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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Contributing: Matt Freeman

Welcome to round two of our Lancer review. This time we’re playing with the new Mitsubishi Lancer GTS. The test car came fully loaded and was ours for a whole week. Be sure that we took all opportunities to push every button, kick the tires, and make sure that the GTS met and exceeded expectations.

First Impressions

The striking blue color of the GTS is reason enough to love this car, but if the review stopped there it wouldn’t be very convincing. The sporty rear wing, beefier front end, larger alloy wheels, and sportier suspension all play a crucial role in giving the GTS its appeal. The styling is aggressive but surely toned down from its bully sibling, the upcoming Lancer Evolution.

An important point to note is that most cars in this price segment come from the factory with a few notable exterior styling flaws. Whether it’s ugly amber lights or a spoiler that’s simply out of place, enthusiasts in this market often change these small details soon after purchase. As far as we’re concerned the Lancer GTS doesn’t fall into that category, and this step can be easily omitted.

The interior of the GTS gets even better. The clean styling of the aluminum accented dash is a phenomenal improvement over the previous lancer models. Our car was equipped with a navigation system, which is integrated with the impressive Rockford Fosgate sound system. Also included with the Nav package is a 30 gigabyte hard-drive that facilitates the storage of around 1200 songs. If you’re a technology junky and don’t think that’s enough, add an Aux input for an iPod or other mp3 player, a SIRIUS Satellite Radio, and Bluetooth compatibility to complete the lineup of cutting edge features.

Mitsubishi’s dedication to contemporary technology matches its commitment to safety. Standard Anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution, a fully redesigned and reinforced chassis, a pedestrian crumple zone, and seven airbags help the driver to keep the car in control and offer modern protection in the case of an accident.

For peace of mind the GTS comes with Mitsubishi’s 5 year/60,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. All this and more makes the car a bargain that can be had for somewhere in the low $20,000 range.

Driving Impressions

After driving the ES our GTS test-car felt more disconnected from the road. This is simple to explain. Unfortunately, the GTS was equipped with a CVT transmission. Most customers will find that the CVT doesn’t belong in this car. Still, those in the market for an automatic with a manual shift mode should look no farther as the CVT more than adequately fills that role. However, if you are looking for a better driving experience and prefer three pedals to two, then do yourself a favor and opt for the 5-speed manual. That being said, the CVT was very smooth and quite comfortable around town or on the throughway. The CVT’s Manual mode is fun to play with especially when using the paddle shifters, but can make driving feel more like a video game than most people would appreciate.

When busy running errands, the car preformed without a hitch. There’s plenty of room to store most items, we found no annoying day to day quirks, and the gas mileage is awesome (33 miles per gallon average). Especially in traffic you’ll never find yourself saying, “I can’t find any good music.” The aforementioned AM/FM Radio, CD player, Aux/iPod input and SIRIUS subscription offer a truly staggering array of acoustic options.

Getting five adults in the modestly sized Lancer isn’t a gymnastics routine and all passengers reported being quite comfortable. Power was readily available from the 2.0 liter, 152 hp MIVEC engine. Highway driving was smooth as mentioned before in our ES review, and the car was composed at all speeds, feeling more Autobahn ready than other similarly priced Japanese cars. Handling characteristics were clean and precise. While the ES model had noticeable body roll, the GTS’s sportier suspension and tire setup helped make it much more stable and controlled. Still, it was not so firm as to be considered harsh over rougher portions of road.

Conclusion

There isn’t much more to do or say then give the usual praise given for a car that exceeds our expectations. The price is fair and the GTS is by far the best version in the current model line up. Choose a manual or CVT wisely, and enjoy great standard features while picking from phenomenal options. Overall the Lancer GTS was fun car to drive for a week and if this is any hint of what to expect from the Evolution X, then Evo fanatics get on that waiting list!

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