ShakeyJake188's 555bhp Tommi Makinen Edition
Discussion
Hi Guys,
After reading other readers rides threads I though I would write one up for my new car which I have had since April. I have owned a few Evo's previously the first being a Evo 8 GSR in black with 385bhp when I was 21, a fresh import Evo 6 TME in white which I imported myself from Japan in totally standard condition and more recently an Evo 5 in white (another fresh import).
Previous 8
Previous 6TME & 5
Previous 5 in action
As you can see i'm not one to shy away from trackdays so you can see where this thread is heading.........
I put a wanted ad up on the MLR forum looking for a high spec fast Evo, it's something that I've wanted since evo's began but unfortunately high insurance has always put a stop to that with my last 2 Evos being near standard I was itching to get more power! Now, I'm getting older, a few extra years no claims and experience of evo ownership the insurance companies are happy and I finally got a sensible quote for a faster Evo!
Nothing for sale really got me interested, when a good car goes up for sale it's often bought by car dealers who will re-advertise it a week later with thousands added onto the price. Luckily my wanted ad was well received with more cars than I expected offered, but one really stood out, Evoedd's TME.
Why did it stand out? Full underside restoration (which is a huge expense!) re-spayed bodywork, fresh engine build by norris designs and a new Norris designs 5.5 precision turbo kit. Sound good? Hell yes! Theirs more..... Ohlins R&T suspension, Evo 9 RS plated rear diff and a AP Racing 362mm big brake kit.
Obviously a deposit was sent pretty swiftly and the trip from Newcastle to Dorset organized. A quick 6 hour train trip I collected it and it's had me smiling from ear to ear since!
I really wanted to do this thread the give the previous owner credit for this fantastic car and the dedication (and money) that has gone into it over the years of his ownership. I'll also keep it upto date with things i've been doing in it.
So, we will start with the underside restoration. In pictures!
After reading other readers rides threads I though I would write one up for my new car which I have had since April. I have owned a few Evo's previously the first being a Evo 8 GSR in black with 385bhp when I was 21, a fresh import Evo 6 TME in white which I imported myself from Japan in totally standard condition and more recently an Evo 5 in white (another fresh import).
Previous 8
Previous 6TME & 5
Previous 5 in action
As you can see i'm not one to shy away from trackdays so you can see where this thread is heading.........
I put a wanted ad up on the MLR forum looking for a high spec fast Evo, it's something that I've wanted since evo's began but unfortunately high insurance has always put a stop to that with my last 2 Evos being near standard I was itching to get more power! Now, I'm getting older, a few extra years no claims and experience of evo ownership the insurance companies are happy and I finally got a sensible quote for a faster Evo!
Nothing for sale really got me interested, when a good car goes up for sale it's often bought by car dealers who will re-advertise it a week later with thousands added onto the price. Luckily my wanted ad was well received with more cars than I expected offered, but one really stood out, Evoedd's TME.
Why did it stand out? Full underside restoration (which is a huge expense!) re-spayed bodywork, fresh engine build by norris designs and a new Norris designs 5.5 precision turbo kit. Sound good? Hell yes! Theirs more..... Ohlins R&T suspension, Evo 9 RS plated rear diff and a AP Racing 362mm big brake kit.
Obviously a deposit was sent pretty swiftly and the trip from Newcastle to Dorset organized. A quick 6 hour train trip I collected it and it's had me smiling from ear to ear since!
I really wanted to do this thread the give the previous owner credit for this fantastic car and the dedication (and money) that has gone into it over the years of his ownership. I'll also keep it upto date with things i've been doing in it.
So, we will start with the underside restoration. In pictures!
Edited by ShakeyJake188 on Tuesday 3rd October 18:05
As with many older Japanese imports they were never protected properly from the factory so they can require some work if they have been in the UK a while due to the salt used on the roads during winter, luckily the car was treated to an underside restoration and clear under sealed for protection!
Looks like this will be something special!As I mentioned I collected the car from Dorset with all this work was carried out by the previous owner, and drove the 300miles back to Newcastle and the car was faultless. I managed to take it on a run up to Hartside cafe in Alston (awesome driving roads for those who don't know) for my first proper drive out in it and it was the best car I have ever driven or been in! Ohlins suspension makes the car handle flat and level on corners but takes the bumps very well and give a very comfortable ride. The AP brakes with Carbotec pads have awesome stopping power from any speed and don't fade with very good feel hot or cold. The Norris designs Turbo kit is epic! Spool and lag don't feel much different than my standard Evo 5! Always boost when you need it and pulls you out of corners like a missile!
To summarise, I couldn't be happier with the car it's everything I have ever wanted in a Evo and is full of desirable parts and they all work together perfectly, in my eyes it's the perfect fast road spec Evo and is a hoot to drive!
Some pics from the first proper drive out which was only a few days after buying it!
To summarise, I couldn't be happier with the car it's everything I have ever wanted in a Evo and is full of desirable parts and they all work together perfectly, in my eyes it's the perfect fast road spec Evo and is a hoot to drive!
Some pics from the first proper drive out which was only a few days after buying it!
Not long after buying it I've done quite a bit of work to it. Having been driving it daily for just over a month and over 1000miles covered it just kept on getting better! It's such a capable and versatile car, it can get me to work and back or attack B-roads at warp speed!
The first thing I done was fit a HKS Kansai lower drivers seat rail for my Evo 5 which, although doesn't sound like much it improves the driving position a good amount and certainly make me more comfortable and obviously, a bit lower. About an inch at the back where your bum is.
