Serious Firepower - the U.S. Army's M777 Howitzer cannon. Primary material ?

T I T A N I U M

Titanium exhaust and other titanium products :

There are products available for your EVO which yield increased power output. There are products available for your EVO which result in substantial weight reduction. There are products for your EVO that enhance the beauty of your car.

WHEN ONE PRODUCT DOES ALL THESE THINGS SIMULTANEOUSLY, IT GIVES NEW MEANING TO THE TERM “WIN-WIN SITUATION”!

The ThaiAm Motorsport line of 100% titanium exhaust systems, shock tower braces (aka strut bars) (and other products currently in development) change the game when it comes to EVOs and titanium.

Our exhaust systems represent new design concepts. We offer sectional systems where our customs can choose what is best suited to their needs as well as have the option to change these systems easily. We also offer our new line at dramatically lower prices than typically found.

Some of the leading Japanese companies such as HKS, ARC, Mine’s and Kansai have titanium exhaust systems available for EVOs, and these are well-engineered and of very nice quality. They are usually very low-production or custom order items which, based on advertised prices, range from about US$ 2,500 to US$ 5,000.

ThaiAm Motorsports manufactures It's exhaust systems in larger quantities allowing us to provide our customers with a superb product at reduced prices. Our systems range from just US$ 1180 to $ 1415.

Our two piece cat-back titanium systems, made from high grade titanium tubing imported from Japan, allows an owner to have a quiet operation via having two mufflers, or deeper, throaty sound output via having one muffler, the latter being the typical format found on most EVOs.

( For racing, a completely straight pipe system is available.)

Some examples :

Typically the first of the two sections, which attaches to the catalytic converter (or our titanium cat delete or cat delete with resonator) is a section of essentially straight tubing that traverses to the area of the rear axle. There, it attaches to the second section, which has the muffler and muffler tip. This package gives a deep, powerful exhaust note.

Let’s assume that an owner who has purchased the standard ThaiAm Motorsports one-muffler system decides on quieter operation, whether it be to suit a long trip with the family, accommodate his neighbors in a residential community, or for whatever reason. Simply by purchasing the first section containing its own muffler and installing it in place of the straight-pipe first section, is very simple procedure which can be done in a home garage, the car will be dramatically quieter with almost no sacrifice in power.

Conversely, the same owner could elect to drive his car on the track, and by purchasing and installing our straight pipe second section, again, a simple procedure, he would have a full racing system.

In each case the cost is relatively low because he did not need to buy a whole new system but only the sections.

Another important benefit is that with ThaiAm’s systems, if one damages the underside of the car, it is usually the first section of the exhaust system which suffers. With other systems, the owner must purchase an entire replacement if it cannot be repaired (and even if it can be repaired, the quality of the repair must be very high to ensure longevity.)

With ThaiAm’s system, only the section which was damaged needs to be replaced, resulting in substantial cost savings.

(A further benefit is that of shipping costs. A one piece system, as is usually found in the exhaust market, is typically more expensive to ship because of its length. It often results in “volume-based” cost, whereas ThaiAm’s two-piece systems are easier for carriers to handle and usually cost less to ship.)

Our 100% titanium shock tower brace (strut bar), a highly visible component, is also an excellent means of reducing the weight of your car while enhancing it’s beauty.

Transmission

The solution :

Whereas the overall design of the EVO six speed is excellent, it's 4th gear, by the nature of its size and thrust washer recess machined into it, represents a fundamental design flaw in terms of it’s use with increased engine power output. ThaiAm Motorsports has solved this problem with a specially designed 3rd / 4th / 5th gear package that is much stronger in three different ways:

1. The alloy of the steel used to make the gears has been substantially upgraded. We use a special hybrid of 9310 alloy, which is already a very high grade of steel.
2. Our gears have thicker teeth and greater distance between the root of the teeth and the internal bore of the gear.
3. Removal of the  thrust washer recess found in the stock 4th gear and thus greater mass in the body of the gear.

There are also numerous aspects of the gear making process that we utilize that contribute to a better final product, such as:

• Cleanliness of the parent material used in the steel manufacture.
• Manufacturing process control in the manufacture of the steel.
• Quality inspection of the bars at the steel mill.
• All material traced through production.
• Computer controlled heat treatment with modified cycle to suit our applications.
• Complete traceability and cross checking of heat treatment processes.
• Shot peened surface finish (for residual compressive stress for fatigue resistance).
• Each batch of material independently tested.

These gears are now being tested in racing circumstances at the same power levels that typically break them. and to date have performed perfectly.

We also have special final drives and transfer case gears for the five and six speed EVO transmissions such as the 4.09:1 six speed final drive gears shown here on the left along with our new super-strong transfer case gears, also shown here on the right.

Stock EVO transmissions are fairly low-geared as they come in the cars, which can represent a problem for owners wanting to drive their cars over long distances or at high speeds at comfortable rpm levels. Our final drive gears allow higher overall top speeds while reducing rpm.

