Intro

[AwesumPurson]

I am the proud new owner of a completely stock 2018 GT2 AWD and am new to the forum. I am looking for some advice from the community.

Years ago I got into the modification game and drag raced Eagle Talons. My 1998 AWD was crossing the line at 122mph and I was running an AEM standalone on timing and fuel maps I designed myself. So... the point of this is that the mod road is one I have been down pretty far before and scratched many itches that don't really need scratching again today.

Right now anyway, I don't feel the need to hear my turbos or BOVs, I want to use 92 octane gas only, I don't desire a louder exhaust and I don't consider the gains at wide open throttle as the be all and end all. In my experience there is always some level of trade of off wot drivability to get the wot gains. I am at the point in life that I appreciate a quiet producer across the entire spectrum of driving, hence this purchase. Honestly, I think the engineers have done a fantastic job with this car and it is a blast to drive completely stock.

So with that in mind, what simple performance mods make sense for me to consider do you think?

I think that I am now at the point where I am considering drop in K&Ns and a JB4 (and plugs of course). I am looking for opinions and experience on whether I will get much in gains at wot without letting the air flow more freely with exhaust and intakes. Am I likely to notice any off wot differences with the JB4?

I may do the oil catch can but I am not entirely sold on the theory. Yes, after a while it builds up and you can show me pics, but is exposure to the limited quantities at any give time a real threat? I will likely do this anyway as I am not aware of any reasons not to. Feel free to educate me.

One day I could consider a reasonably sized bolt FMIC, but I would need to see evidence of heat soak or enough of a theoretical case to that effect considering my limited mods.

Any feedback to help me out would be appreciated including pointers to existing topics. But the problem with searching is that there are so many hits on the common topics spanning 4 years that it becomes hard to pick out the good bits that stood the test of time. I do continue to search and learn though.

Thanks!

 

[Kia Stinger]

I am the proud new owner of a completely stock 2018 GT2 AWD and am new to the forum. I am looking for some advice from the community.

Years ago I got into the modification game and drag raced Eagle Talons. My 1998 AWD was crossing the line at 122mph and I was running an AEM standalone on timing and fuel maps I designed myself. So... the point of this is that the mod road is one I have been down pretty far before and scratched many itches that don't really need scratching again today.

Right now anyway, I don't feel the need to hear my turbos or BOVs, I want to use 92 octane gas only, I don't desire a louder exhaust and I don't consider the gains at wide open throttle as the be all and end all. In my experience there is always some level of trade of off wot drivability to get the wot gains. I am at the point in life that I appreciate a quiet producer across the entire spectrum of driving, hence this purchase. Honestly, I think the engineers have done a fantastic job with this car and it is a blast to drive completely stock.

So with that in mind, what simple performance mods make sense for me to consider do you think?

I think that I am now at the point where I am considering drop in K&Ns and a JB4 (and plugs of course). I am looking for opinions and experience on whether I will get much in gains at wot without letting the air flow more freely with exhaust and intakes. Am I likely to notice any off wot differences with the JB4?

I may do the oil catch can but I am not entirely sold on the theory. Yes, after a while it builds up and you can show me pics, but is exposure to the limited quantities at any give time a real threat? I will likely do this anyway as I am not aware of any reasons not to. Feel free to educate me.

One day I could consider a reasonably sized bolt FMIC, but I would need to see evidence of heat soak or enough of a theoretical case to that effect considering my limited mods.

Any feedback to help me out would be appreciated including pointers to existing topics. But the problem with searching is that there are so many hits on the common topics spanning 4 years that it becomes hard to pick out the good bits that stood the test of time. I do continue to search and learn though.

Thanks!

Welcome aboard! And thank you for signing up. Congratulations on your new Stinger! What did the Stinger replace for you? I’m glad you found us. The JB4 is a great place to start but I’ll let everyone chime in with their recommendations.

