2014 Mitsubishi Mirage Hatchback Engine swap

[Cam]

I think you're on the right track, then.

Have a Mirage. Have the complete donor car. Sit and compare them and make a plan.

Best bet is to try to use as much of the subframe structure from the donor car as possible. Then you just modify the Mirage as-required so that you can bolt the front and rear sub-frames from the donor onto it. I expect there will be a LOT of cut & paste involved. The 3-cylinder engine bay will be really narrow for a big 4-cylinder, and clearance for turbo/intercooler/exhaust could be an issue, as well. In the rear, you'll be wanting to put a driveshaft and diff right where the fuel tank is. So, you'll have to fit a fuel cell... somewhere.

Same with wiring, try to use as much as possible from the donor car. Complete wiring harness, ECU, etc.

Mitsubishi likely uses the same CAN bus system for all of their cars of similar vintage, so you "might" be able to get the Mirage gauge cluster to work with the EVO ECU. But, there are going to be a lot of bells and whistles (boost gauge, etc, etc, etc) that won't be present on the Mirage. If all you want is speedo and tach... you might be able to get that to work. Better bet would be to find a way to fit the EVO cluster into the Mirage dash.

The more critical parts you use from the donor, the easier it will be.

One of the critical decisions you'll have to make early on is whether to narrow the drivetrain to fit the Mirage (sleeper), or flare the fenders of the Mirage to fit the drivetrain. I'd recommend making the Mirage wider because it's top-heavy and that would help the stability.

I'd suggest doing something similarly stupid (I mean that in the most reverant way, I love stupid projects!), but simpler, just to get your feet wet. This is a BIG project. Maybe get a Mirage and just do a simple FWD engine/trans swap from another Mitsu car? Much simpler (still difficult), but probably achievable in a shorter period of time, and doing it would teach you things that would make the Monster Project easier and better.

Sort of like if you had no experience with construction, and wanted to build a big 2-story home. I might suggest building a shed or garage first. Something that will require a lot of the same skills... but, a bit less daunting.

Wow that is some very great information.. If I were to put a different motor in it what would u suggest? really I am just after a bit more power.. However being that the Evo mirage is kinda rare here in the states has caught my interest very much.. I am looking for something with atleast 150 Hp and will that effect handling at all? if I do go with the Evos Awd drivetrain I will 110% be going with fender flares it looks pretty sick and like you said increases stability.. Also forgot to mention I have been wanting to start a Youtube as I am about to turbo my lq4 that is in my 2007 Gmc sierra 1500 4x4 and would like to document it and I think it would be very cool to document this build as well.

[Eggman]

So I found a 2015 Mitsubishi Evo Gsr that has been hit in the back close to my area..

That shouldn't last very long - that is, unless the asking price is ridiculous.

I'd suggest doing something similarly stupid (I mean that in the most reverant way, I love stupid projects!), but simpler, just to get your feet wet. This is a BIG project. Maybe get a Mirage and just do a simple FWD engine/trans swap from another Mitsu car? Much simpler (still difficult), but probably achievable in a shorter period of time, and doing it would teach you things that would make the Monster Project easier and better.


Sort of like if you had no experience with construction, and wanted to build a big 2-story home. I might suggest building a shed or garage first. Something that will require a lot of the same skills... but, a bit less daunting.

This is a good point - start with an easier project. Adding a larger engine, transmission, AWD, and turbo is a lot of little details. Just fitting a small four-cylinder would be a big deal here on these shores. Makes you wonder if the drivetrain from the Eclipse Cross would fit...

P.s. I am doing this swap no matter what I now have my mind set on it and I am not one to give up very easy.

Sometimes that's all it takes to see it through.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

[Cam]

That shouldn't last very long - that is, unless the asking price is ridiculous.


This is a good point - start with an easier project. Adding a larger engine, transmission, AWD, and turbo is a lot of little details. Just fitting a small four-cylinder would be a big deal here on these shores. Makes you wonder if the drivetrain from the Eclipse Cross would fit...


Sometimes that's all it takes to see it through.

Looking forward to seeing your progress.

What smaller engine would you recommend? I would love to just swap it and see how that feels. I read in a forum about a 4g63 swap and awd conversion that what gave me the idea but really any power gains I would be fine with but as said before somewhere in the 150-200 Hp range

[Eggman]

What smaller engine would you recommend? I would love to just swap it and see how that feels. I read in a forum about a 4g63 swap and awd conversion that what gave me the idea but really any power gains I would be fine with but as said before somewhere in the 150-200 Hp range

There’s so many choices, and you’ve gotten some solid advice from someone familiar with modifying and racing cars.

