2003 Lancer CG ES potential mods

Me!

Me!

New Member
All,

I just bought a 2003 Lancer CG ES Model as a daily driver - pretty basic - but coming from a VW Golf GTI, i still have the mod bug in me. A few things I want to do and hope someone here can point me in the right direction.

1. Wheels
It still has steel wheels on. I'd like to get alloy wheels for it. I dont want to go crazy in terms of size and pretty much just to improve styling a little. What wheels are popular here, what are the names, what brands to steer away from, etc? Is there a thread with cars and different wheels?


2. Rear Sway Bar
From what I know, the car I just bought does not come with RSB. I've been reading up but other than the RRM ones (which are ok in terms of price but i'm sure shipping will be what kills), what are my options?


3. Rear Spoiler
Are there any other lancer models with spoilers that I can use to adapt to mine? Am thinking of a trip to the wreckers to see what's there but perhaps a headstart on which models to look at?


4. Front Grill
What are my options with improving the looks of the front grill? Is it possible to just swap out for something different?


Like I've said, I come from a German made car and know about mods there - where to go, what to look for, what fits, etc... Totally new to the lancer world... I dont intend to spend big bucks on it but would like to make minor adjustments to keep me happy.

Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!
 
1. Wheels that are popular around here are volks, enkei and BBS. Maybe work emotions too, but they're all pretty expensive. Best bang for buck is to find a second hand set that you like, that has the right stud pattern, and just chuck em on. If you want lightweight, disregard that. Biggest size I'd go up to is about 17", most people stick to 15-16". If you need a tyre/wheel size calculator, 1010tyres.com can do that for you.

2. Whiteline probably makes one for the CG, will cost roughly 200-250 not including shipping. Could find second hand ones on eBay or gumtree I guess.

3. Evo 7/8/9 spoilers should fit nicely. Apart from that, not really. Could always stick on a spoiler from a different car altogether. My Lancer had an Integra wing on it.

4. Dunno about CG's but usually there are a couple options. Paint it black, remove the inserts and replace it with mesh, or buy a different one from eBay, etc.
 
look for a VRX model as they come with Rear sway bar fitter from factory. you can also even look in to ch models.
one of the upgrades i did was take the front and back brake setup off a ch vrx and fit it to my cg vrx. this gave me 276mm front brakes and i think 276 disk brakes on the back (instead of drum)
and a stud patter of 5x114.3 (instead of 4x100).

spoilers try the other models in the CG and also CH.
 
You can get CG VRX wheels dirt cheap like the ones I have. they are 15" and look good.

As for the front grill. you can custom make one with some mesh or there are places that sell alternative grills for cars.

For the spoiler, any evo 7,8 or 9 will suit it, but is a good idea to match it with a suiting bodykit to stop it from looking too big, lol.
 
Nice choice of car. One of the best looking lancer shapes imo - I'm a bit biased as I used to have one before it met an untimely death when it went swimming. Funnily enough, I also used to have a GTI golf as well - mk IV, what model did you have?

Anyway as far as your questions go:

1. Wheels
All comes down to what style you like. Being in the euro scene you'd know all about stance and poke on wheels. That's really the major trend at the moment. Not so much big blingy wheels anymore. For a CG I'd be going either a 16 or a 17" wheel, 15 looks too small on these cars being a fair bit bigger than the CEs.

2. Rear Sway Bar
I wouldn't bother bringing one in from RRM, postage will be a killer when you can purchase a whiteline one locally which will be better quality anyway. I had one on my CG and made a massive amount of difference, coupled with coilovers the cars handling was 10 fold better than stock.


3. Rear Spoiler
The easy swap is an evo 7-9 swap as suggested, but the look is a bit out dated nowadays. Most people stick with the small stock one or go wingless. This way, with a VRX front and rear lips and side skirts, gives a good understated look to these cars.


