No magazine has expended more ink, more paper, or more editorial passion than this one in praise of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. When our minds are sapped of ideas and our souls bereft of joy, we yank on the P.R. department at Mitsu until they hack up an EVO loaner. Then we take that car out and wail the piss out of it until we're creatively rejuvenated and spiritually reborn. There's nothing the turbocharged, all-wheel-drive EVO can't do, even drift. It just takes higher speeds and fancy rally maneuvers like the Scandinavian flick-which are fine for the race track, but less manageable on the crowded streets of "Tokyo". To make sliding the EVO and coordinating the action easier for the cameras, something had to be done.
That something turned out to be converting eight EVO IXs-out of the 10 Mitsubishi donated-to rear-wheel drive. The person most directly responsible for the conversion is Rhys Millen of Rhys Millen Racing (RMR) in Huntington Beach, California.
Converting to rear drive is straightforward, if not simple. The transfer case is cracked open and the LSD output assembly is replaced with a new one that RMR fabricates out of billet steel that omits the splines to drive the front wheels. Caps cover up the now useless output holes in the transfer case and a dual-plate clutch replaces the stock unit. The front axle stub ends are retained to act as bolts for holding together the hub assemblies. RMR is now selling a kit to convert any EVO to rear-drive-for whatever reason. And converting back to all-wheel drive should be simple too. You could even buy two kits and convert your EVO to no-wheel drive.
With the front wheels free of propulsion duties, the steering knuckles were modified to increase steering angle. To further amplify the EVO's talents, Eibach springs were installed for lowering and an RMR exhaust bolted up to unclog that drain. The boost was also turned up a bit. To exaggerate the look, APR's widebody kit was installed with the wider fenders covering 19x8.5-inch Ray's g-Games 99B wheels inside 255/35R19 Toyo Proxes T1R tires. The stock Brembo brakes were deemed adequate for stopping. Modern Image supplied the graphics packages.
Inside there's an APR instrument cluster, some Auto Meter gauges behind that, Recaro seats, and a custom-fabricated rollcage. The steering wheel is a quick-connect unit from Sparco.
Millen may be biased in the car's favor, but the EVO was his favorite drifting machine on the Tokyo Drift set. "That car by far," he avowed. "With its 103-inch wheelbase, or whatever it is, and the extra steering angle, it would make a wicked Group Five rally car."
Despite the engine's light load of modifications, the Tokyo Drift EVO slammed the chassis dyno to the tune of 289.5 wheel-hp at 6250 rpm and 289.5 lb-ft of peak torque at 4250 rpm at the rear wheels. Considering that the stock EVO IX's 4G63 carries a rating of 286 horsepower at the crank, that's impressive indeed. Apparently there is some parasitic drivetrain drag with the move from four- to two-wheel drive.
The lack of traction also tamped down the EVO's straight-line performance. The EVO squirmed to 60 mph in 6.58 seconds and ran the quarter in 14.49 seconds at 103.56 mph. Those are solid numbers and the trap speed indicates there's good horsepower aboard, but there's no way a rear-drive EVO can launch as effectively as an all-wheel-drive EVO.
Our love and devotion knows no bounds when it comes to the EVO. Even when it has only two driven wheels, it's still on our all-time list. But there aren't going to be many situations where the car will be better with solely rear-drive. Making a movie happens to be one of those situations. And professional drifting happens to be another.
At least two EVOs have been built for Formula D drifting competition next year by RMR. Rich Rutherford, who did some of the driving in Tokyo Drift, will campaign one of them.
RMR 2005 Mitsubishi EVO IXEngine
Engine Code: 4G63
Type: 1997cc inline-4, aluminum head and cast-iron block
External Modifications: RMR downpipe, intake and custom exhaust
Drivetrain
Layout: Transverse front engine, rear-wheel drive
Drivetrain Mods: Exedy twin-plate clutch, RMR rear-drive conversion kit
Suspension
Front: Eibach springs, 21mm Cusco anti-roll bar, RMR custom spindle
Rear: Eibach springs, 18mm Cusco anti-roll bar
Brakes
Front: stock
Rear: stock
Exterior
Wheels: Ray's g-Games 99B, 19x8.5-in.
Tires: Toyo Proxes T1R, 255/35ZR19
Body: APR widebody, CF mirrors, and GT wing, Modern Image graphics
Interior
Auto Meter gauges, Takata 4-point harness, custom rollcage, APR CF instrument cluster, Recaro seats, Sparco quick-disconnet steering wheel