 

[RedCal]

Welcome to the hive! Post up some pics when you get a chance

 

[rpoffen]

I have a jb4 with drop in K&N, and on a track day a couple weeks ago, my best time was 13.266@107MPH. I was running 92 octane on map1 at the time. The biggest issue is the launch, it is hard to get enough boost to launch very hard, even with launch control. Mine is AWD which helps with the launch as I did not spin at all, but probably hurts some the rest of the time with drive train losses. I am contemplating the brake snip mod to be able to build boost better. The other issue was that it was a warm evening, probably 93 deg at the time.
Definitely works better when cooler, since earlier when the intercooler was heat soaked and outside temp was 97, my times were slower. Definitely need a better intercooler.
Next time I hope to go when it is a cooler day, and maybe get almost full 100 octane and run a higher map to see what that will do.

 

[Daniel @ K8 Stinger Store]

Hey AwesumPurson,

Welcome to the Stinger forum and congrats on your new 2018 Kia Stinger!

If you are just getting back into the modification scene, I would suggest taking some time to enjoy the car stock first.

If you still want to add performance, then start to do as much research as possible on parts you may be interested in.

I personally would suggest installing a cold air intake, an Oil Catch Can, and a JB4 Tune with HKS Racing Spark Plugs.

You can get all of these parts and more at www.K8StingerStore.com, please reach out if you have any additional questions.

Enjoy the new ride,
Daniel @ the K8 Stinger Store​

 

[StingertimeNC]

JB4 is well worth it IMO. it would be even better if you had access to 93 octane and could run Map 2 safely. I think I would still do it if all I could run is Map 1 though. Maybe Intake and Intercooler as well. Although....the Lozic ECU tune seems to be well received. If you did that and plugs, you may be really stout without a lot of other mods.

 

[rpoffen]

Only 91 generally available in California. There is one station in Sacramento that has 100 race fuel at $10/gal

 

[MerlintheMad]

Howdy and welcome. That was a first class introduction post. My Stinger is bone stock in the drivetrain and body/appearances. I do have Eibach sway bars and TSW wheels for my summer driving. That's it. The surge of power is just as much fun now as over three years ago when all this started for me.

 

[AwesumPurson]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I am coming from a base model AWD 2011 Kia Sorento... so no big story there. The Stinger is my first return to a 'fun' car since I sold my 1998 Talon.

Pics will come, but I still have the temp plates and dealer logos and that's just embarrassing.

Thanks rpoffen, I can check those times/speed vs stock for some real world data of the JB4+ drop in K&N. The launch is disappointing. My Talon was manual AWD and I would launch at 6,000 rpm . Though a race clutch and flywheel was needed to do so. I will have to go search for the 'brake snip mod'.

Is there a quiet cold air intake option out there?

Maybe there's a chance I could get 93 octane, I need to look for it and haven't yet. There's a local member here that let me try his car with map 1. So JB4 is certainly up for consideration.

I did see someone review the front and rear sway bars, can't recall who, and they were impressed enough to impress upon me that I need to look in to those at some point.

That local member dropped the bomb on me that the stock tires are not all seasons. That's likely the first problem to consider. It doesn't snow much in this area but I don't want to have any surprise insurance issues.

 

[RM7]

Solid rocket motors are probably the best way to get faster in the 1/4 mile.

 

[rpoffen]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

Is there a quiet cold air intake option out there?

The stock intake is a cold air intake. It has ports that come through to the front behind the grill, but has a lot of restrictions. A popular mod are scoops which are available from some online stores. I personally have the JA scoops, but after legal wrangling he sold the design. There is a free design file available if you have a 3D printer, search this forum.

 

[MerlintheMad]

That local member dropped the bomb on me that the stock tires are not all seasons. That's likely the first problem to consider. It doesn't snow much in this area but I don't want to have any surprise insurance issues.

A/S are stock tires on square setups. You probably won't notice at all until you launch or try to hoon around a corner. I have Nitto Motivo UHP A/S for winter (on the OEM wheels). We get a lot more snow and freezing days than Seattle. And I find the A/S very adequate nearly all the time, since our roads are cleared off and dry by the following afternoon following a snow drop: and most winter days the temps are above freezing during the day. Michelins do not turn into hockey pucks above freezing: they lose some adhesion power is all, and if you drive with that in mind, an UHP summer tire will be fine in Seattle. If you get a freezing snap, your roads don't go frozen unless the freezing lasts long enough to penetrate the warmed ground. I've driven the Michelins in the high Uinta mountains at c. 20F and found the tires safe enough on cleared roads with some resumed slush and frozen patches: just watch carefully, steer into the clearest parts and keep your speed down: in any traffic, establish extra room between yourself and the vehicles in front: drive sanely and intelligently with full concentration on the task of driving (do this anyway, at all times, on any tires, in winter conditions).

