stronger and more flex-resistant when compared to the cheap stamped steel stock arms. The arms also come fit with new rubber bushings, which are a higher durometer than stock. SPC sells three links for the rear – camber, toe, and traction – of which the latter can be used to adjust for bumpsteer. To start, we set all the arms to stock length and then adjusted them for our alignment settings.

To go fast, and we’re talking Porsche ass kicking fast, Project 240SX would need a lot of camber. Strut-type front suspensions like to have large amounts of static camber on account of their horrible camber curves. Thanks to the SPC arms, Project 240SX wound up with nearly 3-degrees of negative camber and 1/16-inch total toe-in in the rear.

Machined camber plates for extra range

In the front, we got a measly 2-degrees of negative camber. Not good enough. With our non-refundable registration fees already on the line for a Buttonwillow test day, we headed over to M1 Fabrication & Development with just two days to spare.

When’s he not working on 250cc Superkarts from the likes of Wayne Rainey (three time 500cc World Championship motorcycle champ) and Eddie Lawson (four time 500cc World Championship champ), M1’s Mack Sunthonlap applies his sizeable fabrication knowledge to work on nine year-old derelict projects from the OR team. Yeah, we’re not sure how we pulled that one off either.

Project 240SX’s camber limitations were being caused by contact between the strut tower’s support ring and the heads of the camber plates’ inner bolts. Mack machined out the TEIN upper camber plates to allow more adjustment range and then drilled a set of holes in the top of each tower to provide clearance for the camber plates’ bolts.

A pair of chromoly rings were then cut and welded into each tower to provide structural support and our “Mickey Mouse” strut tower tops were done. 3.5-degrees negative camber each side without breaking a sweat.

With the car buttoned up, we headed out to Buttonwillow Raceway for Project 240SX’s first real shakedown test. We knew something was wrong the instant we got onto the highway. A massive dead center appeared in the steering response and the car felt unstable at highway speeds.

Once on track, Project 240SX violently and quickly snap oversteered the instant it touched its first bit of curbing. The car became nervous, wandering over any surface that wasn’t as smooth as glass and lacked any and all feedback during cornering.

When we returned, we discovered play between the front lower control arm and spindle. We had the wrong balljoints installed. Doh.

Removing 19yr old bushings for new Energy urethane

Project 240SX’s previous owner had told us that the five-lug swap was done using conversion hubs only. Wrong. We discovered earlier during the coilover install that we had S14 front spindles but neglected to follow up on it. We soon discovered that Project 240SX uses S14 front spindles, hubs, balljoints, and S13 lower control arms for the five-lug conversion. Stupid us.

We had earlier sourced an S13-application Megan Racing roll center kit, which has a different taper on the balljoint than the S14 kit and won’t seat correctly. We’ve since swapped the front for a Megan Racing S14 application roll center kit. If you’re carrying out a five-lug hub conversion, do not attempt to use S14 spindles and S13 balljoints. Learn from our mistakes. First lesson – keeping control arms attached to a car is a good thing.

<<< Continue to Project S13 Nissan 240SX – Part 2 – Chassis Stiffening For Cheap >>>

SOURCES
DRIVETRAIN
Nismo Super Coppermix clutch, pressure plate, flywheel, reinforced 6-speed transmission
JDM Power
(949) 855-9174
www.jdm-power.com

SUSPENSION
Mono Flex coilover suspension
TEIN
(562) 861-9161
www.tein.com

Adjustable rear camber, toe, traction links
SPC Performance
(303) 772-2103
www.spcperformance.com

Urethane control arm, rear spindle, swaybar, endlink bushings
Energy Suspension
(949) 361-3935
www.energysuspension.com

INSTALLATION
Clutch, pressure plate, flywheel
SR Motorcars
(310) 516-1003
www.srmotorcars.com

Urethane bushings, roll center kits
Tokyo Auto Repair
(714) 993-7300

When we last left off with Project Nissan 240SX, we just started getting acquainted with our second-hand project car. The base platform for cheap speed was already in place when we started – SR20DET swap, 198whp, new brakes, and an adjustable suspension.

Pouring the urethane foam into the chassis

Shaking loose nineteen years worth of age was as simple as new Energy Suspension urethane bushings, brake pads, tires, and a comprehensive fluid and water pump swap. Almost.

Project 240SX’s fastback chassis is the softest of all 240SXs. And 240SXs are not stiff to begin with anyways. The back hatch glass, which might as well be made out of cast iron, leaves a massive and heavy non-structural void in the rear. Thus, the fastback is substantially less rigid than even the coupe model S13-chassis 240SX. We desperately needed to address chassis stiffness.

One thing was for sure, we didn’t want a full roll cage in the car. Tying together the chassis with a custom welded cage would increase chassis stiffness by a large amount but this car sees more street time than track time and cracking our skulls open on a metal tube doesn’t exactly sound like a great Friday night.

This left us with the options of stitch welding, bolt-on chassis bracing bars, a 4-point roll bar and urethane foam. We may try out all these methods eventually, there’s no such thing as a car that’s too stiff, but the urethane foam is one of the most intriguing and so we started there first.

We’ve seen expanding urethane foam in automotive applications before. It’s used in such OEM applications as the Acura TL and the Mazda RX-8 R3. The stiffer a chassis is, the less it will flex against forces applied to it, i.e. suspension movement. This means that forces from the road surface will be contained and absorbed by the suspension rather than being allowed to beat up the body shell.

As the chassis is stiffened, ride quality will improve and even stiffer springs can be used before the chassis is upset again. Foam filling a chassis is a cheap and light method with which to dramatically increase chassis stiffness.

There are concerns though – the foam can trap moisture and rust your car from the inside out. Here in Southern California we don’t see a lot of rain, or any snow whatsoever, so we took the risk. Those in colder climates that are planning on keeping their cars for a very long time will have to weigh these negatives.

Keep in mind though that the foam you want to put into your car isn’t the cheap spray insulation that you can buy at your local Home Depot. Many of those foams have a density in the range of 0.5 lb per cubic foot.

We were after the 2 lb per cubic foot injectable kits for the upper pillars (made by Handi-Foam) and the 8 lb per cubic foot stuff for the rockers. Foams in the 8 lb per cubic foot density are commonly used in marine applications and we’ve never come across one that was an easy to use two part injectable kit.

Our expanding urethane foam pour kit was sourced from US Composites and came in two unassuming metal cans. The liquid in the two cans is mixed in a 1:1 ratio and has a claimed 45-second pour time. In actual use, the pour time (the time you have to pour it into your car before it bubbles over and turns into a solid) seems to be closer to half that.

Our filled rocker after hardening

We mixed up about 20-ounces at a time and a paint mixer and power drill came in handy for us as we zapped the mixture for a mere 15-seconds before beginning the pour into our rocker panels. Any longer and the foam would begin to harden in the funnel as we poured, clogging any more of the mixture from entering.

The pourable urethane foam expands to eight times its liquid volume, meaning the 16 lb net weight size kit is more than enough to handle the entire 240SX chassis. Handling the foam itself isn’t difficult at all, but proper prep is a must. The foam is nearly impossible to clean off once hardened and sets very quickly.

Before mixing and pouring began, Project 240SX’s interior was completely covered in a drop cloth, newspapers were placed underneath, disposable work clothes were worn and bits of duct tape were placed next to every orifice that we would be pouring into. This was done so that the expanding foam would be captured inside instead of bubbling out. We also made sure to tape up the backside of the lower seat belt holes in the rockers, so that the foam didn’t fill up the threads for the mounting bolts.

Although we don’t have any exact stiffness increase percentages, a simple garage measurement yielded a stiffer chassis with a 1/4-inch front and 1/8-inch rear increase in frame to ground height (less chassis sag) as the car was jacked up at the front left, with a floor jack saddle height of 10.75-inches.

Driving the car is also a revelation, with less creaks going up driveways and a noticeably smoother ride over broken pavement. Project 240SX may well see extra bracing and bars soon enough but for one afternoon’s worth of work and less than $100, we’re not complaining.

<<< Continue to Project S13 Nissan 240SX – Part 1 – Buying An S13 >>>

<<< Continue to Project S13 Nissan 240SX – Part 3 – Unsideways Track Suspension >>>

Sources

K&N Engineering
www.knfilters.com

US Composites
(561) 588-1001
www.uscomposites.com

Mavrik Motorsports
(714) 523-1896
www.mavrikmotorsports.com

When we last left off, Project Evo IX was given its annual car wash and placed into our 2009 SEMA booth in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Alongside the 5Zigen Honda Accord Euro-R and JC Meynet’s Subaru Impreza WRX STI time attack car, Project Evo IX gathered gawking onlookers and interested pedestrians.

Photo by Duane Uyeda

Due to its INGS aerodynamics, low-slung KW stance, and success at time attack events, Project Evo IX surprised many show-goers with its daily driven status. Yes, this car is just a front bumper, seat and wing change away from hitting the local Costco. We even drove it ourselves from California to Nevada for the show. And then back. Try that with your average, shiny, show car special.

Up until this point, Project Evo IX has made use of the stock engine, turbo, intercooler, airbox, cams, ECU and manifolds. A turbo-back exhaust, boost controller and Tuning Technologies tune was the key to 350whp on 100-octane and 320whp on 91-octane.

