After 2 years locked away in storage… The EvolutionM Project Evo is out and ready to play once again. Stay tuned for the article…

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Whenever you are looking to build a monster of a car, you have to start with the heart.  The heart is the center of any project build and in our case our heart is a 2.2 liter balance of performance and reliability.  More specifically, a GSC Power-Division 2.2L XR-1.7 4G63T short block.  Thanks to Westboro Mitsubishi, we were able to obtain a brand new 4G63 MIVEC motor to hand over to the master mind behind GSC’s XR-1.7 motor package, Greg Caloudas, to begin over evolution of 8 to 8.5.

GSC’s motor package isn’t a basic bolt on power upgrade.  This is a complete package offered to serious owner’s looking to get the most out of the 4G63 without compromises.  Specific features include:

• New Mitsubishi OEM 4G63 Short Block and piston squirters.
• Power-Division 4340 Billet Crankshaft (31 pounds, 94mm Stroke) knife edged and balanced
• Power-Division Custom Forged I-Beam Connecting Rods for 1.7 Rod Ratio
• CP Pistons 85.5mm Bore, 9310 Wrist Pins, (10.0:1, 9.5:1, 8.5:1 Compression).  We went with 9:5:1.
• Clevite Tri Metal Main Rod and Thrust Bearings
• Power-Division Race Balance Shaft kit
• Power-Division Race Main Stud Kit

A nice drool list for a bottom end, which means we couldn’t skimp out on the head.  Starting off with a stock Evolution 9 MIVEC head, we added GSC’s S2 cams and a complete valve train upgrade from Supertech.  A conservative head for a great motor build.

With the motor sorted out, it was time to match a new turbo kit with the performance capability of the XR-1.7.  Cue in Boost Logic’s SC 61 turbo kit.  Boost Logic is new to the Evolution world, but have a big reputation for making gobs of power in the Supra market.  Their SC 61 turbo kit shows right away the proof in the power making pudding, especially with features that compare to what the more expensive kits have for less money.  Features include:

• Ceramic Heat Coated SS304 Tubular Manifold w/ true merge collector(1/2″ Thick flanges)
• Tial 44mm Wastegate
• SS304 Dump Tube
• PTE SC50 T04E DBB Turbo w/ vband outlet
• Boost Logic Water Line Kit(assembled with Aeroquip pushlock fittings)
• 3″ SS304 Vband Downpipe
• 3″ SS304 Vband Midpipe w/ flex joint(Bolts to stock catalytic converter)
• 3″ Aluminum Intake Pipe 3″ K&N Filter
• 2.5″ Mandrel Bent Aluminum Intercooler Pipe
• 3 Ply Silicone Hoses and SS Hose Clamps
• Boost Logic Oil Feed and Return Kit(Assembled with high quality SS line and AN fittings)
• All nuts and bolts needed for installation
• 10″ High Flow Fan

Installation of the entire setup was complex and will require professional help.  With our lack of wrenching skills we opted to go with pros to get everything installed correctly.  Atlantic Motorsports was the shop we went with to get the final installation done.  Being a MIVEC conversion, we had to grab a spare Evolution 9 main harness (engine harness) in order to get it all plugged up with our AEM EMS (we had to purchase a new unit to control MIVEC).  The conversion isn’t rocket science but does require a large portion of time to make sure all the details are taken care of.

With the basic installation out of the way, the proper motor break-in procedure needed to be performed: 2 heat cycles, then an oil change, then a low boost break-in, 200 miles of driving, and finally another oil change.  Atlantic Motorsports then put their focus on tuning the beast.  With a few clicks on the laptop and a ton of dyno pulls, the car was ready for action.  Final Power Output: 498 whp & 399.3 ft-lb @ 23psi.

Street Test
Of course street testing is fairly limited when testing peak performance.  Our intentions for this test was to bring out any reliability issues, lower rpm performance issues, or anything else worth mentioning that impact everyday use.  After our 3 days of street testing, a couple of items did come up:

• Noticeable turbo lag with larger turbo vs. stock. Full boost came on closer to 4,000 rpm.  The motor definitely helped reduce turbo lag, but when you are using a larger turbo, lag is a common issue that is difficult to combat.  A smaller turbo will definitely cure this issue, which Boost Logic can provide within their SC 50 kit.
• Maintaining speed limit and traction under boost.  The power is tremendous enough to break loose the tires, which requires a bit of driving skill to keep under control.
• With the S2 cams, idle is a little rough but tolerable.  More time spent on the tune could smooth things out more.

