With Mitsubishi Eclipse Gauges, you are going to be able to know a lot of things that are going on and have a better chance at catching a problem early. However, there are a lot more benefits of having gauges that work on your vehicle. You need them to work for you if you are going to be able to have a high performing car. Some of the many benefits are:
1. Tells you what's going on in your car - Gauges tell you when there is a problem and when your vehicle is working properly. You have them in your car for many different reasons and every driver knows that you need to know what each gauge on your car means to avoid any accident relating to the maintenance of your vehicle. With the Mitsubishi Eclipse you are going to be able to perform well without having your gauges tell you different when you take care of your car with the check-ups.
2. Help you diagnose a problem - When you have that light flash on your gauges, you are going to know that there is a problem. The gauges are going to tell you exactly where the problem is and you can fix it or take it into service to diagnose the problem correctly. You are going to be able to save yourself a lot of money when you take care of the problem quickly by looking at your gauges. You don't need to be a mechanic to know that something is wrong with your car. With the Eclipse, you are going to seldom have a problem with your gauges, but it is always good to check on them.
3. Keeps you at bay - You don't speed, you don't overheat, and you check your engine when your light comes on. You are dependent on your car when you are driving and this is never a bad thing. When you are paying attention it keeps you from doing stupid things. Speed pedometer and your temperature gauge are only a few gauges that help keep your car healthy. You want to be able to fix the small problems so that you don't run into bigger problems in the future. It makes sense that you are going to be able to have a safer driving experience in your car when you pay attention.
You are going to be able to have a lot of fun when you are paying attention to your Mitsubishi Eclipse gauges and know when and where a problem is happening on your car. When you are focused on your car, then you are going to be able to have it around for a while. It is the smart choice to make when you are going to be in the market for gauges that you get ones that you can easily read. In times of distress, you never can really focus 100% of the time and you need something that is easy to read and will allow you to get the problem fixed quickly. That is the main focus that Mitsubishi strives for.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Networking - Out Of Strength Or Weakness
Recently I stumbled upon the announcement of a new network / community, focused on investment advice. The network was open for all investment advisors. The first thing that came to my mind was: how peculiar the timing of this opening.
Previous months have been rather difficult for the investment advisor. What do you advise you client these days. A poll on the home page asks the questions: is it possible to give advice to clients these days? Answers are categorized as: Yes, don't do anything right now / Yes, now are the real chances / No, the stock-exchange doesn't show any clear direction...
Timing is not the best competence of financial or investment advisors. Although the saying goes that you should "buy, when there is blood on the street," emotion keeps people from acting.
Instead the advisors gather and seek emotional support by setting up a network. It must be a comfort to hear that others don't know what to do either...
Perhaps I'm too negative, but networking is often done out of weakness, and not out of strength.
This reminds me of Marx (No, not Karl) who sent the club a wire stating, "please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member".
I have been member of a few networks myself and indeed I started with these at the time of starting up a business. Before that I was member of LinkedIn, but that was it. Al of a sudden, networks and communities come-up out of the blue.
You may think that a free membership cannot do any harm, but you have to ask too, what the added value really is? It's a numbers game as many other games.
In case of the investment community I wonder how sincere the contributions are. What do you think: is it now the time to invest or to wait. Experiences investors will know the answer...
Recently I found an article titled: Get out of the stock market now! It was from someone who had studied the stock market for 20 or more years and concluded that it was time to find other investment opportunities.
The insecure and immature investors will laugh at this advice. But as information becomes more freely available, so will increase the uncertainty amongst people. There are so many opinions and so many networks that it becomes more of an issue to find and hold an opinion of yourself.
Think about this when you subscribe to a new network. Do it out of strength and not out of weakness.
Previous months have been rather difficult for the investment advisor. What do you advise you client these days. A poll on the home page asks the questions: is it possible to give advice to clients these days? Answers are categorized as: Yes, don't do anything right now / Yes, now are the real chances / No, the stock-exchange doesn't show any clear direction...
Timing is not the best competence of financial or investment advisors. Although the saying goes that you should "buy, when there is blood on the street," emotion keeps people from acting.
Instead the advisors gather and seek emotional support by setting up a network. It must be a comfort to hear that others don't know what to do either...
