Observations on the 8spd with the 2.0T

[Mike_TX]

The Kia 8spd trans seems like a good one so far, but:

1. It is obviously geared to get into as high a gear as possible as quickly as possible, at least in Comfort mode. I noticed today while driving on a divided city street that at 45mph the engine was turning only 1250rpm. That's not even high enough to get on boost, but fortunately the 4-cyl has enough native torque to allow for good response, and max torque is only 300rpm away at that point, so I can still squirt away if needed.

2. Because the gearing holds down the rpms, I find that the engine lugs a little between 1000 and 1500rpm, making a slight rumbling sound under light acceleration. Unfortunately, that's right in the meat of city driving speeds (30-45mph), so I get the rumble pretty often. It doesn't really bother me, and more throttle will elicit a downshift and more rpms, but lugging an engine isn't something I like to do. I'm sure Kia knows this, and it must not hurt anything, so I'll just ignore it.

I don't know if the 3.3 behaves any differently, but I'd imagine the gearing is pretty much the same for the two engines. But then, the V6 probably doesn't lug as easily as the I-4, anyway.

3. The extra 2 gears over my previous (6spd) Optima 2.0T do help with gas mileage, though ... I'm getting an indicated 23.0 or so with the Stinger, whereas my Optima generally showed about 22.0 for the same kind of driving (80% city/20% freeway, Regular gas). It will be interesting to see how it does on the interstate.

Just some observations.

 

[chchia]

the gear ratio for 2.0 and 3.3 is different.

i own 2.0 and yes, it does lagging and choking especially when in low rpm, in all driving mode.

 

[Dennis]

2.0T being a 4 cylinder inherently due to harmonics will have more vibration irregardless of revs in comparison to a 6 cylinder. Having more gears actually improves fuel mileage but will actually be counter productive for rumble as the revs will be hovering at a lower rpm. Actually I find manufacturers are emphasizing alot on fuel economy figures and have actually overlook the vibration and harshness in vehicles... They actually overcome this by adding counter balancer, more complex mountings and so on to overcome this and comes at an expense of owners during replacement of parts. The low rev creates a negative impact especially in terms of engine longevity due to carbon, pre ignition and so on.... keeping the revs upwards of 1500k and above will be better and smoother especially for 4 cylinders.

 

[Collybus]

I find the same as the OP but leave it alone for everyday driving. If conditions are such that it is bothersome, I either change to sport mode, which elicits taller gear changes, or control the gears manually through the paddles or manual shifting. This is the first car I've ever leased, three year / 45000 mile contract, so with the Kia warranty, I simply don't worry much about driving to extend longevity.

 

[rocket23]

smoothest shifting car I have ever driven......At times it is effortless and zero vibration or lugging, but then again I run premium and have a few mods under the hood.

 

[5tinger]

Those are common characteristic of Kia Even my 2014 forte turbo 6 speed speed auto does the same. A tendancy to upshift to highest gear. Creating excessive vibration.
In fact it feels always in the wrong gear and initiating manual gear shifts causes excessive lurches.

I have a 2010 Camry with 2.4L 5 speed auto which is a million times smoother than the Kia and there are absolutely no vibration, and the rpms dip below 1000 even.

 

[Graphite_GT_305]

The Kia 8spd trans seems like a good one so far, but:

....

I don't know if the 3.3 behaves any differently, but I'd imagine the gearing is pretty much the same for the two engines. But then, the V6 probably doesn't lug as easily as the I-4, anyway.

....

I test drove both Stingers, back to back. First, the 2.0L, then the 3.3L. I only had plans for the 2 liter at the time, but I remembered a comment by YouTuber Savagegeese, who said "if you want the 2 liter, save some more money, and get the v6". I had no plans on getting the v6 but BECAUSE of his comment, I asked the salesman to get TWO keys, one for each car.

I had no problems with the engine of the 2 liter, but I did find the transmission was hunting for gears, and shifting too often and too early. One could argue that the transmission only hunts because it's trying to get more out of the engine, but I don't get that feeling. To me it feels like the econazis have forced Kia into getting too much MPG out of it. I don't recall trying Sport mode on the 2 liter, as that should definitely cut down on early shifts.

