History of the 8th Generation VR-4

[steveP]

I think the other Steve is right. I have a fl auto and it consistently gets lower dyno figures than fl and pre fl manuals. All stock.

And like said above. Traction control is pointless. Use your right foot if you want to cut power to the wheels.

 

[Macca]

My old man had traction control in his statesman and that was shit too.

 

[TME_Steve]

I've had 2 Legnums, both with TCL. As Trev has stated, it's useless & will rarely if ever come on. To me, AYC & TCL are opposing technologies. You'd take AYC over TCL any day of the week.

Steve, what you're saying is you think ALL autos are 191kw?
We should get a stock PFL & FL auto VR4 & test them. I can put my hand up for a PFL stock auto.

Ok if you want, bring it up one day and we'll do a dyno run, need a stock fl auto volunteer although with old cars there are other variables that could make this test wrong.

Come to think of it I did dyno a stock auto, made 123kw on the dyno we use. I'll check which variant it was....

 

[king_panther]

Well I had a dyno run when I had the Cusco hard pipes & a Ralliart panel filter & put out 129.3kw.

I'm back to the original hoses but still have the Ralliart panel filter but surely that won't make much difference?

 

[TME_Steve]

It was a pfl, different dyno, different numbers, so just need a facelift. Im 99.9% sure they are all the same though.

 

[steveP]

If it helps, mine made 137 kws and was completely stock.

 

[slickd1]

oh, bugger, and here was me thinking i had a manual 1998 VR-4 Type S, I may need to have another look...

 

[jungle]

Ok so I've read through the the model variants, but I'm not clear on it. I've seen a 98 auto FL without flares & red fleck recaro interior. Is that common??

 

[lh1034]

Ok so I have a manual 1999 facelift Legnum without AYC. According to this thread, there was no such thing as the 'Type V' only came in auto?
Can anyone shed their thoughts on this?
Does anyone here have a manual leggy without AYC?

 

[GMan]

Ok so I have a manual 1999 facelift Legnum without AYC. According to this thread, there was no such thing as the 'Type V' only came in auto?
Can anyone shed their thoughts on this?
Does anyone here have a manual leggy without AYC?

You have a Type-V -- they are manual without AYC. The Type-S is the auto with AYC.

 

[jungle]

Ok so I've read through the the model variants, but I'm not clear on it. I've seen a 98 auto FL without flares & red fleck recaro interior. Is that common??

So were flares an option ?

 

[fieldy107]

I think on a FL, AYC + flares = type s and Open diff + no flares = type V. Both were available in manual and auto. I think the red fleck recaro interior would of been an option.

 

[lh1034]

I've never seen a FL without flares

 

[Legnum in America]

Introduction:
Over the 6 years of 8th Generation VR-4 production the primary mechanicals stayed the same, the drivetrain, including engine, gearbox and brakes were constant however the specifications and options were changed over time, with the primary upgrade occurring in August 1998

August 1996 to July1998 (prefacelift):
There were two main models available with 2 limited run special editions. All prefacelift VR-4’s have AYC along with the High Vis dash. Almost all options such as sunroof/moonroof, colours, tan leather or fabric, cold or warm spec and side airbags were available on standard models, with the exception of the COTY and Super VR-4’s.

The various models and their differences are listed below:
VR-4
This was the manual version with 206kw at 5500rpm and 363nm at 4000rpm. An AYC differential was fitted at the rear but there was no option for stability or traction control. Standard equipment from factory included multispoke BBS forged wheels although these were often changed for the standard 5 spoke Enkei wheels. Both designs were 16x6”, 46mm offset and came with 205/55/16 tyres. The BBS wheels are 1.5kg lighter than the Enkei wheels. The standard interior was a dark grey fabric with various highlight colours woven into the main grey and black colours. The steering wheel was the standard 4 spoke design. Original price in Japan was 2,980,000 Yen for Galants and 3,060,000 Yen for Legnums.

