Fact: The Evo has been around for over 12 years, yet the U.S. has finally gotten their first model.
Fiction: The 4G63 engine hasn't changed throughout the years.
Fact: Since the Evo has been sold in almost every country except the U.S. this means most of the R&D has already been done for a U.S. spec.
Fiction: Four doors can't go fast.
Fact: The engine is rated at 271 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque.
Fiction: The U.S. model Evo VIII is maxed out on horsepower. 100-percent bullshit!
Since the release of the Mitsubishi Evolution, Japanese companies based in the U.S. have been trying to throw out J-spec performance parts at the U.S. model, praying that there wouldn't be any modification necessary. Fortunately for us, we heard Sparco was planning on building an Evo for next year's Ultimate Street Car Challenge, hosted by Sport Compact Car magazine, and the added bonus would be to tag along on the build up. Apex Integrations was also going to test fit some of their hard-core aftermarket parts while AAR was going to prototype a few carbon components. While we are still months away from seeing the car performance at the USCC, we do have the build up process on the ultimate Sparco/A'PEXi Mitsubishi Evolution. So follow along as we show you what makes an Evo become an Icon.
Week One: Cage Tech
Safety and rigidity is key to turning a unibody car into a road race-spec automobile. Since the car is to be a daily driver as well as a competitor in the USCC it's important to have a roll cage that not only offers safety as priority but comfort as well. It's one thing to slap a cage in and call it a day but it's another to have the cage tucked up so high that it's not visible from the side view. For this Sparco enlisted Design Craft Fabrication to build them an eight-point roll cage without sacrificing passenger spacing.
Sparing no expense, Design Craft used 1 5/8 4130 Chrome moly from front to rear. Ensuring rear rigidity, rearward bars were attached to the vehicle's rear shock towers. The two shock towers were then connected with a built in strut tower bar. Since both the A-pillar bars and rear kickers are over five feet in length, front and rear halo bars were added to keep the chassis stiff as well as preventing the A-pillars and rear kickers from collapsing. In the end all points connecting to the chassis were welded to vital structural components on the car.
Since there is no general rulebook for Ultimate Street Car Challenge, the cage was basically designed to protect the driver and keep the chassis rigid. Rather then sticking with the raw chrome moly finish, the car was taken to MOB Works to paint it with a matching blue. One of the most amazing feats that MOB was able to accomplish was painting all the way around the cage even with it pressed up against the headliner and A-pillars. According to Mob Works Owner Miguel Ortiz, "It's a trade secret!"
Week Two: Carbon Tech
Who better to do carbon work then open-wheel racecar engineers. To most import enthusiasts the name Adam Saturwatari seems to be a big name in the industry. Mention the name Dan Gurney and most will say, "Dan Who?" Dan Gurney is one of the biggest names in America when it comes to racing. Attached to that name is a company called All American Racers (AAR) whose biggest benchmark is carbon fiber work. Most of the work done is for big time race teams wanting carbon-fiber components designed to take an impact. In my opinion, any one could lay carbon fiber but not everyone can do it like All American Racers. AAR's task on this project was to design a carbon-fiber hood, trunk lid and gauge bezel. The end result was a trunk lid that started out at 21 pounds and was replaced with a carbon unit weighing in at a mere 5.8 pounds (minus the Sparco hood pins). The front hood weighed in at a before of 17.6 which was cut down to 9.4 pounds.
The process of being light and strong is tedious and expensive but the end result is a quality product that can hold up against any type of racing. First a mold was made from the factory parts and from there carbon strips were laid into the mold. Unlike most carbon components for import vehicles, this carbon will have what is called a "dry carbon" lay. We feel this will be the next step in the carbon trends. The main difference between wet carbon and dry carbon is that the dry carbon has the epoxy already built into the carbon strips, so it is important to keep it refrigerated. Wet carbon has comes in dry form but the epoxy has to be poured on to the carbon, giving it that wet look. One of the major differences is that dry carbon is stronger and lighter than the wet style. The trunk lid has no mounting point for an aftermarket wing so the Gurney team had construct a reinforcement on the trunk lid as well as mounts to attach an A'PEXi Extreme wing with billet aluminum mounting brackets.