Perhaps I'm too negative, but networking is often done out of weakness, and not out of strength.
This reminds me of Marx (No, not Karl) who sent the club a wire stating, "please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept people like me as a member".
I have been member of a few networks myself and indeed I started with these at the time of starting up a business. Before that I was member of LinkedIn, but that was it. Al of a sudden, networks and communities come-up out of the blue.
You may think that a free membership cannot do any harm, but you have to ask too, what the added value really is? It's a numbers game as many other games.
In case of the investment community I wonder how sincere the contributions are. What do you think: is it now the time to invest or to wait. Experiences investors will know the answer...
Recently I found an article titled: Get out of the stock market now! It was from someone who had studied the stock market for 20 or more years and concluded that it was time to find other investment opportunities.
The insecure and immature investors will laugh at this advice. But as information becomes more freely available, so will increase the uncertainty amongst people. There are so many opinions and so many networks that it becomes more of an issue to find and hold an opinion of yourself.
Think about this when you subscribe to a new network. Do it out of strength and not out of weakness.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Performance Parts
The Mitsubishi Eclipse was launched in 1989 in the North American automotive market. It was one of the three cars, along with the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser, produced by Mitsubishi Motors. The Eclipse was manufactured by Diamond Star Motors (DSM) in Illinois. It had a front wheel drive, and was a 3-Door hatchback with a 1.8 liter inline four cylinder engine. The main feature of the Eclipse was its sporty and aggressive look. The Eclipse has gone through numerous performance shifts and body changes for more than two decades and is now widely available in North America, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, China, and South Korea.
The 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse came in three variants, the RS, GS and GT. The RS and GS came has a standard new 2.4 liter inline four cylinder engine, rated at 154 bhp. The GT sported a 3.0 liter V6 engine, rated at 205 bhp. In 2001, the Eclipse underwent a facelift and emerged as the Spyder convertible, available in the GS and GT variants, with the same engines as the hardtop coupe. The 2001 RS and GS sported a 2.4 I4 154 bhp with 5500 rpm and 163 lb-ft with 4000 rpm performance. The GT variant sported a 3.0 V6 205 bhp with 5500 rpm and a 205 lb-ft with 4500 rpm performance.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Performance Parts: Modifications
With proper modifications, you can expect to generate anywhere between 300-600 hp out of a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Racers strive for maximum power out of the car and often use extreme engineering to achieve more than 800 hp. Turbo chargers are used frequently to up the ante of the vehicle by making strategic modifications in:
* Exhaust systems
* Intakes
* Clutch
* Fuel system
* Wheels
* Suspension
Mitsubishi Eclipse Performance Parts: Troubleshooting Exhaust Systems
The Eclipse is a four-seater sports coupe and because of its appeal, the manufacturers have always included an exhaust system that is easy to dismantle and troubleshoot. Here is what you can do for basic troubleshooting:
* Look for any fuel leaks or air in the pipe that connects to the turbocharger
* Check the color of the fumes from the tailpipe. If the color is white, there is coolant in the cylinder. If the color is blue, there is oil in the cylinder
* Examine the tailpipe for any rust or corrosion
* Check for heat damage to the spark plugs, cylinder head and ignition cables of the Eclipse
* Check for oil leakage on the heat shield around the engine
The 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse came in three variants, the RS, GS and GT. The RS and GS came has a standard new 2.4 liter inline four cylinder engine, rated at 154 bhp. The GT sported a 3.0 liter V6 engine, rated at 205 bhp. In 2001, the Eclipse underwent a facelift and emerged as the Spyder convertible, available in the GS and GT variants, with the same engines as the hardtop coupe. The 2001 RS and GS sported a 2.4 I4 154 bhp with 5500 rpm and 163 lb-ft with 4000 rpm performance. The GT variant sported a 3.0 V6 205 bhp with 5500 rpm and a 205 lb-ft with 4500 rpm performance.