The mild engine bolt-ons were combined with significant suspension setup time and garnered us a 1^st place Street AWD finish at the Super Lap Battle Willow Springs event and a 3^rd place Street AWD podium at the Redline Time Attack Willow Springs event. But, when your competition comes packing 100whp+ more than you, you’re left struggling just to finish on the podium at all. For all the work that gets poured into the car, it sucks. Trust us.

The guys at Import Tuner magazine were putting on their annual Evo vs. STI Shootout, just a mere four days after the end of SEMA. The rules for the shootout were simple, full interior street cars in a three session time attack event. Fastest lap wins. Built engines, big turbos, race fuel and driver selection were unrestricted.

As the sponsor of the event, Continental Tires required all competitors to run on their Extreme Contact DW tire. Tire size was open but all competitors were to be on a level playing field with the use of a spec tire.

Rushing to finish the INGS+1 N-Spec bodywork and setup the KW 2-way motorsport coilovers sapped most of our time pre-SEMA. We had every expectation that we would be competing in the shootout with our stock turbo setup. Luckily for us, Alfred Beltran from Tuning Technologies let us know about a new development that he had going, the TTech 600 turbocharger.

Using a stock Lancer Evolution 9 turbo as the base, Tuning Technologies modifies the housings and adds a new compressor wheel and Inconel turbine wheel. This new turbo seemed to fit our every need. More power, very little increased lag (a boost threshold increase of only 500-600rpm as well), low cost and the ability to use stock fitment exhaust manifolds, intakes and lines.

There aren’t any fitment issues, exhaust manifold clearance or heat source areas to worry about. It’s literally a true bolt-on turbo. For safety’s sake, Tuning Technologies recommends the addition of a new turbo oil feed line, which feeds from the oil filter housing instead of the head, for proper oil pressure levels. Since Tuning Technologies is in Southern California, their turn-around for us would be very quick and they would be able to offer in-person support. We had to try it.

Before SEMA, we took the opportunity to dump our OEM airbox for a CARB-legal AEM cold air intake. To support the TTech 600 turbo, we also added an ETS front-mount intercooler and 272-degree camshafts. We kept our stock exhaust manifold, upper piping, cooling system, AMS lower pipe, Works O2 housing, downpipe and GReddy SP2 cat-back exhaust in place.

After Alfred from TT had worked his tuning magic on the dyno, the numbers came back as 417whp and 362 lb/ft of torque on 100-octane fuel. This equates to a solid 70whp increase from the stock turbo setup on the same dyno. We were still a little under the 450whp+ power level that many of the Street AWD cars run at but Alfred wisely recommended that we not push the envelope. Without upgraded connecting rod bolts or a more efficient cooling system, we would be needlessly pushing the edge for a daily driven street car.

With the hammer down, the TTech 600 turbo setup delivers a slight bit of increased lag but a whole lot more top end to make up for it. Drop a gear when you’re cruising on the freeway and traffic blurs away as you rocket towards triple-digit speeds with ease. And the best part is that Project Evo IX’s setup is completely stealth. Sounds like stock, looks like stock, goes like stink.

Looking at the engine bay from above, you’ll only see dirty heat shields, stock pipes, black hoses and dirt. You’d never know that this engine could make so much power. Our Wal-Mart battery doesn’t hurt the stealth factor either.

After spending all night with Mack from M1 Fabrication & Development aligning, testing, and driving on different settings with the KW suspension, we packed up and set off for Buttonwillow Raceway. Who needs sleep?

We arrived with just enough time to sneak into the tech line and set about getting ready for the track. Unload car. Check. Change tires. Check. Set pressures. Check. Adjust damping. Check. Find driver. Check.

We again called upon the skills of our resident back cracker, Russ Warr. He would be heading into a field of highly tuned Mitsubishi Lancer Evos and Subaru WRX STIs with Project Evo IX, which had a new engine setup, new suspension, new rear LSD and Continental tires that we’ve never run on before. We were interested to see how these dry/wet tires would compare to the Nitto NT05s that we usually run at the time attacks.

We selected a 265/35/18 size for our Continental DW tires and sent Russ out on track. His initial feedback was promising. The KW 2-way motorsport coilovers and Carbonetic rear LSD had transformed the car.

The increased droop travel from the new suspension meant that Project Evo IX wasn’t pulling a wheel up in turns anymore, especially through the small, uphill Buttonhook turn, and the tighter locking power of the rear LSD made for strong corner exits instead of wheelspin.

Where before the car would understeer on turn-in, wallow though turns and then relentless spin an unloaded rear tire on exit, Project Evo IX now possessed proper on-throttle behavior and improved balance.

We were worried at first that having a Gruppe-S ACD ECU, Carbonetic rear LSD, a wider front track (15mm spacers) and a big 27mm rear swaybar would lead to too much oversteer but we were glad to be proven wrong. It was a revelation to finally have separate rebound and compression adjustments and once we got the KW’s compression settings dialed in just right, Project Evo IX was able to soak up bumps without upsetting the car, making the track both faster and easier to drive. That’s a winning combo.

We experienced huge gains in time through the high speed Bus Stop/Talladega turn combo and Russ came back with nothing but positive feedback about the car’s handling balance.

As a street exhaust, the GReddy SP2 unit we have keeps the noise on the street to a respectable minimum and doesn’t require a silencer. It does, however, allow an Evo to make more than 400whp and sound almost like stock.

We were sure at first that we were in for a 3^rd place finish at best with the amount of wailing race engines thundering across the track. Project Evo IX now had much better acceleration with the TTech 600 turbo in place but it would barely whistle by on the front straight under full throttle. Still, the timing system did not lie.

In its first timed session, Project Evo IX outran all the built engine-equipped Subarus and new Lancer Evolution Xs. With a best lap of 1:59.3, Project Evo IX was the fastest car on track by almost a second, narrowly edging out Elliott Moran’s Garrett-equipped Lancer Evo X. The Continental Extreme Contact DW is a true street tire as well, molded with a tall, all-season tread, and a UTQG rating of 340. That’s a higher UTQG than the stock tire.

Project Evo IX is now finally realizing its true potential. Faster on track than a Porsche 911 Turbo while using full tread, wet weather capable street tires. Once we play further with spring rates, alignment and other adjustments, we’ll be able to pick up even more speed. Simply. Badass.

Sources

ENGINE
Tuning Technologies – TTech 600 bolt-on turbocharger, custom ECU flash, engine parts installation labor
(909) 783-1200
www.tuningtechnologies.com

GReddy – SP2 catback exhaust, PRofec B-spec II electronic boost controller
www.greddy.com

Works – O2 housing, downpipe, high-flow catalytic converter
(415) 226-2500
www.worksevo.com

K&N Engineering – Oil filter
(800) 858-3333
www.knfilters.com

AEM – CARB-legal cold air intake
(800) 992-3000
www.aempower.com

SUSPENSION
KW Automotive – 2-way motorsport coilovers
(800) 445-3767
www.kw-suspension.com

M1 Fabrication & Development – chassis setup, alignment, carbon fiber front splitter, harness bar, brake lines
www.m1fd.com

WHEELS
5Zigen – 18×9.5” +35 offset FN01R-C wheels
(310) 608-5575
www.5zigenusa.com

TIRES
Nitto – 265/35/18 NT05 high-performance street tires
www.nittotire.com

BODY
INGS – N-Spec Hybrid Aero front bumper, side skirts
www.ings-net.com

APR Performance – Rear carbon fiber wing, carbon fiber diffuser
(909) 594-3796
www.aprperformance.com

DRIVETRAIN
Carbonetic – carbon rear limited-slip differential
(310) 635-3555
www.carbonetic.net

Gruppe-S – ACD ECU flash
www.gruppe-s.com

INTERIOR

Buddy Club – Super Low Down Seat Rails
(909) 923-9188
www.buddyclub.us

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 12

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 14

Project Evo IX’s last track outing, at the Redline Time Attack Spring Mountain event, did not go well. On top of being outgunned power-wise in the Street AWD class (our 350whp stock turbo setup always is), we discovered that our rear limited-slip differential had given up the ghost.

Flash back two events ago. In order to get the rear end to rotate the way we wanted, i.e. racecar-esque, we went with a massive 27mm solid rear swaybar. The result was less understeer on turn-in but LSD-killing three-wheeled exits on certain turns. Through high lateral-g load or off-camber corners, the stiff swaybar caused Project Evo IX to pull up its inner rear wheel like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant.

This constant loading and unloading wore out the holding power of the rear factory clutch-type LSD to the point that we were getting wheelspin in multiple corners at Spring Mountain. This is a problem since the whole point of having all-wheel drive is to have grip, not spinning wheels.

We knew that running too stiff of a rear swaybar with our setup would make the inside rear wheel pick up but we were weak and gave in to the temptation of oversteer. So it was back to the drawing board. Our solution was two-fold – we would need a new rear LSD and increased suspension droop travel.