With this amount of power at our control, the thought of being able to over take anything on the road was empowering.

Track Test
Our favorite place to test.  On track, we were able to start pushing the envelope of power to see how fast this new package was.  With a set of Nitto NT-01’s mounted and at full temp, we loosened the leash and hammered down the throttle.  At full throttle the car pushed our stomachs towards the back of our brains as we reached our 8,000 rpm limit.  Going through each gear, the once mild manor Evolution 8 was no more.  Full attention was needed to keep the car inline with counter steer and throttle input.   This beast was serious and we needed to respect it.  Entry and apex of each turn proved to be easy compared to the exit.  As soon as throttle was introduced into the party, the dam breaking surge of power would be too much for the level of grip and our abilities as drivers.   On long straight-aways the immense power propelled the Evo into supercar like state of top speed uncovering issues within our aero package (we had none!).   Realizing the insanity of the situation, the most logical step would have been to dial back boost and possibly switch to a smaller turbo size.  With each lap clicking by, the once logical idea slowly slipped further out of memoryville.

Our track day ended with grin’s on our faces, bbq’d front abs sensors, blown rear shocks, and an appreciation for having a chance to drive such a car on track.

Conclusion
Did we have to do this modification?  No.  Was it worth it?  Yes!  The XR-1.7 engine package is a phenomenal modification through and through.  We have logged in over 5,000 miles of abuse without fail.  With more time spent on the tune and possibly a smaller turbo, the car could be more useable for street and track use.  Until then we will continue to suffer with the epic amount of power and god like command of the street and of course, the track.

Related Links

• GSC Power-Division
  
• Boost Logic
• Westboro Mitsubishi
• Supertech
• Atlantic Motorsports
• EvolutionM
• AEM

Photo Gallery

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There’s no one in the world that can come up with a good enough excuse as to why they changed a perfectly good body part with a carbon fiber piece. Why did we do it? Our reasoning is that Carbon fiber is an addictive narcotic that seems to grab a hold of any logical reasoning a person may have and make them do things that a non Carbon Fiber junkie wouldn’t do. But if you get the right (well made) Carbon Fiber piece it will convert any non Carbon Fiber junkie into an addict, which is what happened to us.

Our front fenders didn’t need to be replaced but just the idea of having carbon fiber front fenders seemed like a cool idea. The stock fenders are extremely light to begin with, but very flimsy. Going with a good set of CF fenders wouldn’t provide a significant weight reduction over stock, but will prove to be much stronger (dent resistant). With several manufacturers available to supply anyone with a replacement piece, we went to RaceOnUSA for their OEM style fenders to maintain the original bodyline and complete our carbon theme. Fitment is the biggest issue when it comes to CF replacements and was a big worry for us. Luckily our worries went out the door the day we installed the new fenders. The build qualities on these are extremely nice. The edges and mounting points are strong with a good finish, the CF weave is straight without noticeable imperfects, and the clear finish is smooth enough to be show ready. The fenders really hold true to the “OEM” title. Installing was a snap and a little adjustment was made to make sure everything fit perfectly. One thing to note is the holes for the corner lights may need to be dremmelled a little due to thickness of the CF fenders, but nothing major. Once we got everything lined up and installed we sat back to find any imperfections. After examining every square cm, we were happy to see no significant gaps or any other fitment issues, fitment was flawless.

Once we finished test fitting the new pieces we decided to take them off and get them painted to match the rest of the car. Yes we do realize it seems to defeat the purpose of getting a CF replacement part if we are going to just paint over it. The truth is we had a set theme for the project car that we needed to maintain (more on this coming soon in future articles). The CF fenders took about 2 days to get them finished up and they were back on the car for another test fitment. With the two fenders painted and on the car, it was pretty difficult to notice a difference between the stock fenders and the new CF replacements. We added a bit of exposed carbon fiber within in the paint scheme (as you can see in the pictures) to give it away.

