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The vendor area was filled with vendors who obviously either make parts for Mitsubishis or know somebody well enough at Mitsubishi to get a booth space. This area was pretty packed throughout the day. At events like MOD, car shows, or races, it’s a good time to actually go and speak to representatives of manufacturers. This is where you can speak to them face to face, ask them questions you really want answers to, and call them out if you think they’re full of shit. Forums may be great for bullshitting, but a vendor row at an event is where you want to be asking the complex questions you want serious answers to.
Tobin and Vinh from DSPORT Magazine were present selling merchandise, discount subsciptions, and back issues. They also had this decked out EVO 9 on display.
John Mueller was also at MOD slangin MOTONs and his services for Mitsubishi vehicles. These days Muellerized is doing a lot of Porsche 996/997 work, but John’s been racing EVOs since they’ve been available in the USA and has a huge database of EVO suspension configurations for all types of racing.
Cobb Tuning SoCal was out to let people know about their new facility in Fountain Valley, CA. I don’t think they’ve had their grand opening yet, but I hear the facility is going to be top notch.
Cusco was also at MOD displaying their wares for the EVO. Perhaps you may not have known, but Cusco builds turn key Group N rally EVOs in Japan and China. This is why they have so many EVO parts. They also race Subarus in Super GT and Super Taikyu in Japan which is why they have so many Subaru parts as well.
Here’s a perfect example of why you should hit up vendors at events. I asked my old friend Kenji at Cusco, “Do you have a front diff for an EVO IX and why should I buy a Cusco over something else like a Quaife?” I was asking because I have a customer in Hong Kong who will be running the Macau Grand Prix this year in an EVO IX. Coincidentally Kenji had a diff apart and thoroughly explained to me the benefits and features of a Cusco Type RS diff. It turns out not only is the clutch preload adjustable in precise increments, but the onset ramp can also be adjusted all with the included hardware. If other ramps are desired they can be purchased separately. Not only did I get a thorough explanation. I also got a physical example of how easy it was to make all of these adjustments (assuming you have the LSD on a bench). Cusco can also provide some help for LSD configuration if you tell them the type of racing you plan on doing since they have a huge database of diff setup information.
