legendlime

I have been seeing the same pretty dark blue Mitsu EVO every week on my way home from work. Well, I finally got a chance to run him...
We caught a red light, and waited...my wife talking my ear off, The blue EVO, a young kid with windows open and stereo blaring...
We both putted away on the green in first, and when my car shifted to 2nd (automatic), I gunned it! I was at about 2500rpm when I floored it, my trans didn't downshift, so I pulled the whole gear to 6000rpm, the blue evo was just behind me in my right mirror, and slowly falling back! The trans shifted itself into third, and he just kept falling back! I had about 4 or 5 car lengths on him when I finally lifted, about 5500rpm. We were both doing close to 80mph in a 45 zone, so I know he was trying, and he wouldn't look at me when he passed, but he did cut off a few fellow motorists just to make himself feel better!
I have driven a few EVOs, the first was an earlier model, with great midrange, but nothing above 6500rpm. This is the car that I think he had, despite the perfect paint and dealer plates, along with the "evolution" badge on the trunk.
I have driven a faster Evolution, great top end to 7000rpm, and I think a VII badge on the trunk, not the super-serious stripper, though!
I was quite pleased to beat him, seeing how you never quite know what a turbo car is capable of..
My wife didn't see what all the fuss was about, to her, it was just a little toy car with a big wing! She did once blow off a Hemi Charger R/T while talking to me on the cell phone (with an earphone), I saw the whole episode, as I was following behind in our second car!
BTW, our Lime convertible is a 2006, with NO mods and 8000 miles.
I'm still looking foreward to running one of those turbo Subarus...
Chris

Fourth Horseman

My understanding is that the Evos, while certainly not slow, are not really drag cars. On a road course, though, they'd smoke us.

impaler

Great story! I really enjoy reading about these, and I was surprised to hear you're all stock. Way to go!

Speedyejl

It seems like a lot of factors could have gone into why you pulled on him. A new Evo is reasonably fast, from a dig its a drivers race, with their AWD giving them an edge.

johnnyv8

from a dig..its an evo race. the new once go to 60 in 4.4 secs...PEACE. but cuz you both did a pull around 25mph; adv goes to the stang. nice job

careful though; those cars are no joke w/ just a few basic upgrades that are done to a turbo car (boost cont, intake, exhuast, etc)

UrS4

I am very suprised by this outcome, actually. I realize a 25mph punch in the Evo is notoptimal, if the guy had short shifted into second, then he would experience some turbo lag while it was spooling and you would be pulling away. It sounded like you both weren't on the same page, you just punched it and then hegave chase, no honking, flagging, or waving. The newest Evo's are a 300 hp 13.5 sec 1/4 mile car. Your auto convert is the slowest V8 model and you are stone stock, down to the paper filter. You had a passenger, started low in the power band, and still put 5 car lengths from 25-85mph. Wow! Either that young kid can't drive or you have a factory freak on your hands.

I'm not saying it didn't happen jut as you said but those cars stock are no joke.

kopfjager

I raced a boosted EVO at the track. He ran pretty fast, mid twelves I thinkbut I ran 11.85
I killed him on the launch as you can see in this video...
They are quick little cars!
http://home.comcast.net/~gtegmeyer/11.8vsevo.mpg

Quick Shot xMLx

I don't think he was racing. An Evo would kill an automatic S197 especially from a dig. Either he wasn't racing or he was an extremely bad driver.

Not only that but you had an extra 100+ pounds in the car. He must suck at life

viking396

Treat them as they treat themselves, they drag them, they consider our S197's to be "slow" in every aspect so when we nail one lets not use the excuse they weren't created for drag racing.

I think in this case the guy also left his car in 2nd gear which isn't good for a turbo car meant to be spooled up a bit, I'm sure had the race been from 1st gear on the story would have been different.

viking396

EVO in second gear not in the upper rpm ranges makes for a poor race. I've driven them, they feel like slugs when punched at lower speeds in 2nd geer. When the turbo spools up its great, had this been a 1st gear run up through 4th the auto Stang would have found himself doing the catching.

I have beaten quite a few stock EVO's at the track, probably because they had no idea how to launch, but thats ok, run what ya brung right?