quality of stock parts

Goomes420 · May 16, 2008, 07:05 PM

hey all

just wondering the quality of some of the basic stock parts on the lancer ES (intake, exhaust, springs, shifter, etc. are some of the things im mainly asking about)?
i know that the exhaust is kind of a joke and mitsubishi kinda screwed up there. what about the intake? unless im looking at the wrong thing, the intake looks pretty crappy... i mean all plastic and not to mention the area that intercepts the air is like... right under the hood i dont see how any air can get in at all haha. now im not very car knowledgeable so some of these claims may be totally false so correct me if im wrong. im jw how good some of these parts actually are and if i would actually be doing my car a FAVOR by replacing the stock parts mitsu screwed up on.

thanks

MasterAK · May 16, 2008, 07:46 PM

Well the exhaust is huge and heavy but the quality doesn't look bad, I mean it hasn't rusted or anything. The intake is plastic but remember that plastic prevents the heat of the engine to heat up the air in the intake so plastic is not a good conductor of heat which is a good thing (it is not flashy as a CAI but find me a car in this price range that comes with a shiny intake in the engine bay). I don't like it because of the 180 degree bend at the air filter box. i wish the battery was there instead of the air filter box so that the cone filter of the short ram intakes designed for this car would be closer to the front and away from the heat.
But it's an economy car anyway so you can't ask for more.
cheers

stefan.bounket · May 17, 2008, 09:05 AM

The exhaust isnt really that crappy... mitsu likely intended for the car to be quiet since it IS a family/economy car... So the huge, restrictive muffler keeps this little beast quiet.

For a stock car, i like the shifter. I don't know if the ES comes with it, but the GTS comes with a stock short throw shifter... i enjoyed that fact when i bought my car

Intake seems logical with the plastic like MasterAK stated. But of course you will see some gains and possibly "better for your engine" if you get an SRI or CAI. I'm not going to state all the differences between the 2 because it is a highly discussed topic and quite easy to find with a simple google search.

The stock springs, again, keeping in mind this is an economy car, are, in my opinion, fairly good. They keep you from feeling every tiny deviation in the road, which is usually what a family car strives for, comfort.

Overall, of course things could be "better", but it's all a matter of what you want this car to be. If it's your personal daily driver and you want something more fun to drive, then by all means go for the after market parts. But if it's your family car, driving around with your wife and kids, I think comfort comes first and speed definately last if at all. Mitsubishi wouldn't give us "****ty" parts and systems for no reason. They are just appealing to the family/comfort group more

**Blacksheepdj** · May 17, 2008, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goomes420

hey all

just wondering the quality of some of the basic stock parts on the lancer ES (intake, exhaust, springs, shifter, etc. are some of the things im mainly asking about)?
i know that the exhaust is kind of a joke and mitsubishi kinda screwed up there. what about the intake? unless im looking at the wrong thing, the intake looks pretty crappy... i mean all plastic and not to mention the area that intercepts the air is like... right under the hood i dont see how any air can get in at all haha. now im not very car knowledgeable so some of these claims may be totally false so correct me if im wrong. im jw how good some of these parts actually are and if i would actually be doing my car a FAVOR by replacing the stock parts mitsu screwed up on.

thanks

Intake - slightly restrictive, but flows OK and is quiet.
Exhaust - heavy as Hell, restrictive.
Springs - fine, but this really depends on the user.
Shifter - no clue, I got CVT.

The exhaust isn't a joke, it does it's job 100% fine. VERY few cars come with sporty exhausts. Hell, even Evo owners have to replace theirs.

Intake is fine, it's fairly standard. And if you don't understand how it can suck in air, I suggest you hit the books. It works perfectly fine. You can replace it, but you either get an SRI that sits 3" away from the motor (hot air warning!) or a CAI with 3' of tubing and crappy bends. The honest best bet would be a battery relocation and then a custom CAI, IMHO.

