2020 Race Chip GTS review 2018 Stinger GT2 AWD 3.3L

[Stinger GT2 501]

Purchased the Race Chip GTS with Bluetooth for my 2018 Kia Stinger GT2 May of 2020. It arrived in 2 days (4 total w online ordering) to the USA from Germany! The only mod on the car is drop in high flow dry air filters. Hook up was easy as COMPLETE diagrams and manuals specifically for my car were included. 15 min later downloaded the app and synced it as instructed with out an issue. I only wanted the chip for the most horsepower in the city and Eco mode for highway as i have a 70 mile round trip for work each day. I ran the app and on race mode set it to map 7 the highest. OMG! what a dramatic difference. In my specific car it works perfectly. No stumble at any speed. I have not re gaped the plugs or changed them to a higher quality as i live in the northeast and we have access to 93 octane everywhere. The power increase is more than extremely noticeable in sport mode. Eco mode in car and chip on Eco map 1 gets me about the same 29 mpg on highway and in sport mode for car w race mode on with race map 7, combined hard starts off of lights and city driving 23 mpg. It is the biggest bang for your buck in this vehicle. Next cost worthy major hp increase would be high flow catted down pipes and mid pipes as it can add 40+ hp. My car handled the tunes so well i contacted them and asked if i could have the most aggressive maps downloaded to my app. With in 2 days my request was granted and told these were the most aggressive and safest map settings for my car. Through the Android app I hit update and the new map settings downloaded while connected to the chip. The next time i restarted the car...Holy shit! Probably added 10 to 15hp more than just the 57hp this chip adds (just guessing) as it is even more insane on my car with the highest map setting (7 on race mode) works perfect. This is not saying this will work as perfect in your car as they are all different and have different tolerances. If you are looking for the fastest way to achieve the most horsepower ($499US currently W Bluetooth) in a Kia Stinger 3.3L Twin turbo this should be your first mod. Maybe the pedal commander XLR from Race Chip would be a great addition but it is $269 just to tweak that pedal which is a shitty feel in a stock Stinger but not for this price. Just to make the car go faster much sooner touching the pedal just isn't worth this much for no hp gain. Just an honest review in 2020 to help some Stinger owners decide what to do. I know there are more chips out there but this had good positive dyno results on YouTube, came with complete custom instructions/diagrams and seems completely well built including the harnesses and i went with it. The app lets you return to stock instantly if needed or just pop off the GTS chip and install a "dummy" plug and you are good to go. Just as an example..I go through the car wash..dry car..leave the lot...shut off traction and stability control..sport mode in car..race mode on chip..leave lot and nail it..the 20 front and 80 rear power in sport mode kicks in and i can leave appx 30 ft of rubber as opposed to stock when getting the tires a little wet was only 10 ft. LOL! Launch control on dry pavement is neck snapping..Definitely worth it. Not saying you may have issues with other model cars or your Stinger but for this GTS chip and my 2018 Kia Stinger GT2 it works perfectly. Going to add an octane booster to my next fill up as the chip states my maps are good from 93 to 98 octane and the higher the octane the better. I will write a follow up after a few tank fulls.
Hope this helps you pick a chip you enjoy!

 

[Terry@BMS]

Glad to see you're happy but be careful before you crack a factory plug, all tunes require a reduced gap on factory plugs or replacement. And, for about what you paid, you could have gotten a JB4.

JB4 Frequently Asked Questions

The differences between a JB4 vs flash tune and JB4 vs racechip explained in depth.

www.burgertuning.com

 

[Stinger GT2 501]

Ty! I will upgrade the plugs then. I don't race it but i like power when needed. I was pressed for money and theJB4 is $619 w blue tooth.
If anyone has cracked or blown out their plugs please let me know what you are running and if you race it. If we get 2nd round of stimulus checks ill buy the JB4.

 

[Terry@BMS]

The thing with RaceChip is you spent what $500? But its probably worth $200 now if you try to sell it. The BT is also optional for the JB4. It's base price is also $500. Could just do a data cable for $35 if budget is tight. But the JB4 holds it's value a lot better and is a much better tune even without BT.

 

[ScottM]

Sounds like a vendor review to me. In any event, I probably wouldn't knock the XLR or pedal commander or what have you. They do what they are intended to do and are pretty good at it.

Edit- OP's review sounds like a vendor review.

 

[Stinger GT2 501]

Yes BMS employees probably but they are correct. Their dyno numbers prove it but like i said if second round of stimulus checks come out i will sell my GTS for a big loss and buy the JB4 but only when i get a coupon code from one of you guys from BMS. If you want to intrude then send me a coupon. Then ill review your chip compared to the GTS which was maxed out for my car producing more than the 57whp it came with.

