GT 2 AWD NOT REALLY A STINGER!?!?

[westcoastGT]

Sorry, fixed

 

[StingerChick]

Yes, the showroom models from the Korean market that Kia sent us had wireless charging, 360 degree camera, and rear heated seats. None of them are on the US version so some customers are a bit disappointed. Showroom models were also red on red which I can't order at the moment.

I would have liked a white on red.

 

[StingerChick]

Yes, other markets do.

No, they will not be present on the limited edition. They will start showing up for the 2019 model.

Grrr

 

[English D]

hey ladies and gents let's please take this convo to another thread we got off topic here and this thread is anout the speed cap and sharing info about this topic

 

[English D]

if you don't mind let's get this thread back on track, anyone got anymore news about there speed cap battle do we have any good news yet is anyone getting anywhere

 

[MurlinatoR]

I would have liked a white on red.

White/red is available on the GT1

 

[StingerChick]

if you don't mind let's get this thread back on track, anyone got anymore news about there speed cap battle do we have any good news yet is anyone getting anywhere

Not a thing is what I have heard. Odd idea, (that I feel has little hope )what about a petition style letter to KIA?

 

[EchoesMyron]

I've been following this thread with some interest. I have an AWD GT2 with 18" wheels. I probably saw the disclaimers at some point while researching but it didn't really click until I saw this thread in the forum.

The 130mph restriction isn't a deal breaker for me. driving that fast on public roads is suicidal. You hit an unseen dip or inconsistency in the road at that speed and you're a projectile, not a driver.

I don't think Kia 'lied' about this issue but it was definitely buried in the small print.

The reality is that you're probably not going to hit much more than 130 even on a track. Definitely won't hit that on a drag strip. A good road course with a nice long straight, maybe. We actually had two old guys here in Colorado kill themselves after they hit an undulation in an airstrip that they had their Hellcat on. The car lost control at somewhere north of 150 and flew off into the weeds. Yes, they had permission to be there. Speed is always a risk, even on 'closed courses'.

With all that being said, I'm mildly interested in the outcome of this. I can see how folks might feel they've been duped a bit and I'm interested in what Kia's response will be. I'd probably take a set of wheels/ tires and ECM reflash as compensation if they offered it.

I find it interesting that the tires on my car are V speed rated which is for sustained speeds up to 149mph. It would make more sense if Kia cut the car off at 149 (or even 145mph) instead of 130 based on this rating. Realistically, they could reprogram the ECM for this top speed and not face any legal recourse as far as I know.

The speed limiter is one line of code in the software. Essentially it's " If VSS (vehicle speed sensor) input is greater than x, then fuel injector duration = 0ms. That's pretty easy to change for those that have that ability (like the factory).

I have a pretty good rapport with my salesman at the dealer and they have sold a lot of Stingers (they currently have 27 in stock or on the way and I was their first customer to order back in November). i asked him about this issue and he had no idea. He finally understood what I was talking about and said he'd keep me in the loop as to what ends up happening from Kia's end; if they offer some kind of resolution for affected customers.

In my mind, and resolution may end up being on a case by case basis (squeaky wheel gets the grease kind of thing) or for customers who took delivery before a specific date before the top speed discrepancy was taken out of the fine print.

Of course, Kia's comeback will be that the facts were always there and it's the customer's responsibility to read the fine print, and they're correct about that. The biggest issue seems to be that the dealers are unaware and are giving false info to customers which is definitely a liability on Kia's part and I think that's the weak spot one would need to take advantage of if they're seeking compensation.

 

[EchoesMyron]

Also, FWIW, all the 0-60 testing I've seen shows the AWD and RWD to be identical in performance. This is a top speed issue (one line of code) and nothing else as far as I know.

 

[westcoastGT]

I've been following this thread with some interest. I have an AWD GT2 with 18" wheels. I probably saw the disclaimers at some point while researching but it didn't really click until I saw this thread in the forum.

The 130mph restriction isn't a deal breaker for me. driving that fast on public roads is suicidal. You hit an unseen dip or inconsistency in the road at that speed and you're a projectile, not a driver.

I don't think Kia 'lied' about this issue but it was definitely buried in the small print.

The reality is that you're probably not going to hit much more than 130 even on a track. Definitely won't hit that on a drag strip. A good road course with a nice long straight, maybe. We actually had to old guys here in Colorado kill themselves after they hit an undulation in an airstrip that they had their Hellcat on. The car lost control at somewhere north of 150 and flew off into the weeds. Yes, they had permission to be there. Speed is always a risk, even on 'closed courses'.

With all that being said, I'm mildly interested in the outcome of this. I can see how folks might feel they've been duped a bit and I'm interested in what Kia's response will be. I'd probably take a set of wheels/ tires and ECM reflash as compensation if they offered it.

I find it interesting that the tires on my car are V speed rated which is for sustained speeds up to 149mph. It would make more sense if Kia cut the car off at 149 (or even 145mph) instead of 130 based on this rating. Realistically, they could reprogram the ECM for this top speed and not face any legal recourse as far as I know.

The speed limiter is one line of code in the software. Essentially it's " If VSS (vehicle speed sensor) input is greater than x, then fuel injector duration = 0ms. That's pretty easy to change for those that have that ability (like the factory).

I have a pretty good rapport with my salesman at the dealer and they have sold a lot of Stingers (they currently have 27 in stock or on the way and I was their first customer to order back in November). i asked him about this issue and he had no idea. He finally understood what I was talking about and said he'd keep me in the loop as to what ends up happening from Kia's end; if they offer some kind of resolution for affected customers.