[Cam]

There’s so many choices, and you’ve gotten some solid advice from someone familiar with modifying and racing cars.

I agreed and it is definitely greatly appreciated!! I will try to find something and get back with you if I have any more questions..

Thank you!

[inuvik]

What smaller engine would you recommend? I would love to just swap it and see how that feels. I read in a forum about a 4g63 swap and awd conversion that what gave me the idea but really any power gains I would be fine with but as said before somewhere in the 150-200 Hp range

If I was going to tackle this project I'd look for a wrecked late model Lancer with the NA 4B11 2.0 (not the EVO turbo 4B11T) with the 5 speed manual transmission. It's 150hp and very reliable.

[Loren]

Man, there are so many different ways to approach something like this. A lot of it has to do with what your actual goals are.

Is it a street car? A dyno queen? A show car? Will you actually RACE it? If so, what kind of racing? Drag racing? (yawn) Circle track? Road course? Autocross? Hill climb? Rally?

IMPORTANT: If you're going racing, stop right now! Decide what kind of racing you're doing and start looking at the rule book. Decide what class you want to race in, and what kind of modifications are permitted within that class. It's very easy to modify yourself right out of the class that you could potentially be competitive in and into one that would require a LOT more money and effort.

If I were doing it, it would be just for a fun street car, and I'd want it to mostly be a sleeper. It doesn't need to be crazy fast, just not "slow". HP is just a number on a dyno. Give me torque, responsiveness and drivability. Being a Mirage, some mild fender flares would almost be a requirement, but otherwise... stealth mode.

I also want simplicity and reliability, so... unlike most people, I wouldn't go for a turbo swap. Just some reliable NA power.

Modern engines do amazing things with small displacement, so I wouldn't be looking at anything older than about 2010 for a donor. Part of me would want to stay Mitsubishi, but, really... it's a custom project and there may not be all that much benefit in worrying about it.

I did give this some minor thought when I bought the car. I think I'm mostly over it now since I've decided the platform isn't great for the kind of racing I like to do. (tall, narrow, top-heavy, tippy... and I'm not willing to completely re-engineer the car more than I already attempted to do) The Mirage engine is pretty well-designed, for what it is. It will give you 75-80 hp all day long without complaint and do it efficiently. It is of the 3A9 engine family, which was designed by Mercedes engineers. Cool. There is a related 4A9 engine family. You guessed it, same basic engine, but with 4 cylinders.

So, there's a 4A92 engine that's 1.6 liters, with all the same VVT and other features of the Mirage engine. Of course, I don't think it was ever used in the US market. But, that was one of the first things that came to my mind. It's "only" 115 hp, but I think it would be fun in a Mirage. Super reliable, and still economical.

But, really, what I would want is something that, just like the Mirage engine, is new tech, reliable, economical, lightweight, and is CHEAP and PLENTIFUL on the salvage market.

So, what are there a million of around here that meets all the criteria?

And then... your goals might be different. If you're constantly chasing HP numbers on the dyno, you'll want something with good aftermarket support that responds well to common bolt-ons... and you don't want to have to DESIGN all those bolt-ons from scratch.

It really all depends on what you want to do.

But, back to my dream... I kind of like modern Mitsubishi. I think they've come a long way with design and reliability. But, they're not the most PLENTIFUL in the US. If I'm stuffing an oddball engine into my car, I want it to be something that's literally EVERYWHERE. My first thought there is Hyundai/Kia. They use the same engines in pretty much all of their cars.

Oh, and I want an engine that comes in a car with a proper manual transmission so that I can lift the entire drivetrain (including axles, hubs and brakes) from the same donor car. Bonus points if the hubs are 4x100 to match the Mirage... and all the spare Miata wheels that I have in the garage.

So, FWD Hyundai/Kia, plentiful and cheap. The Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio from 2017+ have the 1.6 liter Gamma engine. VVT, direct injection, all aluminum, etc. And it won awards when it came out in 2012. 138 hp, 123 ft/lbs. 6 speed manual trans. You can find the same engine in the Elantra, Veloster, Sportage, etc. It's an "everywhere" engine.

I think that would be a tidy little "simple" swap into the Mirage. No added complexity of a turbo. Just a simple, reliable, lightweight 4-cylinder that would pretty much double the power and torque of the 1.2 liter Mirage engine.

