Alright, so I have a little money to spend on an upgrade for my 99 RS. I've been looking into air intakes, and I have a couple questions.

Yes, I have searched the forums, but have not quite found the answers to my questions. But anyway:

1.) Short ram or cold air? Is there going to be a drastic difference between the two, especially enough to warrant the extra $100 or so? I'm leaning towards the short ram, mostly because of the price difference; and also because its not exactly rainy where I live, but when it does, I often have to go puddle-dodging. Snow I could see being quite a bit of a problem here though.

2.) Is there even much of a gain in an RS? I haven't really seen a straight answer to this, but the general consensus seems to be that with a stock RS, the intake is going to make more of a difference with how the car sounds rather than the actual performace boost.

3.) Any brands I should specifically shop for? I've heard that the brand of the part isn't going to make too much of a difference, but I just wanted to make sure if I should just go with the lowest priced one or not.

4.) Should I just forget the intake and spend it on something else? My car does need new springs, though not like seriously. The ride has just been a tad bouncy.


5.) Also on an unrelated note, since I got my car, the paint has been gradually coming off. Not chipping, but more like wearing down, specifically on the roof, and a little bit on the rear fender. My car is black, and I've noticed two other black eclipses (one 3g, one 2g) that had the same thing with the paint wearing down. On the 3g, the paint was actually worn on the rear fender, like mine. Is this a common problem with black eclipses or just eclipses in general? Should I forget the springs and intake and totally repaint the car or touch it up? Does anyone know how much that will cost?


aight that it. Thanks

 

1.) Short ram or cold air? Is there going to be a drastic difference between the two, especially enough to warrant the extra $100 or so? I'm leaning towards the short ram, mostly because of the price difference; and also because its not exactly rainy where I live, but when it does, I often have to go puddle-dodging. Snow I could see being quite a bit of a problem here though.

Theres not a drastic diff. between the two... Certainly not enough to warrant a $100 difference in price.

2.) Is there even much of a gain in an RS? I haven't really seen a straight answer to this, but the general consensus seems to be that with a stock RS, the intake is going to make more of a difference with how the car sounds rather than the actual performace boost.

Theres not a serious gain in ANY car... let alone an RS. Yes, it will mostly improve the sound, and you MAY repeat MAY notice a small diff. in throttle response.

3.) Any brands I should specifically shop for? I've heard that the brand of the part isn't going to make too much of a difference, but I just wanted to make sure if I should just go with the lowest priced one or not.

Its basicly an aluminum tube. What company produces said aluminum tube, shouldnt make too much difference... Just avoid EBay.

4.) Should I just forget the intake and spend it on something else? My car does need new springs, though not like seriously. The ride has just been a tad bouncy.

Up to you. Which is more important? Sound or ride? lol


5.) Also on an unrelated note, since I got my car, the paint has been gradually coming off. Not chipping, but more like wearing down, specifically on the roof, and a little bit on the rear fender. My car is black, and I've noticed two other black eclipses (one 3g, one 2g) that had the same thing with the paint wearing down. On the 3g, the paint was actually worn on the rear fender, like mine. Is this a common problem with black eclipses or just eclipses in general? Should I forget the springs and intake and totally repaint the car or touch it up? Does anyone know how much that will cost?

Most black Eclipses tend to have this problem with "Kalapana black" Its an RS. If I were you, Id make it look as good as possible and sell it.

 

Even though its an RS, its not a piece of sh*t, the car still has tons of potential.
I'm tired of everyone down talking the RS and the 420A.

Theres a fair amount of stuff that can be done to the car to create a fun to drive car thats moderately quick.
Go with the short ram, but get a heat shield for because of its location it absorbs alot of engine heat.
Not all are the same though. Granted the tube is fairly similar no matter what, its the filter thats important. You'll notice slight gain from it. Mine showed an extra 4hp on the dyno.
Get a good set of headers and do a good exhaust.
Then just make the car look good, because its really easy to do with these cars.

Your struts probally need replacing, not the springs.

 

my black rs is doing the same thing paint wise its not just yours mine is BAD

 

Mitsubishi's have notoriously bad paint, in fact I believe there is even a paint TSB for em'.
My 99's rightdoor's clearcoat just melted away and now the door looks white, the rear bumper is a different, darker shade of silver.
The whole cars paint just fades.

 

in my sig if you look real close you can see it along the top of the hood and by the window on the door. why is this paint so horrible?

 

Sun damage to clear coats (especially in the sunnier climates) can be extreme. Last paint job I did on a black car, I didn't even bother with a clear coat, instead I did (literally) about 5 or 6 coats of gloss paint. Yes, I put a full gallon of paint on the car. It holds up a LOT better than a clear coat does, with a much deeper color, and minor scratches aren't a problem.

I've got a similar paint job planned for my red '95, the clear coat is flaking off in chunks. I've seen them fade and go white, but I've never seen it actually peel off before.

 

Like I said, all the black Mitsus that I have encountered have this problem... Mine does too.