Digital_Damage

Nothing like paying an arm and leg for an econo box...

PoorCollegeKid

Some people prefer performance over looks

Roaddemon

The rx8 is very much a performance car with good looks. The Evo puts down better numbers at the track but the 8 is no slouch by any means.

sti_eric

Congrats on your purchase, an excellent choice! As for missing your 8, you'll probably find that a little tap with your right foot will make you forget all about it

PoorCollegeKid

This is very true, and I wasn't saying that the RX8 was not a performance car. However, with the Evo most of your money goes toward performance, while the RX8 offers lesser performance but sportier looks for about the same price. Some people are willing to sacrifice the looks of a sports car for greater performance, and cars like the Evo and STi were made for those kinds of people. Those cars may look like overpriced econoboxes, but that's because your money goes toward performance almost to the exclusion of all else.

Roaddemon

ah, yes college kid. I understand now. Good explain.

Roaddemon

Steiner

Congrats on the new ride. Good call on getting an '06 Evo IX too. The tuning potential of the bigger turbo and variable valve timing intake cam has already become the buzz among all the big DSM/Evo tuners.

I own an '05 Evo VIII and have loved every minute of it. I'm jealous though. I think you'll soon discover that it's a better handling car than the RX-8 too. I have a coworker with an RX-8 and he reluctantly admitted that after a trip around the block. Not that the X-8 handles poorly...not at all...it's 50/50 balance is very tossable and confidence inspiring. The Evo has benefited from 13 years of, well, evolution...so it's had a little more factory fine tuning. In fact the only Mazdas that keep up with my friend's Evos when they do track days at Thunder Hill are modified Miatas and an occasional FD RX-7.

I'm assuming, based on all the things you did to the RX-8, that you've been bit by the modding bug too. Congrats. What are you planning to do? No better car to mod on a budget than an Evo. For about $1500 in hardware, software and dyno-tuning I've gained almost 50whp/70wtq. Break her in nice until you hit 850 miles and then have fun. Go too hard too early and the 4G63 has a reputation for eating oil like your old Wenkel. If you get bored this weekend you can also switch the boost/oil/volt gauge cluster with the stereo head unit. The location of those gauges make them nearly impossible to read. There is a "how-to" on EvolutionM.com.

raspyrx7

I too have been bouncing between EVO X and RX8... I'm sitting on the fence waiting to see if Mazda unveils something good by 2007ish. If the price gap between the RX and EVO weren't sooo negligble it'd be a lot easier choice... but I'm afraid going from a 350hp FC to a 240hp RX8 will bore me, tho I know they handle really well as I've autox'd both an RX8 and an EVO8. By the way the new EVO9's are underrated, and with exhaust, intake, boost controller, and a flash peeps are seeing 375whp.

evilbada1

Thanx steiner!! Yea I love the evo9 and how they have more hp than the evo8.
I'm breaking the car hard so the ring can seal properly but not redlining it.
I'm just giving enough throttle every now and then and vary rpm as much as possible.

As far as handling goes,
rx8 had body roll whereas evo9 mr has none.
Very impressive handling. I didnt realize it until I pushed it a little hard.
Definitely handles better than stock 8. But I still think 8 with good suspension mod will outhandle evo9.

QUOTE=PoorCollegeKid]This is very true, and I wasn't saying that the RX8 was not a performance car. However, with the Evo most of your money goes toward performance, while the RX8 offers lesser performance but sportier looks for about the same price. Some people are willing to sacrifice the looks of a sports car for greater performance, and cars like the Evo and STi were made for those kinds of people. Those cars may look like overpriced econoboxes, but that's because your money goes toward performance almost to the exclusion of all else.[/QUOTE]

About the same price?? I could get my 04 rx8 GT for 29k out the door.
I dont think you can get the evo mr for 29k out the door...

I disagree with you. As much as I like how rx8 looks, the evo9 (especially mr) looks fantastic out of the box. The front looks more aggressive than rx8, and overall its not a bad looking econobox at all. I would not hesitate to say the sti's are not good looking though.
Their front just kills the look of the nice car.

Rx8 is not that slow compared to evo9?
I already feel the evo9 is more powerful just over 4k rpm compared to 7k rpm in rx8.
evo9 just has so much more power that it is just more fun to drive than rx8 period.

