Where would we be without the EVO?
Mitsubishi's latest turbocharged all-wheel-drive wonder has an uncanny ability to grab the imagination and set off fantasies about the good times that could be had while driving it. Even straight from the factory, it must be one of the most affordable cars that can still turn heads. Steve Baez had his turned, even though he's used to more upscale European wheels like the VW GTI, Scirocco, BMW 325i and a couple of M3s. He still owns a Range Rover Sport (the supercharged model). But the Evolution, on this occasion an '06 IX (bought new in 2005), hooked him, just as it has so many others. The quest for more power and performance inevitably leads here.
Of course, Baez became a gearhead long before. "It started when my dad sat me on his lap and let me hold the wheel of his '78 Camaro," he says. "It was all over after that." Just as our other tastes mature, Baez's preference in cars went more toward the sublime. Now 36 years old and a sound engineer by trade, his spare time is spent going faster.
Thinking about it, his goal for this project seems over-ambitious: an all-around daily driver that can stand out at the track or a show. Show cars are usually one thing, track cars another and everyday transport something else again. It's taken three years and the best part of $40,000 on top of the original cost of the car, but Baez seems to have pulled the hat trick off.
It began by swapping an air filter (K&N), fitting a new exhaust (HKS Carbon-Ti, now with an AMS manifold) and an ECU flash. Then it all got out of hand. Ambition crept into the engine by stretching the stroke--thereby increasing displacement from 2.0 to 2.3 liters--and upping compression from 8.8:1 to 9.0:1, to increase displacement and fatten up torque production. Ross AMS-spec pistons perch on top of Oliver E4340 connecting rods bolted to the stock crank, while GSC camshafts spin above them with a 274-degree lift on both the intake and exhaust sides. Engine work was carried out by AMS in Chicago. Considering Baez and his car are based in Palm Springs, FL, this shows the extent of his commitment to getting it done right.
Out went the stock turbocharger, in came a Precision 850R 6262 unit, accompanied by a wastegate and blow-off valve from TiAL, with an AEM boost controller as the brains behind the operation. As if an EVO IX painted in stealth black wasn't cool enough, a Buschur Racing intercooler, a slim CBRD radiator and Samco hoses do their best to keep the mercury on a leash.
During its spell in the Windy City, the 4G63 was also treated to a ported and polished head, an intake manifold (AMS VSR twin-rail), Mil Spec 65mm throttle body, Supertech 1mm-oversized valves, springs and titanium retainers, an AMS oil cooler, a powder-coated valve cover and a thorough blueprinting.
A well-known name in the EVO tuning world, Sean Ivey was the conductor of an orchestra that includes an AMS 1,000-hp fuel system consisting of injectors, twin fuel rails and two Walbro 255 lph pumps. Other players include a Fuel Lab regulator, Spark Tech plugs and ignition system, and an AEM ECU. The resulting symphony is a clamorous 728 whp at a stratospheric 8,400 rpm and 592 lb-ft of churning torque at a still-high 7,000 rpm (with boost at 42 psi). Baez covers the quarter-mile in just 10.9 seconds, hitting 131 mph, in full street trim.
John Sheppard was drafted in to upgrade the transmission, fitting Driveshaft Shop Stage Five axles and a trusty Quaife limited-slip differential. The clutch/flywheel partnership is now a Tilton rally version--the former of cerametallic construction, the latter made from lightweight billet steel. Further tranny mods are a 4.11 final drive, longer EVO VIII cogs for Third and Fourth, plus a billet input shaft.