The Lancer Evolution line of rally cars is legendary in the rally scene. Because of WRC homologation rules, Mitsubishi used its production Mirage/Lancer platform and modified it to compete in the different stages of the World Rally Championship.
In the earlier days of rallying, Mitsubishi used their Galant VR platform as their chosen rally car. However, the Galant VR proved quite hefty and bulky despite having a powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine.
In 1992, Mitsubishi transplanted the Galant VR engine into the lighter, more compact Lancer/Mirage body.
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was born.
In Forza Horizon 5, the Lancer Evolution VI has a glaring understeer issue that could rob it of easy race wins and lap times. Understeer is common in AWD platforms, and the Lancer Evolution is no exception.
Today we will try to fix the inherent understeer issue of the Lancer Evolution VI GSR in Forza Horizon 5. Through fine-tuning and chassis balance changes, the Lancer Evolution VI might be one of the fastest all-around cars in S1.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR in WRC
Car manufacturers that sought to join the WRC had to make cars in certain production numbers to qualify for WRC. This ruling is why we see road-going versions of the actual rally cars in a more sedate and liveable package.
Due to the WRC homologation rules of the 90s, manufacturers were only allowed to use platforms already in mass production. However, in 2001, Mitsubishi was forced by the FIA to compete in the WRC using WRC homologation rules rather than the usual Group A rules. Mitsubishi did not have to produce a special production-run vehicle to qualify for WRC.
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What makes the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR special is that it was the last homologation of Lancer Evolution ever made by Mitsubishi.
The 6th generation Lancer Evolution is also a special model because it would eventually become the car Mitsubishi would use to pay homage to their most successful driver in WRC: Tommi Makinen.
The Lancer Evolution VI, driven by Tommi Makinen, scored Japan’s 100th win in their long history of rally racing. Makinen would win multiple races onboard the Lancer Evolution VI throughout the 2000 season in the WRC. A succeeding model was used in the WRC using the Lancer Evolution VI platform, which Mitsubishi called the Lancer Evolution 6.5 or 6 1/2, more commonly known as the very rare Lancer Evolution VI TME (Tommi Makinen Edition)
The Lancer Evolution VI TME features an exclusive TME edition front bumper, black and red Recaro Seats with Tommi Makinen’s name, white 17″ Enkei wheels, and an upgraded titanium turbine.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR in Forza Horizon 5
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI GSR makes another appearance in the Forza Horizon franchise. Because of the reasons mentioned above, we are not surprised they picked the Lancer Evolution 5 rather than some of the other Lancer Evo, such as the Evo III or the Evo IV.
Gameplay-wise, the Lancer Evolution VI feels exactly how an all-wheel-drive car should behave out of the box. The car tends to understeer more rather than oversteer. The entire chassis rolls a lot during switchbacks, and the suspension is plush and controllable whenever you find yourself off-road.
The Lancer Evolution VI has a relatively tall suspension for a sports car (because of its rally roots) and has just enough power to make driving the car fun. The Lancer Evolution VI in stock form feels quick and agile but boaty and prone to understeer.
Forza Horizon 5: The Biggest Upgrade Mistake
It is a given fact players will try to buy every engine and suspension upgrade for a car once they have amassed enough credits to do so. The Lancer Evolution VI will likely be upgraded to the last bolt once players can. Upgrading is all well and good, though. Who does not like more power?
The biggest problem with upgrades is that newer players can not compensate for the increased pace their car is capable of post-upgrade. There is a reason why suspension upgrades are offered in-game; to compensate for the inevitable power increase that the cars in-game will eventually be subjected to.
Even though the Devs were kind enough to include valuable tuning option descriptions in the tuning menu, some players do not have the time to test each one and report what changed on their cars. Many Forza players would rather spend their precious time exploring and racing on the Horizon than spend hours trying to perfect their cars’ handling.
Today, we will try to fix the terrible understeer problem of the Lancer Evolution 6 through some suspension fine-tuning. We tried our best to correct Lancer Evolution’s understeer problem with this setup, but we must admit that it will probably not be for everybody. However, if you are familiar with the slow-in, fast-out approach, this setup will give players a fast, controllable Lancer Evolution VI base setup.
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI Suspension Tuning
Luckily, whenever an engine upgrade is installed into cars in Forza Horizon 5, it amplifies whatever certain characteristic a car already exhibits pre-upgrade. Upgraded power means cars that tend to oversteer in stock form will most likely oversteer more when subjected to the max engine upgrade. The same can be said for cars that tend to understeer.
With this in mind, post-upgrade Lancer Evolution VI will feel like it does not want to turn, especially once the car is already going at a certain speed. So we will have to fix that with some suspension tuning.
Note: Upgrade the Lancer Evolution VI to the max. Do not forget to purchase the “Race” Suspension Upgrade, add a front spoiler/splitter, and replace the rear wing with an adjustable rear wing.
- Open the Options Menu by pressing ESC on your keyboard.
- Click on Cars.
- Click on Tune Car.
- You will be brought to the tuning menu.
- Enter the following Settings.
Input the following settings:
Tires:
Gearing:
Alignment:
Antiroll Bars:
Springs:
Damping:
Aero:
Brake:
Differential:
Three different types of understeer occur in either of the three sections of the corner. These are:
- Corner-entry understeer – car refuses to turn into the corner under braking.
- Mid-corner understeer – car refuses to turn deeper into the corner even after getting off the throttle.
- Corner-exit understeer – car pushes further outside the corner when getting on the throttle.
Generally, the Lancer Evolution VI GSR suffers from Mid-corner and Corner-exit understeer. The Lancer Evolution VI tends to “push” or drag towards the opposite side of the road when turning left or right. Mid-corner, the Evo also tends to hold a straight line rather than “dip” its nose further into the corner. Of course, all of this understeer behavior shows up during off-throttle cornering. It only gets worse when you start to put on the gas.
To fix this, we have to reduce the overall stiffness of the front suspension components, such as the spring, dampers, and sway bars/antiroll bars. A stiffened front suspension will allow the suspension to compress more and get more weight toward the front tires. More grip towards the front of the car increases overall turning ability during corner entry.
The rear suspension components have to be stiffened up to induce oversteer, which would help the car “rotate” towards the inside of the corner. (mid-corner understeer) Since the Lancer Evolution VI is AWD, we do not need to worry about corner-exit oversteer after applying these settings. The AWD system will help the car grip the road at the corner exit.
Lancer Evolution VI on Rails
This tuning setup will suit most players regardless of their driving style. However, it is important to remember that tuning setups are not a substitute for good driving techniques. Do not expect this setup to help turn your car in a sharp bend at 160MPH; that will not happen here.
This setup aims to reduce the unwanted handling characteristics of the Lancer Evolution VI, namely its tendency to understeer and aid with mid-corner rotation to take advantage of the Lancer Evolution’s AWD corner-exit grip.
That is about it! We hope this base tuning setup will be helpful to any of you who want to squeeze out as much performance from this old but gold JDM rally legend!
