Archive for the ‘Subaru’ Category

MRT client David Stelzer, writes a story on how to learn more about your car, and make it quicker with no mechanical changes. In this document, David puts his experience in print and explains how to read a data log and shows how easy you can do it yourself!

Since writing this, David has used his data logger even more and has gained valuable knowledge, on both his own ability as a driver, plus the way parts work on his car and what don’t!

Visit our website to read David’s article: Get Lower Lap Times At The Track

One of the most common questions we get asked at MRT Performance, literally on a daily and weekly basis, is whether I would buy an Mitsubishi EVO X or an EVO IV compared to a Subaru MY08 STi or an MY07 STi.

I am going to give you a few thoughts on the different models to help you make a judgment on whether the Mitsubishi Evo or Subaru STI is the better car to buy.

If you’re trying to decide, do you buy an STI or do you buy an EVO? If you work for Mitsubishi or Subaru, this may come as a surprise, or it may come as no surprise. The way that we most often help people these days to make a decision is we ask one simple question:

Where and how often are you going to drive the car?

Are you going to drive the car every day of the week, or are you just going to drive it on the weekend? Is it your daily driver and the most common car that you do drive, or is it the car that you’ll only drive on weekends for a bit of a fun car to drive at the track or out through your favorite, twisty country roads?

The reason for this is because, unfortunately the STI model cars, particularly in the Impreza range really aren’t what I call, not hard core, but the sporty type of car that the previous models used to be.

The seats are not the same. It’s toned down a little bit. I think Subaru tried to make the new STI range a little bit too common now. They’ve widened its appeal. Maybe they’ll sell more. Maybe they’ll sell less because I’ve certainly had several people speak to us about how the seats in the ’08 STI are not as good as the previous models. In my opinion, they’re certainly not as good as the ’99 or ’00 model car.

Frankly, they’re made for wide-assed people. They’re made to suit as many people as they can. Of course, if you’re a bit beefy in the back side, and you want to sit in a ’99 or 2000 model, you’re probably not going to like the seats, but you will like it in the STI. Who knows why they decided to do that, other than the fact that they obviously want to sell more cars.

Now, when it comes to the EVO range, it’s a little bit more hard core. I think Mitsubishi has effectively kept its focus on where it’s really going with that model. That can be good and that can be bad. If you’re going to drive a Mitsubishi Lancer EVO range of cars, definitely like the ’09 on a daily basis, it can be quite annoying. For example, it doesn’t have cruise control if you drive in freeway traffic and you want to have a bit of a plod, or you’re going home late one evening.

The Subaru comes with cruise control factory standard. The other thing is that, for Australian conditions, the EVO has pretty poor air conditioning. I don’t think it’s really been thought out that well. I think it’s an add-on. In a race car situation, you sack it. You don’t want it so you get rid of the weight. It certainly doesn’t perform as well as a Subaru. Bluntly, the EVO’s got an absolutely shocking turning circle, whereas the Subaru has got a good turning circle.

That can be good and bad. If you’re a bit of an animal, and you don’t have any mechanical sympathy, if you put the steering wheel on full lock on a Subaru, and you give it a big launch, you effectively will pop the drive shafts out of the outer CV joints because there is too much angularity in the outer turning circle because of the drive shaft connection in the front of the car.

Mitsubishi obviously limited that with the turning circle to stop you from doing that. It’s effectively built in an idiot factor. The downside is if you want to do a nice, cruise-y, take-it-easy type of u-turn, or go around a very small round-about, you can’t make it without doing a two-point turn. That looks absolutely stupid when you are driving a car as new as that model EVO IV..

Performance wise, on the road, standard suspension compared STI to EVO, the EVO is firmer, a little bit harsher, but it’s not really an issue. So you can start to get a bit of an idea of why I asked about how you’re going to drive the car. The answer is if you’re looking to buy a car that you’re going to drive in a sporty, fun way on the weekends, then you would buy an EVO.

If you’re going to drive that every day of the week to and from work, then you would buy an STI. There really is no accurate, black-and-white answer. On the track, both cars pretty much hit the nail on the head with a different recipe. Obviously the drive train, engine layout and diff controller system on a Subaru is dramatically different to a Mitsubishi, but the lap times come up pretty close together.

I think it’s because Subaru has dulled down the STI a little bit. The EVO is a little bit more fun to drive out of the box, but then, I’ve got a bit of a weakness for Subarus. I’ve owned a Subaru for a long time with my rally car. You can’t beat that boxer beat when you make the exhaust sound a little bit better. An EVO, then, has a separate advantage. I’m talking positive with everything in that if you want to open up the exhaust and squeeze a bit more grunt out of it with the right package of parts, you can do it a lot easier. When you open up the exhaust, it doesn’t get as noisy as what a Subaru does however.

Hopefully that has given you a few ideas on my opinions of the Mitsubishi EVO X or an EVO IV compared to a Subaru MY08 STi or an MY07 STi.

After a successful outing at the Targa Tasmania in 2007 for Tony Sullens and Julia Barkley, Subaru will be looking to repeat their success in 2008.

I am on board this year with Richard Kimber and Brian O’Kane in the Mitsubishi Evo and we are looking to take it to the competion and hope everyone has a great rally all around.

I want to hear what everyone thinks so post a comment and let us know who will take out the Modern Competition at the Targa Tasmania 2008.

Brett