4. Front Grill
There's a few options, and if done right can really transform the front of your car and make a huge improvement because the stock one is a bit too big for the rest of the front end. You can pickup cheapies from ebay or carmate. I brought in a genuine ralliart grille for mine from Japan, along with a ralliart front bar (google ralliart cedia for pics). Both parts were actually pretty cheap, and postage on the grille was very reasonable. Postage on the front bar was a killer though, and cost 3 times what the actual front bar cost.
 
Wow! Thanks guys for the quick replies.

1. Wheels
I've read from somewhere that legally, we cannot go past 1" extra than what shows on the placard? I'm only picking up the car this weekend so dont know what's written on the placard but my guess is that it'll restrict me to just 15" / 16". What does the CG VRX wheels look like? I presume it has the same bolt pattern ie 4 x 100?

What offset should I be looking at? I dont want the need to roll my guards.

magnats: Would a VRX model brake setup fit directly on my CG? Just a bolt on? Where did you manage to get your setup from and how much?


2. RSB
I've looked at Whiteline's website. It says that it's only for cars that already have an OEM RSB on it. I presume this is to go with the mounts already on it? What do I do in terms of mounts then?


3. Rear Spoiler
BI65ND is right - i dont want to look ridiculous as well.. no offence to anyone who likes the large spoiler look but realistically, the car's not going to be able to perform to make any practical use of a big spoiler anyway. This, to me, is just for the looks.. a nice and simple one will do. I'll have a look at the EVO 7-9 range and see what they have.


4. Front Grill
How do I know which front grills will fit my car?



In terms of my previous car, I've got a VW Golf GTI MKV - Candy White, 3 door, Colour-Coded, Coilovers, Engine Tune, Xenons in projector headlights, 18" Detroits... great car really - wouldnt get rid of it if i didnt have the need for some money.
 
Me! said:
magnats: Would a VRX model brake setup fit directly on my CG? Just a bolt on? Where did you manage to get your setup from and how much?
Click to expand...

I'm looking at doing this too, would really like to know how to do it.
 
the brake setup is all bolt on. i got my setup for near newcastle for 250. also issue i ran in to was the handbrake cable (the ch have different brackets that hold the cable to the frame. the cg is held in 1 spot while the ch one i got was held in 2)
if you want to see what is needed go to my ride thread and you will see a pic of the parts.

for all the at are looking the brake change i will post up info on my ride thread tomorrow if i get time.
 
Other than sites like ebay, gumtree and the "for sale" section here on the forum, what are the retailers that you guys use here for parts? Any websites in particular?
 
hensperformance and fibersports.

Apart from that, we scrounge whatever we can from each other, eBay, gumtree, boostclassifieds, and the wreckers. You can also suss out other lancer/mitsubishi forums (evocoupe, miragelancer, 4gtuner, etc.) for parts but you'll probably have to sign up with an account to browse the for sale sections.
 
Thanks!

Will do that.

rigby said:
hensperformance and fibersports.

Apart from that, we scrounge whatever we can from each other, eBay, gumtree, boostclassifieds, and the wreckers. You can also suss out other lancer/mitsubishi forums (evocoupe, miragelancer, 4gtuner, etc.) for parts but you'll probably have to sign up with an account to browse the for sale sections.
Click to expand...
 
BI65ND said:
Nice choice of car. One of the best looking lancer shapes imo - I'm a bit biased as I used to have one before it met an untimely death when it went swimming. Funnily enough, I also used to have a GTI golf as well - mk IV, what model did you have?

Anyway as far as your questions go:

1. Wheels
All comes down to what style you like. Being in the euro scene you'd know all about stance and poke on wheels. That's really the major trend at the moment. Not so much big blingy wheels anymore. For a CG I'd be going either a 16 or a 17" wheel, 15 looks too small on these cars being a fair bit bigger than the CEs.

2. Rear Sway Bar
I wouldn't bother bringing one in from RRM, postage will be a killer when you can purchase a whiteline one locally which will be better quality anyway. I had one on my CG and made a massive amount of difference, coupled with coilovers the cars handling was 10 fold better than stock.