Mitsubishi Eclipse Performance Parts: Modifications
With proper modifications, you can expect to generate anywhere between 300-600 hp out of a Mitsubishi Eclipse. Racers strive for maximum power out of the car and often use extreme engineering to achieve more than 800 hp. Turbo chargers are used frequently to up the ante of the vehicle by making strategic modifications in:
* Exhaust systems
* Intakes
* Clutch
* Fuel system
* Wheels
* Suspension
Mitsubishi Eclipse Performance Parts: Troubleshooting Exhaust Systems
The Eclipse is a four-seater sports coupe and because of its appeal, the manufacturers have always included an exhaust system that is easy to dismantle and troubleshoot. Here is what you can do for basic troubleshooting:
* Look for any fuel leaks or air in the pipe that connects to the turbocharger
* Check the color of the fumes from the tailpipe. If the color is white, there is coolant in the cylinder. If the color is blue, there is oil in the cylinder
* Examine the tailpipe for any rust or corrosion
* Check for heat damage to the spark plugs, cylinder head and ignition cables of the Eclipse
* Check for oil leakage on the heat shield around the engine
Bugatti Veyron - Most Expensive Car in the World
The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 reigns as the world's most expensive car, created by the well renowned manufacturer of automobiles, Bugatti. With the company's long years of experience in this kind of industry, they have created masterpieces and they have become the epitome of a company with a great passion for automobiles. The company was founded by father and son, Ettore and Jean Bugatti in the year 1901. Together, they were able to create remarkable and extraordinary combinations of art and technology in the automotive industry.
At around $1.7 million, the car is by far the most expensive car in production at present with the closest competitor, the Ferarri Enzon, coming in at around $1 million. For the price of the Veyron you could purchase both the Enzon, and the third place contender, the Pagani Zonda C12 F, which comes in just over $700,000. This price tag is not for nothing though, as the technology in this car, as well as the design and comfort features are all top of the line, and beyond anything most people have seen to date.
The Veyron is a combination of high performance and elegance. This super sports car possesses the capability to travel at remarkable speeds and it undeniably resembles the elements of a classic Bugatti design with a contemporary touch.
Not only is it the most expensive car, but it is also the fastest production car on the road today. Its 1001 HP engine pushes it to its top speed of over 250 mph, which is faster than the 240 mph of the previous holder of the top spot - the McLaran F1.
At around $1.7 million, the car is by far the most expensive car in production at present with the closest competitor, the Ferarri Enzon, coming in at around $1 million. For the price of the Veyron you could purchase both the Enzon, and the third place contender, the Pagani Zonda C12 F, which comes in just over $700,000. This price tag is not for nothing though, as the technology in this car, as well as the design and comfort features are all top of the line, and beyond anything most people have seen to date.
The Veyron is a combination of high performance and elegance. This super sports car possesses the capability to travel at remarkable speeds and it undeniably resembles the elements of a classic Bugatti design with a contemporary touch.
Not only is it the most expensive car, but it is also the fastest production car on the road today. Its 1001 HP engine pushes it to its top speed of over 250 mph, which is faster than the 240 mph of the previous holder of the top spot - the McLaran F1.
Is High Flow Cat Worth Investing In?
When you're looking for a high flow cat, you must go for a reputable manufacturer. It is possible to find very low priced converters. But going with the right product ensures the safety of your vehicle. The high flow cat actually helps the airflow on the exhaust of the vehicle. This means with the use of a catalytic converter the right environment is created for the chemical reaction.
The toxic combustion of the pipe is converted into less toxic gaseous form. Compared to other mufflers, you can find some with high flow capacity. That is why you need to get high flow cat. As a general example, the 3-inch dimension would convert those of 501 CFM. However, certain high performance muffler gives you around 475 CFM at the same pressure when you test it. You can get it for different imported and local vehicles. It means you can put them on any type of car to maximize the airflow.
With the consistent progress in the chemical formulation and metallurgy, this device has become very high-tech. It is an effective gadget and is very efficient.
They have been considerably upgraded and provide high-end performance as well as durability. You can find them with a ceramic or metal matrix. You can get them in super stainless direct fit configuration. You can find some that you can take as a universal fit converter. It means you do not require any welding with the direct fit converter. It has the oxygen sensor fit and the flanges in order to replace the original equipment. You can simply weld or clamp them into place depending on your choice. However, make sure that you get one such product which has the same outlet and inlet dimensions. You can track them independently or look at different results by racers, automobile magazines as well as engine construction workers.