Overall we couldn’t be any happier with RaceOnUSA’s CF front fenders. The quality and fitment of fenders are wonderful. If you are looking for change and want to get a set of CF fenders, check out RaceOnUSA’s selection.

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One phrase can best describe the feeling of driving our Evo with these new cams, “holy mid range power!!” After the first pull, that look of shock was running down my face. I couldn’t believe that a set of cams made that much of a difference. But before we get into this review any further, I do feel a brief history about our older setup (before the S1 cams) will give everyone an understanding of what I’m comparing the S1 cams to.

Old Setup
Our Project Evo was running a set of HKS 272 intake and 272 exhaust cams with a set of Vishnu Cam Gears. This setup was matched with a Stock Valve Train, 10.5 hotside stock turbo, ported O2 housing, DC Sports Turbo Manifold, Vishnu Turbo Back Exhaust, XS Engineering Hard Pipe Intercooler Kit, Injen Intake w/ MAF, manual boost controller, and stock ECU. The car was tuned for 22psi (peak) on 93 octane and an additional map for 24-25psi on 100 octane. With this setup it felt like I needed to push the car towards the upper rpm band to get the most power out of it. It was a really nice setup and perfectly fine for driving at weekend track events. Driving the car on the street did get a little annoying because it needed to be pushed towards the upper rpm level to get it to move.

New Setup
The following is our new setup: GSC S1 cams, Stock Cam Gears, Stock Valve Train, 10.5 hotside Stock Turbo, Ported O2 Housing, DC Sports Manifold, AMS Turbo Back Exhaust, AMS Front Mount Intercooler, AMS Intake w/ MAF, AMS Hard Pipe Intercooler Kit, AquaMist Water Injection Kit, manual boost controller, and stock ECU. AMS tuned the car and was able to provide us with two maps. The first map was for 21psi on 93 octane and the second map was for the water injection kit (27psi with 93 octane and Water Injection).

Now that we have a basis for what was on the car before and what is on the car now, the review can continue….

To be fair, the comparison was done WITHOUT WATER INJECTION. Since it wasn’t on the car before, there’s really no need to use it as a basis for this review. The decision was made to go with the 93 octane map with 21 pounds of boost and compare that to our older setup (93 octane with 22 pounds of boost). We put the car through a series of tests:

• Drove the car around the streets (city driving mostly)
• Put the car on the highway (all highway driving)
• Ran the car through a weekend at the track

It was absolutely necessary to make sure the car was able to perform in each of these areas. $30,000 is a lot to spend on a car that sits in the garage only, so if this new setup was the right compromise for street and track use then we wanted to know for sure.

About The Cams
First let’s get down to the specs:

**It’s important to note that both manufactures don’t require you to upgrade your valve trains in order to run either sets of cams.

As you can see looking at the initial specs HKS has a more aggressive Intake cam lift compared to GSC; however, the S1 cams have a more aggressive Exhaust lift. Also with the shorter cam duration, we now can see where the S1 is coming up with all this mid range power.

Dyno Graph

Driving Impressions
Street
The street test was important for this review. We wanted to see what the differences were between the two setups when it came to idle conditions, cruising, etc. Right off the bat there is noticeable difference between both setups when the car is sitting at idle. The 272 HKS package had a more lopey idle versus the more subdued S1 package. To tell you the truth I do miss that “muscle car” feeling with the previous package but once I sat behind the wheel the sorrow was soon forgotten. Something as simple as driving the car around the city really showed the cams were different. Boost seemed to come on sooner and a little stronger then before. With the HKS setup I would start seeing some boost (around 4psi or so) right before I switched through to the next gear; however, with the S1’s boost came on earlier and held longer before the shift (closer to 8psi).

Highway impressions also showed signs of improvement. This was more apparent when entering the freeway in 3rd gear. As soon as there was a clearing on the exit, BOOM, full boost! To say the very least it freaked me out. Didn’t expect boost to come on that quick! Cruising on the highway felt the same as it did before. Only when overtaking another car did the rush of power come back. After that, it was like an addiction. I needed that rush again, time for the track.

