Discover "Mitsubishi Lancer EVO Tuning"

The EVO was little more than an excuse to built a road legal rally car. Every generation of the EVO is better than the previous one. It took the principles of a conventional performance car and blended these with cutting edge electronics.

The electronics handle more that just the engine with one of the most sophisticated handling systems around with AYC and traction control with trick diffs delivering phenomenal and at times impossible levels of grip.

Mitsubishi have tweaked the engines to perfection but as usual a performance car owner just needs that little bit more power. Thankfully the chassis and other components of the car can handle large power gains and it is relatively simple to tune these cars with many off the shelf performance parts and simple modifications.

Early engines are prone to crank walk, so if buying this is one of the first things you should check along with worn turbos, pistons, signs of smoking and gearbox damage - all can be expensive to fix.

So onto the Mitsubishi Evo  tuning tips:- If you have an early EVO and want a big power gain to start with then it is worth considering an engine swap and taking advantage of the newer uprated engines giving a better base to work from.

Typically an EVO owner with anything older than a MK3 which needs engine work should consider an engine swap. Each newer generation brought stronger and better engines. Popular modifications for the Evo that actually make a difference are Fast road cams although the standard cams are fairly aggressive there is still some scope for improving them.

Very aggressive profiles will result in a lumpy tick over and poor response in heavy traffic driving but is great for track use where you spend most of your time at the top end of the rev range. 

On most recent EVO engines we would recommend you fit both 266 and 268 cams because this offers a greater power delivery low down. If you just put in a set of 272's in you have to work the engine very hard to get higher power.

A good boost controller can make a big difference to the power delivery from the turbo, ideally this will be adjustable from inside the car but don't push it too far as this can lead to engine failure. Autronics do a very nice boost controller setup for the EVO. A remap is also a good option and probably one of the easiest and cost effective mods you can do to your Evo.

Expect power gains of upto 30% on a remap depending on which generation of engine you have. The larger the power gain the greater the need to strengthen the engine but we have seen Evo's running power levels upto around 750bhp so it shows what is possible! For a stock engine you should not go this high as reliability will be impaired. 

Burning more fuel requires a better flow of air through the engine so you should look at  air intake modifications ranging from a panel air filter to a full induction kit (which sounds great but only really gives more power with a proper cold air feed) and stainless steel sports exhaust fitting with a sports catalyst.

If you get a chance to work on the head then you should consdier some port matching and gas flowing the head. With turbo engines it is important to lower the intake temperature so you should look at sports intercoolers which can make a big difference.

It is important to get the flow rate right on these as bigger is not always better and when the cooling effect is negated by the extra turbulence created you would be wasting your time. For serious power gains that are relatively simple to add then you could add a nitrous injection kits and get another 25-75bhp at the flick of a switch.

To push power up by another 100bhp or so you really need to look at  big turbo conversion kits which can be laggy, but a good big turbo will still offer  a good balance between power and driveability. When making a car go faster you really need to think about brake upgrades. There are a number of great big brake conversion kits available and these improve the already impressive braking of the Evo.

Larger disks, higher friction pads and bigger 6 pot calipers are all on offer from a number of aftermarket part suppliers. Handling improvements are a must on older cars especially where the suspension had become worn and tired. Get a good quality model specific suspension kits and bear in mind that you will get what you pay for.

Cheap is not cheerful. Ideally you will get a fully adjustable shock set allowing you to set the car up to suit your driving style.  Further reading. We suggest that if you want a bit more information on EVO Tuning you consult the following sources.

TorqueCars have a comprehensive  Evo tuning article and also a very active, friendly and helpful EVO tuning forum. If you have any tips to pass on please use our comments box below and we will update this article, after all we are all here to share knowledge. Please also let us know if we've missed out an engine or performance mod that you feel should be included in here.

This entry was posted under Makes and Models. Tags: mitsubishi
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