The Dyno test results for a high flow cat brand are the best way of choosing the right product. Also when you're buying it, make sure it meets the different standards and regulations set by the authorities in your country. With the use of this product, you will not lose a lot of power and the car is better off with a high flow cat when compared to any source that does not have the catalytic converters. You also must also know that it's illegal in certain states to remove your operating and functional high flow cat to replace it with another one.
The toxic combustion of the pipe is converted into less toxic gaseous form. Compared to other mufflers, you can find some with high flow capacity. That is why you need to get high flow cat. As a general example, the 3-inch dimension would convert those of 501 CFM. However, certain high performance muffler gives you around 475 CFM at the same pressure when you test it. You can get it for different imported and local vehicles. It means you can put them on any type of car to maximize the airflow.
With the consistent progress in the chemical formulation and metallurgy, this device has become very high-tech. It is an effective gadget and is very efficient.
They have been considerably upgraded and provide high-end performance as well as durability. You can find them with a ceramic or metal matrix. You can get them in super stainless direct fit configuration. You can find some that you can take as a universal fit converter. It means you do not require any welding with the direct fit converter. It has the oxygen sensor fit and the flanges in order to replace the original equipment. You can simply weld or clamp them into place depending on your choice. However, make sure that you get one such product which has the same outlet and inlet dimensions. You can track them independently or look at different results by racers, automobile magazines as well as engine construction workers.
The Dyno test results for a high flow cat brand are the best way of choosing the right product. Also when you're buying it, make sure it meets the different standards and regulations set by the authorities in your country. With the use of this product, you will not lose a lot of power and the car is better off with a high flow cat when compared to any source that does not have the catalytic converters. You also must also know that it's illegal in certain states to remove your operating and functional high flow cat to replace it with another one.
The Best Sports Car in the World?
With the return of the legendary 'GTO' badge to a Ferrari for 2010, the question being asked by most people familiar with sports cars and Ferrari in particular is, 'is this the best sports car in the world?'
The model lucky enough to get the GTO treatment and wear the badge is Ferrari's two seat flagship the 599 GTB Fiorano. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was introduced in 2006 to replace the 575 Maranello. In it's first year the 599 won the Evo car of the year, Evo being the premiere Magazine in Britain focusing on driver oriented cars and a global authority on performance cars.
So the 599 GTB was already a great supercar when it first appeared in 2006, featuring a 5999cc V12 positioned at the front of the car longitudinally. It develops 611bhp and 448lb ft of torque and all of that power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6 speed manual transmission or Ferrari's 6 speed 'F1 Superfast' automated manual transmission with paddle shifters.
The 599 GTB also features magnetorheological dampers which are dampers filled with magnetorheological fluid and controlled by a magnetic field. So by varying the strength of the electromagnet emitting the magnetic field you can adapt individual dampers to continuously altering conditions. This semi active suspension is critical on the 599 GTB in compensating for the basic physics of having the engine out in front of you feeding the driving wheels behind you.
The 599 GTB Fiorano is capable of reaching 60mph from rest in 3.5 seconds and can go on to reach 100mph 2.9 secs later, so from 0 to 100mph in 7.4 secs. It also has a top speed of 205mph.
The only 2 other cars to wear the GTO badge were the race bred 250 GTO in 1962 band the 288 GTO in 1984, both of which are rare and extremely sought after these days. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologata and derives from the 2 previous models which were built as homologation specials to allow Ferrari to race them.
The 599 GTO gets the detuned version of the race car spec 599XX 722bhp engine but still produces 670bhp with 457 lb ft of torque. The transmission is a 6 speed paddle shift auto manual with an uprated 60 millisecond gear change time. This will allow the car to hit 60mph in 3.35 secs and will probably be able to hit 100mph from standstill in 6.5 secs and will go on to hit 208mph.
The 599 GTO has a bespoke 6 into 1 exhaust manifold and no doubt will sound fantastic. The underside of the car has also seen some changes to allow the maximum amount of down force to be generated with the minimum amount of drag, so there are no overt or obvious racetrack addenda such as a high rear wing but still the car can generate 144kg of down force at 120mph.
In order to extract the maximum performance from all areas of the car, the Ferrari relies heavily on its VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) system and it's F1-Trac traction control to exploit the chassis's razor sharp responses. The car relies on the constant adjustments being made its electronic systems to keep everything in check and pointing forward (or sideways if you are a particularly talented driver).