 

[Mike_TX]

Odd you say that about the hunting. When I first got my 2.0, it did seem like it couldn't decide if it needed to downshift or what. But after a few hundred miles it has learned my driving habits and I don't get that gear hunting thing anymore. I guess it really DOES learn!

 

[Never thought]

I had a Stinger base for a loaner. I could definitely feel some turbo lag and acceleration didn’t seem as linear as the 3.3T

 

[TwiceStung]

This is my 2nd 2.0. Sold the base and leased the Premium. Don’t need the extra power since I have a lead foot anyway. That’s what Sport mode is for. Sometimes I can’t even tell it’s running at stop lights. This one is smoother than the first. Don’t know why. Only at 1800 miles. No tranny shifting issues and so far haven’t lost a fuel pump like I did on the first one. No rattles or squeaks or paint issues or anything.

 

[Mike_TX]

This is my 2nd 2.0. Sold the base and leased the Premium. Don’t need the extra power since I have a lead foot anyway. That’s what Sport mode is for. Sometimes I can’t even tell it’s running at stop lights. This one is smoother than the first. Don’t know why. Only at 1800 miles. No tranny shifting issues and so far haven’t lost a fuel pump like I did on the first one. No rattles or squeaks or paint issues or anything.

Agree - I sometimes have to look and see if i forgot to kill the auto start/stop. lol. This is my 3rd Kia 2.0T (two previous Optima SXL's), and this one is the smoothest and quietest of them all.

As for performance, I think the 2.0 is underrated. I recall one of the credible testers (the youngish Asian guy) when he test drove the 2.0. He made it clear at the start that he had no interest in it, but kind of felt it was his duty to drive it. But as the video went on, he was visibly surprised, and finally grinned and said "This thing is actually FUN!"

 

[Collybus]

Sport Mode - and Smart - really does for the most part negate the lugging and hunting programmed into Comfort and Eco.

 

[mandasol]

If you have an early build make sure to get the fast static gear shift update, replacement ecu, and replacement high pressure fuel pump. After all those my 2.0 feels like a totally different car, way more responsive and fun to drive.

I had RaceChip, but after getting all those done I just don't feel I need it any more.

 

[Chyoon]

If you have an early build make sure to get the fast static gear shift update, replacement ecu, and replacement high pressure fuel pump. After all those my 2.0 feels like a totally different car, way more responsive and fun to drive.

I had RaceChip, but after getting all those done I just don't feel I need it any more.

Could you please tell us more about these updates and replacements? Is it a recall/warranty thing? Aftermarket parts? I'm looking for ways to make my 2.0T response.

 

[mandasol]

Could you please tell us more about these updates and replacements? Is it a recall/warranty thing? Aftermarket parts? I'm looking for ways to make my 2.0T response.

The fuel pump is not a recall but many 2.0's are having issues so dealers are replacing them. Your dealer like mine will probably claim they never heard of this issue, you have to press them to contact Kia and then Kia will automatically advise them to replace the high pressure fuel pump for the direct injection in the engine.
Fuel Pump discussed here:
Fuel pump replacement common?
2.0 CEL and hesitation
https://stingerforum.org/threads/2-0-performance-problems.4381/

ECU replacement was a recall, dealer had to order a new ecu and replace it.
Mfr Campaign/Safety Recall Notice:SA352 -ManufacturerCampaignId:SA352 SA352 ECU REPLACEMENT
Discussed here: https://stingerforum.org/threads/sa352-ecu-replacement.9948/

Gear shift logic was a recall and it's just a software update.
Mfr Campaign/Safety Recall Notice:SA341 -ManufacturerCampaignId:SA341 SA341 CK FAST STATIC GEAR SHIFT LOGIC
Discussed here: https://stingerforum.org/threads/is...r-shift-logic-improvement-2-0-and-3-3gt.6693/

I'll also note that when I had the RaceChip I had HKS spark plugs installed, but since I'm not running the RaceChip anymore I went back to the stock plugs but gapped down to 0.024.

