CAR'S BLOG: RYAN GATES EVO X

This mesmerizing blue EVO X belongs to Ryan Gates. the USA's fastest Evo X, one of the USA's fastest Street class cars and became one of the most recognizable cars on the circuit. In 2009, Ryan Gates became one of the dominant racers on the Time Attack circuit. After seeing a lot of EVO Xs I came to the conclusion this car doesn't need any aftermarket bumpers. This vehicle already looks as it shoud: aggressive and purposeful. All other modifications are inside the car and under the hood. Let's take a closer look at what makes it tick...

The car has undergone Carbon fiber treatment. The hood, trunk, doors and even the roof are made from this precious material. It's all been done to reduce the weight as much as possible.

All the exhaust gases comes out through this AMS titanium exhaust. You see this single setup a lot on high powered vehicles, even on the Nissan GT-R build by Top Secret. having one exhaust exit of the correct size,allows fitting the same volume of gas in it using less material, therefore minimizing weight.

Ryan developed this car last year to compete in as many Time Attack events as possible. He succeeded in doing so and competed in two 2008 Super Lap Battles. He finished 1st at Road Atlanta and 2nd at the Button Willow finale. Ryan also entered his car in the Redline Time Attack series and was able to compete for top honors. In the end he finished 3rd overall. That is quite the achievement knowing he had hardly any experience driving the car, and it was at an early stage in its development. Halfway through the season AMS Performance came onboard and helped Ryan to make it even more competitive.

These custom stickers on the wheels, they direct you to Ryan's personal website: Gates311.com. The wheels are a set of Volk TE37 in 18" with Nitto NT-01 275 width tires. The brakes have been upgraded with Girodisc 2 piece front and rear rotors.

The heart of the car consists of 4B11 engine that has been treated with a lot of AMS goodies such as the custom cold air intake, K&N filter, custom intercooler piping, intercooler, surge tank with walbro fuel pump, fuel rail with 780cc injectors and a prototype cast manifold 750R turbo kit. The ECU has been tuned by AMS themselves to maximize the engine output. It has been rated a whopping 500bhp on all four wheels.

A closer look at the intercooler piping reveals the Tial BOV. It also shows a part of the JRZ adjustable race dampers, you can see the reservoirs tie-wrapped to the Cusco strut brace. Other parts that increase the drivability include a Whiteline adjustable swaybar, AMS adjustable rear toe link and bump steer kit.

It's spectacular to see an almost intact interior in a car like this. I guess Ryan can make this car a lot lighter when he removes all the unnecessary stuff.

The already great exterior is complemented by its performance capabilities. I wish Ryan all the best in becoming a dominant factor in the Time Attack community