The result of all of this refinement is a lap time set by the 599 GTO around the Ferrari test track of Fiorano that is 0.9 secs faster than that of the Ferrari Enzo which is a proper mid engined hypercar. So the performance of the 599 GTO is astounding but the real test will be whether that performance can be translated into a truly great driving experience given that there is so much electronic wizardry going on. Only time will tell.
The model lucky enough to get the GTO treatment and wear the badge is Ferrari's two seat flagship the 599 GTB Fiorano. The Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano was introduced in 2006 to replace the 575 Maranello. In it's first year the 599 won the Evo car of the year, Evo being the premiere Magazine in Britain focusing on driver oriented cars and a global authority on performance cars.
So the 599 GTB was already a great supercar when it first appeared in 2006, featuring a 5999cc V12 positioned at the front of the car longitudinally. It develops 611bhp and 448lb ft of torque and all of that power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a 6 speed manual transmission or Ferrari's 6 speed 'F1 Superfast' automated manual transmission with paddle shifters.
The 599 GTB also features magnetorheological dampers which are dampers filled with magnetorheological fluid and controlled by a magnetic field. So by varying the strength of the electromagnet emitting the magnetic field you can adapt individual dampers to continuously altering conditions. This semi active suspension is critical on the 599 GTB in compensating for the basic physics of having the engine out in front of you feeding the driving wheels behind you.
The 599 GTB Fiorano is capable of reaching 60mph from rest in 3.5 seconds and can go on to reach 100mph 2.9 secs later, so from 0 to 100mph in 7.4 secs. It also has a top speed of 205mph.
The only 2 other cars to wear the GTO badge were the race bred 250 GTO in 1962 band the 288 GTO in 1984, both of which are rare and extremely sought after these days. GTO stands for Gran Turismo Omologata and derives from the 2 previous models which were built as homologation specials to allow Ferrari to race them.
The 599 GTO gets the detuned version of the race car spec 599XX 722bhp engine but still produces 670bhp with 457 lb ft of torque. The transmission is a 6 speed paddle shift auto manual with an uprated 60 millisecond gear change time. This will allow the car to hit 60mph in 3.35 secs and will probably be able to hit 100mph from standstill in 6.5 secs and will go on to hit 208mph.
The 599 GTO has a bespoke 6 into 1 exhaust manifold and no doubt will sound fantastic. The underside of the car has also seen some changes to allow the maximum amount of down force to be generated with the minimum amount of drag, so there are no overt or obvious racetrack addenda such as a high rear wing but still the car can generate 144kg of down force at 120mph.
In order to extract the maximum performance from all areas of the car, the Ferrari relies heavily on its VDC (Vehicle Dynamic Control) system and it's F1-Trac traction control to exploit the chassis's razor sharp responses. The car relies on the constant adjustments being made its electronic systems to keep everything in check and pointing forward (or sideways if you are a particularly talented driver).
The result of all of this refinement is a lap time set by the 599 GTO around the Ferrari test track of Fiorano that is 0.9 secs faster than that of the Ferrari Enzo which is a proper mid engined hypercar. So the performance of the 599 GTO is astounding but the real test will be whether that performance can be translated into a truly great driving experience given that there is so much electronic wizardry going on. Only time will tell.
10 Top Tips For Upgrading Your Evo I-III-DSM
Like many, you probably thought that once you bought your early Evo/DSM that it would be the end of money spent on it. Sure, maintenance would have to be done but the car was pretty quick from the off and you surely wouldn't want it to go quicker. And then you upgrade one part and you can feel the difference it makes. Your mindset then changes to one of "I'll just get this one upgrade, and then I'll be happy with the power/handling" and before you realize it, you've spend the GDP of a small country on the car.
But there are a multitude of upgrades available and knowing what to choose can sometimes be a daunting prospect. I'd like to think I have done pretty well with my car (a mid 11s car in the 1/4 mile and full daily driver) and so wanted to give you my top 10 tips for upgrading your Evo I-III/DSM.
