Plan to Improve Handling

[chasewheeler623]

Hey Guys,

New to the forum. So I recently purchased a 2018 GT2 RWD. Had a thousand miles on it (dealer never could sell it) and paid 35K.

So I love the car so far, but I'm coming from a 2014 Evo X, I have issues with the handling in this car. In particular the understeer/push and the unsettled backend when accelerating in a turn and hitting a bump (many have talked about this). My plan to address this is as follows:
- Purchase 2 OEM rear rims, run them in the front with 255 tires all around (square setup)
- Eibach rear sway bar set to soft
- Ultra Racing Chassis RWD Chassis Bracing

My questions to you all are:
- Will I have any issue fitting the rear OEM wheels to the front?
- Is there an alternative rear sway bar to eibach? In reading some reviews, I don't like how difficult it is to install and could see a mechanic screwing it up.
- Ultra Racing Chassis Bracing -Has anybody installed this? Does it just bolt right in or are modifications required?

I may also do a piggy back tune at some point but the power is fine for me so far.

Thanks in advance for your guys thoughts!

 

[chasewheeler623]

Also if anybody knows a good shop in the Bay Area for the install, that would be appreciated!

 

[Manaz]

I'm not surprised you're finding the handling different. The Evo X was not only a smaller car, it was AWD, *and* had, amongst other things the Active Yaw Control capability, which makes cornering in the damned things almost impossibly good, (like nearly "breaking the laws of physics" good).

Swaybar installs are pretty much the same no matter what brand you get- the issue isn't the swaybars but rather how Kia have implemented them.

I'd be inclined to go front and rear bars - set both to soft, see how it feels. If you're still worried about understeer, then put the rear bar on hard.

I'm not in a position to comment on the mid-brace or if it's needed/helpful yet.

On the front wheels - run up the sizes in one of the tyre calculators, and they'll tell you how close you'll end up to suspension components and guards. Brakes could be interesting - while the rears are wider, they don't have to clear the bigger front calipers, and so offsets and spoke design could impact here.

Remember - the Stinger is a completely different car to the Evo in nearly every sense (manufacturer, market segment, intended purpose, drivetrain), and you're trying to stop a bigger heavier car than you've had previously from doing what physics dictates it wants to do - without the benefits of AWD and Mitsubishi's electronic trickery. You're not going to end up with the same result - but you may get close enough for your requirements to be satisfied - and I wish you the best of luck there!

 

[chasewheeler623]

I'm not surprised you're finding the handling different. The Evo X was not only a smaller car, it was AWD, *and* had, amongst other things the Active Yaw Control capability, which makes cornering in the damned things almost impossibly good, (like nearly "breaking the laws of physics" good).

Swaybar installs are pretty much the same no matter what brand you get- the issue isn't the swaybars but rather how Kia have implemented them.

I'd be inclined to go front and rear bars - set both to soft, see how it feels. If you're still worried about understeer, then put the rear bar on hard.

I'm not in a position to comment on the mid-brace or if it's needed/helpful yet.

On the front wheels - run up the sizes in one of the tyre calculators, and they'll tell you how close you'll end up to suspension components and guards. Brakes could be interesting - while the rears are wider, they don't have to clear the bigger front calipers, and so offsets and spoke design could impact here.

Remember - the Stinger is a completely different car to the Evo in nearly every sense (manufacturer, market segment, intended purpose, drivetrain), and you're trying to stop a bigger heavier car than you've had previously from doing what physics dictates it wants to do - without the benefits of AWD and Mitsubishi's electronic trickery. You're not going to end up with the same result - but you may get close enough for your requirements to be satisfied - and I wish you the best of luck there!

Would you just recommend going with 255 on the stock front 8" rims? Wondering if the tire might be a bit too large.

Also I for sure realize the Evo and this are very different cars. I'm just trying to dial her in a bit better is all. The evo comes fully dialed in from the factory. Shit, the evo has an x brace welded between the back seat and trunk. Just hoping for some incremental improvement is all.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

I have Eibach F&R on Softest Setting + Whiteline Heavy Duty End Links, best upgrade you can do & for the size of this car is a vast improvement...cannot recommend this enough.
This is the perfect starting point for your handling concerns.

 

[chasewheeler623]

I have Eibach F&R on Softest Setting + Whiteline Heavy Duty End Links, best upgrade you can do & for the size of this car is a vast improvement...cannot recommend this enough.
This is the perfect starting point for your handling concerns.
View attachment 26245 View attachment 26246

Thanks! Had not heard of the whiteline end links. Will look into these.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Thanks! Had not heard of the whiteline end links. Will look into these.

They compliment the sway bars & lift the cars handling to another level without affecting ride quality.

 

[chasewheeler623]

They compliment the sway bars & lift the cars handling to another level without affecting ride quality.

Awesome. Where did you purchase from?

Also any thoughts on me putting 255 tires on the stock front rims or putting stock rear rims on the front. In regards to a square setup.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Awesome. Where did you purchase from?

Also any thoughts on me putting 255 tires on the stock front rims or putting stock rear rims on the front. In regards to a square setup.

I purchased my Sway Bars from Eibach here in Sydney & the End Links were supplied & fitted by a local Suspension Centre.
You can buy the endlinks on eBay or one of the vendors here sell them too.

Cannot answer 255 tyres on the front, I believe others have fitted this size to the front however, I think the OE front rims are too narrow for that size tyre, but I could be wrong.

 

[chasewheeler623]

If I put OEM rear tires on the front would that impact my tire pressure sensors?

Also wondering if there would be brake clearance issues given the bigger front brembos. I did a quick eyeball test and it looks like the rear wheels would clear the front brembos.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

If I put OEM rear tires on the front would that impact my tire pressure sensors?