As noted cheapskates, our first thoughts went towards using a new stock rear LSD and then towards re-packing the stock rear LSD to be tighter. We don’t enjoy spending money but, then again, we don’t like doing work twice either. Another stock rear LSD was now out of the question; if we need to take the car apart, an upgrade is going in. A re-packed stock rear LSD might be able to provide a tighter lock-up, but will the stock LSD clutches hold up to the on-track heat when repacked?

We wanted a stronger unit that would be able to hold more abuse than stock components can. Carbonetic answered our call.

As a sub-division of Across Corporation, a huge manufacturer of carbon c/c composites, Carbonetic’s entire line-up of products is carbon based. Carbon clutches and limited-slip differentials are their calling cards. Their Evolution rear LSD is quiet enough for street use but was designed with the holding power and heat capacity that we were looking for when on track.

With the use of their carbon composite clutch packs in the LSD, Carbonetic promised smooth lock-up characteristics and a long service life if the fluid was regularly changed. Carbonetic sells their own synthetic gear oil for use in the differential pumpkin. We cleared them out of eight gallons of the stuff. Yeah, we plan on going to the track a lot.

Installation of a rear Lancer Evo LSD is not difficult if you have access to a lift, air tools and two workers. Drain the pumpkin, pop out the rear lower control ball joint at the spindle, disconnect the swaybar endlinks and suspension, pull the axles, disconnect the driveshaft and undo the remaining four bolts holding the pumpkin to the rear subframe. We then undid the two side mounts and put the pumpkin into a vise to pull the stock LSD. All Evo 8 and 9 5-speed models use the same rear pumpkin and ring/pinion setup (43 teeth on ring gear, 13 teeth on pinion).

New LSD side bearings are a must (part #MN168441, you’ll need 2) and the Mitsubishi gasket sealant is highly recommended (part #MD997740). Once the rear LSD was swapped, we promptly drove ourselves into cross-eyed oblivion with the break-in procedure. Carbonetic recommended doing 15-20 minutes of figure-8s at 15mph and then changing the rear LSD oil. We found a deserted parking lot at night and did 25 minutes straight.

The break-in oil that came out the car was black with carbon particles. This is normal and should go away after we do another 200miles and change the oil again. The LSD’s carbon clutches give off a bit of powder and residue as they break in, that’s why the first two LSD oil changes must be done as recommended. We’ll report back soon after the Carbonetic rear LSD is put through its first test, competition at the Super Lap Battle time attack finals.

With Project Evo IX due to be displayed in the The Octane Report booth at the 2009 SEMA Show, we had even less time to prep for the track. The car would be sitting pretty (washed for once – Ed.) for a week straight, with its freshly installed and nearly OEM fitment INGS N-Spec bumper, and we wouldn’t be able to wrench on it while it was at SEMA. With two track events scheduled only three days after returning from SEMA, we would have to finish our tweaks before the show.

Luckily for us, KW Automotive came through big time. Three days before Project Evo IX was due to leave for SEMA, a box arrived to the OR office from Germany, via UPS express.

KW’s competition two-way coilover suspension had everything that we wanted – more droop travel, better valving, independent rebound and compression damping and more grip with less spring rate. The suspension isn’t cheap but the quality is well worth it. The bodies are stainless steel to resist corrosion and we also got the billet machined pillowball upper mounts.

If you’re looking for a true motorsport grade suspension for your car, KW will, or can, have you covered. Interestingly enough, the street-level Variant 3 and Clubsport coilovers use much of the same technology as the motorsport line-up, including the twin-tube design, differing mainly in terms of spring rate and damping curves.

The KW kit includes everything you need to get going except for the top mounting nuts, which are different than factory. You’ll need eight new 10×1.5 nuts to install the suspension. As we write this from the floor of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, we’ve only had enough time to test the KW competition suspension on the street. The ride is firm, but not unbearable, and exhibits good turn-in and feel. The largest difference so far is in terms of sharp bumps and highway expansion joints. Project Evo IX would previously lose contact with the ground and “jump” over ridges.

With the KW suspension now in place, we can feel the undulations are faster and much better damped, with the tires remaining in contact with the ground at all times. Our next test is to see if the KW suspension can maintain its compliance and feel over the curbing and harsh terrain of Buttonwillow Raceway. If you find yourself in fabulous Buttonwillow on November 11^th, come stop by our pit and say hi. If not, keep an eye out here at The Octane Report for our report after the Super Lap Battle finale.

Sources
ENGINE
Tuning Technologies – Custom ECU flash
(909) 783-1200
www.tuningtechnologies.com

GReddy – SP2 catback exhaust, PRofec B-spec II electronic boost controller
www.greddy.com

Works – O2 housing, downpipe, high-flow catalytic converter
(415) 226-2500
www.worksevo.com

K&N Engineering – Oil filter
(800) 858-3333
www.knfilters.com

AEM – CARB-legal cold air intake
(800) 992-3000
www.aempower.com

Buddy Club – Racing Spec 272-degree camshafts
(909) 923-9188
www.buddyclub.us

SUSPENSION
KW Automotive – 2-way competition coilovers
(800) 445-3767
www.kw-suspension.com

M1 Fabrication & Development – chassis setup, alignment, carbon fiber front splitter, harness bar
www.m1fd.com

WHEELS
5Zigen – 18×9.5” +35 offset FN01R-C wheels
(310) 608-5575
www.5zigenusa.com

TIRES
Nitto – 265/35/18 NT05 high-performance street tires
www.nittotire.com

BODY
INGS – N-Spec front bumper, side skirts
www.ings-net.com

APR Performance – Rear carbon fiber wing, carbon fiber diffuser
(909) 594-3796
www.aprperformance.com

DRIVETRAIN
Carbonetic – carbon rear limited-slip differential
(310) 635-3555
www.carbonetic.net

Gruppe-S – ACD ECU flash
www.gruppe-s.com

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 11

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 13

When cars and parts get used, they get stressed. That’s why they call it wear and tear. To date, Project Evo IX has only been minimally modified with a JIC suspension, Swift springs, Works downpipe, O2 housing and high-flow cat, GReddy exhaust, boost controller, Tuning Technologies ECU, APR rear wing, 5Zigen wheels, M1 Fabrication & Development brake lines, splitter and K&N Engineering drop-in air filter. The car is still completely civil with functional air conditioning, interior, stereo and is used for daily transport.

During day-to-day commuting, Project Evo IX doesn’t wear a shopping cart wing and rocks a blank front bumper. Before track days and time attack events, we throw on the big APR carbon rear wing, stickers and M1 custom front splitter.

But just because the car is lightly modified and street legal doesn’t mean that it’s immune to wear. Project Evo IX is still driven hard on track, with the laptimes and podium results to prove it.

And so, with just a tick over 42,000 miles on the odometer, the parts are starting to add up. Beyond the numerous brake rotors, pads and tires that are consumed on track, Project Evo IX has gone through a Kumho V710 racing tire, Works high-flow catalytic converter, front speed sensor line, driver’s side fender liner, windshield, battery, sixteen spark plugs, nine front wheel studs and four exhaust gaskets.

To some that may sound like a lot but Project Evo IX has proven to be a very durable car. Remember, all of those miles have been lived at nineteen-pounds of boost or more. Put a modern Mercedes-Benz through the abuse that we’ve delivered and the list of consumables would be three times as long. Even Lewis Hamilton on his best day couldn’t convince us to go down that path. Still, some things needed to be changed before we hit the Redline Time Attack event at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park.

Located in Pahrump, Nevada, Spring Mountain is a five-hour drive for us. We were unsure at first on whether we would be entering at all, due to the added cost of hotels, transport and testing. Since we’d never been to Spring Mountain before, we knew that we would need to test the car on Saturday practice before entering Sunday’s time attack event. This meant we’d have to pay for two days worth of registration, fuel, hotels, brake pads, rotors, tires and wear. It took just a few minutes before we muttered, “screw it” and readied for the weekend ahead.

Besides begging for pennies to keep the racing fund replenished, our biggest job would be to make Project Evo IX refreshed and ready to go. We knew that we wouldn’t have the time or the budget to strap on a bigger turbo or a fancy carbon fiber rooftop before we left. We’d be facing 600whp monster Lancer Evos again with our daily driven 350whp (on race gas) street car. Not a problem for the constant underdog OR team, right?

Shortly after our last Buttonwillow test day, we noticed that Project Evo IX was bogging when taking off, revving slowly and pulling down the RPM between shifts. It felt as if excess fuel was being released and our check engine light revealed a “cat efficiency” P0420 code.

Pulling the Works Exhale high-flow cat from the car, we found that the catalyst material had been melted and broken down, clogging the cat. As the engine attempted to blow out of a clogged cat, it must have been facing some extreme backpressure levels. With the previous tire issues and now a cat issue revealed, our Buttonwillow practice data went out the window.

We had carried out some un-tuned air intake testing with Project Evo IX at Buttonwillow Raceway and the result was our now-dead catalytic converter. There was no conclusive evidence on whether the engine was running too lean or too rich with the intake but it was enough to destroy our cat. So that’s what the white residue was on our tailpipe, catalyst gunk. Oops.

The crew at Works answered our pleas and overnighted a fresh Exhale high-flow catalytic converter for the Spring Mountain event, which returned Project Evo IX’s engine to full fighting status. While the car was up on the lift at M1 Fabrication & Development for some last minute suspension setup, we took the opportunity to swap in our race pads and a new urethane front engine mount.