A Kia Rio weighs around 2700 pounds. So, it would be like putting a Rio on a 700 pound diet... but, you'd still get to keep full interior and air conditioning.

Or, you can go nuts with a much larger engine, turbo, whatever. Just remember, adding more displacement and turbocharging and all that will inevitably add more HEAT in the tiny Mirage engine bay in addition to just trying to "package" it in that small engine bay. Somewhere in there... there's the proper balance of power for the Mirage that won't be a constant pain in the ass.

But, for a "get your feet wet" kind of project... you don't need "all of it". Just "enough of it". You could easily get 100-120 hp from adding boost to the 1.2... and maybe it wouldn't blow up if you tuned it just right. But, dropping in a 1.6 would give you the same power with stock reliability, which would be awesome!

And if you choose the right 1.6... maybe you have the option of swapping to a factory turbo version of the same engine in the future?

[Cam]

Man, there are so many different ways to approach something like this. A lot of it has to do with what your actual goals are.

Is it a street car? A dyno queen? A show car? Will you actually RACE it? If so, what kind of racing? Drag racing? (yawn) Circle track? Road course? Autocross? Hill climb? Rally?

IMPORTANT: If you're going racing, stop right now! Decide what kind of racing you're doing and start looking at the rule book. Decide what class you want to race in, and what kind of modifications are permitted within that class. It's very easy to modify yourself right out of the class that you could potentially be competitive in and into one that would require a LOT more money and effort.

If I were doing it, it would be just for a fun street car, and I'd want it to mostly be a sleeper. It doesn't need to be crazy fast, just not "slow". HP is just a number on a dyno. Give me torque, responsiveness and drivability. Being a Mirage, some mild fender flares would almost be a requirement, but otherwise... stealth mode.

I also want simplicity and reliability, so... unlike most people, I wouldn't go for a turbo swap. Just some reliable NA power.

Modern engines do amazing things with small displacement, so I wouldn't be looking at anything older than about 2010 for a donor. Part of me would want to stay Mitsubishi, but, really... it's a custom project and there may not be all that much benefit in worrying about it.

I did give this some minor thought when I bought the car. I think I'm mostly over it now since I've decided the platform isn't great for the kind of racing I like to do. (tall, narrow, top-heavy, tippy... and I'm not willing to completely re-engineer the car more than I already attempted to do) The Mirage engine is pretty well-designed, for what it is. It will give you 75-80 hp all day long without complaint and do it efficiently. It is of the 3A9 engine family, which was designed by Mercedes engineers. Cool. There is a related 4A9 engine family. You guessed it, same basic engine, but with 4 cylinders.

So, there's a 4A92 engine that's 1.6 liters, with all the same VVT and other features of the Mirage engine. Of course, I don't think it was ever used in the US market. But, that was one of the first things that came to my mind. It's "only" 115 hp, but I think it would be fun in a Mirage. Super reliable, and still economical.

But, really, what I would want is something that, just like the Mirage engine, is new tech, reliable, economical, lightweight, and is CHEAP and PLENTIFUL on the salvage market.

So, what are there a million of around here that meets all the criteria?

And then... your goals might be different. If you're constantly chasing HP numbers on the dyno, you'll want something with good aftermarket support that responds well to common bolt-ons... and you don't want to have to DESIGN all those bolt-ons from scratch.

It really all depends on what you want to do.

But, back to my dream... I kind of like modern Mitsubishi. I think they've come a long way with design and reliability. But, they're not the most PLENTIFUL in the US. If I'm stuffing an oddball engine into my car, I want it to be something that's literally EVERYWHERE. My first thought there is Hyundai/Kia. They use the same engines in pretty much all of their cars.

Oh, and I want an engine that comes in a car with a proper manual transmission so that I can lift the entire drivetrain (including axles, hubs and brakes) from the same donor car. Bonus points if the hubs are 4x100 to match the Mirage... and all the spare Miata wheels that I have in the garage.

So, FWD Hyundai/Kia, plentiful and cheap. The Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio from 2017+ have the 1.6 liter Gamma engine. VVT, direct injection, all aluminum, etc. And it won awards when it came out in 2012. 138 hp, 123 ft/lbs. 6 speed manual trans. You can find the same engine in the Elantra, Veloster, Sportage, etc. It's an "everywhere" engine.

