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Hi newbie here with a question or 2 before I purchase my first DSM.

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chriswf69

Probationary Member
8
0
Jan 11, 2011
Plano, Texas
Hi guys, new to the dsm forums. I currently am looking into either a 1g eclipse (turbo'd) or an older mirage hatch with a 4g63 (t'd as well).


(((I currently have a Toyota that I was planning on tuning more, but unfortunately due to an extremely open deck engine and many other failures, I'm limited to low HP and trying to find as many weight loss mods as possible. PLUS, replacement parts for Toyota are extremely expensive. Easily 3x as expensive as what I've seen for DSMs. All costs aside, 250hp is really pushing it as a daily driver.)))

PLUS, most of the people here probably speak English and not Tagalog or some Japanese dialect like my current engine forums :|

Also, I'm still very split between the Mirage and Eclipse. I heard eclipse for control, but the mirage is dramatically lighter and... yeah this Mitsubishi will be my daily driver so the Mirage will offer good gas mileage. But I've also been told the mirage is very hard to control when it's time to have fun.


I searched around and couldn't find any pages specifically listing pros/cons to eclipse and mirage.


Also, I've done a bunch of reading on DSM 4g63s. Everything from balance rod removal pros/cons to OEM timing belt debates - but that's not what I'm looking for really. Specifically I'm looking for common or unexpected failures... I haven't found anything that has popped up on this forum too frequently.
And yeah I know the 1g engine is old, but aside from regular maintenance, is there anything I should expect down the road?


Uhm, I'm a forum junkie, so I'll be on here a bunch, reading... Always reading.

And Thanks ahead of time
I'll get back at any reply I get as soon as I can.


Chris.
 
Do not have ## dsm as a daily.
There as several people on here that will say otherwise probably agree as well. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty if ## work is done correctly and I don't cut any corners. They are somewhat reliable in my eyes.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk
 
Are these cars on craigslist or ebay? If so post up some links. Just like any other car....look for common things. Oil leaks on the motor, coolant leaks (around the firewall or under the dash as well), rust (duh), and rotted out vacuum lines.
 
definitely inspect the car before purchase. and look for any cheap hack jobs on the car. any sign of that just walk away. i would personally get any dsm that you can find for a great price. can be reliable if you keep it well maintained. but just make sure everything looks good like checking on a normal car and test drive it good to assure. dsm's are great cars and never regretted getting one. and as far as handling, look for a gsx and you wont be disappointed. good luck and welcome.
 
yeah i have 2 1g i have a 1.8 eclipse and a 2.0nt talon and i love them. but like it was stated any cheap bs repair job walk away
 
when you find the car, have a shop compression/leak down/coolant pressure checked. Take it to the shop nearest you and have them look at it. That's what i did with my new car i just bought and it turn out very good. if its a turbo car check and see shaft play on the turbo. Hope this helps
 
Do not have ## dsm as a daily.
There as several people on here that will say otherwise probably agree as well. But when it comes down to the nitty gritty if ## work is done correctly and I don't cut any corners. They are somewhat reliable in my eyes.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

DSM's make just as good a daily driver as any other car their age. I've been DDing mine for 2 years with no major problems at all. It's all about finding a clean one that hasn't been abused and even unmodified if possible. If you take the time to find a clean, low mileage one, and then do proper maintenance, you'll be happy with it as a DD (that is if you even want to DD it). It may take some time to find one that clean though. It took me almost a year to find exactly what I was looking for.
 
Are these cars on craigslist or ebay? If so post up some links. Just like any other car....look for common things. Oil leaks on the motor, coolant leaks (around the firewall or under the dash as well), rust (duh), and rotted out vacuum lines.


Uhm nope, they're coming from an almost-local DSM shop/tuner here in Texas. He's got a pretty reputable shop in my opinion. And I don't think the engine has ever really seen a mod or harsh racing/driving conditions.