VR-4 Type S
Only available with an automatic gearbox and included stability control (ASC) that cannot be switched off and traction control (TCL). The TCL turns itself on with the car but can be turned off via a switch on the dashboard. The ASC can apply the brakes individually to help bring the car back in line with its intended direction by using G-sensors, Steering wheel angle sensor and Wheel speed sensors. The TCL simply limits engine power by closing the throttle and in turn limiting the power output. When either system is functioning a ‘skidding car’ icon lights up on the dash board and flashes. Again, all prefacelift VR-4’s came with the AYC diff including the Type S. The standard interior trim and steering wheel were the same as the manual cars. To help protect the automatic gearbox the engine was slightly detuned by setting it to run at a lower turbo boost setting of approximately 7psi, 0.48 bar whereas the manual version was set to approx 8psi, 0.54 bar. This resulted in the car being rated at 191kw and 343nm, still at the same engine speeds as the peak outputs in the manual cars. The engine is identical and an increase in boost via an aftermarket boost controller will ‘fix’ the power output. Due to the gearbox the Type S is 40kg heavier than the standard VR-4. Original price 3,094,000 Yen for Galants and 3,174,000 Yen for Legnums
A very minor update occured on September 11 1997 when the handbrake lever became leather trimmed rather than the entry level plastic.

First Special Edition – COTY model – beginning to middle of 1997
The entire 8th Generation Galant and Legnum range won the Japanese Car Of The Year award for 1996-1997. Mitsubishi created a special edition to celebrate this victory. The COTY VR-4 model was only available in Legnum form, and with only one specification. There was also a 1.8 GDI Galant COTY model released. All were VR-4 Type S’s with the intent of showing off all of the technology available in the range, coming standard with AYC, ASC and TCL. The only interior option was black leather with matching door trims. They were the only VR-4’s ever to come with black leather interior, other models were only available with tan leather. The steering wheel was the standard wood and leather combination that came on the tan leather cars. The exterior colour scheme was limited to Pearl White, paint code W75. Few prefacelift VR-4’s were optioned with this colour code, most came with solid white, this same Pearl colour became the standard white on facelift VR-4’s. The other exterior features unique to the COTY models were two badges on the D pillars with COTY writing on them, and the stock 5 spoke wheels came in a polished finish with dark edging. None were available with the moonroof optional on other VR-4’s, or the MMCS system. These were still tuned to 191kw, 343nm. Original price was 3,214,000 Yen

Second Special Edition – Super VR-4 – end of 97 to start of 98. All registerrd in 1998
These were a limited run of approximately 400 VR-4’s. They were only available in two colours, Redma, a bright red and Hamilton Silver. Both these colours were standard prefacelift colours. The Super VR-4’s were all Type S’s and as such were rated at 191kw, 343nm. There are a number of exterior and interior features unique to the Super VR-4 which make spotting them very easy. For the interior they were the only prefacelifts to come standard with Recaro seats for the driver and front passenger as well as the 3 spoke Momo steering wheel that was standard on some FTO models and Evolution 4 through 6. These would become options for the facelift models. The door cards and rear seats were black with a red fleck pattern on them to match the Recaro seats. The exact same colours were standard on early Facelifts. The gear shift cover plate was coloured silver, this became standard on facelifts too. Lastly the centre console came in a yellow/grey carbon fibre imitation weave, all other prefacelifts had a plastic wood grain centre console. The completely unique features to the interior were the red floor carpet with matching red and black floor mats, red leather on the gear stick and hand brake lever and finally the numbering on the Tachometer and Speedometer had a purple ring around their arc. Externally the chassis was the same but there was a new body kit consisting of Canards on the front bumper, much larger side skirts and rear skirt. All of these parts were black in colour, contrasting with the primary body colour. The rear wing on Legnum Super VR-4’s was body coloured and stood up in the airflow above the roofline it also had a separate section underneath making it a bi-plane wing. The Galant Super VR-4’s came with a large wing resembling the wing on Evolution 5’s. The sides and base of the Galant wing were body coloured but the large centre section and middle divider were black. Legnum Super VR-4’s have the centre section of the tailgate where Legnum is written in silver (the brochures refer to it as Titanium). The inside of the headlights were body coloured on both Red and Silver Super VR-4’s. Lastly the tip of the exhaust was changed to a circular tip with the Ralliart emblem on it. No Super was available with a moonroof or sunroof (Legnum and Galant respectively), or MMCS. The Supers all came with the standard Enkei 5 spoke wheels. Original price was 3,394,000 Yen