After having ALL of these done, I could feel the change, and it's very noticeable. Feels like the car is naturally aspirated meaning instant torque right off the line and smooth and consistent power delivery all the way through to higher rpms, which some people will like but some will prefer the sudden rush of the turbos in higher rpms and can live with the turbo lag.

 

[Chyoon]

The fuel pump is not a recall but many 2.0's are having issues so dealers are replacing them. Your dealer like mine will probably claim they never heard of this issue, you have to press them to contact Kia and then Kia will automatically advise them to replace the high pressure fuel pump for the direct injection in the engine.
Fuel Pump discussed here:
Fuel pump replacement common?
2.0 CEL and hesitation
2.0 Performance problems

ECU replacement was a recall, dealer had to order a new ecu and replace it.
Mfr Campaign/Safety Recall Notice:SA352 -ManufacturerCampaignId:SA352 SA352 ECU REPLACEMENT
Discussed here: SA352 - ECU Replacement

Gear shift logic was a recall and it's just a software update.
Mfr Campaign/Safety Recall Notice:SA341 -ManufacturerCampaignId:SA341 SA341 CK FAST STATIC GEAR SHIFT LOGIC
Discussed here: https://stingerforum.org/threads/is...r-shift-logic-improvement-2-0-and-3-3gt.6693/

I'll also note that when I had the RaceChip I had HKS spark plugs installed, but since I'm not running the RaceChip anymore I went back to the stock plugs but gapped down to 0.024.

After having ALL of these done, I could feel the change, and it's very noticeable. Feels like the car is naturally aspirated meaning instant torque right off the line and smooth and consistent power delivery all the way through to higher rpms, which some people will like but some will prefer the sudden rush of the turbos in higher rpms and can live with the turbo lag.

Thank you for explaining all that for us. I don't think those popped up as recalls for me, however.

Do I just call Kia and explain these things to them? I'd like to get those improvements you've done on your car so far but I'm not sure how to press them without any CEL and active recalls.

 

[mandasol]

What was your build date? Mine was November of 2017. Your build date might be outside of the recalls. I would still complain to your dealer about feeling loss of power, lag, or hesitation, and that should be enough for them to change the high pressure fuel pump even if your car is not affected by the recalls. Actually, instead of complaining I would get to know your service adviser and get him to be your advocate with Kia. I have the same service adviser every time I go to my dealership and we talk about our dogs and cars, he is very receptive to any issues I have. He never heard about about the fuel pump issues but he had the technician check it and call in to Kia so they replaced it.

 

[Chyoon]

What was your build date? Mine was November of 2017. Your build date might be outside of the recalls. I would still complain to your dealer about feeling loss of power, lag, or hesitation, and that should be enough for them to change the high pressure fuel pump even if your car is not affected by the recalls. Actually, instead of complaining I would get to know your service adviser and get him to be your advocate with Kia. I have the same service adviser every time I go to my dealership and we talk about our dogs and cars, he is very receptive to any issues I have. He never heard about about the fuel pump issues but he had the technician check it and call in to Kia so they replaced it.

I see. My build date is March 2018.

I did have a CEL related to one of the fuel injectors (3rd one misfired) that was replaced about a month ago. And in cold start, my car gets a bit "poky" (sort of uneven acceleration) in cold weather... Would this be considered "hesitation"? I would say there's def some lag after pushing down the gas pedal.

 

[mandasol]

I had the same issue, on cold start rough idle and while the engine was still not up to operating temp very uneven acceleration, even occasional loss of power during normal driving. You definitely have a problem with your fuel pump. Get it replaced - the high pressure fuel pump in the engine - Direct Injection fuel injectors operate at ridiculously high pressures 2-3000 psi so the high pressure fuel pump is critical. Also, ask about the ECU, I would think yours is still a fairly early build that would warrant an ECU replacement. If it's not easy working with your dealer, change dealers or call Kia directly.

 

[Mike_TX]

If you have an early build make sure to get the fast static gear shift update, replacement ecu, and replacement high pressure fuel pump. After all those my 2.0 feels like a totally different car, way more responsive and fun to drive.

I had RaceChip, but after getting all those done I just don't feel I need it any more.

Mine's a 2019.