Greetings!

[JERisBRISK]

Hail and well-met! I’m Jer (rhymes with “chair”, short for Jeremy) aka Brisk and I am the proud new owner of a gently used 2018 Stinger GT2 AWD.

I’ve owned a few fun-but-modestly priced cars in my days, from an ‘85 Nissan 200sx to ‘03 Porsche Boxster and my old pride and joy, a ‘91 Eagle Talon TSi AWD, all of which I modified to go faster and handle better. (Ok, the Nissan “mods” were really go-slower mods focused on better audio… but the rest were all about race-prep!)

I suppose I’m recapturing my glory days in the Talon with this Stinger, as I find myself retreading the same ground right out of the gate… sway bars, intake, exhaust, boost controller, etc. I’m having fun learning and reading about “all the things”… time and technology has changed any things. Computers control transmissions better than any human could aspire to, but I do miss the old days of “rowing through the gears.”

I discovered the forum here while searching the web for more information about the rear sway bar install. My new favorite local mechanic quoted me 3 hours (about $600 total to do front and back), and I wanted to see what the collected wisdom was. I’ll keep that conversation to the relevant thread, though.

Otherwise about me, I hail from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle Eastside), I’m a husband and father of a couple of kiddos (one girl, one boy), a software engineer by trade, a gamer, an audiophile, a cinephile, a bibliophile… too many loves vying for my at all times.

Looking forward to hanging out and learning from y’all.

 

[Blueangel]

Congrats and welcome!!
Most of us set our sway bar settings on soft for better handling in turns. Post pics when you get a chance and show us what you’re working with…

 

[Kia Stinger]

Hail and well-met! I’m Jer (rhymes with “chair”, short for Jeremy) aka Brisk and I am the proud new owner of a gently used 2018 Stinger GT2 AWD.

I’ve owned a few fun-but-modestly priced cars in my days, from an ‘85 Nissan 200sx to ‘03 Porsche Boxster and my old pride and joy, a ‘91 Eagle Talon TSi AWD, all of which I modified to go faster and handle better. (Ok, the Nissan “mods” were really go-slower mods focused on better audio… but the rest were all about race-prep!)

I suppose I’m recapturing my glory days in the Talon with this Stinger, as I find myself retreading the same ground right out of the gate… sway bars, intake, exhaust, boost controller, etc. I’m having fun learning and reading about “all the things”… time and technology has changed any things. Computers control transmissions better than any human could aspire to, but I do miss the old days of “rowing through the gears.”

I discovered the forum here while searching the web for more information about the rear sway bar install. My new favorite local mechanic quoted me 3 hours (about $600 total to do front and back), and I wanted to see what the collected wisdom was. I’ll keep that conversation to the relevant thread, though.

Otherwise about me, I hail from the Pacific Northwest (Seattle Eastside), I’m a husband and father of a couple of kiddos (one girl, one boy), a software engineer by trade, a gamer, an audiophile, a cinephile, a bibliophile… too many loves vying for my at all times.

Looking forward to hanging out and learning from y’all.

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up. I'm glad to see you decided to recapture your glory days with a Stinger! And congratulations on the new ride.

 

[General_Vodka]

First post? Nice. Welcome, hope you find what you are looking for. Should have added some pics so people could see what you got lol. As for "race prep" there are a lot of things to do if you really want to go full send. Sway bars are a solid start. Followed by end links, subframe bolts and collars, and subframe braces. Maybe get a diff brace while your at it.

 

[RedCal]

Welcome to the hive! - Sway bars are a great upgrade! & 3hr for front and rear is reasonable. Post up some pics when you get a chance

 

[boosted1g]

Welcome,

Used to be a former DSM guy myself, had a 90 GST and 91 RS AWD.

Here is my DSM -> Stinger take:
* Sway bars for sure are a big upgrade.
* Boost controllers are not really a thing anymore, that is handled by the ECU. On a modern car, if you put an MBC inline before the wastage, the ECU will just complain and correct it out. Adjusting boost is done with an ecu tune or piggyback system.
* There is no DSMlink equivalent, JB4 is the best user selectable option for tuning which is a piggyback tuner. You can get a custom tune by a few vendors but this will 1) void warranty, and 2) does not allow to modify the tune at will like dsmlink did. Some will actually do a tune and a jb4 to tweak values.
* Stinger uses MAP + Intake temp sensor, not MAF so no crappy MAF/IC pipe blow off issues.
* Intercooler, piping, and bov's are designed well so no need to change them out immediately.
* There are several intake options, but frankly some 3d printed air scoops plus aem/k&n drop ins will get you about the same hp numbers while keeping the heat out.
* Exhaust adds some power but not as much as it did on the Talon. To see moderate gains you will need to replace downpipes/mid-pipes as well (and then need jb4/engine tune).
*Unfortunately there is no equivalent of bolting on a 16g turbo. There is only a couple turbo upgrade paths and those are full on custom setups.
* The stinger does take to WMI very well if you have a jb4/tune for it.
* It is recommended by most to get an oil catch can since carbon deposits are much worse on gdi engines since the gas is injected in the cylinder head (not the intake mani).

In regards to swaybar quote:
The front is crazy easy, takes as much time to get the car in the air and the cover off as it takes to remove the bar.
The rear is a much bigger pain though, so for a shop that does not do them often on stingers 3 hours would be about right (30 min front, 2-2.5 hours for rear)
$200/hr though is steep for even post-covid prices.

 

[JERisBRISK]

Thank you so much for the very warm welcome, everyone!

By request, here’s a few pics:

 

[JERisBRISK]

Welcome,

Used to be a former DSM guy myself, had a 90 GST and 91 RS AWD.

