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

5Zigen, known for their line-up of lightweight and low-cost wheels, exhausts, and lug nuts, recently announced the addition of a new lug nut. Called the KOMA aluminum lug nut, the new nuts are based on the same lightweight aluminum pieces that are sold for track and racing use.

The difference here is the use of a special chrome coating, which should help the lug nuts appeal to show car guys and truck owners. 5Zigen says that the nuts are made out of an A7075 aluminum alloy (5Zigen calls it Geralnium), giving the nuts low weight while retaining strength.

People obsessed with looks will appreciate the machined surface, chrome shine, and knurled ends, which make it easy to grip when taking nuts on and off to clean wheels. The nuts use a standard 19mm socket for installation.

The 5Zigen KOMA lug nuts come in packs of twenty, four of which are locks, to fit many 5-lug cars. They are available in either 12mm x 1.5 or 12mm x 1.25 fitment.

Contact
5ZIGEN USA, INC.
(310) 608-5575
www.5zigenusa.com

Speedventures held an open track day this past weekend at Buttonwillow Raceway and OR decided to make the trip out. It was run in the “time attack” #13CW configuration and we figured that it’s been too long since we’ve gone to the track just for fun.

Our ride would be a abused press Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, which we fitted with Raybestos/Hawk brake pads, 5Zigen FN01RC wheels, and 265 Nitto NT05 tires. We made those changes, stripped off of Project Evo IX, in the name of track reliabilty and survival. Everything else was left stock. With just 3 hours of sleep after prepping the car last minute, we made the trip out to Buttonwillow. With 100-degree+ weather out, it was a tough weekend.

This purple SW20 Toyota MR2 looked like it stepped right out of the late 1990s.

They don’t handle quite as well as modern cars but the first-gen Camaros do have a mean presence.

Inspiration – the final outcome of Project 240SX?

Regular readers will remember Project Evo 9 giving up the ghost at the 2009 Super Lap Battle time attack event. After winning overall at the STI vs Evo Shootout, our day was ended with a hot spot and a melted piston. Fast-forward seven months and Project Evo 9 is still down for the count, engine-wise.

Our view of Project Evo 9 from the 5Zigen booth

Our brand new 4G63 engine block (not easy to source) was just last week assembled with new 2.2-liter guts. But our Evo is far from complete. It still needs the accessories, head, turbo, and oil pan to be swapped over from our old engine. Needless to say, it didn’t drive to the Mitsubishi Owners Day 2010 show.

Project Evo 9 was on display in the 5Zigen booth and represented the neighboring booths of INGS and Carbonetic as well, both sponsors of our time attack effort.

Quick detailed (unwashed for 7 months) and ready to go

Show rookies - our time attack car was overshadowed by mint purple Evo X next door

The Evo X also had one of the most rainbow engine bays we saw all day

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.

Features:
·    Reinforced shoulder tread blocks
·    Continuous center rib design
·    Specially formulated tread compound
·    Reinforced internal construction

To the average commuter, the rubber doughnuts underneath their car are only good for one thing – to keep their wheels from getting scratched. Most “normal” people don’t pay close attention to what keeps them on the road. They’ll buy re-manufactured tires (four for $100 on special! – Ed.) and rarely ever check the pressures. So why then has every tire manufacturer on Earth released a new all-out performance street tire in the last couple years? For you, of course.

Compare a normal driver to the average OR reader, who obsesses about the perfect hot tire pressure and tread design. Commuters don’t understand the capabilities and intricacies of a performance tire the way that a gear head would but they’re not the target buyer. The OR reader is the one with the modified car, bursting at the seams, asking for every nuance of grip that it can muster.

The OR reader is the one that will win time attack championships, club races and autocross national titles. These are the things that can help boost a brand’s reputation, reaching down to even the commuter level. When it comes to competition, everybody’s out to win.

The NT05 is Nitto’s latest maximum performance offering. With a low UTQG rating of 200, it’s matched up against the usual SCCA Street Touring standouts like the Falken RT-615, Yokohama Advan Neova, Toyo R1R, Hankook RS-3 and Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1. UTQG wear ratings are arbitrarily determined by each tire manufacturer so they are not true yardsticks with which to measure how soft or sticky a competitor tire really is.

The first striking thing you’ll notice about the NT05’s design is the tread compound. The outer edges feature huge blocks of rubber with a few sipes for water evacuation. The center features what Nitto calls a “continuous center rib design”. This equates to a thick strip of rubber right through the middle and two large channels on each side. These channels will help with wet weather grip, although the NT05 is not recommended for snow use.