Have a plan. Before you make any real upgrades you should decide what you want out of the car and therefore the areas you need to look at. For example, a car made purely for drag racing is going to have different requirements for power and handling to a car made for touge or gymkhana. A lot of people just throw money at the car trying to buy every upgrade they can. While this car give you a nice looking car which performs well, it might be a jack-of-all trades and master of none. At this time, also determine if the car will also be a daily driver or whether it will be a weekend/race car only. If the latter then you'll be able to strip out the interior to save weight, but you'll be losing a lot of home comforts.
Maintenance. Upgrading your car usually means pushing stock components past their normal operating limits. In order to keep reliability high you'll want to make sure a full service is done for the car (including timing belt change, if not done in the past 5 years, and balancer belt if you still have balance shafts). Also, do a full fluid change for the car, which means engine oil, gearbox oil, transfer box and rear diff, brake fluid, clutch fluid and coolant. That means everything is fresh and you know what time your service intervals start at. I will talk about service intervals for your car in a future post.
Get some air in your lungs. One of the first things you should look to do is change the restrictive air filter that your stock Evo is equipped with. A lot of people will go for the HKS Super Power Flow Induction Kit, and indeed I did have that on my car for around 18 months. However, the foam filters do get dirty easily and the cleaning qualities of the HKS filter is not good, as shown by this set of reviews. Plus I have read of the foam filters getting sucked into the turbos of some cars (not an issue with the standard MAF on the Evos but still something to consider). I currently have the Apexi Power Intake and can highly recommend it. Its filtering is excellent, offers a very nice increase in low and mid-range power, and does not have to be replaced unlike the foam elements in the HKS kit. It costs a little more but works out cheaper after around a year of use. The Apexi filter also comes with a nice heat shield to keep some of the engine bay heat (which does get pretty high in a bay containing a 4G63 engine) away from the intake.
Adding fuel to the fire. A car needs 2 basic things to function: oxygen and fuel. We have helped the former immensely by getting a new air filter (and possibly intake pipe), but a steady supply of fuel is vital to keep the engine performing when you put the foot down. A Walbro 255l/hr fuel pump is a very popular upgrade, and with good reason as it will support the power requirements for all but the most potent Evos. Do be wary when you get the Walbro though, and especially if you buy from Ebay. There are quite a few Chinese knock-off Walbros being sold as genuine at the moment, and fuelling is something you do not want to sacrifice on just to save a few pennies. The last thing you want is the fuel pump packing up just as you're flying down the drag strip, starving your engine of fuel and potentially causing serious damage. One thing to be aware of though is that the new fuel pump (especially with a "fuel pump rewire) can cause too much fuel to flow through and it might overrun the stock fuel pressure regulator. I can highly recommend a Sard fuel pressure regulator and fuel pressure meter. The Sard can handle the most pressure and is the best performing of the bunch, and will ensure just enough fuel gets to the engine.
Power is nothing without control. "What are you talking about brakes for? I just wanna go fast!" is a common phrase from people who are starting out on the upgrade path, but is something that needs addressing. After all, it is more important to be able to stop when you need to than to be able to go. The Evos brakes are not too bad to start with, although on a circuit they will experience brake fade pretty quickly. Put in some DOT 4 brake fluid, along with a set of decent brake pads (I use Project Mu B-Spec pads front and rear) and your driving will feel much more assured. If you want to go one step further then look at a set of braided brake lines (HEL and Goodridge seem to have the best deals for the Evo I-III) and a Cusco Brake Stopper and you'll be more confident, meaning later braking into the corners and a much safer drive.
Show your support. Support and stability for the car are vital when you start upgrading, very much so when you are planning to throw the car around the corners but even for straightline drag racing too. Tower strut bars can be picked up relatievly cheaply and you should get front and rear, upper and lower if you have the budget for it. They stiffen the chassis up and once again will have you cornering with confidence.
Extreme logging. Am sure you're getting frustrated and want to get to the bits that will make us go faster, but bear with me. My tips are done in this way for a reason. One of the reasons I have had relative success with my tuning and upgrades so far is that everything has been done in a balanced way, with close monitoring of my car's health. Boost and oil pressure gauges are pretty much a must at this point, and a wideband will help you in the future as you increase the boost and start tuning. Alongside the standard gauges though you should really consider a datalogging device. The best one I have seen for the early Evo is Pocketlogger, and it can be combined with a dirt cheap but compatible PDA from Ebay. This little device plugs into your car's OBDI diagnostic port and is able to log a number of variables, from rpm to ignition timing to the all important engine knock levels. You can then view these logs on the PDA itself or download to your PC and analyse them there. This provides an invaluable tool for monitoring your engine's health as you do any testing.