Don't know if I should list his company name, wouldn't want him to get mad for some weird reason or anything. But the car was his wife's. The engine came out of a Mighty Max he had done a swap in before. The 4g in the Mighty Max stayed pure factory with the tiny intercooler, and he used the MM truck as a parts truck basically. Or as far as I know/been told.

It has a FWD limited slip transmission in the Eclipse. Though I might could get a hatchback mirage with the exact engine if I stop him before he puts it in the eclipse.

He said the mirage will jump across 3 lanes of traffic if you step on it, but another friend of mine has a mirage he built and it wasn't ever too bad.... I think.

And my HP goals aren't really over 300. 300 would be nice, but my toyota was doing 180-190hp in a 2000lb car. So it was ALMOST fast enough for me :p
Is 250-300hp a bad daily driver goal?

Thanks again guys.
Chris
 
Uhm nope, they're coming from an almost-local DSM shop/tuner here in Texas. He's got a pretty reputable shop in my opinion. And I don't think the engine has ever really seen a mod or harsh racing/driving conditions.

Don't know if I should list his company name, wouldn't want him to get mad for some weird reason or anything. But the car was his wife's. The engine came out of a Mighty Max he had done a swap in before. The 4g in the Mighty Max stayed pure factory with the tiny intercooler, and he used the MM truck as a parts truck basically. Or as far as I know/been told.

It has a FWD limited slip transmission in the Eclipse. Though I might could get a hatchback mirage with the exact engine if I stop him before he puts it in the eclipse.

He said the mirage will jump across 3 lanes of traffic if you step on it, but another friend of mine has a mirage he built and it wasn't ever too bad.... I think.

And my HP goals aren't really over 300. 300 would be nice, but my toyota was doing 180-190hp in a 2000lb car. So it was ALMOST fast enough for me :p
Is 250-300hp a bad daily driver goal?

Thanks again guys.
Chris

sounds like a red flag to me... can you be more specific or perhaps grab some pics of the mods done to the car... if the engine came out of a mighty max there is a chance it would be a tall deck block in which case it would be a miracle if that were true since im pretty sure the trans doesnt fit...:confused:

you could also do a 63 swap into the mirage which has been a proven way to go fast even with 300hp being your horsepower goal...

if it were me id grab the mirage and do a 63 swap on it, but that could take some time and energy, not too mention the number of tires you'll go through on a FWD turbo'ed car... :thumb:
 
ya get the mirage. It being FWD you dont really have to worry about losing control during wheel spin. It just wont go anywhere its not like a RWD car where the back end kicks out. Mirages are fun little cars and dont take much power to be fast
 
LOL. Dont lose control under wheel spin on FWD.....Torque steer and not able to turn period is losing control
 
LOL. Dont lose control under wheel spin on FWD.....Torque steer and not able to turn period is losing control

But as far as jumping across lanes of traffic? Or at highway speeds, would stepping on it likely cause torque steer strong enough to put me into a wall?

sounds like a red flag to me... can you be more specific or perhaps grab some pics of the mods done to the car... if the engine came out of a mighty max there is a chance it would be a tall deck block in which case it would be a miracle if that were true since im pretty sure the trans doesnt fit...:confused:

you could also do a 63 swap into the mirage which has been a proven way to go fast even with 300hp being your horsepower goal...

if it were me id grab the mirage and do a 63 swap on it, but that could take some time and energy, not too mention the number of tires you'll go through on a FWD turbo'ed car... :thumb:

Yeah my current car is FWD and I burn through tires like crazy.
But, the transmission in the Mighty Max is from a.... Explorer? Or maybe just the rear end is from an explorer... I can't remember. His lug pattern in the rear is different than in the front. I think it's like 6 lug. He says he's well known for his times he ran with his Mighty Max, but I'm pretty sure it was on a different 4g63 :pray: .
-Actually, I don't think he'll mind. It's currently owned by Brian of Mudpit Performance.