Surely taking a few cues from their NT01 r-compound racing tire, Nitto has created a very fast street tire that is capable on track as well. We sampled the 255/40/17 NT05 size at Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump, NV during the Redline Time Attack weekend. The test car was our full weight, registered and daily driven Project Evo IX. The NT05s were not heat cycled or shaved before they hit the track.

Right off the bat, the NT05s displayed their high level of grip. Entering into the medium-speed Turn One off of the front straight,Project Evo IX averaged a lateral load of 1.01g and a peak spike of 1.61g. Through Segment 4, a tight hairpin left, the NT05s scored a peak lateral load of 1.22g. Perhaps most telling though is the high 66-68mph average speed maintained through Segments 7 and 8, which are undulating mixtures of hills and turns.

The NT05s also displayed good heat resistance, with no chunking or tearing appearing at all after they had gone on track. The tires also showed very little graining or overheating across the surface, its lack of tread squirm no doubt helped by its large tread blocks and relatively shallow molding depth.

The key thing to remember is that Nitto had the intention of creating a tire that was to be used on the street first and the track second. They were not in the market to create an all-out performance street tire like the Yokohama Advan Neova AD08, instead focusing on a balance of wear life, grip, price and noise. The NT05 doesn’t quite have the steering precision of the Neova tire but it’s still one of the fastest street tires on the market today and comes in at a much lower price than Yokohama as well.

If you’re looking for a decently priced street tire for your project car, you can’t lose with the NT05. You’ll have more dry grip than you can legally use on the street and hitting the track on the weekend won’t require a tire swap. That’s what we’re always looking for in a performance street tire.

Source
Nitto Tire
www.nittotire.com

Seemingly one of the most successful, cash-infused tire companies at the moment, Continental Tire went balls to the wall for the launch event of the Extreme Contact DW (Dry Wet) and DWS (Dry Wet Snow) tires. California Speedway, now Auto Club Speedway, played host to the event with the oval, infield, go-kart track and parking lot rented out for testing. On hand in the parking lot were a wet skidpad, wet braking test and two tight autocross courses (dry and wet).

Continental Tire’s test fleet of BMWs and Mustang GTs were on hand for journalist abuse and we delivered. The BMW 3-Series proved to be an easy low-speed drift machine on the wet autocross course, while the Mustang GT left us pining for a competent limited-slip differential (LSD) to be installed in the rear axle.

Muscling the Ford pony car around the wet skidpad became an exercise in understeer and throttle management as the V8’s torque refused to properly overcome both of the rear Continental DWS tires with power-on oversteer. Luckily, the DWS tires provided enough traction and wet surface feel that balancing the Mustang around the wet asphalt was no problem.

Still, the star of the day was the Extreme Contact DW tire. We’ve driven on Continental’s previous ContiSportContact 3 performance offering and found it to be very consistent and with a pretty good level of grip. The DW was our main focus for the day and it did quite well for an all-season tire (all season in CA at least, we only get dry and some wet – Ed.).

The DW doesn’t provide the outright dry grip of uber-top tier rubber, like Yokohama’s Advan AD08 Neova tire, but, then again, Neova’s cost an arm and a leg and will wear out faster than you can say burnout. For the average real world driver, the Continental ExtremeContact DW provides a better balance between cost and performance and will provide more than enough grip for the street and, occasionally, the track.

We pushed the DW on the autocross course, on CA Speedway’s massive oval (in an ex-Toyota Pro/Celebrity Celica racecar) and in a timed “time attack” session on the infield course. Even tith the launch event full of club racers and karting enthusiasts, we took the 3rd place trophy. The DW tire proved to be very responsive and had an easy to find limit of grip, making learning both easier and faster.

While out on course, the DWs delivered. They were very consistent over the driving period and delivered more grip than we had originally anticipated. The current generation of street tires have progressed with amazing leaps and bounds, almost matching racing tires for consistency and grip.

The Continental DW and DWS tires are quiet, comfortable, consistent and have a decent amount of grip. These weren’t designed as one-shot wonder Street Touring autocross tires but If you’re looking for a grippy tire that you can slap on to your street car all year round, the Continental DW and DWS are very good choices.

Update (Nov. 2009):

Our very own Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution track car test bed, Project Evo IX, recieved an invite to the annual Evo vs. STI Shootout. The time trial competition is run on a spec tire, the Continental ExtremeContact DW tire, meaning all competitors would be on the same exact tire. This evened out the playing field, making for closer competition.

