First event for the Evo in a long, long while. Opted to do an autox to break in all the new bits – the turbo, trans, t-case, etc. The most important thing is the car performed flawlessly: a 3hr 45m drive to the site, 6 autox runs in 90+ degree weather, and a 3 1/2 hr drive home that included a thunderstorm/downpour.

I opted to run 93 in the car, figured it would be easier on the parts as it makes less more torque. It would also be easier for me to ease into than if I had run E85. I had never run on this lot before, but it reminded me a lot of the concrete at the Rantoul Aviation base. The course was okay – some fast and mid paced sections and some very very slow sections. There was a crossover which usually results in that, but the other parts were not bad. Minus a few super tight corners, it was a fun and decently flowing course. There were a lot of DNFs that day, including two from myself, which usually indicate it’s a confusing or not-well designed course.

The car felt great overall. This was aided by heat splitting the events, so you got 3 runs in the morning and 3 in the afternoon. This meant I didn’t really get a chance to overheat the front tires, which is what I usually end up doing in autox with this car. One thing was clear from this style of course – I needed more brakes up front. While I have no doubt the AP racing setup is great for the track, where you shouldn’t spend long threshhold braking, I don’t think it’s the right setup for autox. You need to the brakes to clamp down hard and fast with relatively minimal effort. As such, I was braking earlier than I wanted to to get the car to change directions better. Other than that, the balance was really good. I was surprised at the relative lack of struggle in the super tight stuff, and really happy with the power-oversteer I was getting when mashing the throttle. By my 6th run it was the usual – just pushing too hard. It takes so long to get into boost that by the time the car is really moving, I’m reluctant to give it back up. Ultimately, it ends up a slower way around the course. I think E85 will alleviate some of this, with much more torque down low. Other than that, all positive. The turbo worked great, the increase in spool is definitely noticeable, and certainly a little bit more flow up top as well. Also likely aided by the artec exhaust manifold setup. The transfer case, which has been detailed and shotpeened, also worked great, with no whines or complaints. The diffs worked as they should, though I didn’t notice as much difference between the 1-way and 1.5-way as I might have thought – maybe a little less resistance in turn-in. Overall, the car felt great, aside from wanting more braking performance.

There are a few changes already in the works. I’ve made the jump back to 18s – 18×10 +40 from Volks new CE28n-plus, which is a stronger wheel than the original CE28. Likely similar to the CE28SL that I currently run. I can no longer run them, because I am going with Alcon’s 355mm brakes setup. Similar in size to the Evo 10 setup, These will give me back the bite and performance of the 10 setup, while still having the benefits of a racing brake setup. Finally, I am going to run the Vitour P1s in 265/35-18 on the car. I don’t anticipate the warmup issues of the Veloster, but think there will be still enough of a difference between the front and rear tire temps that will actually shift the balance of the car more towards oversteer – at least until it actually happens and the diff lights up the tires.

Overall, really happy with how the car did today. The next event is a track day where I plan to have more emphasis on cooling, and will be the first track day in a long time, with a lot of new parts on the car since last time.

Set Up (Evo):

• XA
• Ohlins DFV (Custom valved); Shocks 10/8
• OEM FSB 4/5; WL 26mm RSB: Medium
• RE-ACD: Tarmac
• Cusco 1-way Type RS front diff (60% springs & 60% plates)
• Cusco 1-way Type RS Gymkhana rear diff (80% springs and 80% plates)
• Camber at -4.0 0 toe, -2.5 rear, 0 toe-in
• Brakes F: AP Racing 8350, Ferodo DS2500s, Brakes R: Girodisc 2-pc & ST43s
• CE28N 17×9.5; 255/35-18 Bridgestone RE71RS
• 36psi

Notes (Evo):

• Last event on this setup, happy with the balance, excited for more braking and more torque

2025 Event Count: 5 Autox