We can also supply different ratios for the five speed, which is the main gearbox used in racing applications.

Our beefy transfer case gears provide much greater longevity over the stock transfer case gears, particularly in drag racing. They are made of better alloy than the OEM version and, more importantly, are manufactured on the famous Klingelnberg gear cutting machine, of which there are but a few in the world. The Klingelnberg machine produces a stronger and more refined final product than the typical Gleason gear cutting machine can give. (Porsche ring and pinion gears, famous for their strength and longevity, are made on Klingelnberg machines.)

We also carry special super strong shifter pieces for the EVO transmissions, shown here, which give quicker, crisper shifts.

Enhanced No-Load Bias Ratio via its Wave Design Center Pack :

One of the known shortcomings of a typical torque biasing differential is its loss of drive (behaving much like an open diff) under zero or near-zero torque conditions (for example, when there is 'no-load' applied through the drivetrain, either at vehicle stationary and/or transition from engine driving vehicle to engine braking and back).

The Wavetrac® differential uses a patent pending design to improve grip in low traction conditions. Precisely engineered, converging / diverging wave profiles are placed on one side gear and its mating preload hub. As the two side gears rotate relative to each other, each wave surface climbs the other, causing them to move apart. This imparts an increased normal force through the side gears, increasing the bias ratio as a function of load. This increase occurs automatically only when conditions find it necessary, and it 'reverts' back to its nominal bias ratio quickly and seamlessly, maintaining optimal drivability and performance at all times. It's like having two differentials in one: you get the benefit of a higher bias ratio when needed without detriment to the car's handling.

Interchangeable Friction Plates Provide Controlled Bias

Here's something else you won't find in any other design:

The Wavetrac® diff's behavior can be altered in the field to suit your needs. It comes standard with carbon-fiber bias plates for the best all around performance. Interchangeable plates using materials with different friction coefficients to fine-tune the bias ratio are sold separately.

These friction plates provide a mechanism to tune the response of the differential as a function of applied torque load. The applied torque load manifests itself as an axial load from the differential pinions into the housing. This axial force is then considered a normal force into the friction plate, and as a function of the effective coefficient of friction, will provide a resistive torque to the rotational motion of the differential pinions. The resistive torque will add to the resistance of relative rotation of all components within the differential. The resistive force, however, is non-uniform since it is a function of the axial load from the differential pinions. The unbalance of the resistive torque will manifest as non-uniform energy absorption within the differential causing a bias ratio.

Superior Design, Materials, and Construction

Designed from a clean sheet, the new Wavetrac® Differential brings current gear technology to the market. Internally, its gear tooth forms are optimized for strength and improved oil film retention over competitive designs. Our gear package is smaller, reducing overall mass, yet is more durable. Attention was also paid to the side gear/axle interface, putting as much material thickness as possible in this critical area - most important when power levels get high.

Each Wavetrac® Differential is crafted from the highest quality materials available. The internal gears are made from high strength 9310 alloy steel. The diff bodies are machined from case hardened steel billet. To complete the package, every Wavetrac® differential is built exclusively using high quality, high strength fasteners from ARP®, the world leader in fastener technology. In stock.US$ 990.00

Spark Tech Coil On Plug Ignition Systems :

Currently our product line of Ignition Systems are for the DSM/ Mitsubishi Evo platforms, including EVO 1 through 9 with the EVO X coming shortly

All our systems utilize quality components including, Tefzel military spec wire (rated 302F/150C & 600V) and black heat sleeving (rated 200C/392F & 2500V). These two components are actually found in many military and commercial aircrafts worldwide. In the aviation industry, weight is obviously a factor and thus this wire is lighter and the coating is thinner than automotive grade wire. Another common element to all our systems is Stainless Steel 304Grade Mounting Hardware.

The connectors that plug into the coil, are purchased without any pigtails. This allows us to crimp our own terminals to the end of the coil leads. By doing so it avoids adding two connections, per coil, to the harness, allowing us to have zero connections WITHIN the harness. Our only connections are AT the coil connectors, the trigger plugs and the CDI connectors(if a cdi is included).We use specifically designed terminal crimpers to ensure a factory quality connection.

For the DSM / EVO 1-3 cars we have a setup that wires into your factory harness (good up to 550whp). Depending on your application, a CDI option is available (2 or 4 channel). This system comes standard with a wrinkle black powder coated mounting plate, military spec wire, heat sleeving and SS mounting hardware. Free etching option is available on the black mounting plate. Email us for more information.

Mitsubishi EVO 4 - 9 have options available depending on your ECU and HP applications. We try to suggest systems that can work for your current as well as future applications. Systems start off at $650. In order to help choose the right system for you, ask yourself these questions : What ECU do you currently use and intend on using ? What other upgrades do you have or intend on having (i.e. turbo, nitrous etc) ? What is your current HP and your future goals ? Do I want the system to be seen or 'hidden' ? Do you prefer black or polished parts ?

