WB9MCW
09-01-2007, 10:40 PM
We took 92 #443 out for a little exercise today and was enjoying the cooler air from Canada. Even though it got to 90f it was perfect weather and low humidity compared to August just last week. Blue sky and nice clouds and no rain to worry about. My kind of ZR-1 day indeed.
We were sauntering northbound on State Route 59 (a two lane) when lo and behold what do we see in the rear view riding on my azz big time?
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-ix-m-1.jpg
Yep thats right the new EVO IX MR by Mitsu (and all black too)--No doubt he saw the ZR-1 on the rear but did he know what it meant? My guess is he didn't!
If you read my last story in June it was a Subie that I had encountered-- me being the one behind and the Subie took off from a red light like a bat out of H*** to which I did a nice controlled launch no burnout and once up to abt 25 I nailed it and a quick 1-2 and I was all over the Subie butt. Proved my point that no Subie was going to walk away from the King. The Subie was no doubt very upset and proceeded to go 100 mph which was way to fast for the road and very dangerous. I did not need to be crazy and stay on his butt anymore since we had already proved that the Subie was not really going anywhere anyway and no way was he going to shake the KING if we did not want to let him.
Becoming older you learn these lessons that one you have the proof no need to do it again and again esp if it is going to put you in harms way. And tailing a young Subie driver at 100 on 55mph back roads through blind curves would be just that--a stupid thing to do.
Here is a little info on the new EVO fyi and then on to the rest of today's story.
----------------------------------
2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX
By Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
Mitsubishi's Okazaki proving grounds is hallowed real estate, sacred ground. It's the Yankee Stadium of the sport compact performance-car world, a place where legends were born.
Located a half hour southeast of Nagoya, the massive facility is where every Mitsubishi Evolution since the 1993 Evo II has been developed, where five generations of Lancer sedans have become seven of the world's all-time greatest street cars. And it's there — hidden behind a huge wall of rock, cement and tall, lush trees — where the new, more powerful 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX was waiting for us.
Two actually. Mitsu had a blue 2006 Evo IX and a silver 2006 Evo IX MR for us to drive. Both U.S. spec. The RS (the stripper/no-frills version) will still be offered, but was not made available to us.
This fall, the IX will replace the Evolution VIII, which was the first Evo sold in the U.S. But the IX is not an all-new car, which is what the Evo X is promised to be. Instead, it's a mechanical and aesthetic face-lift of the VIII. And it's really well done.
New Look
First of all, the car looks better. The headlights and taillights have been smoked dark and the split grille, which was always a bit too Pontiac for our taste, has been replaced with one large opening like Mitsubishi had on the Evo VII.
Underneath the front bumper are larger, reshaped openings that more tightly surround the huge front-mounted intercooler and two small circular air scoops, which direct air to the intake plumbing to cool the intake charge. The cars we sampled were also equipped with a front air dam extension that will be packaged in the accessories catalog with a Gurney Flap for the trailing edge of the rear spoiler.
Better Aero
Hiroshi Fujii, the platform manager for the Evo in Mitsubishi's research and development department, tells us the air dam extension enhances front downforce by expanding a lower pressure area under the car, and the Gurney Flap improves rear downforce. The result, according to "Dr. Evo," which is what they call him, is greater high-speed stability, driving linearity, steering response, yaw damping and steering feedback.
We confirmed this on a huge oval track with ridiculously steep banking, where we played Jeff Gordon and Little "E" at over 135 mph and experienced none of that dreaded aero push those boys are always complaining about. At that speed you can actually feel the centrifugal force pulling the blood out of your brain, and most passengers were ready to hurl after just a lap or two. But the IX was so locked in, even when running up next to the guardrail, that it could be driven with one hand.
The last of the exterior changes are new double-spoke Enkei wheels, which are 5 ounces lighter than the very lightweight rims they replace. The BBS wheels on the MR version are unchanged.
More Power
With some revisions, Dr. Evo and his team of evil engineers squeezed another 10 horsepower and 3 pound-feet of torque from the Evo's 2.0-liter double-overhead-cam four-cylinder. Total output is up to 286 hp at 6,500 rpm and 289 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm.
Those revisions are a larger turbo, which reduces lag by 5 percent, new spark plugs with longer threads that help cool combustion chamber temperatures, a timing belt now made of rubber and nylon fiber for added strength and durability, a new magnesium center cover and a reshaped oil ring that the good doctor says will reduce oil consumption by 10 percent.
MIVEC, or Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control, has also been added to the mix. It's Mitsubishi's variable valve timing system, and it has improved the midrange torque of the 4G63 engine. Its 7,000-rpm redline is unchanged.
