Does an Evo X really need a turbo timer or did the aftermarket turbo necessitate it?

"Need" is a debatable topic on any water cooled ball bearing turbo and the first argument tends to be, "but OEMs don't use them..."

Does HKS recommend them? Of course, they make & sell turbo timers.

There was definitely more of a "need" for them back before water cooled bb turbos were the standard, but they certainly can't do any harm. And personally, I like circulating a little oil & coolant after I come in hot, take the key out and just walk away. Just seems... logical.

FWIW - I came from BMW E36 M3s (two in fact) and Turbo/Supercharged Miatas.
All were street modified - meaning, moderate handling tweaks and horsepower bumps.
I've also got a solid 1000 miles between Laguna Seca and Infineon tracks as well as a number of BMW Club sponsored car control clinics. I'm not an auto-x or race driver, but I can wring out some of the nuances of cars.

Back in 2013, I was retiring my M3 (237k miles) and test drove the following:

1. 2012 EVO MR
Loved this car. Handling was awesome. Ride was on par with my M3 - a little bumpy but tolerable for the street. Nicely connected to the road. Interior - meh. The Recaro's helped the look but... it's obvious Mitsubishi spent the money on the mechanicals versus the interior. So why did I pass this up? Horrifying service and support in the SF Bay Area. If you need service beyond oil changes, it's hard to find shops to work on it. So fro $38k pre-owned. Pass.

2. BMW M235i
Coming from an M3, this was an almost parallel test drive. Handling, interior, fun, etc. All 9s and 10s. This is THE bargain value for BMW. Same motor as the M2 but like $10k less. Just throw a suspension in there and get a more aggressive alignment and done. Passed as it still is $45k and BMWs in the LONG run can have VERY iffy quality.

3. 2013 Subaru STi
This was THE most disappointing test drive. Whenever I read the STi versus EVO head to heads, every publication said the steering and road feel of the STi was numb compared to the EVO. So after A LONG negotiation with the Subaru manager (and pulling up with the wife, kids, and a $50K+ SUV) I got to drive it. I didn't flog the car but even the salesman said "Man you know how to drive this thing!". So the STi has plenty of speed, nice interior, etc... but for me... I could never tell where the wheel was when I was turning. Keep in mind, this is coming from M3s and Miatas... so it's hard to match those two cars in terms of handling. But still, I thought Subaru's top dog teams would tweak that part. So the price tag at $46k - and well the styling - great front end... rear, yeah not so great... passed.

4. 2013 BRZ
So the humble BRZ... it was cheap. $23.5k at the time (it was a 6 month old, previous buyer panic sell). The test drive. Sport mode on. Drove it like my M3. The car slipped, screeched, screamed... and handled better than anything I've owned in stock form. I didn't have to drive over 80mph+ to enjoy it. The caveat is yes, you REALLY have to drive it like you stole it... keep your eyes open, plan your turns, and shift above 4500rpm.

So I bought it.

That all being said, those were my impressions. Notice how I didn't bother comparing anything in the $25k-$30k range. The BRZ punches above it's weight I think. It's a pretty darn good value for a sports car.

I've been thinking of trading in my 11 evox for a brz/frs for over a year now and still not able to decide. I am not sure if i would be satisfy with this car, I did tested the car 3 years ago when it first came out and at that time i still own a ITR, which feel very much alike.

This my 3rd Evo already, I've had 2 VIII in the past and I still enjoy driving it a lot, but I am reluctant on taking this thing to the track and drive it like i do to my hondas. I just dont feel like spend too much money on the Evo's maintenance anymore

I sold an STI hatch before buying my FR-S. I've also owned a few older Hondas (Integra, RSX, etc.) and driven a friend's Evo 9 MR and Evo X.

There are times I miss the power and AWD launches, but I realized I like the FR-S more than my old STI especially on the track. Last year I had the chance to track an AWD turbo car again. A friend asked me to give him feedback on his S3 (stage 1, suspension, BBK, RS3's). It was definitely quick (fast enough to pass most cars in advanced group that day) but after 3-4 sessions I was looking forward to getting back into my slow FR-S. Something about a lightweight RWD car on track is just fun.

The FR-S feels a lot closer to being a high-revving Honda than any Evo/STI. If you enjoyed your ITR and are looking for something similar in a RWD package, you'll like it. But if you hated revving out your ITR just to keep up with traffic, you'll probably dislike the this car at least on the street.

They are just too different to compare the two platforms. I had an Evo 2 and Evo 3; very good power, lightweight, very nibble and could hang with almost anything in terms of handling. I've been in some high power Evos before and they are fun but you also have to build the handling after that to control it. One of my friends has a 670hp Evo X running on E85 that thing is a beast to control, super fun.

In terms of AWD handling and power the Evo out of the box is an awesome machine, damn near perfect, but that is the type of platform you have to be looking for.

In terms of RWD handing and controllable swing the ass out fun the 86 is an awesome machine; but again this has to be the type of platform you want.

I'm not saying you cant swing the ass end of an Evo around but it takes a hell of a lot of skill to initiate and keep it going right and not end up in a pole.

Having owned an Evo 3 which is light, has good power, and the AWD handling, sometimes I miss that type of driving. When I took a fast sharp turn in the Evo it was clean, you point in that direction and it goes, no ass out, little to no under or oversteer. Three wheels on the pavement, so what it still went.

When I run with my Evo friends now they always talk about how much more drifting, or the back end poking out I'm doing then them, sometimes its intentional but most times its not. That is the fun of the 86 platform over the Evo, you can easily control a drift or poke the ass out a little at low speeds. In no way do I keep up with them on straights but its OK.

In the long run, I want to import an Evo 3 when they be legal. So ill have both the FR-S and Evo 3. I think its a good combo.

How on earth have you gone through 3 Evos in 9 years? Trade them in early for the same thing? Upgraded? Wrecked?

I went from a 2011 Evo X MR to a 2013 BRZ. I don't regret it.

The Evo is plenty fast (for me) in stock form, and the paddle shifters are actually pretty great. The AWD system makes you feel like Superman. And on top of that, the exterior styling is rad.

But all things considered, it's a big, noisy, and somewhat uncomfortable car, it gets abysmal MPG, and it's just not as connected to the road as the BRZ is. So I never found canyon carving to be as rewarding as it is in the BRZ. The BRZ may be slow by comparison, but even on the track, it's a much more fun car to drive.

I miss my Evo, but I wouldn't trade the BRZ to get it back.

traded in the evo for a brz today. thanks to the insight guys

Tcoat - upgrade from 03 vii to 05 viii to a 11 evox

Just curious...do you gain money or break even by trading in an evo?

your insight was very valuable to my decision. In the future i would probably keep the frs as a track toy and use a A3 as daily

Break even. However, i didnt give them my rims, instead i gave them some crappy aftermarket wheels with winter tires and a wingless trunk instead of my summer wheels and varis wing. They getting the car as it with bolt ons and a fresh tune that was done last week.

Glad I could help. BTW there's lots of good information in the Track section of the forum. http://www.ft86club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=39

And some helpful stickies you might want to skim through:

Guide to track-prep: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25485
Track Q&A: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=38926
Reviews on brake pads: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=23680
Pedal dance discussion: http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25494

Where on earth did you get your hands on an 03 and 05?