Week Three: Interior Tech
Interior duties were in the hands of Stitch Craft Custom Interiors and Sparco. A few other goodies were also handled by the guys at Design Craft Fabrication and Apex Integration. Sparco decided to stir up some controversy by installing the only set of Sparco Enzo Ferrari seats which aren't installed in an Enzo Ferrari. Want a buzz kill? These puppies run for as much as $8000 a piece due to the fact that they are the only two-piece, reclining carbon-back seats in the world. Don't worry, rumor has it that Sparco will come out with a less expensive model. Say...half the price. Just kidding. Like we said, it's only a rumor for now. Luck for them, Enzo seats are able to use Sparco's new laser cut seat brackets that are made for all the rest of their bottom mount style seats.
While the seats were a quick big-dollar bolt-in, the part that required hours of labor were the custom-stitched back seats. Who other to go to than Revo Reeve's Stitch Craft Custom Interiors in Huntington Beach, Calif? If there is one company that has mastered the art of custom interiors, Revo Reeve's is it. No Sparco car is complete without the finishing touch of the identical Sparco stitching on the rear seat to match the front seat. To start with Sparco supplied identical leather and Alcantara cloth found on the Enzo seats to have the factory rear seats done in the same fashion. Down to the very stitch, Reeve's was able to mimic the same patterns and even the color of the thread. Not stopping there Stitch Craft also reclothed the door inserts and center arm rest in the same Alcantara cloth. To finish off the Sparco theme in the car, Sparco added four sets of blue five-point harnesses into the vehicle, giving it the racecar look.
Some of the small upgrades that boost the interior's appeal include the custom AAR dry carbon dash bezel locking in the Ralli Art OEM replacement gauge cluster. In the center of the dash a big gaping pocket now houses an A'PEXi AVC-R boost controller. One of the more unique features about the boost controller is that DCF motorized the controller to come out and up with the press of a button. The boost controller will also retract and be hidden by a stealth panel, though it's not very stealth anymore now that we told you what it does. Another feature that can be overlooked is the cage-mounted gauges. The A'PEXi boost, water temp and oil pressure gauges are held in a spiral mount position to the driver with a custom DCF cage mount that runs all the gauge wires right through the A-pillar bar.
While most people tend to forget about the small stuff that hypes up the interior, Sparco decided to fill the compartment with a few Sparco goodies. They added a Globe-X shift knob with Grip Pedals. The steering wheel is also of Sparco make but a closer look reveals a shift light at the 12:00 position. Motec took the Lap 5 steering wheel to modify it for one of their shift lights. Now, three small LEDs light up at the 7500 rpm rev-limit. Since the car is fairly new, the steering wheel adapter had to be prototyped and the end result was this quick release steering hub, giving it more of a race car feel.
While most of the emphasis went into having the car perform well, it's a fact that this car is to be a streetcar. Knowing this, the factory stereo system was replaced with a full Pioneer set up. Not wanting to sacrifice any additional weight to the vehicle, only the bare minimum was added, which was enough to have the pleasure of great sound and the help of navigation. The car was given the Pioneer navigation package, which consists of the NAV-SYS910DVD. The head unit is an AVD-W6200 which includes a 6.5-in monitor with tuner, CD, DVD and navigation control. Also added to the head unit is the GEX-P910XM tuner for XM satellite radio. While there are no subs installed into the vehicle, all the remaining OEM speakers were replaced with pioneer components. This car is simple, lightweight and full of upgrades and keeps the trips to the track entertaining.
Week Four: Suspension and Brake Tech
The key to having a pavement busting Evo lay in the under carriage. Giving the car its lower center to gravity is a set of A'PEXi N1 Dampers. One of the key reasons to going to this set up was because A'PEXi track tested these models to ensure proper valving. Data logging their skip pad Gs and high-speed slalom response is only part of the testing involved in building these coilovers. The other half is in their shock dyno results. While the cage offers a more rigid chassis, strengthening the suspension points is handled by an array of Cusco components. The OEM rear sway bar was replaced with larger Cusco units with adjustable rod-end-type end links. The rear bars allow for street and race setups and depending on the level of driving experience you better know how to drive if it is setup at its stiffest setting.
Stiffening up the rear lower control arm mounts is a Cusco under brace while a Cusco trunk brace keeps the rear rigid. Up front lie the titanium strut tower bar with a lower under brace.
