What should I do to be on the safe side?

[DSMEVOLUTION]

Well i've had my 05 GSR for about 2 weeks now and the customization bug is getting to me quick. The first thing I need to do is remove the damn dealer label on my trunk, it's driving me crazy. Then i want to get the Uk evo 8 badge for the trunk. I'm thinking of tinting the windows because that's also driving me nuts. Now I usually don't go for looks over performance but this is my first new car and I'd like to keep that long warranty for as long as possible. The thing that really pisses me off about the evo is the fact that the wheel gap in the front is so much larger than in the rear. I would love to lower the car but I lowered my 1995 tsi and i'm just getting to old and too sick of driving around in a lowered car and having to be careful at every pothole and steep driveway. If i was able to just put an intake and exhaust on my car i'd be happy. Just for some basic extra power and gas mileage and not to mention some sound. The damn car is so quite it really amazes me that I can't even hear the bov!!! Now if i put just an open air filter on ym car and a catback will it void the vehicle warranty? Or is it dealer specific? I live in the Chicago area and I bought my car from Schaumburg Mitsubishi.

[Warrtalon]

Some places would frown upon replacing the stock air box while others would not. Most would not have any problem with the cat-back, because there's no reason to.

Unfortunately, if you do an intake and a cat-back, your net gain will probably be $0 for a car that has a loud exhaust and that allows you to hear your BOV. We (most of us) frown upon such mods, because they cost you money for no gain...only to achieve sound. The method I use for modding/tuning is very inexpensive and ONLY touches on the parts that will give the most gain for the least money. It is not recommended to install an intake without a tune of some sort, such as a flash. Please don't make the same mistake that hundreds upon HUNDREDS of other Evo owners have made. Just take a long hard look at my mod list, then look at the results, and think about it. I have spent less than $1000 on my power mods, and for you to mimic the same parts would only cost you $1500 for a car that can do 12-flat (12.2 on pump). Now, I realize you want to keep the warranty. I was the same way, which is why I did a cat-back, safc, drop-in filter, mr dv, and mbc at first. When going to the dealership, I would remove the SAFC (2mins), MR DV (5mins), and MBC (30-40mins). I did that for about a year, because it allowed me to be fast when racing but warranty-safe when getting service done (cat-back/drop-in only). I eventually started getting sponsored parts and gave up on that, especially since I went the first 12 months with no reason to make any warranty claims despite no less than 30 different racing events.

Based on my experiences, I have developed what I call the Warrtalon Staged Packages (like Buschur, AMS, etc) that are strictly designed to spend the least money for the most power, but with high quality parts (not ebay stuff). For people local to me, it only costs them $1530 to purchase and install all these parts while including a custom mail-in flash. The end result puts them exactly where I am modding-wise except for my old SAFC left over from my DSM days. I don't even use it on pump gas, so it's not even an issue.

Food for thought...think about it.

[DSMEVOLUTION]

Well I can care less what "other people" on this forum frown upon. If I did I wouldn't own an evo. However I definitely do agree with you. I have a lot of experience with dsm's so i'm using much of my knowledge from previously owning a 95 tsi. I know a catback will really not get much gain but I am looking for sound right now because the downpipe will just come later. But having a 3 inch catback will give some gain it's not accurate at all to say "0" gain. Now what i'm confused about is why would having an open filter element be bad? It is going to gain power but why would it be a mistake other than voiding the warranty? Thats the most basic mod anybody uses on a vehicle. The stock air boxes just don't breathe as well as an open element. But if you can explain this to me I might understand.

[turbolarry]

Originally Posted by DSMEVOLUTION

Now what i'm confused about is why would having an open filter element be bad? It is going to gain power but why would it be a mistake other than voiding the warranty? Thats the most basic mod anybody uses on a vehicle. The stock air boxes just don't breathe as well as an open element. But if you can explain this to me I might understand.

I'm always glad to see someone from the DSM world.
The only "mistake" in slapping on a filter, would be that it might not run right. Every car is different (as you know) and some have put on a full intake with no problems, while I've seen a stock MR put in a K&N panel fiter in the stock box only to run like ass ( ). If you really want it, your just going to have to try it and see what happens.
Our stock boxes are accually not bad (flow wise) and it keeps the inlet temps down. Any power gains are going to be minimal. I know open filters always going to show gains on a dyno, but keep in mind; the hood is open so it's not sucking in hot air. In the real world; there's summer time, the hood is down, and your filter is sucking in 115* underhood air. That's why an open filter would be bad.
I was in your shoes too though, I missed hearing my turbo spool, so I broke down and got a filter. I love hearing my turbo.


P.S.
I did monitor my inlet temps at the filter to see the differences between the box and a filter this summer. On the hot days I'd see 115* with the filter, while the box would rearly crack 100*

[DSMEVOLUTION]

Ok well I guess I should get a drop in filter just to be on the safe side as far as warranty is concerned and performance. I know K&N is always trustworthy but how is the HKS panel filter? Is it really even worth getting a different brand drop in filter as opposed to the stocker?

[Warrtalon]

Originally Posted by DSMEVOLUTION

Well I can care less what "other people" on this forum frown upon. If I did I wouldn't own an evo. However I definitely do agree with you. I have a lot of experience with dsm's so i'm using much of my knowledge from previously owning a 95 tsi. I know a catback will really not get much gain but I am looking for sound right now because the downpipe will just come later. But having a 3 inch catback will give some gain it's not accurate at all to say "0" gain. Now what i'm confused about is why would having an open filter element be bad? It is going to gain power but why would it be a mistake other than voiding the warranty? Thats the most basic mod anybody uses on a vehicle. The stock air boxes just don't breathe as well as an open element. But if you can explain this to me I might understand.

I was not pleased by this response, so I will hold my tongue and let you do what you want to do so that you can learn the hard way. I've had 3 DSMs, all of which went 12.5 or faster, but I didn't presume to think I knew what was best for the Evo. I listened and learned, then spent my money very wisely. You can see the results down below where I've only spent $925 on power mods and another $500 on the clutch. I'll say it again...a cat-back + intake will probably give you close to 0 net gain. I'm not blowing smoke out of my rear. Feel free to try it.

[turbolarry]

Originally Posted by DSMEVOLUTION

Is it really even worth getting a different brand drop in filter as opposed to the stocker?

The biggest reason for me to get the K&N panel over a stocker was that I only had to pay for it once. I've never used HKS' filters. Are they washable/reuseable?

[Warrtalon]

Originally Posted by turbolarry

The biggest reason for me to get the K&N panel over a stocker was that I only had to pay for it once. I've never used HKS' filters. Are they washable/reuseable?

No, HKS filters are not reusable, so the lower cost is misleading.

[rammsteinmatt]

and HKS reccommends replacing them something crazy like every 5k miles.