S2Kage

Well Im going to start off by saying Evo owners in my area are so full of shit its annoying. That being said, I had wanted an evo for the longest time but I got such a good deal on the S that I bought it lol.

So I was driving around my buddies Evo 8 for about the past 5 hrs and im going to say this, SO GLAD I BOUGHT THE S2k. This was my impression of THAT SPECIFIC car...

Specs... Stock turbo, stock motor, stock trans, strock drive train, full exhaust no cats, intake and hardpipe kit, bigger front mount, CF vented hood, up'd boost to 23lbs, walbro 255 lph fuel pump, and a couple other bolt-ons.

Handeled like SHIT, was loose, back end actually came out a little bit on hard turns, highspeed great straight until u had to change lanes. At 160 It just didnt feel stable at all. Oh and turning radius is like that of a scepta bus.

The power was nice only when you floor it. It was either on or off tho, difficult to find a happy medium. Lacked top end. Trans was a joke to shift, every gear was so notchy it felt like it wanted to break but only under boost. Can easily spin all 4 tires launching and launches pretty hard but not as impressed as my buddy's sti or the new Evo 10. Both of which I have driven for a good amount of time.


Now I attribute most of this to the fact that this car has a good bit of power over stock, it aint a race car but its certainly not stock. It needs to be tuned in the worst way... I am unsure of where the looseness comes from, its sitting on work emotions wrapped toyo proxes which good tread. All in all I was not impressed in the least. it was fun b/c its 4 doors, the interiors are relatively nice, they look so sexy, and its turbo/awd but the quality is no where near that of the S2000 or other related cars. I cant tel you how many times ive heard evo owners at the local meets with similar mods talking about how they run 11s at the track and all the cars they smoke...I dont mean to offend anyone, im sure not all evos are this bad but this is my impression of the only evo 8 ive ever drive. Bring the flame!

GT_NFR

Can't say I feel the same...I've driven one with a full catback and it definitely didn't "loose". The power delivery is very on/off though since its either boost or lag.....its almost like the s2k in/out of vtec, lol. The steering feel and feedback was great but like you mentioned earlier.....EVO owners are another story though.

cravnpup

One of the reasons I went with a wrx is that even though I'm slower than all but the stock EVO's, the power is much more linear with the 2.5.. The throttle is easy to modulate, so it never feels like an on/off switch like the EVO's or my old GTI which was even worse. That said, the steering on the wrx is not nearly as good, it also feels loose at high speeds (due to snow tires), and the tranny is of particular concern. If I could do it over again, I'd probably have gone with an STI limited..

Onehots2k

I've always wanted to drive an EVO/STI. I keep feeling it will have a similar power band of the s2k but with more power.

bluestk03

I drove an Evo before and I liked it. I think a few tasteful suspension modifications and a good alignment will take care of most if not all the handling problems of the car. Having previously owned a WRX and a STI, the Evo has much better top end. In addition, "launching" any AWD vehicle will simply bring trouble.

s2kpdx01

My 9 is totally engine stock and drives nothing like the car in your review. The only thing I can agree with is the turning radius is the WORST.

slimjim8201

...when I stopped taking this seriously.

ninety2slow

I guess it's all in the Evo you drove. My buddy had a 2003 Evo 8 w/ full 3" exhaust, Buschur Racing FMIC kit, reflash, FP Green turbo, Walbro 255, drop springs, and Exedy clutch. You have to expect a little lag with a bigger than stock turbo. But while cruising down the street or on the highway, the power was instant with the FP Green. His car, even with the simple drop spring setup, handled rather well too. Yes you could get the back end to slide out around corners, but with AWD, you just grip and go.

I would take an Evo over my S2000 any day. But I don't want the insurance price tag that comes with it. haha

fusionchickenleg

not sure what was wrong with the Evo the OP drove, maybe the suspension/steering bushings are screwed or something, but the Evo has once of the most precise feeling chassis out of many, many cars i've driven...the steering is much more communicative than the STi's

that said one thing i hated on my old Evo was the on/off throttle thing...my stage 2 Sti engine right now has an amazing throttle response (esp. in a 28xx lbs chassis)

The Evo also feels very understeer-ish at corner entry, but a fat rear sway bar would quickly fix that.

and top end...Evo has great top end vs. the Sti, but if the Evo you drove wasn't tuned then it was most likely pulling timing like mad thus diminishing the power up top. The evo's stock turbo is much larger than that of the Sti's so top end is definitely superior.

Chris S

That's the most interesting Evo 8 review I've ever read.

I have to say it doesn't sound at all like the badass Evo 8 MR I drove - I wanted to trade my S2000 for it, but my then-gf (now wife) dissed it b/c she thought it looked too ricey.