But uhm... The mirage would be killer on gas mileage.
 
But as far as jumping across lanes of traffic? Or at highway speeds, would stepping on it likely cause torque steer strong enough to put me into a wall?



Yeah my current car is FWD and I burn through tires like crazy.
But, the transmission in the Mighty Max is from a.... Explorer? Or maybe just the rear end is from an explorer... I can't remember. His lug pattern in the rear is different than in the front. I think it's like 6 lug. He says he's well known for his times he ran with his Mighty Max, but I'm pretty sure it was on a different 4g63 :pray: .
-Actually, I don't think he'll mind. It's currently owned by Brian of Mudpit Performance.

But uhm... The mirage would be killer on gas mileage.


not too sure. but im pretty sure 300hp will not be that much of an effect while actually driving the car, when its rolling. from a stop spinning defiantly an issue with a fwd. but torque steer not notorious for these cars. rwd, is a different story. too much power and you're sliding all over the highway. if i was looking in the 4g63 world, id look for a gsx, or talon tsi awd. or a clean gst or tsi fwd. i got a gst that Ive had for four years, daily driven, raced some times and seen its time of driving. to this day never a single problem that has gone wrong with it, unless caused by me. :). besides an old alternator. although ive keep maintenance up, which is common sense for any car. honestly great cars. wouldn't mind getting another in a heartbeat.
 
not too sure. but im pretty sure 300hp will not be that much of an effect while actually driving the car, when its rolling. from a stop spinning defiantly an issue with a fwd. but torque steer not notorious for these cars. rwd, is a different story. too much power and you're sliding all over the highway. if i was looking in the 4g63 world, id look for a gsx, or talon tsi awd. or a clean gst or tsi fwd. i got a gst that Ive had for four years, daily driven, raced some times and seen its time of driving. to this day never a single problem that has gone wrong with it, unless caused by me. :). besides an old alternator. although ive keep maintenance up, which is common sense for any car. honestly great cars. wouldn't mind getting another in a heartbeat.

What's a good price on the AWDs? There's multiple ones on craigslist for 4000$+. But the Eclipse with LSD 63t that I was already looking at is 1700$, and with tax money rolling in (extra 3500 since wife is in school, thanks Mr. Pres), I was thinking about throwing a bit under the hood.
 
What's a good price on the AWDs? There's multiple ones on craigslist for 4000$+. But the Eclipse with LSD 63t that I was already looking at is 1700$, and with tax money rolling in (extra 3500 since wife is in school, thanks Mr. Pres), I was thinking about throwing a bit under the hood.

honestly it depends on the condition of the car. go by what blue book says. or if theyre asking a little more, well it has to be really clean. i think 4000+ is about right for a 2g gsx. make sure its as close to stock as possible with decent miles and there is quality work. no hack jobs. no cheap routes. as for the gst with LSD. for 300 that would be great and definitely better then the no LSD tranny, but if you wanna keep going faster you will eventually start spinning. where do you plan on racing and whats the car for? i would like the awd just because i never had one and because its easy, really easy to go fast with them. but i love my gst for the challenge. i soon want to put LSD in my tranny. but its basically a preference. i would be ecstatic with either. :)

the eclipse for 1700 and another 3500 for upgrades would be an awesome car. but you just have to decide awd or fwd.
 
Your numbers on this site are always so low... A clean gsx is worth some money.. I've never seen a good running car in great shape for 4 grand.. let alone an awd turbo..
 
Considering there are less than 3000 gvr4s left in the us. Its probably not gonna happen.

My next "DSM" Is gonna be a E3 Clone. Mirage 4dr with an awd 4g swap.

I would grab the colt. You can awd swap them too. Through in a nice stiff X Brace in the rear. Good to go.
 
try to find a gvr4 there good with the 4door:thumb:

i got mine for 1800 but its in rehab

I'd totally do that, because I love the look of the cars... But I see one on craigslist in my area like once every 2 years.

