Road Test
Follow-Up Test: 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X by Vishnu Performance Systems
Cheap Speed
Improving the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is no easy task. It hits 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and blasts through the quarter-mile in 13.6 seconds at 101 mph.
It performs even more amazing feats when its steering wheel is turned. Physics-defying electronics and magic all-wheel-drive torque distribution help rotate this sport sedan about its axis with brilliant control and consistency. It produces a 0.99g performance on the skid pad, and that's enough grip to match the Dodge Viper and trounce no less than the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Turbo.
In other words, the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a lot of car for $33 grand.
But for another thousand bucks it can be a lot better. All it takes are a few electronic modifications. That's where the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution by Vishnu Performance systems comes in.
Enter the Evo X
Shiv Pathak made his name with his impressive capabilities in calibrating engine management electronics, and his Vishnu Performance Systems has prospered. Pathak's wares can control the parameters of engine performance for every previous Evo, Subaru's WRX, WRX STI, Forester and Legacy GT, as well as the BMW 335i (and soon enough the 535i and 135i).
Our previous test of Vishnu Performance Systems' BMW 335i proved the effectiveness of a few engine management tweaks when the Pathak-tuned coupe dropped 0.3 second from its quarter-mile time — evidence that Vishnu's rerouted electrons can shrink time as well as your bank account. The BMW ran 3 mph faster in the quarter-mile as well.
That's all good and fine, but can Vishnu's work measure up to the Mitsubishi Evo X's new 4B11 2.0-liter power plant?
Even Better
According to our test equipment, the improvement in the Evo's performance is substantial. Launching from a standstill, the Vishnu Evo's stock clutch takes quite a beating but hooks up well enough to accomplish a 4.6-second sprint to 60 mph — 0.3 second better than stock. The quarter-mile time is trimmed to only 12.7 seconds — almost a full second better than the 13.6-second time we recorded with a stock Evo X GSR. Meanwhile, the car's speed increases from 101 to 109 mph.
And if Pathak had removed the Evo's electronic measures that protect the drivetrain, which limit engine speed during standing-start launches, the quarter-mile would have been even quicker. This change is coming soon, Pathak tells us.
Though the Vishnu Evo combines wider 18-by-9.0-inch Rota Boost wheels with stock 245/40R18 Yokohama Advan A13c rubber, it turns in essentially stock numbers in our handling and braking tests. Its 0.97g performance on the skid pad — down slightly from the stock car's 0.99g number — is likely due to somewhat worn rubber.
The car's 72.0-mph slalom speed is marginally better than stock for no particular reason at all. Same deal with the 108-foot stop from 60 mph produced by its stock Brembo brakes.
The Real World
One of the main criticisms of the new 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is the fact that it weighs 250 pounds more than the Evo IX and makes only 5 horsepower more in stock trim. Fortunately, Vishnu's tuning tweaks will make you forget about that additional mass faster than you can say "void my warranty, please." (In reality, there's no telltale evidence should you choose to remove the Vishnu hardware later for engine inspection by the authorities.)
But there are some advantages to the new Evo X. For one, it doesn't look nearly as obtuse as previous generations of the Evo. Its wing is restrained to within a few inches of the trunk lid rather than protruding into the airflow like an oh-so-obvious product of wind tunnel design. The new car is also bigger inside, and the interior appointments are decidedly less spartan than earlier cars'.
Most important, though, the Evo X's power is more accessible, improving drivability. Before driving the Vishnu-tuned Evo X, we'd never call the boost response from the 4B11's twin-scroll turbocharger slow. But the response from the Vishnu-tuned car is outstanding in comparison. Thanks in part to the low-restriction exhaust and to some clever rejiggering of the advance curves of the ignition timing and fuel delivery, this all-aluminum 4B11 comes to life with all the subtlety of a shovel to the kidneys.
Stick your foot in it while rounding a bend and that just-right oversteer the Evo X is known for can be yours with half the effort required in a stock car. The additional power literally transforms the driving experience. It's easier to point the car in the direction you want to go, and your speed at the corner exits climbs substantially.
Still present, however, is the Evo X's awkward electronic throttle calibration. The throttle tip-in is so aggressive that you constantly zing the engine to high rpm during otherwise subtle parking maneuvers, while the revs stubbornly refuse to drop even after you close the throttle, as the electronics try to minimize air emissions. For liability reasons, Vishnu refuses to touch the throttle calibration.