Breathe in... breathe out. What goes into your car must go out, and old adage is certainly true when we talk about gases. The stock Evo exhaust system can be a little restrictive and money spent on a cat-back exhaust system (that is, one running from the catalytic converter back to the muffler) will result in a much more powerful sound coming from your car as well as an increase in performance. I would go one step further and recommend that, if you can, you should replace the catalytic converter with a straight pipe, which is exactly what it sounds like. I should note though that this modification may be illegal in your country, and I would recommend checking with the local authorities before removing the catalytic converter. It could also cause you to fail the emissions test in your country.
Boooooooooooost! Yes, we're almost at the point where we can turn up the boost. But how do you do it? The answer is a boost controller. There are 2 main types of boost controller, a simple manual controller or a more complex electronic boost controller. The former are cheaper and have a strong following in the DSM community, where the Hallman Boost Controller gets some excellent reviews. I opted for the extra features of the Blitz Dual SBC Spec S boost controller and haven't looked back. Four different boost settings, a boost warning if it gets too high, and very accurate control of your boost has made it a no-brainer for me. The Spec S is also reasonably priced and is currently holding around 1.6bar of boost on my car without any problems.
Baby steps. Now is the moment you've been waiting for. You'll be able to increase the boost from the stock 0.7bar levels to around 0.8 or 0.9 bar and, providing your gauges and logger are not showing up any big problems, should be feeling a much quicker car. But take things very slowly and don't assume because you had no problems going to 0.9bar that you can immediately crank up the boost to 1.9 bar as things don't work like that. Keep things conservative, especially if the car is a daily driver. You should be aiming for zero knock.
But there are a multitude of upgrades available and knowing what to choose can sometimes be a daunting prospect. I'd like to think I have done pretty well with my car (a mid 11s car in the 1/4 mile and full daily driver) and so wanted to give you my top 10 tips for upgrading your Evo I-III/DSM.
Have a plan. Before you make any real upgrades you should decide what you want out of the car and therefore the areas you need to look at. For example, a car made purely for drag racing is going to have different requirements for power and handling to a car made for touge or gymkhana. A lot of people just throw money at the car trying to buy every upgrade they can. While this car give you a nice looking car which performs well, it might be a jack-of-all trades and master of none. At this time, also determine if the car will also be a daily driver or whether it will be a weekend/race car only. If the latter then you'll be able to strip out the interior to save weight, but you'll be losing a lot of home comforts.
Maintenance. Upgrading your car usually means pushing stock components past their normal operating limits. In order to keep reliability high you'll want to make sure a full service is done for the car (including timing belt change, if not done in the past 5 years, and balancer belt if you still have balance shafts). Also, do a full fluid change for the car, which means engine oil, gearbox oil, transfer box and rear diff, brake fluid, clutch fluid and coolant. That means everything is fresh and you know what time your service intervals start at. I will talk about service intervals for your car in a future post.
Get some air in your lungs. One of the first things you should look to do is change the restrictive air filter that your stock Evo is equipped with. A lot of people will go for the HKS Super Power Flow Induction Kit, and indeed I did have that on my car for around 18 months. However, the foam filters do get dirty easily and the cleaning qualities of the HKS filter is not good, as shown by this set of reviews. Plus I have read of the foam filters getting sucked into the turbos of some cars (not an issue with the standard MAF on the Evos but still something to consider). I currently have the Apexi Power Intake and can highly recommend it. Its filtering is excellent, offers a very nice increase in low and mid-range power, and does not have to be replaced unlike the foam elements in the HKS kit. It costs a little more but works out cheaper after around a year of use. The Apexi filter also comes with a nice heat shield to keep some of the engine bay heat (which does get pretty high in a bay containing a 4G63 engine) away from the intake.