 

[SKStinger]

Purchased the Race Chip GTS with Bluetooth for my 2018 Kia Stinger GT2 May of 2020. It arrived in 2 days (4 total w online ordering) to the USA from Germany! The only mod on the car is drop in high flow dry air filters. Hook up was easy as COMPLETE diagrams and manuals specifically for my car were included. 15 min later downloaded the app and synced it as instructed with out an issue. I only wanted the chip for the most horsepower in the city and Eco mode for highway as i have a 70 mile round trip for work each day. I ran the app and on race mode set it to map 7 the highest. OMG! what a dramatic difference. In my specific car it works perfectly. No stumble at any speed. I have not re gaped the plugs or changed them to a higher quality as i live in the northeast and we have access to 93 octane everywhere. The power increase is more than extremely noticeable in sport mode. Eco mode in car and chip on Eco map 1 gets me about the same 29 mpg on highway and in sport mode for car w race mode on with race map 7, combined hard starts off of lights and city driving 23 mpg. It is the biggest bang for your buck in this vehicle. Next cost worthy major hp increase would be high flow catted down pipes and mid pipes as it can add 40+ hp. My car handled the tunes so well i contacted them and asked if i could have the most aggressive maps downloaded to my app. With in 2 days my request was granted and told these were the most aggressive and safest map settings for my car. Through the Android app I hit update and the new map settings downloaded while connected to the chip. The next time i restarted the car...Holy shit! Probably added 10 to 15hp more than just the 57hp this chip adds (just guessing) as it is even more insane on my car with the highest map setting (7 on race mode) works perfect. This is not saying this will work as perfect in your car as they are all different and have different tolerances. If you are looking for the fastest way to achieve the most horsepower ($499US currently W Bluetooth) in a Kia Stinger 3.3L Twin turbo this should be your first mod. Maybe the pedal commander XLR from Race Chip would be a great addition but it is $269 just to tweak that pedal which is a shitty feel in a stock Stinger but not for this price. Just to make the car go faster much sooner touching the pedal just isn't worth this much for no hp gain. Just an honest review in 2020 to help some Stinger owners decide what to do. I know there are more chips out there but this had good positive dyno results on YouTube, came with complete custom instructions/diagrams and seems completely well built including the harnesses and i went with it. The app lets you return to stock instantly if needed or just pop off the GTS chip and install a "dummy" plug and you are good to go. Just as an example..I go through the car wash..dry car..leave the lot...shut off traction and stability control..sport mode in car..race mode on chip..leave lot and nail it..the 20 front and 80 rear power in sport mode kicks in and i can leave appx 30 ft of rubber as opposed to stock when getting the tires a little wet was only 10 ft. LOL! Launch control on dry pavement is neck snapping..Definitely worth it. Not saying you may have issues with other model cars or your Stinger but for this GTS chip and my 2018 Kia Stinger GT2 it works perfectly. Going to add an octane booster to my next fill up as the chip states my maps are good from 93 to 98 octane and the higher the octane the better. I will write a follow up after a few tank fulls.
Hope this helps you pick a chip you enjoy!

Good review and be prepared, if you say anything positive about a tune that is not a JB4 on this forum you will get flack.

Keep your Racechip and enjoy it but Terry is right, you need to gap your plugs to avoid damaging them or your coil packs.

 

[ecko04]

smh...why can’t the OP be happy with RaceChip instead of getting negativity from a competitor. The OP chose to spend his money how he chose to spend it.

FWIW, I too was happy with the RaceChip when I had it. Drive and be happy.

 

[Terry@BMS]

OP is of course welcome to run whatever he'd like, I offered him free advice on plugs and a light JB4 plug. I can certainly be more aggressive about it if he'd like.

 

[ecko04]

The JB4 plug is what was unnecessary. The title and purpose of the thread wasn’t RaceChip vs JB4. There are plenty of places to “plug” the JB4 on these forums.

Edit: I'm not saying the plug was unnecessary to start a debate. There have been many occasions where the response from Terry has been, "the JB4 speaks for itself". Well, if that's the case then let it speak for itself and skip the plugs.

 

[HVNBND]

I love my Racechip. Great experience. I also purchased the WindBooster, the combo is delightful )

 

[victory8ball1507]

Also very happy with Racechip. Don't have the 3.3 but RC gave a noticeable punch to the 2.0. Based on all of the threads on the subject I went with the upgraded plugs and reduced the gap. I have only had the RC for 4 days, so my opine could change, but for now, as a driver who only wanted a little more horsepower with no intention of really pushing my vehicle to its limits, I am happy with my purchase. Am sure I would have liked JB4 or LAP3 as well.

 

[G-10737]

Good review and be prepared, if you say anything positive about a tune that is not a JB4 on this forum you will get flack.

Keep your Racechip and enjoy it but Terry is right, you need to gap your plugs to avoid damaging them or your coil packs.

Ok good to know..ty

 

[Stinger GT2 501]

Glad to see you're happy but be careful before you crack a factory plug, all tunes require a reduced gap on factory plugs or replacement. And, for about what you paid, you could have gotten a JB4.

 

[Stinger GT2 501]

Well this didn't take long to crack a plug. I don't even race it. Started skipping after about 500mi w RC installed. Put in HKS and all set now. Thanks for the heads up but i should have done them from the start. Will update in a few thousand miles. Gonna race it now!! Cant post pics yet so i cant show it.