Besides the APR carbon rear diffuser and GTC-300 wing (which we debuted at the Mitsubishi Owners Day Show), Project Evo IX remained painfully stock. Who needs power when you have poise? Right? Hello? Anybody?

The odds should have been with us. The last time we ran a time attack event, we finished 3^rd in class. And this was at Willow Springs, a horsepower track with two very long straightaways. At Spring Mountain, which is tremendously tighter, we thought we would be able to cut our 100whp+ disadvantage and end up on the podium again.

Since some of the competition hadn’t been to Spring Mountain as well, we knew it would be a race of who could come up to speed the quickest. With our weekend warrior Dr. Russ Warr behind the wheel, we thought that we would be in good shape. And, if not, Las Vegas and its casinos are less than an hour away (shrimp in the desert, baby – Ed.).

To take advantage of the Redline Time Attack maximum tire width rules, we scored a set of 255/40/17 Nitto NT05 tires. With a UTQG rating of 200, they are Street Class eligible in both the Redline and Super Lap Battle series, SCCA Street Touring autocross legal and feature a reinforced construction with large tread blocks for dry weather grip.

To mount them up, we picked up a set of 17×9-inch +35 offset 5Zigen FN01R-C wheels. Decently priced, sized to fit and not too heavy, the FN01R-C wheel is a very popular choice among track day enthusiasts. Up front, we threw on a hubcentric 15mm spacer to provide a wider front track, which should help with rotation.

The 350Z had a great price tag and some decent power but it also had lazy revs, poor cargo capacity, bland looks from 2003-2005 and a distinct lack of agility. The Z33 chassis certainly had speed and grip, it could fit 275 and some 285 tires under its stock fenders but whenever you drove it, you could just feel the weight of the car.

It could be plenty fast on the street and the track but where a car like a Miata would dance, the 350Z would lumber.

Enter the new Z34 Nissan 370Z. Our latest long-term project car feels like the true sequel to the 350Z formula. It’s more powerful, more spacious, lighter and generally improved in almost every aspect. It can actually hold photo and video equipment inside. The interior plastics are better, the fit and finish is tighter, the body is sleeker and the technology is higher.

Our 370Z with Sport Package comes packing a 332hp, faster revving V6 engine that lets our car spring from 0-60mph in about 5-seconds flat, forged RAYS Engineering 19-inch wheels, fixed caliper brakes, viscous limited-slip differential and a sprightlier suspension feel. Add to that a slick six-speed transmission and Synchro-Rev Match, which automatically revs the throttle on downshifts for perfect matching. It’s a little strange at first to use if you’re used to rev-matching yourself but it can be turned off.

Our initial plans are to test the latest bolt-on parts emerging for the 370Z and then see what results the new engine and chassis will provide. We’re going to be building a typical street performance 370Z, like you would, and then report back. Should be fun.

After the last two time attack events at Willow Springs International Raceway, two things have been bothering us – how can we make Project Evo IX faster and how can we do it without spending a lot of cash? By optimizing the car as much as we could with M1 Fabrication & Development, we’ve been able to take a class win and a podium with a nearly stock car.

We’re talking stock turbo, cams, air box, intercooler, ECU, bushings, arms, full interior, stereo and air conditioning. Off-the-shelf JIC coilovers are still being used (with custom rate Swift springs) along with a Progress 27mm rear swaybar and Whiteline Automotive front roll center kit. Beyond that, we focused on good brake pads, good tires and solid aerodynamics.

But we’re not about to kick back and sit pretty. Not while the competition stockpiles horsepower and nuclear arms. Time attack is, unfortunately, an arms race and we don’t want to be stuck bringing a knife to a tank fight anymore. Project Evo IX needs more power, more stability and the ability to get on the throttle as much as possible.

We don’t have the budget for a custom built engine and we’re not interested in the upkeep that comes with a turbo snail so large, you can’t use the stock exhaust manifold anymore. We’ve been eyeing the bolt-on Tomei ARMS and FP Green turbos but we’ll wait and see. For now, we need to refine our base.

Our first order of business is to choose our tire. Tires are one of the most important things on a car. Those four precious contact patches provide the only connection between car and pavement and a tire’s characteristics will affect all other aspects of drivability. There’s no point in adding 500whp and then slapping on Pep Boys remanufactured specials. We need grip.

We’ve already tested Toyo’s Proxes R1R and Yokohama’s AD07 Advan Neova in competition. Both are fantastic tires but each comes with a downside. The R1R has a UTQG rating of 140, which is unfortunately below the 180 treadwear limit placed by the Super Lap Battle series.

The Neova has a higher 180 rating but is incredibly expensive for a street tire. We went looking for a high performance street tire that had a 180+ UTQG rating (to be legal for both Redline and Super Lap Battle), the size we needed (255+ width) and had loads of grip. Nitto had just the tire for us.

We’ve followed along with the NT05 maximum performance summer tire since before it was released to the public. Infused with design elements from Nitto’s NT01 racing tire, the NT05 is designed to be a high grip street tire that still provides long life. It’s not a super soft one lap special, but time attack cars have broken the hallowed 1:58 barrier at Buttonwillow Raceway using it. The NT05 also comes in wide performance sizes like 255/40/17, 265/35/18 and 275/35/18. With a UTQG rating of 200, the NT05 was the tire for us.

We currently have a set of 18×9.5-inch +35 offset 5Zigen FN01R-C wheels on Project Evo IX. Since the 255/40/17 is the NT05 size to have for the Redline Time Attack series, we’ll be securing a set of 17×9-inch FN01R-Cs as well. Our 18-inch wheels clear the front Brembo calipers without a spacer; we do use hubcentric 15mm Eibach units when on track for better rotation. The rears clear perfectly, although our fender lips are rolled for clearance.

With our rubber figured out, it was back to the drawing board with the suspension. We decided to go ahead and try out new spring rates with our JIC Magic FLT-TAR coilovers. Our dampers are off-the-shelf and have not been revalved or rebuilt.

We contacted Swift Springs, who claim the design of a material they call H5S.TW. Stronger than standard spring steel stock, the H5S.TW allows a spring of the same rate and length to be lighter and have fewer coils, which should help with stroke. We were just glad to work with a spring manufacturer that prints length, rate, useable stroke, maximum stroke, maximum load and weight data for each spring.

Swift Springs also stocks more springs than anyone else, with rates ranging from 3kg/mm up to 34 kg/mm. Swift also stocks direct replacement lowering springs, swaybars, helper springs and standard lb/inch rate springs. If you do change out your coilover springs, be sure to double-check the measurement on the inner diameter of your spring.

Coilover manufacturers use rates that are 2.25-inch, 2.5-inch, 65mm, 70mm, etc. Many springs also have a large variance in their diameter; some 65mm springs are actually 64.75mm. We think it’s all designed to confuse and make sure you were paying attention in class.

To test the Swift Springs, we used a set of the exact same rate springs from a competitor brand. We kept the ride height and alignment the same, as well as the driving route. The Swift Springs were a true surprise, riding smoother and soaking up bumps with more ease. Oscillations and undamped movements were reduced, leading us to believe that the new Swift Springs units and rates were a much better match to our JIC dampers. Our next test day for Project Evo IX would be at Buttonwillow Raceway and we were interested to see how the supple Swift setup would absorb the bumps and curbs of the desert circuit.

We were also planning on testing out some new aerodynamics and the Gruppe-S ACD ECU reflash. Since the last event, we added on an APR Performance carbon fiber rear lower diffuser and a GTC-300 carbon fiber wing. Our APR unit is solidly bolted down and feels at least 2.877 times more secure than the Voltex wing we borrowed last time.

We’ve been planning on altering the drivetrain to get more of a rear-wheel drive feel from Project Evo IX for some time. We even did our aero with such a setup looming in the future. For now, our compromise setup has been based around a huge 27mm solid Progress rear swaybar.

Project Evo IX definitely does have rotation and the right behavior but it also has massive wheel lift and spins the inside rear wheel when driving on the street. This isn’t good for the rear LSD and is garbage unless you enjoy going slow. We don’t like going slow.

The Gruppe-S ACD ECU is a service that Gruppe-S provides to 2005-2006 Lancer Evo 8 and 9 owners. Simply remove your factory ACD ECU (it’s high, next to the glovebox on the right side of the passenger footwell) and bring it in to Gruppe-S. They’ll flash some programs on your ECU and you just plug it back in. Available programs include street, race and rally. The programs differ in how quickly they tell the center differential to ramp up its locking behavior.

The ACD doesn’t have an effect on front/rear torque split, so don’t go thinking that you’ll have a full drift rear-drive Evo with this flash. What you will have is a drivetrain that promises to allow you to get on the gas sooner and more easily manage the slip angle of the four drive tires. Logically, we got the most aggressive race map. In the future, we’ll be looking at combining this ECU with a stronger locking rear limited-slip differential.

With Project Evo IX all buttoned up and ready to test, we hit the road for Buttonwillow Raceway. Despite being only two hours north of Los Angeles, logically we would arrive late and spend the first session swapping tires and brake pads. With summer in full swing, the air was hot and the ground temperature even hotter. Without space to fit a canopy, we took refuge (like all good moochers) by bumming off everyone else at the track.