Adding fuel to the fire. A car needs 2 basic things to function: oxygen and fuel. We have helped the former immensely by getting a new air filter (and possibly intake pipe), but a steady supply of fuel is vital to keep the engine performing when you put the foot down. A Walbro 255l/hr fuel pump is a very popular upgrade, and with good reason as it will support the power requirements for all but the most potent Evos. Do be wary when you get the Walbro though, and especially if you buy from Ebay. There are quite a few Chinese knock-off Walbros being sold as genuine at the moment, and fuelling is something you do not want to sacrifice on just to save a few pennies. The last thing you want is the fuel pump packing up just as you're flying down the drag strip, starving your engine of fuel and potentially causing serious damage. One thing to be aware of though is that the new fuel pump (especially with a "fuel pump rewire) can cause too much fuel to flow through and it might overrun the stock fuel pressure regulator. I can highly recommend a Sard fuel pressure regulator and fuel pressure meter. The Sard can handle the most pressure and is the best performing of the bunch, and will ensure just enough fuel gets to the engine.
Power is nothing without control. "What are you talking about brakes for? I just wanna go fast!" is a common phrase from people who are starting out on the upgrade path, but is something that needs addressing. After all, it is more important to be able to stop when you need to than to be able to go. The Evos brakes are not too bad to start with, although on a circuit they will experience brake fade pretty quickly. Put in some DOT 4 brake fluid, along with a set of decent brake pads (I use Project Mu B-Spec pads front and rear) and your driving will feel much more assured. If you want to go one step further then look at a set of braided brake lines (HEL and Goodridge seem to have the best deals for the Evo I-III) and a Cusco Brake Stopper and you'll be more confident, meaning later braking into the corners and a much safer drive.
Show your support. Support and stability for the car are vital when you start upgrading, very much so when you are planning to throw the car around the corners but even for straightline drag racing too. Tower strut bars can be picked up relatievly cheaply and you should get front and rear, upper and lower if you have the budget for it. They stiffen the chassis up and once again will have you cornering with confidence.
Extreme logging. Am sure you're getting frustrated and want to get to the bits that will make us go faster, but bear with me. My tips are done in this way for a reason. One of the reasons I have had relative success with my tuning and upgrades so far is that everything has been done in a balanced way, with close monitoring of my car's health. Boost and oil pressure gauges are pretty much a must at this point, and a wideband will help you in the future as you increase the boost and start tuning. Alongside the standard gauges though you should really consider a datalogging device. The best one I have seen for the early Evo is Pocketlogger, and it can be combined with a dirt cheap but compatible PDA from Ebay. This little device plugs into your car's OBDI diagnostic port and is able to log a number of variables, from rpm to ignition timing to the all important engine knock levels. You can then view these logs on the PDA itself or download to your PC and analyse them there. This provides an invaluable tool for monitoring your engine's health as you do any testing.
Breathe in... breathe out. What goes into your car must go out, and old adage is certainly true when we talk about gases. The stock Evo exhaust system can be a little restrictive and money spent on a cat-back exhaust system (that is, one running from the catalytic converter back to the muffler) will result in a much more powerful sound coming from your car as well as an increase in performance. I would go one step further and recommend that, if you can, you should replace the catalytic converter with a straight pipe, which is exactly what it sounds like. I should note though that this modification may be illegal in your country, and I would recommend checking with the local authorities before removing the catalytic converter. It could also cause you to fail the emissions test in your country.
Boooooooooooost! Yes, we're almost at the point where we can turn up the boost. But how do you do it? The answer is a boost controller. There are 2 main types of boost controller, a simple manual controller or a more complex electronic boost controller. The former are cheaper and have a strong following in the DSM community, where the Hallman Boost Controller gets some excellent reviews. I opted for the extra features of the Blitz Dual SBC Spec S boost controller and haven't looked back. Four different boost settings, a boost warning if it gets too high, and very accurate control of your boost has made it a no-brainer for me. The Spec S is also reasonably priced and is currently holding around 1.6bar of boost on my car without any problems.
Baby steps. Now is the moment you've been waiting for. You'll be able to increase the boost from the stock 0.7bar levels to around 0.8 or 0.9 bar and, providing your gauges and logger are not showing up any big problems, should be feeling a much quicker car. But take things very slowly and don't assume because you had no problems going to 0.9bar that you can immediately crank up the boost to 1.9 bar as things don't work like that. Keep things conservative, especially if the car is a daily driver. You should be aiming for zero knock.
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