Evo IX: Stock versus Turbo XS Exhaust & Flash Tune

I know that there is a bit of interest out there about the sort of gains which can be made on the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution engines with just the fitment of an aftermarket exhaust. In fact, the gains which can be made are quite substantial. Moreover, I have proof.

Here is a comparison of a stock Evo IX engine and the same engine fitted with a 3 inch Turbo XS exhaust and a flash tuned ECU.

The latter combination yields a 26% gain in maximum power. Most notable, however, is the massive gain in torque across the entire rev range. On the street or on the circuit, this would result in a much more flexible and useable engine.

Flex Fuel Testing on Mitsubishi Evo 9

These are the results of preliminary testing of our Flex Fuel test car, a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9.

So what is Flex Fuel? It is a system which allows you to run E100 (100% ethanol) or 98 RON unleaded petrol or anywhere in between on the same car with the same fuel system.


The test car is an Evo 9. In order to manage wide range of parameters of the flex fuel system, it is fitted with a wideband O2 sensor, fuel composition meter, Insight Motorsports Evo twin pump upgrade, ViPEC V88 ECU, Xspurt 1000 injectors, fuel pump controller and digital individual cylinder knock control.


The test engine is an 124000 km old Evo 9 engine (as per the photo) that is totally standard mechanically apart from the aforementioned support system improvements and a Turbo XS 3 inch exhaust.

Once more road testing with varying levels of fuel composition is completed, we will replace the wastegate actuator since it has been limiting the boost due to its age (original turbo remember). We expect the engine to run about 20 psi, which from our experience should produce close to 260 kW ATW on E100.

The next step will be to install an adjustable fuel pressure regulator to allow for an increase in fuel pressure. This will allow higher injector flow capacity and therefore more boost.

Flex Fuel kits will be offered from early 2011.


This particular car has a 700 hp race engine ready for installation and will also be setup with Flex Fuel.

Jim Hunter Motorsport Subaru WRX Wins Eastern Creek 8 Hour

The Jim Hunter Motorsport Subaru WRX, driven by Jim Hunter, Gavin Bulla and Barton Mawer, has won the inaugural Eastern Creek 8 Hour. At the end of a grueling and action packed 249 laps, the Jim Hunter Motorsport team was ahead by a single lap.

The WRX was running the new Cosworth plug-in ECU, the first in Australia, and was tuned by Insight Motorsports' Scott Kuhner. Congratulations to all involved in this landmark victory.

Check out the official press release.

Twin Pump Kit for Evo X - Coming Soon!

We will have an upgraded in-tank fuel pump kit for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X ready early next year. The similar to the existing kits for earlier Lancer Evolutions, the Evo 10 kit will feature twin upgraded in-tank fuel pumps mounted on a bracket engineered by Insight Motorsports.

These photos of the product in the development stage should give you an idea of the precise fitment and finish we are striving for in the final product.

Stay tuned!

The R35 GT-R's Blue Suspension

You learn something new everyday or so the saying goes.

Well, here is something which you might not have known. The R35 GT-R's shock absorbers are blue.

OK, so it is not ground breaking news. Nonetheless, it caught me by surprise the other day when we had our R35 test mule up on the hoist to fit the HKS GT600 kit. I expected that the dampers would be matt black. I did not expect that a production car, particularly one of the GT-R's calibre would have shock absorbers that looked so "aftermarket". But really, it should not come as a surprise because the shocks are in fact "aftermarket", being Bilstein items, albeit fitted as standard from the factory.

I would not have thought that a coat of black paint would have been to much to ask though...

Stock R35 GT-R - Dyno Power Run

To put these numbers in perspective:

Model? Nissan R35 GT-R

Modifications? None

Fuel used? 98 RON pump fuel

Why the flat spot is the mid range? Not sure. That’s the way Nissan made it. The tune was massively rich; so, this would more than likely explain it. It was literally choking on fuel.

Is the boost really that low? Yes, it is.

Is the engine really still making power when the limiter cuts in or did you stop to avoid the 180km/h limiter? It closed the throttle on me (i.e. it hit the rev limiter).

This is just the beginning. The workshop is beginning to get overcrowded with R35 GT-R parts ready for testing, including the HKS GT600 and GT800 kits and a titanium exhaust system. Stay tuned!

Insight Motorsports Dry Sump Systems

We are excited to say that we have two new dry sump systems available. The first is designed for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. The second is a “generic”, but more extreme race kit.

The Insight Motorsports engineering team has been busy developing a range of high end products for the performance Evo market.  Over the past 18 months we have been actively working on a dry sump system which we feel will be the most complete and highest quality system on the market.  Our system incorporates a CNC billet plate which takes the place of the original oil pump and includes upgraded oil passages for improved flow.

The test version of our system saw action at Superlap 2009 at Oran Park the Tilton Interiors/InsightMotorsports Evo 9 RS, with blistering results. Since then, we have made many improvements and the kits have undergone rigorous in-house testing.

For starters, the new kit has engineering to bypass the original oil pump drive and strengthened pulley support for the timing belt idler.

Furthermore, the Peterson 3 stage pump has been upgraded to a new R4 4 stage pump. This will be used by a second Tilton Interiors/Insight Motorsports Evo 9, which has yet to race. Many of you would have seen the first TI/IM white Evo 9, which has been quite successful, with wins under its belt at Oran Park and Eastern Creek. The second TI/IM silver Evo 9 is a step up again. We are going to need some nicknames for these two. At the moment, it is just New Evo and Old Evo, which is a bit harsh towards Old Evo considering that she is the same model as New Evo.

If a 4 stage pump is not enough, we can offer a 6 stage pump which will be used as a part of an all out race kit. Scott Kuhner will be fitting this to his famous Datsun Stanza. Scott already has a sub 9 second pass under his belt at the helm of the Stanza and will hopefully be returning to Sydney International Dragway very soon. Scott has promised me some pictures of the build of his Stanza. I will get them up here very soon.

The kit includes:

• Dry sump pump, screw type – 4 stage Peterson R4 for Evo or 6 stage for race kit 
• Front oil pump bypass plate and balance shaft elimination – CNC machined billet aluminium 
• Sump pan with internal pan scavenge cross over – CNC machined billet aluminium 
• Windage tray 
• ATI race harmonic balancer and spline drive - same as original design 
• Replacement oil pump idler and bearing assembly. 
• All associated fittings and oil filter fitting and adapters.

Check it out here.