05 CH Lancer VRX 2.0l - Time to modify...

K

Kempy

New Member
Hey All,

After months and months looking at a ton of imports and what not everyone keeps telling me "Just do up your Lancer" and "Whats wrong with it?" and the answer is NOTHING!
I bought my VRW brand new and it only has 83000km on it. I drive it to and from work daily and give it a beating where ever we go. The suspension is very stiff with standard suspension and lowered pedders springs. TBH she has been one of the best cars I have EVER owned. So with that I am looking at doing some modifications and just want to see people opinions and experience if they have done the mods themselves.

To begin with the vehicle will be staying NA. I am not a fan of turbo and due to where I live (Darwin) turbos are pretty much the end of your engine as our seasons change so dramatically and our weather is NEVER cold.

Enlarged Throttle body
Modified/Ported Intake manfiold for more and better flow (less turbulance)
Stage 2 Cam with Heavy Duty Valve Springs & Vernier Cam Gear
Port matched and Polished head to be modified up to 50% of total available depth
Custom Exhaust from front to rear
Piggy Back ECU (Haltech or Apexi etc)
Upgraded side engine mount to stop engine bounce
Lightweight Front Under Drive Pulley
Lightweight Flywheel with Heavy Duty Clutch
Fuel supply upgrade including bigger lines
Koni/Whiteline Suspension kit
Quick shifter kit
Larger brake disc and caliper kit
18" Rims and tyre package
3 stage custom tunes to suit street race spec, highway spec and street spec

I have been told the bottom end of the engine should be good however I will be putting in new bearings etc when we do the engine work as well as balancing the motor. I am looking at forged pistions, rods etc however my tuner believes it shouldn't be necessary as I am not going down the Turbo path.

If anyone has done any of these modifications please let me know your thoughts as they will assist me with making my final decisions.

Cheers Matt
 
So i'm going to assume that you haven't done these mods yets...:

My writing in red:
Kempy said:
Enlarged Throttle body Yes will help on acceleration, improve overall flow into plenum
Modified/Ported Intake manfiold for more and better flow (less turbulance) this is required when doing an enlarged TB, port matching, but also get some excess taken off inside, otherwise try and find a 92/93 mani since they are a tad better then 94's
Stage 2 Cam with Heavy Duty Valve Springs & Vernier Cam Gear Depending on power curve and figures, this may not be necessary... though I am doing a 1.5 stage upgrade on my turbo build.
Port matched and Polished head to be modified up to 50% of total available depth
Custom Exhaust from front to rear wouldn't go higher then 2.5" after headers
Piggy Back ECU (Haltech or Apexi etc) depending on how much you do, most simple, general mods can be covered by an ECU reflash otherwise I'd be more leaning to a standalone to cover everything.
Upgraded side engine mount to stop engine bounce
Lightweight Front Under Drive Pulley Will help on decreasing engine load, though can have negative side effects
Lightweight Flywheel with Heavy Duty Clutch Flywheel can help on accelation, though I've heard issues on idle with them, clutch if it's due, otherwise hold out
Fuel supply upgrade including bigger lines most you'd have to do is maybe fuel pump upgrade and injectors... I'm only putting in injectors to start with in my build
Koni/Whiteline Suspension kit If you can afford to get BC coilovers, though I assume the roads aren't too nice on the cars up there
Quick shifter kit by quick you mean a shorter throw, big up, will help considerably
Larger brake disc and caliper kit if you already own a VRX you'll have 276mm (bigger then the stock 256mm), so go get green stuff pads and slotted rotors... otherwise you can attempt to do a 296mm twin pot or put evo twin pots (276mm) on... Cost wise new rotors/pads would be better
18" Rims and tyre package Personally I wouldn't go higher then 17" since you'll start to feel the bumps alot more as well as start to run into clearance issues if you lower the car
3 stage custom tunes to suit street race spec, highway spec and street spec

I have been told the bottom end of the engine should be good however I will be putting in new bearings etc when we do the engine work as well as balancing the motor. I am looking at forged pistions, rods etc however my tuner believes it shouldn't be necessary as I am not going down the Turbo path. If i was you, and wanted to do a serious-ish build, do a high comp n/a build, with forged pistons, etc. you'll benefit from a standalone, as well as other flow related mods... You should also try and to a CAI whihc will help improve efficiency and slight (very slight) power increase.

If anyone has done any of these modifications please let me know your thoughts as they will assist me with making my final decisions.

Cheers Matt
Click to expand...
 
Find a tuner first then decide on what ECU he can tune...

Fuel lines I do not think you will need this

Fuel pressure reg get one of these

maybe a new modified fuel rail

Maybe bigger injectors - depending on HP you get

forged piston not nessicary but better rods yes

look at upping the compression ratio to 10:5 this will still make the car very driveable as a daily, and very good for a little track work.

twin piston front calipers for the brakes with slotted discs and green stuff pads, I would not worry about the rears too much as they only make up 20% of braking but certainly change the pads when they need to be done

not sure if I would go as far as a stage 2 cam if you raise the compression... but stage 1 would be nice if it is dialed in a little using adjustable cam gear

Wheels to look good get the 18's but you won't go fast - get 16" rims these are a good alround size and will get power to the ground quick
 
1. get coilovers, springs on oem struts suck deck
2. hot weather doesnt kill turbos/turbo engines, idiot owners do. it is quite easy to make a turbo setup that will last in hot weather if taken normal easy care of

3. piggyback ecu's are 2nd rate, you are much better off going to extra step and going stand alone system
4. fuel supply wouldnt "really" need to be upgraded on an NA build, the oem setup is quite good already for any power NA would make
5. you are after performance yet you want 18" wheels, this is counter productive as 18's weigh a fkload... i recomend some 16x8 forged wheels for performance
they are lighter in weight which will mean less engine load, less engine load is a major key in an NA build

6.if you want to do internal work, look at hi-compression pistons, higher pressure in the cylinder makes a harder bang = more power [science!]
7. if ur upgrading 1 engine mount u might aswell upgrade them all... but beware it causes vibrations to travel thru the whole car, and the bonet to shake
 
mdclear said:
skippy the evo's have 4 piston calipers on the front
Click to expand...

evo 3 twin pots... which would be the only ones that would fit the 130mm bolt spacing on the caliper.
 
Thanks all. 18's were just easier to obtain like the tyres but where power is lost I look for other options in the tyre section
 
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