3. Rear Spoiler
The easy swap is an evo 7-9 swap as suggested, but the look is a bit out dated nowadays. Most people stick with the small stock one or go wingless. This way, with a VRX front and rear lips and side skirts, gives a good understated look to these cars.


4. Front Grill
There's a few options, and if done right can really transform the front of your car and make a huge improvement because the stock one is a bit too big for the rest of the front end. You can pickup cheapies from ebay or carmate. I brought in a genuine ralliart grille for mine from Japan, along with a ralliart front bar (google ralliart cedia for pics). Both parts were actually pretty cheap, and postage on the grille was very reasonable. Postage on the front bar was a killer though, and cost 3 times what the actual front bar cost.
Click to expand...


1. Wheels
I've set my mind on going for 16s. It's a matter of finding ones I like at a good price now. That'll certainly improve the looks on my car (14" steelies now) as well as keeping everything cheap to maintain.


2. Rear Sway Bar
Did you CG come with one stock standard? From what I read, you'll need to weld on another 2 brackets? Or did I understand it wrongly?


3. Rear Spoiler
Decided to give this a miss for now. I'm actually like the clean look on the rear :)


4. Front Grill
I like the Ralliart ones but man they're pricey! Why isnt there anyone else (even from China?) that make one that's a fraction of the price? :)
 
2. Rear Sway Bar
I have an LS CG which never come with a rear sway bar standard, so I went to the wreckers and bought the CG VRX brackets with bolts to fit one. The brackets bolt straight on to the existing frame. The whiteline sway bar I bought came with D-shackles & D-shackle bushes, so you don't need those from the VRX set up. Brackets and bolts only cost me $20.
 
miss_hendo said:
2. Rear Sway Bar
I have an LS CG which never come with a rear sway bar standard, so I went to the wreckers and bought the CG VRX brackets with bolts to fit one. The brackets bolt straight on to the existing frame. The whiteline sway bar I bought came with D-shackles & D-shackle bushes, so you don't need those from the VRX set up. Brackets and bolts only cost me $20.
Click to expand...

CG VRX Brackets with Bolts from wreckers - noted!

I had a quick look underneath the car and am still not sure where the holes are on the existing frame to bolt these brackets onto. Do you have a picture of your set up?

p.s. got your pm. will reply soon. Just rather busy with work lately. Thanks!
 
Me! said:
miss_hendo said:
2. Rear Sway Bar
I have an LS CG which never come with a rear sway bar standard, so I went to the wreckers and bought the CG VRX brackets with bolts to fit one. The brackets bolt straight on to the existing frame. The whiteline sway bar I bought came with D-shackles & D-shackle bushes, so you don't need those from the VRX set up. Brackets and bolts only cost me $20.
Click to expand...

CG VRX Brackets with Bolts from wreckers - noted!

I had a quick look underneath the car and am still not sure where the holes are on the existing frame to bolt these brackets onto. Do you have a picture of your set up?

p.s. got your pm. will reply soon. Just rather busy with work lately. Thanks!
Click to expand...

LOL no worries! I'm so sorry, was a bit of information over load!
I'll try and get a pic for you asap. In the meantime here is a picture of the brackets (just so you know what you're asking for).
Cheers!
 

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Hey... so I couldn't get the best detailed pics. Right hand side is a bit awkward because of the exhaust...If you get the L shape brackets, you'll be able to line up/match the wholes already there on the car. At least you know where to look now.

LHS D SHACKLE
P1150138_zps7e54b5d0.jpg


LHS L BRACKET
P1150140_zps39f9eb18.jpg


RHS D SHACKLE
P1150139_zps61f54f64.jpg


RHS L BRACKET
P1150143_zps663784a4.jpg
 
Thanks all!

FYI, before I could make any decision on what to do with the car, I got involved in an accident and the car was written off. Accident wasnt my fault though.

Anyone who wants to buy the UK Short Shifter from me, please contact me. Just asking what I paid for it. Brand new and it's still in the box!



Cheers!
 
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