Warming up with the later half of the second session, Editor-in-Chief Joey Leh reported back about the car’s behavior. Project Evo IX was slow to react in transitions and was scary when loading up in the high-speed turns. As it turns out, the dampers were all set to full soft still and were poorly matched to the high grip of the Kumho V710 racing DOT slicks. Since this was just a testing day, the 91-octane street ECU tune was retained.

With the tire pressures checked and the JIC coilovers set to their correct damper settings, Project Evo IX headed out for the next session. From its outlap, the OR project car shined. With lots of stability and grip, Project Evo IX refused to be unsettled by surface undulations, curbing or triple-digit sweepers. Traffic was thick in the run group however and a Porsche, Corvette, Miata or S2000 was caught on each and every lap. Still attempting to find a single clean lap, Joey came on to the front straight about ¾ of the way into the session and slowed with a sudden vibration in the steering. Sandwiched between a Spec Boxster and a Corvette during a hot session, he apparently didn’t slow enough. Midway through the Buttonhook turn, the front left tire let go with a shotgun blast.

Un-dramatic to the core, Project Evo IX simply coasted up the hill a few feet to a paved run-off zone away from the course. NASCAR fans would have been disappointed. There wasn’t a single door flying off or air flap opening. The front left Kumho V710 had exploded, ripped apart, stripped and whipped around the wheel well. The casualties also included the wheel speed sensor / ABS line. With the ABS light on and all three ACD lights now fully lit (so this means that it’s not working three times as hard? – Ed.), our testing day was done. We didn’t even get to try out the Gruppe-S ACD ECU.

With just a handful of hot laps and no clean laps under its belt, Project Evo IX ended the day with a time of 2:05. After speaking with other Kumho users, we discovered that our failure was not a rare occurrence. The Kumho V710 race tire doesn’t like a lot of camber and has a tendency to overheat its inner sidewall when heavily loaded during hot days. Our test day was hot and, in a clockwise configuration, put a lot of load on the front left tire. Makes sense and we’ll have to make a few changes to keep running these. Regardless, our aim is to hit the 1:58 mark or lower on NT05 street tires at the November Super Lap Battle finals event. With a few drivetrain tweaks, bigger turbo, 100-octane race gas and less weight, can it be done? A few more testing days are definitely going to be in our future.

Sources
ENGINE
Tuning Technologies – Custom ECU flash
(909) 783-1200
www.tuningtechnologies.com

GReddy – SP2 catback exhaust, PRofec B-spec II electronic boost controller
www.greddy.com

Works – O2 housing, downpipe, high-flow catalytic converter
(415) 226-2500
www.worksevo.com

K&N Engineering – Drop-in air filter
(800) 858-3333
www.knfilters.com

SUSPENSION
JIC Magic – FLT-TAR coilovers
(626) 576-0900
www.jic-magic.com

Swift Springs – Coilover springs
(909) 923-9788
www.swiftsprings.com

M1 Fabrication & Development – chassis setup/alignment, carbon fiber front splitter
www.m1fd.com

WHEELS
5Zigen – 18×9.5” +35 offset FN01R-C wheels
(310) 608-5575
www.5zigenusa.com

TIRES
Nitto – NT05 high-performance street tires
www.nittotire.com

BODY
APR Performance – Front airdam, rear carbon fiber wing, carbon fiber diffuser
(909) 594-3796
www.aprperformance.com

DRIVETRAIN
Gruppe-S – ACD ECU flash
www.gruppe-s.com

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 9

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 11

Project Civic was, oddly enough, born in reverse. It shot out of the womb full-grown, ready to vote and enlist in the army. Most of our project cars begin as bone stock factory fresh vehicles or sport just the minimal of modifications. We use that factory base as a platform and go nuts from there, adding parts and seeing what works and what goes fast.

But we also realize that not all of you build your projects in that manner. Sometimes it makes the most financial sense to buy a car that already has a bunch of stuff on it; one that the previous owner has decided to let go for a very reasonable price. Project Civic is that kind of car.

Over the years, through all the failures, broken parts and roadside assistance, we’ve learned that if you want to spend more time driving and less time fixing something, you can’t go too crazy. Putting two V8 LS6 engines into your GTI, home brewing an all-wheel drive system and developing a cantilever suspension is a recipe for never driving that car again. Project Civic wasn’t originally that wild but it was more than we wanted.

It had a Honda Challenge H1-class custom built B18C1 Acura Integra GSR engine it, StopTech brakes and 17-inch wheels. The custom engine produced great power (imagine more than 200whp out of 1.8-liters) but it was difficult to cold start and needed some more serious engine tuning. When it comes to Hondas, we like factory. Stock Honda engines have no torque but they are reliable and easy to work on. When it comes to a street/track car, reliability, ease of maintenance and low consumables cost are important points.

In Project Civic Part 2, we outlined our yanking of the built Integra engine and the installation of a JDM B18C Integra SiR-G engine. We retained the Exedy clutch and lightweight flywheel kit, Integra Type-R transmission, Type-R helical LSD and ATS shortened final drive gear from the old setup. We’re solidly right about the 185hp mark now at the crank. With the SiR-G engine, all we have to do is turn the key and the car starts right up, every single time.

No more catching the revs and holding the gas to warm it up and no more worries about whether or not the ECU tuning was completed. We change the oil before each event and just drive. With the short gear ratios, Project Civic accelerates hard and can keep its revs in VTEC range when on track. This is important because our little Honda has no breathing power when off VTEC. Below 5500rpm our 1.8-liter engine is only built for bumping up our mpg.

Before we took it out to the track for its first outing, we had some other changes to make on Project Civic. Following in the same train of thought as our engine swap was our front brakes. That is to say, downwards. Hondas are notorious for easy and simple parts bin swapping. Our EG-chassis 1992-1995 Honda Civic could have fit any number of 4×100 bolt patten brakes easily. We could have gone with Acura Integra or NSX brakes, VW Corrado rotors, EG Honda Civic Si brakes or later model Civic brakes. There are a lot of choices.

Our biggest concerns were to match our rear brakes (for bias) and master cylinder (for feel), keep our costs low, keep enough thermal capacity and fit 15-inch wheels. For a car that really doesn’t have any power, keeping the weight low is very important. Unsprung weight is even more important. Our 17-inch Motegi Traklites were at least forged aluminum but we knew we could go just as fast for cheaper with 15-inch wheels.

Before we even tackled the brakes we knew what wheels we were going to run. 15×7-inch +33 offset 5Zigen FN01R-Cs weigh 14lbs each and are strong and reasonably priced. We even dig the way the black and polished lip looks on the car. The fitment is aggressive for a Civic when using 225-width tires but we wanted to maximize the amount of rubber underneath the car.

Project Civic was begun with the sole purpose of going to the track on weekends. Our intent was to have in the project garage a car that was street legal (enough to not gather police attention – Ed.) and yet could deliver cheap and reliable driving speed on weekends.

Unfortunately for the Miata, we also valued the ability to easily carry tires and tools to the track. For the best balance of capability and price, we went for a front-drive Honda.

Like Legos, Hondas can be built in numerous ways out of the existing OEM parts bin. This is good news for us as we ended up with a Civic body, Integra engine, later model Civic brakes and various aftermarket upgrades. We based our choices off of past Honda projects and off of what has been used by other successful Honda drivers. Still, with Project Civic having just been slapped together, we’ve had no real testing time with the car prior to this initial track outing.

We changed out the engine oil, oil filter, fuel filter, spark plugs and brake pads before hitting the track. A set of 1999 Civic Si Carbotech XP8 front and Panther+ rear brake pads were sitting in the garage and were dropped into Project Civic. As we ran out of prep time later in the week, we left the suspension setup in place. We knew that it wouldn’t be rear biased enough, in terms of stiffness, for our tastes but we’ll get to that before the next time.

The current setup consists of Integra Type-R swaybars front and rear, with an ASR rear subframe brace to resist tearing out the metal, and a custom TEIN Flex coilover setup. Re-valved for different 16kg/mm front and 14kg/mm rear springs, Project Civic is equipped with 14kg/mm front and 8kg/mm rear springs. The TEIN Electronic Damping Force Controller (EDFC) allows cockpit adjustment of the dampers and we love it.

We’ve read about the unit before, it’s nothing new, but have never used one before in the real world. The EDFC allows such easy damping adjustment, we found ourselves trying more damping variations than we would have if we had to get out and crawl under the car, like in Project Evo 9.

Aside from the lack of power steering assist (Project Civic uses a power rack with no pump for a faster ratio), we found our Civic surprisingly easy to live with on the street. Air conditioning, power windows and cruise control are missing but we hardly miss them when we drive. It’s always in the back of our heads that we’re driving a lightweight, gutted track car and not a BMW 7-Series. It’s ok.

The exhaust noise and ride harshness didn’t even faze us one bit on the 1.5-hour drive to Willow Springs. With a high-flow cat, huge resonator and street muffler, our custom 2.5-inch exhaust is one of the few units on Earth that doesn’t make a Honda sound like a lawnmower.

