Cutting through the crap on mods for Outlander
#1
05-15-2005, 10:59 PM
Cutting through the crap on mods for Outlander
Hi All,
I'm in the market for an Outlander. The local Mitsubishi dealer let me test drive one overnight and the wife and I spent a bit of time driving around the local area. I live in the hills that surround Adelaide, Australia and was keen to see how the Outlander handled the steep hill and tight curves, as I have to drive them everyday.
I should mention that in Australia the Outlander is only avaliable in AWD with an auto transmission. There are 3 models to choose from but they just vary the trim levels and various interior/exterior options. The only difference that really matters is the top of the range VRX model has a "sports tuned" suspension, although I'm not sure what has been changed on that model, although I think it does sit slightly lower.
Anyway ... I was expecting the car to be a slug, and we only took it for a drive because the wife loves the look of them. I have been looking at Subaru Forester, Subaru Liberty, Honda Euro, Mazda 6 ... blah, blah the list goes on. My preferred specs for a car are, AWD, Manual, Wagon and not a slug. So back to the Outlander. I was pleasantly surprised how nippy the Outlander is. I think the Mivec engine does a great job and the trans, for an auto, wasn't bad.
However, the gear ratio's weren't the best for the hills. I found I spent 90% of my time in second gear. The trans locks you out of changing down to first unless you are crawling along so you end up working second from about 25kpm (15mph) hour (coming out of a hairpin) and trying to pull up a steep incline. I also found you would endup running second gear upto 80 kph (50mph) which is a wide spread of the engine revs and naturally the engine can't pull accross the entire rev range.
To continue... to date my biggest concern with the Outlander is it needs an extra gear. I wish they had the manual AWD here in Australia, I think I would be pretty happy with that. But at least they should make it a 5 speed and close the ratio's up a bit.
I think I will contract the Mitsibishi Australia and complain that they don't bring the manual to Australia.
So despite all that, I'm still considering an Outlander but think I would need to make some mods to improve the general performance (probably looking for more torque than anything).
Having read the various posts in this forum it looks like a few of you are happy with modified intake and an exhaust...but I have some questions.. (now we are getting to the point of this post).
A) What air intake mods are people running? (Sports filter, CAI, etc..)
B) How much of the exhaust have people changed? (Rear pipe, Cat back, extractors back?) What is necessary to make a real difference (looking at performace, not intersted in sound).
C) Do you or don't you need to chip it? (Seems to be a bone of contention on the forum as to whether it makes a difference). I consider intake and exhaust to be minor mods so if the stock ECU can adapt that's great. There appears to be 2 types of chips available, one requiring sending the ECU in for mods and the other is a piggy back ECU. However, I haven't seen any real data on what to expect with either type. What have people ACTUALLY tried and what did/do you think.
Does the above pretty much sum up the available mods without pulling the engine apart or adding a turbo/supercharger?
If you have made it this far through the post, thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Richo.
PS. I'm not concerned about warranty.
I'm in the market for an Outlander. The local Mitsubishi dealer let me test drive one overnight and the wife and I spent a bit of time driving around the local area. I live in the hills that surround Adelaide, Australia and was keen to see how the Outlander handled the steep hill and tight curves, as I have to drive them everyday.
I should mention that in Australia the Outlander is only avaliable in AWD with an auto transmission. There are 3 models to choose from but they just vary the trim levels and various interior/exterior options. The only difference that really matters is the top of the range VRX model has a "sports tuned" suspension, although I'm not sure what has been changed on that model, although I think it does sit slightly lower.
Anyway ... I was expecting the car to be a slug, and we only took it for a drive because the wife loves the look of them. I have been looking at Subaru Forester, Subaru Liberty, Honda Euro, Mazda 6 ... blah, blah the list goes on. My preferred specs for a car are, AWD, Manual, Wagon and not a slug. So back to the Outlander. I was pleasantly surprised how nippy the Outlander is. I think the Mivec engine does a great job and the trans, for an auto, wasn't bad.
However, the gear ratio's weren't the best for the hills. I found I spent 90% of my time in second gear. The trans locks you out of changing down to first unless you are crawling along so you end up working second from about 25kpm (15mph) hour (coming out of a hairpin) and trying to pull up a steep incline. I also found you would endup running second gear upto 80 kph (50mph) which is a wide spread of the engine revs and naturally the engine can't pull accross the entire rev range.
To continue... to date my biggest concern with the Outlander is it needs an extra gear. I wish they had the manual AWD here in Australia, I think I would be pretty happy with that. But at least they should make it a 5 speed and close the ratio's up a bit.
I think I will contract the Mitsibishi Australia and complain that they don't bring the manual to Australia.So despite all that, I'm still considering an Outlander but think I would need to make some mods to improve the general performance (probably looking for more torque than anything).
Having read the various posts in this forum it looks like a few of you are happy with modified intake and an exhaust...but I have some questions.. (now we are getting to the point of this post).
A) What air intake mods are people running? (Sports filter, CAI, etc..)
B) How much of the exhaust have people changed? (Rear pipe, Cat back, extractors back?) What is necessary to make a real difference (looking at performace, not intersted in sound).