375whp..
More like 330whp with those mods you mentioned raspy.
As evo9's come with about 270whp out of the box, and reflash alone will yield 15-20whp.
I'm planning to get a mailin reflash, complete exhasut system, boost controller, intake, and couple gauges upcoming spring. I'm amazed how evo9 yields so much power with such little upgrade. I could never see that in the rx8. But then again, I'm only 22 so older guys out there still might not like the look of it.
Each to his own.

Hornet

^I was just going to mention that the Evo handles better but I guess you are starting to get the feel for the car. I had an Evo 8 for 7 months and believe me, stock vs stock the Evo will eat the 8 up in the curves if not just off the handling match up then it's the extra grunt that it has (of course you will be shifting quite a bit more). IMHO, the Evo inspired more confidence in the curves than the 8 but that's kinda because I had rear wheel drive cars before where if you slip up on a curve you almost get your back end to come around on you. The Evo also has something to be careful about. If you are cornering hard you might want to be careful about how you are on the throttle! This is my opinion of my experience with the 2 cars.

Evilbada1, you wouldn't happen to live around the DC area would you?

Steiner

If you can find a good local shop that'll do an EcuTek flash and dyno tune I would definately do it over a mail-in flash. It'll cost a little more but you'll get a nice baseline that you can measure future gains against and a dedicated tuner who'll tune your car specific to any supporting mods. You'll also get much more than 20whp. I'm lucky enough to have Gruppe-S close by so I go to them. They've been great. Check the regional forums on EvoM to see what tuner options you have in MD. You won't regret it.

BTW...for the first 5k miles down shift as much as possible to slow down at stoplights. A couple of the 4G63 gurus have told me it's an essential part of a proper break-in. Just wait till you hit 850 miles and do your first 5k RPM's launch from a stop light. No matter how much you prepare yourself for it people are always shocked by how violent it is. It's like getting hit from behind by a semi.

allmotorRX8

congrats, u'll enjoy it

Hornet

I always describe it kinda like what you would think it would feel like if you were in a jet launching off an aircraft carrier! Kinda like the Road Runner when he takes off running and Wile E Coyote is standing there looking at a dust cloud in the shape of the Road Runner! You are just gone so quick! After it's done your left with one of these....

evilbada1

I live in baltimore area.

Well anyway, yea I think the custom tune will be alot better than just mail in reflash.
Besides I have to get a rental car in order to wait for the flash to come in ect. Not so convenient. I will definitely check the regional forum.

Thanx alot steiner!
I'm still a little newbie in evo so I have alot of reading to do before I do anything!!
I'm enjoying the last bit of this car.

raspyrx7

Got this info from one of the other forums I'm on, from an EVO owner and I'd consider him trustworthy... shocked me too at first but then I heard a few other knowledgeable people say its been done and its believable

================================================== =======
well, as most of you know the new evo IX is out, and is here to stay, lets start off with the first evo to hit the states, the VIII, these cars stock dynoed at 215-225 whp, than came the 05's which started dynoing around 245-255 whp, these #'s are WAY underated, and with just exhaust and other misc. mods, you'd be right around 300whp, now the IX's which are dynoing 275-285 whp STOCK, they're rated at 286 bhp, some guy with just cat back exhaust, intake, mbc and a flash made 375WHP, on 100 oct. which is insane, not to mention that there is about 5-6 of these that have hit 12's BONE STOCK, the quickest being a 12.6-7 i believe, just thought i'd let you guys know that the evo IX's are THE ****
================================================== ======

Slick8

A classic dealer scam. BTW, I'm selling some snake oil real cheap, but only if you act now!

The new Evo is coming very soon. Looks like you made two mistakes in a row, maybe three?

Ike

Lets see... first and foremost no one has hit 12.6-12.7 stock as far as I know. The 12.6-12.7 number has been tossed around a lot by the Evo fanbois and it's almost as if they're convinced themselves that people have already done it. If someone has done it and has any proof I'm sure Steiner will correct me The dyno numbers are also VERY generous and those numbers could be legit but they're from dynos that read high.