Here Are the Mods
Look under the hood of the Vishnu-modified Evo X and there seems to be virtually nothing giving away the source of the additional power save one small black box that works all the electronic wizardry that's tucked away nicely near the battery. This is the Vishnu PROcede, which piggybacks onto the Evo's stock ECU and controls ignition timing, fuel delivery and boost.
It intercepts signals through the wiring harness, reconfigures them so the car's ECU thinks everything is within stock parameters and then sends tweaked signals to the injectors, coils and boost-control solenoid. It can be installed without cutting any wires, but extracting several pins from the ECU plug is necessary. More important, it makes no modifications to the stock ECU.
Vishnu's tuning strategy for the Evo X is relatively simple. In stock form, the Evo X runs excessively rich, probably an effort to add a margin of safety to an engine that Mitsubishi's engineers know will be modified by many owners. With the PROcede, Pathak has leaned out the fuel mixture and retarded the ignition timing to great effect. He claims an increase of 75 hp and 75 pound-feet of torque using only California-sourced 91-octane pump gas.
Once you add the 3-inch exhaust with dual mufflers (a simple prototype designed to mimic the products that Pathak expects the aftermarket will likely produce), there's another 25 hp to be found. That's a 100 hp and 100 lb-ft gain as measured at the Evo's wheels on a Mustang chassis dyno.
It's all accomplished without an increase in peak boost, too. According to Pathak, the 4B11's turbocharger boost peaks at 23 psi and tapers to 14 psi by redline. His new engine calibration retains the same peak number but tapers only to 17 psi at redline.
The Cost of Doing Business
Vishnu is currently beta-testing the PROcede with local customers and plans to make production units available by the time you read this. Calibrations will be available for various levels of modification including higher-octane fuel and cars with aftermarket intercoolers, larger fuel injectors and less restrictive exhaust systems.
The PROcede and Evo X harness will retail for $995, which really isn't a lot of money for 75 hp. In fact, when you figure that the first 291 hp cost about $33 grand (car included), getting the last 75 hp for a thousand bucks is a downright steal.
Plus, with the Vishnu hardware in place, your 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will embarrass cars costing three times as much. It might still lack the power to run with the most powerful cars sold today, but there will be a surplus of cash left over to conquer problems bigger than the Viper in the next lane — like your mortgage.
Vishnu Performance Systems provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
2008 Mitsubishi Evolution X Buzz Station
It performs even more amazing feats when its steering wheel is turned. Physics-defying electronics and magic all-wheel-drive torque distribution help rotate this sport sedan about its axis with brilliant control and consistency. It produces a 0.99g performance on the skid pad, and that's enough grip to match the Dodge Viper and trounce no less than the Chevrolet Corvette Z06 and Porsche 911 Turbo.
In other words, the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a lot of car for $33 grand.
But for another thousand bucks it can be a lot better. All it takes are a few electronic modifications. That's where the 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution by Vishnu Performance systems comes in.
Enter the Evo X
Shiv Pathak made his name with his impressive capabilities in calibrating engine management electronics, and his Vishnu Performance Systems has prospered. Pathak's wares can control the parameters of engine performance for every previous Evo, Subaru's WRX, WRX STI, Forester and Legacy GT, as well as the BMW 335i (and soon enough the 535i and 135i).
Our previous test of Vishnu Performance Systems' BMW 335i proved the effectiveness of a few engine management tweaks when the Pathak-tuned coupe dropped 0.3 second from its quarter-mile time — evidence that Vishnu's rerouted electrons can shrink time as well as your bank account. The BMW ran 3 mph faster in the quarter-mile as well.
That's all good and fine, but can Vishnu's work measure up to the Mitsubishi Evo X's new 4B11 2.0-liter power plant?
Even Better
According to our test equipment, the improvement in the Evo's performance is substantial. Launching from a standstill, the Vishnu Evo's stock clutch takes quite a beating but hooks up well enough to accomplish a 4.6-second sprint to 60 mph — 0.3 second better than stock. The quarter-mile time is trimmed to only 12.7 seconds — almost a full second better than the 13.6-second time we recorded with a stock Evo X GSR. Meanwhile, the car's speed increases from 101 to 109 mph.
And if Pathak had removed the Evo's electronic measures that protect the drivetrain, which limit engine speed during standing-start launches, the quarter-mile would have been even quicker. This change is coming soon, Pathak tells us.
Though the Vishnu Evo combines wider 18-by-9.0-inch Rota Boost wheels with stock 245/40R18 Yokohama Advan A13c rubber, it turns in essentially stock numbers in our handling and braking tests. Its 0.97g performance on the skid pad — down slightly from the stock car's 0.99g number — is likely due to somewhat worn rubber.