Brembo brakes are factory on Evo's so why would you need to upgrade them? Tell that to the guys at Sparco and you are bound to get a busted lip. Obviously, Sparco was planning on beating up this vehicle on the track and to handle the extreme heat, the guru's at Brembo decided to replace the existing brakes with larger ones. Front brakes consist of 14-in, 48-vane floating calipers. A six-piston caliper locks on to an aluminum adapter while the floating rotor is fastened to an aluminum hat. The rear consists of 13-in rotor that incorporates the factory drum style mechanical emergency brake. A larger four-piston caliper handles the rear braking duties. Helping out in the brakes department are Goodridge Stainless steel brake lines.
Since the brakes went from big to enormous, the OEM wheels were no longer able to fit. As an upgrade to this situation the Evo now sits on Volk Racing 18x8.5-in TE37s. In our opinion, Volk TE37s will never go out of style for two reasons: one, they are extremely lightweight so they are awesome for road racing and two, they just look like the bomb-ass shit! Encased in BFG rubber, the car now relies on a set of street/race tires that are 245/40R18 in size. The G-force TA KD's are an excellent performance tire, boasting a treadwear of 180. Anything lower and it would be a full race slick.
Week Five: Engine Tech
In the long list of powerful legendary import engines the 4G63 has held one of the best reputations for more than 12 years. Although there have been some changes over the years, the biggest news is how the motor was flipped around. Sounds strange but I could remember that the U.S.-spec models came with the engine on the driver's side while the tranny sat on the passenger side. In Japan, there was a switch that occurred in the Evolution IV that had the engine on the passenger side and the tranny on the driver side. This was an engine that was never presented to a U.S. model. At the time of the switch the year was 1995 and while the U.S. market could never develop any aftermarket support for the motor Japan, Australia (and pretty much every other country but the U.S.) was developing parts for the engine. It's now 2003 and the U.S. finally got their hands on the reverse-mounted motor. Want to know the good and the bad part? Good: Most of the development was already done on the car so there is no wait for parts to come out for a new car. The bad: Will the parts fit on a car that is left-hand drive and how much different are the computer systems? Not only did I want to know about it, but A'PEXi was also curious if their Japanese right-hand drive parts, as well as their Power FC ECU, would work.
First thing tackled was the car's ECU. If you couldn't control the fuel and timing, then all R&D can be delayed. All hopes of a tunable ECU were riding in the hands of Kashige Yakshige (AKA Yaks). Following along with ECU prayers was Import Tuner tech editor, Gary Castillo, and what was thought to be month's of R&D on mating the J-spec Power FC Full computer unit to the U.S. model turned into a two-day turn around. Not only was Yaks able to configure the ECU to a U.S. model; he was also able to get every one of the vehicle's options to work as well. Everything from the intercooler water sprayer to the engine's factory boost solenoid was controllable from the FC Commander's controller. Not stopping there, Yaks was also able to establish a U.S. base map to make the unit a complete plug & play operation, but for the Sparco vehicle the car was preprogrammed to run a set of APi R&D 700cc injectors.
To make power out of the engine, A'PEXi R&D technician's Jensen Oda and Lanny Higa needed to figure out what parts on the engine would mate to the U.S. model, starting with the companies RX6 TCW20 turbo kit. The kit utilizes an RX6 IHI turbo and includes a stainless tubular manifold with SPL 80mm downpipe, external wastegate and dump tube. It turns out the manifold, turbo, downpipe and dump tube fit but the wastegate hits the return hose from the power steering. By simply cutting the bolt-on fitting on the power steering pump in half and rewelding it, the wastegaste's clearance is perfect for the power steering hose. Exhaust system is a prototype GT-spec 80mm unit.
While the turbo kit only needed mild modification to the power steering hose, the A'PEXi crew decided to make the intercooler piping setup from scratch using a 22x11x3.5-in A'PEXi GT drag core and a set of cast aluminum end tanks. All piping is constructed of 2.5-in aluminum with A'PEXi silicone connectors. One of the main reasons the piping was made from scratch was that battery placement from the U.S.-spec versus the J-spec Evo differs. Since the Power FC computer converts the fuel management from mass air type to speed density, the Evo's air intake allows for less bends on the intercooler pipes. The air intake also incorporates an A'PEXi induction box. Not stopping there, the team decided to balance out the vehicle's weight by moving the battery to the rear passenger side trunk, allowing room for the intercooler pipe, which figures a better, straighter shot from the throttle body to the intercooler. Since the ball bearing turbo is a race setup, a blow off valve doesn't need to be added to the piping.
