I was passing a Mitsu dealer on my way home the other day and decided to stop by and try the new Lancer EVO-VIII...

Dont get me wrong! I like my WRX! I think its a great car. I have had it for over a year now. I dont like the EVO's styling. It looks cheap and ricey (with those altzas).

So, I got in the car, pulled away from the curb and opend it up. All was as expected, brisk acceleration, turbo whine and a slight sneeze of the bov between shifts. It pulled nice and hard, as it should. So far, so good. No envy yet. Feels just like my WRX (I have a nice turboback)... But then I change lanes! ......WOW!!! What just happened? The thing is glued to the pavement!!! Its crisp and precise, its almost telepathic! There was no hesitation, no mush, no float, no correction necessary! I change lanes a couple of times more just to verify what I just felt. Then I take a few high speed turns. No tire squeel, no drift, just solid neutral handling!

Sure enough! Its true! Its confirmed! My WRX stock suspension and steering SUCK! Compared to EVO, my car handles like my dads old 1982 Buick Century on All Season bargain brand radials...

And to add insult to injury, the EVO's suspension is not harsh or overly stiff. It actually feels almost the same as my WRX. Only somehow Mitsubishi figured out how to improve performance 10-fold. Absent are the excessive body roll, tire squeel, mushiness, and understeer we (WRX drivers) are so familiar with...

Dang-it! I got handling envy now!!! And I'm mad !

Now I know how inferior my car's handling is compared to a STOCK EVO... Reading about it is one thing, experiencing it is a rude awakening!

Please, anybody out there! Any suggestions on how I can match EVO's handling on my WRX without loosing my Kidneys or selling my firstborn...

 

Yeah...same feel for me when I put on my STI suspension, night and day...compare an STI to an EVO Those would be a better comparo...but yeah I know what ya mean...that lock to lock is killer too! Wish I had that in my Subi...can't wait to install my fron sway and STI mounts too if those help anything like just my rear and STI struts!

U want to be comparable? STI 40mm inverted struts $800-2k, STI mounts and endlinks $300+, 17's and good rubber $1k-2k+, sways $200-600...and ur still workin on that whole tighter steering radius/ lock to lock issue...I dunno. For about $3k u'd have a killer handling Suby tho! And it wouldn't look like a plasticy Sunfire with Altezzas

WRX34

 

My L outhandles the evo. Doesnt have as fast of a steering rack, but everything else allows me to outhandle it.

Now, I just need the power...

 

I put sway bars, endlinks, and Falken Azenis on my stock wheels, and my car handles MUCH better. Not as good as the STi (haven't driven the EVO, yet), but much better than stock.

I did all my suspension/tire upgrades for under $500 (courtesy of a really good deal on the Azenis). Next up is coilovers, but I need the bank, first.

Conclusion: Better handling can be had for relatively cheap.

 

I currently have a stock WRX. No suspension or handling mods. Even my crap RE92s are still on the car!

I think I am going to start by fetting better tires and then either struts and springs or rear sway bar, or both.

That should be within my $1200 to $1500 budget.

 

well there you have desrcibed why the EVO is such a great car... neutral handling, quick steering rack = telepathic response. the car just does what you tell it to and it does it instantly, not like our cars where we turn and then the car finally turns only to understeer you into danger.

anyways, first mod i usually suggest is a rear sway bar to neutralize the handling a bit more. a set of KartBoy hardened endlinks would be a good investment as well.

next would be struts and springs... you can get some STi set-up or you can get an adjustable KYB shock w/ adjustable ground control coilover for about the same or less (depending on the vendor)

however, if you dont plan to rallyX or go off road, then you can toss the RE92's for stickier tires and that would be the next mod after the sway bars and endlinks. RE92's are actually very strong tires and take a lot of abuse. only problem is the traction isnt very spectacular.

with those mods you should be a lil happier with your car... however, you may not be EVO happy...

 

Comparing an Evo VIII to a standard WRX is pointless. The Evo is a hardcore pavement-eater, and the WRX is not. It's like comparing a Camaro SS to a V6 Mustang. Two different animals.

 

well in terms of handling, it is not a pointless comparison. i know some beat up old honda civics that can eat up a ferrari on a track.

all suspension components are similar from car to car and all suspension components may be swapped out for higher end units... even full blown race units. There are no limits when it comes to suspension.

an engine comparo is different. there are too many factors in engine mods cuz of obviously different engines. however, even this comparo can be altered to prove my point. look at the fastest drag cars out there... top fuel, funny cars, etc. its a big motor in a generic body and they all run similar times. i can dump a motor into the V6 mustang and make it destroy the camaro ss. a good metal fabricator has no limits.

anyways, the bottom line is... you can mod the crap out of the WRX and possibly not be happy with it OR you can buy a EVO and be happy stock. i know a few former WRX owners who traded in for an EVO. choose wisely...

(im keeping my wrx cuz i am broke and cant afford to make payment for a more expensive car or else i would convert)

 

Yeah but the thread started with a coparison of the stock EVO with a stock WRX. Stock for stock, they are totally different cars. As for my comparison, I think I was off. It's better to say the Evo VIII is to the WRX as a Mustang Cobra R is to a Z28. Both are 'performance' cars, but some have a little more than others.

 

And we're back to:

EVO vs. STI. : orange vs. grapefruit
rather than

EVO vs. WRX : orange vs. tangerine

Yeah, or something. LOL

WRX34

 

one of the main reasons the WRX feels so "mushy" compared to the EVO is the fact that every bushing in our cars is made of what i like to call "butter rubber." this is rubber that is so soft that it almost falls off the junction it is supposed to be holding together. if it were hot enough, it probably would actually melt. i don't know how much you know about the specifics of the suspensions on our cars, but there are a LOT of bushings and therefore a lot of excess play.

another cause of this imprecise handling is the soft stock struts and swaybars. they can be fixed very easily with a set of standard STi 40mm struts and springs and a couple swaybars.

and finally, we get to the wheels and tires. the 17" wheel/tire combo on the EVO offer a lower aspect ratio on the tires and thus less sidewall flex. the tires themselves (RE040s i think) are also so superior to the RE92s that they shouldn't even be mentioned in the same month.

if you really want to get into it, you could add a quick ratio steering rack by www.revlabs.com and call it a day.

what it boils down to is that the extra $10,000 you pay for an EVO goes toward better struts, springs, swaybars, brakes, wheels, tires, bushings, steering rack... you get the point. which brings me to my next point. if you comparea WRX to an EVO you a complete ****ing moron. i mean for christ's sake, one car is nearly 50% more expensive!!!! what the hell do you think's gonna happen?!?!?!