Track
Finally track weekend, time to really see what this new setup can do. The track used for this test was Summit Point Raceway (main track). My lap times before on this track were nothing special. Usually I would come in around 1.29 as the best for the weekend (full interior and ac, etc,). This time I wasn’t expecting that much improvement considering the weather was a little colder then the last time. Boy was I wrong. Getting some practice sessions done early in the morning, I really had some trouble fine tuning the boost to stay at or under 22psi on the 93 octane map (manual boost controller). Not wanting to risk an overboost situation I decided to just turn down the boost some more. With a little trial and error the boost stayed down to 19psi (consistently) with a slight overboost at 20 – 21psi. As the weather got warmer the boost stayed at 20psi peak. Once the car was finally setup, it was time to have some fun.

After the first two warm laps, I finally started to get on the gas. Turn 1 was approaching; I turned in, got on the gas, and….. “holy midrange power!!” (sorry had to say it again.). This thing was using its claws to pull itself out of every turn. I was in disbelief. Normally I would be in a lower gear going through some of the turns at Summit, put with all the mid range power, I decided to leave it in a higher gear. Turns were approached at 3700 rpm (roughly) and boost would come before the apex which allowed me to step on the gas more. The end result was a faster overall speed coming out of each turn. The other benefit was the amount times I didn’t have to shift, which shaved more time. In the end my best lap time came in at 1.26. Definitely much better then the last time. Call it better driving, but I would like to think that the new setup allowed me to reduce the amount of things that cost me more time before. The other thing to remember is the car was running less boost then it did before. This new package just seemed like it perfectly matched our setup and allowed me to get more useable power out of it.

Conclusion
In the quest for more horsepower, the one thing to remember is bigger numbers on paper, don’t necessarily equal the most horsepower or the fastest car. The one thing we learned with this review is if you match parts with the setup you currently have, a balance of power and drivability will occur. The S1’s for us was a perfect piece to our setup because it seemed to match with the stock turbo and all the other mods we had on the car. It ultimately gave us more useable horsepower/torque and more ammo to make that Z06 owner at the track feel less adequate.

Video:

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Take Beatrush’s Floor Performance Bar, Front Performance Bar, Front Member Support Bars, Driveshaft bushings, install all of these items on a Evo, and what do you get? The answer is simple: a more nimble Evo looking to instantly respond to your every command. I know, saying that car will respond to your every command sounds a little over the top, but it’s the best way I could describe the feeling of driving this car with all these items installed. Don’t get me wrong, the Evo is a great car to being with, but sometimes the little things can enhance the car’s ability to perform better then before.

After our last track event at VIR, the topic of chassis stiffening came up with our paddock buddies. Wondering if small enhancements could make a difference to the handling characteristics of the car, we decided to contemplate what little items were needed to accomplish our goal for a better time.

It was now time to do some research to find the best chassis modifications that would fit my needs and save my wallet from losing weight. With a little help from Kami Speed, the decision to go with Beatrush’s floor performance bar, front performance bar, and front member support bars was the most logical. With so many Beatrush items I was ordering, throwing in a set of driveshaft bushings to complete the Beatrush experience was a no brainer.

First Impressions:
A picture is worth a 1000 words so instead of describing the quality of each part, I’ll just show you:

Floor Performance Bar:

Front Performance Bar:

Front Member Support Bars:

Conclusion
Driving the car on the street, I did notice a difference in the chassis. Going over bumps and dips in the road brought out a different reaction that wasn’t experienced before. The car felt a tad bit more solid and stable then it did previously. Obviously the car wasn’t pushed to its limit on the street, but you could still get a feel for what was going on. The results were not a dramatic improvement and shouldn’t be expected, especially on the street. The track will be the only place to figure out if the new parts are improving the car’s performance. With that said, all of these parts should help improve the overall feel for the car and also improve the look of your car (if you’re into that kind of thing). Anyone attending autox’s, HPDE’s, or Drag events should consider a combination or all of the parts I went with to see if your times improve. Stay tuned for a follow up article after a weekend beating at the track.

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*** This review will be great for anyone running an AEM EMS and a stock turbo in their EVO.