C) Do you or don't you need to chip it? (Seems to be a bone of contention on the forum as to whether it makes a difference). I consider intake and exhaust to be minor mods so if the stock ECU can adapt that's great. There appears to be 2 types of chips available, one requiring sending the ECU in for mods and the other is a piggy back ECU. However, I haven't seen any real data on what to expect with either type. What have people ACTUALLY tried and what did/do you think.
Does the above pretty much sum up the available mods without pulling the engine apart or adding a turbo/supercharger?
If you have made it this far through the post, thanks for reading.
Cheers,
Richo.
PS. I'm not concerned about warranty.
#2
05-16-2005, 11:59 AM
RE: Cutting through the crap on mods for Outlander
welcome!
interesting, i would have thought that aussies would get the airtrek (which is the euro/asia version of the outlander). that has manual plus a turbo in it already!
as for question A: weapon r is the only company make intake specifically for outlander (as far as ive seen) and the filter isnt great on it. Im getting it just for the pipe and changing the filter to K&N.
for B: exhaust has to be a custom job here as well, none made specifically for outtie. BUT ive been told that you can just get the cat back done and that should be suffcient in getting a bit more power.
for C: I have a friend that has chipped 3 out of 4 of his cars, he recommends the chip that requires you to send it out. but from what the guys have said here, if you just plan on putting bolt on mods (intake and exhaust) you can reset the ecu just by removing the battery for about an hour or so.
yea more than likely any other mods/upgrades have to be custom fabricated, however if you do plan on doing engine work, the MiVEC is common (Cams, crankshaft, pistons and rings, connecting rods, etc)
interesting, i would have thought that aussies would get the airtrek (which is the euro/asia version of the outlander). that has manual plus a turbo in it already!
as for question A: weapon r is the only company make intake specifically for outlander (as far as ive seen) and the filter isnt great on it. Im getting it just for the pipe and changing the filter to K&N.
for B: exhaust has to be a custom job here as well, none made specifically for outtie. BUT ive been told that you can just get the cat back done and that should be suffcient in getting a bit more power.
for C: I have a friend that has chipped 3 out of 4 of his cars, he recommends the chip that requires you to send it out. but from what the guys have said here, if you just plan on putting bolt on mods (intake and exhaust) you can reset the ecu just by removing the battery for about an hour or so.
yea more than likely any other mods/upgrades have to be custom fabricated, however if you do plan on doing engine work, the MiVEC is common (Cams, crankshaft, pistons and rings, connecting rods, etc)
#5
05-16-2005, 05:06 PM
RE: Cutting through the crap on mods for Outlander
A) What air intake mods are people running? (Sports filter, CAI, etc..)
--->street / sports air intake system...even a homemade one, just to extract more power.
B) How much of the exhaust have people changed? (Rear pipe, Cat back, extractors back?) What is necessary to make a real difference (looking at performace, not intersted in sound).
---->2 1/2 cat system ( no resonator, improved top end)
C) Do you or don't you need to chip it? (Seems to be a bone of contention on the forum as to whether it makes a difference). I consider intake and exhaust to be minor mods so if the stock ECU can adapt that's great. There appears to be 2 types of chips available, one requiring sending the ECU in for mods and the other is a piggy back ECU. However, I haven't seen any real data on what to expect with either type. What have people ACTUALLY tried and what did/do you think.
---->haven't chipped the brain yet, but so far stock is a o.k. and its workin fine w/ my mods.
Does the above pretty much sum up the available mods without pulling the engine apart or adding a turbo/supercharger?
---->hmmm??
--->street / sports air intake system...even a homemade one, just to extract more power.
B) How much of the exhaust have people changed? (Rear pipe, Cat back, extractors back?) What is necessary to make a real difference (looking at performace, not intersted in sound).
---->2 1/2 cat system ( no resonator, improved top end)
C) Do you or don't you need to chip it? (Seems to be a bone of contention on the forum as to whether it makes a difference). I consider intake and exhaust to be minor mods so if the stock ECU can adapt that's great. There appears to be 2 types of chips available, one requiring sending the ECU in for mods and the other is a piggy back ECU. However, I haven't seen any real data on what to expect with either type. What have people ACTUALLY tried and what did/do you think.
---->haven't chipped the brain yet, but so far stock is a o.k. and its workin fine w/ my mods.
Does the above pretty much sum up the available mods without pulling the engine apart or adding a turbo/supercharger?
---->hmmm??
#6
05-17-2005, 02:12 AM
RE: Cutting through the crap on mods for Outlander
Thanks for all the responses. From what I can tell, those of you who have applied intake and exhaust mods are happy with the imporvements and relatively statisfied that the Outlander performs well enough for your expectations.
Now I'm never going to expect to start drag racing Subaru Forester XT turbos (test drove one, boy they move). But that's fine, just need it to drive well in the hills.
I wish we did get the Airtek Turbo downunder, but alas the model range Mitsubishi decided to import is fairly limited. Hopefully since local sales of Mitsubishis have really picked up they can see forward to expand the range. Although I won't hold my breath. Australia has a fairly small automotive market, only 76,330 new cars sold last month for all of Australia. Because we have serveral local manufactures there are tight controls on imported models to protect the local industry. It's a pity local made cars are crap.