Also wondering if there would be brake clearance issues given the bigger front brembos. I did a quick eyeball test and it looks like the rear wheels would clear the front brembos.

Should not affect the sensors you only inflate to the same pressure as the rears for that size tyre.
The rear wheels offset are different to the front so you should be cautious, that said others on this forum may already have information on this that can give you an accurate answer.

 

[chasewheeler623]

Thanks. I really want a square tire setup as I think that will help dial out the understeer.

The increase in offset makes sense to me, given that the rear wheel is .5 inch wider. The difference in offset is 12.5 mm which equals exactly a half inch.

 

[Stinger GT SS]

Thanks. I really want a square tire setup as I think that will help dial out the understeer.

The increase in offset makes sense to me, given that the rear wheel is .5 inch wider. The difference in offset is 12.5 mm which equals exactly a half inch.

Read this thread may also help
Squared setup any thoughts

 

[Manaz]

Would you just recommend going with 255 on the stock front 8" rims? Wondering if the tire might be a bit too large.

255s would be fine on an 8" wheel IMHO. I already run 235s on 7.5" rims, and they're more than fine. Your rims are going up 1.25cm for a 2cm increase in tyre width, that'd be more than OK (I've seen 235s run on 7" runs before too, though I am not such a fan of that).

 

[Ruturaj]

I don't have any input on wheels.

When you say understeer you mean on power off turns not with power on, right?

When you say unsettled backend, you mean rear lift end in corner?

If yes to both, rear sway bar would definitely help you. Start there first as it is cheapest and easiest upgrade.

Installation of eibach sway is hard because one of the bolt is hard to get to when taking oem bars off and putting new one on. No mater what new bar you get the procedure is same. My mechanic spent approximately 1 hour to switch the rear bar. If your mechanic reads instructions he should be fine. Just ask him to align brackets to center.

There is a YouTube video on installation of ultra racing braces.

 

[WildBill]

If your beef is with the handling then don't just do the rear bar, do them both. The front is a super easy install. Eibach gives you 2 different adjustment levels, Ark just gives you one. And why soft? Crank her up baby Note: I don't believe that we have specs on the stiffness of Arc vs. Eibach vs. stock bars yet.
As others have mentioned the issue with the rear bar is with the placement of the fuel filler tubes. Any bar will have the same installation issues.
The stock +40 offset rear wheels with 255 tires will not fit on the front without spacers. I believe you'd need about 3/8" or 10mm to get them to clear the struts. +32 or +30 will work on the front w/o issue.

 

[chasewheeler623]

If your beef is with the handling then don't just do the rear bar, do them both. The front is a super easy install. Eibach gives you 2 different adjustment levels, Ark just gives you one. And why soft? Crank her up baby Note: I don't believe that we have specs on the stiffness of Arc vs. Eibach vs. stock bars yet.
As others have mentioned the issue with the rear bar is with the placement of the fuel filler tubes. Any bar will have the same installation issues.
The stock +40 offset rear wheels with 255 tires will not fit on the front without spacers. I believe you'd need about 3/8" or 10mm to get them to clear the struts. +32 or +30 will work on the front w/o issue.

What makes you certain I will need spacers? Not disagreeing; just trying to learn/understand.

 

[turboAWD]

Do you mean CA Bay Area (I've heard of several)? Welcome - East Bay here. Let me know if you resolve your questions - I just picked up a '19 GT1 and am also looking at springs + sways and am trying to figure out where to get it done.

I've also wondered about the "extra rears on the front" square setup, although I'm not sure I'd want to run a 10mm spacer.. Plus, I keep hearing the OEM wheels are SUPER heavy (on the order of ~35-40 lbs each), whereas aftermarket (for a price) could be 20-22 lbs.. That's a lot of weight saved.

 

[WildBill]

What makes you certain I will need spacers? Not disagreeing; just trying to learn/understand.

You need to enter some numbers into a wheel offset calculator to see where you are at. I use Wheel Offset Calculator
If you put in 225/40R19 +40 for the stock size, Put in 255/35R19 +40 for the new size. You will see that the tire will be .55" closer to the strut.

From my personal experience 255/35R19 tires on +35 rims just barely barely clear. Like .010" kind of gap. Too close for comfort so I had to get 5mm spacers which would be equal to a +30 offset rim. If you are trying to use a +40 factory rim you would need 10mm spacers to get to where I am at now.

With 255 tires:
+30 Offset = .16" Closer to suspension (Works)
+35 Offset = .35" Closer to suspension (slight rub to slight clearance, too close)
+40 Offset = .55" Closer to suspension (Must hit based on +35 offset results)

You might be able to get away with .2" or .25" closer, You'd have to test it.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Hey Guys,

New to the forum. So I recently purchased a 2018 GT2 RWD. Had a thousand miles on it (dealer never could sell it) and paid 35K.

So I love the car so far, but I'm coming from a 2014 Evo X, I have issues with the handling in this car. In particular the understeer/push and the unsettled backend when accelerating in a turn and hitting a bump (many have talked about this). My plan to address this is as follows:
- Purchase 2 OEM rear rims, run them in the front with 255 tires all around (square setup)
- Eibach rear sway bar set to soft
...

I thought that understeer/push was addressed by stiffening the front? Oversteer can be reduced by stiffening the rear. But I have AWD. RWD is possibly a different animal in this regard?

Rims: OEM are c. $630, apiece!? So, ditch the idea of getting two rear rims for the front; for that price you could buy four aftermarket rims that look as good or better. And then you could tailor offset and width to your heart's desire.