1996 Mitsubishi Lancer GSR review from Australia and New Zealand

I have owned this piacular model for 1 1/2 years now it has travelled 140,000 km.

I too have had a battle with the lifter noise and decided to ask Mitsubishi about the problem. Mitsubishi recommended a product called Promar. This Product really worked well, but you must follow the instructions on the bottle exactly and it has worked so far. Also I think if your oil is very black it is a good idear to flush with flushing oil and not the "magic flush in a tin products" before you use Promar.

If you think I'm been over fussy with the oils then think about how expensive a new turbo or gearbox would be if the oil were not changed!

Another thing that has seemed to plague me was spark plugs. The OEM NKG's seem to die after about 7000k open road use. I'm trying Platinum plugs and the difference is noticeable. Better low rpm torque and more stable through out the rev range.

This Lancer has 2 3/4 " exhaust system fitted. It came with a cheap after market muffler that cracked burnt out quickly so I replaced it with a Rally Art Stainless steel muffler and this is a lot heaver item, more durable and seemed to produce a smother and more drivable car. It is a tad on the loud side as car alarms sometimes go off, but so will any burnt out sports exhaust. If purchasing a muffler for this type of car ensure it is turbo rated as the heat they are subjected too is likely to be greater.

I have had to replace the front and rear sway bar bushes as I started hearing knocking noises over low speed bumps. This is not a very hard job to do as long as you can get too the bolt that holds the front bars in. I cut two spanners in 1/2 to get in there.

The rubber bushes are not expensive.

The car is naturally firmly sprung car, but I think the shocks are starting to wear out because of the use it's had. This will be the next thing I will replace.

The oil I used was BP 10-50 semi synthetic this really seems to stay clean the longest and is a reasonable price. For the gearbox, centre diff and rear diff I BP products seem to work the best.

I have a Pod filter that is cleaned regally. If I had a choice I would have used K&N in airbox element, as this would keep the air cleaner from sucking up so much dirt. But the pod filter does seem to generate a fair amount of induction noise when under load.

The brake pads have been upgraded too QFM pads in the front as they were running to hot and starting to distort the rotors. The QFM type of pad is prone to glazing if only used lightly. I think the OEM pads would work well for normal use, but they cost about the same as QFM's.

The GSR lancer handles quite well. I put cam adjusters in the front suspension this allows the front wheels to have a little more negative camber and seems to make the car less prone to over steer and uneven tyre wear. This depends on your driving style.