After a day on track, Project Evo IX emerged as the fastest car of the day, beating full racecars. Equipped with an aftermarket KW suspension, 400hp and 265/35/18 Continental ExtremeContact DW tires, we set a laptime on track faster than both the Porsche 911 Turbo and the Chevy Corvette Z06. Our car is registered, driven regularly and is full weight.

Source

Continental Tire

www.continentaltire.com

Size tested: 285/30/18
Type: Ultra-high performance tire
UTQG: 180 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX
Test track: Willow Springs

Features:
· Serrated groove walls
· Heat releasing dimples
· Optimum groove position
· Rounded tread block design
· Unique casing shape
· Micro silica compound

The Yokohama PR catalog can talk all day about silica construction, block casings, and environmental designs but, when it comes to performance, tires speak for themselves. As anyone in the street tire autocross scene can tell you, the Yokohama Advan Neova tire is the best street tire on the market today.

With its high price tag and limited availability, the Neova tire scares away many potential buyers. But those owners of high performance or competition cars would be missing out if they let their wallets make their decisions. Yokohama is one of the most well known Japanese tire manufacturers, with offerings in club racing and the ALMS, and the Neova is their best.

First off, the Neova tires is difficult to track down. Not a high volume seller, the tire is, in fact, often out of stock at Yokohama Tire HQ itself. Trying to find a last minute 18-inch Neova at your local Discount Tire is going to be next to impossible. Your best bet is to shop at racing or performance shops and still factor in a wait time.

The Advan Neova is Yokohama’s current flagship tire and sports all the features that they could pack into a street tire. We tested the Neova tire on Project Evo 9, on both the street and the track. Our first impressions of the Neova tire came on the 2-hour drive from our headquarters to Willow Springs Raceway.

The Yokohama Advan Neova sports all the comforts of a true street car tire. There is more road noise transferred into the cabin than from an all-season touring tire, but very little when compared to a racing tire or event some other high-performance street tires, such as the Toyo R1R.

The Advan Neova did however provide outstanding stability, grip, and steering feedback. Through freeway sweepers, lane changes, and off-ramps, the Neova gave more driving feedback than any other tire we’ve driven on.

The Advan Neova is even above average in the wet, as we found later during a rainy stretch. Some ultra-high performance tires get their dry grip by sacrificing wet weather stability and capability but the Neova managed to retain its feedback and feel.

We also took the opportunity to test the Advan Neova tire at Willow Springs Raceway, the “fastest track in the west”. With Willow’s daunting Turn 8 and 9 complex capable of propelling Project Evo 9 over 120mph through turns, many street tires have given up the ghost during testing.

Once on track, Project Evo 9 began to push the limits of the sticker-fresh, full tread depth Yokohama tires. We didn’t do any heat cycling, shaving, or preparation. Especially in the summer, Willow Springs’ high speed and high load turns have a tendency to punish front tires.

Putting Project Evo 9 on the track in 15-minute sessions, we switched on our datalogger and flipped open our notebook. Our test driver returned with similar feedback to our street drive. The Yokohama Advan Neova tire displayed high grip and sharp steering feedback on track, especially through the very quick Turn 2 (average 87 mph) and Turn 8 (average 119 mph) areas. With consistently high grip marks (at or above 1 lateral-g in almost all corners), the Neova tire could in fact match the pace of racing tires from just a few years ago.

Like any street tire, the Neova didn’t display as much heat capacity as a true racing tire, although it was consistent throughout the entire session, not completely dropping off into complete slipperiness like other street tires after a few laps. We found our lap spread to be within 1-second throughout the session.

Our final impression of the Yokohama Advan Neova is one of surprise. It’s not very often that we run across a tire that combines the wet weather capability and noise of a street tire with the grip and feedback of a racing tire. We had heard good things about this tire but its performance truly is excellent. The Neova’s only downside is its pricetag, almost $320/tire in this size, which matches or exceeds racing tire prices.

But, remember, your tires’ contact patch is the only thing holding you to the ground. If you have a high-performance car, such as a Porsche, BMW, Corvette, or Viper, that demands the best in grip and performance, you’ve found it.

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

Size tested: 255/35/18
Type: Extreme performance tire
UTQG: 140 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX
Test track: Willow Springs (Redline Time Attack)

Features:
· Silica-reinforced, high-grip tread compound
· Unidirectional “arrowhead” tread design
· Tapered center block edge
· Multi-width EVAC channels
· Stability control slits
· Modified radial construction casing

Before we get too far into this review, let’s just lay it out there – the Toyo R1R tire is not for everybody. It’s not a tire for getting groceries, driving to Granny’s or zoning out in stop-and-go traffic. Toyo sells other tires for those purposes that are both quieter and longer lasting.

