EVO vs STi

[Damian STi]

whats up everyone, first things first i wanna say yes i did the search on evo vs sti, but it didnt give me the opinions and info i necessarily wanted, this topic was leaning towards the purchasing forum more then the comparison side which is what i wanna know. maybe i didnt search hard enough? Sorry, still new to forums and i could of slipped. however, this could be a new thread. So heres the main topic. which vehicle is a better race car? who has the better motor? which car could outrun the other with the same amount of mods or same amount of cash put towards the motor? just want you opinions. i brought this up because:

I was @ a place here in tampa,fl called 'brothers racing' i was talking to a guy who had a sweet evo with about $4500.00 under the hood. he told me 'u know the difference between an sti with 300 hp and an sti with 600 hp? either way its going to run a 12.'

he broke my sti spirit for a bit. people there were saying i bought the wrong kind of motor when it comes to modding. i KNOW every evo guy is going to say an sti sux, and every sti guy will say an evo sux. however i really didnt have anything to throw back at him because im new to subaru's, dont know much about them. just wanted to see what you guys have to say about the sti, towards the evo. thanks.

-Damian

[EJ257]

Subaru is more reliable than Mitsubishi, but the Evo is a little more responsive to mods. The displacement difference of an STi vs Evo (2.5L vs 2.0L would probably mean that on the top end, you'll have more power out of the STi - don't quote me on this, though). Evo is a harsher ride, with an inferior (with exception of seats) interior - though, the interior of both cars leaves something to be desired.

All-in-all, they're about as close a comparison as they come, and the choice of Evo vs. STi is all about personal preference. To get an Evo with a 6-speed (which his how these cars should be IMHO), however, you have to buy the MR, which was always more expensive than the STi. You can get a Protune StageII for the STi for the cost of the Evo MR new, and have a leg up on the competition.

The Evo is not a bad car, but it wasn't the car for me. Seeing as though performance-wise, they're pretty similar, my choice was based on the aesthetics of the vehicle, which lead me to purchase the Subaru.

[mikercp]

He is smoking crack if hes sayin a 300hp STI and 600hp STI would both run 12's.

He probably told u that cus all his EVO sees is STI taillights all day long!!! And he's biased.

There are regular 2.0 WRX with stock TD04 (WITH time slips) if you do a search on Nasioc that run 12's.

STI Stock runs low/mid 13's and thats bone stock. Did I mention the ESX Sti that runs 9 Second QT Miles with street slicks, full interior, and Im sure they are 740HP range. 600hp STI can easily hit low mid 10's.

http://www.esxmotorsports.com/html/video.htm

Mention these car companies next time you go their shop Harman Motive, Easy Street, I-SPEED Usa, just to name a few off the top that have STI's that have competed with other top EVO and STI Tuners that are just as fast or faster than any EVO out there.

[RedHonda00]

i'm not sure if this is right but my brother did a persuasive essay on this for school. The evos stock dont break 300 hp where as a sti does. when it comes to turning the evo has a better suspension then the sti. So the evo can take a turn better but the sti can hold the turn longer due to the longer wheel base. the sti has racing seats but sucks if your taller than average, the seats are at average ht. so it will be uncomfortable if your tall. also the sti has a better exaust system setup. correct me if i'm wrong since i dont own any of these vehicles.

[Damian STi]

this is awesome, this is exactly how i wanted this thread to go. see, im coming off a used 2000 celica gts that the ONLY mod you can pretty much do is an exhaust and intake, which is what i had. unless you spend big money to upgrade it, which wasnt worth it. so i really dont know much about subarus, mitsubishi's, and ive been reading about turbos for a few yrs but im not a mechanic, i cant go into a deep convo about performance. when i heard the crap i heard about an sti, i just got pist and thought man i wasted 35 grand on a car that wasnt worth it. these 3 opinions alone have boosted my spirit right back up. keep them comin'

[EJ257]

the sti has racing seats but sucks if your taller than average, the seats are at average ht. so it will be uncomfortable if your tall.

The Evo has racing seats, as well.

I'm 6'3, and I only have issues with the seats after more than 4 hrs of driving (which, due to the cost of gas, I try to avoid at all costs).

As for the Evo guy - ignore him. Mitsubishi has their fanboys, and Subaru has theirs. Fanboys are biased, and you can't get a straight answer from them.

As I said, the Evo is a great car (I never drove the MR, but I have driven an EvoVIII and an EvoIX), but it wasn't the car for me. I put approximately 1200 miles/month on my car, so the ride quality was definitely my deciding factor (apart from the aesthetics).

[Damian STi]

Lol, nicely said. i was scared for a moment, i know it takes money to mod a car, i know it takes alot of money to have 600-700 hp under neath the hood. takes time also. i just wanted to know would it even be worth it if i was serious about building my sti. my spirit is back, and i cant wait to start moddin'.

