TK-421
New member
Well here goes nothing, Cat is out of the bag now!
Many of you know that I decided to sell my STi.
Why you maybe asking yourself?
Welp for starters, I was dis-satisfied with the level of engineering that went into the GV sedan's. I feel that the older GD platform was a much more solid car. The interior plastics felt better, the seating position was better. The dash was not as cluttered and had a downward slope, unlike the GR/GV chassis where it just felt like there was a wall infront of you.
Now don't get me wrong! I liked the car, it handled well, it definitely had an aggressive look with the widebody stance.
Another important reason I need to touch on is the fact that I owned 3 cars. And for those who don't know what they are, A 1996 RX-7 FD3S twin turbo, 2005 Evo 8 MR Edition and my daily which is a 1999 Lexus RX300. All of those along with my STi, things were getting a little crowded and I was essentially paying on a car that I NEVER drove.
So after much thought and debate, I decided to sell the STi and my 05 Evo 8 both.
Ha for a while the running joke and rumor was that I was planning on getting a GTR, honestly I had thought about it, but when I saw how much and knowing I would void the warranty from day one, it just wasn't worth it to me.
So the Evo sold instantly, car didn't last a week on autotrader.
The STi got a lot of attention, but nobody serious, just a bunch of young kids and tire kickers.
So I knew what I wanted as a replacement car, so I made the decision to bite the bullet and return the STi to stock and trade it in at a dealership over Christmas while I was visiting my mother, which is where the car was stored.
Took some of the money from the sale of the Evo 8 to cover the difference from the STi trade and went down to a local dealership down the road from my mother's place and picked my self up a......
2015 Mercury Grey Evo X GSR
Please excuse the shitty picture quality, was taken outside a friends house with a iPhone.
Yes I bought a brand new Evo.
Now some of you are screaming at the screen yelling traitor! That's your opinion and that's fine!
I work with Evo's, STi's, other Subaru's, Mazda's, and other tuner cars.
I know the limits of most and what most are capable of in factory form.
I thought long and hard about it and I've personally tuned a handful of Evo X's and know exactly what they are capable of.
Now as it is winter time, and I spend my winter months away from the northern snow/salt/corrosion. This car only has 305 miles on it. Hasn't even been broken in yet! Sitting in a heated garage locked away waiting for me to return in March.
So because I haven't had the chance to drive it much, I can't give an accurate comparison to what this car feels like stock compared to the STi when it was stock. But rest assured I will give a full length report.
Some immediate differences compared to the Subaru other than the engine and drivetrain being completely different is:
Evo GSR has halogen headlights with non projector lenses
STi has HID headlights with adjustability and projector lenses
Evo GSR has some of the best steering response I've ever felt in a car, very reminiscent to a Porsche 911 to or BMW M3 to be honest. Not too heavy, but not too light.
STi had good handling, but the steering felt as if it had a dead spot to it.
Evo GSR has a larger turbocharger, 10.5cm hot side with a 18g compressor wheel. The stock Evo turbo is efficient to about 28psi after that it runs out of puff
STi turbo was much more lethargic than the Evo, smaller, had good low end punch, but fell on its face in the higher Rpms.
The Evo likes to have its engine wound out, happy in the higher rpm range.
STi loves that mid range.
Yes it's true the 2015 Evo does NOT have the recaro seats. They have the seats that are in the Ralliart. Though not recaro's they are still much more supportive than STi seats.
One of my favorite things about an Evo compared to an STi when it comes to the interior is the steering wheel, the Evo wheel is just a better feel, and is much smaller.
So what are my plans? As of right now, I'd just like to get the engine broken in, and more than likely I'll probably go the Cobb staged route with bolt ons and of course my own pro tune.
Eventually I'll probably get it to the 450 to 500 mark and call it quits. Because after that you need to do cams and engine internals, and with the Evo X's 4B11T being a chain driven engine now it's a bit of a PITA to drop cams in now.
Stay tuned for more updates this spring and summer. And for those who will be coming to my garage this year for work, you'll see plenty of it.
Does this mean that I'm done with igotasti? Not at all, I still really like Subaru's and maybe in the future funds permitting, I might pick up another GD!
I also do enjoy helping everyone out on here when and where I can. Pending free time that I have. So even though I do not personally own a subaru anymore I can still provide very valuable help and information to you all.
More pictures of the Evo and its mods will come starting in April. As I will be moving back up to the Outskirts of the Pittsburgh Metro area come the end of March.
Till then TK-421 signing off.