Once at the track, we were just a simple wheel and tire swap away from being ready to go out. We swapped out our large 17-inch wheels for our track setup, 15×7-inch +33 offset 5Zigen FN01R-C wheels and 225/45/15 Nitto NT01 r-compound tires. Right from the first out lap, Project Civic showed promise.

Easy to drive and easy to control, our setup proved to be solid, although not quite as edgy as it should be. With a full-size aluminum radiator, the engine didn’t skip a beat all day. Another B-series swapped Civic hatchback was present and was experiencing heat issues with its stock sized radiator.

Our part throttle problems on the street also disappeared as Project Civic spends all its time on the track either on the gas or on the brakes. There’s no real in between when you don’t have a lot of power.

But our real focus remained on two things – the handling of Project Civic and picking off pesky modified Evos and STIs. The experience level varies greatly at open track events and many all-wheel drive owners were either relying too much on their power, off line or losing their concentration heavily when their mirrors got filled. Filled to capacity due to the Mother’s Day holiday, the Speedventures event gave us plenty of opportunity to practice off line driving and to feel how Project Civic reacted in different situations.

When we last left off on our 1995 EG chassis Honda Civic project car, it was an unsorted jumble of parts that held big potential and lots of small issues. Outfit with a 211whp custom built 1.8-liter Acura Integra engine that wasn’t fully tuned and had 550cc/min fuel injectors, the Civic required a complicated 2-minute sequence of timing, throttle inputs and heat in order to start and idle correctly.

In order to clear the StopTech front big brake kit, 17-inch wheels were installed, along with 215/45/17 Federal tires that are too tall for a Civic. The alignment wasn’t fully sorted and the Honda’s fluids had unknown mileage on them.

Teddy at Mavrik Motorsports in Fullerton, CA took in Project Civic and gave it a complete makeover. A factory stock Honda B18C (no 1 or 5 or anything) engine, from a Japanese Honda Integra SiR-G, received a new water pump, cam seals and timing belt before being dropped in. The Type-R transmission, with Type-R helical LSD and ATS final drive gear, was retained.

To simplify the engine bay and keep the prying eyes of the police from suspecting anything, the Endyne breather tank kit and GReddy catch can were removed. Since Project Civic is street legal with a B-series engine, with the BAR sticker to prove it, we wanted to avoid an illegal mess of stainless line and shiny parts.

Our custom K&N air intake was replaced with an EF Civic airbox and GSR intake tube. We have an aluminum 90-degree tube that feeds air from the front bumper up and into the airbox. We especially like the EF airbox’s stock look and direct feed with no resonator. The only issue now is the fact that the GSR intake tube is larger than the airbox’s outlet, which means we’ve resorted to using a big, nasty looking clamp.

Our engine also came with a new Strup header with a 2.5-inch collector, which replaced our leaking Erick’s Racing header. The only problem there was, the Erick’s Racing header had a different crooked outlet versus most normal aftermarket headers. This led to a lengthy search on Teddy’s part as he discovered how tricky it was to locate the correct exhaust gasket.

The B18C is rated at 10.6:1 compression, 180hp and 126lb/ft of torque. With our header, custom 2.5-inch exhaust and factory US Integra GSR ECU, we estimate that we are putting out about 185hp to the crank. There is a massive issue with part-throttle operation between 2,750-4,000rpm, on account of the tuning differences between US and Japanese fuel. We hope to tune these issues out in the future with the Hondata ECU we have on the shelf.

A new battery tray was sourced from the junkyard and a Costco battery was installed. New battery cables were installed and the engine bolted up perfectly with our old Hasport mounts and full-size Integra radiator. On the street Project Civic rips. It’s a stock Honda so it starts up and runs instantly every time, and the short gearing helps the car take off. We’re averaging 26mpg right now with lots of throttle.

Teddy also took the time to completely flatten out our inner fender lips. We first had tried trimming the lips and then rolled them in as well. But our quest to fit as much rubber as possible under the car meant that extreme measures had to be taken. We can now fit 225-width tires with ease.

Once the car was finished at Mavrik Motorsports, we had just enough time to finish up some last minute tweaks before hitting the Streets of Willow. Our first order of operations was to weigh the car and figure out where we stood. We paid a visit to Mack at M1 Fabrication and Development to make use of his Longacre scales. The final tally was 2291lbs with a 65.9/34.1 weight distribution. We need more weight off of the nose.

The Nissan 240SX has in recent years become synonymous only with drifting, and that’s a damn crying shame. There’s more to a S13 chassis than just burning rubber and sliding around (although that ability is appreciated from time to time). What many critics don’t realize is just how capable a 240SX can be on track and how much fun it is to drive.

An engine swapped 240SX can easily make 300whp+, fit decently sized rubber underneath itself, has more parts available than you could ever imagine, is cheap to buy and weighs less than a Ford Mustang. Sounds good to us.

The first thing to do when building a project is to find the right starting platform. By now, everybody and their mother knows that the SR20DET engine is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder power plant that can make some real power and was found in the Japanese-market Silvia.

It drops right into the 240SX, is easily sourced, relatively light and will help us make more quick, simple power than we could by experimenting with a turbocharged version of the stock KA24DE engine.

In fact, the swap has become so popular that it’s actually cheaper to buy a pre-swapped project car that some schmuck has given up on than to go through the effort of buying a clean 240SX and a low-mileage SR. Blame that on the drifting craze, which has inflated the price of both the S13 chassis and the SR engine. The drifting craze also means that many of the cheap pre-swapped S13s on the market today will come “drift-ized” with any number of supposed drift-spec parts.

This particular 240SX, formerly an automatic, was picked with the SR20DET engine and five-speed manual already swapped in. We could have found one for less money but this S13-chassis Nissan came with highlights including a straight body, clean paint, a “only” semi-vague vehicle history, HKS Hi-Power exhaust, downpipe, front-mount intercooler, and air intake, Koyo radiator, custom Gram Lights wheels, TEIN drift coilovers, Nismo Power Brace, KAAZ two-way LSD, and a Rotora front big brake kit.

It had some minor issues but seemed like a solid starting point. Drift days were the original intention for this 240SX, thus the two-way LSD and “drift” suspension, but now we need to un-drift zee auto. But first, we needed to make it run right.

The first area tackled was the air filter. For some reason, there was a gaping hole in the dirty filter for the HKS intake. Maybe someone got hungry and couldn’t wait. We measured the diameter of the filter’s mounting side, the available under hood space and then gave K&N Engineering a call. With more filters applications than there seem to be cars on the road, they’d have one that fit. We got our universal filter with a carbon fiber cap, just to be special.

Next up was a complete refresh for Project 240SX. When picking up a used project car that doesn’t have a completely detailed vehicle maintenance and repair history, it’s a good idea to change out some vitals just to be safe. We headed over to Mavrik Motorsports in Buena Park, California for a new water pump, Nismo thermostat, engine belts, oil change, radiator hoses, and a new custom power steering line. While there we got “lucky” and the starter took a dump. If you own an old car like us, Ebay is your friend.

Sorry to say but we haven’t done any more events since our last update. We didn’t take the Formula One world championship, run through the Monte Carlo rally or convince the ALMS to make an exception for our entry. We’ve been storing up our dwindling cash reserves since the last two time attack events and planning for what’s coming up next this season.

We’ve done well so far with Project Evo IX. One win at Super Lap Battle and one third place finish at Redline Time Attack. Both with a nearly stock car at Willow Springs, which features long straightaways that put an emphasis on power. So far, we’ve been using the stock engine, head, turbo, airbox, cams, ECU, brake system and bushings. Our suspension modifications consist of JIC FLT-TAR coilovers, custom springs, setup by M1 Fabrication & Development and a rear swaybar.

Aside from the addition of a Whiteline Front Roll Center Kit before the Redline Willow Springs event, all the suspension bushings are factory. Which is a good thing, since many of the Lancer Evolution bushings are rubber-encased pillowballs (spherical bearing) or high-durometer rubber. No squishy Camry bushings here.

But in our rush to get the word out about Project Evo IX, some of the details have gotten lost in the cracks. And like we said before, there are a lot of money draining details that keep coming up. It’s a good thing that we don’t like having money in our bank account.

Sources
M1 Fabrication & Development
www.m1fd.com

Toyo Tires
www.toyotires.com

Tuning Technologies
www.tuningtechnologies.com

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 8

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 10

If it seems like we went insane with our budget, we didn’t. The wing, wheels, spacers, street tires, brake pads, bumper, splitter, seats, brackets and front rotors – all borrowed. Rent To Own Racing, anyone?

We made the decision with M1 Fabrication & Development to follow our Super Lap Battle Street All-Wheel Drive class win with an entry into the Redline Time Attack Willow Springs event. Crossing our fingers and hoping for the best, we worked day and night to squeeze as much as we could out of our lightly modified setup.

Keeping the suspension, engine and brakes the same parts-wise seemed to make the preparation simple on paper but the reality was different. Imagine a week spent running around picking up parts, installing parts, making parts fit, cursing occasionally, solving on-the-fly issues (like seized bolts) and making custom parts. It was most definitely not a case of “just slap on a wing”.