Fitted. It was nice to see the original seats in all their glory since they hide under seat covers all the time, they have a habit bolsters easily wearing out but these are in very good condition. very rare to find them in good condition.
Unfortunately my front tyres had scrubbed the inner edge showing some cord so needed replacing. I had a bit of a debate on what to replace them with, the sensible option was to buy a pair of Eagle F1's to replace the ones that were on it but..... wanting to get on a trackday I took this as the ideal time to change to something to give it the grip to match the power. I eventually settled on Toyo R888r's based on the fact I'll take them off when the winter comes (if they last that long )
As always with fitting new tyres it was time for a wheel alignment which I got done by AK Automotive in Newcastle. Known them for a long time now and they always do a good job. I've used other places but these boys always do the best job.
We agreed on this set up.
Toyo R888r's on, unbelievable grip and not as noisy as expected!
Next job on the list was brakes, can we spot the problem?
Well, they used to be grooved discs.
One pad had warn down an awful lot more than the others too.
They were down to 28mm thick from the 32mm they are supposed to be. It turned out hard to find the discs I wanted for these, always fancied J-hook discs because the look cool and they are supposed to give better initial bite which is also what I wanted. Unfortunately, AP Racing only sell grooved discs for these but after speaking to the guys at AK automotive they mentioned they got similar discs for their Ginetta G50 from Rayland Motorsport so a quick call later and I had bought these:
I ended up going with Carbotech XP8's for pads after speaking with Ian who was more than helpful. Never fitted separate rotors before but it turned out to be easier than I thought, I must admit I expected the small bolts to be hard to remove but they only get torqued to 10 lb/ft so came out easily.
Just had to watch out for the sheep when bedding the pads and discs in
I'm more than happy with it now, stops like you're hitting a wall, accelerates like a missile and sticks like **** in the corners!
Finally, I got the car noise tested at Croft the other day and it's 104.5 dB just under the 105 dB noise limit by not a lot so the plan is to put a silenced de-cat in it.
I entered the car into the Javelin sprint series at croft so will update with a vid of that and how I got on.
Over and out,
Jake
The first thing I done was fit a HKS Kansai lower drivers seat rail for my Evo 5 which, although doesn't sound like much it improves the driving position a good amount and certainly make me more comfortable and obviously, a bit lower. About an inch at the back where your bum is.
Fitted. It was nice to see the original seats in all their glory since they hide under seat covers all the time, they have a habit bolsters easily wearing out but these are in very good condition. very rare to find them in good condition.
Unfortunately my front tyres had scrubbed the inner edge showing some cord so needed replacing. I had a bit of a debate on what to replace them with, the sensible option was to buy a pair of Eagle F1's to replace the ones that were on it but..... wanting to get on a trackday I took this as the ideal time to change to something to give it the grip to match the power. I eventually settled on Toyo R888r's based on the fact I'll take them off when the winter comes (if they last that long )
As always with fitting new tyres it was time for a wheel alignment which I got done by AK Automotive in Newcastle. Known them for a long time now and they always do a good job. I've used other places but these boys always do the best job.
We agreed on this set up.
Toyo R888r's on, unbelievable grip and not as noisy as expected!
Next job on the list was brakes, can we spot the problem?
Well, they used to be grooved discs.
One pad had warn down an awful lot more than the others too.
They were down to 28mm thick from the 32mm they are supposed to be. It turned out hard to find the discs I wanted for these, always fancied J-hook discs because the look cool and they are supposed to give better initial bite which is also what I wanted. Unfortunately, AP Racing only sell grooved discs for these but after speaking to the guys at AK automotive they mentioned they got similar discs for their Ginetta G50 from Rayland Motorsport so a quick call later and I had bought these:
I ended up going with Carbotech XP8's for pads after speaking with Ian who was more than helpful. Never fitted separate rotors before but it turned out to be easier than I thought, I must admit I expected the small bolts to be hard to remove but they only get torqued to 10 lb/ft so came out easily.
Just had to watch out for the sheep when bedding the pads and discs in
I'm more than happy with it now, stops like you're hitting a wall, accelerates like a missile and sticks like **** in the corners!
Finally, I got the car noise tested at Croft the other day and it's 104.5 dB just under the 105 dB noise limit by not a lot so the plan is to put a silenced de-cat in it.
I entered the car into the Javelin sprint series at croft so will update with a vid of that and how I got on.
Over and out,
Jake
AWG said:
They look great behind the 527's. How do you find the handling?
Handling is amazing on the back roads, can't un-stick it! just lots of grip and feels pretty well balanced and has a quick turn into corners.... very nice to drive 
In the wet it is really good too, but only when the tyres had lots of tread. Now the R888R's are low on tread they are terrible in the wet, but hey have done about 5000miles!!!
AWG said:
Is that including track days? If so I am mighty impressed!
On the road using R888r's means even driving at 80% is monumentally fast! so not really at the limits of the car.... once on track and pushing 110% it does understeer. I have been making changes to remove the understeer at the limit which I'll put in my next update. Heaveho said:
Dare say I'll see you out and about in or around Newcastle, I'm local to you, and frequent Hartside now and again. Also in an Evo, among other things.
Great looking car you've got there.
Thanks! Which Evo do you have? I might have seen it around before.... I'm always Evo spotting Great looking car you've got there.
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