In this edition of our Project Evo part install review, we look at two products:

AEM Serial Gauge
DC Sport Turbo Manifold

We’ve got two items to add to your list so brush the dust off that credit card and get ready to burn it up again!

What Are The Benefits?
This is an important question. There have been countless times where consumers are trapped into thinking a certain part will give them the magic result they’ve been looking for. Later to find out (after that hard earned dollar was spent) that the product failed to produce that magic result. So for this part review, let’s focus on the facts and see if both of these products will serve their purposes and not disappoint us later. Since this is a review for two separate parts, we’ll highlight the benefits of each part separately:

AEM Serial Gauge – In our opinion this product has been a missing piece to the EMS puzzle. If you’re like most of the self-taught EMS tuners out there, taking your laptop out to tune is part of the job requirements. Running data logs and making changes based on the data collected is common practice. This set up was great when you’re out specifically tuning. Now what happens when the tuning sessions are over? All that’s left is basic maintenance and monitoring. At this point the hard part is over and it’s time to enjoy the car. This is where the laptop can get in the way, especially if you start taking passengers with you. In comes the AEM Serial Gauge to the rescue.

The AEM Serial Gauge can be your eyes without having to run the laptop. Imagine having a gauge that reads your knock readings? How about monitoring your IAT readings? It can be done with this gauge. There are a few things that we really liked about this gauge that should be pointed out:

1. The ability to daisy chain more gauges to read different parameters (you can read up to 19 different parameters simultaneously)
2. Easy installation
3. User programmable
4. We can read parameters that other gauges can’t read.

Rather then list every specific detail about the product. You can find the details here: click here

DC Sports Turbo Manifold – Our first impression with the manifold wasn’t the best. We were a little skeptical about its ability to produce any significant gains (over stock) to make it a worthwhile mod. On the other hand, the build quality on the manifold is pretty nice and who can resist not seeing a manifold like this under the hood of their Evo. The stock manifold isn’t the prettiest, but it works very well (especially when ported.). So what are the benefits of running this manifold over stock? We were looking to get better throttle response, as well as, better mid to high range power. This should benefit anyone who attends HPDE’s, Autox’s, Drag strip events or any other motorsport event. The throttle response and the higher mid to high range power should help improve overall times.

More info can be found here: click here

Installation
Manifold: The manifold install was pretty straight forward. Make sure you have a long padded (using rags) crowbar, a new manifold gasket, and a new turbo gasket. The following are the steps needed to install the manifold (remember to disconnect the battery cables from the battery. It’s not necessary but it doesn’t hurt to be safe):

1. Remove stock heat shield from stock manifold.
2. Remove the 4 (12mm) nuts and 2 (14mm) nuts connecting the manifold to the block
3. The next step is to remove the 2 bolts and 2 nuts connecting the manifold to the turbo.
4. This step is pretty tricky and you must be careful when doing this step. A crowbar padded with towels will be needed. You may need a friend to help you out. Slide the padded crowbar in between the block and the turbo in order to wedge it. Be careful that there aren’t any hard lines in your way. Also don’t use a lot of muscle when pulling back.
5. Have one person pull back on the crowbar in order to pull the manifold off the block.
6. Once the manifold has cleared the block studs, lift the manifold up off of the turbo. Now release the pressure on the turbo, returning it back to its original location.
7. Next you should remove both the manifold gasket and turbo gasket with new replacements.
8. With the same crowbar, pull the turbo back again and position the base of the new manifold onto the turbo.
9. Line up the manifold in order for it to slip onto the block studs and slowly release the turbo back to its original location.
10. At this point the manifold should be aligned and ready to bolt on. Make sure to put the nuts on areas of the manifold that have close clearances before you completely bolt everything on. You need some room to move the manifold around slightly in order to get everything on.
11. Last step is to bolt everything in. Make sure everything is tight to insure there aren’t any leaks.

Remember, you will get the best results if you have the car retuned for this mod. Contact your original tuner for more information.

