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ORIGINAL: Lil Evo

i think we need to maks some sort of sticky out on this, because this has been discussed several times. Mirage and fast generally aren't used in the same sentance together, although there are exceptions. Here's the little speech (again).

First, you need a vision for the car. Don't just start throwing on mods aimlessly without some sort of goal in mind. Is this going to be your daily driver, or the weekend track car? How much time can you put into it every week, how long can you afford to have it in pieces on your garage floor without missing school/work (or both)? What's your end goal, do you want all show, all go, or a little bit of both? Do you want to play it safe and keep it all naturally aspirated, or go the forced induction route, or go big with a swap? What's your budget like, when and how are you going to afford the parts and labor you'll need (dyno tuning isn't cheap). This is what separates the import enthusiast from the ricer. The enthusiast has a carefully laid out plan with everything thought through and an ultimate goal in mind, the ricer sees something shiny and zip ties it on.

  After you've answered these questions, the the fun stuff begins. I would suggest, no matter where you want to go in regards to your car, you start with the suspension. What good is a performance minded car if it can't turn? The mirage already handles soundly, but a set of lowering springs, performance struts, braces and sway bars will make it handle as if it were on rails.

  Next, begin with the basic modifications that you'll need. A cat back exhaust system is in order (no bigger than 2.25" unless you plan on adding spray or a turbo), as well as a performance intake. This is where most people stop, either because they don't have the time, money, motivation, or some combination of these, to continue with the car. If, however, you continue on the NA route, here's what I'd do.

  Start with a bigger throttle body, either one from a 4g93 (1.8L Mirage engine) or a turbo Eclipse TB. However, this will be usless without freeing up the air inside the intake manifold. Get one that has been ported, a set of 275cc injectors, adjustable FPR, adjustable cam gear, RPW 4-1 header, test pipe, plugs, wires, and a few various odds and ends, and something to tune it with (Greddy Emanage or the Apexi SAFC both work exceptionally well), and you've got a killer all engine 4g15. Don't expect to be trouncing V8's, but you'll be able to hang with a few of the big boys of the import world.

Turbo is a whole other nightmare, so unless you've got cash to spend and a lot of tylonol for the headaches, stick with NA until you've got the knowledge base and experience to tackle a turbo project.