I took the EVO to Buttonwillow last Monday and put it through its paces. Here's a thread I posted on the EVO forum comparing the Turbo with the EVO at Buttonwillow if anyone's interested. I know there's a few who are considering the EVO as a second car:

"I had a chance to spend a day at Buttonwillow with "my friend's" EVO MR yesterday. This was not my EVO MR, instead it was "my friend's" EVO MR that is exactly like mine. Same year, color and everything. "My friend" even has a Sparco harness bar and Schroth 6 point belt just like mine. Weird, huh? Anyways, I rented the track with 15 buddies and we sure had a great variety of cars. Here's the review:

For a bone stock car, the EVO did pretty well. As most of you know, it understeers a bit. The day abused the front tires. I started with the standard tire pressures which I think are 32 front and 29 rear? After a hot session, the fronts were up to 44 and the rears were around 36. I let 4 psi out of the fronts and left the rears where they were. In the afternoon, when it got hotter out, I had to let 2 more psi out of the fronts to get them around 40 hot. I left the rears the same all day.

The addition of a rear swaybar and some more negative camber would probably make a huge difference in the car. Most cars tend to to feel like a Cadillac once you get them on the track. When it feels stiff on the street, it'll still feel too soft on the track. The body roll was making the transitions difficult. In stock form, you have to just let the car take a set after the body rolls and then just go with it.

I definitely could've used more power too. I was pretty even with my friend's M Coupe (240hp version) going down the main straight. There was one spot on the track where the turbo lag was getting me. Through the bus stop, there's a little braking zone and a kink left. I was keeping it in fourth through there but was falling out of the sweet RPM range. Maybe third would've been better, but sometimes the extra shift just eats up time.

Driving at the track with a stock exhaust is difficult. With the windows open, and a helmet on, its tough to hear what the engine's doing.

Brakes were great. I have stock pads and fluid and they held up pretty well. A few times I felt them starting to go a little, but I just changed my braking a hair and they came back. Pretty impressive for OEM. Pads and ATE Super Blue would make them great.

The EVO is geared lower than my Porsche Turbo. I found myself topping out 4th gear at just over 100 mph and shifting to 5th just didn't make sense for how much straight was left. My Porsche does about 130 in fourth so it is setup better for Buttonwillow.

I'm not the fastest guy on the track but just as a comparison, I'm able to do 2:17 laps in the Porsche on street tires and I was able to do pretty consistent 2:24 laps in the EVO. With a few changes, I'm sure the EVO could dip below 2:20 under my piloting. Does anyone have any lap times at Buttonwillow in a modified EVO so I'll know what its capable of?

As a final comparison to the '01 Porsche Turbo, the EVO feels a bit less like a glove than the Porsche. The ergonomics in the Porsche are second to none. Everything is in the perfect spot for driving fast all day long. The shifter, the pedals, and the steering feel are so perfect in the Porsche. The shifter in the EVO could be better and the brake pedal presses too far down compared to the gas pedal for efficient heel toeing compared to the Porsche. Its not bad compared to most cars, but it could be better. Can the brake pedal be adjusted so its out a bit further? If anyone knows, please tell me. I haven't looked at it yet.

Here's some pics from the event.

Click Here For Pics

 

BTW....My EVO goes under the knife next week. I'm adding JIC coilovers and a rear swaybar, new downpipe, high-flow cat and exhaust, and new fuel pump, ECU flash and possibly a new diverter valve and injectors. Should make the car even more fun at the track.

 

for more, see the videos at the top of the page here (two modified 996 TTs too):

http://trapster.net/mpc/docs/Site/Other%20Auto.html

 

Very nice write-up Jake. The Evo MR is a blast to drive and once tweeked a little bit, can be a powerfull, little track car.