Shorter Gearing
To make use of the engine's flatter torque curve, the five-speed in the RS and straight IX has been given tighter ratios. The six-speed in the MR is unchanged, as are the suspension, brakes and all-wheel-drive system on all three models.
Sadly, so is the 5,500-rpm rev limiter in first gear, which is active only if the car isn't moving. Mitsubishi says this is to protect the front pinion shaft in American market cars, which are 100 pounds heavier to meet U.S. crash standards and fitted with stickier tires than European or Japanese market Evos.
Although the engine and transmission mods may improve acceleration times, the real benefits are better around-town drivability and more yank accelerating out of slow second-gear corners. On the proving grounds road course, which included two hairpins, a 110-mph straightaway and a jump, the blue IX felt a bit quicker pulling out of the hairpins than the silver MR.
Nicer Interior
Only real Evoheads will notice this stuff, but the Momo steering wheel now has dark titanium spokes instead of silver, the seats are covered in suedelike Alcantara with leather side bolsters and the IX and MR, but not the RS, get aluminum pedals and a carbon-fiber-style instrument panel.
We Want One
The Evo was already the greatest performance-car buy on the market, with starting prices of $28,504 for the RS, $31,274 for the straight VIII and $35,274 for the MR. The revised 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX is better and should cost just $500 more across the board. Make ours a black MR with a Gurney Flap.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/Evo02.jpg
__________________________________________________
Well I know these little rockets have been getting a lot of press and attention lately so I figure the driver is full of himself and maybe has went up against a C4 already--the way he had been on my AZZ now for two miles this is what I figured.
Time to cloverleaf around on hop onto the big 4 lane divided State Route 12
now. He did back off a car length as we are in the apex.
I thought well I could drop it into 2nd and hammer it and come screaming out of the cloverleaf onto the highway and no doubt that would give me quite the advantage---hmmm-no that would not be so fair even though I figured that is what the EVO kid would have done had I been the one in his rearview.
Well I could drop down to second as the merge is happening and come up to full rpm's quick and hammer hard into 3rd and pull away. This is what I would have done if it was a C5 Z06 on my butt. But hey this is only an EVO I want to be as fair as I can so there is no doubt what was about to happen for both him and myself. So what did I do?
Nothing--- I left it in 3rd and mashed the gas to the floor--now I was way down in the low rpm's so it was a bit of a bog at first but you see this gave the EVO kid the chance to see that I was gettin on it and he did notice.
I see him dropping a gear or two and bringing his rpm's up and the nose of the EVO pops up and all so I know for sure he is into it. I thought well maybe I made a big mistake because my rpm's are still low and #443 is grunting at me "why do you make me work so hard dimwit" yes she does talk to me with growls and moans and such.
Well much to my surprise I hit the sweet spot and Z lady starts pullin hard--You know the head into the head rest and all that hood poppin up biz.
and she pulls hard right up to red line and fast.
I now take a gander in the rear view to see how we have done and much to my surprise the EVO is at least 20 to 25 car lengths back--I mean way back.
In fact I see there was a crotch rocket hammer down pullin the EVO that has hopped into the right lane. My guess is that it is his buddy and he was behind the EVO all the time-- Proly mad he didn't get to be the one on my AZZ all that time and no doubt will tell the EVO buddy that he was in his way and screwed up a good race--LOL
Well we are coming up on 65mph traffic so I let up and it takes these two bozos about a mile to catch up and all traffic is on the hooks for a red light and I think about what just happened.
We waxed and EVO and a crotch rocket both and never even changed one single gear---I did it all in third---from 30mph on the cloverleaf to 95+ all on with one stinkin gear....
I had to think to myself this is why I love this Corvette so much because only the KING is so forgiving as to let one be lazy and not even use your power band to your advantage and yet still hand you a victory.
Sure if it had been a late model Viper or a C6 Z06 and even if I had used all the tricks (which I would have if that had been the case) the results would have been a lot different but this was not that race.
The KOTH made me proud to think {as the bike and EVO are now in the right lane and creeping by me and looking the KING all over real good as we all approach the red light (the right lane has less cars so they got by me and got a good look)} that now they might understand just what the small little insignia "ZR-1" means---
IT AIN'T NO REGULAR C4 CORVETTE BOYZ-- YOU JUST GOT WAXED BY THE KOTH BIG TIME---
As Jimi Hendrix puts it "Are you Experienced" :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
[OFFICIAL ZR-1 NET/FORUM DISCLAIMER: "We do not promote illegal street racing on the forum and in fact discourage it"]
We were sauntering northbound on State Route 59 (a two lane) when lo and behold what do we see in the rear view riding on my azz big time?