The R1R is an r-compound racing tire disguised as a DOT street tire. But if you’re interested in putting every last bit of power down to the ground or autocross in the SCCA’s Street Touring class, then please read on.

Why should the R1R be used by only the most hardcore enthusiasts and drivers? Compromise, really. Every single thing that you change or modify on your car will compromise it in some way. Your car can become stiffer, louder or lighter with a few changes. But luxury and comfort often get thrown out the window.

The Toyo R1R is designed first and foremost as a performance tire. It comes packing many design cues that can also be found in the Toyo R888 r-compound racing tire. Design cues that may bother your average Corolla S commuter.

The R1R’s sidewalls are stiff to give a crisp turn-in response and have a reinforced casing to avoid deflection under hard cornering. Driving on the R1R is not uncomfortable by any means but the stiffness does make the R1R ride hard when compared to your standard off-the-shelf all-season touring tire. The “arrowhead” tread design is supposed to aid with wet traction, which is good since the R1R has such huge tread blocks for dry grip, but it also increases the road noise transmitted into the cabin.

Wear and longevity are also an issue. With a soft, grippy compound and a low 140 UTQG wear rating, the Toyo R1R will not last as long as a El Cheapo touring tire. But, then again, the R1R will demolish any all-season or touring tire in terms of outright grip. In its comfort zone, at the track or in performance driving, the R1R shines.

We tested the 255/35/18 Toyo R1R on Project Evo IX during the Redline Time Attack Willow Springs event (full tread depth, no break-in or heat cycling). With a 255-width and a 140 UTQG treadwear rating, the R1R is at the extent of the limits and is one of the tires to have for the Street Class. The UTQG rating also bumps it up against the rules ceiling in the SCCA’s Street Touring (STX, STU, STR, etc) class.

The R1R was clearly designed to dominate in these street-based performance environments. Once on track, we knew the R1R was not your average street tire. At a hot track in the blazing heat of a Southern California summer, the tire did drop off quite quickly but during the first couple initial hot laps, the grip was commendable. We nailed our fastest lap (good for 3rd in Street AWD) on our second hot lap and spiked 1.32 lateral-g in Willow’s on-camber high-speed Turn 9.

We did wish that the R1R had a more responsive turn-in and steering response, the proper slip angle for the tire is difficult to find at times, but the high grip level is hard to beat. The tire also exhibited zero chunking or tearing (always the bane of a street tire driven on track) during our track testing. Ken Motonoshi, SCCA autocross national champion, also advised us that the tire would get faster as it wore down.

We’re hoping that as the tire begins to wear away and the tread blocks get shorter, there will be less tread squirm and the turn-in response will pick up. If the tire gets even faster, fantastic. Although, it’s hard to believe just how fast this street tire really is already.

Source
Toyo Tires
West Coast: 800-442-8696 (6:30am to 5:00pm Pacific Time)
East Coast: 888-444-8696 (9:30am to 8:00pm Eastern Time)
www.toyotires.com

Size tested: 235/45/17
Type: Ultra-high performance tire
UTQG: 240 AA A
Test car: Project Evo IX

Features:
·    Lower sidewalls reinforced with DuPont Kevlar material
·    Jointless Band Technology to help maintain shape and performance at highway speeds
·    Max Flange Shield to protect rims from curb damage
·    Asymmetric design for easy mounting and tire rotation
·    Motorsport-inspired tread compound that promises dry and wet grip
·    Multi-Radius-Tread Technology that promises to distribute contact patch pressure smoothly during cornering
·    Unique bead fit system helps with tire and wheel mounting pressure

At the moment, it seems most tire companies just want to go to war in the performance street tire market. With outright handling records and SCCA Street Touring autocross national championships on the line, numerous tires have been released with 180 or lower UTQG ratings.

These premiere street offerings provide race tire-level grip but they also come with race-level pricing and incredibly quick tire wear. Not everybody can afford a new set of tires every six months. Luckily, Dunlop has released an ultra-high performance tire for real world street enthusiasts, the SP Sport Maxx TT.

As a summer tire, the SP Sport Maxx TT isn’t designed to be driven through snow or ice. It is, however, designed to provide optimal dry and wet weather grip. Think of it as a year-round Southern California tire (sorry Alaska). Dunlop’s recipe for the tire begins with the construction, which uses Kevlar reinforcement and Polyamide cord reinforced twin steel belts.

The tire tread itself is an asymmetric design that blends large tread blocks, for dry grip, with multiple water evacuation channels, for wet conditions. The SP Sport Maxx TT also features a curb protecting design that bulges slightly to protect wheels from scraping against curbs when parking.