Serial Gauge: This gauge will probably be the easiest gauge you will ever install. The steps are very simple and should be easy to follow (the gauge comes with a set of instructions as well):

1. Remove battery cables off of the battery. * This step must be done before anything else.
2. Find a location for the gauge. We used a gauge pod that fits on the steering wheel column.
3. Make sure to locate the 8 pin single row located behind the gauge.
4. Next connect the 8 pin cable to the back of the gauge.
5. The next step requires a switched 12v source to tap into and an area for a ground. We used the same power source that our turbo timer was using.
6. Tap the red wire to the 12v source and ground the other wire.
7. Next plug the flying lead to the harness connected to the gauge.
8. Run the wire behind the dash in order to hide it from sight.
9. Connect the DB9 portion on the flying lead to the serial output on the EMS.
10. Make sure all connections are secure. Then disconnect the DB9 connection from the EMS.
11. Connect battery cables back onto the battery
12. Turn the key to the “On” position and make sure the gauge turns on.
13. Open AEM Pro and connect to the EMS. Wait for the EMS to finish downloading.
14. Click on “VIEW” and select the telemetry wizard from the wizards drop down menu. In the telemetry wizard, left click on “AEM Serial Datastream Gauge: and click OK.
15. Close AEM Pro, connect the serial gauge to the EMS, and cycle power to the EMS. The EMS is now configured to output data to the gauge.

Overall Impressions

Street: AEM Serial Gauge: Driving around with this gauge is not dramatically different than driving around with a normal gauge. As a test run we decided to setup the gauge to read knock. The gauge’s max limit was set low to test out the warning function as well. Overall everything works pretty nicely and depending on where you position the gauge, the led’s and digital read out are easy to read compared to a traditional gauge. If there’s a problem, it will definitely catch your eye. (** Special item to note, in the pictures you will notice that we installed the gauge on the steering column).

Street: DC Sports Turbo Manifold: We couldn’t really tell if there were any significant changes until we opened up the throttle. As we laid down the throttle you could feel the slight power difference as you start climbing through the rpms. The turbo seemed to spool up faster and throttle response also seemed to improve. Not wanting to drive recklessly on the street we decided to back off and take it to the track. Driving normally you can’t really tell a difference between the stock manifold and this one. The one thing we did notice was the audible differences between the two manifolds; the DC sports manifold was noticeably louder.

Track (road circuit): AEM Serial Gauge: During the Evo Tuner Shoot Out we were able to get a few laps in to see if the gauge was easy to read while on track. We ran the same test as we did on the street and used the gauge to read knock. We also set the max limits lower to make sure the warning led’s would catch our eye. Each lap we went through, no matter how intense the driving situations were, the gauge was easy to see. In some cases we didn’t need to see the actual numbers, just the red warning lights. Overall it’s a good setup that can be used in track and street conditions. (** Special item to note, in the pictures you will notice that we installed the gauge on the steering column).

Track (road circuit): DC Sport Turbo Manifold: This is where the product showed it’s true potential. We effectively got what we wanted, more mid to high range power, faster throttle response, and an extra benefit: FASTER SPOOL UP. The engine note sounded wonderful with the new manifold. The car felt very alive and ready to take any corner with everything it had. At some corners, we were caught off guard with the power coming in a little too hard. Overall the project car turned into a different animal on the track. It felt like the horsepower was there all along, but it needed a way to come out. Unfortunately we couldn’t provide time improvements because we ran the car with the stock manifold at a different track. We will be taking the car to the original testing ground in order to get actual time improvements. Based on our calculations; however, the car should be able to pick up another second with the current setup.

Conclusion
With any part review, we try to provide you with as much info as we can. In our opinion both parts worked very well for our application. Both parts performed very well on the track and street. One thing we do need to emphasize is you should have the care retuned after the manifold is installed. You will not feel a noticeable difference if you don’t retune.

As a consumer you should use this review as a starting point to figure out if these products are right for your application. If you are looking for the same results we were, then look no further.

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Nitto NT-01 Review
We recently got the opportunity to test out Nitto’s new DOT approved competition tire, the NT-01, on the Project Evo. With the tire sizes available we decided to go with a 275/35/18 sized tire (full tread (6/32”)). The Evo Tuner Shoot Out was around the corner and what better place to see what these tires can do than on the track.