[mikercp]

Yeah dont let anyone try to keep your spirits down about owning your car.
You bought an awesome car, and any real car enthusiast or any genuine gear head will tell you the same (evo owners included).

When it comes to STI vs. EVO it really comes down to preference. If you have driven both, they are both equally fast. If you play the number game and look up comparisons, a stock evo vs stock sti, you will see they are
pretty darn close in all categories.

But definately STI is more reliable (6spd tranny is bulletproof) , EVO responds better to mods and make big numbers. But STI can achieve it just the same, but it might take a few more mods.

Good luck, dont get me wrong, I like evos too. But not if they are trying to put down my car. At that point, we'll let the cars do the talkin and take it to the track.

[EJ257]

Lol, nicely said. i was scared for a moment, i know it takes money to mod a car, i know it takes alot of money to have 600-700 hp under neath the hood. takes time also. i just wanted to know would it even be worth it if i was serious about building my sti. my spirit is back, and i cant wait to start moddin'.

It's not really worth it to build a 600-700hp STi, IMO. At that point, the amount of money you'll spend far exceeds what you'll get out of it. 500hp in an STi would make a crappy DD (if you ask me), and if it's not a DD, then you're throwing a large chunk of change for something you'd barely drive.

If you push out 400-450whp in your STi, that would probably be the limit to what I'd consider DD-able and not.

[Damian STi]

It's not really worth it to build a 600-700hp STi, IMO. At that point, the amount of money you'll spend far exceeds what you'll get out of it. 500hp in an STi would make a crappy DD (if you ask me), and if it's not a DD, then you're throwing a large chunk of change for something you'd barely drive.

If you push out 400-450whp in your STi, that would probably be the limit to what I'd consider DD-able and not.

well that actually was an exaggeration. as a DD like you said about 450 hp will do the job. i just want a sweet DD, nice, fast, i want props for the work ive put in it, and i want to go to the track and have fun and actually win. just coming off a car you cant even mod, im just happy i got a car you can mod easily and i just think of it as a new hobby i cant wait to enjoy.

[RedHonda00]

did the evos always have racing seats?

[Damian STi]

yep. all evos have recaro racing seats.

[teflon_jones]

To the OP, these cars are meant to compete head to head and the companies have kept both cars very similar because of this. The posters above have given a lot of good info about what's good/bad about each car. I'd just like to add that for me, the Evo looks more like a ricer car than the STI. That was the main reason I only looked at Subarus, even though honestly I'm not a huge fan of the styling, though it has grown on me since I got the car.

the sti has racing seats but sucks if your taller than average, the seats are at average ht. so it will be uncomfortable if your tall......correct me if i'm wrong since i dont own any of these vehicles.

Well let me correct you on this point since you asked for it.

I'm 6'4 260 and I fit in my STI just fine. I don't actually have the seat all the way back, just one notch short of it, since with it all the way back pushing the pedals down to the floor takes a stretch. The two things I will mention for larger drivers are:
1. The plastic side supports in the bottom of the seat that stick up were made for guys with skinny butts. With how I sit, the left one digs into my buttocks.
2. The headroom is adequate, but unfortunately it's really tight if you put on a helmet. My wife bought me a racing helmet for Christmas (and permission for 3-4 track days) but I only had 1/2" clearance with the helmet on. That didn't make me comfortable so I returned it. Unfortunately, the one helmet I found that gives better head clearance is $750 for the cheapest model!

[EJ257]

I'd just like to add that for me, the Evo looks more like a ricer car than the STI. That was the main reason I only looked at Subarus, even though honestly I'm not a huge fan of the styling, though it has grown on me since I got the car.

+1 F&F did nothing to help the image of the Evo in that regard.

I've yet to see an adult drive an Evo, though I have seen them drive off in an STi (about 3, actually).

[302@12psi]

If you are keeping them stock it's a preference thing.

If you want to make a drag car neither one is idea but the EVO will make more power dollar for dollar IMHO.

Saying the ride is harsher is like saying only EVO's come in red. Neither one is going to have a comfortable ride like a BMW or Lexus.

Reliablity seems to be on Subaru's side.

The evo appears to handle slighly better as well.

AWD system is fairly equal.

Looks is preference...both are rather childish.


As for the HP remark I do tend to agree. He must have seen the results from the WRX vs. EVO shoot out at Etown. So many 400-500 hp cars that couldnt get out of the 13's. Doesnt mean the car cant but the people who can afford to build a 500 hp car usually arent out dragging them (I know ironic isnt it).

Cant go wrong with either if they fit your budget IMHO.