Now I'm never going to expect to start drag racing Subaru Forester XT turbos (test drove one, boy they move). But that's fine, just need it to drive well in the hills.
I wish we did get the Airtek Turbo downunder, but alas the model range Mitsubishi decided to import is fairly limited. Hopefully since local sales of Mitsubishis have really picked up they can see forward to expand the range. Although I won't hold my breath. Australia has a fairly small automotive market, only 76,330 new cars sold last month for all of Australia. Because we have serveral local manufactures there are tight controls on imported models to protect the local industry. It's a pity local made cars are crap.
#8
05-21-2005, 05:23 AM
RE: Cutting through the crap on mods for Outlander
I also have an Outlander it is a VRX.
traded HSV 5.7L on it and boy do i miss the power.
I also live in the Adelaide Hills.
Yes it is a bit gutless coming up the freeway, but is very nippy around town.
I would like to upgrade the performance , but there is a limited amount of info in Australia.
Ken
traded HSV 5.7L on it and boy do i miss the power.
I also live in the Adelaide Hills.
Yes it is a bit gutless coming up the freeway, but is very nippy around town.
I would like to upgrade the performance , but there is a limited amount of info in Australia.
Ken
#9
05-21-2005, 10:16 AM
RE: Cutting through the crap on mods for Outlander
Hi Zoolander,
Going from a HSV to a Outlander would have been a rude shock it power department. But I bet the fuel bill is a bit better. (For the International observers, the HSV is a peformance version of the locally made large sedan with the chevy 5.7L V8 in it. Available in various power outputs from 250Kw upto 300Kw I believe).
What colour is your VRX. I'm thinking of the Black, I love the look of these. (Again for the International viewers .. the VRX is fully colour coded and has minor body kit parts amongst other goodies...they look awesome on the road, check out some pics. here http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/...jsp?groupId=22 )
If you do do some mods let me know what you think. I was thinking a high flow reusable are filter element would be a good start. I was surprised to find on my V6 Audi this simple mod made a noticable imporvement to midrange power. Not sure who makes drop in replacements, but K&N is a good place to start looking.
I also reckon the exhaust is worth trying, just get a local shop to make something up. D&T have a good reputation here in Adelaide, I know people who have had good results on other vehicles with them. http://www.dtperformance.com.au Make sure they use the orginal mounts and make sure you keep your old exhaust. Any impeding warranty claims, just swap the original back on. This is easier for me as I'm a ex-motor mechanic so service my own cars anyway (the dealer will only ever see it for warranty claims).
If I do get a Outlander I would be interested to get a few dyno tests done to measure the actual improvements of specific mods. Would need to negotiate a good deal with the local tuner because dyno runs can be expensive as I would need to test after each mod!
I rang Mitsubishi Australia during the week and got the mailing address of the person to contact about getting the manual Outlander bought to Australia. If you are interested in this (I know you probably only had the VRX for a short time) send them a letter.
Product Planner Outlander
Mitsubishi Motors Australia
P.O box 8
Melrose Park, SA, 5039
I have written the letter and put it in the envelope with stamp. Forgot to stop on the way home from work Friday, hopefully remeber tommorrow to post it.
Going from a HSV to a Outlander would have been a rude shock it power department. But I bet the fuel bill is a bit better. (For the International observers, the HSV is a peformance version of the locally made large sedan with the chevy 5.7L V8 in it. Available in various power outputs from 250Kw upto 300Kw I believe).
What colour is your VRX. I'm thinking of the Black, I love the look of these. (Again for the International viewers .. the VRX is fully colour coded and has minor body kit parts amongst other goodies...they look awesome on the road, check out some pics. here http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com.au/...jsp?groupId=22 )
If you do do some mods let me know what you think. I was thinking a high flow reusable are filter element would be a good start. I was surprised to find on my V6 Audi this simple mod made a noticable imporvement to midrange power. Not sure who makes drop in replacements, but K&N is a good place to start looking.
I also reckon the exhaust is worth trying, just get a local shop to make something up. D&T have a good reputation here in Adelaide, I know people who have had good results on other vehicles with them. http://www.dtperformance.com.au Make sure they use the orginal mounts and make sure you keep your old exhaust. Any impeding warranty claims, just swap the original back on. This is easier for me as I'm a ex-motor mechanic so service my own cars anyway (the dealer will only ever see it for warranty claims).
If I do get a Outlander I would be interested to get a few dyno tests done to measure the actual improvements of specific mods. Would need to negotiate a good deal with the local tuner because dyno runs can be expensive as I would need to test after each mod!
I rang Mitsubishi Australia during the week and got the mailing address of the person to contact about getting the manual Outlander bought to Australia. If you are interested in this (I know you probably only had the VRX for a short time) send them a letter.
Product Planner Outlander
Mitsubishi Motors Australia
P.O box 8
Melrose Park, SA, 5039
I have written the letter and put it in the envelope with stamp. Forgot to stop on the way home from work Friday, hopefully remeber tommorrow to post it.