Here is my DSM -> Stinger take:
* …

@boosted1g — that’s an amazing rundown and incredibly awesome of you to take the time to provide it! That really helped to orient me — and gave me a better appreciation of the differences in just how much the state of the art has changed in 30 years!

 

[MerlintheMad]

Howdy and welcome. That was a great intro. I have Eibach sway bars too, and in fact that is my only mod (I don't count aftermarket wheels as a mod per se).

 

[JERisBRISK]

First post? Nice. Welcome, hope you find what you are looking for. Should have added some pics so people could see what you got lol. As for "race prep" there are a lot of things to do if you really want to go full send. Sway bars are a solid start. Followed by end links, subframe bolts and collars, and subframe braces. Maybe get a diff brace while your at it.

I don’t know that the wife will let me go full send anytime soon, but some basic upgrades that improve handling and uh… power “fuel efficiency” would certainly be fine.

 

[JERisBRISK]

* It is recommended by most to get an oil catch can since carbon deposits are much worse on gdi engines since the gas is injected in the cylinder head (not the intake mani).

Were you recommending the BMS no-maintenance can, or recommending against it? Of the two options, the BMS can seems to be cheaper and less hassle -- win on both fronts. The only thing it lacks is panache, but I kind of like the inline, sleeper style of the BMS one. Thoughts?

 

[boosted1g]

Were you recommending the BMS no-maintenance can, or recommending against it? Of the two options, the BMS can seems to be cheaper and less hassle -- win on both fronts. The only thing it lacks is panache, but I kind of like the inline, sleeper style of the BMS one. Thoughts?

What the catch can captures is not just oil, but also water vapor/condensation (and potentially other contaminants).
Me personally, I would rather catch and empty it instead of letting it all merge back in with the oil in the pan.

Whether you go with the BMS self-draining or one of the others, I would recommend removal of it before taking it in to Kia for any work.
Quite a few dealers are completely cool with it (and some even recommending them), but I am not going to take the risk that the day I have an engine issue that dealer will then pull a 180 (or have new management) and then try to use the OCC as an excuse to deny warranty.

 

[AdrianG]

I went with the BMS no-maintenance OCC. I put AEM intakes on, Racechip throttle control module, HKS plugs, Eibach Sways with Whiteline end links, and the collared chassis bolts, putting in the JB4 this weekend and I have some downpipes coming which will go on in the next couple weeks. The sway bars with the end links have easily been the best upgrade so far, I highly recommend them first. Aftermarket support isn't the same anymore to the old Eagle Talons or anything of that era in comparison to the Stinger; the piggybacks or an actual tune will be the closest you'll get to any "boost controller". I paid like 675 for the Sways/end links, plugs and chassis bolts. 600 for just the sway bars is steep as hell.
Also, I remember seeing Kia/Hyundai had put out at least one memorandum in regards to certain modifications that essentially have zero potential to void your warranty, something along those lines, I believe the list included aftermarket exhausts and Oil Catch Cans.

 

[AdrianG]

Also, welcome to the forum. You'll love it here, every single house recycles.

 

[JERisBRISK]

What the catch can captures is not just oil, but also water vapor/condensation (and potentially other contaminants).
Me personally, I would rather catch and empty it instead of letting it all merge back in with the oil in the pan.

Fair point! How much maintenance does it require of you, and what is the maintenance like?

Are you emptying it weekly and topping off the oil, or is this more of a “empty it every oil change” kind of thing?

Also, I see pictures that have two of the catch cans sort of dual-mounted. Is that just an overkill installation, or is that yet another viable wear-saving tactic?

 

[JERisBRISK]

I went with the BMS no-maintenance OCC. I put AEM intakes on, Racechip throttle control module, HKS plugs, Eibach Sways with Whiteline end links, and the collared chassis bolts, putting in the JB4 this weekend and I have some downpipes coming which will go on in the next couple weeks. The sway bars with the end links have easily been the best upgrade so far, I highly recommend them first. Aftermarket support isn't the same anymore to the old Eagle Talons or anything of that era in comparison to the Stinger; the piggybacks or an actual tune will be the closest you'll get to any "boost controller". I paid like 675 for the Sways/end links, plugs and chassis bolts. 600 for just the sway bars is steep as hell.
Also, I remember seeing Kia/Hyundai had put out at least one memorandum in regards to certain modifications that essentially have zero potential to void your warranty, something along those lines, I believe the list included aftermarket exhausts and Oil Catch Cans.

Which end links did you go with?

Before I found the forum here I was sort of throwing darts at the wall and just ordered Eibach sway bars from the cheapest place I could find. They didn’t offer any combo sets with end links, they surely would have piqued my interest.

(I’m not sure when they’ll ship, though, as I think that vendor is backordered.)

 

[boosted1g]

Fair point! How much maintenance does it require of you, and what is the maintenance like?

Are you emptying it weekly and topping off the oil, or is this more of a “empty it every oil change” kind of thing?

Also, I see pictures that have two of the catch cans sort of dual-mounted. Is that just an overkill installation, or is that yet another viable wear-saving tactic?

Its an empty it every oil change situation.

From the research I gathered most everyone with the dual cans barley gets anything in the second section (its feed source is from a different port on the engine), hence why I went with a single one.
Perhaps those with duals (or even better someone who has had both) can chime in.

 

[JERisBRISK]

Does the single can get in the way of anything (mod-wise)?

 

[AdrianG]

Which end links did you go with?

Before I found the forum here I was sort of throwing darts at the wall and just ordered Eibach sway bars from the cheapest place I could find. They didn’t offer any combo sets with end links, they surely would have piqued my interest.

(I’m not sure when they’ll ship, though, as I think that vendor is backordered.)

Whiteline End Links

 

[boosted1g]

FYI, someone has a single can OCC for sale in the classifieds: For Sale - Wheels, GFB Bov kit 5, floor mats, sixth catch can