August 1998 to April 2000 (facelift)
VR-4 models became more complicated with the August 1998 Facelift, there were now VR-4’s available with and without AYC. The ASC and TCL system was now optional on Auto VR-4’s, it was a rare option though. New options were available, the Momo Steering wheel and Recaro seats from the Super VR-4 could be optioned on all models, while the tan leather option was still available. The centre console was the yellow/grey carbon fibre imitation weave from Super VR-4’s as well. The cars with tan leather still had the woodgrain centre console. The standard seats were the same as before but wore the black and red fleck coloured fabric from Super VR-4’s. All facelift automatics have 206kw and 363nm just like the manual VR-4’s. Stock facelifts tend to run slightly higher boost than prefacelifts, at around 9psi, 0.6 bar even though they are rated at the same power and torque figures. The small increase in boost is only apparent in the middle of the rpm range increasing torque. By 5000rpm the boost has dropped down to the same level as prefacelifts. The overall difference is small and would only result in 10nm or less increase in torque. New colours were introduced, including a very dark blue called Indigo Blue and medium burgundy colour called Roanne Red. Mechanical changes were few, the primary point of difference is that Brembo brakes from an Evolution 5-9 will bolt straight onto the facelift cars. The MMCS system was also updated to a widescreen 16:9 version over the 4:3 version on prefacelifts. Legnum VR-4’s were the only ones to undergo structural sheetmetal changes, the tailgate was modified along with the rear bumper to moderise the appearance of the car. The body kit on facelifts was updated too with new front and rear bumpers, side skirts, grill and the bonnet bulge was made substantially larger.

Galants:

VR-4 Type V
The Galant VR-4 Type V was available with both automatic and manual gearbox options. The primary difference between a Type V facelift and a prefacelift VR-4 was that AYC had been dropped for a standard open differential at the rear. The dashboard style had also been changed to a standard style of dash that was on normal non turbo 8th Gen Galants and Legnums, the other interior change was that the auto gear shift cover plate was black, the same as prefacelifts. The wheels were the standard 5 spoke carried over from prefacelifts. These were the lightest of all VR-4’s, with the manual weighing in at 1460kg and the automatic at 1500kg. The rear wing remained the same from prefacelifts. The manual version was 2,643,000 Yen and the automatic was 2,767,000 Yen

VR-4 Type S
The Type S was still available with AYC as standard equipment however ASC and TCL were now options. Galant VR-4 Type S’s were only available with automatic gearboxes. It is not possible to buy a facelift manual Galant with AYC. The Type S model had the same front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper as the Type V, the only external differences were the addition of wheel arch flares and slightly wider 16x6.5” 38mm offset Enkei wheels which wore 225/50/16 tyres. Internally they had the same High Vis dash as the prefacelifts but strangely the indicator lights for AYC operation were made slightly smaller. The auto gear shift cover plate was silver, like on Super VR-4’s. The price was 2,981,000 Yen.

Legnums:

VR-4 Type V
The Legnum VR-4 Type V was only available in automatic form. Specification wise it was largely the same as the Galant Type V with the same dashboard style, open rear diff without AYC, and the same wheels. Curiously the Legnum Type V was the only VR-4 to ever ship without a standard rear spoiler, externally looking similar to a non turbo Legnum. The price was 2,850,000 Yen

VR-4 Type S
Again, largely similar to the facelift Galant Type S. From August 1998 it was also only available in automatic form, but in May 1999 a manual Type S became available. Because there are no Type V manual Legnum VR-4’s, all manual facelift Legnums are Type S’s. The Legnum Type S has the same wheel arches and front as the Galant Type S but has its own rear wing unique to facelift Legnums. The automatic was 3,099,000 Yen and when the manual was introduced in 1999 it was 2,975,000 Yen.


May 2000 to August 2002 (minor update)
This update was across the board for all VR-4’s. The interior trim pattern changed to a softer grey fabric on the standard seats and the Recaro option, resembling Suede on the door cards and on the Recaro seats. The Momo steering wheel which had carried red sections on the side since its introduction became black all around. The Type V Galants and Legnums now came with the High Vis dash and their wheels changed to the polished style of stock wheels that were on the COTY VR-4’s. The Tan leather option was still available and still came with the wood centre console and steering wheel, while the cars with standard seats or Recaros now came with a Grey centre console. The pricing changed slightly, the Type V’s went up 30,000 Yen, while the Type S models stayed at the same price.

This is very helpful! I have a 97' COTY with W75 as the color. Do you happen to know how many were produced?

 

[Zecuel]

This is very helpful! I have a 97' COTY with W75 as the color. Do you happen to know how many were produced?

1,109 (courtesy of ClubVR4)