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/mitsubishi-lancer-evolution-ix-m-1.jpg
Yep thats right the new EVO IX MR by Mitsu (and all black too)--No doubt he saw the ZR-1 on the rear but did he know what it meant? My guess is he didn't!
If you read my last story in June it was a Subie that I had encountered-- me being the one behind and the Subie took off from a red light like a bat out of H*** to which I did a nice controlled launch no burnout and once up to abt 25 I nailed it and a quick 1-2 and I was all over the Subie butt. Proved my point that no Subie was going to walk away from the King. The Subie was no doubt very upset and proceeded to go 100 mph which was way to fast for the road and very dangerous. I did not need to be crazy and stay on his butt anymore since we had already proved that the Subie was not really going anywhere anyway and no way was he going to shake the KING if we did not want to let him.
Becoming older you learn these lessons that one you have the proof no need to do it again and again esp if it is going to put you in harms way. And tailing a young Subie driver at 100 on 55mph back roads through blind curves would be just that--a stupid thing to do.
Here is a little info on the new EVO fyi and then on to the rest of today's story.
----------------------------------
2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX
By Scott Oldham, Inside Line Editor in Chief
Mitsubishi's Okazaki proving grounds is hallowed real estate, sacred ground. It's the Yankee Stadium of the sport compact performance-car world, a place where legends were born.
Located a half hour southeast of Nagoya, the massive facility is where every Mitsubishi Evolution since the 1993 Evo II has been developed, where five generations of Lancer sedans have become seven of the world's all-time greatest street cars. And it's there — hidden behind a huge wall of rock, cement and tall, lush trees — where the new, more powerful 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX was waiting for us.
Two actually. Mitsu had a blue 2006 Evo IX and a silver 2006 Evo IX MR for us to drive. Both U.S. spec. The RS (the stripper/no-frills version) will still be offered, but was not made available to us.
This fall, the IX will replace the Evolution VIII, which was the first Evo sold in the U.S. But the IX is not an all-new car, which is what the Evo X is promised to be. Instead, it's a mechanical and aesthetic face-lift of the VIII. And it's really well done.
New Look
First of all, the car looks better. The headlights and taillights have been smoked dark and the split grille, which was always a bit too Pontiac for our taste, has been replaced with one large opening like Mitsubishi had on the Evo VII.
Underneath the front bumper are larger, reshaped openings that more tightly surround the huge front-mounted intercooler and two small circular air scoops, which direct air to the intake plumbing to cool the intake charge. The cars we sampled were also equipped with a front air dam extension that will be packaged in the accessories catalog with a Gurney Flap for the trailing edge of the rear spoiler.
Better Aero
Hiroshi Fujii, the platform manager for the Evo in Mitsubishi's research and development department, tells us the air dam extension enhances front downforce by expanding a lower pressure area under the car, and the Gurney Flap improves rear downforce. The result, according to "Dr. Evo," which is what they call him, is greater high-speed stability, driving linearity, steering response, yaw damping and steering feedback.
We confirmed this on a huge oval track with ridiculously steep banking, where we played Jeff Gordon and Little "E" at over 135 mph and experienced none of that dreaded aero push those boys are always complaining about. At that speed you can actually feel the centrifugal force pulling the blood out of your brain, and most passengers were ready to hurl after just a lap or two. But the IX was so locked in, even when running up next to the guardrail, that it could be driven with one hand.
The last of the exterior changes are new double-spoke Enkei wheels, which are 5 ounces lighter than the very lightweight rims they replace. The BBS wheels on the MR version are unchanged.
More Power
With some revisions, Dr. Evo and his team of evil engineers squeezed another 10 horsepower and 3 pound-feet of torque from the Evo's 2.0-liter double-overhead-cam four-cylinder. Total output is up to 286 hp at 6,500 rpm and 289 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm.
Those revisions are a larger turbo, which reduces lag by 5 percent, new spark plugs with longer threads that help cool combustion chamber temperatures, a timing belt now made of rubber and nylon fiber for added strength and durability, a new magnesium center cover and a reshaped oil ring that the good doctor says will reduce oil consumption by 10 percent.
MIVEC, or Mitsubishi Innovative Valve timing and lift Electronic Control, has also been added to the mix. It's Mitsubishi's variable valve timing system, and it has improved the midrange torque of the 4G63 engine. Its 7,000-rpm redline is unchanged.