With the last screw on the splitter’s chassis mount tightened down at 4AM, we broke apart to shower and then re-convened at M1 around 5AM. We left for Willow Springs International Raceway, fighting back the urge to fall asleep at 70mph on the freeway. At this point, we’d been awake for about 20hours and the last thing we found entertaining was the rapidly repeating straight-line dullness of a boost-less Interstate 5.

With 91-octane in the gas tank for cheaper transport and the ECU tuned by Tuning Technologies for 100-octane fuel, we were advised not to dip into boost. A boost-less Evo is something that we wouldn’t wish upon anybody. Like a really fast SUV, it’s one of those things in the car world that just doesn’t feel right.

With the car finally at Willow Springs, we quickly swing Project Evo IX under the twin Snap-On canopies already setup by our driver, Russ Warr. Moving like we’re competing in the NASCAR pit crew challenge, the OctaneReport.com/M1FD team had the car up in the air and swapping front brake pads and wheels before everyone else even unloaded.

After a quick run through tech (of course we pass, it’s all legal), Project Evo IX gets tidied up. Safety harness lengths are adjusted, cameras and data acquisition are checked and 100-octane fuel is poured into the tank. Warr heads out for the first session sans sponsor vinyl, meaning he’s down at least 10whp. At least.

Having headed out late, Warr only gets his warm-up lap in, laying down a time around the 2-minute mark. It’s completely unusable to gauge any sense of lap time. The only purpose of the first session is as practice and for minimal tire pressure/temperature data.

Many of the other teams present are echoing our sentiments, using the early track time for setup runs. The orange Crawford Impreza WRX STI, World Racing Scion tC, Sierra Sierra Lancer Evo VIII, Factor X NSX, GST Motorsports Impreza, Evasive Motorsports Lancer Evo IX and Fontana Nissan 350Z show early promise as the fastest Redline Time Attack cars of the day at Willow Springs.

The second session proves a little better for us. Warr gets more laps in this time, the throttle body hose isn’t giving us any issues any more, and runs a 1.33:9, according to the Traqmate data acquisition system. The Traqmate doesn’t mirror the AMB timing system to the tenth, but this is still a tenth quicker than the Traqmate recorded a week ago. We’re already going faster.

With very little time to prepare and even less money to spend on engine go-fast parts, M1 Fabrication & Development and we decided to focus most of our attention on optimization.

We needed to make the most of what we had and that meant lots of time spent on the suspension system and alignment. Spring rates, damping, ride height and alignment were meticulously done over and over to make sure that Project Evo IX had the stability required to use as much throttle as possible at Willow Springs.

Willow Springs is a high-speed track billed as “the fastest track in the west”. Horsepower matters at Willow Springs and that was something we weren’t packing in massive amounts. Still, driver Russ Warr was able to pull out a 1:34.128 and win our class.

Having spent such a massive amount of time setting up Project Evo IX, everyone involved felt that it would be a waste to only do one day of competition. With the Redline Time Attack event at Willow Springs only a week after the Super Lap Battle event, we knew that we could keep and carry over much of the work that was already carried out. Same car, same driver, same track – sounds simple enough to come back and kick some more ass, right? It just came down to sponsor help to see if we could contest the Redline Willow Springs event.

Versus the Super Lap Battle, Redline Time Attack Street class rules stipulate a 255-width tire restriction and the use of unleaded fuel. Bullocks, as the English say. This meant that we would have to ditch our 285 Yokohama Neova AD07s, test pipe and Torco 118-octane fuel. We caught wind of some 500-600whp competitors that would be entering the Redline event, as well as many other cars that aren’t street legal or even driven on the street. We knew that we would need every possible go-fast edge. But wouldn’t it be great to beat trailered racecars with a full weight, street legal Lancer Evolution IX that we actually do drive every day (yesterday was Costco, today was Ralphs)?

After pow-wowing and psyching ourselves up about this potentially bad idea, M1 and we decided to make some important calls. The first call we made was to Tuning Technologies. We had only two ECU maps for Project Evo IX – one for 91-octane pump gas and one for a test pipe and 118-octane leaded fuel. Only our pump gas setup was legal for the class and we knew that we would be outgunned power-wise. Showing up with a 91-octane setup would only further the problem. It’s like showing up to a gunfight with a knife. A plastic knife. Make that a plastic spork.

Luckily, Tuning Technologies bounced around their schedule and fit us in for a fresh tune. Before Project Evo IX was sent over for tuning, we swapped all the intercooler hoses to Samco silicone units. The stock throttle body hose consistently gave us problems at Super Lap Battle, blowing off under 28-lbs of boost with a broken hose clamp.

We wanted zero engine issues for the Redline event and so decided to use the Samco intercooler hose kit, which includes new, smooth inner hose clamps for a tighter, more uniform grip. The silicone hoses are also more temperature resistant and are smoother on the outside to give more surface area for the clamps to grip around.

We also took the time to drop in an AMS lower intercooler pipe. Replacing the passenger side intercooler pipe that routes from the turbo outlet to the intercooler inlet, the AMS piece is shorter and more direct that the factory piece. With a shorter distance and less piping, there is less volume that the turbocharger has to fill with compressed air. This means quicker spool and better response. Best of all, it’s completely invisible to prying eyes. With the new hoses and pipe, we experienced no boost leaks or hoses blowing off all day.

Our fuel of choice this time around would be VP Racing 100-octane unleaded fuel. There is a 109-octane unleaded offering available that’s Redline Street class legal but Tuning Technologies suggested that the cost-to-benefit ratio of moving up to that fuel wouldn’t make sense for a cash-strapped team like ours. With our wallets getting lighter, we agreed.

The dust has settled and we’re honestly too happy with our results to hide them, we’ve won Street AWD at the Super Lap Battle Willow Springs qualifier event. With just a few days, albeit long days, worth of work, we’ve gone from bolt-on street car to time attack competitor. We had hoped that if we were lucky we could podium in our first event but somehow all the stars aligned.

After getting just a few hours of sleep (more like a nap), Project Evo IX is rushed on to the road to make it to Willow Springs on time for NASA tech. Our driver, NASA TT regular Russ Warr, is already up at the track, having spent the weekend there hanging out and essentially waiting for a car to drive.

Project Evo IX is filled with tires, tools, a jack, stands, cameras and one 5-gallon jug of 118-octane fuel. The tank is filled with 91-octane gas for the drive up and back and thus the engine shouldn’t go into boost. It takes a little bit longer to travel with only part-throttle available, but it still feels like traveling to a normal track day.

Once we arrive, it’s a flurry of activity. The front pads need to be swapped to the Raybestos ST43s, the 285 Yokohama Neovas need to go on and, most importantly, stickers have to go on to the car. Russ heads out for the first session with just seconds to spare and soon comes back in after just three laps. The throttle body connector hose has blown off and the car is in limp mode.

According to our Traqmate data, the car has been lapping in the 1:37 flat range. The hose is re-tightened but it blows off late in the next session as well. Russ is now running in the 1:34s, with a best of 1:34.128. This time, the hose is tightened like we want to choke it to death (which we all really do), and it holds up for an entire session.

By now, we suspect that we’re doing well for the day but are not sure how well. The NASA TT time sheets don’t list or highlight SLB competitors and we’re not sure who’s driving what. So we focus on doing as well as we can, trying some setup changes for the fourth session. Russ doesn’t even make it five minutes before the Hose Clamp From Hell lets go and the throttle body tube blows off again. Looks like we should have taken the time and put those Samco intercooler hoses and clamps in after all.

Despite the hose and clamp issues, which prevented us from shooting for the 1:33s, Project Evo IX held up fantastically. Considering the fact that the car only has brake pads, stainless lines, wheels, tires, coilovers, rear swaybar, turboback exhaust, boost controller, front lip, ECU tune and makes just a bit over 340whp, it did very well to lay down a 1:34.128.

The key to winning the time attack and setting that time our first time out was proper optimization. A careful setup on the suspension, solid tuning from Tuning Technologies (that didn’t push the ragged edge) and consistent grip from the huge 285 Yokohama Neovas helped us focus on what we needed to do and made sure we weren’t trying to tinker with too much too soon. Now about that hose clamp….
Sources

APR Performance
www.aprperformance.com

JIC Magic
www.jic-magic.com

M1 Fabrication & Development
www.m1fd.com

Tuning Technologies
www.tuningtechnologies.com

Yokohama Tire
www.yokohamatire.com

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 5

Continue to Project Evo 9 – Part 7

Project Evo IX was conceived from the very beginning as a street and track day car. Lancer Evolutions are not slouches, even in factory form, and commuting through stop-and-go traffic in an Evo does a disservice to the car itself. But competing in time attack, i.e. time trial, competition so early in its development was not on the books for Project Evo IX.

The Super Lap Battle series is a time attack series put on by Source Interlink, the parent company that runs and operates such magazines as Motor Trend, Modified, Super Street, Hot Rod and Truckin. The time attack series, devoted to the compact car magazines, plays host to some of the fastest track cars that are modified and un-regulated, compared to NASA Time Trial rules.

The rules are fairly simple and only your fastest lap counts. It’s that easy. To that end, many entrants make somewhere in the range of 400-550whp and feature extensive bodywork, wings, suspensions, brakes and engine changes.

