The rally-bred Evo is one of the most popular cars to tune in the UK. Here’s our Mitsubishi Evo tuning guide to improving the later models 7 through to 9.
1. STYLING
There is no doubt Evos look fantastic, so there’s no need to do anything radical. The best suited modifications we have seen have been subtle carbon additions, like replacement carbon bonnets, mirrors, front splitters, rear wing blades, and rear diffusers. Subtle touches like removing the orange reflector from the head lamps and even replacing the 8/9 clear rear lights with the more subtle Evo 7 ones are also nice touches.
2. WHEELS AND TYRES
The standard wheels are a bit of a let down on Evos, and considering the awesome traction the transmission gives, the tyres are ripe for an upgrade too. The most common fitment is some 9.5x18in wheels, 5×114.3 of course, with an ET30 offset. With 255/35×18 tyres, this combination fits straight on and looks great, though some cars seem to need the rear arches rolling slightly, depending how low you run the car. As this issues’ tyre test demonstrates, good tyres will increase traction massively, and having experienced big power Evos running track tyres, we can tell you the cornering speeds are simply amazing.
3. BRAKES
The Evo is a well rounded car and the stock Brembo brakes are not exactly what you would call poor, but when you’re increasing power to huge levels some better stoppers will certainly help. Being such a popular car there’s no shortage of big brake kits available from the likes of AP, Brembo, Stoptech, and more; all give huge stopping power while fitting under the 18in wheels typically used on Evos.
4. INTERIOR
Japanese interiors are never the most inspiring things in the world, but Evo interiors are not too bad, and a few touches like a sportier steering wheel and gearknob do the world of good. For a tuned engine, gauges showing you your engine’s vital pressures and temperatures are also a wise addition for the interior. Going further, a flocked dash and sports seats from the likes of Cobra, Recaro, Bride and others would finish off a great Evo interior nicely.
5. ENGINE TUNINING
The 4G63 is one of the most tunable engines around, and though many of the UK models come with over 300bhp as standard, there is so much more you can do to them. The stock air box and exhaust system is hugely restrictive, so a good induction kit and full turbo back 3in exhaust is good for over 20bhp on its own in many cases. The next stage is an uprated fuel pump and remap which can bring the car up to around 400bhp, and with a big turbo conversion and the appropriate fuelling upgrades over 600bhp has been seen on the stock bottom end. Beyond that, the world is your oyster with a multitude of parts available; you could go all the way to 1400bhp if you desire, madness!