 

[AwesumPurson]

Thanks MerlintheMad and rpoffen.

I'm still strongly considering the JB4. Is there anything that can be done to run map 2 on 92 octane successfully? Like maybe cooler air charge with improved FMIC and cold air intakes? I don't want to go as far as meth/water injection. The logs I've seen so far suggest no on map 2 for 92 octane... just curious.

 

[StingertimeNC]

It’s unlikely the fuel would support map 2. Hell, lots of folks don’t even have good quality 93 octane and have issues running map 2. Boostane would likely be your only alternative. Unless you have access to e85. Just plan on Map 1 daily drive and as things progress maybe you will add meth. No rush. This car is fun to mod though.

 

[rpoffen]

I agree

 

[AwesumPurson]

A/S are stock tires on square setups. You probably won't notice at all until you launch or try to hoon around a corner. I have Nitto Motivo UHP A/S for winter (on the OEM wheels). We get a lot more snow and freezing days than Seattle. And I find the A/S very adequate nearly all the time, since our roads are cleared off and dry by the following afternoon following a snow drop: and most winter days the temps are above freezing during the day. Michelins do not turn into hockey pucks above freezing: they lose some adhesion power is all, and if you drive with that in mind, an UHP summer tire will be fine in Seattle. If you get a freezing snap, your roads don't go frozen unless the freezing lasts long enough to penetrate the warmed ground. I've driven the Michelins in the high Uinta mountains at c. 20F and found the tires safe enough on cleared roads with some resumed slush and frozen patches: just watch carefully, steer into the clearest parts and keep your speed down: in any traffic, establish extra room between yourself and the vehicles in front: drive sanely and intelligently with full concentration on the task of driving (do this anyway, at all times, on any tires, in winter conditions).

Looks like the previous owner put Nitto Motives on the stock rims for me too. So it seems when I buy rims I can go performance summers.

I did notice a difference in sizes front and back. If I use Tirerack to order, do I need to do the same width? When I pick some 19" rims and tires I liked they all seemed to be the same size by default.

 

[Kando]

I have a jb4 with drop in K&N, and on a track day a couple weeks ago, my best time was 13.266@107MPH. I was running 92 octane on map1 at the time. The biggest issue is the launch, it is hard to get enough boost to launch very hard, even with launch control. Mine is AWD which helps with the launch as I did not spin at all, but probably hurts some the rest of the time with drive train losses. I am contemplating the brake snip mod to be able to build boost better. The other issue was that it was a warm evening, probably 93 deg at the time.
Definitely works better when cooler, since earlier when the intercooler was heat soaked and outside temp was 97, my times were slower. Definitely need a better intercooler.
Next time I hope to go when it is a cooler day, and maybe get almost full 100 octane and run a higher map to see what that will do.

You can Brake boost without the BrakeSnip.

Just take out the Stop Lamp fuse and replace it with a Fuse tap, inline fuse holder and a switch.

Put in Drive, turn off switch (simulates fuse pull) and now you can brake boost. After you are done switch back on, turn Car on/off to clear dash lights and back to normal.

And obviously this would only be used on a Track.

Enjoy!

 

[MerlintheMad]

If I use Tirerack to order, do I need to do the same width?

Why Tirerack specifically? Order whatever tire sizes you want. I've stuck with the 225/40 front 255/35 rear (OEM sizes); even on the TSW wheels I use with the Michelins (which are 8.5 front 9.5 rear) the fit is really good: the wider wheel stiffens the sidewall.

 

[AwesumPurson]

Because I've never bought rims and tires and that's the most popular website I could think of to start with. Didn't take me long to realize the view on your vehicle output options were limiting.

But it no longer matters. I picked up a used set of G70 5 spoke rims and tires I think look great so am no longer looking. I'm okay with losing a few style and performance points (same weight) for a great looking wheel at a great price.