The car's 72.0-mph slalom speed is marginally better than stock for no particular reason at all. Same deal with the 108-foot stop from 60 mph produced by its stock Brembo brakes.
The Real World
One of the main criticisms of the new 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X is the fact that it weighs 250 pounds more than the Evo IX and makes only 5 horsepower more in stock trim. Fortunately, Vishnu's tuning tweaks will make you forget about that additional mass faster than you can say "void my warranty, please." (In reality, there's no telltale evidence should you choose to remove the Vishnu hardware later for engine inspection by the authorities.)
But there are some advantages to the new Evo X. For one, it doesn't look nearly as obtuse as previous generations of the Evo. Its wing is restrained to within a few inches of the trunk lid rather than protruding into the airflow like an oh-so-obvious product of wind tunnel design. The new car is also bigger inside, and the interior appointments are decidedly less spartan than earlier cars'.
Most important, though, the Evo X's power is more accessible, improving drivability. Before driving the Vishnu-tuned Evo X, we'd never call the boost response from the 4B11's twin-scroll turbocharger slow. But the response from the Vishnu-tuned car is outstanding in comparison. Thanks in part to the low-restriction exhaust and to some clever rejiggering of the advance curves of the ignition timing and fuel delivery, this all-aluminum 4B11 comes to life with all the subtlety of a shovel to the kidneys.
Stick your foot in it while rounding a bend and that just-right oversteer the Evo X is known for can be yours with half the effort required in a stock car. The additional power literally transforms the driving experience. It's easier to point the car in the direction you want to go, and your speed at the corner exits climbs substantially.
Still present, however, is the Evo X's awkward electronic throttle calibration. The throttle tip-in is so aggressive that you constantly zing the engine to high rpm during otherwise subtle parking maneuvers, while the revs stubbornly refuse to drop even after you close the throttle, as the electronics try to minimize air emissions. For liability reasons, Vishnu refuses to touch the throttle calibration.
Here Are the Mods
Look under the hood of the Vishnu-modified Evo X and there seems to be virtually nothing giving away the source of the additional power save one small black box that works all the electronic wizardry that's tucked away nicely near the battery. This is the Vishnu PROcede, which piggybacks onto the Evo's stock ECU and controls ignition timing, fuel delivery and boost.
It intercepts signals through the wiring harness, reconfigures them so the car's ECU thinks everything is within stock parameters and then sends tweaked signals to the injectors, coils and boost-control solenoid. It can be installed without cutting any wires, but extracting several pins from the ECU plug is necessary. More important, it makes no modifications to the stock ECU.
Vishnu's tuning strategy for the Evo X is relatively simple. In stock form, the Evo X runs excessively rich, probably an effort to add a margin of safety to an engine that Mitsubishi's engineers know will be modified by many owners. With the PROcede, Pathak has leaned out the fuel mixture and retarded the ignition timing to great effect. He claims an increase of 75 hp and 75 pound-feet of torque using only California-sourced 91-octane pump gas.
Once you add the 3-inch exhaust with dual mufflers (a simple prototype designed to mimic the products that Pathak expects the aftermarket will likely produce), there's another 25 hp to be found. That's a 100 hp and 100 lb-ft gain as measured at the Evo's wheels on a Mustang chassis dyno.
It's all accomplished without an increase in peak boost, too. According to Pathak, the 4B11's turbocharger boost peaks at 23 psi and tapers to 14 psi by redline. His new engine calibration retains the same peak number but tapers only to 17 psi at redline.
The Cost of Doing Business
Vishnu is currently beta-testing the PROcede with local customers and plans to make production units available by the time you read this. Calibrations will be available for various levels of modification including higher-octane fuel and cars with aftermarket intercoolers, larger fuel injectors and less restrictive exhaust systems.
The PROcede and Evo X harness will retail for $995, which really isn't a lot of money for 75 hp. In fact, when you figure that the first 291 hp cost about $33 grand (car included), getting the last 75 hp for a thousand bucks is a downright steal.
Plus, with the Vishnu hardware in place, your 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X will embarrass cars costing three times as much. It might still lack the power to run with the most powerful cars sold today, but there will be a surplus of cash left over to conquer problems bigger than the Viper in the next lane — like your mortgage.
Vishnu Performance Systems provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
2008 Mitsubishi Evolution X Buzz Station
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