So I have been doing little bits and pieces to my Evo since I got it last March. I decided to go a little cheaper (well really cheap) on wheels and tires so I could do something about the body roll, wheel gap, and overall handling of the car. Don't get me wrong, the car handles great stock, but I felt that it could get a little better.
I pulled the trigger on Swift Spec R's about a week ago and then installed them last night. They were easy enough to install, took about 3 hours, got very messy and then the car rolled out the shop. I have driven on them about 60 miles so far. From the shop to the house, back to the shop this morning, and then I took the "long" way home.
1. Handling: There is still a tad of body roll left, but once the car gets set into the corner, it feel much crisper and more precise. I am still without a proper alignment, but the turn in seems to have gotten alot better. The car feels a little more biased towards the rear than before, even though the specs would suggest differently (the rates were still a little higher in the rear than the front on the stock springs). The car overall handles better, very pleased.
2. Ride: The EVO X doesn't ride like a cadillac, but face it, its a sports car. This being said, I didn't want to completely kill the ride, as this is my daily driver and I drive 40 miles a day on the interstate on crappy Louisiana roads. The ride is very similar to stock, just a little firmer over the rough stuff. The front end doesn't raise nearly as much as it did before under acceleration. I am driving it 70 miles tonight to Lafayette, so we shall see if my previous impressions of the ride stay the same. So far, very pleased here as well.
3. Appearance: I love the look of a slammed car, but after putting up with them for 7 years, I wasn't too interested in dragging the bottom of my car off on crap Louisiana roads. I feel the look is OEM+. It has a 2 1/2 finger gap and sits level now. I quite like the look of the car, and was able to cross some large speed bumps this morning without issue. If you didn't know these cars, you would almost say it wasn't lowered. However, I like the look and thats all that matters. Pleased x3!
Over all I am initially very pleased with the Spec R's. If you want to slam your Evo, maybe you should look elsewhere, but if you are looking for a spring set that makes your car more enjoyable to drive and livable day to day, you should really consider these springs.
Thanks to David @ hybridracing.com for giving me a great deal! These guys are primarily a Honda type shop, but David did a great job of find some mitsu parts for me! They came in very quickly and they had excellent customer service!
I knowww... pics. They will come once my car is clean and I have time; hopefully tomorrow! I will also give some feedback in a couple weeks once I get some good break in on them.
-David