You are NEVER doing your car a favor by replacing stock parts. That's like if I took your body and put in a cheetah's heart because "it pumps better." You'd still die.

The car was built and tuned for the stock parts. People adding aftermarket goods are just trying to squeek out an extra HP or .1 second of speed. Know your REAL goals and what you're ACTUALLY doing before you modify. Many people think that if they throw money and parts at the car, it'll turn a Lancer to a sportscar. But they often get Lancers that are exactly as slow as stock, but don't run smoothly...

If you're wondering, the only "modification" to my drivetrain is an upgraded drop-in filter. All my stock parts are still in place.

mezzedupdream · May 17, 2008, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefan.bounket

For a stock car, i like the shifter. I don't know if the ES comes with it, but the GTS comes with a stock short throw shifter... i enjoyed that fact when i bought my car

short throw shifter?? where did i miss out on that on my GTS?

stefan.bounket · May 17, 2008, 05:32 PM

thats what my dealership told me.. it feels shorter compared to my brothers car too...

or does the term "short throw shifter" mean in comparison to stock or something?

i dunno.. my dealer just told me that if i like to drive standard, this car will feel extra nice because it has a short shifter.. ??

Goomes420 · May 17, 2008, 11:35 PM

yeah i wanted to do a few mods (exhaust, intake, lowering springs, and then some cosmetic stuff) but now i have come up with a different idea... i was thinking of giving this car a good year or year and half of good use and save up money in the mean time to either get an evo 8 or 9 or a BMW M3 (older) since these can go for around the same prices typically and are both essentially cars i have always had an eye on

nunyas · May 18, 2008, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stefan.bounket

thats what my dealership told me.. it feels shorter compared to my brothers car too...

or does the term "short throw shifter" mean in comparison to stock or something?

i dunno.. my dealer just told me that if i like to drive standard, this car will feel extra nice because it has a short shifter.. ??

Consider that line about your shifter "Saleman BS". The stock shifter in the Lancers is NOT short throw. It may be shorter throw than some other cars (e.g. pick up trucks

), but it is NOT short throw. I've driven other cars with stock shifters that were MUCH shorter than the stock Lancers. As a point of reference, the throws on my '08 GTS are about the same as the shifter throws on a 1976 MGB, even if you've never driven one of these cars the AGE of the car should at least clue you into how long the throws are..

You want a REAL short throw shifter for your Lancer? Talk to WORKS or TWM. They both have short shift kits for the Lancers.

Lncrgts · May 18, 2008, 12:19 AM

If anything it's in comparison to stock DE and ES trim.

Goomes420 · May 18, 2008, 12:24 AM

im real glad i didnt go with the DE model. i mean its one thing not to have ABS (which i think every new car should have) but to have NO AC is ridiculous especially in california weather (where i live)

MasterAK · May 18, 2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lncrgts

If anything it's in comparison to stock DE and ES trim.

Do you mean that the gts shifter is shorter than the one in ES or DE models?
I highly doubt it.

nunyas · May 18, 2008, 09:48 AM

what MasterAK said....

Lncrgts · May 18, 2008, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MasterAK

Do you mean that the gts shifter is shorter than the one in ES or DE models?
I highly doubt it.

I said if anything, if Mitsu claims a short shifter it's probably shorter than the manual shifter in DE and ES trim.

nunyas · May 18, 2008, 10:17 AM

I've never seen Mitsu make that claim nor have I read any reviews make that claim about the GTS. So, if you heard it at the dealership, I would chalk it up to "Salesman BS". We all already know the salesmen aren't the most knowledgeable about the products they're selling. That goes for ~any~ salesman for that matter. The only salesmen that I would say are truly knowledgeable about the products they're selling are the ones working in the small specialty shops, and tuner shops, because these guys have a higher passion for the industry they're working in, and work much closer to the installers and engineers.

**Blacksheepdj** · May 19, 2008, 03:37 PM

All 2008 Lancers have the same shifter. If you believed a salesman's lie, then I apologize to you on behalf of the real world.