The Kit That Ran an 8.48 at 164 MPH
Most Evo X owners shopping for a full turbo kit already know the platform’s potential. The 4B11 responds well to boost, the SST or 5-speed handles power with the right supporting mods, and the AWC system puts it all down cleanly. What most people don’t know is which kit has actually been proven at the absolute limit of what an Evo X can do — not on a dyno sheet, but at the drag strip, under full race conditions.
The answer is the ETS Evo X Turbo Kit from Extreme Turbo Systems, and the proof is in the timeslip. ETS and English Racing set the world record for the fastest Evo X quarter-mile pass, eventually bringing their elapsed time down to an 8.48 at 164 MPH. That record didn’t happen because of driver talent alone or a one-off custom fabrication. It happened with this exact kit — the same one available to customers today.
That’s not a marketing claim. That’s a benchmark. And when you’re spending serious money on a full turbo kit for your Evo X, benchmarks matter more than brochure language.
What’s Actually in the Kit — and Why Each Piece Matters
The ETS Evo X Turbo Kit is packed with features including a high-flowing equal-length manifold, true merge collector, full 3" downpipe, direct-routed wastegate dump, low-angle turbo outlet, high-flow upper intercooler pipe, and dual TiAL MV-S 38mm wastegates. You can pair it with T3/T4 or Garrett GT series turbos depending on your power goals. That’s a complete hot-side system, not a manifold-and-pipe combo that leaves you sourcing half the parts yourself.
The equal-length manifold is probably the most discussed component in the Evo X tuning community, and for good reason. In a turbocharged engine, an equal-length exhaust manifold more evenly applies exhaust pulse pressure to the turbine, which increases spool efficiency and minimizes pressure fluctuations inside the manifold — directly impacting volumetric efficiency and torque. A log-style or unequal-length manifold, by contrast, tends to let exhaust pulses from different cylinders interfere with each other. In a log setup, exhaust pulses leaving the engine slam into each other, causing added heat and flow inefficiency. The ETS manifold eliminates that problem at the design level.
The true merge collector is what separates this from kits that use equal-length runners but then dump them into a poorly designed collector. The heart of the ETS manifold is its merge collector at the turbine inlet — unlike a factory unit where exhaust gases collide head-on, the ETS merge collector aligns exhaust flow in the direction of the turbine for faster spool and more top-end power, while equal-length runners ensure all cylinders are tuned the same.
For the twin-scroll variant, the engineering goes further. The twin-scroll design uses dual wastegates to keep the exhaust pressure waves of cylinders 1 and 4 separate from cylinders 2 and 3, so they impact the turbine wheel individually 180 degrees apart — helping spool the turbo quicker without any loss of top-end power. On a 2.0-liter engine pushing a large T4 turbo, that’s the difference between a kit that spools at 5,500 RPM and one that’s building boost before you need it.
The dual TiAL MV-S 38mm wastegates are not there for show. TiAL wastegates are a benchmark in the industry for boost control accuracy and durability. All ETS Evo X turbo kits come standard with dual wastegates, and the direct-routed wastegate dump means there’s no awkward plumbing compromising flow. Wastegate placement and routing affects how cleanly the exhaust system breathes under high-boost conditions — a detail that budget kits routinely get wrong.
Supporting hardware includes an exhaust flex joint, T-bolt clamps, 4-ply silicone couplers, and braided oil lines — the kind of hardware that keeps a high-output build together over time, not just on the first pull.
The Record Car: How ETS and English Racing Built the Fastest Evo X on Earth
Understanding why the ETS kit performs the way it does is easier when you look at the history of the car that proved it. The partnership between ETS and English Racing began in 2013, when ETS brought English Racing onboard to help develop DRAG X — at the time, the only 9-second Evo X in the world with a best of 9.90 in the quarter-mile.
From there, the progression was methodical. Driver Myles Kerr took over driving duties in 2018, and after a few trips to the track was laying down 8-second passes — eventually resetting the Evo X record several times at the World Cup Finals with a best pass of 8.27 at 174 MPH. The team kept pushing. After converting to methanol and bolting up a Precision 7685 turbo, the car ran an 8.16 at 180 MPH during TX2K19.
And then came the world’s first 7-second Evo X. The ETS Evo ran a 7.93 at 185 MPH, a result that required years of iteration on the turbo kit, engine, and drivetrain. The ETS turbo kit was the foundation of the hot side through every iteration of that build. Working with a turbo setup delivered by Extreme Turbo Systems — a developer also involved in the GT-R quarter-mile world record battle — the Lancer delivered approximately 1,500 horsepower.
That’s the context behind the kit. It wasn’t designed to be the best-looking option in a catalog photo. It was designed and refined through actual record attempts, with real consequences for every engineering decision.
Street Car or Track Build — Where This Kit Fits
A common concern with kits that carry world-record credentials is whether they’re practical for a street-driven or street/strip build. The ETS kit handles both.
The ETS T4 Twin Scroll Turbo Kit for Evo X fits the 2008-2015 Evolution X and is designed to get the job done, street or track. The low-angle turbo outlet and high-flow upper intercooler pipe keep the install tidy and the charge piping efficient. The exhaust flex joint reduces stress on the manifold from engine movement — something that matters on a daily-driven car hitting speed bumps and thermal cycles every day.
Turbo selection is where you dial in the character of the build. Smaller T3 options in the Garrett GTX or Precision lineup will spool earlier and suit a street car that still needs to be liveable in traffic. Larger T4 options — the G35-1050, Precision 7685, and similar — are for builds where the driver is comfortable trading some low-RPM response for substantial top-end power. The kit’s manifold and collector design supports both without compromise, which is why the same architecture works on a 500 WHP street car and the world’s fastest Evo X drag build.
For builds that want to complement the turbo kit with a proper intake, the ETS Evo X intake has been dyno proven to gain over 56 WHP — a meaningful number on a build where every part is working together.
STM Tuned carries both the ETS V-Band Turbo Kit for Evo X and the ETS T4 Twin Scroll Turbo Kit for Evo X, along with the supporting Evo X turbo parts and hardware to complete the install. With over 90% of orders shipping same-day, you’re not waiting weeks for parts to arrive before you can start the build.
Why This Kit Is the Benchmark for Serious Evo X Builds
There are other Evo X turbo kits on the market. Some are cheaper, some are marketed aggressively, and a few are built by reputable fabricators. But the ETS kit occupies a specific position: it’s the kit that has been tested harder than any other, on the biggest stage the Evo X platform has ever seen.
The fastest Evo Xs in the world run this kit. That’s not a claim ETS made up — it’s the result of years of drag racing development with English Racing, breaking their own records multiple times in the process.
For anyone researching an Evo X full turbo kit purchase, the question isn’t really whether the ETS kit performs. The question is which variant fits your build goals and which turbo you’re pairing with it. The equal-length manifold, true merge collector, dual TiAL wastegates, and full 3" downpipe give you a hot-side foundation that won’t become the limiting factor as the build evolves. That’s the point of buying a proven kit over a cheaper alternative — you’re not buying a part, you’re buying a platform you won’t have to replace when you decide to push further.
If you’re building an Evo X with serious power goals, the ETS turbo kit is the logical starting point. You can find it at STM Tuned’s Evo X turbo kits collection, alongside the full range of Evo X turbo parts and supporting hardware to complete the build right the first time.