Track Impressions
The Evo Tuner Shoot Out was held at Carolina Motorsport Park. During the week leading up to the day of the event, the track went through countless downpours, which washed off most of the rubber laid down. This meant that the track would be a little more slippery then normal. With less traction available on track, this new tire would be put to the test. We had to break the tires in during the first few laps to ensure the longevity of the tire. After we broke in the set and tire pressures were checked, we decided to go for a few hot laps. Our first reaction to the performance of the NT-01 was total amazement. With the slippery conditions the tire didn’t seem to want to break loose even with full tread. As we completed each lap, we pushed the car more and more, hoping we could find the breaking point of these tires. Again to our surprise, these tires would not let loose. The levels of lateral grip are amazing. To give you an idea of the type of grip we experienced after a few sessions out we noticed that most of time we were practically pinned to the side of the seat. All you could see were smiles within the car as it zoomed by clocking faster and faster lap times.

After a full weekend of abuse, the tires proved to be able to handle whatever we threw at them. Usually when you run on tires that are not shaved (full tread), chunking can occur and this has happened on tires we’ve used before. With the NT-01’s we didn’t experience chunking or any abnormal tire wear. This is partially due to the fact that the NT-01’s have a more shallow tread depth and larger tread block then some of the competition. In fact, throughout the weekend as we wore down the tire tread the grip seemed to improve, giving us better lap times.

Street Impressions
The NT-01’s were perfect on the track, so now we wanted to see how they performed on the street. Keep in mind these tires should not be purchased for street use only because they are rated for dry conditions. They should mainly be used on the track, but can be used on the street. Our street experience with these tires was only conducted coming back from the track event. During that time, we loved every minute of it. The grip was there and we really got a good feel for the road. Our only concern was picking up a nail or anything that could puncture the tire on the way back. The tires can heat up pretty quickly and will pick up most anything on the road. They’ll also be noticeably louder than stock so be prepared for a noisy ride.

Conclusion
Overall we were extremely pleased with these unique tires. Nitto has come up with a tire that can provide extraordinary grip without compromises. We were very happy with our set and we will continue to use the NT-01’s for our weekend track adventures. Our only complaint is the limited tires sizes available. According to Nitto representatives, this problem is being remedied.

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Written By: Mark Modaressi

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Now that we’ve installed some of the “basic necessities” (Please read Project Evo: The Basics – Gauges we decided to make sure we wouldn’t experience any boost issues in the future by upgrading the stock bypass valve on the Evo for a better quality aftermarket unit.

You’ve probably heard lots of talk about blow off valves and the “pshhhhhhh” sound as a reason for getting one, but in reality there’s a much better reason to do so for the Evo.  It turns out the stock bypass valve on the Evo is identical to the plastic unit found on the G2 DSM models.  This bypass valve has a tendency to leak because of it’s poor quality and that can cost a few pounds of boost on the Evo, especially once modifications are made and boost goes up.

We decided to replace the stock bypass valve with a unit from Forge Motorsport, USA. Forge Motorsport offer two types of valves depending on what you’d like and you’re requirements. One is a vent-to-atmosphere (VTA) blow off valve and the other is a recirculating blow off valve. Forge blow off valves use counter balanced springs and dual pistons to prevent them from leaking air into the intake system at idle.

Forge blow off valves have the ability to swap out the spring to adjust the tension on the valve.  All valves ship with the softest spring (green), but a blue spring (medium), and red spring (stiffest spring) are also available if you up the boost and find the need to upgrade. All you have to do is unscrew the top half of the valve using an allen wrench and then replace the spring with the new one.

VTA blow off valves do just that, vent the excess air right to the atmosphere.  A recirculating blow off valve will actually recirculate that excess air back into the intake. This is actually a quieter method and there’s a good reason to do this on vehicles fitted with a Mass Airflow Sensor (MAS), like the Evo.  When driving the MAS will read in a specific amount of air coming in to the intake and wants to compensate for that  air with a certain amount of fuel. If you use a VTA blow off valve then that air will no longer be entering the engine, but the fuel is still compensating for it, so you end up running too rich.  This has apparently caused stalling problems for some people. A recirculating blow off valve will work just like the stock unit, so there shouldn’t be any potential for stalling issues.

Since there was a lot of talk about both types of blow off valves on the site, we decided to install both the Forge VTA and recirculating blow off valves on our Project Evo and test them out for a few days so we could see what each was like and report our findings.

