Tuesday, August 12, 2014

MR Bilsteins + Swift Spec-R

I was driving one day and heard a weird clicking noise from the front left when going over bumps.  It turns out my KYB shocks were blown.  Since they cannot be re-valved, and equally hard to find replacements, I decided to upgrade to MR Bilsteins.  I picked up a cheap set on the forums, which the fronts were also blown.

After sending to Bilstein for re-valving, I paired the dampers with Swift spec-r springs.  This combination has been tried and proven by many, and is one of the better setups without resorting to coilovers.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

42 Draft Designs Triple Gauge Pod

The Evo came with a Defi boost gauge, but it was mounted on the steering column, obstructing the view of the tachometer.  I decided to relocate it to the center console.  Since the car was already modified when I bought it, I wanted to monitor A/F and oil pressure.  I picked up the 42 Draft Designs Triple Gauge Pod, a clean alternative to the out of production Gruppe-S pod.  Also required was a radio relocation kit to move the radio to the lower storage tray.
I chose the AEM digital wideband over the Innovate since it does not require re-calibration.  With these two gauges already mismatching, I chose Prosport for the oil pressure gauge, since I had success with them on the STI.  This time, I chose the Evo series gauges, which have received great reviews and included a premium sensor.  

I picked up an oil sensor relocation kit to avoid damage due to vibrations from mounting directly on the filter housing.  FYI, the 8mm bolts are a pain to remove due to the thread locking glue used by Mitsubishi.  You must heat the bolts using a heat gun or torch, otherwise you will strip the bolt.  Thanks again to the wonderful folks at Moore's for helping me weld the wideband o2 bung into the downpipe.  Unfortunately, the oil sensor is not working, so I am working with Prosport to fix the issue.