Considering there are less than 3000 gvr4s left in the us. Its probably not gonna happen.

My next "DSM" Is gonna be a E3 Clone. Mirage 4dr with an awd 4g swap.

I would grab the colt. You can awd swap them too. Through in a nice stiff X Brace in the rear. Good to go.

I think I might then. Only problem is, it's not a GT colt or whatever, so it has drums in the rear. I know the brake swap wouldn't be hard, just another thing I gotta do. And when doing the AWD in the colt, is pairing up the axles hard to do? Or can you just simply buy some that fit? (I'm sure I could have used the search engine for that question...)


Oh yeah, and this car will be a daily driver. It'll probably be raced at car meets, and frequently used to stomp out Mustangs/Camaros, my biggest fanboi hate.
 
dsm- the biggest thing is maintence before modding or you will have problems that is why some people dont have good results with them as dailys
 
I don't know, a mirage or cold with a swapped 4g63t and awd sounds fun, I'd go for it if I had the time to work on it. But a 1g dsm would keep you as, if not more happy. You can find them for 3000$ or less with minimal work to do on them, you already sound somewhat knowledgable so I don't think you'd have any problems.

Also, don't listen to other people who say DSM's or 4g63t powered cars aren't reliable or shouldn't be DD'd; as long as you do proper maintenance, don't abuse it and don't do a half ass job when modding it (no tunes or suporting mods, cheap ebay turbos etc) it'll be a good, reliable car.

I do suggest that you go awd though, in the end it'll be worth it. Many people will tell you that fwd is alright, it's true, but then after a while that 300hp ain't going to be as fun as it used to, and you'll want awd to keep the power to the ground... That's just my 0.02

Oh, and welcome to the forum!
 
dsm- the biggest thing is maintence before modding or you will have problems that is why some people dont have good results with them as dailys

I understand this. But it goes with any car. I'm not going to start with bolt-ons until I check/change oil, plugs/wires, and timing belt.

And if I were doing the swap myself, it'd start with a strong head gasket.


I don't know, a mirage or cold with a swapped 4g63t and awd sounds fun, I'd go for it if I had the time to work on it. But a 1g dsm would keep you as, if not more happy. You can find them for 3000$ or less with minimal work to do on them, you already sound somewhat knowledgable so I don't think you'd have any problems.

Also, don't listen to other people who say DSM's or 4g63t powered cars aren't reliable or shouldn't be DD'd; as long as you do proper maintenance, don't abuse it and don't do a half ass job when modding it (no tunes or suporting mods, cheap ebay turbos etc) it'll be a good, reliable car.

I do suggest that you go awd though, in the end it'll be worth it. Many people will tell you that fwd is alright, it's true, but then after a while that 300hp ain't going to be as fun as it used to, and you'll want awd to keep the power to the ground... That's just my 0.02

Oh, and welcome to the forum!

Yeah I know all about the powers of true full-time AWD. Only reason I'd be starting with lsd FWD is because I can trust the guy I'm buying it from and it's cheap I think. And yeah AWD would likely be a future plan. Especially since how scary FWD can be in the rain if you underestimate the power torque it can quickly add.

I got some advice if you get one get a second job:thumb:

I'm actually trying to get into the collision repair field. Almost anyone in that field makes enough money to support more than 1 expensive car hobby. Over half the people in the field tell me not to take schooling, and find a job that trains you on site.... It's just very very hard to find one of those jobs (Service King, Callipers, even Maaco now).

All your Mirage questions can be answered here Mirage Turbo/Colt GT • Index page...for the 3G (89-92) anyways

Super thanks. I'll talk there with people too. I'm sort of steering more towards the mirage, as the Eclipse gas mileage (with premium) is comparative to a new v8 truck's with 87 octane. I know in the long run, I either pay for expensive parts with my Toyota, or pay for expensive gas with the DSM... But I'd still like to get the best out of it if I can.


Thanks again guys.
 
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