I think that would be a tidy little "simple" swap into the Mirage. No added complexity of a turbo. Just a simple, reliable, lightweight 4-cylinder that would pretty much double the power and torque of the 1.2 liter Mirage engine.

A Kia Rio weighs around 2700 pounds. So, it would be like putting a Rio on a 700 pound diet... but, you'd still get to keep full interior and air conditioning.

Or, you can go nuts with a much larger engine, turbo, whatever. Just remember, adding more displacement and turbocharging and all that will inevitably add more HEAT in the tiny Mirage engine bay in addition to just trying to "package" it in that small engine bay. Somewhere in there... there's the proper balance of power for the Mirage that won't be a constant pain in the ass.

But, for a "get your feet wet" kind of project... you don't need "all of it". Just "enough of it". You could easily get 100-120 hp from adding boost to the 1.2... and maybe it wouldn't blow up if you tuned it just right. But, dropping in a 1.6 would give you the same power with stock reliability, which would be awesome!

And if you choose the right 1.6... maybe you have the option of swapping to a factory turbo version of the same engine in the future?

Wow so much information! I love it!! So really My aspirations for this build is a fast little street car that can possibly stomp a mustang or 2 if need be and really just a sleep like you said.. Swapping a 1.6 in here is a really good idea actually would give a little more pep in her step and retain a little mpg.. Any chance you know what kind of number one of those would put down with a turbo?

[Cam]

Great! Thank you I will look into it! What the power difference between its turbo counterpart? It would be cool to have a turbo.. Is a late model lancer awd or fwd?

[Loren]

Don't take this the wrong way (or do)... you can't be lazy and make a project like this work. Google is your friend.

If you're talking about the Hyundai 1.6 that I was talking about, look it up. There's tons of info out there. Some of it easy to find, some of it isn't. Some of it is ACCURATE, and some of it ISN'T. Don't trust everything you read on a forum, especially if I said it. Go for factory sources, or at least find multiple sources for the same tidbit of info. Sucks to get way down a rabbit hole only to find out that your info was incorrect!

So, if we're talking about that Hyundai Gamma 1.6:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyundai_Gamma_engine

The NA versions seem to be around 130-140 hp. The turbo versions are 177-204.

If you want more accurate info... look up what cars used those engines and look up the specs on the specific cars. You know... the car you're likely to pick up as a donor. Therein lies your answer.

You wanna know if a Lancer was FWD? Look. It. Up. (spoiler: The EVO is a Lancer, it's AWD. I think the Ralliart may have been AWD, I don't know. The base Lancer is a FWD economy car. If I cared to know more... I'd Google it!)

Round numbers:

I think you can easily take almost any unmodified engine (including the Mirage 1.2), throw 4-6 psi of boost from a supercharger or turbo at it, and safely see 20-25% additional power without too much trouble. Most cars/engines are built with enough "headroom" to handle that without self-destructing. For the Mirage, that would be a boost from 78 to very near 100 hp.

If you then add some intercooling, and make sure you have enough fueling, and again... really good tuning... you could boost that unmodified engine up to around 8-10 psi and still be kinda sorta safe. Maybe. Depending on the engine. That would get you closer to 50% over stock power.

Beyond that, you're getting into either blowing stuff up, or doing lots of expensive internal engine mods.

BUT... if you're doing a crazy custom engine swap, it makes sense to just use something that's already got the power you want in its stock form rather than building your own turbo kit and tuning and all that.

What I was suggesting as an example was:

Simple, straightforward, NA 1.6 Gamma engine swap. Get that puppy in the car. Get it running. Get through all the driveline problems, electrical problems, cooling problems, etc, etc, etc.

THEN... if you want more power, get a Gamma engine that has a factory turbo on it (along with it's ECU, and any wiring that might be different) and drop it in. Mechanically, it will be a bolt-in swap for the 1.6 that you already fit into the car. So, it would be a much easier "upgrade" at that point. (and if the base engine is known to be identical to the turbo version, you could just bolt the factory turbo parts onto the original NA 1.6 engine)

Doing something like this in stages is a wise way to go. Just plan your stages from the beginning. Don't pick an engine that's a "dead end", if you think you're going to want to mod it further later. Like, don't pick a Saturn S series engine. GREAT engine... but you had the option of single cam 106 hp or twin cam 124 hp... that's all they ever did with it. Dead-end for future upgrades.

Do your homework. Even though some people might give you answers on forums... don't TRUST anybody to do your homework for you. Dig deep and learn stuff.