In my mind, and resolution may end up being on a case by case basis (squeaky wheel gets the grease kind of thing) or for customers who took delivery before a specific date before the top speed discrepancy was taken out of the fine print.

Of course, Kia's comeback will be that the facts were always there and it's the customer's responsibility to read the fine print, and they're correct about that. The biggest issue seems to be that the dealers are unaware and are giving false info to customers which is definitely a liability on Kia's part and I think that's the weak spot one would need to take advantage of if they're seeking compensation.

So , did Kia just screw up by picking the wrong AS tire ? I have W rated UHPAS tires on my GT ( after market ), they are 19s and they are staggered but they are available in 18s and would run on a non staggered set up .................its not a wheel / tire size issue , or an AWD issue . I note they supplied V rated tires which doesnt really seem strategic for the positioning.........new W rated tires with a reflash would give all 18" AWD owners a level playing field ...............I think ??

 

[mldavis2]

From what rumors I've heard here and elsewhere, once the limit is set, Kia will not re-flash it. Probably a liability issue. Rumors, no facts.

 

[English D]

I had no choice in my market or anywhere close 18s all day long and I wanted the 19s then 2 week later found out about this at least they could do is give me the 19s seeing as the 18s were a zero dollar add not a credit

 

[DaJackson]

In the book I got after my first test drive it pretty clearly states when describing the AWD Package “(18” all season tires available separately w/reduced top speed)”

 

[EchoesMyron]

So , did Kia just screw up by picking the wrong AS tire ?

Possibly. It may have been an availability issue with the suppliers. One supplier may not have had the volume of tires available that Kia needed at the time so they took what they could get. My tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE97 which was surprising to me...I was expecting Michelins as that's what the summer tires on the RWD versions are. They may have set the speed cap to the lowest common denominator (130mph) which would cover any tire that any supplier could provide down to a speed rating of H (130 mph).

 

[westcoastGT]

Possibly. It may have been an availability issue with the suppliers. One supplier may not have had the volume of tires available that Kia needed at the time so they took what they could get. My tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE97 which was surprising to me...I was expecting Michelins as that's what the summer tires on the RWD versions are. They may have set the speed cap to the lowest common denominator (130mph) which would cover any tire that any supplier could provide down to a speed rating of H (130 mph).

Mine was delivered with the same Michelin tire as RWD , and Michelin also make a top rated UHPAS tire as well so to drop down to a V rated tire just seems like a bad decision ................................ which tire was a huge issue for me and I was really surprised that we ( Canada ) were not offered an AS option ...................I guess now I'm happy they didnt

 

[antne]

To add seasoning to the stew,

Tire ratings and tire choice aside, speeds above 100 mph on public roads will have you standing tall before the man.
Speaking from experience (having been clocked @ 97 on a back road posted 40 mph in my Turbo Porsche), I was sweating 8 points (automatic suspension) and a $1200 fine. With a clean record, I played it straight in front of the judge and "lucked" out with 2 points and a $500 fine.
Get some DOT legal track day tires and visit your local race track.

 

[EchoesMyron]

Word.

After the first day of school last fall, I took my daughter out for a ride in my Corvette as she likes cornering as much as I do. I came around a corner in a canyon and a cop got me at 55 in a 35. Fortunately, he was cool and let me off with a verbal warning since he said his kids like the corners as much as mine do. I can't afford to pay fines, insurance, or lose points for speeding on public roads. Beyond that, extreme speeds put everyone in danger.

I like the G forces of accelerating and cornering far more than top speed and a good line through a corner is way more satisfying.

The question of top speed is really more of an academic one than a practical one which is why I'm not really concerned with a governed speed of 130mph.

 

[westcoastGT]

To add seasoning to the stew,

Tire ratings and tire choice aside, speeds above 100 mph on public roads will have you standing tall before the man.
Speaking from experience (having been clocked @ 97 on a back road posted 40 mph in my Turbo Porsche), I was sweating 8 points (automatic suspension) and a $1200 fine. With a clean record, I played it straight in front of the judge and "lucked" out with 2 points and a $500 fine.
Get some DOT legal track day tires and visit your local race track.

I'm on your team on this , I dont drive fast anyway but I do like great driving dynamics , which is why I prefer the larger wheel on a staggered set up , straightline speed is fun but spirited driving in the Twisties is way more fun !!

 

[English D]

I guess if you don't read the thread you could be confused to think this is about the top speed of 165 ish, it's not if you don't read the thread and think it's about breaking the speed limits and Laws its not. just for the record its about this not being disclosed at the point of sale it was not on the web builder when most of us purchased our cars we did not read evey page on every brochure to find the 2 places it was mentioned at the time, the dealers didnt apparently kbow, we paid the same as you and got less, smaller wheels and crap tires for the same prices and a governed top speed. the point again is we didnt get what we paid for...

 

[westcoastGT]

I guess if you don't read the thread you could be confused to think this is about the top speed of 165 ish, it's not if you don't read the thread and think it's about breaking the speed limits and Laws its not. just for the record its about this not being disclosed at the point of sale it was not on the web builder when most of us purchased our cars we did not read evey page on every brochure to find the 2 places it was mentioned at the time, the dealers didnt apparently kbow, we paid the same as you and got less, smaller wheels and crap tires for the same prices and a governed top speed. the point again is we didnt get what we paid for...

I agree , they should have left the 19 staggered set up , and put on proper UHPAS tires , simple