“The SP Sport Maxx TT helps deliver great road feel, which is important for those who really love to drive.  The timely feedback from these tires allows the driver to react to turns and contours in the road,” said Razvan Bosomoiu, Dunlop general manager. By the time you read this, the SP Sport Maxx TT will be available in thirty-five sizes, ranging from 16-22-inch diameters.

On the streets of the real world, the SP Sport Maxx TT is a perfect fit. We tested these tires in a stock size fitment of 235/45R17 (on stock wheels) on Project Lancer Evo IX, which is equipped with stiff springs and spherical upper suspension mounts. Even with hard metal suspension bearings, the tire transmitted very little road noise into the cabin and, with 45-series sidewalls, absorbed bumps and shocks with ease.

Vibration through the steering wheel and directional hunting across the road was almost non-existent as well, which is more than we can say for some edgier performance street tires. With a UTQG rating of 240, the Dunlop SP Sport Maxx TT should also provide plenty of tire life before wearing out.

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.

This is Project Evo 9 – a daily driven (by myself), street legal and fully registered Lancer Evolution IX. As of the 2009 Redline Time Attack Willow Springs round, it’s also a podium finisher. Read about the most recent exploits of Project Evo 9 here but remember that this car beat some other machines on track that had more power, less weight or more parts. Our trusty Mitsubishi project is proof positive of what we’re always preaching – that good driving and a proper suspension/tire setup is worth the most points. Add power on top and you’ve got a winner.

The Octane Report Editor-in-Chief Joey Leh has been involved with enthusiast automotive publishing for years in many different roles, the last of which was as Editor of Sport Compact Car magazine. He is still on the quest for the perfect project car.

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.

Called the “fastest track in the west”, Willow Springs International Raceway in Rosamond, CA has just nine turns and plenty of straightaway space. Cars that have lots of horsepower, stability and minimal drag often do well, with only the fastest production-based cars dipping into the 1:20s.

The Super Lap Battle (SLB) time attack series visited Willow Springs for its latest qualifier event. Run in conjunction with the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) Time Trial series, the SLB qualifier guaranteed entry into the November 2009 Finals event for the three fastest cars in each class.

Unlimited is meant for cars that you’d typically see run in Super Unlimited or regional ITE race series. This means no limits and unlimited budgets. Sequential transmission, carbon bodies, reworked suspension geometry, unlimited boost, this is the class for the big guns.

This weekend saw the entry of Chris Rado’s re-worked Scion tC, which did not run due to electrical issues, and the debut of the Bergenholtz Racing Mazda RX-8. We wish the Bergenholtz Brothers the best of luck with working out the kinks in their brand new car, which should be very fast once sorted out. The eventual class champion would be the ultra-quick BC/C-West/Design Craft Honda S2000 with a time of 1:22.288. A new Super Lap Battle record, that time puts the turbocharged and carbon fiber bodied S2000 nearly into sports racer territory. Credit should be given to driver Tyler McQuarrie as well, who has been wringing every last bit out of the Honda at recent events.

The Limited class is populated with more privateer entries than Unlimited. Running on r-compound tires such as the Nitto NT-01 and Toyo R888 instead of the Hoosier DOT near-slick level, Limited class cars are still not slouches. Often caged, gutted and heavily modified, Limited class cars, such as the Evasive Motorsports Lancer Evolution and Harman Motive Subaru Impreza WRX STi, are still very quick. JC Meynet would take the Limited class win for Harman Motive in his Cosworth-powered Subaru WRX STi with a time of 1:27.119.

The final class is the Street class, which requires the use of readily available street tires with a UTQG rating of 180 or higher. The most accessible class to privateers, the Street class is no less competitive. With full interiors, street tires and registration required, the Street class is a careful balance of optimization and modification. By far, the most number of entries came in the all-wheel drive division of the Street class, reflecting the popularity and ease of modification of such factory turbo cars as the Lancer Evolution and STI.

Our own Project Lancer Evo 9 was given a few days of careful setup and re-working with M1 Fabrication and Development and entered into the event. With ex-250cc Super-kart driver Russ Warr behind the wheel, our project car set a time of 1:34.128, a laptime that put us ahead of the two Lancer Evolution Xs and Crawford Performance WRX STI entered in the event and 1st in Street AWD. The overall Street class winner would be Danny Young and his very nicely prepared turbocharged Acura NSX, driven by Erik Messley to a time of 1:32.036.

Source
Super Lap Battle
www.superlapbattle.com