The NonCDI system is an affordable option, designed for the stock ECU daily drivers, up to 750HP. This system is not upgradable to the CDI system. This system is 100% plug & play, taking about 15 minutes to install. It has been proven to work efficiently with upgraded turbos, including the 'FP Red'.This system has outperformed the HKS Dli in back to back independent dyno testing and doesn't have the Reliability issues that the Dli has been plagued with. We also saw an increase of 7-10whp compared to stock coils. This system comes standard with the wrinkle black powder coated mounting plate, military spec wire, heat sleeving and SS mounting hardware. If you plan on running Nitrous we'd recommend one of our cdi based systems as this can be more demanding on an Ignition system. See review . This system comes with a 2year warranty.

CDI systems (Basic & Pro) utilize the M&W Capacitive Discharge Ignition (CDI) units. These units allow our system to increase the voltage available to the spark plug allowing for a longer, more intense spark. This provides the ability to present a superior spark to the air/fuel mixture inside the combustion chamber thus maximizing the burn efficiency. With the higher voltage provided, the spark plug gaps can also be increased, and driveablilty significantly increases.

The CDI systems come standard with the Pro12 CDI (2 channel) systems and are completely plug and play.

The Basic CDI System comes with a standard wrinkle black mounting plate that fits under the OEM cover. It comes with the Pro12 M&W CDI unit and works with both stock ECU and aftermarket ECUs. This systems utilizes the military spec wiring, Black Mil-spec heat sleeving, stainless steel mounting hardware. It has been tested to over 1000HP.

The PRO CDI System comes standard with a lightweight wrinkle Black Billet aluminum mounting plate. This mounting plate starts it's life as a 1/2" chunk of Aluminum that spends considerable time on a cnc machine. The coils are recessed and twisted for that real High Tech appearance. The under side of the mounting plate is also routed out for additional weight savings. Like the basic, works with stock and aftermarket ecu, comes with military spec wiring, Black Mil-spec heat sleeving, stainless steel mounting hardware. It has also been tested to over 1000HP. The wiring is routed under the mounting plate and secured to the underside of the mounting plate. Upgrades to this system from the basic is available, for the Pro12 option. Click here to go to the Upgrade section in our store.

The Pro system comes standard with the M&W Pro12, 2 channel, CDI unit. This system is wired in Wasted Spark mode which means that spark is sent to two coils at a time. This is a proven system which is found on lots of high powered Evo's Worldwide.

When more critical tuning and power is needed, we would recommend the M&W pro14, 4 channel Sequential cdi. This is only available in the Pro System line. This system drives 115mJ to each coil individually, as compared to the pro12 unit that sends 52.5 mJ. Since this system fires on a per cylinder basis an experienced tuner can take advantage and retard the critical cylinder by a couple degrees for added safety. M&W has also recently added the Pro 14D which has a Motec IEX input.

The EVO X system is not released officially yet. It consists of a high powered sequential setup utilizing the M&W pro14 CDI unit.

Brakes :

Anyone familiar with Formula 1 brakes and/or brakes found on some of the more advanced Sports Cars knows about the benefits of carbon and ceramic.
Providing super high braking capacity, being extremely light weight and in many cases lasting essentially forever in street use, carbon and ceramic are the ultimate in brake materials.

Even allowing for overcoming some inherent problems, such as lack of effectiveness when cold, the main factor preventing most of us from enjoying this technology is cost. Carbon and ceramic brakes are priced beyond feasibility for most car owners. This, ThamAm hopes, can change.

We recently visited a factory in Asia which manufactures raw carbon, graphite and other similar materials. We were shown samples of pure carbon blocks used to manufacture brake rotors for jet aircraft.. We are encouraged by the potential costs we may be able to bring carbon brakes into the market with and are researching this area now.

The typical weight savings for an EVO with stock brakes converting to carbon or ceramic brakes would be approximately 15 kg (33 lbs). The weight savings for an EVO already having a big brake package, such as Brembo, AP, Endless, etc. 355 mm or 380 mm rotors in front and stock sized rotors in the rear would be approximately 20 kg (44 lbs). This, in terms of weight saving alone would be a huge performance benefit, but this represents even greater benefit, that of reduction of unsprung weight.

Large steel rotors are very heavy, and are part of the overall axle assembly and thus contribute to the inertia factor which engine power must overcome in the process of propelling the car forward.

LOSE THIS WEIGHT AND PICK UP IMMEDIATE GAINS IN THROTTLE RESPONSE AND ACCELERATION, QUICKER STEERING RESPONSE, ENHANCED CORNERING CAPACITIES, ETC.

This is a major area of potential upgrade for the EVO. We will add information to this site as we have it.