We remember back in the late 90s there was a huge battle between Hondas and DSMs. Eclipses and Civics used to battle down the quarter mile in strong form, aiming to be the first in the 10s, then the 9s and ultimately too fast to catch up to. Nowadays however, it almost seems like Eclipses and Talons have faded, paving the way to the EVO's greatness once it hit stateside. There's no arguing that the EVO chassis has won the hearts of DSM enthusiasts over, but there still are a passionate few that stick to the 2G DSM cars. So what better way to take a look at the 4G63's brilliance in the recent years than showcasing the best of both worlds?
At first glance these two vehicles immediately reminded us of a wordless black and white comic strip back in the olden days. Spy vs. Spy consisted of two mischievous characters that plotted against one another. One sported a darker, black theme while the other sported a lighter, white theme. While these two vehicles might not necessarily plot against one another, it's easy to make the correlation between the two and the infamous comic.
We caught up with Dan Bajalis's EVO 8 along with Jake Montgomery's Eagle Talon. Both have been built with the goal of tearing up the quarter mile in strong fashion and both really show off what DSM tuning is all about.
Another awesome part of this feature is the contrasting shades of both vehicles. Dan's EVO 8 wears a light shade of white on the exterior accented with lightweight carbon fiber goods. The stock heavy doors and trunks have been scrapped for lightweight pieces from Seibon and VIS respectively. APR carbon fiber mirrors act as a finishing touch to an otherwise untouched interior. It's not easy to overlook what the EVO was truly built for however. Curious viewers will instantly notice the AMS 10-point roll cage that has been certified to 8.50 quarter mile ticks. But even for those that can't notice the cage, it's hard to overlook the Stroud parachute out of the rear.
Since Dan focused purely on performance on this build, his suspension setup is naturally geared towards performance as well in getting him down the quarter mile. A set of coilovers from Stance delivers the performance he needs from their GR+3way model. Wilwood front and brake calipers along with rotors and pads are used to its maximum as the EVO slows down from its 9 second quarter mile times. Tackling the track is a set of lightweight Motegi Racing Tracklite wheels in a 15x7.5-inch size, wrapped with Mickey Thompson ET 15x8.5 drag tires.
Now taking a look underneath the hood (and where all the fun and excitement truly is!) the 2.0L 4G63 has been rebuilt with JE pistons and Groden rods. A head from Cosworth has been connected to the block fully equipped with Ferrea valves, Kiggley valve springs and retainers. At the core of pumping out 900hp is a Garrett GT4202 turbo, 4-inch aluminum exhaust, TiAL Sport wastegate and a Shearer Fabrications water to air intercooler. Shearer Fabrications is also responsible for the intake manifold. Additional fuel has been supplied with PTE 1600cc injectors, a Weldon fuel pressure regulator, 1600A fuel pump and VP Import fuel.
On the other lane of the track is Jake Montgomery's pristine 1992 Eagle Talon. And by pristine we mean it's a beauty to look at, but very few parts have been left untouched. Starting with the engine setup, this 4G63 has been tuned to blast down the quarter mile in a blazing 8.66 @ 165mph. Jake was also Battle of the Imports' Pro Rookie of the Year in 2008. The 2.0L utilizes a stock crank, but has been rebuilt with Wiseco 1400HD pistons and R&R aluminum rods. FP cams along with Supertech valves and Kiggley valve springs are seen in the head. Jake also runs a GT4202 turbo that has been bolted on with a Shearer Fabrications top mount manifold. Additionally Jake takes advantage of a NOS 100 shot direct port system to help achieve his successful quarter mile times.
The transmission has received its fair share of overhaul with a full Shep Racing dogbox transmission. Driveshaft Shop's 3.5-inch aluminum drive shaft along with level 5 rear axles allows us to find little fault in the drivetrain setup. Lastly a Quartermaster twin disc clutch engages each gear aggressively while tearing it down the track.
Little has been done to the exterior, but 16x7-inch Rota Grids are seen on all four corners wrapped with Hoosier Quick Time Pro DOT slicks in a 26x9.5x16 size. A Simpson parachute can be seen in the rear while the chassis has been reinforced with a NHRA certified 8-point roll cage. The suspension setup has been kept basic but fully functional with Ground Control coilovers and KYB AGX shocks.
This has been a pleasure for us to showcase, and a huge thanks to not just the owners Dan and Jake, but to contributing photographer Chris Wold for being able to capture both vehicles in their home territory: the quarter mile track. While we didn't have the luxury of capturing photos of both of them battling it out on the track, look towards drag racing events next season to get a chance of witnessing it yourself!