Shorter Gearing
To make use of the engine's flatter torque curve, the five-speed in the RS and straight IX has been given tighter ratios. The six-speed in the MR is unchanged, as are the suspension, brakes and all-wheel-drive system on all three models.
Sadly, so is the 5,500-rpm rev limiter in first gear, which is active only if the car isn't moving. Mitsubishi says this is to protect the front pinion shaft in American market cars, which are 100 pounds heavier to meet U.S. crash standards and fitted with stickier tires than European or Japanese market Evos.
Although the engine and transmission mods may improve acceleration times, the real benefits are better around-town drivability and more yank accelerating out of slow second-gear corners. On the proving grounds road course, which included two hairpins, a 110-mph straightaway and a jump, the blue IX felt a bit quicker pulling out of the hairpins than the silver MR.
Nicer Interior
Only real Evoheads will notice this stuff, but the Momo steering wheel now has dark titanium spokes instead of silver, the seats are covered in suedelike Alcantara with leather side bolsters and the IX and MR, but not the RS, get aluminum pedals and a carbon-fiber-style instrument panel.
We Want One
The Evo was already the greatest performance-car buy on the market, with starting prices of $28,504 for the RS, $31,274 for the straight VIII and $35,274 for the MR. The revised 2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX is better and should cost just $500 more across the board. Make ours a black MR with a Gurney Flap.
http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/Evo02.jpg
__________________________________________________
Well I know these little rockets have been getting a lot of press and attention lately so I figure the driver is full of himself and maybe has went up against a C4 already--the way he had been on my AZZ now for two miles this is what I figured.
Time to cloverleaf around on hop onto the big 4 lane divided State Route 12
now. He did back off a car length as we are in the apex.
I thought well I could drop it into 2nd and hammer it and come screaming out of the cloverleaf onto the highway and no doubt that would give me quite the advantage---hmmm-no that would not be so fair even though I figured that is what the EVO kid would have done had I been the one in his rearview.
Well I could drop down to second as the merge is happening and come up to full rpm's quick and hammer hard into 3rd and pull away. This is what I would have done if it was a C5 Z06 on my butt. But hey this is only an EVO I want to be as fair as I can so there is no doubt what was about to happen for both him and myself. So what did I do?
Nothing--- I left it in 3rd and mashed the gas to the floor--now I was way down in the low rpm's so it was a bit of a bog at first but you see this gave the EVO kid the chance to see that I was gettin on it and he did notice.
I see him dropping a gear or two and bringing his rpm's up and the nose of the EVO pops up and all so I know for sure he is into it. I thought well maybe I made a big mistake because my rpm's are still low and #443 is grunting at me "why do you make me work so hard dimwit" yes she does talk to me with growls and moans and such.
Well much to my surprise I hit the sweet spot and Z lady starts pullin hard--You know the head into the head rest and all that hood poppin up biz.
and she pulls hard right up to red line and fast.
I now take a gander in the rear view to see how we have done and much to my surprise the EVO is at least 20 to 25 car lengths back--I mean way back.
In fact I see there was a crotch rocket hammer down pullin the EVO that has hopped into the right lane. My guess is that it is his buddy and he was behind the EVO all the time-- Proly mad he didn't get to be the one on my AZZ all that time and no doubt will tell the EVO buddy that he was in his way and screwed up a good race--LOL
Well we are coming up on 65mph traffic so I let up and it takes these two bozos about a mile to catch up and all traffic is on the hooks for a red light and I think about what just happened.
We waxed and EVO and a crotch rocket both and never even changed one single gear---I did it all in third---from 30mph on the cloverleaf to 95+ all on with one stinkin gear....
I had to think to myself this is why I love this Corvette so much because only the KING is so forgiving as to let one be lazy and not even use your power band to your advantage and yet still hand you a victory.
Sure if it had been a late model Viper or a C6 Z06 and even if I had used all the tricks (which I would have if that had been the case) the results would have been a lot different but this was not that race.
The KOTH made me proud to think {as the bike and EVO are now in the right lane and creeping by me and looking the KING all over real good as we all approach the red light (the right lane has less cars so they got by me and got a good look)} that now they might understand just what the small little insignia "ZR-1" means---
IT AIN'T NO REGULAR C4 CORVETTE BOYZ-- YOU JUST GOT WAXED BY THE KOTH BIG TIME---
As Jimi Hendrix puts it "Are you Experienced" :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
[OFFICIAL ZR-1 NET/FORUM DISCLAIMER: "We do not promote illegal street racing on the forum and in fact discourage it"]