Vishnu's dyno reads a little low but there are few people I trust more in this industry than Shiv when it comes to Evos. Their dyno reads something like this...

03-04 VIII at 200whp
05 VII at 210-215whp
06 IX at 230-235whp


Also, the mods your friends listed are no way in hell getting you 375whp. Maybe full catless, a riskier custom tune done by a very good tuner, with a dyno that reads on the high side you'll hit that number or close to it but that's the only way it's happening.

On a side note I've got a couple dealers working on some prices for me and I may be in an Evo IX after the new year. We'll see how the numbers look and if I decide to take the plunge. The other option is a couple used STIs I've been keeping my eye on or a '06 WRX (which are really freaking hard to find right now).

Ike

On another side note the next Gen STI and Evo are about the only thing holding me back from pulling the trigger on an Evo or STI right now. If they turn the new STI into a hothatch I'm gonna be real bummed and I'll be backwards on my car (if I get an Evo or STI now) when they hit showrooms.

raspyrx7

well the new Subies are ugly as can be, the EVO is way hotter looking than the Subie.... and performance is on par. Initially I thought those numbers were high for the EVO too, I could believe 330-350 even... lotta loss in drivetrain vs my RX7. A guy here with an 05 EVO on stock turbo ran a mid high 12 if I recall... I'd have to ask him again to know the exat number but I'm certain it was in the 12s.... tho he is a really really good drag racer.

Steiner

Yeah exactly like Ike said...the rumors of bone stock IX's going deep into the 12's are unsubstantiated. There was a 13.21@104mph on 93 octane the other day that somebody posted. I remember seeing that one. Very fast and legit. There have been a few better times but nothing into the 12's on pump gas.

Speaking of Evo tuners, I was at Gruppe-S about an hour ago to thank Mike for the tune he did on my car. I saw a dyno slip they did for an IX that had an EcuTek flash, street tune from Al at Dynoflash, full 3" TBE and a hard upper intercooler pipe. Gruppe-S did NOT do the tune. They just dyno'd the car this morning to get a baseline because the owner is not happy with the street tune so he's bringing it to Gruppe-S for a dyno tune on Monday.

Now don't freak out when seeing these numbers because the Mustang dyno at Gruppe-S is super conservative. That IX put down 268whp@6.8k RPM's and 241wtq@3.2k RPM's. My VIII, with the same mods and the stock intercooler lines, put down about 255whp@6.5k RPM's and almost 280wtq@3.4k RPM'S. I'll gladly give up 13whp for 40wtq. My VIII is the faster car. I'm not saying that the IX doesn't have more potential than the VIII because it absolutely does. What I took from those numbers is that a good tuner is worth its weight in gold. With a very safe AFR Mike was, and is consistently, able to extract outstanding numbers from Evos. I'm gonna call him on Monday afternoon to see how much more power he was able to get out of that IX. Something tells me it'll be a much quicker car with the proper tune.

scottmhr1

The same appeal of the evo, etc is the same as the neon srt's. Young guys that love the fast speed. They don't realize after it beating them to death and things starting to fall off they will learn to hate the car, especially when they are backwards on it. (know many are young that buy the car but NEVER buy a car you will be upside down on ) The 8 is a great car you can live with for a long while, even when you find out you have a kid on the way, planned or not

Hornet

False! The day I picked my Evo up from the dealership there was a guy in his 60s also there to buy his. Ours were among the first in Northern VA. Also, they did a poll a long time ago on the EvoM forums and the ages are all over the charts!

Hornet

Why would you think it's not possible? If I recall, years ago there was a guy who got the Evo VIII to do something like a 13.1 stock if memory serves me right and he provided the slip as well! So with the bump in power I would believe it can be done or somebody could get close!

Ike

I absolutely believe high 12s are possible and will be done if they have not already. I know guys have claimed to already run high 12s stock and some STIs have run high 12s stock. 12.6-12.7 has not been done and as of a right now it's just a bunch of people getting ahead of themselves. Simply put, 15-20whp is not going to shave a half second or more off your ET.

Ike

I've seen far far more 30 somethings and middle aged people driving Evos than I have young kids. It's a car for driving enthusiasts of all ages. Some people get it, you obviously don't.