We had never really considered that our project car would stand a chance even in the Street Class, which features some cars that make 100-150whp more than Project Evo IX. But, as fate would have it, our friend Mack at M1 Fabrication & Development placed a call on Tuesday night wondering if we’d be interested in competing the coming weekend at Willow Springs. His own car, down with a worn out clutch, wouldn’t be ready in time and he and his driver, our mutual friend Russ Warr, were interested in competing. The only thing was, we had a photo shoot scheduled on Wednesday, leaving us with just three days to prepare the car.

A high-speed playground, Willow Springs is a track that we’re quite familiar with and we were sure that we would be outgunned. With the longest straights that you’ll find in any Southern California track, Willow Springs favors cars that make lots of power and have good stability. With only 320whp on tap and more than 3200lbs to carry around, it would be like bringing a knife to a gunfight. Still, we had planned on entering at some point and with Mack’s help the schedule just got accelerated. Time to start sharpening that knife.

Thursday

9AM
Time to start unloading the car of excess items that don’t need to go to the track. CDs (people still use CDs? Yes, we do), maps, power adaptors, every loose item comes out of the car. Then it’s on to the rear rotors, which need to be changed. We might have been able to risk it and run them, but it’s better to be safe than sorry when you’re dealing with triple-digit turns and braking zones.

New plugs also find their way into the car. To experiment, we bought two different sets of NGK spark plugs. One is straight from the dealer with Mitsubishi labeling; the other is from NGK in NGK boxes. When you open the box, you’ll find that both are labeled as ILFR7H (Evo 8s and Evo 9s use different sized plugs) and are the same heat range and design. They both even sport the same NGK logo on them. The difference is in the plug gap. Since you should be checking the gap on plugs before you install them anyways, our suggestion is to buy whichever you find for cheaper

12PM
Car’s still in once piece. So far, so good. On to M1 for initial setup.

1PM
Project Evo IX is currently sporting 18×8.5-inch 5Zigen FN01R-C wheels and 255-width BFG G-Force Sport tires. 15mm hubcentric Eibach bolt-on wheel spacers are used up front to clear the Brembo brakes. For this weekend, we are going to be running 18×9.5-inch Enkei NT03+M wheels with 285-width Yokohama Neova tires. The Enkei wheels require a thick spacer (Mack had a custom one machined) to clear the front brakes but no spacer in the rear.

With the rear fenders rolled, the 285 tires clear no problem on Project Evo IX. In anticipation of the wheel/tire swap, longer ARP wheel studs are pressed into the front hubs, which are removed from the car. We also press the studs out of the Eibach spacers, effectively turning them into just plain hubcentric slip-on spacers.

3PM
The new wheels and tires are sent out to be mounted and balanced.

7PM
Our SLB rolling stock is back. The 18×9.5-inch Enkei and 285 Yokohama Neova package weighs in at 47.7-lbs inflated. The 18×8.5-inch 5Zigen and 255 BFG G-Force Sport package weigh in at 47.2-lbs inflated. To put this into perspective, our stock 17×8-inch Enkei wheels and 245/45/17 Bridgestone RE-01R tire package weighed in at 49-lbs inflated. Even counting the weight of the spacers, which have machined pockets for less weight, the wider tire package is lighter. Go figure.

In our last few installments, Project Evo IX saw minor modifications that didn’t in our opinion affect its day-to-day drivability at all. A stiffer and lower suspension system added a bit more impact harshness, but it was definitely useable. Larger wheels and tires, performance street pads and a Works/GReddy exhaust system are all worthwhile street modifications. But none of them were real “racecar” modifications.

Our pads still have the temperature range to be used on the street and our exhaust system is so quiet, many passengers have no idea that anything has been altered. Our Tuning Technologies ECU tune is flawless as well, with literally no change in cold start, idle or full boost (23.5psi) running. Air conditioning, a stereo system and all interior panels are present. The way we see it, this is a full on street car.

So, of course, we had to attempt to change it. Every car in the OR garage sees track time, whether we try to resist or not. Project Evo IX is a superb street car with power, handling and a calm demeanor. Well, some of the time. When it goes on track, the 2.0-liter engine crams itself full of boosted and compressed air and rips out of corners with a rising ferocity that can only come with lots of boost. We’ve recorded more than 1.0 lateral-g on the skidpad and lateral-g spikes on track much higher than that. In order to tackle both street and track properly, we need to give Project Evo IX two faces.

Street car vs. Track car

The key to building a street car that you can use as a track day or NASA HPDE car is to make as many things swappable as possible. The stuff that you can’t swap will just have to be modifications that you will be able to live with. Our rear-biased spring rates are one such change that we’ve had to live with on a normal basis.

But some of the most important modifications that we’ve made swappable are the safety, braking and tire changes. With a generous backseat and an actual trunk, our Lancer can carry four extra tires; we’ve tried up to a 285-width. Once we get to the track, we just take off our street tires and put on our r-compound tire package.

The same goes for the brakes. With the fixed Brembo calipers in place, changing pads is a 5-minute affair at the track. For the street, we’re still running Ferodo DS2500 brake pads front and rear. But for the track, we decided to try out a set of Ferodo DS3000 race pads up front.

At the Streets of Willow, which is a very tight racetrack with minimal brake cooling time, the Ferodo DS3000 pads held up well. After four sessions, they showed some high temperatures and some of the pad material was breaking off of the top of the pad. They provided consistent stopping lap after lap but they lacked the harsh initial bite that we prefer. Up next for testing is a set of front Raybestos ST43 pads and an AMS ducting kit.

Front-wheel drive Hondas are like Legos. There’s a big bin of parts that you can just grab from and stick together to make new and exciting multi-colored cars. Our 1995 Honda Civic has Integra rear control arms, later model Civic hubs and, most importantly, the engine out of an Integra GS-R. This project began life as a CX model, which means it began life as a hatchback model designed to get good gas mileage. It was also originally a nice puke teal shade.

Our project went through a few owners before it ended up in our hands and it was almost completely rebuilt along the way. The body has been repainted in a gray-like color and the suspension, brakes, wheels, tires, interior panels and engine have been changed out for different parts.

We bought it with the sole intent of using it as a street-legal track car and the purchase price included an Integra GS-R engine that was originally built to the Honda Challenge H1-class rules. Even without full tuning, it puts out more than 200whp from 1.8-liters.

The CX model of Civic is also very light and that’s the main redeeming factor of front-drive Hondas. Honda motors don’t make a lot of torque but they have good specific output and high horsepower using variable valve timing and lift, i.e. VTEC. We still believe that Hondas make better track and racecars than they do pure street cars, on account of the dismal torque levels. Combine low torque with great gearing and a high rev-limit and that same Honda becomes a fantastic track car.

Even with only two wheels available for acceleration and steering, Hondas allow you to go full throttle through sections where you wouldn’t think it possible and their low weight aids in cornering and braking as well. They’re also cheap and plentiful, with spare parts literally hanging on the wall at your local auto store.

Newer front-drive Hondas have packed on serious pounds in the name of comfort and luxury and have left us pining for the older models even more. Our ’95 hatchback is the perfect blend of price, chassis stiffness and low weight. It currently has a StopTech brake kit and 17-inch wheels, but we plan on moving down to 2000 Civic Si brakes and 15-inch wheels. This will dramatically decrease the cost of brake pads and tires for us.

Ok, so we’ll level with you. These modifications aren’t technically street legal here in California. Some states have loose emissions regulations and may only check what comes out of the tailpipe, or not check anything at all. But here in California at The Octane Report offices, we run around like headless chickens at the mere thought of getting pulled over by the cops every other block.

Actually, those might just be repressed memories now that we think about it. Tired of getting hassled and pulled over for driving modified or “altered” vehicles, we’ve strived to lean more on the side of stealth.

One of the glories of starting with a factory turbocharged car, like the Lancer Evolution or Porsche 911 Turbo, or a naturally aspirated car with big power potential, like the Corvette Z06, is the ability to add aftermarket power without unnecessary attention. You just have to know the limits of the car.

Use only CARB-approved (California Air Resources Board) parts and you’re in the clear every which way. But those parts rarely are capable of making big power and they’re drying up due to the R&D costs. A hotter camshaft in a LS6 can’t be seen by the smog check guy but the lumpy idle and poor tailpipe readings will burn you. The same goes for our project car.

Hidden underneath the car and away from prying eyes, exhaust parts are easy to slip by the man. Cams and a moderately sized turbo can be stealth mods as well. Just be sure not to use any massive tubular manifolds or custom intake piping. Make it look like stock and nobody will notice. In our case, we were looking for response and quick spool for street use. The Lancer Evolution IX comes equipped with the MIVEC system and makes more power, earlier, than comparably equipped early model Evos.

So we decided to leave the superb TD05HR-16G6C-10.5T twin-scroll stock turbo in place. We’ve seen examples of this stock turbo making more than 350whp on CA-grade 91-octane gasoline. This can easily propel an Evo down the ¼-mile deep into the 12-second range.

Our wish list was simple. We’d be changing out the parts that posted up the biggest gains with the least attention. Then we’d get it all custom tuned and find out how much power we gained. Simple enough.