Taking a look in the back of the trunk, you will notice a J-spec fuel system that runs a maze of fuel lines as well as an A'PEXi fuel surge tank. Personally, I once thought that this fuel system was a waste of time and was an overkill but having seen the system being put together by Lanny Higa, its proper use is much more understood. The normal in-tank pump is still used but replaced with a high-volume type pump. The feed line now runs into the surge tank as well as the factory return line from the fuel rail. To boost up more fuel pressure and flow, a larger inline fuel pump is used to feed to the fuel rail. You would thing the larger inline pump would drain the surge tank faster than the in-tank could fill it but since the return line dumps back into the surge tank and the in-tank pump is a larger high volume, the surge tank stays topped off. To ensure the tank is not too full, a third bleed line runs from the top of the tank back to the original return line fitting on the OEM gas tank. So what does this maze create? One thing that road racecars are notorious for is fuel surge on high-speed corners. With gas sloshing around in the gas tank the fuel pump tends to pick up air bubbles, causing the car to stumble. The surge tank acts as a fuel capacitor by always supplying a healthy does of fuel to the engine. On top of that, since the in-tank pump runs with very little resistance its main duty is to act as a low-pressure/high-volume faucet to the surge tank while the larger in-line fuel pump acts as the primary high-volume/high-pressure pump.
The car is going to be boosted into the 20-plus psi range so to keep a tight seal between the cylinder head and block, ARP head studs and an A'PEXi 1.1mm metal head gasket are thrown into the mix, keeping the Evo much more tolerable to a high-boost application . Although the Sparco Evo has not hit the maximum horsepower level yet, the OEM clutch was replaced in order to prepare for the massive amount of torque the engine will produce. A Cusco twin-disc unit with flywheel is now in place to handle it. When the boost gets turned up the last thing they need to worry about is clutch failure.
With high boost comes high heat. Using the GT Drag Core does help the cooling aspect of the intake air but to ensure the engine doesn't overheat on it's way to road racing victories, an APi R&D oil cooler kit helps maintain a cooler oil flow to the engine. Water cooling duties are handled by an A'PEXi GT-spec radiator. The radiator is a complete bolt-on application that allows the factory fans to bolt right up.
Week Six: Exterior Tech
In all honesty, The Evo's exterior needs a lot of help. From having a front bumper that looks like a half-breed Pontiac Sunfire to boasting the 90's trend of clear taillights the cars exterior is the epitome of a Sunfire red headed stepchild. Now thankfully for the car having a Japanese counter part body kits are readily available and 100-percent complete bolt on. Rather then adding a complete kit, Sparco decided to get rid of the Sunfire bumper and add a Gialla front bumper. Not only does this bumper allow more front air intake for the intercooler, it also features side vents that worked perfect for the APi Oil Cooler and air intake. While APEXi cut off the necessary fiberglass pieces hindering the intercooler fitment MOB Works was ready to lay the paint. Also replaced were the OEM mirrors. Now in their place sit Rally Art units which sit much more snug to the vehicle. Replacing the crappy OEM taillights is a set of J-spec Evo lights which gets rid of the clear and replacing it with a red tint. Front OEM headlights are actually the US-spec headlights but repainted. For this process the guys over at Axis 5 dismantled the OEM units and pained the inside black and glued the lights back together. Last on the long list of mods was adding the finishing touch of vinyl. For the most part the fading "S's" from front to rear were handled by Modern Image in Huntington Beach, Calif. Most of the last minute logo placements were in the hands of Calvin Wan from Graphtech from San Francisco, Calif.
In a mere six weeks, the Sparco/APEXi Evolution VIII trans formed from stock to a road warrior. While there are so many companies to thank to building this beast in a warp speed the true test comes the week of the Sport Compact Car's Ultimate Street Car Challenge. But for now, this is one of the baddest Evo's mainly due to the quality of craftsmanship from the companies listed in the Hot Box. Stay tuned for Evo to Icon horsepower and track performance in an up coming issue.