Surplus Magic

In a country where surplus Honda engines are now available at relatively bargain prices from tuning shops legit or otherwise, it’s commonplace to see souped-up Civics running with hot Integra, Prelude, or Type R engines under the hood. As for other makes such as the Mitsubishi Lancer, it’s seldom we hear anything special performance-wise other than the few dozen Evolution monsters out there. You know that car already: the meanest-looking Lancer you ever saw, with hardware and performance to put a Porsche to shame. At around P2.6 million a copy though, it’s a rare car.

So when we heard that there was another go-faster modification available for regular guys out there with their regular cars, regular budgets, and irregular desires, we just had to know what the fuss was all about.

We have read about Mitsubishi’s MIVEC engine years ago. Short for Mitsubishi Innovative Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control System (MIVTLECS, but that’s the Japanese for you), this fancy valvetrain technology enables small displacement engines like those in the Galant or Lancer sedans to rev higher, faster than most engines and, thus, produce more specific output per liter.

Similar to Honda’s well-known VTEC, MIVEC employs "mild" and "wild" cam lobes that come into play at specific engine speeds. Below 5,500 rpm, the MIVEC engine runs on the "mild" or "sedate driving" cam lobe, which operates the intake valves. Beyond that engine speed, the "wild" cam lobe comes into play, allowing the engine to rev up to 8,200 rpm.

As employed in the 4G92-code engine of the Lancer, twin-cam MIVEC technology boosts output from 124 gross horsepower (as with the MX variant today) to 170 horses at 7,500 rpm, and peak torque of 157 Newton-meters at 7,000 rpm from an erstwhile 154 Nm at 5,000 rpm.

You’ll agree this isn’t bad for an engine displacing a mere 1.6 liters, without even the benefit of turbocharging. If this car were available a few years ago, it might have posed a serious challenge to the 160-hp Civic SiR. It’s a pity then that the MIVEC Lancer never did officially go into production here. A Mitsubishi source says the hot-rod Lancer never made it past the Mitsubishi and DaimlerChrysler bureaucracy in order to reach the Philippines.

For the few enterprising individuals, of course, just because it aint in the showroom doesn’t mean you can’t have one. When word got around that several surplus MIVEC engines had reached our shores, we couldn’t help but finagle our way into one for even a few hours’ driving time. The owner of one such car was kind enough to let us sample the car’s performance, only requesting that he remain anonymous. Fine, fine, just give us the damn keys already, hehe.

Courtesy of a light flywheel, forged pistons, and that MIVEC magic, the car positively screams up the tach with orgasmic abandon. Though we didn’t have any instruments to take down performance numbers and were unable to find any other publication with performance data, the seat-of-the-pants accelerometer wagers that 0-100 kph is probably just as good — if not better — than the sub-8 second Civic SiR. Included with the MIVEC package are a close-ratio gearbox, a short-throw shifter, and the all-important computer box; all for just P80,000-100,000, depending which tuner you go to.

That amount of cash, of course, only buys you a used engine and transmission most likely salvaged from a wreck in Japan; the same probable cause for all those surplus engines of other makes today. If you want it brand-new, expect to pay P400,000.

While it’s unlikely that MIVEC will ever be officially offered in Mitsubishi dealerships, this resourceful option makes for an enticing proposition to Lancer owners who simply must have more and find the 2.0-liter, 280-hp, turbocharged Evo engine option too much.

Frankly, this engine already makes the regular Lancer MX look like a wuss... or any other car in its class, actually. Best of all, the engine requires no huge radiator or hood vents to shout its capabilities like the Evo does, yet fills up the engine bay as God intended a proper engine should.

Here is a transformation that makes you want to heel-and-toe if only to savor every blip of the throttle, every zing of the tach up the redline. Uphill, downhill, straight or winding road, the car simply zooms from apex to apex. One aggressively driven 1600 cc sedan gave up trying to chase us after around 30 seconds.

First gear is good for 60 kph, 2nd is good for 100, 3rd is good for 140. We had neither the guts nor the road to find out how faster the car would go with the last two gears. Belying the fact that it has a high performance engine, the car remains tractable and docile in everyday traffic.

One thing, though: like all other high performance engines brought in from abroad without the manufacturer’ official blessing (and preparation), the engine requires 100 RON gasoline. Due to the crude vagaries of local fuels (even the high octane ones), the owner finds that Shell Velocity is, well, not exactly the best but the least worst fuel to use. Realistic output is between 160 and 170 horsepower, but it’s never consistent because the knock sensor has to work all the time.

Should you wish to put this magic in your own Lancer, you’ll want to invest in rear disc brakes as well if it doesn’t already have those. The car we drove had rear drums. Frequent high-speed sprinting and stopping might cause the rear brakes to fade... to your obvious detriment. The MIVEC engine will fit in both the current generation car and the one before. Scores of adventurous Lancer owners must be checking their bank accounts now to see if they can make the investment.

Word has it that at least one other MIVEC Lancer owner already competes with it at local drag races, except his engine also happens to have Modular Displacement technology. This other technology switches between 2- and 4-cylinder usage in the Lancer to dramatically conserve fuel in traffic and cruising situations.

What an interesting premise: Save fuel now, have fun burning it later. But that’s another story.