Tools Required:

• 3/8″ or 1/8″ ratchet with 10mm socket.
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Pliers

Removing the stock bypass valve is a very simple process:

1. The stock bypass valve is located just next to the intake. To make things easier, remove the ram air piece from the intake so you have more room to work with.  This involves popping 2 small tabs located in the front. Make sure to push those tabs in to loosen them, don’t try and pull up on them or they will probably break.

   

2. Once the tabs are out, you can remove the ram air piece from the intake. Notice the black piece next to the coolant hose and intercooler piping?  That’s the stock bypass valve we’ll be removing.
3. Now we want to remove the stock bypass valve. There are 3 clamps to loosen in order to accomplish this. Using the small 1/8″ or 3/8″ ratchet and a 10mm socket, loosen the first clamp like so:
   



4. Now remove the second clamp up top.  You can either use a phillips head screwdriver or the same ratchet, depending on your preference:
   



5. Now pull the bypass valve out so that you have more room to work with it to remove the final hose.  Now that you have more room, take a pair of pliers and move the clamp out of the way so you can remove the final hose:
   

Now you’ve completely removed the stock bypass valve.

To install the Forge VTA blow off valve, follow the steps below:

Tools Required:

• 3/8″ or 1/8″ ratchet with 10mm socket.
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Pliers

To install the Forge VTA blow off valve, follow the steps below:

1. First use the special plug that comes with the Forge kit to block the opening back into the intake tract. Now tighten the clamp down using a ratchet.
   



2. Now insert the small hose onto the Forge VTA blow off valve.  Use the pliers to slide the fastener clip over the hose to secure it in place.
   



3. Next, insert the Forge VTA blow off valve where the stock bypass valve originally was.  Now tighten the clamp down using a ratchet or a phillips head screwdriver, whichever is easier.
   



4. That’s it! Now that the the blow off valve is installed, take the car out for a test drive and see how it runs.

To install the Forge recirculating blow off valve, follow the steps below:

Tools Required:

• 3/8″ or 1/8″ ratchet with 10mm socket.
• Phillips head screwdriver
• Pliers

1. Insert the small hose onto the Forge recirculating blow off valve.  Use the pliers to slide the fastener clip over the hose to secure it in place.
2. Now, insert the Forge valve in place of the stock unit. There is some debate as to which end goes in which section. Our own experience led us to follow the same positioning as the stock BOV. When we installed the valve in the opposite orientation, we experienced a strange sqeaking sound from the valve. Forge Motorsport mentioned that either way can work and comes down to personal preference. We recommend trying both orientations to see which works best. Once securely in place, tighten the fasteners using a socket wrench and/or phillips head screwdriver.  We noticed the stock vacuum hose can get pinched, so we recommend purchasing a longer tube from a local hardware store and replacing the stock piece to prevent any potential issues that may arise.

That’s it! You’ve now got a recircualting BOV that shouldn’t cause boost leaks and maintains a very stock like look

Sound Clips: All sound clips were conducted inside the car with the windows up to give an accurate idea of what the sound would be like.

Reviews:

Reviews
Forge VTA BOV	We experienced very few issues when running the Forge VTA BOV.  We were expecting heavy idle issues, etc, but this was barely present. We did still find some issues when coming off the throttle abrubtly. This would send the rpms skyrocketing down below idle and almost caused the car to stall. The sound from the BOV was very clear with a nice whoosh sound once boost was built up and released. Building up boost and lifting off next to a vehicle or pedestrian definitely got heads turning and occasionally a few people jumped In the end, we believe some idle and  drivability characteristics will be sacrificed in order to get that loud “whoosh” sound.
Forge Recirculating BOV	The Forge Recirculating Blow Off Valve is a great replacement for the stock BOV if you are experiencing leaks, etc. There is a little but more of a whoosh sound then before, but it’s very hard to head unless the windows are down and you really build up some boost. Unlike the VTA version, we did not experience any idle or drivability issues with this BOV. If you are looking for a louder whoosh sound, you can purchase an open element intake system to increase sound, but with the stock airbox in place, it just won’t come close to the VTA version.

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