On Tuesday I met up with a local racing friend to spend an afternoon with his heavily modified 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX RS. Brandon started autocrossing in 2008 with his Evolution IX MR SE which is, in plain English, the heaviest Evo IX made. While it was the perfect car to drive every day, it was far too heavy to be competitive in racing.

When he became more competitive, Brandon purchased this 2006 Evo IX RS which is the lightest model made. This is a factory “stripped” version with manual locks, windows, no stereo, no trunk lining, and no sound deadening. Although the RS didn’t outperform the MR out of the box, there was far more room for improvement.

Over the course of a few years, Brandon has turned this factory boy-racer into a serious winning competitor. Brandon recently competed in the Optima Batteries’ “Search for the Ultimate Street Car” in Laguna Seca and won first place at the same event in Gateway Motorsports Park. These achievements have earned Brandon a spot in the invitational at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in November. This car is a beast on the track, yet can still be driven on the streets. Brandon frequently cruises with this monster.

In May, Brandon took this track prepped Evo, accompanied by his wife, on a 600 mile cruise put on by a local forum. There is no better testament to “street car” than to put it on a long cruise through the windy Minnesota/Wisconsin back roads and also take home the gold in a national track event.

However, competing is not all that Brandon does. He also takes pride in coaching at local autocross events put on by the guys at RS Motors, who have helped wrench on his car. Look for this 2006 Mitsubishi Evolution IX RS on MAV TV’s Optima Batteries’ “Search for the Ultimate Street Car” premiering on August 1st!

Modification list:

Motor

  • Buschur intake and piping kit
  • Stock MAF
  • Buschur Street front mount intercooler
  • FIC 1000cc injectors
  • Twin fuel pump setup w/Hobbs switch
  • Forged pistons/rods/ARP headstuds (motor otherwise stock)
  • Forced Performance cast exhaust manifold ceramic coated
  • Tomei exhaust mani heat shield
  • Modified TME turbo with EF3 wheel
  • Perrin ceramic coated downpipe
  • Greddy titatium exhaust
  • APR carbon radiator cooling cover
  • CBRD alum radiator with lightweight fan
  • Mishimoto Evo 6 upper radiator hose
  • Poly motor mount (passenger side)
  • AMS front underbody brace with solid front motor mount
  • Shorei Power Lithium battery (16oz)
  • AC delete

Drive Train

  • Modified 5 speed with evo 8 4th gear
  • Exedy Twin Disc Clutch
  • Cusco center diff
  • JDM 12 plate rear diff
  • AMS Mustasche eliminator
  • AMS solid alum rear diff mounts

Suspension

  • Ohlins Flag Series coilovers (18K rear, 15K front)
  • Perrin PSRS
  • Whiteline Roll Center Kit
  • Perrin adjustable rear anti-sway bar with Perrin end links (stock front bar)
  • Cusco Type CB Front and Rear Strut Bars
  • Evo RS rear trunk brace (stock for RS)

Wheels/Tires/Fender mods

  • 18×10 Enkie RPF1 ET38
  • 275/35/18 BFG Rivals (200TW)
  • Trimmed front fenders and modified fender liners
  • Rear fender lip cut off (no rolling)
  • Rear Trailing links trimmed for wheel clearance
  • ARP extended stuts front
  • 20mm alum spacer front (no spacer rear)
  • Kurt Brown Racing Ceramic hubs/wheel bearings

Brakes

  • Baer Eradispeed 2 piece rotors
  • Frozen Rotor slotted replacement rings
  • Stock Calipers (Brownbo version)
  • SS brake lines
  • DTC 70 pads
  • Custom brake ducting kit 2″
  • Castrol SRF fluid

Interior

  • AutoPower bolt in cage
  • Sparco Evo seats
  • Schroth Profi II 6 point Harness
  • Sparco L777 steering wheel
  • Joes Racing roll cage steering wheel hook
  • NRG quick release adapter
  • Defi Link Avanced Control Unit
  • Defi Water Temp Gauge with warning indicator
  • Rear seat removed
  • Trunk gutted

Exterior/Aero

  • Ciro Race Design rear wing (Richard Jung)
  • Carbon fiber trunk
  • Custom aluminum mounting plates for rear wing
  • Voltex Style front bumer and sideskirts
  • ARP Evo X front splitter
  • JDM rear bumper conversion
  • Joes racing aluminum splitter/wing supports
  • 75 Designs vinyl graphics

Tuning

  • RS Motors (Ronnie Soliman) AWD Mustang Dyno on stock ECU and E85 (455awhp, 417awt)