http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/a....home.photopanel..2.*#132009lancerralliart500 What is there not to love? Paddle shifter....:yumyum:
The AWD of the Ralliart version of the Lancer is pretty awesome, much superior to the '08 WRX. Real front and rear LSD's with an active center. If they spec'ed good diffs for the front and rear it could be as good as the STI tranny. The only hanging point for me on that car is it's weight. The EVO X is around 3500 lbs, so figure the not-quite-as-sporty version will have some extra sound deadening, a steel hood, heavier seats, etc... It might be over 3600 lbs, and that would destroy any "sport" that was left in it. At that point it would be a cheaper, slower Mazdaspeed 6.
:eek4: They held back production due to tranny issues early on. I think it's a little early to make a statement like that.
MY father in law is a mechanic at a ford/mercury/mazda dealership. When I use his shop space there is always one or more rx8/mazdaspeed 6's in the the other bays. He says the blow rear diffs and trannies like no tomorrow, but that mazda warranties all of them.
Personally, I'm not a fan of paddle shift transmissions in street cars. There's just something about the mechanical feel of a gearshift lever actually connected to the tranny.
I certainly won't get one with the paddle shifters. Even the ones in the 911 are pretty boring. If it isn't the super-high-PSI version that's used on the dogs in the WRC cars I don't really want it. Besides nobody can afford that sort of equipment on their car and probably wouldn't want to deal with the side effects anyway. I love to hear the dogs whining... Since my warranty is coming up on the LGT I may have to badger Mitsu again. They better be willing to deal this time or it's right back to the Subaru lot for a Spec B. I'd like to see an RS trim of the Evo again but it looks like if that does happen they'll cheap out on parts instead of trim down the niceties. I really think every "sporty" car should have a pared down trim for the crazy enthusiasts like me who would rather have big coilovers than 6-way power-adjustable seats, more gauges instead of bigger stereos, or aluminum body panels instead of heavy fiberglass wings.
I couldn't agree more. I thought it was awesome that the '04 STi came without a radio. I'd rather put my own in. All I care that a car has is power windows/locks, and a rear defroster. Forget Nav, leather, a quiet cabin, sunroofs, mushy bushings, iPod connections, and all that garbage that detracts from a sports car. I'd rather spend all the money I'd save on other go fast parts, or to keep the woman happy, I'll buy a leather couch and a nice TV.
In the latest BMI they featured a 5 lap race with the previous and current EVO vs STI and the paddle shifter's ended up in the back and the new STi in front. The idea is great for those of us who want an edge on going even faster than fast who has an educated left foot. Which would make driving very exciting corning at a much higher speed without having to manuelly reach down to shift. The paddle shift idea is a great edition, but IMO a few years late especially since they have decided to take a step back and try to open up to a broader market of customers.
I said "IF" they spec'ed good diffs, and that it "COULD" be as good as the STI tranny. Not that it is as good, or that it will be, but it has potential. Shifting mid corner is generally not something you want to do unless you are unwinding the wheel and rolling into the power. Even in that case if the paddle shifters are as slow as everyone says- you wouldn't want to try it in that car without planning far in advance.
Interesting you should bring that up, I would hope that most people would know that shifting mid corner is a NO NO, especially at higher speeds; unless you're planning on upsetting the rear for a nice AWD drift. :laugh:
Now would that really be a drift, or an "out of control" tail slide? You don't have to shift to make the rear end of an AWD car slide out...just push her into the corner really fast, keep holding while your speeding mid-way through and then just let off like a scared little girl!!! She'll start swinging around...
LOL I guess it depends who you ask on their definition of a drift, that will probably would work too; although it sounds like it will more likely go straight rather than oversteer, but I get your point. I guess keeping it simple is actually making it difficult. So my experience with the STI at BIR has been that the gears are short for this track and you're crossed between shifting up from turn 3 in third gear into 4th gear or keep in 3rd and redline it going into turn 4 and left foot brake. Thats where some will feel the need to shift up coming out of the turn. :laugh::biggrin::laugh: ps. I just wanted to clarify, I did not suggest shifting at mid corner in my earlier post. Dee Dee Dee, no idea where that was hatched from. I'm no expert so your education will be greatly appreciated!
I'm no expert either, pretty far from it. I just know how my car reacts in certain situations. Actually I see lots of video's of people going a little faster than they wanted to in a corner and instead of just slowly adjusting your throttle, they either let off suddenly or brake...causing the rear end to let loose and time for a spin!
You're spot on. It's a very common occurrence and heavily talked about on IWSTI (off throttle oversteer). Some believe that Subaru actually used the long firm bump stops to correct for some of that on the STI.
I think the STi's throttle on oversteer is one of its best characteristics and what really separates it from an evo. Throttle off oversteer on an STi is an issue of slip angle vs sudden loss of differential power.
Wait wait wait... Mitsu's have tranny issues? NEVER! :laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh: mitsu 3rd gear ftl. I'm with eric in being a mitsu hater.
I remember back in the days at MNHS at St Cloud with the Corvette club and how soo many of them were ending up in the ditch while going through the S turn after coming out of the bowl. Sorry for the hijack-could this be due to Subaru's platform where as Mitsubishi has a conventional FWD engine mount?
I r 2 an Mitsu h9r. I had a 97 GSX. Fun car, very fun. BUT, when the shift select drops out and locks it in 2nd and reverse at the same time.... NOT FUN. all 4 wheels locked up solid. Two thousand dollars and 2 weeks later, I'm on my way. I sold the car shortly thereafter.
Are you seriously comparing transmissions? Have you been to rallies here in the past 10 years? I recall seeing the factory Subaru teams swapping out transmissions left and right while the Mitsu crews were inside drinking tea after hosing the car off (and replacing body panels)... I don't see why they're messing with the transmission. The Evo gearbox was pretty solid. 3rd gear? Have you met #2 on our 5MTs? I recall having the option of turning mine into a pulley wheel at any time I felt like dumping it on my RS. Granted the 6MT has resolved some of the issues but only to bring it up to the Evos. I think the transverse vs longitudinal debate is pretty valid though. That's the one thing that made me like Subaru and the boxer more. I think the reason our gears were more "fragile" is because they were subjected to gobs more torque, a combination of the boxer and the engine mount? The 4G63 has to deliver its torque through more means so we may not be getting all it can offer? Plus I like the idea of RWD with FWD add, not the other way around.