Many of you know that I decided to sell my STi.
Why you maybe asking yourself?
Welp for starters, I was dis-satisfied with the level of engineering that went into the GV sedan's. I feel that the older GD platform was a much more solid car. The interior plastics felt better, the seating position was better. The dash was not as cluttered and had a downward slope, unlike the GR/GV chassis where it just felt like there was a wall infront of you.
Now don't get me wrong! I liked the car, it handled well, it definitely had an aggressive look with the widebody stance.
Another important reason I need to touch on is the fact that I owned 3 cars. And for those who don't know what they are, A 1996 RX-7 FD3S twin turbo, 2005 Evo 8 MR Edition and my daily which is a 1999 Lexus RX300. All of those along with my STi, things were getting a little crowded and I was essentially paying on a car that I NEVER drove.
So after much thought and debate, I decided to sell the STi and my 05 Evo 8 both.
Ha for a while the running joke and rumor was that I was planning on getting a GTR, honestly I had thought about it, but when I saw how much and knowing I would void the warranty from day one, it just wasn't worth it to me.
So the Evo sold instantly, car didn't last a week on autotrader.
The STi got a lot of attention, but nobody serious, just a bunch of young kids and tire kickers.
So I knew what I wanted as a replacement car, so I made the decision to bite the bullet and return the STi to stock and trade it in at a dealership over Christmas while I was visiting my mother, which is where the car was stored.
Took some of the money from the sale of the Evo 8 to cover the difference from the STi trade and went down to a local dealership down the road from my mother's place and picked my self up a......
2015 Mercury Grey Evo X GSR
Please excuse the shitty picture quality, was taken outside a friends house with a iPhone.
Yes I bought a brand new Evo.
Now some of you are screaming at the screen yelling traitor! That's your opinion and that's fine!
I work with Evo's, STi's, other Subaru's, Mazda's, and other tuner cars.
I know the limits of most and what most are capable of in factory form.
I thought long and hard about it and I've personally tuned a handful of Evo X's and know exactly what they are capable of.
Now as it is winter time, and I spend my winter months away from the northern snow/salt/corrosion. This car only has 305 miles on it. Hasn't even been broken in yet! Sitting in a heated garage locked away waiting for me to return in March.
So because I haven't had the chance to drive it much, I can't give an accurate comparison to what this car feels like stock compared to the STi when it was stock. But rest assured I will give a full length report.
Some immediate differences compared to the Subaru other than the engine and drivetrain being completely different is:
Evo GSR has halogen headlights with non projector lenses
STi has HID headlights with adjustability and projector lenses
Evo GSR has some of the best steering response I've ever felt in a car, very reminiscent to a Porsche 911 to or BMW M3 to be honest. Not too heavy, but not too light.
STi had good handling, but the steering felt as if it had a dead spot to it.
Evo GSR has a larger turbocharger, 10.5cm hot side with a 18g compressor wheel. The stock Evo turbo is efficient to about 28psi after that it runs out of puff
STi turbo was much more lethargic than the Evo, smaller, had good low end punch, but fell on its face in the higher Rpms.
The Evo likes to have its engine wound out, happy in the higher rpm range.
STi loves that mid range.
Yes it's true the 2015 Evo does NOT have the recaro seats. They have the seats that are in the Ralliart. Though not recaro's they are still much more supportive than STi seats.
One of my favorite things about an Evo compared to an STi when it comes to the interior is the steering wheel, the Evo wheel is just a better feel, and is much smaller.
So what are my plans? As of right now, I'd just like to get the engine broken in, and more than likely I'll probably go the Cobb staged route with bolt ons and of course my own pro tune.
Eventually I'll probably get it to the 450 to 500 mark and call it quits. Because after that you need to do cams and engine internals, and with the Evo X's 4B11T being a chain driven engine now it's a bit of a PITA to drop cams in now.
Stay tuned for more updates this spring and summer. And for those who will be coming to my garage this year for work, you'll see plenty of it.
Does this mean that I'm done with igotasti? Not at all, I still really like Subaru's and maybe in the future funds permitting, I might pick up another GD!
I also do enjoy helping everyone out on here when and where I can. Pending free time that I have. So even though I do not personally own a subaru anymore I can still provide very valuable help and information to you all.
More pictures of the Evo and its mods will come starting in April. As I will be moving back up to the Outskirts of the Pittsburgh Metro area come the end of March.
Till then TK-421 signing off.
I drove a friend's stock one on the track and it was heaven on wheels. Only ever drove Miatas and RX-8s. 
