Atlantic Motorsports' Bolt-On Evo.
For most cars, adding simple bolt-on modifications can be expensive and not very rewarding. Beginning and experienced tuners alike often find disappointment in installing various parts and expecting noticeable horsepower gains. As everyone knows, although there are different types of dynos and different elevations, for the most part, dynos don't lie. And when it comes to adding bolt-ons, it's a no-brainer that forced induction-type engines benefit from them more than naturally aspirated ones. Atlantic Motorsports (AMS), one of the top turbocharged vehicle tuners in Washington D.C., knows this fact all too well.
Building turbo cars is Atlantic Motorsports' bread and butter, so it was an easy task when they built their 2003 Mitsubishi EVO 8. The car's owner and AMS tuner, Jeramie Chronopolous, wanted the car to be an example of what basic bolt-ons on an EVO are capable of. "Before upgrading the turbo and engine management on the EVO, we wanted to see how much power we could attain from the stock turbo," said Chronopolous.
After retrieving a baseline number of 267hp, AMS added simple modifications to see what they could squeeze out of the stock turbo. The bolt-on list included: A turboback exhaust system, HKS camshafts, AEM cam gears, Greddy Profec-B Spec II electronic boost controller and a TurboTrix ECU flash. With these simple items, the EVO gained an amazing amount of power, resulting in 335hp and 344lb-ft of torque. They achieved their goal of making the most power from basic bolt-ons, but, as always, this feat was not enough to satiate their modification desires.
A new setup was in order to help showcase the parts that are available to their customers and other EVO tuners. According to Chronopolous, "The purpose of this EVO was to demonstrate to customers what could be done with basic bolt-ons available on the general market." The camshafts and gears remained the same, but more bolt-ons were needed to achieve their purpose.
To upgrade the induction system, a GT3071 turbo kit and alcohol injection replaced the stock turbo, while a Hyperflow front mount intercooler nestled in the front bumper and a Koyo radiator takes care of the cooling duties. Airflow into the engine is carried by Injen intake and upper intercooler pipes; while a Turbosmart dual port blow-off valve relieves the pressure between shifts. To help with exhaust flow, the stock exhaust manifold was replaced with a Pro-1 stainless steel unit that leads into a TurboXS downpipe connected to a carbon-titanium HKS exhaust system. Upgrading the airflow requires fuel and spark upgrades as well. In order to cover those bases, an HKS ignition system and Walbro fuel pump were installed. After they were done upgrading all of the little engine toys, AMS decided to replaced the flashed ECU with a Hydra Nemesis standalone engine management system.